Tourism Research Centre at UPEI releases report on fall visitors
The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at UPEI's School of Business has released two reports based on the 2007-2008 Visitor Exit Survey. The first looks at summer visitors (July and August 2007) and the other examines fall visitors (September and October 2007).
Visitor origin shifts slightly in the fall. Of total travel parties, the percentage visiting from Quebec and Ontario decreases substantially, but the remaining markets (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the rest of Canada, US, international,) all make gains. This is not to say, for example, that there are more international travel parties in the fall, but they increase as a percentage of total travel parties.
One of the biggest differences noted between summer visitors and fall visitors was party composition. The family market is still very important for P.E.I. tourism, but it is not as prevalent in the fall season. Most of the fall visitors travel in parties of two adults.
The shift in travel party type is also reflected in the increase in the age of the average visitor. Unlike visitors in the main season, of whom the majority were between the ages of 35 to 54, visitors in the fall were largely over the age of 55. Only those of New Brunswick origin were slightly more likely to be in the 35 to 54 age bracket.
'The mature adult market in the fall is an opportunity for P.E.I.,' said Dr. Paul Lewis, Director of the TRC. 'We would do well to create sophisticated tourism experiences aimed at this market, and certainly things seem to be moving in this direction with initiatives like the Shellfish Festival and Fall Flavours. Opportunity also lies, however, in growing the fall-season family market. Though the fall presents more difficulty for families because of school schedules, family-oriented weekend getaway packages or similar tourism experiences might prove attractive to these visitors, particularly those from the Maritimes.'
Despite a perception that P.E.I. is a summer-only destination, fall-season visitors from New Brunswick, Ontario, the US and other international countries actually record longer stays in P.E.I. during September and October than in the main summer season. In addition, fall visitors from Ontario, Quebec and international countries (excluding the US) spend more per person per night than visitors from those regions in the main summer season.
In terms of activities, the percentage of travel parties going on a sightseeing/driving tour remains relatively constant over the two seasons, and it is still the most participated-in activity. Naturally, going to the beach and visiting national/provincial parks is less popular in the fall along with other traditional tourist activities. Overall, a higher percentage of parties visit family or friends in the fall, and a higher percentage of travel parties from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec play golf.
Both reports are available on the exit survey section of the TRC's website: www.trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.
