DATA APPLIED TO TRAVEL MARKETING: The Case of Barcelona

Travellyze is a cloud-based tourism analytics platform designed to close the gap of knowledge between tourism destinations and travelers. Our platform will help to understand how the destinations are perceived and help to make smarter strategic and tactical marketing decisions.

For the development of this article, we will choose one destination out of the nearly 150 destinations that we assess in terms of image, awareness, perception and experience. The chosen destination will be Barcelona, which serves as a global reference for tourism. Barcelona, one of Spain's most vibrant and touristic cities, faces the constant challenge of attracting travelers from around the world in a highly competitive market. To stand out among equally enticing destinations, Travellyze provides intelligent and relevant data for destination decision-making. In this article, we will explain how Barcelona could use this data to define effective marketing strategies and successfully attract potential travelers.

The destinations could use the data provided by Travellyze to gain a detailed insight into the behavior and trends of travelers. This data includes demographic information, specific interests, length of stays, preferred activities, and booking patterns, among other relevant aspects. By analyzing this information, Barcelona could define more precise and tailored marketing strategies based on the preferences of potential travelers.

Barcelona's primary objective is to define a comprehensive marketing strategy that captivates potential travelers and entices them to choose Barcelona as their holiday destination. This necessitates a deep understanding of the target audience and their preferences. By investing time and effort into market research and data analysis, Barcelona could gain valuable insights into the characteristics, demographics, and travel patterns of its potential visitors.

One of the key necessities for Barcelona is understanding how to effectively communicate with its target audience. This involves tailoring the message to resonate with their interests and aspirations. By employing the appropriate tone, language, and storytelling techniques, Barcelona can create a genuine connection and engage potential travelers on a personal level.

Determining the most effective channels to reach the target audience is crucial for Barcelona's marketing strategy and for every destination. Through careful analysis, Barcelona will identify the platforms and channels where potential travelers actively seek information and inspiration. These may include social media platforms, travel websites, online advertising, email marketing, and collaborations with influencers. By strategically utilizing these channels, Barcelona could maximize its reach and ensure that its message reaches the intended audience. For this specific need, Travellyze can provide information about different sources of inspiration to know which one is the most used by travelers in Barcelona. As shown in the graph, the main sources and offline inspiration are Family & friends (63.2%) and online Instagram (33.5%).

Barcelona recognizes the importance of crafting content that aligns with the interests of potential travelers. By conducting market research and understanding the audience's preferences, Barcelona could create engaging and relevant content that showcases the city's unique offerings, such as its architectural wonders, cultural events, culinary delights, and vibrant nightlife. This captivating content serves as a powerful tool to inspire and inform potential travelers, encouraging them to choose Barcelona as their preferred holiday destination.

Barcelona aims to identify the specific attractions that potential travelers are seeking. By delving into their preferences and desires, Barcelona can emphasize the city's key attractions that align with the target audience's interests. Additionally, Barcelona recognizes the importance of addressing decision-making factors such as affordability, safety, accessibility, local hospitality, and transportation options. By effectively addressing these factors, Barcelona instills confidence and reassurance in potential travelers, increasing their inclination to choose Barcelona as their holiday destination.

Apart from attractions, Barcelona acknowledges that various other aspects matter to potential travelers when choosing a vacation destination. This may include factors such as cultural experiences, outdoor activities, shopping opportunities, historical significance, and environmental sustainability. By understanding and catering to these additional considerations, Barcelona demonstrates its commitment to meeting the diverse needs and preferences of its target audience. For this specific target, Travellyze provides information about traveler´s preferences.

Barcelona recognizes the importance of consistent engagement with potential travelers. By providing regular updates, valuable content, and relevant information, Barcelona stays top-of-mind for potential travelers throughout their decision-making process. Consistent engagement through various channels allows Barcelona to build a strong relationship with its audience and ensures that the city remains a compelling option for their vacation plans.

A crucial necessity for Barcelona is establishing a strong link between the content it creates and the destination's selling interests. By showcasing the unique experiences, landmarks, cultural events, and hidden gems that Barcelona offers, the marketing strategy effectively communicates the city's value proposition to potential travelers. This ensures that the content resonates with their desires, creating a compelling case for choosing Barcelona as their preferred vacation destination.

Travellyze offers valuable data that can greatly benefit market research and strategy development. Here are some key insights that Travellyze can provide:

Demographics: Understanding the demographics of the target market is crucial for effective marketing. Travellyze can provide detailed information on gender, age groups, family structures, household income, and educational backgrounds of the travelers. This data helps to tailor the marketing efforts to reach the right audience.

Traveler Behavior: Travellyze collects data on various aspects of traveler behavior. This includes holiday budgets, preferred travel months, accommodation preferences, sources of inspiration (online and offline), search and booking habits, sustainable travel practices, and travel resilience. By analyzing this data, you can gain valuable insights into how your target audience behaves, enabling you to develop strategies that align with their preferences.

Destination Image and Perception: Travellyze offers an image and perception analysis feature to enhance your research. Through rankings of perception, attractiveness, awareness, and short-term demand, as well as continent share of voice and average awareness index, you can assess how your destination is perceived by potential travelers. This information allows you to identify areas for improvement, highlight unique selling points, and align your marketing efforts to positively shape the perception of your destination.

Based on the provided data, we have created a buyer persona that perfectly aligns with these insights. We selected all Europe Laura is an energetic and active woman between the ages of 35 and 44. She is married or cohabiting and enjoys stability and love in her personal life. With a household income ranging from 18,000 to 35,999 euros, Laura is in a comfortable position to afford satisfying annual vacations.

When it comes to planning her trips, Laura seeks inspiration from those she loves the most: her family and friends. Her loved ones are a constant source of ideas and motivation to explore new destinations and have unique experiences.

When considering travel factors, Laura places great importance on cleanliness, safety, health, and hygiene standards at the destination. Before embarking on any trip, she researches and stays informed about the current health and safety protocols at the destination. It is crucial for her to always ensure her well-being.

In terms of accommodation, Laura prefers 3 or 4-star hotels. She enjoys the comfort and quality services that provide a sense of relaxation and comfort during her stay.

Laura prefers sun and beach holidays. Contact with nature, the sea breeze, and enjoying the sun are essential elements for her well-being. However, she also appreciates the opportunity to immerse herself in cultural and relaxation holidays. These experiences allow her to broaden her perspective, explore different traditions, and discover new ways to find tranquility and balance.

Although Laura dreams of traveling more and exploring new destinations, the political instability in her country is a significant barrier for her. This concern limits her travel options and makes her prioritize safety and stability in her choices. Despite this barrier, Laura seeks alternatives and destinations that offer a safe and stable environment for her and her family.

By leveraging the data provided by Travellyze, companies can gain a comprehensive understanding of their target markets, optimize their marketing strategies, and make informed decisions to attract and engage potential travelers. Whether it's analyzing demographics, understanding traveler behavior, or assessing destination image and perception, Travellyze equips businesses with valuable insights for successful market research and strategy development.

At travellyze, we possess a comprehensive understanding of the vast and intricate travel ecosystem, recognizing the diverse array of stakeholders within it. In our pursuit, we have developed bespoke solutions to tackle the distinctive challenges that arise. We possess an unwavering commitment to adapt to the ever-evolving landscape, ensuring optimal empowerment of marketing agencies and destinations alike.

Our methodology involves an exhaustive biannual survey of over 20,000 leisure travelers, serving as the core of our data gathering methodology. By meticulously collecting this invaluable data, we are able to craft comprehensive traveler profiles that seamlessly align with more than 140 destinations across the globe. Our approach allows us to provide accurate and reliable information to businesses or destinations, empowering them to leverage it effectively in order to make informed decisions regarding their marketing and development strategies.