As anyone who has spent time in a tourist destination knows, there are two types of tourists: international tourists and domestic tourists. International tourists stay in the country longer and spend more money than domestic tourists do—yet many organizations focus their efforts on courting the latter over the former, with limited success.
Here’s why international tourists are so important and how you can maximize your marketing efforts to attract them to your tourist location or business.
How International Tourists Differ from Domestic Travelers:
You’re probably thinking: International travelers aren’t really all that different from U.S. travelers, right? After all, they’re still on vacation and have money to spend—they just need to read a few place names and maybe get some foreign currency beforehand, right?
Well…not exactly. There are some big differences between these two types of travelers, which can make them highly desirable (or not) for your business. Here’s what you should know about each type of traveler before planning an itinerary or marketing strategy.
Two Reasons Why International Tourists Are More Important Than Domestic Travelers.
1. They spend more. First things first: While both groups tend to travel with credit cards in hand, international travelers don’t shy away from using them as much as their American counterparts do. That means they also tend to spend much more while traveling abroad, whether it’s because of extra souvenirs or unique experiences that cost extra cash but are worth it.
According to data from The Boston Consulting Group, international travelers spend $4,500 per trip compared to $2,700 per trip by domestic travelers.
2. They influence others back home. If you’ve ever had a friend visit another country and come back raving about it—only to inspire you to take a trip there yourself—you already know how powerful tourism is as an industry influences.
In fact, according to a recent study conducted by Brand USA and Oxford Economics, 65 percent of Americans who plan trips abroad say they’ll tell friends and family about their destination when they return. Of those people, nearly half will encourage others to book a trip within six months of returning themselves. So, if you want your brand to be seen—and heard—by potential customers back home, focusing on international travelers might be key. 3 Ways to Get Your Business Ready for International Tourists Want to attract international visitors?
Then focus on making sure your site works properly across multiple browsers and mobile devices so that visitors from other countries can access information without issue. Next, research any special considerations your target audience may have; even though they may be fluent in English, it never hurts to offer additional language options or accommodations like dual-voltage outlets or single-use toiletries instead of large bottles.
The Importance of International Tourism:
Globalization has made it easier for countries to grow their economies via tourism, as travelers from other countries can easily come and visit. International tourists are much more valuable than their domestic counterparts, however; one study estimates that a single foreign tourist spends an average of $505 per day in America, compared to only $291 for each U.S. tourist traveling abroad. Thus, for countries hoping to make money from tourism, it’s crucial to attract visitors from outside their borders.
If a country hopes to reap big economic benefits from tourism as many developing nations do it’s vital that they first attract international visitors. One of the best ways to do so is by establishing airport infrastructure and improving immigration processes since these things both encourage business travel and help make prospective tourists feel welcome when they arrive (Wall Street Journal).
Offering affordable airfare is also key because doing so makes flying overseas more affordable for people who live far away, thus helping draw them into your country as well. Furthermore, countries can greatly increase their chances of attracting foreign travelers by offering easy-to-access visa procedures; if you have to go through a complicated application process or pay high fees just to get a visa, it might not be worth it for you to visit (The Economist).
Finally, making sure your city is appealing to tourists by keeping it clean and providing plenty of entertainment options is essential if you want international travelers flocking there.
Importance of Domestic Tourism:
In many countries, local tourism remains a critical source of revenue. Governments employ local tourism offices to increase awareness of their communities and attract new visitors. But domestic travelers make up a small portion of all tourists. As such, it’s easy to see why some businesses focus almost exclusively on attracting foreign customers.
However, doing so might not be beneficial for everyone. If your business targets domestic customers or operates in a primarily local area, then you might benefit from making more of an effort to reach out to those local residents and vice versa. There are several reasons that focusing solely on one type of tourist could hurt your bottom line. First, if you target international travelers but aren’t as successful at reaching them as competitors who focus on domestic tourists, then you could miss out on opportunities to grow your business through tourism altogether.
Second, even if you do succeed in luring foreign visitors to your community or neighborhoods, it can still be difficult to make money off them because they often stay for shorter periods of time and spend less money overall than local residents do.
How to Attract More International Tourists?
For many tourism operators, foreign visitors are an essential source of income, so it’s crucial to understand how to attract them. As a business owner, one of your goals is likely to turn new visitors into repeat customers. While many businesses focus on getting new customers, marketing to return visitors can be just as effective.
Read on for some tips that can help you make your resort or tourist attraction popular with both local and International tourists. 2 Tips for Attracting More International Visitors: Target Your Market wisely – Your market may not be where you think it is. If you want to draw in visitors from outside your city or country, do your research before launching any campaigns.
Look at similar destinations around the world and try to figure out what they’re doing right and wrong to bring in foreign visitors. Then use those insights to tailor your own efforts. The Internet Makes It Easy to Reach Out Globally – Today, it’s easier than ever to reach out globally thanks to online tools like Facebook and Twitter. Use these platforms to connect with potential clients across borders; if you run a travel agency, look into translating your website into different languages.
You might also consider hiring someone who speaks another language to respond directly to inquiries from overseas clients. A Multi-Lingual Website Can Help You Connect with Clients – A multi-lingual website isn’t just good for attracting international visitors—it can also help keep your current clientele happy. Many people feel more comfortable booking a trip abroad when they know their hotel has English-speaking staff members available 24/7.
