Internet Presence and Social Media Perceptions

and Usage by Visitors to Crater Lake National Park

Rosemary Keane, Jordan W. Smith, Ph.D.

rbkeane@ncsu.edu

2015 George Wright Society Conference

on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites

Oakland, CA

March 31, 2015

PURPOSE

Visitors are increasingly turning to online content for planning

decisions and sharing of their experiences.1

There is a need for effective and targeted communication to visitors

of varying demographics, ethnicities, ages, etc.2

Social media can create a link between a person’s interests and

park-related information.3,4

Social media activity has been linked to increased memory

retention of the trip.4,5

1. Hart, Nisbet & Shanahan, 2011, 2. Parker, Green, & Johnson, 2014, 3. Litvin, Goldsmith, & Pan, 2008 4. Fotis, Buhalis, & Rossides, 2012;

5. Yoo, Lee, Gretzel, & Fesenmaier, 2009.

SURVEY METHODS

2014: 535,508 visitors

Peak season: June - September

22 days in July and August, 2 sites.

580 randomly selected visitors

64% response rate

SURVEY METHODS

TRIP RELATED

Social Media Usage and Preferences;

Trusted Information Sources;

Preferences for Wi-Fi access.

GENERAL

Basic Demographic Information;

Visitor Characteristics and Trip Information;

Social Media Usage and Preferences

BASIC VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICSGender, Ethnicity and Age

86% White/Caucasian3% Asian

2% Hispanic/Latino

0.7% Black/African American

under 18 18-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 70+0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Age

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Women54% Men

46% WomenMen

BASIC VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICSLocale and Educational Background

21% of all U.S respondents were Oregon residents

41% of all U.S respondents were from neighboring states.

12% of all respondents were international.

< 9th grade Some high school

HS graduate Some college Associate's Bachelor's Graduate 0

50

100

150

200

250

The majority of

visitors had some

college education.

VISITOR/TRIP CHARACTERISTICSGroup Size and Composition

1 2 3 4 5-10 11+0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Group Size

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

1

2

3+

0

The majority of visitors were traveling in

groups of two.

The majority of visitors were

traveling without children.

VISITOR/TRIP CHARACTERISTICSInitial/Repeat Visit, Length of Stay

Repeat: 35%

Initial: 65%

The majority of the visitors

had not previously visited

Crater Lake National Park.

< 4 hrs 4-8 hrs 1 day 2-3 days0

50

100

150

200

250

Length of Visit

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

The majority of visitors were staying at the

park for one day or less.

GENERAL SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND PREFERENCES

76% of visitors were active on at least one social media platform.

Facebook and Instagram were the most frequently used platforms.

Flickr was the least frequently used platform.

Keep in contact with their social

network

Find and share information

Entertainment

TRIP-RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

51% of visitors had visited the official Crater Lake website.

80% of those visitors had used the official website to plan their trip.

9% of visitors had visited the Crater Lake Facebook page.

2% of visitors had visited the Crater Lake Twitter page.

TRIP-RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCES

Visitors preferred to use Facebook for content regarding

park conditions and directions.

TRIP-RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCES

Visitors also preferred to use Facebook for content regarding

activities and amenities.

TRIP-RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCES

Visitors preferred to use YouTube for content regarding

the natural/cultural history and wildlife of the park.

ALTERNATIVE TRIP-RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES

TRUST IN TRIP-RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES

1. Smith et al., 2012

Consistent with previous research1

PREFERENCES FOR WI-FI ACCESS

58%

Yes

28%No

14%No

Opin-ion

Would having Wi-Fi access at Crater Lake National Park allow you

to have a higher quality recreation experience?

PREFERENCES FOR WI-FI ACCESS

Strongly Support

Somewhat Support

Neither Somewhat Oppose

Stongly Oppose

14%

How strongly do you either support or oppose having Wi-Fi access at

Crater Lake National Park?

62%

CONCLUSIONS

The National Park Service is the most trusted source of trip related information for visitors.

Visitors will seek and trust information from family and close friends.

Social media is a useful and cost effective method of communication with visitors.

Social media would allow the NPS to create a mutually beneficial conversation between the agency and visitors.

Visitors have clear content platform preferences when seeking information about their trip.

FUTURE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

What other platforms are used most frequently by visitors?

What kinds of content does the National Park Service have online now?

What kinds of social media strategies does the National Park Service have

in place?

Will these trends differ at parks with higher visitor rates or near larger

urban areas?

Do visitors prefer or enjoy interaction with the NPS staff via social media?

BEST PRACTICES FOR MANAGERS

Develop a social media strategy.

Be aware of content-platform preferences. Try to post information where

visitors are most likely to look for it.

Consider providing free Wi-Fi access at central locations within the park.

Engage in meaningful conversation with visitors.

Make social media connections with similar agencies.

Develop multi-media content. Share your content on multiple platforms.