The name fits
Some recent destination research identifies the people who are beginning to replace the baby boom in populating our visitor markets. Some studies call them “the nascent segment." Word geeks will know that “nascent” means something emerging, something becoming, something being born. A glance at the Oxford American definition adds one more important meaning. A nascent chemical substance is unusually reactive because it is just forming.
What the new folks are looking for
They might not yet represent the largest proportion of our visitors, but they do represent the future, so it’s important to understand what they want. The young people who are becoming our first-time visitors are looking for an experience that’s more like exploring than retreating. Outdoor, active relaxation on kayaks and bikes. Authentic experiences with small-town life, regional culture and cuisine. Artistic and spiritual experiences in theaters, galleries and historic sites. They seem to want to grow on their vacations, not just to get away.
And how they’re looking
Men and women of the nascent segment do more investigating and planning before they commit to a vacation. And naturally they do it online. Making our information and appeal easy to use in that environment is vitally important now. Price Waterhouse Coopers research shows that this segment prefers the Internet experience over all other ways of consuming information. In other words, even our print and broadcast will do well to emulate the immediacy, convenience, interactivity and personalization the nascent visitor has come to expect. Mobile electronic devices are already playing a huge role in reaching them, and that role is growing very rapidly.
How STS members serve their world
The nascent visitor wants what most STS members have to offer. Our challenge now is to engage their interest and make ourselves accessible through their preferred channels. Build the database, segment by interests, engage through email and social media, make convenience, flexibility and personalization the essence of our web navigation and the touchstones of our marketing plans.
Not a tough choice at all
Fortunately the measures we must take to be ready for the nascent visitor segment are a very good fit for our traditional visitor targets, too. The baby boomer is more likely to shop and plan carefully today than they did two years ago. More likely to use the Internet, too. And their tastes and preferences have also migrated toward authenticity, nature, cultural experiences and active relaxation. So by the grace of history we don’t have to choose one target over another. We can serve the boomer better even as we retool for the nascent visitor.
It’s an exciting moment for tourism marketing. There’s a new game afoot.