Market research for tourism destinations and operators

Destinations and tourism operators collect booking data and reviews, but reviews come from the most enthusiastic and the most annoyed. The typical visitor rarely explains why they came, or why they did not come back.

No credit card50 free respondentsGDPR & CCPA compliant
Hikers on an alpine trail with a glacier in the background

How likely are you to recommend this destination?

12345

Why did you choose this destination?

Friends recommended it.

What did they tell you that convinced you, and did your stay match it?

50free respondents
to start

A destination study, from one question to the answer

1. Ask2. Follow up3. Analyse
Live
Survey

How likely are you to recommend this destination?

12345

Why did you choose this destination?

Friends recommended it.

AI follow-up

What did they tell you that convinced you, and did your stay match it?

Answering by voice…

The AI asks one more question whenever an answer is vague, in the respondent's language.

Live results
How likely are you to recommend this destination?n = 486
3.9mean / 5
3%1
7%2
18%3
38%4
34%5
486open answers coded into themes
Recommended by friends38%
Nature and hiking29%
Too expensive to stay17%

Illustrative example with sample data, not a client study.

Tourism market research asks visitors and potential visitors about their motivations, their experience and their expectations, by season and origin market.

SmartInterview surveys visitors in their own language, asks a follow-up on every vague answer and codes comments into themes you can compare between seasons.

Why market research matters for tourism

Visitors come from several markets and languages, and their expectations change by season. Decisions on offers, communication and investment need their perspective, not only occupancy figures.

  • Understand why visitors choose the destination
  • Measure satisfaction along the stay
  • Test new offers and packages
  • Compare origin markets and seasons
Visitors on a mountain restaurant terrace in winter
From question to study

Questions we help destinations and tourism operators answer

Typical situations in this sector, and how we would set up the study for each.

Research objective

Measure awareness in the region where you want to grow

Who we ask

Residents of each language region

How SmartInterview answers it

Awareness and image questions with quotas per language region, in each language

Awareness by region

Aided awareness of the destination

Romandie78%
Deutschschweiz41%
Ticino35%
Research objective

Set an image baseline you can track

Who we ask

The general population of your source markets

How SmartInterview answers it

The same questions repeated in waves, compared on the same dashboard

Image tracker, wave 1

The destination is a good place for a family holiday

12345
DisagreeAgree
Research objective

Hear from people who never came

Who we ask

Non-visitors from a panel, not only your CRM

How SmartInterview answers it

Panel recruitment screened on travel habits, with the AI asking what holds them back

AI follow-up, non-visitors

What has kept you from visiting so far?

It always seems expensive.Expensive compared with where you went instead? Which part: lodging, lifts, food?
Research objective

Track campaign effect over time

Who we ask

Your target audience, before and after campaigns

How SmartInterview answers it

Recall and intent questions repeated each wave, results compared by period

Campaign recall

Have you seen this ad in the last month?

Yes, on TVYes, onlineNot sureNo
Research objective

Understand lapsed and postponed visits

Who we ask

Past visitors who did not come back

How SmartInterview answers it

Your own visitor list, with the AI probing what changed and what would bring them back

AI follow-up, lapsed visitors

You came every winter until 2023. What changed?

The kids grew up.Would a different kind of stay suit you now, for example a weekend for two?
Research objective

Understand day visitors and what would make them stay longer

Who we ask

Day visitors on site, through a QR code at key spots

How SmartInterview answers it

A two-minute survey by QR code, voice answers allowed, with the AI asking what would have made them stay overnight

QR code, voice answer

What would have made you stay overnight?

0:14
“A nice place to eat after the hike, and a room under 150.”

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How it is done today, and with SmartInterview

TodayWith SmartInterview
Paper forms at reception reach few guests, mostly in one languageA QR code in the room, answers by voice in any language
Online reviews show complaints, never the guests who stayed silentSurvey every guest after the stay, AI follow-ups on lukewarm answers
Season results analysed after the season, too late to adjustThemes update as answers arrive, so you read them mid-season
Potential visitors who never came are impossible to reachRecruit people from your target markets through a panel

Questions you can answer

  1. 1Why do visitors choose us over another destination?
  2. 2Which part of the stay lowers satisfaction?
  3. 3Would a new package attract a new segment?
  4. 4How is the destination perceived in each origin market?
  5. 5What would make a visitor come back?

Who you can reach

Current visitors, with a link or QR code during the stayPast guests from your booking listPotential visitors in your target marketsVisitors by language and origin country

What you can learn

Visitor motivations

Why they chose the destination, what they compared it with and how they found it.

Experience along the stay

Satisfaction by touchpoint: arrival, accommodation, activities, transport, information, and the reasons behind each score.

Appeal of new offers

Reactions to packages, events or pricing before they are launched.

How SmartInterview works for tourism

  1. 1

    Define the business decision

    Name the decision: an offer to launch, a service to improve, a market to target or a communication to change.

  2. 2

    Generate the survey

    Describe the decision in one sentence. SmartInterview drafts the questionnaire, scores its quality and flags leading or double-barrelled questions before anyone answers.

  3. 3

    Recruit the target audience

    Invite past guests by email, reach current visitors with a link or QR code, or survey potential visitors in target markets.

  4. 4

    Collect quantitative and qualitative answers

    Structured questions give the numbers. When an answer is vague, the AI asks a follow-up, by voice or text, in the respondent's language.

  5. 5

    Analyze segments and open-ended feedback

    Open answers are coded into themes with counts and sentiment, and every theme links back to the verbatims behind it. Compare segments side by side.

  6. 6

    Turn insights into recommendations

    Export the findings, the themes and the quotes to the team that has to decide, as a report or a spreadsheet.

Example studies

A team reviewing customer research results
Illustrative study design

Understanding summer visitors of an Alpine destination

Challenge

A destination wants to know why summer visitors come and what would bring them back.

Research design

Short survey by QR code during the stay and by email after it, with AI follow-ups on motivations and disappointments.

Respondents

Summer visitors in French, German and English.

Business decision

Adapt communication per market and improve transport information.

Key insights

  • Motivations differ strongly by origin market
  • Information on local transport is the most cited frustration

Tourism research topics teams search for

Hotel guest satisfaction survey questions

Ask about arrival, the room, breakfast, staff and value for money, then what would bring the guest back. SmartInterview probes answers like 'it was okay' to find the step that disappointed.

How to measure destination image

Ask unaided which words come to mind for your destination, then rate it on attributes such as nature, culture, price and ease of access against competitors. Coded open answers show the image people really hold.

Post-trip survey template

Send it within a few days of the stay and cover planning, booking, the stay itself and intent to return. SmartInterview drafts the template from your goal and sends it in each guest's language.

Why tourists do not return

Ask past visitors where they went instead and what made the other destination more attractive. Price, novelty and access often appear, but the coded verbatims show which one applies to you.

Event visitor survey questions

Ask how visitors heard about the event, where they came from, what they spent and what they would change. A QR code on site collects answers while people are still there.

Ski resort customer survey

Cover lifts, slopes, rental, restaurants and lodging, and ask what would make a family come back next winter. Voice answers suit visitors answering on their phone at the end of the day.

Measure the impact of a tourism campaign

Ask the same awareness and intent questions in your target markets before and after the campaign. Keeping the questions identical makes the waves comparable.

Tourism survey in Switzerland

Swiss destinations welcome visitors from many countries and three national language regions. Each respondent answers in their own language and the themes are consolidated across origin markets.

Pricing

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Frequently asked questions

Tourism market research studies visitors and potential visitors — their motivations, experience and expectations — to guide offers, communication and investment.

Use a short survey with a link or QR code during the stay and an email after it, in the visitor's language.

Why they chose the destination, how they found it, satisfaction by touchpoint, what disappointed them and whether they would return and recommend it.

Let each respondent answer in their language and consolidate the themes across languages.

A few hundred per season give reliable comparisons between origin markets.

Yes. Describe the package or event, measure interest and price acceptance, and ask what would make them book.

The first 50 respondents are free. Paid plans start at CHF 45 per month for 150 respondents per month.

Themes update as answers arrive, so you can read results during the season.

Ask your visitors while they are still here

Launch a visitor survey this week and read the reasons behind every score.

No credit card50 free respondentsGDPR & CCPA compliant