Quant Market Research; Domestic Tourism in Kenya

Hi Natalie,

I'm writing from a boutique lodge network in Kenya. We are refining our segmentation and are looking for some hard statistics on the most profitable segments for our destinations.

Our destinations range from $180/pp/pn to $320/pp/pn and include safari experiences and beach experiences. Until fairly recently Kenya has depended predominantly on international tourism. We entered the market at a time where this market has been in sharp decline due to fears around terrorism and the international economic slowdown. As such, our primary market is the domestic market and we want to better understand the segments.

The segmentation we are familiar with here is predominantly socio-economic and demographic. We have not found these categories to be particularly useful in developing a clear framework and so we are looking for new ways to dissect the local market and develop better marketing strategies.

We are looking to answer the following questions:
1. What are the most meaningful segmentation principles for our destinations?
2. What are the key characteristics of the most important segments for our destinations (value, size, growth & stability)?
3. What can we learn about how competitors are engaging these segments?

Through internal workshops we have started to consider interest-based segmentation e.g; weddings, honeymoons & anniversaries, corporate and non-profit board meetings, fitness enthusiasts. I mention this only as a suggestion and possible direction. We are not sure yet whether these are meaningful categorisations or not.

Is this a project you would be interested in taking on? If so;
1. What sources of data would you use and what richness of analysis can we expect? We are particularly keen on getting some hard quants.
2. What kind of timeframe would you be looking at?
3. What further information would you require?

I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards,

Biki