ISLANDS VISITOR SURVEY

Transcription

1 ISLANDS VISITOR SURVEY Summary of Results Overview The Islands Visitor Survey was conducted by Scotinform Limited and Reference Economics for the islands of the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland (the commissioning partners who worked in collaboration are listed in the Appendix). Fieldwork was conducted between October 2012 and September Research was carried out using face to face exit interviews, an online survey and a calibration survey. Trips for the purpose of holiday/leisure, visiting friends & relatives (VFR) and business were included in the research (cruise liner visitors were excluded). Day and overnight trips were also included in the research. The calibration survey collected data on all passengers (both visitors and residents) and was used to calibrate the passenger data provided by transport operators so that estimates of total visitor trips and spend could be made. This fact sheet summarises the results from face to face interviews conducted in the Outer Hebrides and the follow up online survey. 1,262 face to face interviews were conducted and 888 online responses were received. Further details can be read within the Appendix. Further fact sheets for Orkney and Shetland are available at Market Overview - Volume and Value The Outer Hebrides attracted 218,196 overnight/day visitors in (Oct 2012 Sept 2013). By trip purpose, 59% were holiday visitors, 19% business visitors and 22% VFR. Total spend was 53 million. Please note that some of the tables column and row data do not sum up exactly to the totals shown due to rounding. Total annual volume and value (2013) Purpose Number of Average spend Total spend Share of total visitors per trip ( ) ( ) spend % Holiday 128, ,977, Business 41, ,566, VFR 48, ,016, Total 218, ,560, (Source: Islands Visitor Survey )

2 Visitor Profile Type of visit Holiday/short break involving staying overnight on island 53% On business - overnight trip Visiting friends or relatives for leisure/holiday - overnight trip 17% On business - day trip 5% Combining business and holiday 2% Holiday - day trip 1% Visiting friends or relatives for leisure/holiday - day trip 1% Over half (54%) of visitors to the Outer Hebrides were on a holiday/short break, with 26% on a business trip and 18% visiting friends or relatives (VFR). The type of visit differed significantly at different times of the year: business visitors accounted for around half of all visitors between October to March, whilst the proportion of holiday visitors was highest between April and September. Gender Profile Visitors were more likely to be male (55%) than female (45%). 55% Base: 2,822 (face to face survey) 45% Residence profile of visitors Age Distribution Visitors were likely to be aged over 45 years old (59%). The age profile of different visitor types varied, however. Holiday and VFR visitors were slightly more likely than average to be aged over 45 years old and business visitors were most likely to be aged between years old , 19% 65+, 19% Frequency of visit 45-54, U16, 10% 16-24, 6% 35-44, 14% Base: 2,822 (face to face survey) 25-34, 12% Almost three-fifths (58%) of respondents were from Scotland and 29% were from elsewhere in the UK/Ireland. 12% of visitors to the Outer Hebrides were from overseas. 70% of VFR and 81% of business visitors were from Scotland. Overseas visitors have a higher propensity to come to the Outer Hebrides on holiday. 37% of all visitors were on a first time visit. 63% of all visitors were on a repeat visit. The proportion on a repeat visit was much higher amongst VFR (91%) and business visitors (76%) than holiday visitors (48%). 53% 48% First-time Repeat 91% 9% 23% 76% Holiday VFR Business 38% visits to the Outer Hebrides are a part of a longer trip including other places Length of stay Group type Average no. nights away from home On the Outer Hebrides 5.7 Elsewhere in Scotland 2.6 Total trip away from home 8.8 Average no. nights on the Outer Hebrides Holiday 6.1 VFR 6.5 Business 3.8 The average length of stay on the Outer Hebrides was 5.7 nights out of total of 8.8 nights away from home. Partner/ spouse Travelling alone Child/children Friends Other family Work colleauges 11% 9% 8% 5% 47% 32% Visitors were most likely to be travelling with a partner/spouse (47%), but a third were visiting on their own. Business visitors were most likely to be travelling on their own.

3 The Visitor Experience Influence on visit Information sources (pre visit) The main influences on the visitor decision to visit the Outer Hebrides were an interest in the scenery/landscape (50%) and previous experience of visiting the area (39%). For visitors from outside Scotland the main influence was scenery/landscape, but for Scottish visitors, experience of previous visit was as important as the scenery/landscape. The Internet Recommendation Guide books Tourist Board brochures & leaflets 29% 25% 39% 64% Scenery/ landscape Previous visit Family Connections Archaeology/ History Recommendation 19% 25% 39% 50% The internet was the most common source of pre-visit information for 64% of visitors. Visitors were also likely to get advice from friends/relatives, refer to Tourist Board brochures and look at guidebooks. Holiday visitors were much more likely to look for information online, in Tourist Board brochures, guidebooks, and Visitor Information Centres. VFR visitors relied heavily on advice from friends & relatives as well as the internet. Business visitors were less likely to use any source (29% stating none). Base: 743 (online survey respondents on holiday or VFR) Arrival & Departure Points 98% of visitors used the same mode of transport for arrival and departure. 78% of visitors arrived/ departed by ferry and 19% travelled to/from by plane. Planning and booking Just over 40% of visitors had planned their trip more than 3 months in advance (mainly holiday visitors). Business visitors were much more likely to plan their trip at short notice, with over 60% making a booking 4 weeks or less before travelling. Planning Booking 29% 22% 17% 23% 14% 22% 20% 16% 18% 9% 8% 6+ months 3-6 months 1-2 months 2-4 weeks under 2 weeks Didn't book Accommodation Transport on the Outer Hebrides Almost three-tenths of all visitors to the Outer Hebrides stayed in hotel accommodation (6% 4 star, 15% 3 star, 6% 1-2 star). Guesthouse/B&B, self-catering and staying with friends/family were also popular. Hotels Guesthouse/B&B Self-catering 18% 24% 27% Own car Car hire Motor home Taxi Walked Bus/Coach 13% 4% 4% 3% 2% 67% Car was by far the most popular mode of transport during a visit to the Outer Hebrides. Over three quarters of visitors to the islands brought their own car whilst 13% hired one. Friends/family 17% Base: 1262 (face to face survey) Base: 1172 (face to face survey respondents staying overnight)

4 The Visitor Experience All activities undertaken Beaches / Coastal scenery Short walks Trying local food Shopping for local crafts & products Viewpoints/ picnic areas Longer walks General sightseeing 49% 46% 44% 42% 42% 74% 64% Visitors undertook a range of activities with beaches/coastal scenery and short walks popular with more than half of visitors. Holiday visitors were most likely to engage in activities, particularly a visit to beaches/coastal scenery (87%) and short walks (73%). Most visited attractions The five most visited attractions in the Outer Hebrides were based on Lewis or Harris and unsurprisingly, holiday respondents displayed the highest propensity to visit attractions. The Callannish Stones (54%) was the most popular visitor attraction for holiday, VFR and business travellers. Callanish Stones Luskentyre/Seilebost Beach Butt of Lewis Carloway Broch Gearrannan Blackhouse Village Base: 792 (online survey) 27% 26% 34% 32% 54% Sources of information (during visit) Key sources of information during visits were asking local people (39%) and using a smartphone (35%). Holiday visitors were much more likely to seek out sources of information during their visit. Only 7% of holiday visitors sourced no information, compared to 25% of VFR and 31% of business visitors. Information sources during visit Ask locals 39% Smartphone/mobile internet 35% Visitor Information Centre 31% A laptop 27% Tourist Board brochure 26% Local heritage information - leaflets 25% An ipad/ tablet PC 24% Use of Social Media 41% of visitors to the Outer Hebrides shared their experiences online during or after their trip with almost a third uploading photos and 27% updating their Facebook status regarding their trip. Visitors from the rest of the world were most likely to upload photos to the internet (58%)

5 Quality of Experience Aspects of the Outer Hebrides visitor experience most likely to receive a very satisfied rating include all aspects relating to accommodation, availability of online information, getting to the Outer Hebrides and convenience of sea routes to the islands. Less satisfied ratings were recorded for Wi-Fi and broadband and the availability of convenient air routes. Mean Score (out of 5) Planning very satisfied fairly satisfied Availability of information offline 30% 48% 4.4 Availability of information online 51% 40% Travel and Transport 4.6 Getting to The Outer Hebrides 65% 30% 4.5 Availability of convenient sea routes 58% 34% 3.6 Availability of convenient air routes 26% 28% 3.9 Availability of public transport on OH 33% 36% Island transport Value for money 32% 43% 4.1 Island transport - Quality 34% 40% 3.9 Cost of travel in OH 26% 45% 3.9 Cost of travel to OH 31% 43% 4.3 Accommodation Value for money 52% 33% 4.7 Friendly & efficient service 75% 22% 4.6 Activities Quality of accommodation 66% 25% 4.3 Quality of attractions & historic sites 42% 43% 4.2 Value for money of attractions & historic sites 40% 43% 4.1 Quality of local arts and crafts products 34% 44% 3.8 Value for money of local arts and crafts products 46% 3.8 Opportunities to attend local events/ festivals 39% Food & Drink 4.2 Quality of local food and drink products 36% 47% Availability of local produce when dining out 32% 47% Value for money dining out 25% 56% Other 4.1 Availability of information locally on places to visit 33% 49% Signposting 33% 44% 3.3 Availability of mobile phone reception 16% 38% 3.3 Availability of WiFi/broadband access 16% 35% Base: various (online survey respondents)

6 Overall Experience Neither/ Nor 2% Fairly satisfied 11% Mean score (out of 5): 4.8 Very satisfied 87% Overall Satisfaction with Visit Respondents overall satisfaction with their visit was very high. 99% stated that they were very or fairly satisfied with their visit 87% stated they were very satisfied. Holiday visitors were most likely to be very satisfied (93%), followed by VFR visitors (90%) and business visitors (74%). Visitor Expectations Exceeded 39% Met 56% 39% of respondents felt their visit to the Outer Hebrides had exceeded their expectations, 56% felt their expectations had been met. Holiday visitors were most likely to feel their expectations had been exceeded (47%). VFR & business visitors were most likely to be repeat visitors and have their expectations met. No 1% Likelihood of Recommending Yes 94% The vast majority of respondents stated they would be likely to recommend the Outer Hebrides to others as a holiday destination (94%). Holiday respondents were the most likely to champion the Outer Hebrides, 95% would recommend. Fairly unlikely 5% Neither/ Nor 9% Fairly likely Very unlikely 4% Very likely 61% Likelihood of Returning 82% of visitors felt they would be very likely or fairly likely to visit the Outer Hebrides in the next 5 years for a holiday or short break. 61% of respondents felt they were very likely to visit again. VFR visitors were most likely to state very likely to return (87%), followed by holiday visitors (55%) and business visitors (51%). Base: various (face to face 1,262, online 888)

7 APPENDIX USING AND INTERPRETING THE ISLANDS VISITOR SURVEY Please use the following as guidance notes when interpreting the Islands Visitor Survey The Islands Visitor Survey was commissioned by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council, Highland and Islands Enterprise and VisitScotland. The research was commissioned to provide data on the profile of visitors, visitor views on their experience and levels of expenditure. The research results will inform on-going tourism policies at a local and national level. The research was conducted between October 2012 and September 2013 to gather information from visitors. The project involved 3 separate surveys: o A face-to-face visitor exit survey involved interviews with 1,262 visitors in the Outer Hebrides as they exited the island. o A post visit online survey was ed to face-to-face respondents to gain in-depth insight into their visit with 888 online responses received from visitors to the Outer Hebrides. o A calibration survey helped to estimate value and volume data with 5,467 calibration interviews undertaken with all passengers on exit of the island group. The calibration survey was used to calculate a best estimate of the volume of visitors to the Outer Hebrides for the period researched ( ). The data gathered via the face to face calibration survey was combined with passenger volumes supplied by transport operators to calculate visitor numbers to the Outer Hebrides and to estimate the value of visits. Further methodology details are included in the main report. Please note, the volume and value figures estimated within this report are different from data collated via the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) and International Passenger Survey (IPS). Further interpretation notes are available on 8 locations were included for the face to face exit interviews and the interviews were spread across a 12 month period (based on historical passenger data). This fact sheet summarises the main findings from the face to face and online surveys. With regards to profile information (gender/age), face to face respondents were asked to provide information on the gender and age of the people they were visiting the Outer Hebrides with. In all respondents provided information on 2,822 visitors (relates to gender/age data only). Further fact sheets for Orkney and Shetland are available separately on A copy of the full visitor survey report for the Outer Hebrides is also available to download from Partners:

8 VisitScotland, Ocean Point One, 94 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh, EJ6 6JH Tel: Disclaimer: VisitScotland has published this report in good faith to update stakeholders on its activity. VisitScotland has taken all reasonable steps to confirm the information contained in the publication is correct. However, VisitScotland does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information disclosed and accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Images: VisitScotland/Scottish Viewpoint and Thinkstock Information published February 2014