Market Performance: 4 Different Facets Tourism markets are often assessed in terms of their most influential customer segments, but there are also periods in which crises reveal a different aspect of the market's characteristics: its resilience. Some research into the Nordic motorhome rental market conducted as part of Elle Tick’s thesis offers a good illustration of these effects through the interplay of domestic and international visitors. Prior to the pandemic, international visitors comprised roughly 80% of all Nordic motorhome rental customers in 2017 and about 84% in 2019.

(The respective market share for domestic customers was about 16% in 2019).

After 2020, this situation saw a marked shift as mobility between borders was disrupted by new travel restrictions, and local customers gained more prominence, reaching about 53% of total bookings for 2020. That shows how consumers' behaviours can shift very quickly and how quickly customer demand can be redistributed in changing conditions. More importantly, it explains how a product that was predominantly built on international tourist demand can also garner strong support from local customers when local travel is favoured. For businesses in the tourism sector, this demonstrates resilience.

As a case in point, when a crisis restricted international travel, the domestic market of Nordic motorhome rentals proved to be a remarkably good substitute.

In 2021, domestic consumers also accounted for roughly 47% of all bookings. The international travel market has since fully bounced back, with 86% of all rentals coming from international customers in 2022, so it pays to be flexible rather than fixing one's business to a single demographic of clientele. For motorhome companies, this means understanding how to cater to local guests prior to the next crisis: Local consumers may differ in their travel plans and expectations, their typical destinations and reservation methods from an international clientele.

The research does not necessarily demonstrate that local demand would permanently replace international demand. Rather, the evidence shows that these market segments can have much more or much less influence relative to each other depending on what’s happening in the outside world. These data could be a strategic resource for other destinations in the industry as businesses may find value in having both international and domestic marketing campaigns and in cultivating both types of visitors, not least if a global crisis arises that renders one type of traveller unreachable.

The Nordic market is particularly instructive as the underlying product of motorhomes can have a range of functions for various traveller types.

International users might rent motorhomes to explore Nordic landscapes, while for local travellers the same product might serve as an ideal vehicle to take a tour of their own nation or a long road trip further abroad. Learning from the experience of Nordic motorhome companies demonstrates the important role that flexibility can play in tourism not only when coping with disruptions but also in terms of addressing a range of possible customer opportunities. Ultimately, resilience is not solely about recovering from the shock of disruption, but also about flexibility when adapting to it. As for the Nordic motorhome market, the change from international dominance to a local boom, and the backswing into international market importance, are excellent examples of the way customer markets adjust over time.

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