Due to the three segments of the business, the customer base is varied. This section will focus on the tourism customer. Schools and other educational institutions are not targeted with marketing; instead, they are accommodated mainly during the off season. For the corporate market, Moccasin Trails targets corporations, government agencies, and sports teams.
Current trends see customers travel the world to learn about the foods, songs, and traditions of Indigenous cultures, but they also show interest in local Indigenous communities. It is the perfect time to address this desire, which is also influenced by the Canadian government making efforts to have Indigenous culture at the forefront of their messages. Moccasin Trails uses Destination Canada’s Explorer Quotient Profiles (2015) as a segmentation approach and targets the Cultural Explorers profile (pp. 27–28); this means, there is more focus on education and not on targeting hardcore adventure seekers.
Generally speaking, most ages and backgrounds are suitable for the experiences. This could include local or BC residents on a staycation, with Vancouver being a major market. Experiences in Kelowna attract mostly private travel, such as families coming for the beaches, wineries, or golf. Often without an itinerary, a tour for education and spiritual learning fits most schedules.
Guests of the Kamloops experiences are often part of group travel, such as bus tours from Vancouver to Banff. Greg works with travel agents and wholesalers that distribute packages to international tour companies, becoming part of their 5–10 day itineraries.
Pilot tours have assisted in fine-tuning activities, like eliminating hikes with steep terrain, but Moccasin Trail has not hesitated to accommodate special requests. For example, a guest in a wheelchair was fully integrated without “special treatment,” creating an unforgettable experience, which she frequently shares in her talks about accessible tourism. It also changed the outlook for Moccasin Trails, spurring plans to apply for grants for accessibility adjustments in the canoe and to work with non-profit organizations dealing with accessibility.
Watch Video Clip 3 – Accessibility (Transcript Available) (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):
