Motivations Research

Appeal triggers and motivations for tourism in Tasmania

In 2007, Tourism Tasmania undertook a study of Australians' perceptions of Tasmania as a holiday destination. The research reconfirmed that Tasmania's competitive advantage lay in its core nature brand positioning and that this was supported by the state's association with history and heritage, and food and beverages.

However, the research also showed a low level of awareness of experiences that were available outside of Hobart and Cradle Mountain. This earlier research has since directly informed the strategies aimed at building consumer knowledge and dispersion to different areas of the state.

In late 2010, Tourism Tasmania commissioned further research to update and expand our insight into the perception of Tasmania's holiday experiences. The main interest was in understanding the appeal of a range of experiences and the motivational triggers that promote consideration and conversion to a Tasmanian holiday.

The research indicates that increasing awareness of themed experiences developed from Tasmania’s core appeals can increase consideration and intention to visit.

Findings from the research are:

• Raising the awareness of the right Tasmanian travel experiences has the potential to increase the intention to visit by 34%
• Current knowledge and awareness of Tasmanian holiday experiences tested, was generally low
• Appeal – how attracted and interested people are in Tasmanian holiday experiences – was generally very high. When ranked in order, wilderness, coastal nature and heritage, consistently ranked highest
• Experiences linked to wilderness, heritage and wildlife encounters are considered unique to Tasmania
• Building awareness of Tasmania’s wilderness, coastal and heritage experiences has the highest potential to shift intention to take a holiday in the state.

For more information see Motivations Research [PDF 175KB]

March 2011