Multi-regional Visitor Profile Summer 2015 Concept and Model This multi-regional visitor profile was created for Tourism Campbell River & Region, Comox Valley Economic Development & Tourism, and Vancouver Island North Tourism, in partnership with the local regions, The Sociable Scientists, and Vancouver Island University, with funding from Island Coastal Economic Trust. Between June and September 2015, each region participated in the Visitor Experience Survey project, which resulted in a Visitor Profile unique to each of the three regions. Results from the three regions were then combined and analyzed, then presented as aggregate (3 regions combined) and/or comparison (per community) in this multi-regional profile. The five phases of a leisure experience (anticipation, travel to, on-site, travel from, recollection) are used to guide the reader through the information within. Special Points of Interest Visitors were intercepted from June to September of 2015 throughout the three regions. A total of 3,000 ballots were collected and 1,308 surveys were completed, for an overall response rate was 44%. Of the completed surveys, 239 were residents and 10 were minors resulting in 1,059 useable surveys for the multi-regional profile. VES 2015 multi-regional profile 1
Visitor Characteristics Origin Visitors were asked to specify where they live; this data was then grouped into regions. Table 1 shows a comparison of origin of visitors between 2008 and 2015. Data from the 2008 Vancouver Island Exit Survey prepared by Tourism Vancouver Island was used for comparison and represents visitors to Vancouver Island as a whole; the 2015 numbers are aggregated visitors to Comox Valley, Campbell River, and Vancouver island North. Table 1. Comparing visitor origin between 2008 and 2015 Region 2008 2015 Vancouver Island 41% 41% Other British Columbia 27% 27% Other Canada 15% 19% United States 6% Group Composition Figure 1. Visitors were asked to select which categories best described the group they were travelling with. The other responses included travelling with adult children, grandchildren, and coworkers. *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100%. Figure 1. Travelling companions Spouse or partner Children under age 19 19% Friend(s) 16% Alone Extended family 9% Parents 8% Siblings 5% Other 3% Organized group or tour 2% 55% 0% 20% 40% 60% 60-69 years 21% Figure 2. Visitor ages 70 and above 19 years and under 19% 20-29 years 8% Figure 2. This graph shows the percentage of visitors that belong to each age category. The average group size was 2.8; 54% of groups consisted of two or three people, were solo travellers, and only 3% of groups had 10 or more people. Trip Purpose When asked about the purpose of their visit, 75% of visitors indicated their trip was for 30-39 leisure, 27% said they were visiting friends years and/or relatives, 6% said it was for a 50-59 combination of business and leisure, and 4% 40-49 years said it was for business or work. *Multiple years 19% options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100%. VES 2015 multi-regional profile 2
Phase 1 - Anticipation Trip Motivation Figure 3. The word cloud below represents the words visitors used to describe the inspiration for their trips to each of the regions. The larger words are the ones mentioned most often by visitors in their responses. Planning Figure 4 shows how far in advance visitors planned their trip to each of the three regions, as well as the aggregate average. The results show that 55% of visitors planned their trip less than one month in advance, 45% plan their trip at least one month in advance. Influence of Screenbased Content Visitors were asked if anything they have seen on a screen influenced their decision to visit each of the regions; 81% said no, said yes, and 8% said I don t know. Between one to six months Between one week and one month Up to one week in advance Figure 4. Trip planning More than six months CR CV VIN Aggregate Spur of the moment 9% 4% 12% 9% 14% 18% 13% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 3 9% 21% 15% 15% 31% 31% 24% 33% 26% 27% 43% -5% 5% 15% 25% 35% 45%
Sources of Information Figure 5. Visitors were asked to indicate which sources of information they used to plan their trip before and during their visit. The top four sources of information for all three regions were friends and relatives, destination-specific website, previous personal experience, and regional tourism guide/pamphlet. *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percent does not equal 100% Figure 5. Sources of trip planning information 70% 60% 62% 58% 53% Aggreggate CV CR VIN 57% 50% 40% 30% 20% 45% 43% 32% 31% 40% 35% 31% 37% 28% 20% 20% 10% 0% Friends and relatives Destination-specific website Previous personal experience Regional tourism guide/ pamphlet Figure 6. When asked how they booked the activities and attractions they participated in, 49% of visitors booked ahead of time directly and 40% booked during their stay directly with the tour/activity company. *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percent does not equal 100%. Figure 6. Booking activities & attractions Booked ahead of time directly with tour/activity company 49% Booked during my stay with the tour/activity company 40% Booked with a travel booking website Booked through a Visitor Information Centre Purchased a coupon using a discount website Booked using a travel agency or tour operator 2% 4% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 4
Phase 2 Travel to Figure 7. Transportation to Vancouver Island Personal boat 3% Transportation Figure 7. Visitors were asked to indicate what type of transportation they used to travel to Vancouver Island. These results do not include visitors who reside on Vancouver Island. Airplane 18% Ferry 79% Figure 8. Of the 79% of visitors who arrived by ferry, 38% landed at Departure Bay, 27% landed at Duke Point, 16% landed at Swartz Bay, 7% at Comox, and 6% at Port Hardy. Figure 8. Ferry travel to Vancouver Island Departure Bay Duke Point 27% Swartz Bay 16% 38% Comox Port Hardy 7% 6% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Figure 9. Of the 18% who arrived by air, 49% arrived at Comox Valley Airport, 23% at Victoria International Airport, 9% at the Campbell River Airport, 8% at Port Hardy Airport, and 6% at Comox Harbour. Figure 9. Air travel to Vancouver Island YYQ Comox Valley Airport YYJ Victoria International Airport 23% YBL Campbell River Airport 9% 49% YZT Port Hardy Airport YQQ Comox Harbour 8% 6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 5
Phase 3 On site Figure 10. Electronic devices used for travel planning during trip Electronic Devices Figure 10. The figure shows what types of electronic devices visitors used for travel planning purposes during their trip. The most popular devices were smartphones (54%), laptops (35%), and tablets (28%). *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100% Accommodation Smartphone Laptop Tablet Computer at an internet cafe, accommodation provider, or visitor centre 7% 15% 39% 54% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Figure 11. The bars in this figure show what percentage of visitors stayed in each type of accommodation, and the number in brackets is the aggregate average number of nights visitors stayed. For example, of visitors stayed in a hotel/motel and on average they stayed 2.6 nights. When asked how they booked their accommodation, 80% of visitors said they booked directly with the accommodation provider and 17% used a travel booking website (e.g. Expedia.ca or Hotwire.com). *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentages do not equal 100%. None Figure 11. Percentage of visitors in each accommodation type (average # of nights) CR CV VIN Aggregate Hotel/motel (2.6) 25% 45% Campground/RV park (6.2) 8% 29% 28% 34% Home of a friend or family member (7.0) 18% 29% 27% 39% Resort/lodge (5.5) 10% Cabin/cottage (5.1) 3% 3% 10% 17% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 6
Spending Figure 12. To gather data on group spending, visitors were asked to report approximately how much their group spent on a typical day during their visit to the community for each category. The average total spending per group was $432 per day. The lines represent the general range of spending per group. $450 $400 $350 $300 $250 $200 $150 $100 $50 $- Figure 12. Average spending per group $146 $118 $117 $87 $80 Food & Beverage Establishments Figure 13. The most commonly used food and beverage establishments for visitors were restaurants (65%), grocery stores (58%), and cafés/coffee shops (55). *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100%. Figure 13. Food and beverage establishments utilized Restaurant Grocery store Cafe/coffee shop Pub/lounge Fast food/takeout/food truck Bakery Room service or hotel restaurant Other 3% 13% 29% 25% 58% 55% 65% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Events Attended Visitors were asked if they were visiting the region to attend a specific event; 17% said yes. The types of events included community events, festivals, sporting events, and personal events such as weddings. VES 2015 multi-regional profile 7
Activities & Attractions Figure 14. Visitors were asked to indicate which tourism attractions they visited during their stay. Parks and trails, beaches, and local shops/boutiques were the top three categories for all three communities. *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100%. Figure 14. Attractions visited VIN CV CR 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 87% 87% 79% 69% 62% 63% 60% 55% 52% Parks and trails Beaches Local shops/boutiques Figures 15, 16, & 17. Visitors were asked to indicate what activities they participated in during their stay; the top three activities for each region are displayed in the figures below. Beach activities and hiking ranked in the top three activities for all three regions *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percentage does not equal 100%. Figure 15. Top activities CR in Figure 16. Top activities CV CR Figure 17. Top ativities VIN Beach activities 32% Hiking Hiking 27% Shopping 38% Hiking 32% Beach activities 35% Shopping 32% Beach activities 35% Whale watching 33% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 8
Phase 4 Travel from Length of Stay Figure 18. Visitors were asked to indicate how many nights they spent in each region of Vancouver Island. The columns in Figure 18 show the aggregate average number of nights that visitors spent in each of the regions they visited, while the line shows the percentage of visitors who spent at least one night in each of the regions (refer to map for regions). *Multiple options could be selected therefore combined percent does not equal 100%. Map of regions Tourism Vancouver Island Figure 18. Length of stay by region On average, visitors to Campbell River & Region spent 11.7 nights away from home; Comox Valley 8.6; and Vancouver Island North 14.0 nights. For 66% of visitors, these regions were the main destinations of their trip, for 30% of visitors it was one of several planned stops but not the main destination, and for 4% it was an unplanned stop on their way to another destination. 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 5.5 5.4 44% North Island Average # of Nights 63% North Central 3.4 15% Pacific Rim 3.7 3.7 23% Central Island % of Visitors 7% Cowichan 5.1 20% South Island 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Visitation Figure 19. Displays repeat and first-time visitation in aggregate and per region format. 62% of respondents were repeat visitors, while only 38% were first time visitors. Figure 19. Repeat versus first time visitors Repeat visitor First time visitor Aggregate CV CR VIN 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% VES 2015 multi-regional profile 9
Figure 20. Visitors were asked to indicate whether their trip to the region they were visiting was an overnight trip or a day trip. On average there were more overnight visitors than day trip only visitors. 83% of respondents were overnight visitors and 17% were on a day trip only. Figure 20. Day trip visitor versus overnight visitors Aggregate CV CR Day Trip Only Overnight Visit VIN 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Phase 5 Recollection Net Promoter Score Figure 21. Visitors were asked to rate their likeliness to recommend the region they visited to their family and friends on a scale from Very Unlikely (0) to Very Likely (10). The people who rate between 0 and 6 are considered detractors, those who rate 7 or 8 are considered passives, and those who rate 9 or 10 are considered promoters. The aggregate results show that 71% of visitors are promoters, 16% are passives, and 13% are detractors. Subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters yields the Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100 (if every visitor is a Detractor) to a high of 100 (if every customer is a Promoter). The aggregate Net Promoter Score for the three regions is 58.1. Figure 21. Net Promoter Score Aggregate CR CV VIN 71.0% 58.1% 51.7% 54.4% The Sociable Scientists created this profile, in partnership with Vancouver Island University. For more information, contact The Sociable Scientists, and/or one of the participating community Destination Marketing Organizations Tourism Campbell River & Region, Discover Comox Valley, Vancouver Island North Tourism. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Island Coastal Economic Trust in this Visitor Experience Survey project. www.thesociablescientists.ca VES 2015 multi-regional profile 10