The Pressure Of Tourism Recommendation

Another day, another barometer. The barometer used to be a contraption hanging on the wall in your great aunt's house that was intended to measure something to do with weather. Next to it would hang a piece of old seaweed, and consulting a combination of the two would lead to the conclusion that it was about to snow or to be 80 degrees (in old money). It was a de rigueur wall adornment for great aunts' houses, a device employed not solely as a means of weather forecasting but as a guide to the daily arthritis bulletin and as a way of keeping small children quiet while they stood and stared at the damn thing in the hope that its gauge might move.

The barometer has been updated for the modern marketing era. It is now what used to be called a survey. And in keeping with modern times, the barometer has gone European. The European Commission's "Eurobarometer" not only has 27 member-state points on its changing-conditions compass it also has those for wannabe EU members, for couldn't-care-less, not-about-to-be EU members (Norway) and for members that have no chance of being members as they are not European (Israel).

The thirty-four member and non-member states have been surveyed - sorry, barometered - as to what their people think about tourism. The Commission does this each year, which is good of them, and no one of course takes any notice of the results. Oddly though, the 2012 barometer might just demand slightly more attention than usual.

Most of it is almost totally pointless, as in, for example, the discovery that 48% of respondents the length and breadth of the European Union and other parts of Europe as well as parts that aren't Europe go on holiday for rest and recreation. Well, not entirely pointless, as what are the other 52% doing?

You will be able to amaze your friends with the knowledge, as I am being good enough to tell you, that the Czechs, with a huge 65% of the vote, come in at number one in saying that natural features, including weather, would make them revisit the same holiday destination. This is a full 7% lead over the Dutch in second place. Coming in tailed off in this category are the people of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A lousy 24% rated natural features, which makes one wonder what would entice a Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonian to go on holiday anywhere. Or perhaps they mistook the Eurobarometer question for the Eurovision Song Contest and gave the answer as "Serbia".

Reassuring for Spain and therefore Mallorca among all this barometering is that Spain is the most visited country. And given that the Brits are so important to the local tourism industry, it might be noted the UK is Eurobarometer champion in the quality of accommodation as a reason for revisiting a destination category. 48% of Brits are happy with accommodation, while the Estonians are the least happy, a miserly 12%.

Where the Eurobarometer does get interesting, and trust me that it does, is the bit about how holidaymakers come to make decisions about where to go on holiday and what influences this decision. What do you think? A TV ad perhaps? A magazine article? Both do, but to nothing like the degree that you might think. The most important influence is personal recommendation. 52% of respondents are swayed by the views of friends, colleagues or relatives. A mere 7% are influenced by either a TV ad or by something in a magazine or guidebook.

If this isn't a persuasive case for the power of word of mouth over other forms of promotion, it would be hard to know what it is. And it is the combination of word of mouth and technology that makes for a powerful means of tourism selling. We're back of course to social media and to how they are defined.

40% of respondents also say that an internet site influenced them. Of this 40%, you can be pretty sure that Trip Advisor or something similar was one of these sites. It differs from the obvious social media, but Trip Advisor is very much a part of broader social marketing via the internet or mobiles. And its recommendations are from those who travellers don't know personally (as are its recommendations to avoid a destination).

The conclusion from this is clear. Forget the expensive TV ads. When it comes to tourism promotion, harness the power of word of mouth and the media which enable it. This is the barometer of the change in how holidays are chosen. And it is a change across the whole of Europe.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.