Pioneering Cinnamon study reveals eight different Sri Lankan travellers
View(s):Sri Lankans have unique needs as travellers from the red carpet seekers to those who want it “My Way” according to a pioneering research study carried out on domestic traveller trends by the Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts.
This indigenous leisure brand backed by parent company John Keells Holdings (JKH), commissioned the first-ever independent research survey on domestic travellers to gain insights into their needs and behaviours, so as to be better equipped to customize its services to meet the varied needs of a diverse and growing domestic traveller segment.
Company officials said that over 100 in-depth interviews were conducted and the research findings gave rise to segmentation of the travelling market into eight key categories, namely, Red carpet seekers, Privacy seekers, Family indulgence, Nature lovers, Action seekers, Experiential seekers, Destination bound and Uninhibited ‘My way’ seekers.
The market research was carried out by Quantum and Pepper Cube, two leading consumer research firms in Sri Lanka. Officials said the detailed research will enable Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts identify customer behaviours, making it the first survey of its kind focused on genuinely understanding emerging trends among domestic travellers.
The insights into behaviour patterns and preferences will assist the leisure group to explore hitherto unexploited market opportunities to move closer to customers. Research on domestic travellers has never been undertaken on this scale in the past within the local tourism industry, the company stated.
The research was conducted for a period of six months using mixed methodology (a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods). The qualitative research helped to identify the different domestic travellers and their key travel drivers, while the quantitative research helped to validate these segment sizes and behaviour traits. A sample size of 1,000 respondents was used in the research, comprising of those who regularly frequented hotels.
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts says it considers domestic travellers to be as important as foreign tourists and this pioneering research has demonstrated what the company believes, that even within a small country like Sri Lanka, there are many different types of travellers with varied interests. The research has enabled the brand to understand the needs of the new age, commonly known as “Millennial” travellers.
Ajit Gunewardene, JKH Deputy Chairman said: “This research has enabled us to come out with a meaningful segmentation, whereby we can be more focused when offering our services to local travellers keeping in mind their profiles, interests, lifestyle and degree of travel exposure. This research is extremely valuable for Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts as it is helping drive our current brand enhancement strategy, while pointing the way in which we can satisfy unmet needs and expectations for each segment, in order that new product ideas can be formulated accordingly”.
Chitrangani Herat Gunaratne, Senior Vice-President at Quantum Consumer Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, added, “This research conducted by us identifies the needs and expectations of the different customer segments through the understanding of consumer behaviour and thus provides insights for Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts to deliver the best product and service offerings. Further, this survey will help the leisure company to gauge its brand positioning in the minds of customers as well as potential customers across all properties and also where it stands against its competitors.”