Methodology – Focus groups with enrichment explorers, respondents who like to travel off the beaten track, who value experiences over possessions and who are conscious with regards to their impact on the environment.
Ireland Tourism
"The essentials of an Off Peak holiday within the 3 holiday types, circle around change of scenery and discovery of new things, to cut-off from everyday life."
Introduction
This research project focused on looking at advertising for travel, specifically concentrating on off-peak holidays and the island of Ireland.
Specifications
Looking at 3 main holiday types, short city trips, the discovery of a region and the far away holidays, we specifically focused on if Ireland can meet the expectations for each of these holiday types and what content, communications, advertising, if any, would work to support this.
We also reviewed video content to explore to what extent they create an image of the type of off-peak holiday people want to experience.
Results
The essentials of an Off Peak holiday within the 3 holiday types, circle around change of scenery and discovery of new things, to cut-off from everyday life. Seeing new places and beautiful sites. Discovering museums and architecture and local gastronomy and beverages. All at a price they can afford.
Reoccurring themes that they avoid are overcrowded and over priced places, some places are very touristic and the cost of everything is higher due to this. Another key point was that they want to avoid seasonal places with their off peak travel, “Sometimes you get there and everything is closed, or the buses don’t work until June…”
On their thoughts on what Ireland can deliver as an Off Peak holiday, all agreed on their impressions of the varied landscapes, unspoiled nature, monuments and colourful cities such as Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Belfast. Less positive impressions were mainly centred on the weather.
Key sources of information to create an image of the type of holiday they want to experience were seen as word-of-mouth, internet, documentaries/news and movies.
