Augusta Visitor Report Presented: April 0, 017
Introduction Longwoods International began tracking American travelers in 198, and has conducted large-scale syndicated visitor research quarterly since 1990. In 007, our proprietary Longwoods Travel USA program was migrated from mail to online, with the benefits of rapid turnaround, enhanced flexibility and interactivity, as well as greater respondent involvement. It is currently the largest ongoing study ever conducted of American travelers, providing our clients with more reliable data and greater ability to home in on key market segments of interest. This report provides an overview for Augusta s domestic tourism business in 013, 01 and 01.
Methodology Each quarter, a random cross-section of online sample is invited to participate in the survey. For the 01 travel year, this yielded: 337,16 trips for analysis nationally: 37, overnight trips 99,609 day trips For analysis, data were weighted on key demographics to correct for any differences between the sample and U.S. population targets. 3
Methodology (Cont d) For Augusta the following sample was achieved: In 01, 36 trips: 301 overnight trips 13 day trips* In 01, 6 trips: 386 overnight trips 160 day trips* In 013, 380 trips: 66 overnight trips 11 day trips* *Caution should be used in interpreting day trip data in this report due to low sample size
Size & Structure of Augusta s Travel Market
Millions of Trips Size of Augusta s Day and Overnight Travel Market 1 +13% -% 10 8. 9.6 9.1.0....1.9 0 013 01 01 Day Overnight 6
Overnight Expenditures
Total 01 Overnight Spending by Sector Total Spending = $78 Million Lodging 3% $166 Million Restaurant Food & Beverage % $118 Million Transportation 13% $63 Million Retail 16% Recreation 11% $ Million $76 Million 8
Day Trip Expenditures
Total 01 Day Trip Spending by Sector Total Spending = $ Million Restaurant Food & Beverage 31% $78 Million Retail 31% $79 Million Recreation 1% Transportation 3% $0 Million $8 Million 10
Overnight Trip Characteristics
01 Main Purpose of Trip Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta Marketable Trips 31% Visiting friends/relatives Special event City trip Touring Golf Trip Cruise Theme park Outdoors Resort 7 6 3 1 Conference/convention Other business trip 8 Business-leisure 6 0 10 0 30 0 0 60 1
Main Purpose of Leisure Trip 01 Augusta vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Visiting friends/relatives Special event City trip Touring Golf Trip Theme park Cruise Outdoors Resort 1 7 7 6 8 3 1 6 0 10 0 30 0 0 60 Augusta US Norm 13
Main Purpose of Leisure Trip 01 vs. 01 vs. 013 Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta Visiting friends/relatives Outdoors Touring Special event Golf Trip Casino Theme park City trip Resort Cruise 7 9 6 7 9 3 1 1 1 <1 1 1 3 3 0 10 0 30 0 0 60 01 01 013 7 1 1
Main Purpose of Business Trip 01 Augusta vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Other business trip 6 8 Conference/Convention 0 6 8 10 Augusta US Norm 1
Main Purpose of Business Trip 01 vs. 01 vs. 013 Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta 8 Other business trip 9 9 Conference/Convention 0 6 8 10 01 01 013 16
01 State Origin Of Trip Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta Georgia 30 Florida 1 South Carolina 1 North Carolina New York Texas Illinois 3 0 10 1 0 30 17
01 DMA Origin Of Trip Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta Atlanta, GA Augusta, GA Savannah, GA/SC Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, FL Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville, SC New York, NY/NJ/PA/CT Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbrn, FL Macon, GA Columbia, SC Chicago, IL Raleigh-Durham, NC 3 3 8 1 0 10 1 18
Length of Trip Planning* 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips More than 1 year in advance 3 7 6-1 months 13 13 3- months months 1 16 18 17 1 month or less 3 3 Did not plan anything in advance 1 1 0 10 0 30 0 *New in 01 Augusta US Norm 19
Trip Planning Information Sources* 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips *New in 01 Advice from relatives or friends Hotel or resort Social Media Travel agent/company Online travel agencies Auto club/aaa Airline/commercial carrier Magazine articles/ad Newspaper articles/ad Travel guide/other books 3 1 19 16 13 9 1 6 1 1 10 7 9 1 9 8 8 0 10 0 30 0 Augusta US Norm 0
Total Nights Away on Trip 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Average Augusta = 3.6 Nights Average US Norm = Nights 1 night nights 3- nights -6 nights 7-13 nights 1 + nights 3 6 1 11 13 18 1 6 8 6 3 0 10 1 0 30 3 Augusta US Norm 1
Total Nights Away on Trip 01 vs. 01 vs. 013 Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips to Augusta Average 01 = 3.6 Nights Average 01 =. Nights Average 013 = 3.1 Nights 1 night 16 18 nights 9 3 33 3- nights 8 7-6 nights 10 13 1 7-13 nights 6 9 1 + nights 3 0 10 1 0 30 3 01 01 013
Number of Nights Spent in Augusta 01 Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips with 1+ nights spent in Augusta Average Nights Spent in Augusta =.8 1 night 30 nights 8 3- nights -6 nights 11 7 + nights 6 0 10 0 30 3
Number of Nights Spent in Augusta 01 vs. 01 vs. 013 Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips with 1+ nights spent in Augusta Average Nights Spent in Augusta 01 =.8 01 = 3.0 013 =. 1 night 30 8 nights 3 8 7 3- nights 17 17-6 nights 11 7 + nights 6 11 0 10 0 30 0 0 01 01 013
Size of Travel Party 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Augusta.1 0.8 Total =.9 US Norm.3 0.6 Total =.9 0 1 3 Average No. of People Adults Children
Transportation 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Own car/truck Rental car Plane Traditional Taxi Service Online Taxi Service (Lyft, Uber, etc) Train Bus Camper, R.V Ship/Boat 9 9 7 6 3 17 19 6 6 73 0 0 0 60 80 Augusta US Norm 6
Accommodations 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Hotel/Motel Friends/relatives' dwelling (not paid for) Bed & Breakfast Time Share Campground/trailer park/rv park Country Inn/Lodge Rented cottage/cabin Rented home/condo/apartment Own home/condo/apt/second home Boat/cruise ship Other 6 7 8 9 3 3 3 8 6 0 10 0 30 0 0 60 70 Augusta US Norm 7
Activities and Experiences 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Shopping Fine Dining Business Meeting Landmark/Historic Site Golf Museum Swimming Bar/Nightclub Theater Spa Fishing Beach/Waterfront Conference/Convention National/State Park Theme Park 33 3 16 3 13 6 1 1 1 1 11 11 16 11 11 10 7 10 9 9 16 8 8 10 8 8 0 10 0 30 0 Augusta US Norm 8
Online Social Media Use by Travelers 01 vs. National Norm Base: Total Overnight Person-Trips Used any social media for travel 68 76 Posted travel photos/video online Looked at travel photos/video online Accessed travel news/events/deals/promotions Read travel reviews Connected with others interested in travel Got travel advice Contributed travel reviews 30 3 1 0 8 18 13 1 11 13 11 3 0 0 0 60 80 Augusta US Norm 9
Key Findings
01 Key Findings In 01, Augusta had 9.1 million person trips, decreasing % from 01. However, 01 volume has increased 7% from 013. Of the 01 trips, 6% were overnight trips. The rest were day trips. The 01 overnight trips generated $78 million in spending. For 01 overnight trips, the top state markets for Augusta visitors were Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Among DMAs, the top three visitor sources were Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah. Similar to the national average, over half (1%) of the 01 overnight trips were planned months or less before the trip. Also, similar to the national average, fourteen (1%) percent did not plan anything in advance. 31
01 Key Findings (Cont d) Advice from relatives or friends, hotel or resort, and social media were the most common planning sources for a 01 Augusta overnight trip. Online travel agencies were the most common booking source. The average number of 01 nights spent in Augusta for an overnight trip was.8, down from 3.0 in 01. The average travel party size was.9 persons in 01. The top five 01 overnight trip Augusta activities and experiences were Shopping, Fine Dining, Business Meeting, Landmark/Historic Site, and Golf. The highest 01 social media activities on an overnight trip to Augusta were posting photos online, looking at photos online, accessing the internet to learn about travel deals, news, events, or promotions, and reading travel reviews. The usage of social media on the overnight trip remained unchanged from 01. 3