Which method is commonly used to determine customer preferences in tourism products?

Focus groups are a qualitative research method often employed in the tourism industry to gather in-depth insights into customer preferences. This approach involves a small group of participants who represent a broader audience, allowing marketers and researchers to explore detailed opinions, feelings, and attitudes toward various tourism products.

The interactive format of focus groups encourages participants to discuss and elaborate on their preferences, providing valuable qualitative data that can lead to a better understanding of what customers desire. This method captures rich feedback on specific features, experiences, and services, enabling businesses to tailor their offerings to better meet customer needs.

While market segmentation helps divide a broader audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics, and trend analysis identifies patterns in customer behavior over time, these methods do not directly capture the nuanced preferences of individuals as effectively as focus groups. Competitive analysis involves examining competitors' strategies and performance but does not focus on gathering customer insights. Thus, focus groups are a direct and effective way to assess customer preferences in tourism.