the marches perception & awareness research january 2012 contacts: [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
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Introduction• The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (MLEP) area covers
the local authority areas of Herefordshire Council, Shropshire Council and Telford and Wrekin Council.
• This research is being undertaken to inform the 3 component local authority areas about;– The profile (and relevance) of current visitors?– The types of trips taken– The emerging markets?– The markets that provide best ROI?– The types of message they will respond to?– How to package up the product for these markets?
• In short the research will :– Demonstrate clearly the profile of existing visitors to the region (and
specific local authority areas within it)– Provide the necessary strategic insight to identify types of potential
visitors that could be targeted for a future visit
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Methodology
• Arkenford conducted an online survey using an online panel provider
• A total of 1502 interviews conducted• Quotas set on respondent origin
– 501 respondents living within 90 minute drive time from The Marches– 1001 respondents living further afield
• And past visit or future visit consideration– At least 500 consider Shropshire as ‘My Type of Place’– At least 500 consider Herefordshire as ‘My Type of Place’– At least 500 consider Ironbridge Gorge as ‘My Type of Place’
• This ensures that we can produce stand alone reports for each destinations as well as wider report for The Marches
• Fieldwork conducted in December 2011• A review of other existing insight helps add context to the
primary research
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DESTINATION AWARENESS & APPEAL
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Awareness of Destinations
• Awareness and appeal of areas within The Marches is greater than for the wider area itself
• Awareness and appeal of Herefordshire and Shropshire is on a par with each other
• Respondents are more likely to state that Ironbridge Gorge is ‘my type of place’ …… yet a higher % have never heard of the place
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Index of Destination Appeal
• The segments that are more likely to perceive all the destinations as ‘My Type of Place’ are Cosmopolitans and Traditionals– Cosmopolitans are generally keen to
try new experiences / see new places and are generally very positive
– Traditionals are more risk averse, prefer more rural holidays, relaxation and history and heritage
• All the Marches destinations also appeal to Functionals– Functionals are a group who are
fiercely indepenent and budget orientated
• Ironbridge also appeals to Discoverers– This group like to learn … seek an
experience that educates them
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Awareness: Local vs. Non-local
• There is not much difference in consideration and appeal of the destinations tested when comparing the local and non-local findings
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VISIT HISTORY
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Visit History
• More than two-thirds have never visited the Marches … or they don’t know they have ever visited!
• Respondents are more likely to have visited Herefordshire and/or Shropshire than they are Ironbridge Gorge
• % of sample who have visited is up on figures reported in 2008/9
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Index of visit – Within past 2 years
• Cosmopolitans are most likely to have visited within the last 2 years – They are one of the most active
segments
• Only Herefordshire has attracted a greater than average share of Traditionals
• Shropshire has attracted mass market segment of Followers
• Ironbridge Gorge over indexes on Discoverers
• Visitors to Hereford & Shropshire tend to be older / empty nesters
• Ironbridge Gorge has attracted a higher % of families
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Destination visit: Local vs. Non-local
• All the Marches destinations are more likely to have attracted a local market in the last 2 years as opposed to visitors from further afield
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DESTINATION PERCEPTION
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Type of holiday
• Herefordshire and Shropshire are predominantly perceived to be a place to visit as a couple / with other adults
• Respondents are as likely to see Ironbridge Gorge as a place to visit with children as they are a place to visit as a couple
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Length of Trip
• Herefordshire and Shropshire are both predominantly viewed as place to visit as part of a short break
• Around a third of respondents perceive Ironbridge Gorge as a day visit destination, a quarter seeing it as a destination to visit if staying nearby
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Period of holiday
• All destinations are considered to be suitable all year round • Interestingly, these destinations are more seen as places they
would visit in off peak period as opposed to peak period
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Awareness of location
• The majority of people correctly placed Shropshire, Herefordshire and Ironbridge Gorge in the West Midlands– Is there really confusion around
Herefordshire and Hertfordshire?!!
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First 3 things that come to mind - Herefordshire
• The charts above illustrate 1st, 2nd and 3rd spontaneous mentions in relation to Herefordshire
• Top of mind comments provide a real ‘rural’ feel … and little of anything else related to tourism
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First 3 things that come to mind - Shropshire
• The charts above illustrate 1st, 2nd and 3rd spontaneous mentions in relation to Shropshire
• Again, top of mind is the countryside, but here we have more spontaneous mention of attractions and the type of experience visitors can expect
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First 3 things that come to mind – Ironbridge Gorge
• The charts above illustrate 1st, 2nd and 3rd spontaneous mentions in relation to Ironbridge Gorge
• Strong association with history and heritage, and mention of the surrounding area, countryside and rivers
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PRODUCT PREFERENCES
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Activities Enjoy
• Visiting local towns / villages / countryside, scenic areas and landscapes is the most appealing activity when on holiday
• Outdoor activity appears at the bottom of the list
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Market Map; Segments preferred activities
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Herefordshire Associations
• The strongest Herefordshire associations are the market towns/ villages/ scenic countryside and landscapes
• Herefordshire is the least associated with shopping and cultural exhibitions, events and festivals
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Herefordshire Associations
• Little difference between age / gender or origin in terms of associations• Those more likely to make stronger associations across different product offers are:
– Cosmopolitans and Traditionals– Families– Current and lapsed visitors
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Shropshire Associations
• Similarly to Herefordshire, the strongest Shropshire association is the market towns/ villages/ scenic countryside and landscapes
• Shropshire is the least associated with shopping and cultural exhibitions, events and festivals
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Shropshire Associations
• A very similar story to Herefordshire with little difference between age / gender or origin in terms of associations• Those more likely to make stronger associations across different product offers are:
– Cosmopolitans and Traditionals– Families– Current and lapsed visitor
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Ironbridge Gorge Associations
• Ironbridge Gorge is strongly associated with historic sites
• The least strong associations are shopping and food and drink
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Ironbridge Gorge Associations
• Those more likely to make stronger associations across different product offers are:– Locals– Younger consumers and families (especially for retail and food and drink) – Cosmopolitans and Traditionals– Big difference between associations of current and lapsed visitors indicating big changes
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Types of Outdoor Activities People Enjoy
• The more gentle the outdoor activity, the more people will enjoy!– River walks, forest
trails and gentle strolls are the most appealing outdoor activities;
– Extreme sports appeal to far fewer consumers
– Golf & Angling have least appeal indicating what a niche activity they are
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Who enjoys different activities?
• Gentle exercise has appeal to wide cross section, especially older audience, and Traditional and Functional ArkLeisure segments• More physical activity (canoeing, cycle trails, etc. appeals to a younger, more leading edge segment groups• Families also enjoy this (supervised) offer
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Destinations Offering Outdoor Activities
• Herefordshire is perceived to be the destination that offers the outdoor activity that people enjoy by the largest percentage of people
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Types of Food & Drink
• Traditional pubs and tea rooms are amongst the most popular food and drink offer
• What we also record is a huge increase in consumer interest and enjoyment of locally sourced produce, farmers markets and shops
• Some interest in ‘learning’ about food
• Less interest in the ‘top end’ food and drink offer indicating niche appeal
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Who enjoys different food & drink?
• Widespread appeal for traditional pubs and tea room• Style Hounds and Cosmopolitans (leading edge segments) will got for top end product• Cosmopolitans, Discoverers and Traditionals are segments likely to enjoy locally sources products and farm shops
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Destinations Offering Food & Drink
• Herefordshire and Shropshire are considered to be the destinations that offer the food and drink product consumers enjoy by the largest percentage of people
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Types of History & Heritage
• History and heritage is of interest to a large proportion of consumers
• Most popular are areas of natural beauty and historic towns
• Other ‘man made’ options such as monuments, castles and houses are as popular
• Industrial heritage is one of the less enjoyed product offers
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Who prefers different History & Heritage?
• Because of the high % of interest, history and heritage appeals to a wide cross section of the population• Younger audiences / families are more likely to want guided tours (bring the product alive)• Most engaged Arkleisure groups are Cosmopolitan and Traditionals
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Destinations Offering History & Heritage
• Despite lower interest in Industrial Heritage, Ironbridge Gorge is seen by most people as the destination offering the history and heritage they enjoy
• Part of this will be the power of being a ‘brand’ as well as the delivery of the product (living history)
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Types of Places to Visit when Exploring
• Outdoor space is a popular as towns and villages when it comes to enjoyment of exploration
• Viewpoints, rivers, canals and waterways, and national parks all have great appeal
• Cathedral cities have more appeal than larger cities
• AONB sites are more appealing than WHS appear at the top of the list of the of the places people enjoy to visit when exploring a place
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Who enjoys different places to explore?
• Exploring outdoor areas has widespread appeal across all types of consumer– This is especially the case for Traditional & Functional segments
• Younger, more leading edge segments are more likely to want to explore major cities
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Destinations Offering Places to Sightsee
• Herefordshire & Shropshire are seen by most people as destinations that offer the places to sightsee and explore that they enjoy
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Types of Cultural Events & Festivals
• Country fairs and food and drink events and festivals are the most appealing types of events and festivals
• The most interesting art festivals are craft orientated
• Theatre and art exhibitions also have some appeal
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Who prefers different events & festivals?
• Events and festivals are particularly appealing for younger consumers and families• Country fairs and food and drink events have widest interest• Younger audiences / families / leading edge segments more likely to enjoy sporting and music events• Traditionals and Cosmopolitans more likely to enjoy arts events
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Destinations Offering Cultural Events & Festivals
• Herefordshire is seen by most people as the destination offering cultural events and festivals that they enjoy
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Types of Shopping
• Towns with quirky / unique / independent retailers are enjoyed most
• Consumers also have a passion for markets, both specialist and more general
• Preference for high street offer over more up-market boutiques
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Who prefers different types of shopping?
• Independent segments are more likely to want to shop in towns that are unique• Younger audiences / mass market segments are more likely to enjoy the high street shopping option
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Destinations Offering Shopping
• Herefordshire and Shropshire are seen by most people as the destinations offering the types of shopping they enjoy
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DESTINATION CONSIDERATION
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Value Associations
• Herefordshire, compared to the other 2 destinations, is seen as the most:– Luxurious– Fresh– Vibrant
• Shropshire is mostly seen as:– Vibrant– Fresh
• Ironbridge Gorge represent the most nostalgic destination
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Destination Perceptions
• The collective area is seen:– As a place to explore the
surrounding area– Is Safe– Offer lots to do– Has a range of quality
accommodation– A year round destination
• Region is not see as expensive or particularly touristy
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Destinations consideration
• Top 3 “My type of place” for a visit:– Shrewsbury– Hereford– Shropshire Hills
• Smaller towns that have appeal include:– Ross on Wye– Hay on Wye– Ludlow
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Attractions consideration
• Ironbridge, Hampton Court Castle and Grounds and Severn Valley Railway are the top 3 place that are considered to be “My type of place”
• Some attractions have very low levels of awareness, yet could fit the bill in term of history and heritage offer, e.g. Eastnor & Goodrich Castle
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Accommodation – Most likely to choose
• Most are likely to choose an independent hotel (3-5 stars) or B&B / guest house if staying in the area
• Self catering option is as popular as budget chain
• 1 in 5 will look for a camping option
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Accommodation preferences
• Functionals are more likely to look for cheaper accommodation options• Style Hounds and Cosmopolitans will look for the most expensive / luxury• Self catering sought be families / Discoverers• Camping popular for younger people, families and the Discoverer segment
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Accommodation – Factors influence choice
• The factors with the strongest influence on the choice of accommodation are:– Word of mouth / previous
experience– Accommodation website
or brochure– Late rooms / special
offers
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Accommodation Influences
• TripAdvisor and Late Rooms / offers is the domain of the younger audiences, families and leading-edge segments, especially those in the mass market
• Older families, Cosmopolitans and Traditionals will be influenced by a Tourist Board Website
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INFORMATION GATHERING
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Information Gathering – Before Trip
• Internet search and recommendations/ word of mouth are the most popular ways people look for information about things to do in a specific area
• Consumers are as likely to look at holiday booking sites as they are an official tourist site
• Consumers are more likely to get information from an accommodation website than they are a destination brochure
• Increasingly people search for information on mobile devices
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Information Gathering – During Trip
• Leaflets from tourist information centres and hotels is used most as a source of information during the trip
• Consumers are as likely to visit tourist board website during trip as they are to read the tourist board brochure
• Around a quarter look for information rom their mobile
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Conclusions
• Individually, consumers are more aware of and interested in visiting Herefordshire, Shropshire and Ironbridge Gorge than they are The Marches
• Segments that show greatest consideration are all independently minded;– Cosmopolitans, Traditionals, Functionals and Discoverers
• % of visitors is up since 2008/9• Are destinations attracting the right sort of visitor?• Seemingly, only Herefordshire attracts more than fair
share of Traditionals, only Ironbridge Gorge attracts more Discoverers
• Visitors tend to remain older age groups travelling as couples
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Conclusions
• Perception of all the area is that it is a destination for couples on a short break for both locals and non locals
• Encouragingly, seen as a year round offer, with plenty to do, and one that is not too touristy or expensive
• However, spontaneous top of mind thoughts in relation to individual areas are not tourism or leisure related … i.e. do not necessarily give a reason for people to visit
• When prompted destinations are generally seen to offer the type of product people enjoy … but destination are not top of mind / best in class so consumers do not necessarily visit to undertake these activities
• Data will help destinations to steer and develop their product offer, targeting it at the right sort of visitor
• Must target day visitors as well as staying visitors as there is real potential to grow this market
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Conclusions
• Internet is key• Over 90% seek information over the internet, using
Tourist Board and non tourist board sites• Need to work with partners to ensure information
you want to show is on as many sites as possible• Ensure that all online information is accessible via
mobile • Printed information is more valuable when people
are visiting
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Next Steps
• Working on individual destination reports – Similar to this report– Greater insight and profiling of current and potential
visitors
• Delivery ArkLeisure Licence information to destinations– Insight about media habits, holiday portfolio, etc.
• Destinations need to use this combined insight to consider who they need to target to grow volume & value of visitors
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Sample Profile
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ArkLeisure Segmentation