segmentation as a means of selecting the most promising target market

      Tourism enterprises, operating in difficult market conditions, must be attentive to the question of who and how to serve. The fact that any market from the point of view of marketing consists of consumers who differ in their tastes, desires, needs and acquire travel services based on different motivations. The implementation of a successful marketing activity requires consideration of individual preferences of different groups of customers. That is what is the basis of market segmentation. With the segmentation of the total number of potential consumers choose certain types (market segments), to present a more or less uniform requirements for the tourism product.

    The segmentation of the tourism market is defined as an activity on the classification of potential consumers in accordance with the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of their demand. In other words, performing the segmentation, the company divides the market into separate groups of clients, each of which may require the same or similar types of services.

    The main purpose of segmentation - to target the tourist product, because it can not meet the needs of all users at once. Implemented through its basic principle of marketing - customer orientation. In this case, a tourist company does not spray, and focuses on "the main axis" (the most promising market segments for him) thus possible to increase the effectiveness of the forms and methods of sale, advertising, sales promotion, etc.

    The practice of marketing in tourism is convincing evidence that the segmentation of the market:

 . is a means of selecting the most promising target market;

 . allows maximum to meet customer needs;

 . helps you choose the best marketing strategy;

 . contributes to the establishment of achievable and realistic goals;

 . provides an opportunity to raise the level of decision-making by providing them with information, reasoning about the behavior of consumers in the market;

 . enhances the competitiveness of services offered as well as the enterprise as a whole;

 . involves optimizing marketing spend tourist enterprise;

 . can avoid or reduce the degree of competition by mastering unallocated segment.

    Market segmentation is definitely one of the most important tools of marketing in tourism. On how well it performed, the success of the competition. To be effective, segmentation must be carried out according to certain criteria.