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R E S E A R C H B A C K G R O U N D A N D O B J E C T I V E S In 2010, the Estes Park LMD initiated a year-long Visitors Study designed to determine the following objectives: V I S I T O R P R O F I L E : Examine who visits Estes Park S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S : Determine how visitors decide to visit the area V I S I T E X P E R I E N C E : Perceptions and satisfaction with visit S L O G A N P O S I T I O N I N G : Evaluation of alternative positioning slogans V I S I T O R S P E N D I N G : Examined by visitor type
S U R V E Y M E T H O D O L O G Y S U R V E Y D E S I G N A N D E X E C U T I O N Designed in conjunction with the Estes Park LMD All surveys were conducted online (post-visit) Surveys collected from January 2010 February 2011 7,622 total surveys collected Very large and statistically robust survey sample V I S I T O R E M A I L C O L L E C T I O N Intercept method (using ipod Touch devices) Lodging properties lists URL printed on business cards (distributed at downtown retailers)
S U R V E Y M E T H O D O L O G Y S U R V E Y R E S P O N S E R AT E S A total of 7,622 Estes Park Visitor Study surveys were completed from January 16 th, 2010 through February 23 rd, 2011. This is a very large survey sample and allowed for detailed seasonal and market segmentation analyses. The completion percentage (40%) was excellent throughout the study. Survey response rates by source are detailed below: Survey Statistics Survey Source Sent Undelivered % Undelivered Delivered Viewed Completed % Completed* ipod 13,206 1,410 11% 11,796 5,594 5,227 44% YMCA 3,929 81 2% 3,848 1,580 1,435 37% Other Lodging Properties 2,511 96 4% 2,415 623 550 23% Survey Cards around Town N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 410 N/A All Sources (Total) 19,646 1,587 8% 18,059 7,797 7,622 40% * % Completed is calculated based on the total number of delivered surveys.
V I S I T O R S T U D Y H I G H L I G H T S
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E H O U S E H O L D I N C O M E 50% 40% 30% 20% 15% 21% 20% 24% 10% 6% 8% 7% 0% Less than $24,999 $25,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $149,999 $150,000 - $199,999 $200,000 or more The median household income was $75,000 - $99,999 Overnight Visitors were more likely to make $100,00 or more Day Visitors were more likely to make $75,000 or less
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E H I G H E S T L E V E L O F E D U C AT I O N 50% 40% 38% 35% 30% 20% 15% 10% 11% 0% 0% Did not graduate high school High School Graduate College Graduate Some postgraduate work Post-graduate degree Survey respondents were highly educated. In total, over four-fifths of all survey respondents had a college degree or higher.
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E M O S T C O M M O N V I S I T O R O C C U PAT I O N S 50% 40% 30% 25% 20% 10% 15% 13% 11% 9% 6% 5% 0% Professional / Technical Executive / Manager / Owner Retired Teacher / Professor Other Homemaker Government / Military One-quarter of all respondents had professional/technical occupations. Other frequently cited occupations included Executive/Manager/Owner and Teacher/Professor occupations. 13% of respondents were retired.
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E Q U I C K FA C T S Survey Respondents 52% of the respondents surveyed downtown were Overnight Visitors. Overnight Visitors had a median visit frequency of 2-4 in the last 5 years. 41% of Day Visitors visited Estes Park as part of a longer trip; these visitors had a median visit frequency of one in the last 5 years. Day Visitors (not on a longer trip) had the highest median visit frequency of 2-4 visits per year. Overnight Visitors spend approximately 8 times what Day Visitors spend Median age was 45-54 years old 80% were in a party of 5 or less Over four-fifths of respondents were couples: 36% were couples with children; 31% were a couple with children no longer at home and 16% were couples with no children. Less than one-fifth of respondents were single. The primary purpose of the visit for 82% of respondents was for a vacation; An additional 10% of respondents were attending an event, festival, meeting, conference or convention. 98% were from the United States Over half were from outside of Colorado Non-Colorado Visitors most frequently came from Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E D AY V I S I T O R S B Y C O U N T Y ( F R O N T R A N G E )
V I S I T O R P R O F I L E O V E R N I G H T V I S I T O R S B Y S TAT E
V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E L I K E L I H O O D T O R E C O M M E N D E S T E S PA R K Net Promoter Score* 79% Net of Promoters less Detractors Promoters (Definitely Recommend) 82% Loyal enthusiasts who continue to frequent Estes Park and urge their friends to do the same. Passives (Probably Recommend) Detractors (Might/Might Not, Probably Not, Definitely Not Recommend) 15% 3% Satisfied but unenthusiastic visitors who can be easily wooed by your competitors. Unhappy visitors who will not return and will tell others about their experience. Estes Park enjoys high loyalty as measured by the Net Promoter Score. *Note: The Visitors Study Net Promoter Score (NPS) is based on the Likelihood to Recommend question How likely are you to recommend the Estes Park area to others?. NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors (those rating their likelihood Might/Might Not or lower) from the percentage of Promoters (those rating their likelihood to recommend as Definitely ).
V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E L I K E L I H O O D T O R E C O M M E N D ( B Y S E A S O N ) 100% 80% 83% 81% 76% 80% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Winter 2010 Spring Summer Fall Winter 2011 The lowest ratings occurred during the busy Summer Season Scores are typically lower during the busiest tourism periods due to: Increase in crowds Longer Lines Limited parking availability
V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E S AT I S F A C T I O N W I T H E S T E S PA R K V I S I T % Excellent & Very Good (the top two ratings choices) Rocky Mountain National Park Outdoor Recreation Overall Experience Overall Staff Friendliness Downtown Area Festival / Special Event Overnight Lodging Overall Price/Value Shopping Dining Parking 98% 95% 94% 88% 82% 81% 79% 77% 71% 66% 58% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Visitors Overall Experience rating was high at 94% Shopping, dining and parking received the lowest ratings
V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E FA C T O R S I N D E C I S I O N T O V I S I T E S T E S PA R K % Extremely & Very Important (the top two rating choices) Relaxing Mountain Getaway Rocky Mountain National Park Wildlife Viewing Outdoor Recreation Low Cost / Good value Visiting Downtown Area Heritage / History / Culture Visiting Friends / Family in Area Visiting Lodging Property Festival / Special Event 16% 32% 29% 28% 57% 55% 89% 81% 81% 72% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% A Relaxing Mountain Getaway, Rocky Mountain National Park and Wildlife Viewing were the highest rated factors for visiting Estes Park. Seasonal differences were observed by demand generator: RMNP greatest importance during the Summer Relaxing Mountain Getaway greatest importance during the Winter Wildlife Viewing greatest importance during the Fall
V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E R O C K Y M O U N TA I N N AT I O N A L PA R K V I S I TAT I O N 100% 80% 73% 82% 67% 60% 40% 20% 0% All Visitors Overnight Visitors Day Visitors Note: Visitation percentages were calculated based on the number of respondents who rated their experience at Rocky Mountain National Park. Nearly three-fourths of all survey respondents visited Rocky Mountain National Park during their visit. Overnight Visitors were significantly more likely to visit the park than Day Visitors.
V I S I T O R P E R C E P T I O N S A C C U R A C Y O F P O S I T I O N I N G S L O G A N S % Very Accurate (the highest rating choice) Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park 78% Outdoors, Family, Fun, Value 40% Where the Wildlife Roam 40% Get Into the Real Rockies 30% Real Rocky. Real Good Times. 24% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park received the most support of all slogans (by a large margin).
V I S I T O R S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S M O S T I M P O R TA N T I N F O R M AT I O N S O U R C E Recommendation from a friend / colleague 34% Other 27% Rocky Mountain National Park information 14% Estes Park website(s) 10% Information provided by lodging property 6% Official Visitors Guide 3% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% When asked to select the most important information source used in their decision to visit Estes Park, recommendations from friends/colleagues were most frequently identified by respondents. Day Visitors were significantly more likely than Overnight Visitors to rate recommendations as the most important information source.
V I S I T O R S E L E C T I O N P R O C E S S O T H E R D E S T I N AT I O N S C O N S I D E R E D 9% 23% None 67% Other Colorado Destinations Other Two-thirds of all survey respondents did not consider any other destination before deciding to visit Estes Park, while nearly one-quarter of respondents considered other Colorado destinations. Other Colorado destinations most frequently considered included Colorado Springs, Denver, Breckenridge and Boulder.
V I S I T O R S P E N D I N G D AY A N D O V E R N I G H T V I S I T O R S Visitor Spending Day Visitors Overnight Visitors Spring $89 $623 Summer $102 $860 Fall $83 $693 Winter 2011 $91 $673 Day Visitor spending seasonally ranged from $83 - $102 Overnight Visitor spending seasonally ranged from $623 - $860 Both Day and Overnight spending was highest during the Summer Season Overnight Visitors spent roughly eight times what Day Visitors spent throughout the year that was studied
V I S I T O R S P E N D I N G O V E R N I G H T V I S I T O R S P E N D I N G B Y S TAT E $1,200 $1,128 $1,119 $1,000 $800 $928 $855 $851 $800 $766 $600 $508 $400 $200 $0 Colorado; N=1,469 Texas; N=330 Illinois; N=142 Missouri; N=179 California; N=118 Iowa; N=138 Kansas; N=232 Nebraska; N=231 Colorado Overnight Visitors: Spent less, though high volume Stayed fewer nights (average of 2 nights)
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