Tag Archive for the 'market research' Tag

National Tourism Strategy = Promoting National Parks

May 12th, 2012 at 10:27 am by NPPC

The Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness (established by Executive Order in January by President Barack Obama and led by Commerce Secretary John Bryson and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar) has released its report which establishes “an overarching goal of increasing American jobs by attracting and welcoming 100 million international visitors and their $250 billion in spending by the end of 2021.  The promotion of National Parks will be essential toward accomplishing that objective.

The report declares that the United States can achieve the objective by:

  • Promoting the United States,
  • Enabling and enhancing travel and tourism to and within the United States,
  • Providing world-class customer services and visitor experience,
  • Coordinating across government, and
  • Conducting research and measuring results.

Toward those ends, the report specifies that travel and tourism must be a priority and directs Federal agencies to “immediately begin developing detailed implementation plans.”   National Parks, and other public lands managed by the Federal government, will receive the most attention.  This will involve new and reinvigorated public-private promotional partnerships.

Never in our country’s history has so clear a direction to take immediate action toward travel promotion been articulated.  To read the entire report, click on this link: National Tourism Strategy

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A Sure Thing During Unsure Times

September 21st, 2011 at 12:27 pm by NPPC

U.S. Travel’s Marketing Outlook Forum occurring Oct. 26 – 27 in Ft. Worth, TX, will provide communicators with insights as to where travel and tourism are heading and industry best practices.  It is a sure thing in unsure times.

Attending the Forum will be the nation’s leading travel economists, analysts and marketing experts who will focus on the current state of the industry and outlooks for all sectors. Marketing Outlook Forum is also the place to network with industry colleagues and find strategies that work.

Marketing Outlook Forum is the only place to get:

  • The most up-to-date economic forecasts
  • Never-before-released travel research
  • Current industry travel trends and forecasts
  • Marketing trends and opportunities
  • Personal insight from travel thought leaders, trendsetters, and visionaries
  • Outlooks from the airline industry, lodging industry…and more.

    For more about attending this valuable conference, CLICK HERE.

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Posted in Promotion, Research | Add your comment

Newly Released Study Renews Concern About Missing Minority Visitors

August 4th, 2011 at 9:03 am by NPPC

The recently released “Comprehensive Survey of the American Public,” conducted by the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming for the National Park Service is raising public awareness discussion of why so few minorities visit national parks, particularly natural parks.

In “Where are the people of color in national parks?,” MSNBC.com travel writer Rob Lovitt  points out findings within the study which indicate that despite efforts by the National Park Service and its partners to encourage more minorities to visit parks, fewer minorities visit national parks than are represented in the U.S. population.  “Visitation figures are skewed even further when the visits in question are to parks that showcase wilderness and outdoor recreation,” Lovitt writes, “For example, at Yosemite National Park in California, a 2009 visitation survey showed that African Americans totaled just 1 percent of visitors, compared to 77 percent white and 11 percent each for Hispanics and Asians.  The reasons would easily fill a book… but the end result is that the national parks run the risk of losing their connection to the American public.”

To review the new study, CLICK HERE and to read the MSNBC article, CLICK HERE.

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Posted in Minorities & The Parks | Add your comment

OTI Issues Top 10 International Markets

May 27th, 2011 at 1:18 pm by NPPC

Canada leads the list of top 10 international markets for travel spending, as reported by the US Department of Commerce’s  Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTI).  Spending in the U.S. from the land of the maple leaf grew 29% in 2010 according to OTI’s latest figures.  Here’s a summary:

  1. Canada, $20.8 billion, up 29%
  2. Japan, $14.6 billion, up 12%
  3. United Kingdom, $11.6 billion, up 1%
  4. Mexico, $8.7 billion, up 9%
  5. Brazil, $5.9 billion, up 30%
  6. Germany, $5.9 billion, up 4%
  7. China, $5 billion, up 39%
  8. France, $4.1 billion, down 1%
  9. India, $4 billion, up 12%
  10. Australia, $4 billion, up 16%

In terms of numbers of visitors, Canada again led the list with 19.96 million Canadians visiting the U.S. in 2010, up 11%.

  1. Canada, 19.96 million visitors, up 11%
  2. Mexico, 13.42 million visitors, up 1%
  3. United Kingdom, 3.85 million visitors, down 1%
  4. Japan, 3.39 million visitors, up 16%
  5. Germany, 1.73 million visitors, up 2%
  6. France, 1.34 million visitors, up 11%
  7. Brazil, 1.2 million visitors, up 34%
  8. South Korea, 1.11 million visitors, up 49%
  9. Australia, 904,000 visitors, up 25%
  10. Italy, 838,000 visitors, up 11%

Of note, U.S. travel exports to China have increased by at least 30% in six of the last seven years.  U.S. travel and tourism exports account for 25% of all U.S. services exports to China.  Additionally, this past year marked the seventh consecutive year of increased travel spending from Brazil, now the fifth largest international market for the U.S.  Visiting national parks remains high on the list of things to do when in America, among German and British visitors.

 

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NP Market Research Summit Praised

January 24th, 2011 at 10:36 am by NPPC

Inspiring, expansive and valuable were among the comments of participants who attended the first National Park Market Research Summit, earlier this month.  The Summit brought together some 70 researchers, academics, marketers and national park leaders to review existing national park market research, discuss gaps and recommend future studies.  Click the following link, to read their evaluation of The Summit: NP Market Research Summit – Evaluation.

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NP Market Research Summit Stimulates Discussion

January 14th, 2011 at 12:05 pm by NPPC

Yosemite National Park

Over 70 people attended the first National Park Market Research Summit in Yosemite National Park, Jan. 6 – 8. Participants at the workshop included representatives from the National Park Service, numerous universities, gateway communities, park concessioners and park-related businesses, state park and tourism entities, non-profit cooperating associations, individuals and private research companies for the purpose of reviewing current social science research, determining what’s missing and recommending additional studies that help the NPS better serve park visitors.

Sponsored by the non-profit National Parks Promotion Council, the Summit was welcomed and assisted by Yosemite National Park and its concessioner, DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite.

Summaries of several of the presentations given at the Summit are posted on this site under the heading “Market Research” and a summary of findings will be made available to NPPC members in coming weeks.

One of the significant presentations at the Summit (they were all exceptional) was made by Greg Dunn, executive vice president at YPartnership,  who spoke of his firm’s 2010 Portrait of the American Traveler Survey.  This survey of 2,500 active leisure travelers found that  “Great Recession” has permanently altered travel attitudes of many Americans — especially Baby Boomers — who are now more focused on value and are waiting longer to commit to travel plans. These travelers use the Internet to be knowledgeable purchasers of leisure travel.

The Y Partnership found that today’s travelers are happier than they were ten years ago — 80% of these travelers report that economic adversity has prompted a new focus on priorities. They are proudly cost-conscious.  Dunn labeled them as believing that “cheaper is chic-er.”

Florida and California are top destinations for park-interested travelers, with 33% of these travelers expressing interest in traveling abroad.  And, while American travelers are environmentally consciousness, they show very limited willingness to pay extra for “green travel.”

The Y Partnership’s study found that of prime national park travelers:

  • 73% say life has become too complicated.
  • Twice as many have an interest in spas, than golf.
  • 81% report planning a vacation around a “life event” – a birthday, anniversary, wedding or retirement – to create memories.
  • National parks rank high as a dream destination (#2, at 66%), because they meet key traveler goals such as “beauty” (84%) and “safety” (82%).
  • On the other hand, a key goal for many travelers is something new – and national parks rarely highlight new offerings.

Research findings such as these help national park managers and related communities, businesses and organizations more effectively focus their communications to visitor interests and motivations.  More about The Summit will appear on this blog, when notes are finished being compiled.  So, RSS this site for updates and more news.

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