Unit 2: Promoting and Sustaining the Leisure, Travel and Tourism Industry
Chapter: Promotional Activity and Market Research
Welcome to your study guide for Promotional Activity and Market Research! Whether you are aiming for top marks or just trying to get your head around the basics, these notes will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know for your CCEA GCSE exam.
In this chapter, you will discover how leisure, travel, and tourism organisations find out what customers want (Market Research) and how they attract people through their doors (Promotional Activity). Let's dive in!
1. Understanding the Basics: Leisure, Travel, and Tourism
Before an organisation can promote anything, it must understand what it is offering and who its customers are.
What is Leisure?
Leisure is defined as the range of activities that people do for enjoyment in their spare time (free time when they are not working, studying, or doing essential chores).
Important point: What is work for one person might be leisure for someone else! For example, a professional chef cooks for work, but an amateur home cook might bake on a Sunday afternoon for relaxation and leisure.
Classifications of Leisure Activities
Leisure activities are varied and are classified into several clear categories:
• Passive: Activities requiring little physical exertion, such as reading a book or spectating at a sports match.
• Active: Activities involving physical effort, such as walking, jogging, or playing competitive sport.
• Indoor: Activities taking place inside a facility or venue, such as dance or gymnastics.
• Outdoor: Activities that happen outside, such as football, hiking, or skiing.
• Water-based: Activities taking place in or on water, such as swimming, kayaking, or sailing.
• Home-based: Leisure enjoyed in one's own residence, such as watching television, gaming, DIY, or gardening.
• Away from home: Leisure enjoyed outside the home, such as going to the cinema or dining out at a restaurant.
What is Tourism?
Tourism is defined as the activities of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, or other purposes.
Key rule: An essential feature of tourism is that the traveller intends to return home after the visit.
Visitor vs. Tourist: Spot the Difference
• Visitor (Day Tripper): A person who visits a destination for less than 12 hours and does not stay overnight.
• Tourist: A person who travels outside their normal environment and stays for at least one night.
Types of Tourism
• Domestic Tourism: People travelling within their own home country for leisure or holiday (e.g., a family from Belfast holidaying on the North Coast of Northern Ireland).
• Inbound Tourism: Visitors coming into a country from another country (e.g., tourists from the United States visiting Belfast).
• Outbound Tourism: Residents leaving their home country to travel to a different country (e.g., a person from the UK travelling to Spain for a summer break).
Quick Review: Remember the "Overnight Rule" — no overnight stay means they are a visitor; staying at least one night makes them a tourist!
2. The Components of the Leisure and Tourism Industry
Organisations create promotional campaigns to attract customers to specific industry sectors. Here are the core components you need to know:
A. Sport and Physical Recreation
Facilities that provide opportunities for physical activity, health, and fitness:
• Leisure centres: Multi-purpose local facilities offering swimming pools, sports halls, and squash courts.
• Health clubs and private gyms: Membership-based facilities focused on workouts and fitness classes.
• Sports venues and arenas: Large stadia designed for major competitions and spectators.
• Sports clubs (public and private): Local clubs for tennis, rugby, golf, or bowls.
• Ski centres: Indoor or dry ski slopes providing snow sports practice.
B. Arts and Entertainment
Venues visited for culture, recreation, and enjoyment:
• Art galleries and museums (exhibitions, history, culture).
• Cinemas and theatres (film screenings, live plays, musical performances).
C. Countryside Recreation
Outdoor pursuit destinations in natural or managed environments:
• Country parks and forest parks (scenic walking trails, picnic areas, nature trails).
• Outdoor activity centres (canoeing, climbing, orienteering).
• Camping and caravan parks (accommodation for outdoor holidays).
D. Children's Play Activities
Dedicated facilities designed for children's entertainment and physical play:
• Soft play areas: Safe indoor climbing, ball pits, and slides.
• Skate parks: Purpose-built ramps and bowls for skateboarding, scooters, and BMX.
• Play parks: Outdoor public playgrounds with swings, climbing frames, and slides.
E. Catering Facilities
Businesses that provide food and drink services to leisure users and tourists:
• Restaurants (including hotel restaurants).
• Pop-up restaurants (temporary dining setups in unique venues).
• Cafés (casual daytime food and hot drinks).
• Takeaways (quick food prepared to be eaten elsewhere).
F. Home-Based Leisure Support
Services and organisations that support recreation at home:
• Streaming platforms and film distributors.
• Gaming and social media companies.
• Publishers and book retailers.
• DIY stores and garden centres.
G. Travel & Tourism Organisations: Tour Operators
A tour operator is an organisation or individual that contracts with hoteliers, airlines, and transport providers, packages these elements together, and sells them as a single holiday package directly to customers or via travel agents.
3. Understanding the Customer: Why People Visit and What Influences Them
To design successful market research and promotions, organisations must understand customer motivations and constraints.
Why People Use Leisure and Tourism Facilities
• Entertainment: Going out to have fun (e.g., watching a film at a cinema).
• Recreation and Special Interests: Pursuing hobbies (e.g., birdwatching, photography, fishing).
• Relaxation: De-stressing and taking a break from daily routines (e.g., visiting a day spa).
• Socialising and Eating Out: Spending time with friends and family over a meal.
• Health and Well-being: Exercising to stay fit, tone muscles, or support mental health.
• Learning or Skills Improvement: Taking cooking courses, ski lessons, or visiting educational museums.
• Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR): Travelling to spend time with loved ones.
• Business: Travelling for work conferences, meetings, or trade exhibitions.
Factors That Influence Leisure and Tourism Choices
Why does one person choose a luxury cruise while another chooses a local camping trip? Several factors influence these choices:
• Age group: Teenagers, young singles, families with toddlers, and retired seniors all have vastly different interests and physical capabilities.
• Socio-economic group: Income levels and disposable income determine what individuals can afford.
• Holiday patterns: School terms, bank holidays, and annual leave allowances dictate when people can travel.
• Friends and family: Peer group recommendations and family obligations strongly steer decisions.
• Trends and fashions: Popular craze activities (e.g., paddleboarding, city breaks) gain sudden demand through social media.
• Availability of transport: Access to public transport, road networks, or direct flight routes determines accessibility.
• Personal preference and interest: Individual tastes, sports preferences, and cultural interests.
• Availability of facilities: Whether the required facilities (e.g., an Olympic pool or a theatre) exist within reach.
Key Takeaway: Understanding who the customer is and why they travel is the foundation of both market research and targeted promotional activity.
4. Market Research in Leisure, Travel, and Tourism
What is Market Research?
Market research is the process of gathering, recording, and analysing information about customers, competitors, and market trends to make informed business decisions.
Why Conduct Market Research?
• Identify customer needs and wants: Discover what visitors like, dislike, or expect.
• Spot market gaps: Find out what services or facilities are missing in the local area.
• Reduce business risk: Ensure money is not wasted launching an attraction or menu that nobody wants.
• Set realistic prices: Find out how much target customers are willing to pay.
• Evaluate promotional success: Find out how customers heard about an event or facility.
Primary vs. Secondary Market Research
1. Primary Research (Field Research)
Gathering new, first-hand data that has not been collected before, specifically for the organisation's own purpose.
• Examples: Face-to-face questionnaires at a theme park exit, online customer satisfaction surveys emailed after a hotel stay, focus groups discussing new leisure centre facilities, or observation counts of visitors at a country park entrance.
• Advantages: Up to date, directly relevant to the specific problem, and competitors do not have access to it.
• Disadvantages: Can be expensive, time-consuming to collect, and requires trained staff.
2. Secondary Research (Desk Research)
Gathering and analysing data that already exists, having been collected previously by someone else for another purpose.
• Examples: Government tourism reports (e.g., Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency / Tourism NI data), industry journals, competitor websites, or historical sales records.
• Advantages: Quick to obtain, cheap or free, and provides broad industry overviews.
• Disadvantages: May be out of date, not fully specific to the organisation's exact needs, and is available to competitors.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data
• Quantitative Data: Numerical and statistical information that can be counted and graphed (e.g., "85% of visitors rated the cleanliness 5 out of 5" or "420 visitors attended on Saturday").
• Qualitative Data: Descriptive information about thoughts, opinions, and feelings (e.g., "Customers reported that the café atmosphere felt welcoming but the queue was too slow").
Memory Trick: Quanti-tative = Quantity (numbers). Quali-tative = Quality / opinions!
5. Promotional Activity in Leisure, Travel, and Tourism
What is Promotion?
Promotion is the way an organisation communicates with existing and potential customers to inform them, persuade them, and remind them about its products and services.
Main Purposes of Promotional Activity
• Raise awareness: Informing the public about a new attraction, facility, or holiday package.
• Increase sales and bookings: Boosting visitor numbers and overall revenue.
• Build or improve brand image: Creating a positive public perception and strong reputation.
• Remind customers: Encouraging repeat visits from previous customers.
• Differentiate from competitors: Showing why a particular leisure venue or tour operator is better than rival options.
Common Promotional Methods
1. Advertising
Paying for messages in media channels to reach a target audience.
• Print media: Brochures, leaflets, local newspapers, and travel magazines.
• Broadcast media: Television and radio adverts.
• Outdoor media: Billboards, bus shelters, and vehicle wraps.
2. Digital and Social Media Marketing
Using online channels to engage customers directly.
• Websites and SEO: Search engine visibility and online booking platforms.
• Social platforms: Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook posts, reels, and targeted sponsored ads.
• Email marketing: Newsletters sent directly to subscribers with exclusive news and special rates.
3. Sales Promotions
Short-term incentives designed to encourage immediate purchases or visits.
• Examples: 2-for-1 entry vouchers for theme parks, early-bird discounts on holiday packages, family pass deals, loyalty cards (e.g., 10th coffee free), or off-peak season discounts.
4. Public Relations (PR) and Sponsorship
Generating positive publicity without paying for direct advertising space.
• Press releases: Sending news stories to local journalists about new exhibits or charity events.
• Sponsorship: Sponsoring a local sports team or community event to display the organisation's logo and gain goodwill.
• Influencer partnerships: Inviting travel vloggers or food critics for complimentary stays/meals in exchange for honest reviews and online coverage.
5. Personal Selling and Direct Marketing
Direct, one-to-one communication with potential clients.
• Examples: Travel agents advising clients face-to-face, sales reps booking corporate conference packages, or targeted postal flyers addressed to local residents.
6. Selecting the Right Promotional Method
No single promotional method works for every situation. A business must carefully choose its promotional mix based on:
• The Target Audience: For example, targeting teenagers for a new skate park works best via short-form social media (like TikTok or Instagram), whereas targeting retired seniors for a historic garden tour is more effective through local newspapers, direct mail, or community noticeboards.
• Budget Available: Large tour operators can afford national TV campaigns; a local soft play centre will stick to social media, local leafleting, and community sponsorship.
• The Message and Timing: Promoting a summer festival requires advance notice across billboard and digital channels; clearing empty seats on a tour bus requires quick, short-term flash sales online.
7. Common Exam Mistakes to Avoid
• Confusing a Visitor with a Tourist: Always check the duration of stay! If the scenario says a person visited a country park from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and went home, they are a visitor/day tripper, NOT a tourist.
• Mixing up Inbound and Outbound: Look at the reference point. If a French family lands at Belfast International Airport, they are an inbound tourist to Northern Ireland.
• Giving one-word answers for promotions: When asked how a facility should promote itself, do not just write "social media". Explain which platform, what content they should post, and why it appeals to the specific target market.
Chapter Summary Checklist
• Can you define leisure, tourism, visitor, and tourist accurately?
• Can you classify leisure activities into active/passive, indoor/outdoor, water-based, and home/away?
• Do you know the 3 main types of tourism: domestic, inbound, and outbound?
• Can you list the components of the leisure and tourism industries?
• Can you distinguish between primary and secondary market research and quantitative vs. qualitative data?
• Can you recommend appropriate promotional methods for different customer groups?