Results from Our Great Outdoors Study
America’s phenomenal natural attractions have proven to be some our most compelling assets to potential international visitors. Compared to other destinations, international visitors often rank the US as one of the top countries for experiencing the great outdoors. Travelers, however, greatly vary in the way they prefer to experience natural attractions. To maximize the potential of our marketing efforts that showcase natural wonders across the U.S., we created a study to understand how consumers around the world want to experience the great outdoors when on vacation (read about the approach here). This article features an overview of the results.
Our primary objective for the research was to segment travelers into one of the following four categories:
| Sightseers | Sightseers have a list of places they want to see for themselves. Their main goal of visiting natural parks and landmarks is to capture the beauty with their own eyes. |
| R&R | R&Rs like to relax in a natural setting. Be it a picnic or sunbathing on a beach, the R&Rs are looking to recharge themselves while connecting with nature. |
| Opportunists | Opportunists want to experience a place by doing an activity that is local or unique to that area. It could be surfing in Hawaii or riding a mule in the Grand Canyon. For the opportunist, the best way to get to know a place is to partake in a local favorite. |
| Trailblazers | Trailblazers are outdoor enthusiasts that want to take their hobby to the next level. Trailblazers combine their love of travel with their favorite outdoor hobbies. |
When summarizing the eleven markets we surveyed (Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, Germany, France, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia) it is clear that the vast majority of people fall into either the Sightseer (42 percent) or R&R (39 percent) categories (see chart). Given the intensity of modern urban or suburban life, most often travelers seek the great outdoors for a simple, tranquil appreciation of nature’s beauty. For many, there is an element of escape, or a kind of humbling awe. Seeing the Grand Canyon can make one feel small in a positive, humanizing way. Relatively few have the urge to be adventurous from a physical perspective – leaving one’s home country is already an adventure for most people.
Preferred Great Outdoors Experience Categories (Top Response)R&RSightseersOpportunistsTrailblazers39%5%14%42%
| TRAVELER TYPE | PERCENTAGE |
|---|---|
| R&R | 39 |
| Sightseers | 42 |
| Opportunists | 14 |
| Trailblazers | 5 |
Question: When thinking about vacation activities, please rank the following in terms of priority. Please enter a 1 next to the item that would be MOST IMPORTANT, a 2 next to the item that would be SECOND MOST IMPORTANT, a 3 next to the item that would be THIRD MOST IMPORTANT, and a 4 next to the item that would be LEAST IMPORTANT.
Base: Likely to visit the United States in the next 2 years.
While trailblazers were a very small group across all the markets, there were significant variations in the other categories. Brazilians are the most ambitious, with 26 percent of respondents falling into the opportunist group. Europe leaned slightly more to the sightseer side, while Asia had higher portions of R&Rs. When considering Asia’s typical urban lifestyles that are characterized by tight living/working quarters and crowded public spaces, you can understand why simply relaxing in vast open spaces can be so appealing. Consistently throughout the research we conduct on various topics, we find that travelers appreciate the U.S. for what makes it different than what they have at home.
Ultimately, Brand USA is using this great outdoors segmentation study to guide the tone of our messaging about the great outdoors. We want to inspire, not intimidate, audiences. For example, when thinking about how to create a story about hiking, rather than posting a story about “10 Extreme Hikes,” we would opt for a softer approach, such as “10 Breathtaking Views Worth the Hike.”