Projects > Market Research Department

The Goal
Beginning during 2008 and continuing in 2009 and beyond, the Market Research Department will regularly collect, interpret and disseminate reliable data on industry trends and consumer demand for sustainable tourism products. It will regularly produce a range of reports and newsletters for the public and the media, industry, governments, NGOs, trade associations, and others, some of them specifically commissioned studies by businesses, governments, or organizations.

The Need
In 2003, CREST (then CESD) undertook for The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) a study of consumer demand and market trends for sustainable tourism and found that there was little publicly available information. Subsequent conversations with tourism operators, developers, NGOs, government officials, the media, and others further indicated that up-to-date data on sustainable tourism and related leisure and consumer activities was difficult to find. Several companies proposed that CREST, with its NGO credibility and academic base, would be well suited to fill this gap. With that in mind, CREST researchers undertook a systematic study of current sources of tourism-related data, (see CESD’s Consumer Demand report for details) but discovered that only a patchwork picture could be formed.

We concluded that there is a gap in the 'landscape' of data sources on environmentally and socially responsible tourism and related leisure activities. A large number of consulting firms, academic institutions, trade and travel associations, government offices, and development agencies regularly produce standard market intelligence on the broader tourism industry, but few specifically address eco- and sustainable tourism, and no one appears to be doing it in a systematic way.

When governments, developers, and communities decide to pursue tourism as an economic engine, they are increasingly aware of choices they can make in the type of tourism model they want. Roughly speaking, they can choose between mass tourism, ecotourism, or a hybrid of the two. Such decisions, of course, are best made on a solid understanding of what the current market demands, and what projections can be made by regularly monitoring and examining trends. CREST's evolving Market Research Department is beginning work to generate and disseminate an accurate picture upon which informed development decisions can be made.