Knowing where travellers come from is key to meeting their needs

Tourists at Serena Beach in Mombasa. [File, Standard]

We live in an age of hyper-personalisation. Every ad you see online, every show you watch, and every book you read is recommended to you based on your tastes and preferences (however badly some companies may do it). The travel industry is no different. No destination or accommodation provider can cater to every person's travel desires.

It's therefore critical that they know who they're likely to appeal to and market themselves accordingly. A good starting point when it comes to doing so is identifying which countries make up the majority of guests and visitors. That's because, while there's obviously variation within countries, it is possible to pick up broad preferences and drill down to more individualised preferences from there.