Table of Contents

1. Introduction.............................................................................................................1
2. Background of destination and selected key challenges................................1
3. Recommended target market/s (demographic, geographic and
psychographic profile)..................................................................................................2
4. One Proposed New Sustainable Visitor Experience idea for your target
market which identifies current gaps in the visitor product offering....................3
4.1. Hurstbridge succeeds in approaching their target market..................................3
4.2. The gaps when offering products and services in Hurstbridge..........................4
4.3. A new Sustainable Visitor Experience idea for Hurstbridge................................5
5. Conclusion..............................................................................................................5
 1. Introduction
As a result of Covid19, the future of the tourism and hospitality industry has the
potential to be revolutionized, and new linkages between people and places can be
established. When it comes to long-term sustainability and competitiveness,
differentiating the tourist experiences accessible inside a destination is essential.
The image of a destination is essential in determining how competitive a vacation
destination is on a global scale. Demand and supply agents have developed the
concept of a destination image (Banyai, 2009). As Fakeye and Crompton (1991)
pointed out, visuals play a critical role in influencing tourists' opinions of a location
since they can give visitors a pre-taste of the destination. Destination images are
divided into two categories: cognitive images, which refer to thoughts, impressions,
and knowledge about the features of the location and affective images, which refer to
sentiments and emotions towards the location (Beerli & Martin, 2004; del Bosque &
San Martín, 2008). It is worth investigating the image that tourists construct of a
destination and how it affects their post-visit enjoyment. This provides an opportunity
for such places to improve on the characteristics that attract many visitors, as the
building of a well-distinguished destination image has become critical to stand out in
today's highly competitive global market. This study takes into consideration the
perceptions of tourist stakeholders as well as the perspectives of Hurstbridge in
order to make recommendations for future destination development.

2. Background of destination and selected key challenges

The focus of this study is Hurstbridge, which is located in rural Nillumbik and serves
the towns of Arthurs Creek, Doreen, Yarrambat, and other nearby areas. Despite its
small size, the natural surroundings of Hurstbridge give the town a distinctly rural feel
which is considered the perfect place for people loving eco-tourism or backpackers.
This small town's Hurstbridge railroad line winds beneath a canopy of natural trees
before arriving at the town's commercial centre. This city's boutique gift shops, health
food stores, organic farms, and apparel boutiques are well-liked destinations. On the
calendar are the Hurstbridge Farmers Market and the Wattle Festival in August. A
heritage trail winds through the village, with interpretive markers along the way that
tell the story of how the hamlet used to be before it was developed.
One of the high-quality restaurants, such as Greasy Zoe's, a boutique bistro in the
town or the second-best restaurant in Hurstbridge (TripAdvisor, 2021), have raised
the level of gourmet awareness in the village during the past several years. There
are many opportunities for Hurstbridge, such as developing new products and
experiences, utilizing and promoting the convenience of the train service, Diamond
Creek Cycling Trail, boutique events, emerging industries, and growing Suburbs
funding. On the other hand, Hurstbridge has to deal with several challenges such as
lack of accommodation and awareness, limited attractions, small businesses and
limited opening hours.

3. Recommended target market/s (demographic, geographic and

psychographic profile)

The Hurstbridge destination must improve awareness and distribution through web
promotion while also delivering unique promos that further differentiate the
destination from the competition. In travel marketing, the approach is quite similar to
that of traditional market targeting, and it involves segmentation. It is also necessary
to accurately identify and characterize the Hurstbridge market segment to make
decisions about the suitable segments and, ultimately, positioning in connection to
the service design, which will make it easier to assess and make decisions. It is
expected that this will assist in meeting the segment's needs and developing a
market mix that will provide a competitive edge in the minds of the target market that
has been identified.

In terms of demographic profile, Hurstbridge's target market can include vacationers,

travellers who enjoy exploring new sites that are not often visited by others, tour
groups, and families on family vacations. In particular, Hurstbridge is a destination
for individuals looking to get away from the haze of the city and enjoy a picnic in the
calm countryside while taking in the fresh air and space. Furthermore, this location is
an excellent choice for travellers of all socioeconomic backgrounds, from working-
class to middle-class, who want to enjoy calm and soothing activities at a reasonable
cost.
In terms of geographic profile, Hurstbridge is located in the heart of Rural Nillumbik,
surrounded by a varied range of people, including the Arthurs Creek and Cottles
Bridge communities, among others. Because of its geography, the community is
somewhat small, and it has a distinctly rustic feel to it. International and domestic
tourists alike are drawn to the area by its geographical location. In particular,
Hurstbridge primarily focuses on its neighbourhood, surrounding cities, and the
entire country of Australia.

In terms of psychographic profile, Hurstbridge has restrictions on accommodation

and business opening hours and business capacity, events and entertainment are
limited. Therefore, these make Hurstbridge not stand out from other destinations.
This destination is for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of
everyday life in big cities and spectacular urban regions and unwind and relax.
Furthermore, the low cost of travelling to the countryside is undoubtedly a significant
advantage that encourages visitors to pay attention and come to Hurstbridge for
sightseeing and relaxation; Hurstbridge is accessible to people from all
socioeconomic backgrounds, from the working class to the middle class. The
majority of visitors to this destination are interested in discovering new things, which
is uncommon in today's tourist destinations since they prefer to be exposed to new
experiences while also living a calm existence. The upshot is that Hurstbridge is
multicultural, making it an excellent destination for evening tourism and promoting
local history, tradition, and values.

4. One Proposed New Sustainable Visitor Experience idea for your

target market which identifies current gaps in the visitor product
offering
4.1. Hurstbridge succeeds in approaching their target market

One of the biggest strengths of Hurstbridge is the outstanding environment and the
fresh atmosphere, which brings tourists the most comfortable and enjoyable
experience. Thus, Hurstbridge can take full advantage of their existing advantage to
attract customers to visit there by impressive benefits like the convenient train
service. The location also operates some exciting activities like Diamond creek
cycling trail and events like artisan food, workshop, and arts. Along with the natural
environment at Hurstbridge, it is evident that entertainment activities also contribute
to engaging visitors who want to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and exciting
activities with their friends or family, and even alone. As a result, Hurstbridge has
gained success in approaching them and their target market.

4.2. The gaps when offering products and services in

Hurstbridge
Nevertheless, Hurstbridge has some limits that affect the overall experience of
visitors as well, which makes current gaps in the visitor product offering. This site still
has a narrow range of activities that might not meet the target market's demands.
Indeed, regarding the fast speed of the modernization process in the present age,
Hurstbridge needs to diversify its activities and attempt to enhance its operation so
as not to be left behind. According to the marketing strategy report of Yarra Ranges
Tourism (2020), they indicated some product gaps themselves, which include
limitations in accommodation and nature-based experiences and tours. In particular,
Hurstbridge has a stable number of visitors throughout the year, with 4.3-million-day
trip visitors and 497,100 international day-trip visitors (Yarra Ranges Tourism, 2020).
However, the percentage of visitors willing to stay overnights is not as high as 6.4%
of domestic overnight visitors and 9.4% of international overnight visitors (ibid).
Indeed, when Hurstbridge wants to engage their target customers, the lack of
suitable facilities and exciting activities attract them to stay overnight. According to
Nillumbik Shire Council (2015), 20% of visitors to Nillumbik planned to visit another
location during the same stay. This indicates how important the touring market is to
Nillumbik and how important it is to collaborate with neighbouring areas. Thus,
Hurstbridge should vary their activities in the area to optimize the number of visitors
and encourage them to stay overnight, which will assuredly bring more benefits and
profits to Hurstbridge.

Another challenge for Hurstbridge in approaching their tourists these days is also
due to the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The tourist sector is predicted to
enter a severe slump due to the negative impact of this pandemic, and Hurstbridge is
not an exception. In 2020/21, it is projected that travellers would spend less on hotel
stays at Hurstbridge, according to the report of Yarra Ranges Tourism (2021). The
lockdown and social distancing rules restrict other activities like business events,
conferences, meetings, and significant events. Moreover, the lockdown policies in
nations also close the borders between nations, which cuts down a substantial
number of international visitors and partially decreases the overall profits.

4.3. A new Sustainable Visitor Experience idea for Hurstbridge

Hence, Hurstbridge should develop new creative ideas for their activities and parallel
to that is the strict follow of 5K social distancing and applicable restrictions for
visitors' safety when they visit Hurstbridge. Regarding the Nillumbik Destination
Management Plan (2015), they aim to attain four objectives: improving economic
development practices to assist local businesses, creating vibrant activity centres,
facilitating economically and environmentally sustainable land use, and enhancing
the visitor economy showcasing natural, recreational and cultural strengths. Thus,
with the current situation, Hurstbridge needs to gain these objectives without failing
to obey the social distancing rules to keep visitors safe during their stays. Moreover,
with the upcoming holidays like Christmas and Happy new year, Hurstbridge can
conduct a campaign that can help them join the joyful atmosphere of the holidays
and catch the eyes of tourists with a campaign called "Do not let Covid-19 ruin your
holidays". A campaign will be conducted from the current time to the new year
holiday with various activities for tourists like the Christmas show for couples and
families where Santa Claus will give them small souvenirs of Hurstbridge and
encourage overnight stays to count down together. Besides, they will ensure the
safety rules by putting halts for free masks and hand sanitizers to optimize the safety
rate. Simultaneously, they need to conduct marketing campaigns on different
platforms to approach visitors. Consequently, Hurstbridge can optimize their
overnight stays rate and the tourists' rate after a long break in lockdown, maintain the
unique creativity and still be able to maximize safety during social distancing periods.

5. Conclusion
In conclusion, Hurstbridge is a potential site for investment and an exciting location
for visitors with various values. Although the operation and the site itself still have
limitations, they have made numerous efforts in their operations by various activities,
which helps them attain visitors, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently,
there are opportunities and issues in Hurstbridge that must be addressed, and the
municipality of Hurstbridge must assess both possibilities and difficulties that must
be clarified since wherever a crisis exists, there is an opportunity. When it comes to
product diversification, Hurstbridge's product offering would be best served if the
experience of technology was expanded. Thus, with the recommended new
sustainable visitor experience idea for their target market, Hurstbridge can take full
advantage of their fresh atmosphere, creativity, both their brand image and brand
love to approach visitors during this challenging time and compete with the other
competitors in the neighbourhood so that they can obtain the sustainability of visitors
and revenue.
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