Gaining the Edge - Tourism StrategyVisitor Survey Winter 2003 Data
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Phase 2 Visitor Survey - Winter (582kb)
This component of the research project involved the acquisition of data concerning the needs and expectations of the Tourism Markets coming to the Vancouver Island Region as well as those traveling between Regions on Vancouver Island. The resulting data will assist the tourism industry by;
- determining the demand for various tourism products throughout the Vancouver Island Region,
- developing baseline measurements of the scope and value of the tourism market throughout the Region,
- measuring the consumers preferences, and
- assessing the future of tourism demand.
Visitor surveys were obtained in 6 of the 7 Regions of Vancouver Island in the Winter of 2003.
Outcomes:
The researchers throughout the Vancouver Island Region intercepted visitors for a period of approximately 11 weeks commencing in early January. A total of 1498 surveys were completed relative to a target sample size of 1800.
The results indicate that 86% of those visitors surveyed stayed within the region for a period of 2 days or more with 48.3% staying up to 5 days. Only 10.4 % stayed only one night and 3.5% of the sample participated in a day trip. 47.4% of the visitors chose a hotel or motel as their preferred accommodation with 15.2% choosing resort properties and 27.6% of the winter sample stayed with friends or relatives.
BC Ferries was utilized by 26.4% of the sample with a further 35.1% traveling by air. 20.7% of the visitors sampled originated their trip from within the Region. 86.2% of the responses indicated overall satisfaction with the mode of travel to the Vancouver Island Region.
While traveling within the region 81.9% of the sample utilized a private motor vehicle.
51.4% of the sample was visiting for pleasure with a further 32.8% traveling for business or work and 8% were combining both activities.
While traveling within the region the most popular outdoor activities included; hiking (26.1%), wildlife viewing (17.1%), whale watching (7.7%), golfing (7.6%) and bird watching (7.1%) and the most popular attractions were; local shops and artisans (33% ), shopping malls (31.1%), parks (30.5%), beaches (28.4%), museums (20.6%), art galleries (18.5%) and historic sites (17.8%).
34.2% of the sample utilized family restaurants, 29.7% pubs or lounges, and 25.5% chose fine dining establishments. 23.3% of the visitors reported eating at home or with friends and relatives.
The features of the Vancouver Island Region which drew visitors to the area were very clear with 67.6% indicating the overall atmosphere of the area, 65.9% the scenic beauty, 62.9% friendliness of the people, 60% safety of the Region, and 54.5% value for money spent.
Respondents indicated that they planned their trip either between one week and one month prior to traveling (32.9%) or between one to six months in advance of traveling (31.1%). 19.9% planned their trip up to seven days before departing and 10.3% traveled on the spur of the moment.
82.7% of the sample was repeat visitation with 17.3% making their first visit to the Vancouver Island Region.
When asked about previous visits to the specific Region in which they were surveyed 28.4% had never visited the specific area previously.
Of all sources of information used to plan their trip the highest percentages involved; friends and relatives (42.9%), the internet (41.8%), and previous personal experience (36.9%). The largest portion of the sample first learned about the Vancouver Island Region from friends and relatives (52.1%). When asked what most influenced their decision to travel to the region the responses indicated that friends and relatives (39.3%) and business contacts (27.2%) had the greatest influence.
The sample response was very positive when asked of their satisfaction with their traveling experience with 88.8% of the sample indicating they would recommend the region to others and 88.7% indicating that they would return to the Vancouver Island Region. Overall, 94.8% of the visitors rated their satisfaction level as good or extremely good. In evaluating their traveling experience respondents indicated a high level of satisfaction with various aspects of their journey; scenic beauty (95.5%), friendliness of people (93.4%), overall atmosphere of the Region (92.8%), quality of accommodation (91.4%), quality of service (89.9%), safety (89%), ability to obtain information (84.6%), quality of restaurants (82.7%) and outdoor recreation opportunities (81.9%).
Visitors were asked how much their group had spent the previous day on all aspects of their trip. 34.3% spent less than $100 while 25.8% spent between $101 and $200, 16.6% spent between $201 and $300, 15.6% spent between $301 and $800 and 7.6% spent more than $801.
The sample provided a visitor profile indicating that the winter visitor typically traveled alone (35.8%) or with their spouse or equivalent (33.6%), and the age distribution followed typical age demographics with the majority of visitors between the ages of 31-60 (84.3%). 26.1% of the sample reported annual household incomes over $100,000 while 18.5% reported income levels of $39,999 or less.
Of the winter visitors 30.2% were arriving from other areas within the Province while 27% were traveling from other regions on Vancouver Island. Approximately 8.8% of the sample arrived from the United States with a further 13.7% traveling from other Canadian regions. 5% of the of the sample was traveling from international markets.
The results of the winter sample support the results of the fall sample and indicate:
- Demand for a variety of tourism products exists in the shoulder seasons (fall and winter), throughout the entire Vancouver Island Region.
- Winter visitation is generating economic returns for tourism related businesses.
- Demand for emerging sectors of the tourism industry is evident.
