Communication strategies to reach first-time visitors

Attracting new visitors is a major concern for destinations that are trying to increase tourism revenues. A marketing communication plan addressing new visitors is a central element to any community’s tourism development strategy. This article reports the results of a study that investigated where the potential visitor would look for information about a tourism destination they have never visited before, in addition to traditional information sources that travel planners reference such as advice from family and friends, newspapers, and magazines. The results showed a person’s own travel files, as a vacation planning reference, was more popular than information sources previously reported in travel studies. Those tourists who were likely to have and use a travel information file considered themselves skilled and experienced travelers, were familiar with the destination, and had strong intentions of visiting the destination. Suggestions are made on how destinations can add information to travel files maintained by prospective visitors.