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Attracting the visitor attractions fans
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) recently revealed the British Museum as the most visited tourist attraction in Britain, with just under six million visitors in 2017.
There are all sorts of different types of visitor attractions for days out and you might expect those who visit them to be very different as a result, but there are also remarkably frequent similarities. A visit to a prominent attraction can result in spending a significant amount of money and so for marketers promoting days out at big attractions, it is crucial to understand what makes those who visit major attractions different to each other as well as similar.
Here we use data from our TGI study of consumer behaviour to take a look at three very popular but very different types of attraction - Stonehenge, Tate Modern and Thorpe Park - and examine the ways in which they have diverse sets of visitors, but also where there are synergies.
Ages and domestic situations fluctuate greatly amongst those most likely to visit these different attractions
An examination of lifestage can give us a good overall indication of the types of people who like to visit these specific attractions Stonehenge visitors are especially likely to be parents and in particular - 80% more likely than the average adult - to be in the 'Primary School Parents' TGI lifestage group (live with son/daughter and youngest child aged 5-9). Clearly Stonehenge is something of a family favourite.
On the other hand, Tate Modern visitors are over twice as likely to be in the 'Flown the Nest' TGI lifestage group (aged 15-34, not married or living as a couple and do not live with relations). It's not that parents don't wish to visit, but the fact the 'Secondary School Parents' (live with son/daughter and youngest child aged 10-15) are 34% more likely to have visited, whereas parents of younger children are less likely than the average to do so, tells its own story of the challenge of the attentions spans of younger children when it comes to art galleries.
Meanwhile, 'Fledglings' (aged 15-34, not married or living as a couple, do not live with son or daughter and live with parents) are over two and a half times more likely to visit Thorpe Park compared to the average adult. At the other end of the scale, 'Empty Nesters' (aged 55+, married/living as a couple and do not live with son/daughter) are perhaps not surprisingly 87% less likely than the average to have been, with just a hardy 3% of them braving the rollercoasters.
Standing out and getting noticed, alongside an ethical streak, set these visitors apart
When it comes to attitudes, Stonehenge visitors are particularly likely to wish to be seen out and about compared to the average adult. They are over twice as likely to agree that their car should catch people's attention, 90% more likely to agree they like others to look at them and 80% more likely to say they like to stand out in a crowd.
They also have a strong ethical side. They are 53% more likely to say they will only buy from a company with whose ethics they agree and 54% more likely to say they prefer to eat vegetarian foods. Interestingly, this ethical side is something that also features prominently amongst the Tate Modern and Thorpe Park visitors, as does the notion of standing out and being seen.
All three groups are also particularly likely to admit to being influenced in their purchase decisions by celebrities, which is a useful pointer to the savvy marketer looking at how to most efficiently engage these day trippers.
Cinema and mobile internet can be effective means for reaching and engaging these attractions' visitors
As far as reaching these consumers through the media is concerned, it is interesting to note that those in all three groups are particularly likely to be amongst the heaviest fifth of consumers for cinema and for mobile internet. However, at the more granular level differences surface. For Thorpe Park visitors, for example, the most popular film types are action & adventure, comedy and superhero movies, whilst for Stonehenge visitors it is science fiction, comedy and crime/thrillers/mystery films that tops the favourites list.
Key groups in this sector can also be reached effectively programmatically through their activation via our specialist onboarding partner for TGI data, Eyeota. TGI data-built audiences can be analysed and targeted through major DMPs and DSPs. Contact us to find out more.