Tourism Research Guides On-line

Enjoying Research? A 'How-To' Manual on Needs Assessment

The following link will take you to a detailed report written for the Ministry in 1982. It is still valid and accurate even though it is 21 years old! The report can be downloaded for free and includes several useful chapters as follows:

1. Needs assessment: What is it and why do it
2. Defining the purposes of your research
3. Identifying what information needs to be collected
4. Selecting your research method
5. Selecting your research sample
6. Estimating time and costs
7. Designing questionnaires for surveys and interviews
8. Administering questionnaires, surveys and interviews
9. Conducting research on attitudes
10. Summarizing and analyzing research results
11. Presenting research results

http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/4000/10004782.pdf

Guide to Conducting Visitor Surveys

The following link will take you to a lengthy web page with a step-by-step guide to planning, writing, conducting and analysing a visitor survey.

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/marketing/az1056/

How do I conduct a focus group?

The following link will take you to a "Focus Groups Information Sheet" and provides brief, but helpful, tips on how to plan, conduct and analyse the data collected. It also provides a list of recommended reading materials and other useful websites.

http://www.amonline.net.au/amarc/pdf/research/focusgps.pdf

SWOT Analysis

SWOT is an acronym for "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats". A SWOT analysis should be a part of the beginning of any marketing plan. The first of the following links will take you to a rather lengthy, but useful, pdf file on how to conduct a SWOT analysis. The second link provides a brief outline of what a SWOT entails and how you go about conducting such an analysis.

http://www.zrc-sazu.si/lgs/SWOTConference.pdf

http://www.adcracker.com/adnauseam/17-5-1.htm

How to write a marketing plan

There are several web sites out there that provide insight into writing a marketing plan. Two are listed here and many more can be found by searching for "how to write a marketing plan" on your favourite internet search engine.

http://www.thewritemarket.com/marketing-plan.shtml

http://www.rd-marketing.com/marketing-plans.htm

How to develop an advertising plan

Once you have determined your market, you may need to advertise. The following web site provides a good basis for developing an advertising plan, as well as provides a good list of recommended reading.

http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/Programs/es98d.shtm

Tourism Business Fact Sheets

The Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Yukon, has a very informative web site that includes several fact sheets on getting started in the tourism industry. Many of the fact sheets refer to adventure and outdoor tourism, but will be helpful to any newcomer to all sectors of the tourism industry. 

http://www.tirc.gov.yk.ca/facts/

Fact Sheet on Creating a Business Plan

While the following link will take you to one in a series of "Fact Sheets for Managing Agri- and Nature-Tourism Operations, it does provide a great overview of the components of a business plan and will give you ideas of how to begin writing your plan.

http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/agritourism/factsheets/creating.html

Community and Economic Development

http://www.communitydevelopment.uiuc.edu

This web page, hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has several useful tools for tourism and community development including "Assessing and Developing Tourism Resources" and the "Tourism Capacity Index".

Economic Impact Models

This site, maintained by Michigan State University, provides useful information on determining the economic impact of tourism. There is a model that may be downloaded for use, but it is specific for Michigan.

http://www.msu.edu/course/prr/840/econimpact/intro.htm