Michigan State University Extension
Tourism Educational Materials - 33809809
06/06/02
Marketing Crafts And Other Products to Tourists
Source: North Central Regional Center for Rural
Development
ID: NCR445
Authors: Gahring, Sherri; Niemeyer, Shirley; Reilly, Rae;
Stout, JaneAnn
Year: 1992
A Guide for Craft Producers, Craft Retailers, Communities,
Tourist Attractions, and Hospitality Services
The travel and tourism industry is the third largest
employer in the United States, supporting over 5.85
million travel-related jobs. Foreign and domestic visitors
traveling in the United States generate over $327 billion
in tourism revenues in a year, making travel and tourism
the third largest retail sales industry.* The percent of
the total tourist dollar being spent on shopping is on the
rise. Marketing an area's specialties including crafts and
other products can be one way to take advantage of this
trend and help to diversity the economic base of a rural
area or community.
* National Travel and Tourism Awareness Council
If you target the tourist market, what types of products
appeal to people who take part in different tourist
activities? Are handcrafted items of interest to tourists?
How can you improve existing marketing strategies?
To find answers to these questions, a research team from
Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska, gathered information from
more than 1400 individuals on ways to improve the
marketing of crafts and other products to tourists.
Participants included tourists, craft producers, and
retailers who sell crafts. Much of what tourists told us
about their travel interests and activities has
implications for tourist communities, tourist attractions,
and hospitality services as well as for craft producers
and retailers. Here are the major research findings and
suggestions for you to consider.
Meet the tourists
We started by getting to know the tourists in this project
in a general way---their trips to our states, travel
interests, shopping activities, and some background
information. It's helpful to know about tourists in a
general way, especially if your business or community
appeals to a wide variety of tourists. This information
can help you assess your responsiveness to tourists'
interests and evaluate your current services and products.
Tourists enjoyed their visits
Travelers to all three states were satisfied withtheir
visits, in most cases, a first trip to the state. In fact,
they gave higher marks to the state as a tourist
attraction than did the craft producers and retailers from
that state. Most tourists in our study were on vacation
(62%) or were visiting family and friends (25%). They
traveled in a party of 3 to 4 persons, They stayed in the
state for an average of seven days; half stayed for five
days or less.
Tourists shop
Shopping is an important activity for tourists. After
meals and lodging they report spending most money on:
- T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other clothes with a name or
design representing the location or attraction
- Crafts
- Local food products (not meals)
Almost 70% buy gifts ahead of time for holidays,
birthdays, and similar events. See the Shopping chart on
page 3 for more information on how tourists spend money
when they travel.
Craft buying by tourists
The tourists in our study told us they look for crafts to
use and display in their home. They also enjoy seasonal
and holiday items. Their favorite craft medium is wood,
followed by nature materials and fabric.
How do tourists find places to buy crafts?
Over 50% of the tourists used these sources to find crafts
in a community or within the state: tourist brochures or
state travel packets; local shops; magazines or newspaper
articles; travel magazines and guide books; people who
have been there before; directory or map of art or craft
locations or events; information at the hotel, either
written or from hotel personnel; local residents; and ads
in local papers. They made less use of travel agents, tour
guides, or telephone books for this information.
Where do tourists shop for crafts?
Tourists are most likely to shop for crafts at craft fairs
and festivals, craft shops, and gift shops carrying both
crafts and other types of gift products. Many enjoy
shopping in a historic house typical of the region or shop
with a rustic appearance.
How much do tourists spend on a craft item?
That depends on the person receiving it. The tourists in
our study tend to spend:
- $20-30 for a craft item for themselves, a close friend,
or relative
- $10-20 on a craft item meant for other adults and
children on their gift list (including people tending
plants and mail while they are away)
- $5-10 on token gifts for coworkers.
Displays, orderliness, and written information help sell
crafts
While tourists find a large selection of crafts filling
every nook and cranny of a shop is desirable, they
appreciate neatly arranged displays to bring a sense of
order. Displays featuring ways to use and display crafts
in the home help sell crafts since some tourists want
assistance visualizing ways to use crafts in their homes.
Tourists want written information on care, safety,
materials used, and ways to use the craft items.
Sales personnel contribute to the ideal shopping
environment
Tourists value sales personnel who let them browse, who
initiate pleasant conversation, and who can provide
information about the craft producer and craft technique.
Shopping, an important tourist activity
Tourists expect to shop when they travel. This chart
shows: 1) the products they generally buy, and 2)
categories on which they spend the most money. Retailers
appealing to tourists might use this information to plan
merchandise assortments,
promotional activities, and pricing strategies.
Communities might also use this information to help
evaluate the mix of businesses serving tourist needs in
their towns.
Products Tourists Generally Buy
(% of tourists buying)
Postcards and booklets about sites visited - 72%.
T-shirts, sweatshirts, other clothes with name or picture
of location or attraction - 68%
Crafts - 61%
Local food products (not meals) 52%
Books about area, state, people, history, or attractions -
40%
Items they can add to a collection - 35%
Mementos of location or attraction (pens, bumper stickers,
balloons, key chains) - 32%
Antiques - 26%.
Categories on which Tourists Spend the Most Money
(% of tourists spending most money on the category)
T-shirts, sweatshirts, other clothes with name or picture
of location or attraction - 34%
Crafts - 19%
Local food products (not meals) - 10%
Antiques - 9%
Items they can add to a collection - 8%
Books about area, state, people, history, or attractions -
7%
Postcards and booklets about sites visited - 5%
Mementos of location or attraction (pens, bumper stickers,
balloons, key chains) - 4%
Other - 4%.
Four specialized tourist styles match
By choice or by necessity, many communities, especially
rural ones, have focused their tourist attractions and
other supporting businesses and services on a limited
range of activities. Knowing as much as possible about the
interests of travelers to specialized tourist areas
can help you invest your time and money in efforts that
appeal to your visitors and result in increased profit for
your business and community.
So, in addition to studying the tourists in a general way,
we identified four specialized tourism styles among the
tourists. People in each tourism style enjoyed similar
travel activities and shopping opportunities. They reacted
in similar ways to words describing craft themes and types
of craft producers. They used similar criteria when they
bought crafts. A tourist might adopt more than one of
these tourism styles depending on where she or he is
traveling and what's available.
Ethnic, Arts, and People Style
Ethnic, Arts, and People tourists are actively involved in
their tourism. They immerse themselves in the community.
For them, tourism is an opportunity for education and
personal development. It's a time for experiencing
authenticity in a community and its way of life.
They actively:
- Visit ethnic communities
- Participate in community festivals
- Visit art galleries and museums
- Attend concerts and the theater
- Interact with local residents
Products they buy:
- Crafts
- Local food products (does not include meals)
- Antiques Books about the area they are visiting
Craft preferences:
They are attracted to timeless crafts such as:
- Ethnic crafts
- Folk art
- Designer crafts
- Traditional crafts of the region
Specifically they look for.
- Crafts that can be used in the home
- Jewelry
- Crafts to add to their collections
Criteria for selecting crafts:
- Appealing color, design, and quality workmanship
- Items that are unique and represent new ideas
- Crafts made by well-known artisans who sign their work
Sources for finding crafts:
- Printed materials such as directories or maps of
craftperson's studios
- Brochures at museums
- Suggestions from local residents and shops
Places they shop for crafts:
- Art gallery or museum shops
- Antique shops
- Booths at craft fairs, festivals, bazaars, and flea
markets
- Craftperson's studio or workshop
Preferred craft shopping environment:
- Shops with rustic appearance
- Historic houses
- Artisans demonstrating their work
History and Parks Style
The History and Parks tourists are introspective. They
devote time to enjoying scenery, contemplating a sense
of place, reflecting on the past, and photographing the
experience. They take time to plan their trips.
They visit:
- Historic sites and homes
- Museums
- Recreated villages that depict a past way of life
- Gardens
- State and national parks
Products they buy:
- Crafts
- Postcards
- Books about the area and its history
- Local food products
- Items to add to their collections
Craft preferences:
They like crafts with these themes:
- Regional
- Historic
- Ethnic
- Nature
- Country
- Western
They look especially for crafts they can display in their
homes.
Criteria for selecting crafts:
- Appealing color, design, and quality workmanship
- Clever ideas
- Can display in the home
- Easy care
- Easy to pack
- Includes the name or theme related to site
Sources for finding crafts:
- Travel packets from state tourism bureaus prior to a
trip
- Materials available at tourist sites
Places they shop for crafts:
- Parks and tourist sites
- Theme parks
- Tourist visitor centers
- Highway or rest stops
- Craft shops and gift shops
- Craft fairs, festivals, bazaars, and flea markets
- Craftperson's studio or workshop
- Art gallery or museum shop
Four common tourist sites
As you examine these tourism styles consider:
- How do these styles relate to your community,
attraction, shop or craft product?
- What kinds of services could you emphasize to please
these visitors?
- Do their interests suggest products that you could add
to your selection?
- How can you use this information to promote your
enterprise or products?
- Does this information give you ideas for specific words
to use in your signage, ads, and other written
information?
- How do these styles help you fine-tune the community
image you want to portray to visitors?
Active Outdoor Style
Active Outdoor tourists are outdoor enthusiasts who
vigorously enjoy parks and nature areas.
They actively:
- Hike and backpack
- Camp
- Fish
- Sail and boat
- Hunt
- Swim
- Ski
- Play tennis or golf
Products they buy:
- T-shirts and sweatshirts with a name or design related
to the location
Craft preferences:
Crafts are not a major focus. When they do select crafts
they prefer products made from nature materials such as
grasses, corn husks, pine cones, dried flowers, and stone.
These themes are appealing:
- Rural
- Western
- Recreation
- Folk art
- Traditional themes
Criteria for selecting crafts:
- Can display in their homes
- Humor
- Name or design related to the location
- Made by well-known craftperson
- Is signed, marked, or a limited edition
Places they shop for crafts:
- General store serving a resort or camping area
- Gas station or convenience store
- Parks or recreation gift shop
Urban Entertainment Style
Urban Entertainment tourists visit cities where they are
constantly on the go, day and night. Social interaction is
important to these travellers. Many use packaged tours.
These are young men and women with higher incomes. They
travel extensively in the U.S.
They enthusiastically:
- "Shop 'til they drop."
- Attend professional sports events
- Visit recreational theme parks
- Go dancing and nightclubbing
Products they buy:
They look for products with
the name or design representing their vacation location.
They buy:
- T-shirts and sweatshirts
- Souvenir items such as pens, bumper stickers, and key
chains
- Crafts
Craft preferences:
They prefer general craft
themes such as:
- Handicrafts
- Designer crafts
- Contemporary crafts
- Western themes
They look specifically for crafts with visual impact:
- Crafts to display in their homes
- Seasonal or holiday decorations
- Clothes, accessories, or jewelry to wear
Criteria for selecting crafts:
- Ease of care and cleaning
- Items that are new, innovative, limited edition, signed
- Humor
- Name or design related to the location or attraction
Sources for finding crafts:
- Hotel staff
- Printed materials in hotel rooms or at hotel desks
Places they shop for crafts:
- They shop everywhere:
- Hotels and restaurants
- Theme parks
- Sports centers
- Visitor centers
- Gas stations
- Clothing and accessory boutiques
- Craftperson's studio or workshop
They are attracted to shops with either crowded or
modern appearances.
Successful craft producers tap into the tourist market
Perhaps you, like the craft producers in our study, want
to increase your sales to tourists. Knowing how successful
craft producers market their work can help you review your
business practices with an eye to tourists and profit. In
our study, success was measured by the craft producer's
gross income, percent contributed to household income,
years in business, and self evaluation of their own
success.
Successful craft producers promoted themselves and their
products by:
- providing business cards and hang tags
- signing their work
- using a logo
- offering limited edition information
- providing written biographical data
Successful craft producers used more wholesale channels,
including:
- direct sale to retailers
- trade/wholesale shows
- selling to retailers at craft fairs
- sales representatives
- mail order ads to retailers
Higher income producers ($20,000 and over):
- Worked an average of 55 hours per week, considerably
more than those in lower income groups;
- Concentrated on a particular medium or technique,
offering fewer types of items in their product line;
- Identified themselves as: artist, artist/craftsman, and
designer/craftsman. Producers in the lower income group
called themselves artisan, craftsman, folk artist, and
handicrafter;
- Were 66.7% male. Men contributed a higher percentage to
household income. On average, their most expensive items
were 4 times the price of those of women; their least
expensive items were twice the price of those of women.
If you wish to increase your income:
- Review your promotional practices;
- Target communities, attractions, shops, and craft fairs
serving the tourism styles most compatible with your
products;
- Target the wholesale market place to get your products
to tourist communities;
- Review your price structure;
- Review the type of product you produce in relation to
tourist demand;
- Continue to develop your capacity to be original, create
your own designs;
- Stay abreast of the number of people producing crafts
similar to yours;
- Review your professional practices and work habits;
- Stay alert to tourist interests. See general trends in
"Retailers' strategies for marketing crafts to tourists,"
later in article. Check with retailers selling your
products about tourist interests in their location.
Retailers' strategies for marketing crafts to tourists
Identifying a target market may be difficult for retailers
wanting to cater to both local residents and tourists.
Retailers cannot necessarily apply knowledge of their
local customers' purchasing habits to tourists. Knowing
what retailers in tourist areas are doing to market crafts
can help you review your business plan with the tourist
market in mind. Here are some questions to ask yourself.
1. Do you know your area's tourist resources?
Retailers viewed tourism as important to the local area
and to the state's economy. Attracting more tourists was
seen as a good idea. However, retailers did not
necessarily view their state as a tourist state or
interesting for tourists. Nor did they have an
understanding of their role with tourists.
Feelings about the attractiveness or pull of their state
are communicated by retailers in direct contact with
tourists. Retailers knowledgeable about the resources,
history, and products of their area are better able to
serve tourists and market products to tourists.
2. Do current inventories meet tourists' demands?
The reported craft supply did not always meet the
perceived demand of tourists.
Tourists wanted more of these craft items than they found
available:
- leather items
- glass items
- handcrafted toys
- jewelry
- clothing
- functional crafts for use in the home
Retailers appeared to carry more of these craft items than
tourists indicated they were likely to buy:
- crafts in these media: fabric, paint, and paper
- crafts to display in the home
When selecting their craft inventory, retailers considered
criteria that were similar to those used by tourists.
Those were appealing design and color, quality of
workmanship, price, and newness or innovation.
Retailers are encouraged to explore whether tourists
associate a particular craft with a local historic site,
ethnic festival, or attraction. Most retailers perceived
that tourists traveling through their state did not
associate a particular type of craft with the state;
however, tourists tend to view crafts and other objects
purchased during travel as having symbolic value. These
products may be among tourists' most valued possessions as
reminders of their travel experiences.
3. What types of advertisements, promotion, and hours
attract tourists?
Retailers were most likely to use visual displays of the
crafts and direct customer contact as selling techniques.
Advertising was done primarily through print media. Over
half of the retailers held special events to promote craft
sales, such as open houses, special shows, seasonal
events, and in-house classes or demonstrations. Retailers
did not seem to rely on brochures for advertising,
although tourists preferred brochures for information on
crafts.
Careful analysis of activities of tourists in the area and
the enroute tourists may reflect a seasonal pattern or
suggest days and hours when tourists want to shop.
Although most retailers reported that they were open all
year for business, their busiest months were June through
August and November and December. January through March
were the slowest months for selling crafts. Tourist
departments, travel centers, lodging and resort
facilities, and Chambers of Commerce might provide
additional insight on general tourist patterns.
4. What will give you the edge with tourists?
Retailers need to think about the possibility of tourists
as a targeted consumer group. Target marketing, used in
conjunction with the four tourism styles we identified,
has potential for retailers who would like to increase
their sales to tourists. See pages 4 and 5 for
descriptions of the four tourism styles: Ethnic, Arts, and
People style; History and Parks style; Active Outdoor
style; and Urban Entertainment Style.
Many tourists value "uniqueness" in the crafts they select
and retailers tended to focus on the uniqueness or novelty
of their products. However, uniqueness alone may not be
enough if the product isn't right for the target market.
Craft producer and retailer relationships
A strong working relationship between the craft producer
and the retailer can result in increased profits for both
parties. The relationship can be strengthened by a better
understanding of how they make initial contacts with one
another, what incentives they offer, how they work
together on pricing, and what problems they encounter in
the relationship.
Making contacts
Craft producers typically contact retailers directly. They
learn about retailers through other craft producers and by
contacts at fairs and shows.
Incentives
Craft retailers offered these incentives to producers:
- special care of the product and safe-guards to prevent
theft and damage
- quick payment
- knowledgeable sales help
Craft producers looked for retailers who offered quick
payment, location in a tourist area, adequate space to
display their work, and a favorable percentage of the
consignment price.
Craft producers provided these incentives to retailers:
- volume discounts
- deferred payments
- exclusivity of product line
- easy exchange of items
Retailers wanted more information about the craft producer
and the product.
Purchasing and pricing
- Most retailers purchased crafts on a wholesale and/or
consignment basis.
- Retailers carried craft items an average of six months.
- Over half the retailers returned 70 to 80 percent of the
retail price to consignor.
- Most retailers worked in conjunction with the
craftperson to set the retail price for consignment.
- Most retailers determined on the wholesale price of
crafts according to the craft based on past selling
history.
Problems
Retailers identified problems with craft producers related
to:
- overpriced products
- unsteady source of supply from season to season
Craft producers identified problem with retailers such as:
- retailers slow to pay
- taking too large a percentage on consignment
- keeping poor records
- going out of business
- lost or stolen items
Recommendations to craft producers
- Create incentives for retailers with volume discount,
deferred payments, exclusivity of product line, and easy
exchange of items.
- Evaluate your ability to produce products in
relationship to the amount of orders accepted.
- Explain your wholesale price to retailers, in terms
related to design, quality, innovativeness, and
timeliness.
- Provide retailers with information about yourself and
your product. Sign your work. Consider producing limited
editions.
- Discuss with the retailer your availability for
demonstrations, receptions, and special showings.
- Work with craft retailers as to the best way to display
and/or demonstrate your products.
Recommendations to retailers
- Develop a consistent pay schedule and keep producers
informed of any changes.
- Explain carefully your process for consigning and
pricing items.
- Evaluate your methods of bookkeeping for efficiency and
accuracy related to inventory control and payment. -
Review and improve precautions to prevent loss, theft, and
damage to items.
Suggestions for increasing your share of the tourist
market
Our research findings about tourists' travel and shopping
interests form the basis for these suggestions. Tourists
enjoy travel as a total experience; therefore,
community-wide cooperation is necessary to take advantage
of the strong link between what tourists like to do and
what they like to buy. Consider your business and your
goals for taping the tourist market as you decide which of
these suggestions offer the greatest potential benefit for
you.
Know your tourists
How can you learn about tourists and use that information
to your advantage---and theirs? Consider these ideas as a
community or as an individual business operator.
- Listen to tourists talk about your community to
understand why they find it so interesting.
- Review the four tourism styles (see pages 4 and 5) and
determine which types are most likely to visit your
community.
- Evaluate the services and products in your community to
see if they correspond with interests of the tourists most
likely to visit.
- Identify new businesses or services to expand the
experience of tourists. For example, if your community has
an ethnic heritage or annual festival, could you organize
ways for visitors to interact with local residents via
home visits for coffee or dinner?
- If your community does not have gift or craft shops,
consider ways to satisfy tourists' desires to shop such as
selling crafts and other products in general stores, gas
stations, and convenience stores.
- Consider whether your merchandise "fits" the types of
tourists your community attracts. Examples:
1. Books on traditional crafts and craft producers for
- Historic and Parks and Ethnic, Arts, and People
tourists;
2. Film or blank videotape for Historic and Parks
tourists.
Evaluate your craft product line, your promotion methods,
and pricing strategies. Consider:
1. Producing or carrying items for which perceived tourist
demand exceeds availability;
2. Including popular gift price ranges - $5-10, $10-20,
and $20-30;
3. Localizing products by incorporating a name or design
motif that is related to the attraction or location.
Services for tourists
A customer service orientation is one of the most
important strategies you can employ among businesses,
tourist attractions, and residents to enhance tourists'
experiences in your community.
- Increase the customer service orientation of your sales
personnel.
1. Encourage them to engage customers in friendly
conversation, at the same time being alert to when
customers want to browse alone;
2. Provide training so sales personnel can explain craft
techniques, talk about craft producers, and suggest ways
to use and display crafts at home;
3. Alert them to items that make good gifts and to the
attributes (both aesthetic and practical) that make the
items appealing.
- Consider value added services which make the purchasing
process easier for tourists. These include services like
gift wrap, shipping, monogramming, and acceptance of
credit cards.
- Provide written information for tourists on care,
safety, and use of crafts; materials used to produce the
craft, particularly those of local origin; history or
tradition of the craft; and information on the craft
producer.
- Let tourists know if crafts are signed, marked, or in
limited edition.
- Display crafts to show a variety of ways to use and
display them at home. For example, display clay pitchers
to illustrate multiple uses: to serve lemonade, to hold
flowers, and to add to a grouping of decorative items.
- Periodically change in-store visual displays and
promotional materials to reflect new trends.
Tourism as a community-wide venture: Planning and
promotion
How can your community work together to help visitors
enjoy spending time---and money---in your community? Being
involved in your community's tourism organization is one
way you can help this happen.
- Seek representation from all aspects of your community.
Don't overlook retailers, craft producers, gas station
operators, residents, and others who come in contact with
tourists.
- Identify the local attractions, products, and crafts
that make your community or area unique.
- Plan advertising and promotional efforts around the
target tourism styles.
- Appeal to tourists through signs and promotional
materials by using terms tourists use to describe
desirable themes: Western, designer, etc. Note differences
among tourism styles.
- Become well-known in your community so community
businesses and residents can promote your business.
- Plan strategies to promote attractions, crafts, and
other local products and services in a cooperative way.
1. Develop a list of local craft producers and producers
of specialized local products.
2. Develop an active referral system among the community's
businesses and attractions to market what your community
has to offer to tourists. Exchange supplies of brochures,
business cards, etc. to distribute to visitors.
3. Develop cooperative displays among businesses, at
tourist attractions, or in public display areas combining
items that your target tourists often buy. For example,
for Ethnic, Arts, and People tourists combine crafts,
local foods, antiques, and books about the area.
- Publicize communities, crafts, and other specialty
products in places tourists look for information, e.g.
tourist brochures, state tourism packets, magazine and
newspaper articles, travel magazines and guidebooks,
hotels and restaurants.
- Review advertising opportunities in local newspapers and
in tourist brochures, magazines, and guidebooks.
Expand hospitality training
- Hospitality training can build awareness about an area's
specialty products and crafts as well as inform
participants about attractions and teach skills for
assisting visitors. Potential participants include anyone
in the community who has contact with tourists--employees
and managers/owners of restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, shops,
gas stations, tourist attractions, other local businesses,
and local residents.
- To help mold hospitality training to the needs of your
community, assess retailers, craft producers, hospitality
services, other businesses, community organizations, and
residents on their:
1. Attitudes toward their community as an interesting
place to visit;
2. Knowledge about local attractions, resources, craft
producers, local products, and services of interest to
tourists.
- In your hospitality training include information about
the community's ethnic background and traditions, crafts
and craft producers, local foods, antiques.
Research details
Three mail surveys were developed for craft producers,
craft retailers, and tourists. Survey respondents included
377 craft producers, 373 retailers, and 740 tourists.
Crafts were defined as items that were: handmade, not made
in a factory; items made with attention to materials,
design, and workmanship. and items that could be useful or
decorative. Examples of craft items included weavings,
quilts, pottery, tole painting, corn husk dolls, and wood
carvings.
Craft producers
Names of craft producers were drawn from a pool of names
collected from art fair organizations, craft
organizations, state arts councils, and county Extension
agents. Only those craft producers who were currently
making and selling crafts and who had been producing
crafts to sell to others for more than two years are
reported in these findings.
Seventy-seven percent of the craft producers surveyed were
female and 23% were male.
The average craft producer:
- 47 years old
- in a rural community
- high school or post-high school education
- in business about 9 years
- contributed about 25% to the household's total income.
The primary media used by craftpersons, in order, were:
wood, fabric, and clay. Most said they produced items for
display or use in the home.
Most common methods used to sell crafts:
- Art and craft fairs - 80% of the craft producers
- Own home or shop - 62%
- Consignment selling - 44%
- Wholesaling to retailers - 28%
Seventy-four percent of the craftpersons earned under
$10,000. Yet, only 10% were interested in taking another
job if one became available. About 45% had another job in
addition to their craft business.
Craft retailers
Names of the craft retailers were obtained from lists of
gift shops, state parks and welcome center facilities
having gift shops, and from names of craft retailers
supplied by county Extension agents in the three states.
To be eligible for participation, the retailer had to be
in business for one year, carry handmade craft
merchandise, have some tourist consumers, and be located
near, or on the way to, a tourist area or attraction.
The typical retailer surveyed was the sole owner of a gift
shop in a community with a population under 10,000. About
half (46%) reported total sales volume of less than
$15,000/year.
Tourists
The tourists were drawn from a list of individuals who had
requested travel information from the tourism bureaus of
Minnesota, Nebraska, or Iowa and had visited the state in
the previous year. A "tourist" was defined as a person who
is away from home on non-routine travel. The travel might
be for the purpose of a vacation, business, attending a
convention, or visiting family or friends. The person in
the household making the majority of the craft, gift, and
souvenir purchases answered the questions.
Sixty-seven percent and 33% male. Over 40% came from towns
with populations under 10,000. Only 16% came from cities
of 250,000 and over. They represented a wide range of
income and education levels. Tourists to all three states
were very similar in their responses.
The typical respondent:
- a 45-year-old woman
- education beyond high school
- household income over $30,000
- from community with population under 50,000
- had visited 25 other states and three foreign countries.
For more information: Contact your county Extension
office for more assistance. The following videotapes may
be available in your state:
Marketing Crafts and Other Products to Tourists
Marketing Crafts: Displays for Craft Fairs
Marketing Crafts: Display Techniques for Craft Retailers
Ask about publications and other assistance available on
tourism development, hospitality businesses, and craft
marketing.
Acknowledgements:
Funding for this project was provided by the North Central
Regional Center for Rural Development, Ames, IA and the
Center for Rural Revitalization and Community Development,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Thanks for special assistance to:
Iowa Department of Economic Development, Division of
Tourism
Minnesota Office of Tourism
Nebraska State Department of Economic Development,
Division of Tourism and Travel
Authors
Extension Specialists:
Sherri Gahring, Department of Design, Housing, and
Apparel, University of Minnesota
Shirley Niemeyer, Department of Textiles, Clothing and
Design, University of Nebraska
Rae Reilly, Department of Textiles and Clothing, Iowa
State University
JaneAnn Stourt, Department of Art and Design, Iowa State
University
Research Faculty:
Suzanne Baizerman, Goldstein Gallery, University of
Minnesota
Rita Kean, Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design,
University of Nebraska
Mary Littrell, Department of Textiles and Clothing, Iowa
State University
North Central Regional Extension Publications are subject
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