Tourism businesses and destinations in the south east of England are set to benefit from the results of a visitor research project carried out over the summer by Tourism South East (TSE).

The study involved identifying the primary visitor brands in the region and gathering customer profile information in order to help TSE and tourism businesses better match potential customers to destinations and products.

The results are being shared with companies in the region through a series of four workshops being held throughout November and December.

“We now have a rich and comprehensive understanding of what draws certain types of visitors to different destinations and what it is that each type likes to do when they are there,” said TSE’s commercial services director, Christine Melia.

“The research focused on the major visitor destinations as these are the hooks which bring people into the region, but we now know how to select other lesser known cities and rural areas that are likely to appeal to the identified customer groups.”

The customer groups were identified using a motivational model called ArkLeisure and types include High Streets, Traditional, Functionals, Cosmopolitans, Habituals, Discoverers, Followers and Style Hounds.

The visitor destination research was conducted by Senior King. Details: www.tourismse.com

Photograph: The New Forest. TSE's research discovered that the New Forest was the chosen place to stay for many visitors to nearby cities such as Winchester and Portsmouth