Types of tourists

Definition of a tourist

A tourist is someone who travels outside of their home for leisure, business or other purposes for more than a 24 hour period. 

Different types of tourists

Tourists are classified according to their needs and reasons for travelling into four broad categories

1. business and professional tourists 
2. leisure and holiday tourists 
3. tourists travelling to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
4. Youth travellers, backpackers and gap year travellers 

Trade fairs attract many different types of tourists seeking different types of holidays and for different purposes. Travel and tourism trade fairs provide exhibitors to cater traveller's needs. Visitors have a chance to find the holiday they most like depending on what type of tourist they are. Travel and tourism trade fairs offer different varieties to choose from.  

A lot of travel and tourism organisations use demographic segmentation such as socio- economics groupings, age, and gender. It is a very popular way of market segmentation as it is relatively easy to identify specific groups and target them specifically:

Socio- economic grouping are characterised into classes from A to E.

·       Class A- Senior managers and professionals, such as managing directors of large firms, doctors and lawyers.

·       Class B- Intermediate or middle- level managers and professionals, such as managers of leisure centres, teachers and accountants.

·       Class C1- supervisory or junior management, administrative or clerical positions, including office managers, receptionists, computer operators and qualified fitness advisers.

·       Class C2- skilled manual workers, such as electricians and carpenters.

·       Class D- semi- skilled and unskilled manual workers, such as cleaners and construction workers.

·       Class E- others in low incomes, including casual workers and those who depend on state benefits and pensions.