The document outlines a workshop focused on enhancing garden tourism through experiential tourism strategies. It emphasizes the importance of creating authentic, engaging, and unique visitor experiences to attract more tourists and increase revenue. Participants are encouraged to evaluate their current offerings and brainstorm innovative experiences that cater to the desires of modern travelers.

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GARDEN TOURISM
READINESS
WORKSHOP©
Growing Our Markets - National
Destination Garden Project, Fall 2017
Information in this presentation may not be used or reproduced without written authorization from Brain Trust Marketing & Communications, 2017.

3. AGENDA
• Introductions
• Backdrop / Context
• Tourism Market Readiness – Why? What?
• Experiential Tourism – Imperatives
• Break
• Knowing Your Ideal Guest
• Application to Your Garden – Discussion
• Working Session
The Growing Our Markets
project was made possible
by Canadian Heritage and
the Canada Cultural
Investment Fund.

4. ❖What do you do?
❖What do you
expect to take
away from this
session?

5. Richard authored the Ontario Garden Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for the Ontario Garden
Council. He facilitated a tourism initiative for the Historic Gardens of Ontario and has delivered
dozens of Garden Tourism Market Readiness and Experience Development Workshops to the
garden industry.

6. OUTCOME FOR TODAY
• Help you develop new authentic
garden tourism experiences to attract
new visitors at a higher yield

7. GROWING OUR MARKETS PROJECT
WHAT IS IT?
•National program designed to establish
Destination Garden Networks in 10 communities
•Opportunity for you to continue do what you do
well, then leverage that by working with like-
minded organizations to GROW YOUR MARKET

8. GROWING OUR MARKETS PROJECT
•What’s the status of your network?
•Accomplishments to date?
•Challenges?

9. What Is Tourism
❖Tourism is “the activities of
persons travelling to and staying
in places outside their usual
environment for not more than
one consecutive year for leisure,
business and other purposes”
(World Tourism Organization, United Nations Statistical Commission)
9

10. What Is Tourism to BRAIN TRUST
❖Tourism is the activities of
persons travelling to, and ideally
staying in* places outside their
usual environment, more than 80
km from home, for leisure and
sport purposes or to attend a
convention, conference, trade
show.
*Paid commercial accommodations
10

11. Tourism Landscape*
❖2016 international tourist arrivals reached 1,235 million, +3.9%
❖46 million more tourists (overnight) travelled internationally last
year compared to 2015
❖Based on current trends, the UNWTO projects international tourist
arrivals worldwide to grow 3% - 4% in 2017
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*UNWTO – Jan 2017

12. The Tourism Landscape*
❖2016 – 2nd highest number of
arrivals in Canadian history, 19.98
million international overnight
arrivals (0.4% short of 2002 record, 20.06
million)
❖US overnight arrivals were 14
million, +9.7% over 2015
❖4.53 million Americans arrived by
air; an all-time high, 15.3% higher
than previous peak in 2004
*2017, Destination Canada

16. Perm-anxiety
(permanent anxieties in the world)

17. Perm-anxiety - “a near-constant state of
anxiety that exists around the world”
“Travelers endure a barrage of worries about terrorism,
security, neo-isolationism, racial tension, Trumpism,
technology and its adverse role, the widening economic
gap, culture wars, climate change, and other
geopolitical and local issues.” Rafat Ali, CEO, Skift

18. Perm-anxiety - “a near-constant state of
anxiety that exists around the world”
Travelers want a place where the human
quotient needs to be upped, not eliminated
A garden experience can undoubtedly play a role
in helping to soothe this ever-growing condition

19. How does
tourism factor
into your
community –
how important is
it to you?

20. Garden Tourism is Significant
•People travel for garden experiences
• 26.5 million North Americans visited botanical gardens while on
overnight trips (3,246,208 Canadians, 23,307,038 Americans)
• 8.6 million North Americans visited a garden themed park
(1,391,850 Canadians, 7,218,000 Americans)
• Of those who visited garden theme attractions, 18% reported
that this activity was the main reason for taking at least one trip
2006 Travel Activities and Motivations Survey,
Canadian and US Markets

21. There Is Opportunity
•BUT…
•Are you tourism market ready?
•See Garden Tourism Market Ready
Checklist

22. There Is Opportunity
•BUT…
•Operators and destinations need to SHIFT
their thinking

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WHY?
Seeing the sights is no longer enough.
Travellers want to venture beyond the beaten paths and dive
deeper into authentic, local culture, connecting with people in
deep and meaningful ways.

24. Make Shift Happen:
A New Way of Thinking Is Required
24
FROM
PRESENTING:
A LIST OF
THINGS TO
SEE AND DO
TO
PROVIDING:
A JOURNEY OF
VISITOR EXPERIENCES
REVEALED OVER TIME
THAT ENGAGE, EXCITE,
ARE RELEVANT AND
MEMORABLE
SHIFT

25. There Is Opportunity
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•A customer centric focus is at the heart of
the shift, set against the backdrop of:
•Core tourism assets
•Ideal guest preferences
•Unique differentiators

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A New Model Has Emerged
•Demand vs. supply side mentality
•Based on driving value not price
•Lowest price = LOSE
•Highest value = WIN

28. To Succeed We Must:
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1.Raise the bar on:
•Engagement
•Personalization
•Connection
•Value
2. Know our visitor or our “Ideal Guest”

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EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM

32. Your Most Memorable Travel Experience?
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EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM

34. Impressions?
•What did you hear?
•Is there an application
for you?
•What is it?A Wild Oyster Experience!
Time: 2.5 hours
Cost: $79pp 2 people min.
$69 pp for 3 or more people.
Children under 12 half price!

35. “A person who
intentionally
encourages or
starts something”

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•A tourism product is what you buy
•A tourism experience is
what you remember!

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EXPERIENTIAL IMPERATIVES

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1. Meet a Local: Learn something by doing
something with someone who lives here

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2. Authentic: The experience is memorable
because it’s real and makes a personal
connection.

40. 3. Touching the Senses: Anexperience should
engage the senses of sight, smell, hearing, feel
and taste.

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4. Unique: Look at what you
offer and ensure it stands out and
is different.

42. 5. Exclusive Access: Experiential travel is all about
getting access to places most people hardly ever
get to see....going behind the scenes.

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6. Take-Away: Ensure that at the end of the
experience the visitor takes something away
with them. It’s either something they made or
something you give them.

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45. www.ediblecanada.com

46. Market Price Premium Price
Competitive
Position
Pricing &
Profits
Edible Canada, Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com
Commodities
Services
Goods

47. Market Price Premium Price
Greater
Differentiation,
Emotion, &
Engagement
No to Low
Differentiation,
Emotion, &
Engagement
Granville Island
Chef’s Market Tour
(Experience)
Food ingredients
(Commodities)
Restaurant Dining (Service)
Culinary Artisan Store
(Goods)
Low Volume
High Yield
Competitive
Position
Pricing &
Profits
Edible Canada, Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com
Chef’s Gourmet
Kayaking
(Experience)

48. Vegetables: $1 to $3/kg
Olive Oil: $12 to $100
Served Meals: $12 to $23.00+/per person
Commodity:
Goods:
Services:
Off-site Culinary
Adventures:
Chef’s Market Tour: $35/pp (2-8 pax)
Chef’s China Town Tours: $40-60/pp (2-8 pax)
Guest Chef Market Dinner: $100/pp (14-24 pax)
Gourmet Kayaking Weekends:$750/pp (8-12 pax)

49. Lethbridge Alberta

50. How To Maximize Revenue – ROI/ROE
•Build experiences that are authentic and
distinctive with unique attributes
(Only available here)
• Build experiences that have limited
quantity
(Only a small number available)
•Build experiences that are available for a
limited time
(Create urgency to book)

52. To Succeed We Must:
52
1. Raise the bar on:
•Engagement
•Personalization
•Connection
•Value
2.Know our “Ideal Guest”

53. Identify:
Themes
Stories
Narrative
=
Unique
Differentiators
Understand Your
Tourism Assets:
Infrastructure
Activities
People/Programs
Know Your
Ideal Guests:
Desired Benefits
Attitudes
Values
Motivations
Demographics
Geographic
DemandSupply
Opportunity
-
Assets + Ideal Guest = Differentiation

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Garden Visitors
• Take more trips per year
• Represented by baby boomers and young professionals
• Higher level of education
• Tend to be overnight tourists who explore and spend money
on accommodation, meals, shopping
• Attend performing arts, museums, galleries, historical sites
Lord Cultural Resources, Ontario Cultural and Heritage Tourism Product Research Paper, February 2009

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Garden Tourists tend to be
Authentic Experiencers
(12% of Canadian and 9% of global travellers)

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EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM
•What’s the opportunity for you?
•What’s the opportunity for your garden business
or organization?
•Is their a “collective” opportunity?

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Let’s Get To Work

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EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL THINK TANK -
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Gather in groups of 2/3
2. Get an understanding of the current offering
3. Using the “Experiential Travel Imperatives”
discuss potential new experiences that could
be offered, be realistic and not too detailed
4. Use the Experiential Tourism Worksheets

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Sharing:
• What makes your garden unique and how can you leverage this?
• What’s are the experiences?
• Brain storm what you can do to generate incremental business?
• Can you engage the 5 senses?
• Who are your instigators?

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Experiential Imperatives
1. Meet a Local: Learn something by doing
something with someone who lives here.
2. Be Authentic: The experience is memorable
because it’s real and makes a personal connection.
3. Touch the Senses: Sight, smell, hear, feel and
taste.
4. Be Unique: What do you have to offer that is
different?
5. Exclusive Access: Going behind the scenes.
6. Take-Away: The visitor takes something away
with them.

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THE IDEAS
What Are They?

66. What Did You Take
Away From This
Session?
What Will You Do To
Enhance Your Offer?
66

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My Most Memorable Travel Experience

68. Complete Evaluation Sheet

69. “A MEETING OF MINDS”
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www.braintrustmarketing.ca