FAQs on Tourism Marketing, Destination Development & Specialisation

MTS Austria supports destinations, tourism organisations, hotels and tourism partners with positioning, tourism product development, thematic specialisation and marketing. The focus is therefore not solely on traditional advertising, but on the development of specific tourism offerings and their subsequent marketing.

Depending on the project, the work ranges from analysis and strategy through to product and offering development, quality management, content, web marketing, social media, media partnerships and print. MTS Austria explicitly describes itself as a company with specialised business areas centred on product development, hotel positioning and destination marketing.

MTS works primarily with destinations, tourism associations, regions, hotels and tourism provider groups. This collaboration is particularly relevant for organisations and businesses that wish to develop a tourism-related theme, refine their positioning or reach a specific target audience more effectively.

Typical clients and partners include:

• Destinations and tourism organisations
• Hotels and other accommodation providers
• Tourism provider groups
• Regional service providers
• Institutions and project partners in the tourism sector

Documented projects have been carried out for Kronplatz, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Gastein, Tirol Werbung and Wels Marketing & Touristik, amongst others.

References and tourism projects

MTS Austria begins its work even before the advertising stage: with positioning, product development, specialisation and the quality of the tourism offering. Marketing is then part of the process. This sets the approach apart from that of a traditional agency, which primarily focuses on communication, campaigns or promotional materials.

When developing cycling destinations, for example, MTS Austria works with four interlinked areas:

1. Positioning
2. Product and offering development
3. Infrastructure and service quality
4. Marketing

The aim is to first create a relevant tourism product before marketing it in a targeted manner.

MTS is a particularly suitable partner when a tourism concept needs to be specifically positioned, developed and marketed. This may relate to an entire destination, a new cycling or mountain biking product, a hotel specialism, or the further development of an existing range of services.

Typical tasks include, for example:

• tourism positioning
• target group analysis
• Product and offering development
• Development of cycling or mountain biking destinations
• Hotel and thematic specialisation
• Quality management
• Content and marketing
• Tour and signposting concepts
• Collaborations and partner networks

Several of these services are documented in detail in published MTS projects.

MTS can both develop strategic frameworks and provide support with their practical implementation. For destination projects, three flexible service models are outlined, enabling the scope and allocation of tasks to be tailored to the client’s existing expertise.

The three models are:

• Full implementation
• Support and monitoring during implementation
• Framework conditions and guidelines for independent implementation

This means, for example, that a tourism organisation with its own project team can be provided with targeted support, whilst in another project a significantly larger proportion of the implementation is carried out by MTS.

Ideally, a project begins with a specific tourism-related challenge and an initial discussion about objectives, target groups, existing offerings and internal resources. A fully developed concept does not need to be in place at this stage.

The following, for example, are helpful for the initial meeting:

• the current situation
• the desired tourism theme
• existing products and infrastructure
• relevant target groups
• internal resources and responsibilities
• Previous marketing activities
• specific development objectives

MTS Austria can be contacted at its head office in 5751 Maishofen in the Salzburg region.

A tourism destination should first clarify what it wishes to stand for, which target groups it can reach, and what specific offering lends credibility to this positioning. Only then do infrastructure, service and marketing follow. MTS applies precisely this logic to cycling and mountain biking destinations across four stages of development.

The four areas are:

1. Positioning
2. Product and offering development
3. Infrastructure and service quality
4. Marketing

This ensures that a destination does not promote a theme before it can be fully experienced by visitors whilst they are there.

MTS links a destination’s positioning to target audiences, tourism products and the actual conditions on the ground. The aim is to establish a strategic framework from which specific offerings, infrastructure projects, content and marketing initiatives can be developed.

For the Kronplatz 2022–2024 project, for example, the brief included:

• Target audience selection
• Product workshops with various stakeholders
• Product development
• Content production
• Marketing

MTS is also documenting a positioning strategy for Gastein as part of the destination’s development.

A tourism theme should be consistent with the landscape, infrastructure, local businesses, regional expertise and the target groups that can be reached. A theme is only sustainable in the long term if it is not merely promoted through communication, but can be credibly delivered through local products and services.

When deciding on a theme, the following factors, amongst others, should therefore be considered:

• existing natural and infrastructural conditions
• existing expertise among service providers
• potential target groups
• opportunities for differentiation
• Development needs
• Feasibility of implementation by regional partners

MTS Austria explicitly links thematic management with the pooling of service providers and the development of target-group-oriented offerings.

Yes. Product and service development is a key component of MTS destination development. The aim is to translate a positioning strategy into specific tourism offerings that are useful to the chosen target group.

Depending on the project, this may include, for example:

• Tours and route networks
• Multi-day packages
• bookable package deals
• Themed offers
• Service concepts
• Content
• Partnerships with service providers

For BikeTrail Tirol, for example, MTS developed a province-wide network of tours as well as multi-day tours with bookable packages.

Tourism development often only works if the relevant stakeholders are involved at an early stage. Hotels, tourism organisations, local authorities, infrastructure partners, mountain railways and landowners can play a decisive role in determining whether a strategic idea develops into a tourism offering that actually works.

MTS also documents this involvement in real-world projects. At Kronplatz, product workshops were held with various stakeholders. For Gastein, the scope of the project included information sessions for hotels and landowners.

This ensures that destination development is not merely planned at a desk, but is linked to the partners relevant to its implementation.

Infrastructure and service quality play a key role in determining whether a destination’s tourism positioning can actually be experienced by visitors. In cycle and mountain bike tourism in particular, marketing and beautiful scenery alone are not enough. Trails, tours, services, wayfinding and specialist service providers must be tailored to the chosen target group.

MTS treats infrastructure and service quality as a separate stage in its cycle and mountain bike destination development.

Depending on the project, this may mean, for example:

• Reviewing or developing a route network
• Planning signage
• Defining service requirements
• Establishing quality standards
• Involving tourism service providers

MTS has carried out projects for destinations and tourism organisations in several countries and across various stages of development. The scope of work ranges from analysis and positioning to tour development, product development, content and marketing.

Examples include:

• Kronplatz: positioning, product development, content and marketing
• Cortina d’Ampezzo: needs assessment, positioning, tour development and marketing
• Gastein: positioning strategy, product development and marketing
• BikeTrail Tirol: province-wide tour network and multi-day tours
• Wels: Cycling Competence Centre
• Nassfeld-Lesachtal-Weißensee: route, trail and signposting concept

According to the company, MTS has been developing concepts for cycling and mountain biking destinations since 1994. This makes this field one of the company’s long-established areas of specialisation. Its experience encompasses destination development, hotel positioning, service packages, quality models, tour development and tourism marketing.

Published references range from Bike World Leogang and BikeTrail Tirol to Kronplatz, Cortina, Gastein, Wels and Hiking & Biking Slovenia.

MTS operates across several clearly distinct segments of cycling and cycle tourism. In the context of destination development, e-mountain biking, road cycling, leisure cycling (or trekking) and gravel cycling are explicitly identified as key areas.

Requirements vary considerably depending on the region:

• Mountain biking requires different routes and services to road cycling
• Gravel cycling combines different surfaces and route types
• Leisure cycling places greater emphasis on scenery, cuisine and the experience
• Road cycling requires different route and service expertise

It is therefore important to first assess which cycling segment is actually best suited to the destination.

A cycling destination is more than just a network of cycle routes. The key lies in the interplay between positioning, tourism products, infrastructure, service quality and marketing. MTS therefore organises the development into four interrelated areas.

Typical building blocks are:

• Defining the target group and cycling segment
• Developing positioning
• Designing tours and products
• Assessing infrastructure
• Define services for cycling guests
• Involve hotels and service providers
• Create content
• Market to the target audience

Credible positioning as a cycling destination must be reflected in what is actually on offer. Visitors should find suitable tours, clear information, appropriate infrastructure, knowledgeable hosts and services that match their cycling preferences.

A destination should therefore be able to answer questions such as:

• Which cyclists are we particularly suited to?
• What tours and experiences do we offer?
• Which businesses have the relevant expertise?
• What infrastructure is in place?
• What services does the target group require?
• How do we differ from other regions?

Only then can we develop a positioning that can be effectively marketed.

Yes. MTS explicitly treats gravel as a separate segment within the development of cycling and mountain biking destinations. A gravel strategy should not merely consist of selecting suitable routes, but should integrate the target audience, landscape, infrastructure, services, businesses, content and marketing.

Within the MTS portfolio, there is also Gravelbike Holidays, a specialised tourism brand.

MTS Austria’s B2B role lies in the development and structure underpinning the offering, whilst the specialist brand handles the actual marketing of the holidays.

Yes. Itinerary development and the design of tourist itineraries are documented in detail in several MTS case studies. These include individual itineraries, networks of itineraries, multi-day itineraries, highlight tours and, in some projects, bookable packages.

Examples:

• BikeTrail Tirol: province-wide route network and multi-day tours
• Cortina d’Ampezzo: route development and route map
• Wels: route planning
• Saalfelden-Leogang: route concept and route mapping

Yes. Tour, trail and signposting concepts form part of MTS’s project services. Such concepts are particularly relevant when a destination wishes to organise an existing network of paths for tourism purposes or to make a new cycling offering clear and accessible.

For the Nassfeld-Lesachtal-Weißensee destination, for example, MTS developed:

• a tour and trail concept
• recommendations for circular routes
• featured tours
• a signposting concept

Similar projects were also carried out for Sterzing and Saalfelden-Leogang.

A hotel specialisation means not only promoting a tourism theme, but also consistently reflecting it in the hotel’s offering, service and operations. The theme should be a good fit for the operator, the hotel and the region, and should be recognisable to guests at various points along the customer journey.

MTS offers the following requirements, amongst others:

• Highlight the specialisation visibly on the hotel website
• Strengthen direct sales and online bookability
• Continuously improve the range of services
• Meet quality criteria
• Inform and train staff
• Network with the service group

A clear specialisation makes it easier for potential guests to understand what a hotel is particularly suited to. Rather than targeting numerous audience groups at once, the offering, service, content and marketing can be specifically tailored to a particular holiday motivation.

With its specialisation models, MTS aims to strengthen direct sales and commission-free sales.

Further advantages within a product group include:

• clearer differentiation
• joint marketing
• quality standards
• exchange of experience
• pooling of resources
• more effective targeting of specific audiences

The chosen theme should be a genuine fit with the hotel, the host and the region. At the same time, the establishment must be prepared to develop this specialisation on an ongoing basis and to effectively implement the service and quality requirements defined for it.

• Commitment to and expertise in the chosen theme
• Prominent presentation on the establishment’s own website
• Investment in direct sales and online booking
• Continuous optimisation of the offering
• Fulfilment of the Q-MTS criteria
• Staff training
• Networking with other members

Specialisation is therefore a business decision, not merely a marketing campaign.

Specialisation makes it possible to tailor offerings and communication more precisely to the needs of a specific group of guests. A mountain biker looks for different services and information to a road cyclist, a leisure cyclist, a motorcyclist or a cross-country skier.

Through specialised service groups, MTS connects:

• thematically compatible hotels
• relevant destinations
• defined quality criteria
• content tailored to specific target groups
• shared marketing channels

This enables a business to gain visibility precisely where guests are already searching for that specific holiday theme.

Yes. The aim of MTS’s hotel specialisation is to strengthen direct sales and commission-free sales . To achieve this, the hotel’s positioning, its own website, bookability, themed content and the actual services it offers must all work in harmony.

The product groups at MTS Austria also follow this principle.

A tourism product group brings together businesses and, where applicable, destinations around a shared holiday theme and defined quality standards. This enables the offerings, expertise, marketing and resources of several partners to be pooled.

Through its thematic management, MTS brings together service providers and develops packages specifically tailored to a shared holiday theme. The participating hotels and regions meet specific criteria, are assessed and marketed collectively. In this way, a clearly recognisable thematic market presence emerges from a multitude of individual offerings.

An offering group enables a joint approach to target audiences, the pooling of resources and quality development. This allows individual hotels or regions to share marketing channels, content, brand awareness and expertise, rather than having to develop all initiatives on their own.

Depending on the offering group, these may include the following services:

• a shared website
• editorial content
• social media
• newsletters
• Print products
• Media partnerships
• Quality assurance
• Joint events
• Exchange of experiences

Specific service packages vary depending on the brand, season and partnership.

MTS works with specialist tourism brands and product ranges for clearly defined holiday themes.

• Mountain Bike Holidays
• Road Bike Holidays
• Gravel Bike Holidays
• Velontour
• MoHo – Motorcycle Hotels
• Cross-Country Ski Holidays

These brands cover various holiday themes such as: mountain biking, road cycling, motorcycling, cross-country skiing, leisure cycling, trails and gravel biking

MTS Austria handles the B2B side of things, covering development, systems, quality management and marketing.

MTS Austria is aimed primarily at tourism businesses and organisations, whilst the specialist brands market specific holiday themes to guests. This distinction is important to ensure that MTS does not compete with its own brands for the same B2C search queries.

MTS Austria:
“How do you develop a successful mountain biking destination?”

Specialist brand:
“Which mountain bike hotels and destinations are available for my holiday?”

This ensures a clear division of roles: MTS Austria develops and supports the system behind the tourism offering, whilst the specialist brands market the holidays to guests.

MTS combines various marketing tools depending on the project, target audience and tourism product.

The 360° marketing portfolio includes:

• Business partnerships
• Media partnerships
• Social media
• Web marketing
• Trade fairs & events
• Print

Which channels are actually used depends on the agreed target audience and the project objective.

Yes. Web marketing forms part of MTS Austria’s service portfolio. This includes, amongst other things, marketing via our own offer group websites, partner platforms, newsletter marketing, online magazines, promotional boxes, banners, stand-alone newsletters and content campaigns.

For tourism partners, this means that web marketing does not have to be a stand-alone activity, but can be combined with content, offer groups, partnerships and other marketing channels.

Yes. Social media is a separate component of the MTS 360° marketing mix. We design campaigns for Facebook and Instagram, as well as bespoke social media packages for hotels and regions.

Our services include:

• Content planning
• Community management
• Editorial design
• Graphic design
• Advertising campaigns
• Social walls
• Customised social media packages

Yes. MTS develops tourism content specifically for different channels and uses it directly in projects. For Kronplatz and Cortina d’Ampezzo, for example, content production was part of the project work. At the same time, MTS draws on its own expertise in the areas of content and digital marketing for this purpose.

Tourism content can be used for:

• websites
• Online magazines
• Social media
• Newsletters
• Print publications
• Tour descriptions
• Editorial partnerships

be used.

Partnerships expand tourism marketing by providing additional reach, content and distribution channels. MTS Austria develops and manages partnerships with both the media and with companies and brands that target the same or similar audiences.

Possible business partnerships include:

• joint trade fair appearances
• competitions
• exchange of content and advertising space
• photo shoots
• package inserts
• Video sponsorship

Q-MTS is MTS Austria’s quality management system for specialised tourism products and product groups. The aim is to systematically review defined internal and external quality criteria and to identify areas for improvement.

Q-MTS is designed in particular to help:

• Systematically assess the quality of offers
• To make quality criteria transparent
• Identifying opportunities for improvement
• Ensure standards are maintained within groups of offerings
• Continuously improve quality

Q-MTS takes into account several points of contact between the tourism business and the guest, combining digital assessment with personal advice and on-site inspections. This ensures that checks are carried out not only to verify whether the criteria are formally met, but also to assess how the service is actually communicated and delivered.

The assessment procedure includes, amongst other things:

1. individual consultation
2. website review
3. mystery email
4. on-site inspection
5. Recommendations for improvement

This enables quality issues to be identified both in the digital customer journey and within the business itself.

Specialisation creates specific expectations amongst guests. Quality management helps to ensure that this promise of service is not merely a marketing ploy, but is actually delivered at the hotel or in the destination.

Guests with a particular interest in a specific theme pay close attention to specific services. For example, a mountain bike guest expects different services to a road cyclist, motorcyclist or cross-country skier.

MTS ensures the quality of specialised tourism offerings through clear criteria, personalised advice and regular inspections. In this way, specialisation is not only communicated externally but is also implemented in practice and continuously developed.

Find out more about quality management