Understanding the Visitor Experience Results from a Pilot Visitor Satisfaction Survey March 2011

The Context

Market Value Tourism Spend in England 2009 (£bn) £14.4

£17.3

£39.3 Domestic Overnight Domestic Day Trips Inbound Source: UKTS 2009, IPS 2009, ELDVS 2005

10

Source: UKTS 2006-2010 Rolling 12-month period ending…. Oct-10

Aug-10

Jun-10

Apr-10

Feb-10

Dec-09

Oct-09

Aug-09

Jun-09

Apr-09

Feb-09

Dec-08

Oct-08

Aug-08

Jun-08

Apr-08

Feb-08

Dec-07

Oct-07

Aug-07

Jun-07

Apr-07

Feb-07

Dec-06

Oct-06

Aug-06

Jun-06

Apr-06

Trips (millions)

Domestic Holiday Trends UK Domestic Tourism – Holiday Trips 2006 - 2010

55

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

The Strategic Framework for Tourism The Role of Visitor Satisfaction • To increase England’s share of global visitor markets • To offer compelling destinations of distinction “Create an England satisfaction survey which provides a national benchmark and greater consistency of data at regional, destination and local levels”

• To champion a successful, thriving tourism industry • To facilitate greater engagement between the visitor and the experience

Our Approach •

Questions are included on the VE Brand & Communications Tracker – Continuous online interviewing among those in the market for holidays (taken at least one holiday of 1+ nights in the past 12 months anywhere in the world, intend to do so in the next 12 months, non-rejectors of England)

•

5-minute satisfaction module, asked of all P12M England leisure break takers (79% of total sample) – Over 3000 respondents have provided satisfaction data since the start of the survey

•

Questions asked about most recently visited destination from a list of c.60 options (not about “England”) – Trip Profile: break length, accommodation type, destination type, activities undertaken – 4 Visitor Experience (TRI*M) Questions – Evaluation of destination across 15 key attributes

•

Satisfaction measured using TNS TRI*M method (widely used across many sectors)

How satisfied are domestic visitors?

How Satisfied Are Our Visitors?

Overall Performance 85% excellent/ very good 86% definitely/ probably

Likelihood to Recommend

Likelihood to Revisit 90

70

50

30

TRI*M Index:

76% definitely/ probably

92

61% much/ slightly better

Competitive Advantage

Slight improvement in scores over time – though there may be a seasonal effect High 105 Visitor Experience 100

96

95

94 92

92

93

92

92

92

Jan Mar

Feb Apr

Mar May

90

91

93

92

92

May Jul

Jun - Jul Aug Sep

94

94

Aug Oct

Sep Nov

95

95

85

80

75

Low Visitor 70 Experience Overall

Oct Dec

Nov Jan

Dec Feb

Apr Jun

Oct - Nov - Dec Dec Jan Feb

Who are our Most Satisfied Visitors?

Highest scores among older visitors, families, and lower social grade (but differences are narrow) High 105 Visitor Experience

Age

Children

Social Class

100

95

94 92

92

92

18-34

35-54

95

94 92

90

91

85

80

75

Low Visitor Experience

70

England

55+

Kids in h‘h

No kids in h‘h

ABC1

C2DE

Longer breaks / countryside destinations deliver the best-rated experience High 110 Visitor Experience

Holiday Type

Location

105

102 100

98

97 95

95

92

92 90

89

89

85

80

Low Visitor Experience

England

1-3 night short break

4-7 night mid-length hol

8+ night longer holiday

Countryside

Seaside

City

Touring

Beyond the Indices:

The four TRI*M Index questions are also analysed on two dimensions of satisfaction and loyalty:

MEASURE

DIMENSION

Overall rating

SATISFACTION Recommendation Revisit

LOYALTY Advantage versus competitors

These two dimensions can be plotted against each other to provide deeper understanding of the visitor experience

Understanding more of what the TRI*M score means can help us predict behaviours Visitor Experience Map – Holiday type and Location

High

SATISFACTION

Countryside

It was great, I’ve sent the cottage details to my friends…

4-7 night holiday Touring 8+ night holiday Short break

Seaside City break

Low

LOYALTY

The kids love it, and we’ll be back next year

Non-serviced (self-catering) accommodation options outperform traditional options High 105 Visitor Experience

101

100

100

96

95

94 92

90

91

89

85

80

75

Low Visitor Experience

England

ALL HOTELS

B&B / Guesthouse

Caravan

Camping

Rented house /flat

Holiday camp/village

There is a clear correlation between star rating and visitor experience High 105 Visitor Experience

102

100

97

95

95

92 90

89

90

85

82

80

80

n/a

n/a

n/a

75

Low Visitor Experience

England

1*

2*

3*

HOTELS

4*

5*

1*

2*

3*

4*

B&Bs/Guesthouses

5*

Camping atracts the highest loyalty levels – but self-catering delivers greater satisfaction High

SATISFACTION

4* B&B

Rented house/flat 4* hotel

Camping 3* B&B

Holiday camp/village

All Hotels

Caravan All B&B/Guesthouse

2* hotel 5* hotel

3* hotel 2* B&B

Low

LOYALTY

Taking part in activities leads to a more positive experience High 105 Visitor Experience

101

100

99

98

98

98

97

97

97

95

92 90

85

80

75

Low Visitor Experience

England

Outdoor leisure pursuits

Exploring the countryside

Visited a museum or art gallery

Went to the beach / seaside

Visited a garden

Explored a small town

Went on a Went to a guided zoo/aquarium tour /sea life centre

...true for all activities except visiting friends and family! High 105 Visitor Experience 100

96

95

96

96

95

95

94

92 90

85

83 80

75

Low Visitor Experience

England

Watched a Visited a sporting castle/stately event home/historic site

Went shopping

Attended cinema/concert /theatre/musical

Explored a large town /city

Visited a theme park /fun fair

Visited family / friends

Our most active visitors are our most satisfied visitors High 105 Visitor Experience

102

100

98 95

92

92 90

85

80

80

75

Low Visitor Experience

England

1 Activity undertaken

2-3 Actiivities undetaken

4-5 Activities undertaken

More than 5 undertaken

5 Don‘t know responses. No respondents had undertaken 0 activities

Variations in Visitor Satisfaction Across England

Northumberland

100

Lake District

107

The visitor experience varies widely by destination – even within those offering a similar break type

Yorkshire Coast

North Yorkshire

98

105 York Yorkshire Dales

106

81 Lancashire Coast

96

Manchester

85 86 Cheshire Norfolk

Peak District

94

105

Suffolk

91

76 Gloucs & the Cotswolds

Birmingham London

93

95

94 Bristol & Bath Other Devon

97

Other Dorset

89 Somerset

Cornwall

108

81 Hampshire

85 89

86 Torquay

89

Bournemouth & Weymouth

101 Isle of Wight

Kent Brighton

94

Greater understanding can be gained by analysing satsifaction and loyalty ratings separately Visitor Experience Map – Destination

High

SATISFACTION

Yorkshire Dales Peak District Bristol & Bath Cornwall Cheshire N Yorks Lake District York Yorkshire Gloucs/Cotswolds Northumberland Coast Suffolk Other Devon Isle of Wight Somerset

Birmingham

Kent Hants

Other Dorset

London Brighton Norfolk Bournemouth

Torquay

Lancashire Coast Manchester

Low

LOYALTY

Dimensions of Satisfaction

High satisfaction with accommodation – but value, transport and customer service remain as areas to address Key Dimensions of Visitor Satisfaction

Agree Strongly Good quality accommodation

47%

Interesting cities & towns to visit

46%

Unspoilt countryside

46%

A place where I feel safe and secure

45%

Interesting villages to visit

44%

Good quality food and dining

43%

Welcoming and friendly people

43%

Good range of local food & produce

42%

Opportunities to see famous buildings and monuments

40%

A clean and tidy environment

39%

Opportunities to visit museums & galleries

38%

Good value for money

34%

Easily accessible public transport

33%

High levels of customer service Availability of festivals, music, sporting and cultural events

Agree Slightly 47%

47% 37%

46% 41%

49% 47% 47%

46% 50%

45% 50%

45%

29% 27%

58%

49%

National averages will allow us to track trends – but we need to dig deeper to really understand the visitor experience Key Dimensions of Visitor Satisfaction – by Destination Type % Strongly Agree with statement England

City

Seaside

Countryside

Good quality accommodation

47%

45%

46%

53%

A place where I feel safe and secure

45%

30%

51%

56%

Good quality food and dining

43%

42%

43%

47%

Welcoming and friendly people

43%

32%

47%

51%

Good range of local food & produce

42%

33%

44%

50%

A clean and tidy environment

39%

25%

44%

50%

Opportunities to visit museums & galleries

38%

56%

28%

32%

Good value for money

34%

25%

41%

37%

Easily accessible public transport

33%

46%

34%

22%

High levels of customer service

29%

23%

32%

33%

Availability of festivals, music, sporting & cultural events

27%

40%

23%

20%

Ultimately, we aim to benchmark all key destinations to understand relative strengths and weaknesses - a comparison of 3 destinations with similar overall scores shows very different priorities for improvement Destination Indices vs National Average (% Strongly Agree) Brighton

London

York

94

95

96

Good quality accommodation

83

100

111

A place where I feel safe and secure

84

28

96

Good quality food and dining

97

109

98

Welcoming and friendly people

89

32

135

103

68

83

A clean and tidy environment

65

29

118

Opportunities to visit museums & galleries

77

203

176

Good value for money

83

37

112

Easily accessible public transport

131

205

145

High levels of customer service

118

59

103

Availability of festivals, music, sporting &cultural events

127

214

85

TRI*M SCORE

Good range of local food & produce

Key Findings About Satisfaction in England – Satisfaction seems to be improving – though we need to understand the impact of seasonality – Older groups, C2DE’s and families are a little more satisfied than others – Longer breaks, countryside destinations, self-catering options and lots of activities make for the most positive experience – The destinations delivering the most positive experience are Cornwall, the Lake District, North Yorkshire / the Yorkshire Dales and the Peak District – This study helps us understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different destinations – and also the role they can play in driving future growth

Plans for the Future… • Understanding which attributes matter most to people – adding a “how important is this attribute” question to our questionnaire • Reviewing the attribute list to allow us to measure success in achieving strategic framework objectives

• Reviewing the destination list against the emerging tourism landscape • Understanding Day Visit Satisfaction - TRI*M Module will be added to National Day Visitor Survey, reporting early 2012

Understanding the Visitor Experience Results from a Pilot Visitor Satisfaction Survey