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Welcome to the New Tradition: Where we are & Where we are heading to
The document presents an overview of Minnesota's tourism sector, emphasizing important market segments and travel trends. It highlights the demographics of tourists, including cultural explorers and spontaneous adventurers, while discussing sustainability practices and the impact of invasive species. The presentation outlines the economic distribution of tourism spending, lodging performance, and key opportunities and threats facing the industry.
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Welcome to the New Tradition: Where we are & Where we are heading to
- 1. Welcome to theNew Tradition Where we are & Where we are heading to Xinyi (Lisa) Qian, Ph.D. Tourism Specialist, Tourism Center, University of Minnesota MRCA Fall Conference, Oct 23, 2013 © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 2. OUTLINE An overview Important marketsegments for Minnesota Three trends in travel The changing demographics The environment © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 3. Distribution of tourismspending throughout the economy in MN 6% 25% 16% Food Lodging Retail Recreation 16% 19% Transportation Second homes 18% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 4. MN lodging industryperformance, first half of 2013 9.00% 8.00% 7.00% 6.00% 5.00% 4.00% 3.00% 2.00% 1.00% 0.00% -1.00% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. the U.S. West North Central MN
- 5. Active listings inState Tourism Office Database by category 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Resort Private campground © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Public campground
- 6. Average Number ofLodging Units 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Average # cabins Average # campsites Average # INDOOR lodging units at resorts © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. 2011 2012
- 7. IMPORTANT MARKET SEGMENTS forMINNESOTA CULTURAL EXPLORERS & SPONTANEOUS ADVENTURERS © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 8. 6 TYPES OFVISITORS Sun seekers Guided guys Spontaneous adventurers Thrifty traditionalists Family folks Cultural explorers © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 9. WHY? Greatest potential: –Interest in travel to MN: ≥75% – Likelihood of travelling to MN: >50% – Highest average spending on leisure travel in the past twelve months – Most likely to spend MORE on travel in the following year © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 10. GENDER Cultural explorers:66% Spontaneous adventurers: 53% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 11. Cultural explorers 24% 25% 28% 23% 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 AGE Spontaneous adventurers 27% 19% 20% 34% ©2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64
- 12. LEVEL OF EDUCATION Both segments—slightly more likely to: © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 13. HOUSEHOLD Compared to thesurvey participants as a whole: Cultural explorers Income Slightly more likely to have $100K - %149K Much less likely Parental status to have kids under 18 © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Spontaneous adventurers Much more likely to have $150K+ Slightly more likely to have kids aged 11-17
- 14. APPROACHES TO TRAVEL Culturalexplorers Spontaneous adventurers A perfect vacation: Travelling Consider themselves with my significant other adventurous when travelling Vacation as a time to bond as a family Attracted to historical sites and places Splurging on travel Looking for quality © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 15. WHAT THEY LOOKFOR WHEN TRAVEL Cultural explorers: – Want to be entertained & enriched Spontaneous adventurers: – Look to engage in a wide range of experiences – Like to take short getaways ―spur-of-the-moment‖ © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 16. IMAGE OF MINNESOTA Cultural explorers: A mix of urban & outdoor settings Spontaneous adventurers: Varied & activity-focused Driving (self driving tour) Hiking/walking in nature Strolling around/exploring small towns Visiting historic sites Fishing/ice fishing Camping © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Cultural explorers 46% Spontaneous adventurers 45% 27% 35% 33% 36% 24% 10% 6% 28% 20% 22%
- 17. WHERE RESORT ISIN THE PICTURE “MN offers resorts with a variety of activities/amenities” Cultural explorers Spontaneous adventurers Importance ranking 5th / 18 6th / 18 Ranking – % respondents describing MN in this way 15th / 18 11th /18 © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 18. WHERE THEY ARE INTHE DIGITAL WORLD © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 19. ACTIVITY TIME! Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats © 2012Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. Internal, Have some control External, May be beyond control
- 20. 3 TRENDS INTRAVEL CONNECTIVITY, COMMUNITY, CULTURE © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 21. 3 TRENDS: CONNECTIVITY ©2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. COMMUNITY CULTURE
- 22. 3 TRENDS: CONNECTIVITY © 2012Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. COMMUNITY CULTURE
- 23. 3 TRENDS: CONNECTIVITY COMMUNITY ©2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. CULTURE
- 24. THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS AFUTURE OF GREATER DIVERSITY © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 25. America's ChangingDemographic Landscape © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 26. MINNESOTA Percentage of Growth,2005-2035 108% 113% 97% 65% 9% 13% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 27. Percentage of eachminority population living in the Twin Cities by 2035 83% 82% African American Asian/Hawiian/Pacific Islander 67% Hispanic © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 28. THE ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES, INVASIVESPECIES © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 29. WHO ANSWERED THEQUESTIONS Property types Size of property (acres) Less than 1 6 to 10 16 to 20 25+ Resort Rsort with campground Campground 5% 1 to 5 11 to 15 21 to 25 3% 32% 63% 36% 26% 9% 2% 4% 64.5% open seasonally © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. 20%
- 30. SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES (1) Noattempt? Under consideration? Just beginning? Completed or ongoing? Our property offers a linen reuse option to multiple guest rooms. We install water conserving fixtures such as low-flow showerheads, toilet-tank fill diverters, ands ink aerators. Our housekeeping and engineering departments have an active system to detect and repair leaking toilets, faucets and showerheads. Refillable amenity dispensers are used rather than individual bottles for bathroom amenities. © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 31. SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES (2) Noattempt? Under consideration? Just beginning? Completed or ongoing? Whenever possible, we buy guest amenities in bulk. Bicycles are available for use or for rental. The water-using appliances and equipment, such as ice machines, washing machines, etc. are on a preventative maintenance schedule to ensure maximum efficiency. We use guest room energy management systems that allow a guest to easily turn off all unnecessary electronics when leaving the room (e.g., single-point key card systems). © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 32. State of sustainabilitypractices in MN lodging sector, 2013 90% Buy guest amenities in bulk 89% Have an active system to detect and repair leaking toilets, etc. 80.30% No attempt 79.30% Under consideration Water-use appliances on a preventative maintenance schedule 71.20% Just beginning Refillable amenity dispensers are used 62.10% Completed/ Ongoing Offer linen reuse option Install water conserving fixtures 37.30% Bicycles available for use/rental 15.30% Use guest room energy management systems 0% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
- 33. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES(1) Disagree or Strongly disagree? Neutral? Agree or Strongly agree? Aquatic invasive species are harmful to Minnesota’s environment. Aquatic invasive species are harmful to Minnesota’s economy. Aquatic invasive species are harmful to Minnesota’s society. Talking to other people about the threats of Aquatic invasive species in Minnesota will help control the invasive population from spreading. © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 34. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES(2) Disagree or Strongly disagree? Neutral? Agree or Strongly agree? Reporting aquatic invasive species to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will help control the invasive population. Cleaning equipment will help control aquatic invasive species. Not displacing aquatic invasive species will help control the invasive population. Killing aquatic invasive species on my property will help control the invasive population. © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 35. INVASIVE SPECIES –AQUATIC & PLANT Aquatic invasive species Invasive plant species Harmful to the environment 96.7% 92.4% Harmful to the economy 94.6% 84.6% Harmful to the society 78.3% 71.7% Cleaning equipment will help control them 92.4% 87% Killing them on my own property will help control them 84.3% 87% Reporting them will help control them 83.7% 79.1% Talking to other people about them will help control them 85.7% 71.1% Not displacing them (aquatic)/not collecting and 69% planting them (plants) will help control them © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. 83.7%
- 36. Additional statements aboutinvasive plants Encouraging nurseries to avoid themwill help control them Planting and maintaining native plants will help control them 81.5 68.5 Strongly disagree/Disagree Neutral Agree/Strongly agree Volunteering to help maintain parks and trails will help control them 58.7 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 37. RESOURCES: Tourism Center & Our colleagues ©2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
- 38. Find us onTwitter-LinkedInFacebook Xinyi (Lisa) Qian, Ph.D., Tourism Specialist qianx@umn.edu; tourism@umn.edu A collaboration of the College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences & Extension © 2012 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
Editor's Notes
- #5 West North Central US: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
- #8 Our state tourism office has done a wonderful project researching tourism market segments, so I am going to stand on the shoulder of a giant and share with you some of the highlights from the project.In January 2012, the state tourism office reached out to adults living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Michigan, and Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) and asked them to complete an online survey. Altogether, more than one thousand adults completed the survey, generating a lot of information to work with.
- #9 The information revealed that there are six major types of visitors.Sun seekers: this segment skews slightly female and least likely of all segments to be residents of Minnesota. They are also the least likely to have ever travelled to Minnesota and have interests in travelling to Minnesota in the future. As their name indicated, this segment identifies warm weather as one of the top factors that influences their choice of travel destination.Guided guys: This segment skews younger and male. They are the most likely of all segments to have young children at home. This segment also has more negative perceptions of Minnesota than the overall average.Thrifty traditionalists: this segment skews female and are highly educated. As the name indicates, they are thrifty when it comes to leisure travel spending—this group has the lowest average spending among all segments. They are also among the least likely to visit Minnesota in the next year.Family folks: this segment skews older and male. They are also among the most likely of all segments to live in Minnesota. This segment also has an average leisure spending lower than the overall average. They look for excellent hunting and fishing when choosing a travel destination.
- #13 Have graduated from college
- #16 Cultural explorers:Want to be entertained and enriched—need to emphasize to them that your resort is where they can get away from their stressful lives and let life come to themSpontaneous adventurers:Look to enjoy different activities and engage in a wide range of experiences when having the opportunity —show them the diversity of culture and nature, let them know what your resort and the surrounding area have to offer in terms of activitiesLike to take short getaways and do things “spur-of-the-moment”, so communicate that your resort is the perfect place for a weekend/long-weekend getaway
- #17 Indeed, adventurers had higher participation in activities while in MN
- #18 SO, resort is an important element, BUT these travelers may not know about our resorts, or, may not perceive our resorts to be so. In fact,, when developing the 2020 vision in 2009, our state tourism office gathered tourism businesses in the state to brainstorm the kinds of things that need to be offered to travelers in the coming years. One of the common theme that came up during the brainstorming is “new and upgraded lodging accommodations—including resorts—that offer the quality and amenities today’s travelers look for”!
- #19 Online resources:Use search engines such as Google—Appear on Google key word searchesUse lodging websites—Build and maintain your official websiteOfficial state tourism agency website—are you on there?Websites where people post reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc.—are you on there?Travel portal sites (e.g., Expedia, Travelocity)—are you on there? Own a smart phone—not necessarily to develop an app (expensive!), but at least, have a mobile site
- #20 Now that we know who they are, their interests in and likelihood of traveling to Minnesota, their average spending on leisure and spending trend, their approaches to life and travel, what they look for when they travel, their images of Minnesota, where Minnesota resorts are in the picture, and where they are in the digital world, let’s do some reflection and activity! First, I want you to pull out a pen and a piece of paper. And then, I want you to decide which segment, cultural explorers or spontaneous adventurers or BOTH, that your resort wants to attract, for the sake of this activity. After making the choice, I want you to think through four aspects: what strengths that your resort already has in terms of attracting the market segment—for example, you have a wonderful website, what weaknesses that your resort needs to address or overcome in order to attract that market segment—for example, you want to update that visitors’ guidebook but still haven’t yet, what the opportunities are for you to attract that market segment—for example, you have miles of bike trails close to your resort, and what you think are the threats that you face to attract that market segment—for example, invasive species.How can you use your strengths to take advantage of the opportunities that you have?
- #22 By saying connectivity, it certainly includes mobile devices and social media, but the word “connectivity” is more than these. Today’s visitors start their experience well before checking-in at your property. At the trip planning stage, people use multiple channels to gather information. They talk to their families and friends for suggestions and tips; they use destination websites; and believe it or not, they still pay attention to magazine ads and articles, particularly women! According to the Meredith group, an effective magazine ad does not jam as much information as possible into that small square of paper. Instead, think through and then settle on one key message and get this message front and center clearly. Use visuals, because photos reveal more than a thousand words!During the trip, people LOVE connectivity in hotels. Do you offer wireless Internet connection? How is cell phone signal on your property? When people travel, more than a third of them use the Internet to research nearby attractions, eateries and activities. And here is where mobile devices are playing a big role. We all know that developing an app can be expensive, and in fact, not every business needs an app. But it is critical that you have a functioning and easy to navigate mobile website. People open Safari on their iPhone or Chrome on their Android devices, and expect to find and enjoy a user friendly mobile website. So if nothing, create as good a mobile website as your regular website.Now, where is social media? Let me divide social media into two parts. The first part is travel review sites, including Trip Advisor and Yelp. Do people use these sites at the planning stage? Yes, they do, but these are one of the several channels that they use. However, at the post-trip stage, when people are so eager to share, particularly if the trip is not so great, all of a sudden, these travel review sites and their equivalent, become dominant. Remember, magazines and destination websites are all one-way streets. These media outlets communicate TO consumers, but consumers do not have a way to communicate back. And so travel review sites fill the void and give consumers a platform on which they can have a voice. The similar pattern applies to the second type of social media--Facebook, Twitter, and their equivalent. Their importance at the planning stage is actually quite small, but at the post-trip stage? They are important. With the word connectivity and the various channels that consumers use, it is clear that today’s marketing involves a suite of tools and methods. This can be challenging, even daunting, from time to time. But always revisit the basics when it feels overwhelming: 1. What is my key message? 2. Am I using the right channels to get to my target audience? 3. Am I engaging my audience on the channels that I use?
- #23 The activities that visitors can do in the local communityThe natural beauty that the local community boastsThe local food!
- #24 Cultural explorers—the name already tells itSpontaneous adventurers—interested in historical sites and placesCulture includes not just historical places, but also modern spaces, in a nut shell, unique, once in a life time cultural experience
- #26 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QDxcqco2M8Let the experts from the Brookings Institution, an independent think tank, give us a high-level summary (stop at 1:15)
- #27 In 2005, about 86% of the state population was non-Hispanic White alone. By 2035, about 75% of the state population will be non-Hispanic White alone. So the majority of the state population will still be non-Hispanic White by 2035, but the size and the proportion of the minority population will be larger.In addition, the non-Hispanic White population will be much older, given the large number of aging baby boomers and the slow growth of children population. On the other hand, the Hispanic, African American, and Asian population will be much younger, reflected in the number of families with kids younger than 18 years old living at home.
- #28 Another important aspect is where the minority population live. By 2035, about two-thirds of the Hispanic population, 83% of the African American population, and 82% of the Asian population will live in the Twin Cities Metro area. Why is this important? Well, let me ask you two questions. First, how many of you see the Twin Cities as one of the major markets? Second, how many of you do advertising that reaches the Twin Cities market?The demographic changes are already underway. The demographic landscape changes gradually, rather than overnight. However, when you do your strategic planning, which entails a longer-term view for business development, it is a good idea to keep the shifting demographics in mind.
- #29 In the 2020 vision, the environment was listed as a key aspect of the tourism industry, along with business operation, tourism product, marketing, and transportation. The importance of the environment to the tourism industry in Minnesota is undeniable. The bounty of beautiful lakes, rivers, forests, prairies, parks and other natural areas in our state is a great appeal to travelers, who enjoy these natural areas not just for their scenic views but also for the recreational opportunities they offer. Therefore, I believe it is proper and important to make the environment the last part of my talk today.
- #31 Ask the audience to answer each of the eight statements
- #34 Ask the audience to answer each of the eight statements
- #38 Lastly, I want to bring to your attention to the services that the Tourism Center and our colleagues at University of Minnesota Extension can offer you. For example, our colleagues did a study of the lodging sector in Chisago County. By doing zip code analysis, the study showed that the County is a short trip destination for couples and families from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. In addition, there is real room to build greater demand and sales for existing accommodations in the County before developing new lodging facilities. In 2013, another study was conducted for the lodging sector in Murray County. The study found that there isn’t sufficient market to support a new hotel although there might be some demand for local meeting and banquet space.