UPEI's Tourism Research Centre releases study on Ontario visitors

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at UPEI’s School of Business today announced the release of a report profiling Ontario visitors to P.E.I. during the summer of 2007.

Results show more visitors from Ontario than from all markets outside of CanadaOntario take long vacations and spend a significant portion of this time in P.E.I. Although they had the lowest per-person per-night spending of any origin market, they spent the most money per trip due to their lengthy stays. Sixty per cent of Ontario visitors had been to P.E.I. before, with approximately 40 per cent of those visitors having visited in the past year. combined. Visitors from

“This report gives us an eye-opening view of our visitors from Ontario and allows us to compare and contrast them with visitors from other markets,” says Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. “Ontario visitors are quite active and spend a significant amount of time on P.E.I., and they are quite happy with their experiences. We need to ensure we keep giving them -- and all our visitors -- positive, memorable experiences. Although many are frequent visitors, we have a huge opportunity with the first-time visitors and those who are not as quick to return to the Island.”

“The exit survey was designed so results could be cross-analyzed to provide a depth of data for further analysis,” Hennessey adds. “Some of these results may surprise some of the stakeholders in the industry, but it is important to understand the consequences of the findings and how we can use them to improve our strategy to target these visitors.”

The exit survey gathers information on the main purpose of the trip, length of stay, areas visited, accommodation used, size and composition of travel party, holiday activities, visitor spending, customer satisfaction, visitation data, place of origin and traveller demographics. This report specifically compares the similarities and differences between visitors from Ontario and visitors from other areas. The results are based on 3,173 completed surveys collected from June 27 to September 30, 2007.

Highlights of the Ontario report include:

· Ontario is the Island’s leading origin market for visitors from outside the Maritimes. During the study period in 2007, Ontario accounted for 16.4 per cent of total visitors to P.E.I.

· A majority (76 per cent) of Ontario visitors travelled to the Island on pleasure trips, and 22 per cent were visiting their friends or relatives. This was a higher portion than for the much closer Maritime market.

· More than any other market, Ontario visitors tend to be on trips that involve seeing all three Maritime provinces. Only 65 per cent identified Prince Edward Island as their main destination. The remaining 35 per cent were touring the Maritimes or travelling to other destinations in the region.

· Ontario visitors average 12.0 nights away from home with an average of 6.9 nights on P.E.I. This length of stay is equivalent to almost 58 per cent of their total trip nights. This is the second-highest after the Maritime market.

· Ontario visitors spend over half (61 per cent) of their nights on P.E.I. staying in the higher-cost types of accommodations such as hotels, resorts, B&Bs and cottages. In addition, only 16 per cent of visitors from Ontario stay in campgrounds, which, with the exception of international visitors, is the lowest of the various markets considered.

· Length of stays in hotels, motels, resorts and B&Bs are quite low (3.2 nights) given their lengthy stays on P.E.I. However, their length of stays in cottages and cabins is 10.5 days and 7.2 days are spent at the homes of family and friends.

· There are really two types of visitors from Ontario. There are the “bridge hoppers”: those visitors who visit for one to three days, stay in hotels, resorts, and B&Bs, and for whom P.E.I. is not the primary travel destination. There are also those visitors who spend long periods of time on P.E.I. in cottages and with friends/relatives.

· As with all origin markets, Ontario visitors spend most of their time in Charlottetown or “Anne’s Land” (73 per cent of their total nights). They tend to visit and stay in other regions of the province at average rates.

· Ontario visitors are active while on the Island, participating in a broad range of activities at average to above average rates when compared with other visitors.

· Although the largest numbers of Ontario visitors are travelling as adult couples (46 per cent), this is the lowest adult couples percentage among origin markets. On the other hand, they are the leading family market: 36 per cent are families travelling with children.

· Ontario visitors are well-educated (highest of all Canadian markets). Their annual household incomes are well above average and rank at the top of Canadian visitor markets. They are the Island’s most widely distributed origin market on the basis of age. Approximately one-third are young (under 35), one-third are middle-aged (35 to 54) and one-third are older (55 plus). Most (56 per cent) are still working, and only 25 per cent are retired (as compared to 40 per cent of U.S. visitors who are retired).

· Ontario visitors were very generous in their trip ratings for the Island. They provided some of the most positive assessments of P.E.I. At 4.3, their rating of “Good value for the money” was the highest recorded.

The report is the third in a series of in-depth studies based on comprehensive data previously released in the report, “Overall Results of the 2007 Exit Survey.” The data is for the main tourism season of June 27 to September 30, 2007 and is collected as visitors depart P.E.I. at the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown Airport and Wood Islands Ferry (seasonally). This data is being collected for a full year, and the survey is being managed by the TRC on behalf of Tourism PEI.

Over the next 12 weeks, a series of reports profiling different segments of P.E.I. visitors based on origin, travel party type, repeat visitation and other characteristics will be released. All reports are or will be available on the TRC’s website at trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey.

Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, UPEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.