Sydney Tourism Marketing Strategies: An Analysis Report

This report delves into the effectiveness of marketing approaches used to promote Sydney as a tourist destination. It examines the fluctuating number of visitors and the challenges faced by Tourism Australia. The research explores market segmentation, focusing on the youth and family markets, and includes a SWOT analysis of Sydney's tourism. The report also outlines the research design, including data collection strategies using online focus groups, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this method. The analysis aims to reveal whether marketing approaches are effective, identify the cost perceptions of Sydney, and determine the most popular tourist spots. The report concludes with recommendations to improve Sydney's tourism marketing efforts. It also provides insights into the challenges and opportunities within the tourism sector in Sydney, considering factors such as currency fluctuations and environmental impacts.

Running head: SYDNEY 1
Sydney
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

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Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Research Problem………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...3
Literature review………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Research Design…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...7
Data collection strategy and Distribution………………………………………………………………………………………………7
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....15
References.................................................................................................................................................19

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Executive summary
Australia has been endowed with beautiful scenery regarding landscape, beaches, and
wildlife. Tourism contributes a more significant share of income to the country’s Gross Domestic
Product. However, the primary challenge is the fluctuating number of visitors that visit Australia.
The report focuses on Sydney in providing insight as to the condition in this city as a popular
destination for many tourists. Sydney as one of the famous tourist destination in Australia offers
many attractions and destinations regarding sunny beaches, sporting activities and cultural
events. However, there is need to understand if the marketing approaches adopted are effective in
promoting Sydney as a tourist destination.

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Introduction
The Tourism Australia is the statutory authority that is mandated by the Government of
Australia in promoting Australia as tourist destination at both local and global levels and
conducts research and projections for this sector. Tourism Australia was commissioned in 2004
and facilitates coordination of activities of institutions such as Australian Tourist Commission
and Tourism Forecasting council. Market segmentation identifies and prioritizes on individuals’
needs, preferences and expects variations in traits from products and services that people have
experiences with or purchase.
Research problem
The number of tourists keeps fluctuating in every season and at times tourism industry
gets adversely affected and some of the factors that lead to poor performance can be corrected.
The management of the Tourism Australia faces significant challenges in market Australia as the
best tourist destination. The purpose of this research is to reveal whether the marketing
approaches adopted to market Sydney are effective, to identify whether Sydney is costly as many
tourists claim and to identify which are the most preferred spots in Sydney that are visited
frequently by tourists.
Literature review
Segmentation of the market entails identifying that individuals have variation in their
tastes, attitudes and lifestyles. Segmentation is a deliberate strategy of maximizing demand by
channeling all marketing endeavors to create niche for itself to cater to all consumers.
Segmentation entails scrutinizing a heterogenous market through a smaller number of
homogenous markets. The smaller markets can be identified by varying consumer behavior,

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needs and preferences. For segmentation to be managerially important, each segment has to be
available in terms of accessibility and measurability. The research focuses on Tourism in
Australia and promotes Australia as a tourist destination nationally and globally.
The youth markets
The youth constitute of the group that have below average incomes, great enthusiasm
when it comes to travelling and are more likely to engage in activities such as sports that are
adventure oriented and other activities that are linked to raise levels of adrenaline (Schneider,
2018). Focusing on Sydney, as potential attractor of the youth market has segments that are
considered as the most appealing and are discussed below.
Nature is considered as the most appealing experience that many youths like to have and
has a high appeal across all markets. Sydney’s wild flora and fauna, scenic beauty all acts as
unique gateway and holiday destination for the youths in this generation (Schneider, 2018).
Sydney has a lot to offer in terms of sea, surf, sun and parasailing activities that remain as the
attractions to youths as they feel more connected to nature while still maintaining the ecology.
The family markets
The family market is composed of the above average in terms of education and income
and is referred to as the most affluent as compared to other groups in the lifecycle. Most families
are shorter-haul tourists due to the busy schedule at work and most often are accompanied with
children. Most tourists that fall under this segment of the market concentrate on vacation
holidays that are soothing and are rejuvenated only after a hectic schedule of work and life.
Taste and try

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Tourists entering Australia as learners are branded as tyro travelers that are attracted to
trendy famous destinations in Australia such as Sydney. This cohort of tourists rely on the
recommendations from travelers that have experience in the region and frequent many attractions
looking out for sun, sea and nightlife.
SWOT analysis for Sydney
Sydney is a well-travelled destination with lots of many travelers backpacking along the
Coast. In order to understand and gain some insight it is important to conduct SWOT analysis for
Australia. The analysis describes the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats.
Strengths
Australia and in this case, Sydney is popular as a backpacker’s tourism center. Sydney
takes pride of the presence of world class nature. In accordance to a report that was released by
Tourism Australia, the top three things that are most appealing in Australia are: the sandy
beaches, wildlife and the Great Barrier Reef (Schneider, 2018). However, the casinos and luxury
facilities have been ranked as the least attractive to many tourists.
The other strength is the safe environment that Sydney provides. The sole reason why
Sydney is a safe haven for backpackers to travel is due to the existence of a stable political
system, low crime rate, good infrastructure in terms of quality roads and adequate health care
systems. Generally, Australia is a western nation with a good economy and facilities that are
ranked as of good quality and this makes it easier to travel for the backpackers in places such as
Sydney.
Weaknesses

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The first drawback stems from notoriety of Sydney over the years. Since Sydney is
popular among many travelers that frequent the place this means that there are problems with
scarcity of tours and lodging facilities more so during the peak seasons and summer holidays.
Tourists encounter inflexibility in travelling as it is impossible to visit some places since there is
no time left to see the famous spots during the journey.
The second drawback is that life in Australia is expensive. According to statistics by
Tourism Australia,83% of the tourists find Sydney an expensive destination in Australia (Bakker,
2016). This makes the cost of living so high due to the high standards of living in Sydney
making lodging and travelling an all expensive affair in Sydney. The cost of food is also
exorbitant in hotels and restaurants and acts as a hinderance to many travelers to eat in such
places as they cannot afford such delicacies.
Opportunities
The economies in Asia are fast growing and this presents an opportunity for cities such as
Sydney that happens to be a popular tourist destination in Australia (Bakker, 2016). Because of
the close proximity of Asia to Australia, many Asian tourists visit and travel to Australia. Asian
people spend a substantial amount of money while travelling which is good for the tourism
industry and the general Australian economy in popular destinations such as Australia. The GDP
of Australia has seen increases over years and it has been noted that Asia was the most
contributor.
Hefty investments in the tourism infrastructure provides another opportunity. Australia
takes pride in being at the eighth position among the top 10 countries with the largest tourism
industry and this develops interest to invest heavily in this specific industry (Shankman, 2013).

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Threats
The fluctuating rates of the foreign exchange currencies is one major threat to tourism
industry in Sydney (Shankman, 2013). Tourism Australia conducted a survey that revealed that
more than 63% of the travelers are impacted negatively by fluctuations in the world currencies
(Bakker, 2016). It was also estimated that approximately 67% of the tourists spend less money
due to the implications of the currency fluctuations.
Tourism has also been linked to causing environmental degradation in Sydney and other
tourist destinations in Sydney. It has been noted that tourism indeed has led to grave damages in
various mature sights in Australia. A perfect example is the great Barrier Reef and the Sydney
harbor where tourism has led to increased pollutants that damage the ecosystem in the sea and
the surrounding.
Research design
Descriptive design is the preferred design for conducting this research as helps provide
answers to some questions such as who, what and where and how they are linked with a specific
research problem (Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2012). Descriptive design helps in obtaining
information regarding the current status to a particular situation and provides a detailed
description of what exists in terms of variables or parameters in a situation (Leedy & Ormrod,
2013). Descriptive design is important in this research as it will yield substantial data needed for
making the recommendations part (Gorard, 2013). The approach is crucial as it facilitates
collection of large amount of data necessary for data analysis.
Data collection Strategy and Distribution
The process of conducting an online focus group

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Schedule groups to run at a time that suits participants
It is important to schedule the online group early enough so that the participants have
ample time to organize themselves (Booker, 2017). It is necessary to confirm with the
participants the best time that is convenient for everyone. The evening sessions tend to work best
for most of the participants. Timing can also be dependent on demographic and location of the
participant.
It is also recommended that a time groups should take a maximum of 90 minutes.
It is after 90 minutes of discussion that most participants start developing fatigue making
the quality of discussion deteriorate (Booker, 2017). Attendance and participation is greatly
enhanced when all participants have access to a computer or big screen that is internet connected
and are confident using such gadgets. The large screens are favorable for online focus groups as
they enable sharing of images and texts on the screen while promoting interaction with the
participants over online chats.
Spend time developing discussion plans for the screen
A research plan is the most fundamental aspect of an online process. Getting it right
enables one to have a template model that can be employed in future cutting down the
preparation time employed in developing focus groups (Booker, 2017). In identifying visual
materials needed to be presented during a group session, it is crucial to spend enough time
scribbling down ideas and creating rough outlines to be used in a chat timeline. This will help in
planning for the digital material such as images that will be uploaded in the media manager for
online focus groups.
A group of 7 to 10

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In conducting an online focus group, it is recommended to use a group that is composed
of 7 to 10 participants. If the participants are less than 6, the level of interaction needed may not
be reached in maximizing the results and a number of more than 10 participants may be a
challenging task for the moderator to manage. Trust will be developed between the participant
and the moderator is developed through sending personalized messages.
Develop a moderator control panel
It is recommended that the moderator logs into the group earlier before the scheduled
time so as to greet and welcome the participants as they arrive. A warm up task should be
incorporated in the discussion group. A warm up discussion enables the moderator to assess the
speed of the chats while at the same time profiling the participants’ chat. The moderator control
panel enhances running an online focus group easy with just a click of the mouse.
Disadvantages of focus groups
Misinterpretation of questions
As compared to a face-to-face focus group the moderator may raise a question and if the
participants do not fathom the question then the moderator can paraphrase or explain again
(Clark, 2017). With online groups this may be hard as any problem that arises may only be
identified following scrutiny of the posted answers by the participants.
The rate of participant’s dropping out is high
The participants of online focus group drop out easily during the process. This is the case
in the event they perceive the research as being monotonous or too demanding (Clark, 2017).
However, with a face-to-face focus group, it is almost impossible for the participant to walk out

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in front of other participants and leave the focus group. Face-to-face participants also find it
difficult to abandon the entire process as they have invested in terms of time and cost in making
it to the venue.
It is difficult to identify non-verbal cues
With online focus groups it is impossible for the moderator to identify non-verbal cues
such as tonal variation and body language in answering questions by the participants. However,
in practicality, such cues are difficult to establish in face-face focus groups as they can be
interpreted wrongly as they could be simulated by the setting of the group.
Advantages of focus groups
Turnaround times
An online focus group can be run in a fraction of the time required to conduct face-to-
face groups (Clark, 2017). The face-to-face groups may be conducted in a matter of weeks,
online groups can only take weeks and this is fundamentally because they do not need to book
venues for conducting focus groups in advance. It is also worth to note that recruitment is faster
since it is done online and results are made available instantly.
Cost
An online focus group has a significant advantage over the face-to-face focus groups as
there are no expenses incurred in form of travel or accommodation for rental premises.
Geographical widespread
The online focus groups enable participants from diverse geographical regions to
participate and this includes areas that have no access to viewing facilities.

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Ability to handle sensitive topics
An online focus group is able to handle topics or subjects that are sensitive or private to
the participant (Clark, 2017). The sole reason behind handling such sensitive topics is partly
because of the inability of participants to see each other and also because the participant only
answers privately to the moderator.
Process of conducting an online survey
The internet provides great anonymity providing an ideal environment for conducting an
online survey. An online survey reveals true opinions of the respondents as well as facilitating
sharing of ideas in a comfortable and safe environment (Smart Survey, n.d.). The process of
building an online survey entails following the steps as outlined below.
Decide on research goals
Before conducting a research, it is important to have a general overview of the expected
outcome. Having an ideal target audience is important as it determine if the surveys are for the
general public (Leider, 2011). It is the answers derived from such questions that help to design a
survey based on targeted respondents.
Create a list of questions
A survey can accommodate a number of different kind of questions that can utilized in a
survey for instance, open ended questions, closed questions and single or multi based questions
(SurveyMethods, 2018). In drafting the survey, it is important to keep the language easy to
understand in order to eliminate cases of ambiguity.one benefit with the online survey is that the
participants do not have to answer questions that are irrelevant to them.