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Profiling four wheel drive tourism markets for desert Australia

School for Social Policy and Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, 0909 Australia, andrew.taylor{at}cdu.edu.au

Bruce Prideaux

Tourism Management at the Cairns campus of James Cook University

Sales of four wheel drive (4WD) recreational vehicles in Australia continue to grow at a faster rate than for other vehicle types. Meanwhile anecdotal reporting suggests there is a growing demand for 4WD tourism experiences to Australia's desert areas. To date there has been no segmentation of 4WD tourism markets and this has encouraged destination marketing organizations and product developers in desert areas to adopt a broad-brushed approach for attracting visitors. In this article we present findings from focus groups and surveys of 4WD enthusiasts conducted at large 4WD shows to propose a segmentation of the market. The findings emphasize that the market is not homogeneous. For desert areas, the Explorer-traveller segment expresses a high favourability for trips there; however, other segments are important. Those directly and indirectly involved in 4WD tourism should benefit from applying this understanding to develop products and experiences which reflect the motivations and experiential aspirations of their target segments.

Key Words: desert tourism • four wheel drive tourism • segmentation • self-drive

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