Market insights urge marketers to go bigger, reach more people and get larger exposure. However, that is not necessarily the right choice. Niche tourism, which is a type of interest-driven tourism that focuses on a specific concept or theme, helps destinations to differentiate their tourism products and be more competitive in a cluttered environment.
Market insights urge marketers to go bigger, reach more people and get larger exposure. However, that is not necessarily the right choice. Niche tourism, which is a type of interest-driven tourism that focuses on a specific concept or theme, helps destinations to differentiate their tourism products and be more competitive in a cluttered environment.
Niche marketing allows destinations to become big fish in a relatively small pond.
With closed digital communities thriving online, niche travel markets have become mainstream, from food tourism, solo female travel, adventure tourism, surf tourism and many more - niche marketing should be a destination’s priority.
A niche marketing strategy can connect your destination and its community to passionate, loyal visitors who appreciate the experiences that only your destination can provide.
Increasingly, we at the DTTT and our DMO partners find high value in focusing on interest-based travel, as opposed to the typical one-size-fits-all marketing of the past. Below are some examples of different and interesting types of niche tourism campaigns.
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as a travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing.
The travel wellness sector is growing more than twice as fast as tourism overall and it is on track to reach $919 billion in 2022. One of the core reasons for rising in wellness tourism is the sense of escapism. The World Health Organisation delineated how a large proportion of the population grapple with a burned-out feeling, which they classified as an “occupational phenomenon”. Fitness Tourism is not a new phenomenon, as in 2015 around 691 million travellers set out on wellness trips. However, Fitness tourism has grown substantially and wellness tourism makes up $639 billion of the global wellness economy.
Visit Jersey has tapped into the wellness tourism market, as they have plenty of athletic activities that can be done on the island and they host various sporting events. Visit Jersey has the concept of the ‘Runcation’. The runcation is catering for the health-conscious and for those who want to be active but also relaxed.
One of the key elements of the promotion of the island of Jersey run by Visit Jersey as part of their ‘Runcation’, is its accessibility for Londoners - there are 12 flights a day from London, which only last 40 minutes, enabling the visitor to literally “hit the ground running”.
A key campaign that highlights Visit Jersey’s vertical segment engagement of the health and wellness conscious is their collaboration with Strava, through which they encouraged participation in Jersey's marathon. One of the key ways Visit Jersey captivated this market is through Strava. Strava is an app that enables the user to track their athletic activity through GPS, for both jogging and biking. A high amount of users has signed up on the app - throughout the UK around 12% of adults are users. The collaboration aimed to project Jersey's image to Strava's large user base, augmenting the awareness of Jersey as a destination.
Visit Jersey also plays upon the 'burned out' feeling that many professionals experience. They have emphasised their natural surroundings and fresh air, as well as the sporting and spa activities available to ensure the visitor winds down, enabling the visitors to “come up for air”, one of the brand's main pillars.
Visit Jersey and Strava launched the ‘Runcation Challenge’. The user had to run 26.2 miles in 26 days, tracked through the Strava app. Those who completed the challenge would receive discounted entry into the Jersey Marathon, as well as discounted accommodation. Moreover, two people would have the possibility of a stay in a four-star hotel for Marathon.
Jersey is home to a wide variety of sporting events, such as the Accuro Jersey Triathlon and the Breca Jersey Swimrun. One of the key motivations for attracting a niche target audience is to, of course, increase loyalty to the destination.
Therefore, the numerous sporting events would encourage fitness lovers to return to participate in other sporting events, increasing the number of potential returning visitors.
Gastro-tourism reaches out to a niche community, as the visit revolves around a concept related to food and drinks. Gastro-tourism is for consumers, who hope to have an authentic memorable culinary experience. Gastro-tourism also pertains to food-related activities that involve behind-the-scene discovery, participation in the creation of the product and, of course, tasting of distinct products and flavours.
Consumers look for an incredible sensory experience in the food they want to try. DMOs, who captivate their audience, look for a more meaningful way to inspire their visitors and highlight the cultural significance of their local distinct produce and cuisine. Therefore, storytelling is a crucial element to complete this niche tourism offering, creating a stronger connection to the destination.
The food and drink sector is a key pillar of Visit Scotland's strategy. Scotland does have a special link with its culinary tradition and food is connected to culture and heritage. Visit Scotland’s niche gastro-tourism also illustrates how integral niche tourism can be for the overall DMO strategy. For instance, Food and drinks make up about 20% of the tourism expenditure, which is around £850 million.
One of the key gastro-experiences, which Visit Scotland showcases, is Scotland’s deep cultural connection to Whiskey and its large cultural significance in the destination. Whiskey is also highly lucrative for the country. In 2018, the overseas market for whiskey reached £4.36 billion, with around 1.2 million bottles being globally exported. The popularity of whiskey is the initial pull toward the destination. However, Visit Scotland maintains this interest by elaborating on the story and cultural significance behind.
One of the core reasons why Visit Scotland’s niche perspective is so successful is that they employ gastro-tourism as a means to tell stories regarding the different regions of the destination. Therefore, a more meaningful link is established with the consumer, over a purely sensory one.
Visit Scotland showcases the various regions of Scotland through Whiskey and its distinctive taste in a certain region. From there, they list various experiences, for instance, distilleries that can be visited. Therefore, the process and the cultural significance behind the creation of whiskey becomes a core part of the experience.
Visit Scotland has also curated trails around Whiskey. These trails encourage visitors to explore areas outside the predominant cities, through a wide range of distilleries and capture not just the taste of the whiskey but the process behind it.
Visit Scotland’s commitment to their gastro-tourism means that gastronomy features within the framework of their campaigns. For example, one of their ambassadors, for their #ScotSpirit, was a Scallop Diver. The aim of the campaign was to elaborate on how Scotland is special as a result of their scots. The campaign divulged about the everyday lives of these individuals and how their lives were intrinsically Scottish. Thus, the process behind and the activity of scallop diving illuminates a highly Scottish practice and cultural significance.
There is no better example of the trend toward showcasing the people who put food on the table, versus the food on the table, than this sumptuous video from Visit Scotland. This example perfectly demonstrates a new face of food tourism promotion that emphasizes the people who make up the local food scene, and the spirit of culinary collaboration, innovation, and celebration that all visitors can experience, regardless of their budget. In other words, it’s not about the food, it's about the story behind the food.
In this campaign video, Ben, the main character, and his father don scuba gear to search for young scallops in the waters of the Isle of Skye. They then transfer those scallops by hand to the shallows where there are more nutrients and sunlight, so the scallops can grow larger and develop more layered flavours. After a period of time, the men come back to harvest the mature oysters. Ben says he and his dad are the only people who produce seafood this way, which supports Visit Scotland’s tagline: “A Spirit of Its Own.”
The interest in being more sustainable is a core concern for a larger and larger community of people that look for the most sustainable options even when they travel.
Sustainable tourism has a broad appeal, as a human footprint on the planet is negative and people are more and more aware and concerned about that. Becoming a sustainable destination is, of course, the right thing to do, but also pretty appealing.
In 2019, Visit Faroe Islands launched a new campaign that - counterintuitively - urges most tourists not to come to the North Atlantic archipelago, at least for one weekend. Instead, the country is inviting 100 volunteers to come work with residents on local improvement projects on April 26 and 27.
Hoping to stave off over-tourism woes that have plagued other destinations, Visit Faroe Islands made preservation a priority, vowing to keep its “Unspoiled, Unexplored, Unbelievable” motto a reality into the future.
Though the official word from Prime Minister Aksel Johannesen is that the Faroe Islands will be “closed for maintenance, open for voluntourism,” essentially what will be closed are eight to 10 popular sites and attractions. Visitors will pitch in to put up signs, install steps, build paths, or add fences where needed.
This is the third “viral” campaign that has come out of The Faroe Islands - the other two are Sheep View and translation site, which with a staff of five, is quite impressive.
Travel Oregon develops a lot of products on cycling and mountain biking, but this doesn't end at the experience stage. The DMO is going through the whole visitor journey, designing every single touchpoint for an audience of bike lovers. All the information, from inspiration to logistics is provided in a curated section of the website, RideOregonRide.com.
... to bring you the best bicycle and mountain biking routes and connect you with all the information you need to get out and explore our state on two wheels.
They also provide tips for travelling here with your bike, as well as a collection of our favourite bicycling maps and guidebooks.
Talking about the inspiration and awareness stages, a lot has done by creating amazing content and involving local ambassadors. The playlist of video "7 Bikes for 7 Wonders" is a series of hero videos built to inspire and increase awareness on the itineraries that are available across the destination.
Toerisme Gelderland’s “5000km Gelderse Streken” campaign allowed community members to participate with Mirre, an intrepid destination ambassador for the Dutch province of Gelderland, in a 100-day cycling adventure.
The campaign elicited consumer engagement and community involvement through an authentic expression of one of Gelderland’s most important experiences: cycling. By focusing on this niche, the destination was able to showcase many important experiences the province has to offer while involving many stakeholders and tourism partners.
During her 100-day journey, Mirre visited Gelderland attractions, events, restaurants, museums and more. As she shared experiences from her bicycle, she created quality content for web and social media, which helped her build an engaged community that followed her every step.
The integrated campaign would exist online and offline; involve partners, regions, and the province; focus on cycling, and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing with an ambassador cyclist who would make a 5000-kilometre trek passing through every trail in the province.
To maintain interest over the whole trip, the campaign included special events such as community meet-ups, interviews with influencers and unusual experiences.
“Middle-class tourists from emerging markets want materialism. However, with the rise of middle-classes in developing economies, luxury becomes less exclusive as more people are accessing it. As consumers become older, luxury becomes more about enrichment than materialism” Ian Yeoman, Travel Futurologist
When we think about a luxury experience now, we think about something which is completely different from the 'luxury' we used to know. Now it's all about experiencing something which is completely opposite to the ordinary, chaos and stress become wellbeing and relief, crowded and hectic spaces become remote and solitary islands.
When you want to think about how to build a luxury strategy, consider the following points:
Minimalistic experiences are now considered a luxury! Many destinations are focusing on targeting people that seek for experiences that bring you into nature and isolation. This is like a search for mindfulness and self-discovery.
Travellers nowadays do not perceive the most worthwhile experiences to be the most expensive!
In the case of British Columbia, we can see how a destination manages to create an exclusive brand on a destination that offers its natural landscape and breathtaking environment and the best premium, luxury experience.
The website includes incredible content for all nature lovers but also content that is able to charm people that are looking for a unique experience, in a unique place.
The video is like a poem, that redefines the principles people's life is built of and make it all around the power of wilderness and the 'supernatural' features of British Columbia.
Would you like to be inspired by destinations who invested heavily on one big interests? Have a look at the following case studies:
To have an overview of the best practices when creating niche communities, have look at the mural board we have developed for this article. Click on the link below.
Market insights urge marketers to go bigger, reach more people and get larger exposure. However, that is not necessarily the right choice. Niche tourism, which is a type of interest-driven tourism that focuses on a specific concept or theme, helps destinations to differentiate their tourism products and be more competitive in a cluttered environment.
Niche marketing allows destinations to become big fish in a relatively small pond.
With closed digital communities thriving online, niche travel markets have become mainstream, from food tourism, solo female travel, adventure tourism, surf tourism and many more - niche marketing should be a destination’s priority.
A niche marketing strategy can connect your destination and its community to passionate, loyal visitors who appreciate the experiences that only your destination can provide.
Increasingly, we at the DTTT and our DMO partners find high value in focusing on interest-based travel, as opposed to the typical one-size-fits-all marketing of the past. Below are some examples of different and interesting types of niche tourism campaigns.
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness tourism as a travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing.
The travel wellness sector is growing more than twice as fast as tourism overall and it is on track to reach $919 billion in 2022. One of the core reasons for rising in wellness tourism is the sense of escapism. The World Health Organisation delineated how a large proportion of the population grapple with a burned-out feeling, which they classified as an “occupational phenomenon”. Fitness Tourism is not a new phenomenon, as in 2015 around 691 million travellers set out on wellness trips. However, Fitness tourism has grown substantially and wellness tourism makes up $639 billion of the global wellness economy.
Visit Jersey has tapped into the wellness tourism market, as they have plenty of athletic activities that can be done on the island and they host various sporting events. Visit Jersey has the concept of the ‘Runcation’. The runcation is catering for the health-conscious and for those who want to be active but also relaxed.
One of the key elements of the promotion of the island of Jersey run by Visit Jersey as part of their ‘Runcation’, is its accessibility for Londoners - there are 12 flights a day from London, which only last 40 minutes, enabling the visitor to literally “hit the ground running”.
A key campaign that highlights Visit Jersey’s vertical segment engagement of the health and wellness conscious is their collaboration with Strava, through which they encouraged participation in Jersey's marathon. One of the key ways Visit Jersey captivated this market is through Strava. Strava is an app that enables the user to track their athletic activity through GPS, for both jogging and biking. A high amount of users has signed up on the app - throughout the UK around 12% of adults are users. The collaboration aimed to project Jersey's image to Strava's large user base, augmenting the awareness of Jersey as a destination.
Visit Jersey also plays upon the 'burned out' feeling that many professionals experience. They have emphasised their natural surroundings and fresh air, as well as the sporting and spa activities available to ensure the visitor winds down, enabling the visitors to “come up for air”, one of the brand's main pillars.
Visit Jersey and Strava launched the ‘Runcation Challenge’. The user had to run 26.2 miles in 26 days, tracked through the Strava app. Those who completed the challenge would receive discounted entry into the Jersey Marathon, as well as discounted accommodation. Moreover, two people would have the possibility of a stay in a four-star hotel for Marathon.
Jersey is home to a wide variety of sporting events, such as the Accuro Jersey Triathlon and the Breca Jersey Swimrun. One of the key motivations for attracting a niche target audience is to, of course, increase loyalty to the destination.
Therefore, the numerous sporting events would encourage fitness lovers to return to participate in other sporting events, increasing the number of potential returning visitors.
Gastro-tourism reaches out to a niche community, as the visit revolves around a concept related to food and drinks. Gastro-tourism is for consumers, who hope to have an authentic memorable culinary experience. Gastro-tourism also pertains to food-related activities that involve behind-the-scene discovery, participation in the creation of the product and, of course, tasting of distinct products and flavours.
Consumers look for an incredible sensory experience in the food they want to try. DMOs, who captivate their audience, look for a more meaningful way to inspire their visitors and highlight the cultural significance of their local distinct produce and cuisine. Therefore, storytelling is a crucial element to complete this niche tourism offering, creating a stronger connection to the destination.
The food and drink sector is a key pillar of Visit Scotland's strategy. Scotland does have a special link with its culinary tradition and food is connected to culture and heritage. Visit Scotland’s niche gastro-tourism also illustrates how integral niche tourism can be for the overall DMO strategy. For instance, Food and drinks make up about 20% of the tourism expenditure, which is around £850 million.
One of the key gastro-experiences, which Visit Scotland showcases, is Scotland’s deep cultural connection to Whiskey and its large cultural significance in the destination. Whiskey is also highly lucrative for the country. In 2018, the overseas market for whiskey reached £4.36 billion, with around 1.2 million bottles being globally exported. The popularity of whiskey is the initial pull toward the destination. However, Visit Scotland maintains this interest by elaborating on the story and cultural significance behind.
One of the core reasons why Visit Scotland’s niche perspective is so successful is that they employ gastro-tourism as a means to tell stories regarding the different regions of the destination. Therefore, a more meaningful link is established with the consumer, over a purely sensory one.
Visit Scotland showcases the various regions of Scotland through Whiskey and its distinctive taste in a certain region. From there, they list various experiences, for instance, distilleries that can be visited. Therefore, the process and the cultural significance behind the creation of whiskey becomes a core part of the experience.
Visit Scotland has also curated trails around Whiskey. These trails encourage visitors to explore areas outside the predominant cities, through a wide range of distilleries and capture not just the taste of the whiskey but the process behind it.
Visit Scotland’s commitment to their gastro-tourism means that gastronomy features within the framework of their campaigns. For example, one of their ambassadors, for their #ScotSpirit, was a Scallop Diver. The aim of the campaign was to elaborate on how Scotland is special as a result of their scots. The campaign divulged about the everyday lives of these individuals and how their lives were intrinsically Scottish. Thus, the process behind and the activity of scallop diving illuminates a highly Scottish practice and cultural significance.
There is no better example of the trend toward showcasing the people who put food on the table, versus the food on the table, than this sumptuous video from Visit Scotland. This example perfectly demonstrates a new face of food tourism promotion that emphasizes the people who make up the local food scene, and the spirit of culinary collaboration, innovation, and celebration that all visitors can experience, regardless of their budget. In other words, it’s not about the food, it's about the story behind the food.
In this campaign video, Ben, the main character, and his father don scuba gear to search for young scallops in the waters of the Isle of Skye. They then transfer those scallops by hand to the shallows where there are more nutrients and sunlight, so the scallops can grow larger and develop more layered flavours. After a period of time, the men come back to harvest the mature oysters. Ben says he and his dad are the only people who produce seafood this way, which supports Visit Scotland’s tagline: “A Spirit of Its Own.”
The interest in being more sustainable is a core concern for a larger and larger community of people that look for the most sustainable options even when they travel.
Sustainable tourism has a broad appeal, as a human footprint on the planet is negative and people are more and more aware and concerned about that. Becoming a sustainable destination is, of course, the right thing to do, but also pretty appealing.
In 2019, Visit Faroe Islands launched a new campaign that - counterintuitively - urges most tourists not to come to the North Atlantic archipelago, at least for one weekend. Instead, the country is inviting 100 volunteers to come work with residents on local improvement projects on April 26 and 27.
Hoping to stave off over-tourism woes that have plagued other destinations, Visit Faroe Islands made preservation a priority, vowing to keep its “Unspoiled, Unexplored, Unbelievable” motto a reality into the future.
Though the official word from Prime Minister Aksel Johannesen is that the Faroe Islands will be “closed for maintenance, open for voluntourism,” essentially what will be closed are eight to 10 popular sites and attractions. Visitors will pitch in to put up signs, install steps, build paths, or add fences where needed.
This is the third “viral” campaign that has come out of The Faroe Islands - the other two are Sheep View and translation site, which with a staff of five, is quite impressive.
Travel Oregon develops a lot of products on cycling and mountain biking, but this doesn't end at the experience stage. The DMO is going through the whole visitor journey, designing every single touchpoint for an audience of bike lovers. All the information, from inspiration to logistics is provided in a curated section of the website, RideOregonRide.com.
... to bring you the best bicycle and mountain biking routes and connect you with all the information you need to get out and explore our state on two wheels.
They also provide tips for travelling here with your bike, as well as a collection of our favourite bicycling maps and guidebooks.
Talking about the inspiration and awareness stages, a lot has done by creating amazing content and involving local ambassadors. The playlist of video "7 Bikes for 7 Wonders" is a series of hero videos built to inspire and increase awareness on the itineraries that are available across the destination.
Toerisme Gelderland’s “5000km Gelderse Streken” campaign allowed community members to participate with Mirre, an intrepid destination ambassador for the Dutch province of Gelderland, in a 100-day cycling adventure.
The campaign elicited consumer engagement and community involvement through an authentic expression of one of Gelderland’s most important experiences: cycling. By focusing on this niche, the destination was able to showcase many important experiences the province has to offer while involving many stakeholders and tourism partners.
During her 100-day journey, Mirre visited Gelderland attractions, events, restaurants, museums and more. As she shared experiences from her bicycle, she created quality content for web and social media, which helped her build an engaged community that followed her every step.
The integrated campaign would exist online and offline; involve partners, regions, and the province; focus on cycling, and generate positive word-of-mouth marketing with an ambassador cyclist who would make a 5000-kilometre trek passing through every trail in the province.
To maintain interest over the whole trip, the campaign included special events such as community meet-ups, interviews with influencers and unusual experiences.
“Middle-class tourists from emerging markets want materialism. However, with the rise of middle-classes in developing economies, luxury becomes less exclusive as more people are accessing it. As consumers become older, luxury becomes more about enrichment than materialism” Ian Yeoman, Travel Futurologist
When we think about a luxury experience now, we think about something which is completely different from the 'luxury' we used to know. Now it's all about experiencing something which is completely opposite to the ordinary, chaos and stress become wellbeing and relief, crowded and hectic spaces become remote and solitary islands.
When you want to think about how to build a luxury strategy, consider the following points:
Minimalistic experiences are now considered a luxury! Many destinations are focusing on targeting people that seek for experiences that bring you into nature and isolation. This is like a search for mindfulness and self-discovery.
Travellers nowadays do not perceive the most worthwhile experiences to be the most expensive!
In the case of British Columbia, we can see how a destination manages to create an exclusive brand on a destination that offers its natural landscape and breathtaking environment and the best premium, luxury experience.
The website includes incredible content for all nature lovers but also content that is able to charm people that are looking for a unique experience, in a unique place.
The video is like a poem, that redefines the principles people's life is built of and make it all around the power of wilderness and the 'supernatural' features of British Columbia.
Would you like to be inspired by destinations who invested heavily on one big interests? Have a look at the following case studies:
To have an overview of the best practices when creating niche communities, have look at the mural board we have developed for this article. Click on the link below.
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