Tourism Research Centre profiles visitors by expeditures

The Tourism Research Centre at the University of PEI is pleased to release a new report on visitors to P.E.I. Using the visitor exit survey from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008, visitors were profiled based on how much they spent while in P.E.I.

'Low-spending travel parties tended to be Maritime baby boomer couples who made P.E.I. their primary destination,' said Dr. Paul Lewis, Research Director at the TRC. 'Although they spent the least amount of money in P.E.I.--less than $100 per party per night--they were our most frequent guests and stayed longer than the other groups, likely because half of them came to P.E.I. to visit friends and relatives.'

Low-spending travel parties were a significant off-season fall and winter crowd. They were by far the most likely of all four categories to visit in the winter and the least likely to visit in the main season or spring-shoulder season.

Medium-low spending travel parties made up 41 per cent of travel parties to P.E.I. and spent from $100 to $250 per night. They also tended to be Maritime baby boomer couples who made P.E.I. their primary destination. Like low-spending travel parties, most of these visitors also came from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; over half travelled as adult-couple travel parties, and many were over 35 years of age. P.E.I. was also their main destination by a wide margin.

'Medium-low spending travel parties were less likely to be repeat visitors, and those who were repeat visitors tended to return less frequently,' explained Dr. Lewis. 'They were also more likely to visit in the spring than low-spending travel parties.'

Medium-high spending travel parties spent from $250 to $450 per night. They were the most likely to be travelling as families with children under 18. They tended to stay in the more expensive forms of lodging like hotels, motels and resorts, inns, B&Bs and tourist homes as well as cottages and cabins instead of campgrounds and trailer parks, or with friends and relatives.

'Medium-high travel parties were quite active when in P.E.I.,' stated Dr. Lewis. 'They often had the highest level of participation for any given activity, with the more notable exceptions of visiting friends and relatives and partaking in sporting activities. They spent a significant portion of their nights in Anne's Land, and in cottages or cabins. Although many stayed in hotels, motels, and resorts, their stays tended to be shorter.'

High-spending travel parties--those who spent more than $450 per night--were like medium-high travel parties in that they were more likely to be first-time visitors. A significant proportion of high-spending travel parties were families, and parties composed of three or more adults. They were the most likely to stay overnight in Charlottetown, and the most likely to stay in a hotel, motel, or resort. Their stays in P.E.I. were the shortest at only 2.5 nights. Just over 20 per cent of high-spending travel parties visited in the fall, the highest rate of visitation during this season of all expenditure groups.

This report is available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website. More information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, UPEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.