---

Tourism Strategy

Selected works

Arctic Europe Tourist Experiences

Client: Visit Arctic Europe – Finnish Lapland, Northern Norway, and Swedish Lapland Tourism Board

Objective: Discovered what are tour operators and millennials preferences for Arctic Europe tourist experiences

Situation: Limited research on preferences for Arctic Europe experiences. The goal was to increase the number of visitors within the common region, especially from Chinese and American markets.

Approach: Developed and implement quantitative analysis for B2B and B2C. DMOs and DMCs in Arctic Europe and US Tour Operators were contacted to participate in a survey. Additionally, surveyed 300+ Chinese and US millennials to better understand their travel spending habits, product preferences, and online booking habits.

Result: The results revealed the most preferred tourism product across seasons and pricing points from Chinese and American millennials. Findings were presented at Turku Tourism Academy on September 6th, 2017.

Contributors: Aarti Modi, Xiao Cui, Sepp Nasri, Hidemi Nakagawa, and Prof. Jukka M. Laitamaki, Ph.D (New York University)

Thai Select Brand Perception

Press:

Yahoo!, Wall Street Select, New York Business Journal, Edge Media Network

Objective: Evaluate the perception of Thai cuisine among consumer and trade segments as well as the authenticity aspect as it relates to the Thai Select concept

Client: Thai Trade NY Office Department of International Trade Promotion Ministry of Commerce | New York, NY 

Situation: Due to the huge popularity of Thai food, many restaurants try to attract  customers by naming their places “Thai restaurant” or claim to serve Thai food. About 107 Thai restaurants in New York and the Tri-State area are Thai Select certified

Approach: 

• Conducted in-depth market trends analysis vis-à-vis’ food preferences, authenticity perception, and buying habits.

• In-depth stakeholder interviews: 25 out of 110 successful restaurant interviews with the owners

• Online survey (consumers): 84% response rate from 611 SurveyMonkey Audience

Result: The market research provided significant result on spending habits, dining behavior, and online behavior among Thai food lovers. The market research was successful and thus, integrated campaign strategy has been developed based on the findings and being launched right now.

Contributors: Anna Abelson, Georgette James, and Mariela Valverde