PUERTO RICO EXIT POLL JANUARY 1992

Transcription

1 t.'..~.. ~'"",...' I - ~ I:" ~.. _:: ' Prepared by: Badillo/SSA PUERTO RICO EXIT POLL JANUARY Prepared for: PUERTO RICO TOURISM" COMPANY

2 OBJECTIVE/ASPECTS STUDIED OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the satisfaction of Tourists and Businessmen visiting Puerto Rico. ASPECTS STUDIED: The aspects studied in this research were:. Place of origin and vacation habits of Tourists and Businessmen.. Reasons to select Puerto Rico as their vacation spot.. An ev'aluat ion of the act ivitles and services provided to them during their stay.. PUerto Rico advertising awareness.. Interest in returning to Puerto Rico in the future.

3 ,.... "- ~ " METHODOLOGY * A sample of Tourists and Businessmen departing on flights originating in San Juan with final destination in the United States * Total number of interviews: - Tourists: 00 - Businessmen: * Qualified respondents: - years of age or older - Visited Puerto Rico for vacation or business purposes - Did not stay in a home during their visit Were returning home to United States on a flight originating in san Juan

4 TOURIST PROFILE AUGUST AUGUST 0 0 JULY BASE AGE or over FAMILY INCOME Under $0,000 0 $0,000-$, $0,000 and over 0 REGION OF ORIGIN Northeast 0 Southern Pacific Midwest 0

5 ,. I. TOURIST PROFILE When analyzing the tourist's profile by age, family income and place of origin, it was found that the greatest number of visitors were 0 years or older. This finding is similar to previous studies made during the winter time, In terms of family income, most tourists who visited Puerto Rico in January tended to be primarily in the $0,000 + income group. Thus 0 of tourists indicated having a yearly family income of $0,000 or over. This percentage was a little bit lower when compared to the previous study conducted during the Winter of. Concerning place of origin, the Northeast is still the most important area for tourism in Puerto Rico, Where 0 of the majority of tourist are coming from this region. The percentage of people coming from this region showed a higher incidence than the study made during January. The Midwest area obtained the second position With, a higher incidence than the study of last winter. The Southern and Pacific regions obtained the third place With each one. All these findings are supported by the percentages indicated in the chart which follows.. :

6 " '., : < G o II. BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF TOURIST ~ Type of lodging utilized during their stay In terms of the type of lodging utilized by tourists during their visit to Puerto Rico, stayed in hotels, which showed a slight decrease when compared to previous studies. When these results were compared in terms of incidence for other types of lodging, the Country Inns showed a slight. decrease. In the Condominiums and Guest Houses there is no significant difference from the previous studies conducted during the Winter time. In examining the hotels tourists were lodged in, those located in the San Juan Metropolitan Area experienced an increase, while those Inland showed a decrease when compared to the study of January. For example, The Caribe Hilton and The Condado Plaza obtained each one vs. and during January ; La Concha' obtained vs.. On the other hand, Cerromar obtained in this study only vs. at January and Palmas del Mar vs.. TYPE OF LODGING AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 BASE 00 00, \ \ HOTEL INNS (PARADORES) CONDOMINIUMS 0 "GUEST HOUSES"

7 -Sf F r n." HOTELS MOSTLY UTILIZED BY AUGUST 0 AUGUST JAN 0 TOURISTS JULY Caribe Hilton Condado Plaza 0 0 Cerromar El San Juan La Concha Howard Johnson/. Ambassador, Dorado Beach Palmas del Mar ~ J..! Villas Hotel county Inns (paradores) Condado Beach Sands.- Places where vacations were 'taken previously When tourists were asked where they had taken vacations before, once again, Florida and Mexico were found to be the places offering the highest competition to Puerto Rico. It is important to point out that Florida tourism incidence showed -a.remarkable decrease when compared to the study of Janua~y, while. Mexico experienced an increase.

8 ~ - It ~ - >..;; = < oj o < PLACES WHERE AUGUST VACATIONS WERE TAKEN PREVIOUSLY 0 AUGUST JAN 0 JULY Florida 0 Mexico Continental U.S. Virgin Islands Hawaii Bahamas Jamaica Cruise. Number of davs spent in Puerto Rico The average number of. days spent in Puerto Rico according to tourists was six (). This number is similar to the averages in the previous surveys. When the people interviewed were asked for the time period when they had planned their vacations to Puerto Rico, in average most of them stated that it was two months before making the trip. This number again is comparable to that. indicated in previous surveys.. other vacation destinations considered by persons interviewed A of respondents showed loyalty towards Puerto Rico. This loyalty showed an increase when analyzed with the study of January. It should be pointed out that Orlando experienced a decrease when compared to the last winter study Other destinations considered were Vi~gin Florida, Caribbean Cruises and Hawaii. 0 0 Islands, Mexico, All this information can be supported by the following table.

9 ' ':I - ' OTHER VACATION DESTINATIONS CONSIDERED BY AUGUST 0 AUGUST JAN 0 JULY TOURISTS Only P.R. 0 Virgin Islands Florida Mexico Bahamas Caribbean Cruise Dominican Republic Jamaica Hawaii Orlando. Source of influence for choosing vacations in Puerto Rico Twentye.ght percent (\) of respondents indicated that the decision to spend their vacation in Puerto Rico was an individual one. Some ment 0ned the recommendations of. friends and the recommendations of their travel agents. When we further questioned those tourists who mentioned that their decision to visit Puerto Rico was an individual one as to what influenced their decision, we found that their previous experiences in the island was an important factor for t~is decision.

10 -,. ADVERTISING RECALL When participants were asked about their recall of advertisements about tourism in Puerto Rico, said they had seen or read an ad recently. Around remembered having seen advertisements on TV, in magazines and in newspapers. Among the general elements recalled were the slogans "Shining Star of the Caribbean" (), obtaining an increase when' compared to the last winter study "Come home to Puerto Rico" () and "Puerto Rico" (). The beaches were also recalled by one third of tourists (), "People at the beach" obtained n mentions and "Tropical Island" was recalled by 0 of the participants. Among the execu~ons recalled, those primarily remembered were: Sports () and Helicopter (). The commercial Hawal/Tahari obtained of recall. The following table shows these findings.

11 f ']' m" ADVERTISING RECALL JAN AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 l.lll BASE...ll.. GENERAL ELEMENTS "beaches/ocean" 0 "warm weather/ tropical island"... 0 "sunshine" "Beauty of Puerto Rico" "Raul Julia" 0 "People at the beach" "Friendly people" "Old San Juan" "El Morro" SPECIFIC COMMERCIALS "Hawaii/Tahari" "Sports" "Out of the Island" "Helicopter" "Schoolyard" "Others" :: Airline Advertising Rum acardi Hotel Accommodation Low Taxes/Resort Packag~ - Camuy Caves SLOGANS "Shinning star of the Caribbean" "Come home to Po R,o" "Puerto Rico"

12 . Important factors for an ideal vacation As in previous winter studies, we found that the nice weather was the most important factor mentioned by most tourist for an ideal vacation. Other elements frequently mentioned by respondents were the beautiful beaches, a good hotel, the sunshine and the good restaurants/variety of food. IMPORTANT FACTORS FOR AN AUGUST 0 AUGUST 0 JAN IDEAL VACATION JULY 00 "beautiful beaches/ ocean" 0 "warm/n.ice weather" "sunshine" "good hotel" 0 "good/variety of food/restaurants" 0 0 "friendly/hosp"itable people". "water sports" "relaxing atmosphere 0 "casino/gambling" "activities/night life" 0 "Sght seeing" "Eco-Tourist"

13 .. ' 'to ~.. r - #.. _... ;"). ~ ". Reasons for having selected Puerto Rico Previous experience with vacations in Puerto Rico was the major reason for selecting the island by three out of every ten respondents. Tl':lis was followed by the "nice warm weather", "never been here before", "reference from friends/ family", and "pre-post cruise", "the interest in knowing the island" and "it is a package with good value for your money". It is important to paint out "that the element of "a package with good value for the money" increased in mentions from to in this last period studied. REASONS FOR HAVING SELECTED PUERTO RICO AUGUST 0 AUGUST JAN 0 JULY "had been here before" 0 "want to know more about P. R. ti 0 "relative/family live here" 0 "warm/nice weather/ climate" 0 "r.eference/advise of friends/family" "beautiful/great beaches" "friendly/hospitable people" "pre/post cruise" "never been here before" 0 0 "Package With good value for money"

14 ---. Degree of satisfaction with Puerto Rico vacation vs. previous destinations When respondents were asked their degree of satisfaction with their Puerto Rico vacation vs. other previous destinations we found that almost half of the participants expressed that they experienced better vacations here. DEGREE OF SATISFACTION WITH P.R. VACATION VS. DESTINATIONS PREVIOUS AUGUST AUGUST JAN_ JULY 0 0 BASE 0 00 Puerto Rico 0 Another place Can't compare 0 0 Both Among the important elements mentioned by respondents to indicate their satisfaction with Puerto Rico during the winter season were: "the nice weather/climate", "more activities/life sightseeing" and "better beaches/ocean". The other main places preferred by the participants as being better vacation spots than Puerto Rico were Florida (), Hawaii (),' Mexico () and Continental United States (0)

15 isil I '$' REASONS WHY VACATIONS WERE BETTER IN PUERTO RICO AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 BASE 0 0 ~ "more activities/life sightseeing" "better beaches/ ocean" 0 0 "friendly/hospitable people" ' "nice weather/. climate" "nice/excellent hotels" "family/friends live here" 0. "casino/gambling "quiet/relaxing atmosphere" "good foodl r.estaurants". 0 "different culturel more history"

16 0. Plans to ~etu~n to Pue~to Rico in the futu~e Nine out of every ten respondents (0) indicated their interest in returning to Puerto Rico at a future date. percentage shows a s'imilar incidence when compared to previous periods studied. Among the main reasons stated for not returning to Puerto Rico were the dirty beaches, the hotel se~vices and the.traffic condti0n. This PLANS TO RETURN TO PUERTO RICO IN THE FUTURE AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 BASE "Definitely would consider" "Very likely would conside~" 0 0 Probably would consider" 0 () () (0) () () (0) "Might or might not consider" "Definitely would not consder"

17 [. Places in Puerto Rico visited by the participants Visits to Old San Juan showed a decrease when compared to the previous winter study. On the other hand, visits to other parts of the island experienced an increase when compared to that same period. other places frequently visited by tourists were El Yunque, Ponce, Luquille and Mayaguez. HOW MUCH OF THE ISLAND SAW IN THE VISIT AUGUST JAN JULY Stayed.c lose to hotel Visited Old San Juan. Visited ethel palts of the island OTHER PARTS OF THE ISLAND VISITED AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0,, BASE 0 Yunque 0 Luqut0 0 Ponce Maya<;Juez Dorado 0. ~ '.,erdo "cu.vas de Camuy

18 . Aspects of Puerto Rico most enjoyed during the visit The aspects of Puerto Rico most often mentioned by the respondent s as those they most enjoyed were: "the warm weather", the "beaches", and the "friendly/hospitable people". The mentions of "culture/history & monuments" experienced an increase when compared to the study of January. ASPECTS OF PUERTO RICO MOST ENJOYED DURING THE VISIT AUGUST 0 AUGUST JAN JULY BASE 00 "warm weather" 0 0,ibeaches" "friendly/ hospitable people "beauty of island". "sunshine" 0 "good food restaurants" "relaxing quiet" "beautiful nice hotels" 0 "casino gambling" 0 "the culture/historyl monuments".i. U culture/monuments The fort/el Morro."ran forest"

19 . Aspects of Puerto Rico least enjoyed during the visit In general, almo~t four out of ten respondents (), said that there was nothing in Puerto Rico that they didn't like. The most criticized aspects were the traffic, the garbage on streets and beaches and the high prices. ASPECTS OF PUERTO RICO LEAST ENJOYED DURING THE VISIT AUGUST 0 AUGUST JAN 0 JULY BASE "nothing" "the traffic" "road signs". "trash/garbage on street/beaches "expensive" "taxi drivers".il.. i. "taxi- drvers". "taxi too exp~nsive" "taxis don't use meter" Mtax drivers are rudel not frendly" -hotel service" 0 -bed/lack ofsecurty" - -how people drive"

20 .. Opinion about the climate, activities and facilities in Puerto Rico The population interviewed were given a series of statements about the climate, services and activities in Puerto Rico and were asked to rate them as excellent, very good, good, average or poor.. When responses were analyzed, we found that the weather, the sun bathing, the friendliness of local people, the hotel security, the ambiance and the hotel services, re~eived the hig~est ratings. RATINGS ON ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES - FIRST PLACES AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 BASE "sun bathing" "weather" "hotel security" 0 "atmosphere/ ambiance" "beach" "pool facilities" "natural sightseeing" "quality of restaurants cultural sightseeng" 0 0 -quaty of food" -hotel 'cond'it ion" -hotel ";'-;;. accommodat on" "'t ~. y,;. ".;'i- "', -botel service" friendlness of local people"

21 ~ The activities and facilities which obtained the lower ratings in the various studies were: the quality of roads (), the traffic conditions (), and the tour operator services ().. Image of Puerto Rico When respondents were asked about the image they had of the.island when compared to their previous conception, we can see that most tourists seemed to have improved their perception of Puerto Rico. Thus, almost half of this sub-sample () indicated that their viewpoint of the island was better now than their prior conception. At the same time~ forty three percent (') of tourists mentioned that their image of the island had not changed. Only ten percent of respondents indicated that their perception of Puerto Rico was worst now than before. ~.

22 ,. ncr III. PROFILE OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS When we compared the profile of business~en to Puerto Rico with previous studies we found some variations. As in previous studies, we find that most business travelers fall into the - age segment. Regarding income, we found that in this period businessmen showed a stable incidence in average family income ($.) when compared to last survey. In this study, different from all previous periods, businessmen visitors mostly came from the Southern region followed by the Northeast area. As in all othe~ ~tudes, nine out of every ten business travelers were lodged in hotels. All these findings are supported by the percentages in the chart which follows.

23 _) "~""'..~ IIIIlI<tliSoiot llilmenx-'..-~.. IIIL....._....-~l.. a. r AGE PROFILE OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS AUGUST AUGUST JAN JULY 0 0 BASE lj..l l.l OR OVER FAMILY INCOME Under 0,000 $0,000-$, $0,000 and over 0 AVERAGE INCOME $. $. $. $. $. $. REGION OF ORIGIN Northeast 0 - Southern. Midwest Pacific :po, 'PLleI Qf'LODGING ~-'.:~~'- ::S: t~~iot.l 0 v:.,,~,.~.t House" '