Step 2: Understand your destination and your visitors

This step is designed to uncover two things:

1. What the destination has to offer (the products and tourism businesses)
2. What the visitor wants

These items probably won’t match, but by trying to bring them closer together, you can identify the core of your destination development plan and what you need to achieve.

2.1 Define what the destination has to offer

What are the strengths and assets (natural or man-made) of your destination? What, if anything, is unique to your destination? You should also identify the shortfalls in the product, in terms of quality, accessibility, quantity etc, and the areas for potential development. This information may be gathered through research and by mining local knowledge (activities which can be undertaken by an existing Tourism Group, local educational body or by an interest group).

2.2 Consider how the destination is currently performing

• Who are the visitors to your destination?
• What are the key source markets?
• What are the key market segments (eg what percentage of visitors are visiting friends and relatives) and key activity segments (eg walking, cycling, angling, equestrian, marine activities, learning English)?
• What is the economic impact of visitors to your destination, that is, how much money are they leaving in the area? It may be useful to estimate the daily spend of the key segments and multiply this by the number of days they spend in the destination, on average.

2.3 Identify what the visitor wants

It is important to have a clear understanding of the needs of your visitors. Answering the following questions might give you an insight into their needs:

• Why do visitors come to the destination?
• How do visitors find out about the destination and what there is to see and do?
• How satisfied are they with their experience?
• How do they get to the destination and around the destination?
• What do they spend their time doing in the destination?
• What other destinations are they visiting (both in Ireland and abroad)?

Our Research and Policy Division can provide you with valuable information that can help answer these questions. You can also gain insights from your guestbook, the Fáilte Ireland Publicity Department, Tourism Ireland, Tourist Information Office staff and tour operators who are servicing the destination, and from websites such as TripAdvisor and online travel forums. Chatting to local tourism businesses will also provide valuable insights and information.

2.4 Look at your competitors, best practice and trends

Identify destinations here and abroad that have similar products, assets or natural environments and market sizes, and use them as a point of comparison with your own destination. You should also identify the current market and lifestyle trends that might affect future demand in the destination.

Search the Research & Insights section for current market and lifestyle trends relevant to your destination.

2.5 Identify the lifecycle stage of the destination

All destinations go through a lifecycle, beginning as a fledgling tourism destination and evolving over time into a mature destination, sometimes followed by a period of decline. An important part of the first step in preparing a destination development plan is identifying where a destination is in its lifecycle, as this can determine the type of developmental interventions that are required, as well as which stakeholder should take the lead in implementing the plan.

For example, if a destination is at an early stage of its lifecycle and requires a lot of basic infrastructural work, then the Local Authority may be best placed to lead on the plan. However, in a mature destination with well-developed trade working harmoniously together, the trade could lead on the implementation of the plan.

The Destination Lifecycle Table outlines the typical characteristics of the different stages of the lifecycle, the objectives for each stage and the insights/information required to achieve these objectives.

2.6 Refine the Destination Proposition

The proposition is the foundation upon which the destination plan is based. Answering the following questions should help you to define what the proposition is for your destination:

• What does the destination stand for?
• What has the destination got that distinguishes it from other destinations?
• Why do visitors come to the destination?

The destination proposition is important as it can help:

• clarify to the tourism businesses the image and reputation they should be working to develop
• define the theme that should be in all marketing campaigns for the destination. This should be consistent with the ethos, identity and vision that the destination adopts, as well as fitting under the discoverireland.ie brand.

Creating an identity/proposition (or ‘individual flavour’) for each destination will help to achieve standout while at the same time ensuring a co-ordinated, clear, consistent and economical approach to branding.