The South African spa market is booming and strong growth rates have been recorded for both revenue and visits between 2002 and 2008. As a result of these growth rates, competition among spas is increasing; spa managers and spa marketers therefore have to ensure that their businesses have marketing plans that have sufficiently detailed consumer information in order to allow these businesses to remain competitive in the growing spa industry. Satisfied consumers are probably one of the most important aspects to consider when planning strategies aimed at achieving a competitive advantage in an industry. When consumers are satisfied, they will return and also recommend services to friends and family. In order to ensure consumer satisfaction in the spa industry, spa managers and their marketers should ensure they have sufficient knowledge regarding the descriptive characteristics of their consumers in terms of their demographic and geographic backgrounds, as well as their specific needs regarding spas and spa visits. The method used by businesses to collect the sufficient information regarding their consumers is known as market segmentation. The study followed a descriptive research design, which was supported by a quantitative method of collecting data. The data collection instrument used was a structured self-administered questionnaire. For the purpose of selecting respondents a non-probability sampling procedure was followed and 98 respondents participated in the study. The main aim of this study was to obtain the information necessary for developing personas as basis for market segmentation in Pretoria spas. Quantitative information was therefore collected, which was used to compile the following profile of a typical study population respondent: * The typical study population respondent can be described as a White Generation Y female who is either single or married/living together without any children. She speaks Afrikaans or English and is a full-time employed professional living with between 1 and three family members. She leads a healthy lifestyle, has a high living standard and is willing to travel up to 30km to a spa. Her actual spa visits are less than twice a year, twice a year or once every three months. However, she would like to visit a spa more frequently, such as monthly or weekly. The reason she cannot visit more often is because spa visits are expensive and she does not have time to visit more often. Her major reasons for visiting a spa are to relief/reduce stress, to feel better about herself, for overall wellness or for special occasions such as birthdays, holidays or when she receives a gift card. When visiting a spa she would prefer to go alone, with one or two good friends or with her husband/life partner. Her perception of spa visits is positive for the relieving of stress and the soothing of sore joints and muscles. The buying behaviour of the typical study population respondent will be affected by aspects such as recession or financial difficulty, the reference of a good friend, the recommendation of a family member and friend, information on a website, the professionalism and friendliness of the spa therapists and the types of services a spa offer. The recommendations that can be made to marketers regarding the results of this study are the following: * Spa managers and marketers can use the profile as starting point for the qualitative research that has to follow the quantitative research when developing personas. * The current profile may be used to for developing marketing strategies until personas have been developed. * The collected data may be used to compile profiles to be used as input for further research on other potential markets such as male spa users. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The South African spa market is booming and strong growth rates have been recorded for both revenue and visits between 2002 and 2008. As a result of these growth rates, competition among spas is increasing; spa managers and spa marketers therefore have to ensure that their businesses have marketing plans that have sufficiently detailed consumer information in order to allow these businesses to remain competitive in the growing spa industry. Satisfied consumers are probably one of the most important aspects to consider when planning strategies aimed at achieving a competitive advantage in an industry. When consumers are satisfied, they will return and also recommend services to friends and family. In order to ensure consumer satisfaction in the spa industry, spa managers and their marketers should ensure they have sufficient knowledge regarding the descriptive characteristics of their consumers in terms of their demographic and geographic backgrounds, as well as their specific needs regarding spas and spa visits. The method used by businesses to collect the sufficient information regarding their consumers is known as market segmentation. The study followed a descriptive research design, which was supported by a quantitative method of collecting data. The data collection instrument used was a structured self-administered questionnaire. For the purpose of selecting respondents a non-probability sampling procedure was followed and 98 respondents participated in the study. The main aim of this study was to obtain the information necessary for developing personas as basis for market segmentation in Pretoria spas. Quantitative information was therefore collected, which was used to compile the following profile of a typical study population respondent: * The typical study population respondent can be described as a White Generation Y female who is either single or married/living together without any children. She speaks Afrikaans or English and is a full-time employed professional living with between 1 and three family members. She leads a healthy lifestyle, has a high living standard and is willing to travel up to 30km to a spa. Her actual spa visits are less than twice a year, twice a year or once every three months. However, she would like to visit a spa more frequently, such as monthly or weekly. The reason she cannot visit more often is because spa visits are expensive and she does not have time to visit more often. Her major reasons for visiting a spa are to relief/reduce stress, to feel better about herself, for overall wellness or for special occasions such as birthdays, holidays or when she receives a gift card. When visiting a spa she would prefer to go alone, with one or two good friends or with her husband/life partner. Her perception of spa visits is positive for the relieving of stress and the soothing of sore joints and muscles. The buying behaviour of the typical study population respondent will be affected by aspects such as recession or financial difficulty, the reference of a good friend, the recommendation of a family member and friend, information on a website, the professionalism and friendliness of the spa therapists and the types of services a spa offer. The recommendations that can be made to marketers regarding the results of this study are the following: * Spa managers and marketers can use the profile as starting point for the qualitative research that has to follow the quantitative research when developing personas. * The current profile may be used to for developing marketing strategies until personas have been developed. * The collected data may be used to compile profiles to be used as input for further research on other potential markets such as male spa users. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The event tourism industry is one of the fastest growing tourism industries worldwide. One type of event that is growing immensely is festivals, especially music festivals such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. As a result of the fast growing pace of festivals, it has become crucial for a festival to sustain itself in the market place to stay competitive. The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (the Jazz Festival) is a fast growing music festival and hosts numerous well–known local and international jazz artists, as well as young up–and–coming artists. For this exciting Jazz Festival to keep growing, it needs to be sustainable. To achieve this, the organisers and managers of the Jazz Festival need to know what is important to the visitors of the Jazz Festival, so they can fulfil their needs. This in turn leads to satisfied visitors that will return to the Jazz Festival and keep the festival sustainable. Generally speaking, music festivals have a more professional management approach than other tourism events and thus are more likely to be more successful. Key Success Factors (KSFs) are a precondition for the success of any event and will influence the competitiveness of the event in the market place. It is imperative for organisers to identify the KSFs that are important to the visitors so as to provide them with a satisfactory experience. This will also assist in measuring the achievement of the event’s goals and objectives. The main purpose of this study was to determine the KSFs in managing the visitor experience at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. To reach this goal, the study is divided into two articles. Research for both articles was conducted at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival through distributing 400 questionnaires randomly throughout the two days of the festival, which was held on 3 and 4 April 2010. Article 1 is titled: “Key aspects for efficient and effective management of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival: a visitor’s perspective”. The main purpose of this article was to identify the Key Success Factors in managing the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, to determine what visitors deemed as important when attending the Jazz Festival. A factor analysis was done to achieve this goal. Results indicated that Hospitality Factors, Quality Venues, Information Dissemination, Marketing and Sales, and Value and Quality are the KSFs that are of importance when managing the Jazz Festival. The results of this article provided festival managers with valuable information when organising an event such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Article 2 is titled: “The importance of different Key Success Factors to different target markets of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival based on travel motives”. The main purpose of this article was to determine whether different target markets that are visiting the Jazz Festival, deemed different KSFs as important, depending on their travel motives. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to determine if there were statistically significant differences between the three clusters and the KSFs that they deemed important. Results showed that the three clusters, namely, Escapists, Culture Seekers and Jazz Lovers, deemed different KSFs as important when they are visiting the Jazz Festival. The results of this article gave festival organisers and marketing managers insight as to which markets to focus scarce marketing resources on and which markets to keep growing, as they will sustain the festival in the long term. Therefore, this research revealed the KSFs that are of utmost importance when managing the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and that these aspects differ for certain markets. Organisers therefore need to assess the KSFs to provide products that will satisfy the visitor in order for him/her to return each year and keep the festival competitive and sustainable. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The event tourism industry is one of the fastest growing tourism industries worldwide. One type of event that is growing immensely is festivals, especially music festivals such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. As a result of the fast growing pace of festivals, it has become crucial for a festival to sustain itself in the market place to stay competitive. The Cape Town International Jazz Festival (the Jazz Festival) is a fast growing music festival and hosts numerous well–known local and international jazz artists, as well as young up–and–coming artists. For this exciting Jazz Festival to keep growing, it needs to be sustainable. To achieve this, the organisers and managers of the Jazz Festival need to know what is important to the visitors of the Jazz Festival, so they can fulfil their needs. This in turn leads to satisfied visitors that will return to the Jazz Festival and keep the festival sustainable. Generally speaking, music festivals have a more professional management approach than other tourism events and thus are more likely to be more successful. Key Success Factors (KSFs) are a precondition for the success of any event and will influence the competitiveness of the event in the market place. It is imperative for organisers to identify the KSFs that are important to the visitors so as to provide them with a satisfactory experience. This will also assist in measuring the achievement of the event’s goals and objectives. The main purpose of this study was to determine the KSFs in managing the visitor experience at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. To reach this goal, the study is divided into two articles. Research for both articles was conducted at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival through distributing 400 questionnaires randomly throughout the two days of the festival, which was held on 3 and 4 April 2010. Article 1 is titled: “Key aspects for efficient and effective management of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival: a visitor’s perspective”. The main purpose of this article was to identify the Key Success Factors in managing the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, to determine what visitors deemed as important when attending the Jazz Festival. A factor analysis was done to achieve this goal. Results indicated that Hospitality Factors, Quality Venues, Information Dissemination, Marketing and Sales, and Value and Quality are the KSFs that are of importance when managing the Jazz Festival. The results of this article provided festival managers with valuable information when organising an event such as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Article 2 is titled: “The importance of different Key Success Factors to different target markets of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival based on travel motives”. The main purpose of this article was to determine whether different target markets that are visiting the Jazz Festival, deemed different KSFs as important, depending on their travel motives. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was done to determine if there were statistically significant differences between the three clusters and the KSFs that they deemed important. Results showed that the three clusters, namely, Escapists, Culture Seekers and Jazz Lovers, deemed different KSFs as important when they are visiting the Jazz Festival. The results of this article gave festival organisers and marketing managers insight as to which markets to focus scarce marketing resources on and which markets to keep growing, as they will sustain the festival in the long term. Therefore, this research revealed the KSFs that are of utmost importance when managing the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, and that these aspects differ for certain markets. Organisers therefore need to assess the KSFs to provide products that will satisfy the visitor in order for him/her to return each year and keep the festival competitive and sustainable. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.