Photo: Mads Westerman ©
Photo: Warren Brown ©
Photo: Maria Laustsen ©
Touristic profile of a major LGBT event in Copenhagen - economic impact and touristic profile of World Outgames 2009 1
1. Introduction
2
1.1 Preface This report provides an analysis of the World Outgames held in Copenhagen between July 25th and August 2nd, 2009. A total of approximately 5,500 non-local active participants and officials attended the event. A further estimated 5,000 spectators attended the event, hereof approximately 2,600 cruise ships passengers. The aim of the analysis has been twofold; firstly to establish the tourism economic impact of the games, secondly to establish a tourism relevant profile of the international and domestic participants from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) segment, including their satisfaction levels, travel behaviour and preferences in general.
This report is the result of a cooperation between VisitDenmark and Wonderful Copenhagen, with invaluable help of the World Outgames organisation. It is hoped that this report contributes to the existing work with the LGBT segment from a touristic perspective and provides justification for attracting larger events to Denmark.
Furthermore, an additional aim was to establish the views and perceptions of the local residents of the Capital Region with regards to Copenhagen being host for this event. 3
Content 1. Introduction
1.1 Preface 1.2 Main conclusions 1.3 Research Methodology
2. The Economics 1.2 2.2 2.3 2.4
Tourism spending by type of participant Tourism spending by type of service Derived effects of tourism spending Average expenditure
3. Profile of participants 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6
Background information – Segmentation Choice of accommodation Length of stay Household make up Income Travel pattern & motivation
4. Attractiveness of World Outgames 2009 and the destination 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5
Participation in World Outgames activities Attractiveness of Copenhagen Copenhagen as ‘Reason To Go’ Satisfaction with Copenhagen & the games Type of transport
5. Inspiration and information
5.1 Inspirations when choosing destination 5.2 Information gathering
6. Opinion poll on World Outgames 6.1 Attitudes towards World Outgames 6.2 Attitudes towards Copenhagen
7. Further information 4
1.2 Main conclusions The event gave Denmark and Copenhagen 78 million DKK in additional tourism spending – hereof restaurants and accommodation received more than half. International visitors represented over 90 pct. of the economic impact, making World Outgames a truly international event. The event attracted high spenders from the international LGBT community, with average daily expenditures of approximately 1,200 DKK and total budgets of 9,800 DKK. Visitors had a very lengthy stay of 7 – 8 days, which resulted in approximately 66,000 bednights, of these 33,000 bednights were in hotels.
The LGBT segment is characterized as being frequent travellers, greatly interested in city-breaks. But also other types of holidays such as active/theme holidays and round trips are among their top priorities. ‘Double income no kids’ clearly defines this segment. Household income lies in the high end and the majority live as couples without children. Both Copenhagen as a city and the World Outgames organization succeeded in being excellent hosts. There were very high satisfaction levels among participants with the city and the event. Copenhagen was an important ‘Reason To Go’ for more than half of all of participants and spectators.
5
1.3 Research methodology A visitor survey was conducted among a representative sample of active and passive participants in the games. All together 608 people have been interviewed face to face regarding their spending, satisfaction levels, length of stay etc. Data collection was carried out by The Danish National Centre for research (SFI). The population of active participants is based on administrative information from the organisation, whereas the no. of non-active participants (spectators) is based upon estimates by the secretariat. Moreover, a screening was conducted to establish the split between locals and non-locals.
In addition to the visitor survey, a public opinion poll was carried out among a representative sample of local residents living in the Capital Region. The opinion poll was carried out by the consultancy institute Capacent A/S. More than 1.000 local residents were asked about their knowledge and attitudes to the World Games event being held in Copenhagen.
With regards to expenditure profiles for officials and cruise ship guests attending the event, these have been based on the visitor survey. 6
2. The Economics
7
Total spending by type of participant (‘000 DKK) Total spending (‘000 DKK) Active participants Non-active participants
Domestic*
Total
Share
5.125
46.482
51.607
66%
1.138
24.590
25.728
33%
873
873
1%
277
277
<0.5%
72.222
78.485
100%
Officials/labourers Press Total
International
6.263
*Excluding local residents
2.1 Tourism spending by type of participant A very international event Based on the app. 5,500 non-local active participants and officials and estimates of app. 5,000 non-local passive participants (spectators), a total economic impact can be calculated by type of participant. Note local participants and spectators are not included in the survey, as spending from local residents is assumed spent in the region regardless of the event. In total the economic impact from the event was 78 million DDK, hereof a total of 72 million DKK, or more than 90 pct. of the economic impact, stems from inbound (international) visitors. The active participants represents approximately two thirds of the economic impact. This relationship reflects the fact that the event first and foremost has a social objective, rather than an elitist.
This said, the event still attracted a fair amount of international visitors not taking active part in the games, but still spending lots of time and money in Copenhagen. The number of passive participants or spectators, is associated with considerable uncertainty. A large part of the non-Danish passive participants consists of cruise ship guests. The reason why international spending represents most nonactive (spectator) spending is that most domestic spectators were locals and hence not included in this survey.
8
Total spending (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;000 DKK)
Domestic*
International
431 1.846 657 623 227
25.339 18.556 6.743 5.136 1.794
25.770 20.401 7.399 5.759 2.021
33% 26% 9% 7% 3%
156 739 322 1.263 6.263
2.245 4.746 678 6.986 72.222
2.401 5.485 1.000 8.249 78.485
3% 7% 1% 11% 100%
Accommodation Restaurant Retailfoods Shopping Local transport Attractions/culture/ museums Night life Other Entry fee Total
Total
Share
Nightlife / clubbing 7%
Other 1%
11%
Attractions / culture / museums 3% Local transport 3%
Shopping 7%
Accommodation 33%
Retailfood 9% Restaurant 26%
*Excluding local residents
2.2 Tourism spending by type of service Accommodation and restaurants benefits Accommodation is the most important spending component, taking up more than a third of the total spending, despite many staying in private accommodation. Restaurants received another 29 pct. Surprisingly almost 10 pct. is spent on retail foods. The difference between domestic and International spending profiles, is the percentage spent on accommodation. Here the domestic (regional) participants for good reasons spent very little.
Note that only non-locals count as additional effects. Nonlocal Danish participants will create a local effect, but no national effect, as the extra spending is just a redirected spending from another region. The International spending is, however, fully attributable to the economy, as it is otherwise expected to have been spent outside Denmark.
Compared to tourists in general, a fairly large part of the spending, 5.5 million, or 7 pct. of the total, was spent on night life.
9
Total tourism economic impact (DKK) Results Total tourism economic impact
78 mill. DKK
Employment effect
123 fte*
- Of this Copenhagen
92 fte*
Gross Value Added
58 mill. DKK
- Of this Copenhagen
39 mill. DKK
Total tax effect** - Of this Copenhagen municipality
14 mill. DKK 1 mill. DKK
*full time equivalents ** excluding economic impact from domestic spending and excluding corporation tax
2.3 Derived effects of tourism spending Up to 14 million DKK in increased tax yields By adding multipliers to the economic impact of 78 million DKK, based on the input-output model LINE, the direct and indirect effects on employment, Gross Value Added and taxes can be estimated.
To some extent the derived effects will be offset by the use of voluntary workers to run the games and related events. Voluntary work will reduce the estimated employment effects and hence parts of the tax yield coming from income taxes.
The games have resulted in the creation of approximately 123 full time job equivalents, with 75 pct. being in Copenhagen. Of the 78 million spent by incoming tourists 58 million remains in Gross Value Added, whereof Copenhagen keeps two thirds. All in all the additional spending created 14 million in tax yields, divided between state, regional and municipal taxes. Of the 14 million almost 1 million will go to the municipality of Copenhagen. Note that turnover from domestic visitors and corporate tax is not included in the total tax effect. 10
Daily spending per person by nationality (DKK)
16.000
1.800
1.551
1.600
1.340
1.400
1.117
1.200 1.000
Total spending (in Denmark) per person by nationality (DKK)
1.355 1.127
13.930
14.000
1.226 1.253 1.193
868
800 600
10.645
12.000 10.000
7.917
10.755 8.612
9.398 9.775 9.041
8.000 6.000
400
4.000
200
2.000
0
0
5.069
2.4 Average expenditure Very high daily spending Participants average daily expenditure was 1,193 DKK. This is relatively high compared with an ordinary leisure tourist, but somewhat lower than a conference/business tourist. Taking the length of the event into consideration a daily expenditure of nearly 1,200 DKK is impressive.
Long stay and therefore huge budgets In total participants spent more than 9,000 DKK on their trip (excl. transport to/from Copenhagen). International guests spent even more and range between 8,000 and 14,000 DKK depending on nationality.
Based on this knowledge and compared to average tourists, Canada is the country with the highest average daily the event has managed to attract a international segment of expenditure of 1,551 DKK, followed by Great Britain and the very high spenders. USA. Not surprisingly domestic participants spent the least â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is evident especially in terms of expenditures on accommodation which is considerably lower for domestic participants.
11
3. Profile of participants
12
What is your current country of residence?
Do you consider yourself as belonging to the LGBT-society?
3.1 Background information - Segmentation Huge international appeal The World Outgames is very much classified as a Worldwide event with a huge international appeal. This was truly reflected in the nationality make up of participants and spectators attending the games.
Huge appeal for the LGBT segment As a major aim of the study was to gain more knowledge of the LGBT segment all participants and spectators where asked if they considered themselves belonging to the LGBT segment.
More than 85 pct. of active participants and spectators came from abroad, whilst 15 pct. came from Denmark. After Denmark, the USA was the country where most participants came from (13 pct.), followed by the Netherlands with 11 pct. and Germany with 10 pct. It should be noted that the 2,600 international cruise ship passengers visiting Copenhagen during the games are not included here.
Not surprisingly more then 89 pct. said “Yes” they considered themselves belonging to the LGBT segment. Nine pct. said “no” whilst 2 pct. did not want to answer. This emphasises that the event is by far most appealing to the LGBT segment.
More than 90 nationalities were represented at the games. And an impressive 30+ pct. came from countries outside Europe
.
13
Type of accommodation
Type of accommodation (domestic/international) 100%
Other 4%
7%
90% 80%
Private accom./ B&B 16%
Camping 2%
Youth hostel 11%
2% 12%
60%
Hotel 50%
4% 17%
17%
70%
Friends and relatives 17%
4% 10%
76%
50%
16% 2% 11%
Other Friends and relatives Private accom./ B&B
40%
Camping
30%
56%
20%
50%
Youth hostel Hotel
11%
10%
7%
0%
Domestic
International
All
3.2 Choice of accommodation Hotel were preferred Hotels were overall the preferred choice of accommodation, due to the domination of international guests. Domestic guests chose to a large extent non-commercial accommodation forms.
To some extent the additional bednights will be offset by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;crowding outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as participants in the games will replace other tourists from the commercial accommodation. However, this effect will be limited as the event took place at the end of the high season.
It is believed that the international network among participants reduced the demand for commercial accommodation, replacing it with various forms of private accommodation. The survey supports this, as every fourth overnight took place outside the established accommodation forms.
14
Average no. of days/nights spent in Copenhagen
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Total number of bednights spent in Copenhagen
9,1 8,1 7,2
7,5
8,2
7,6
7,8
7,5
6,0
Domestic
International
Total
Share
0,5
32,6
33,1
50%
Hostel
-
6,9
6,9
11%
Camping
-
1,1
1,1
2%
Private letting/B&B
0,8
9,7
10,4
16%
Friends and relatives
5,3
5,8
11,2
17%
Other
0,5
2,4
2,8
Total
7,0
58,4
65,5
Bednights (â&#x20AC;&#x2122;000) Hotel
4% 100%
3.3 Length of stay Participants stayed long Based on the survey of participants an average length of stay was established. The participants, both active and passive, are characterised by lengthy stays, covering the whole event period. Not surprisingly the tendency is that overseas markets spent the longest time in Denmark, and with 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 days on average much longer than a typical city break tourist.
The games created 66,000 bednights By grossing it up to the total number of participants, it turns out that the event created around 66,000 bednights, whereof more than 60 pct. took place in hotels, hostels and camping sites. Hotels alone gained in the neighbourhood of 33,000 bednights due to the games, whereas hostels gained app. 7,000 bednights.
Note that officials and cruise ship guests are assumed to be staying in hotels.
15
How many people have their permanent address at your residence, including yourself, and how many of these are children living at home? 70% 60% 52
58
60%
49
50%
55
50%
40%
35 34 34
36
40%
Domestic
30%
Inbound All
20% 8
8 4
5
3
All
20%
4
7 1
2
0% 2
Inbound
10%
7 1
1
Domestic
29
30%
11
12 9
10%
36
34 34 34
5 or more
0% Single w.o. children
Single w. children
Couple w.o. children
Couple w. children
3.4 Household make-up Double income no kids – to some degree It is often assumed that people belonging to the LGBT segment live alone or as a couple predominantly without children. The study does to a large extent confirm this as the majority - 49 pct. live together as a couple, whilst 34 pct. live alone. Seventeen pct. hence live 3 or more people together. The majority live as couples without children (55 pct.) or singles without children (24 pct.). Nevertheless, 11 pct. live as couples with children and for participants and spectators from Denmark it is as high as 29 pct. Thus, more than one out of four belonging to the LGBT segment live as a couple with children in Denmark. This might reflect the possibility or easiness for the LGBT segment in Denmark to live as couples or get married and to have children compared to other parts of the world.
The typical participant was male and between 32 and 50 years old, with 40 as the average age. Based on the survey results, seven out of ten international participants were male, even up to 80 percent for Americans. The domestic participants split themselves equally between male and female. The event has a definite ‘gay’ profile, when it comes to the international audience, whereas in Denmark, and to a lesser extent also Germany, it has profiled more broadly as a ‘homosexual’ event.
16
How is your personal income in comparison to the average income in your country of residence?
45% 39%
40% 35%
32%
33%
31%
30%
28%
29%
26%
25%
Domestic
20% 15%
All 9%
10% 5%
Inbound
17%
16%
14%
3%
5%
4%
5%
5% 1%
2%
0% Lower
Slightly lower
Average
Slightly higher
Higher
Don't know
3.5 Income Income lies in the high end Every 3rd person judged their income to be the same level as the average of their country of residence. More then half though (55 pct.) considered their income to be higher than the average income of their country of residence. Whilst only 9 pct considered their income lower than average.
These results correspond to the findings of the participants´ and spectatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; average expenditures, which were impressively high, particular for international participants and spectators but lower for domestic participants and spectators.
There are some nationality differences â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in general the international participants and spectators consider themselves as having a higher than average income compared to domestic participants and spectators.
Nevertheless, it cannot be concluded solely based on the findings from this study that people belonging to the LGBT segment in general have a higher income than other people, but it does state that the majority of international participants and spectators in this particular event have a higher than average income.
In particular participants and spectators from the USA considered themselves as having a higher than average income, as many as 70% judged this to be the case. This was also the case for participants from Canada and Holland where 67 pct. and 63 pct. respectively considered themselves as having a higher than average income. 17
What services targeting the LGBT segment do you normally use when on holiday? 25% 21%
None
50%
Bars/Clubs
63% 67%
43%
Restaurants / cafes
31%
Accommodation
21%
Airline
6%
53% 57%
31% 33%
13% 14%
10% 10% 9%
Travel agent 0%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% All
International
Domestic
3.6 Travel patterns & motivation Frequent holiday makers On average participants and spectators take 3 international holidays a year. This makes them quite frequent travellers compared to the average tourist. In particular visitors from Great Britain travel abroad quite frequently, they take up to 4 international holidays a year, whilst both the USA and Canada take only 2 international holidays a year. They might, however, be just as frequent travellers, but due to the size of their countries, these holidays might be domestic holidays.
Minimal use of travel services targeted at the LGBT segment Although visitors belonging to the LGBT segment do seem to use some services targeting the LGBT segment when on holiday, the majority do not seem to think buying the holiday or getting to the destination has to be with a service supplier targeting this particular segment. However, when at the destination the majority participants and spectators seem to find services and products targeting the LGBT segment appealing. This is the case for products such as bars/club, restaurants and to a lesser extent accommodation possibilities. Twenty-five pct. said that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use services targeting the LGBT segment at all when on holiday. This is as high as 50 pct. for domestic participants and spectators. 18
Which type of holiday do you typically take? 9% 8%
Other Cruise holiday
1%
Pampering / Wellness
12%
7% 9% 12% 11%
19% 49% 47%
Package holiday
All 55%
International
61% 58%
City-break
73%
Domestic
49% 49% 48%
Active / theme holiday 39%
Tour / Roundtrip to e.g. several countries 0%
22%
10%
20%
30%
40%
43%
50%
60%
70%
80%
3.6 Travel patterns & motivation City-breaks are a popular form of travelling The LGBT segment is an important segment for cities. The majority, or 61 pct. mention city-breaks as the most common form of holiday they take. This is, however, closely followed by â&#x20AC;&#x153;sun and beachâ&#x20AC;? package holidays (49 pct.) and active/theme holidays (49 pct.). It is, however, also clear that the same people engage in several types of holidays. Noteworthy is that the international Outgames participants and spectators have round trips among their top priorities. This may also have to do with the fact that the event has attracted a large proportion of overseas travellers with high travel propensity. Cruise holidays are also seen as attractive for every tenth international participant, thereby nine times greater than the domestic participants. 19
What is important to you when travelling on citybreaks?
Be together with other people belonging to the LBGT segment
38%
45% 46% 48% 47%
Relax and recharge batteries 41% 40%
Go shopping
54%
51% 56% 56% 56%
Visit the most famous attaractions 47%
Experience the cultural life, e.g. theatres and art exhibitions
52%
Visit the city's historical museums
32%
All
58%
International
43% 45%
Domestic 60% 60% 61%
See places and sights that are new, modern and different Get in touch with local citizens
49% 53%
30%
72% 73% 69%
Obtain more knowledge of the city and its history 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
3.6 Travel patterns & motivation What do they want to do whilst in the city? Participants and spectators were asked to tick as many motivation parameters as they found relevant. The results gives an idea of what the LGBT segment wants to experience whilst on a city-break. The answers might differ depending on the city being visited and it is likely participants and spectators have answered the questions with Copenhagen in mind. In general all motivational parameters stated seemed important with no motivator scoring less than 41 pct. (average “All”). To “obtain more knowledge of the city and its history” (72 pct.) was the main motivator for this segment when going on city breaks. This was followed by “see places and sights that are new, modern and different” (60 pct.).
Also the motivation to “visit the most famous attractions” (56 pct.) was an important motivator followed closely by “Relax and recharge batteries” (48 pct.). With these top 4 motivational parameters the LGBT segment does not differ greatly from that of average city-break visitors. Surprisingly perhaps “go shopping” was lowest on the list, although still an important motivator for 41 pct. The sixth motivational parameter was “Being together with other people belonging to the LGBT segment”, hence 45 pct. of the participants want to spend time on their holiday with others from this segment. This emphasises the need for products targeting this segment at the destination.
20
4. Attractiveness of World Outgames 2009 and the destination
21
Which activities in connection to the World Outgames, are you planning to participate in? 5 4 6
Other
64 66
Parties
56
All
51 52
Cultural events
International
47
Domestic
9 9 10
Human rights conference
94 94 95
Sport events
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
4.1 Participation in World Outgames activities Social life of huge importance No doubt the sport games were the main reason for going to World Outgames. Almost all participated in the more than 1,800 competing sport events, divided into 34 different sport disciplines. Another extremely important factor was partying and having fun with other members of the segment. Sixty-four pct. participated in one or more of the many parties and social events taking place during the 9 day long event. More than half of the cultural events â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from Approximately 9 pct. conference, concerning
participants also attended the many film festivals to street performances. participated in the Human rights equal rights for every one.
22
How appealing is Copenhagen ?
The city's way of welcoming the events and participants Openness and tolerance of the local citizens Eating possibilities
-1% -1% -1% -1% -5%
0%
58%
35%
50%
38%
Attractive
24%
50%
Very attractive Nightlife
-1%
Shopping possibilities
-2%
41%
20%
Accommodation possibilities
-1%-5%
40%
20%
-20%
0%
26%
46%
20%
40%
Less attractive Unattractive
60%
80%
100%
4.2 Attractiveness of Copenhagen The city welcomed the participants with open arms The organisers of the event and the city in general came out as exceptional good hosts. As many as 93 pct. found “the city´s way of welcoming the event and participants” attractive or very attractive. Only 1 pct. found the welcome less attractive, whilst none found it unattractive. Note that answer category don’t know is not included in the bar chart.
Accommodation possibilities scored the lowest with ‘only’ 60 pct. finding the “Accommodation possibilities” attractive or very attractive.
Copenhagen is also considered an open and tolerant city with as many as 83 pct. finding the “openness and tolerance of the local people” attractive or very attractive. Other important features of the product in Copenhagen such as Eating possibilities, Nightlife, Shopping facilities and Accommodation facilities, were found to be attractive by most participants, however, they did not score as high on the attractive barometer as the “welcoming” and “openness of the city” did. 23
WO is being held in Copenhagen. How important has this been to your participation in the event?
All
-6% -13%
Other countries UK
-6% -11% -14%
-19%
Canada Netherlands
-23%
USA Germany Denmark -40%
-22%
-20%
0%
16%
35% 10%
22%
Somewhat important 27%
41%
23%
Extremely important Not very important
18%
37%
Not important al all
13%
31% 54%
25% 20%
Very important
5%
31%
32% 29%
-6%-7% 7%
21%
32%
36%
-4%-9% -4%
29% 35%
-6% -4% -3%
27%
40%
60%
80%
100%
4.3 Copenhagen as ‘Reason To Go’ Copenhagen is an attractive destination for the LGBT segment Participants and spectators were asked if the fact that the World Outgames was held in Copenhagen, was an important factor in their decision to attend the event (their “Reason To Go”). As many as 80 pct. stated that it had some degree of importance. More than half stated it was “Very important” or “Extremely important” (32 pct. and 21 pct. respectively) that the event was being held in Copenhagen. Copenhagen as a host destination hence played a positive role in the decision process of the participants. However, it is unknown if the attraction of Copenhagen is due to Copenhagen being an attractive tourist destination or whether it is because Copenhagen is perceived as a tolerant and safe destination for the LGBT segment, possibly both.
There were, however, some differences in the degree of importance depending on the country of residence. Copenhagen seems most appealing to visitors from distant countries such as the USA and Canada. Also the category “Other countries” which included many distant countries found it important that the event was held in Copenhagen. Participants and spectators from Denmark also found it very appealing that the event was held in Copenhagen. However, it must be assumed that the high score was due to the ease of access.
24
How satisfied are you with your stay in Copenhagen?
All
-2%-3%
Other countries UK
30%
28%
58%
-6%
27%
62%
Netherlands
-2% -4%
28%
59%
USA
-4% -4%
Denmark
-1%-1%
-20% Unsatisfied
0%
41%
Very unsatisfied
60%
Satisfied
27%
58%
23%
53%
Netherlands
-2%-6%
31%
USA
-5% -3%
32%
41%
Germany
-3% -3%
30%
45%
100%
Very satisfied
-3% 3% -4%
Denmark 80%
54%
-4%
51% 40%
28%
Canada
48%
36% 20%
UK
46%
32%
3%
-3%
Other countries
64%
Canada
Germany -3% -6%
All
57%
-2%-2% 24% -2% -2%
How satisfied are you with the World Outgames?
25%
65% 54%
60%
-2%-1% 25%
-20% Unsatisfied
0%
20%
Very unsatisfied
40% Satisfied
60%
80%
100%
Very satisfied
4.4 Satisfaction with Copenhagen and the games Copenhagen satisfied Results from the previous page show that Copenhagen was an important RTG for many participants and spectators. However, were they then satisfied with Copenhagen when staying in the city?
The World Outgames event also scored very high satisfaction levels. Eighty-two pct. stated that they were satisfied or very satisfied (28 pct. and 54 pct. respectively).
Overall 87 pct. were satisfied or very satisfied with their stay in Copenhagen. The most satisfied were participants and spectators from Canada (89 pct. were satisfied or very satisfied), followed by â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Other countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (88 pct.) and the USA, the Netherlands and Denmark, all 87 pct.).
Once more the countries with the most satisfied participants and spectators were; Canada (90 pct were satisfied or very satisfied), Other countries (85 pct.), Denmark (85 pct.), and the Netherlands (85 pct.). The Netherlands together with the USA, however, also had the most unsatisfied participants, both 8 pct.
Germany was the country with the most unsatisfied participants and spectators. Six pct. were unsatisfied and 3 pct. were very unsatisfied. The USA followed with 4 pct. being unsatisfied and 4 pct. being very unsatisfied.
The high satisfaction levels emphasise that both Copenhagen as a city, and the World Outgames organisation succeeded in being a good host for, and excellent organiser of the event.
25
Type of transport to destination?
Type of transport to destination? 1% 100% 1% 5% 9% 90%
80%
29%
1% 2% 12%
14% 21%
70%
Other
60%
Bus
50% 40%
56%
74%
30%
65%
Train/Strain/Metro Car
20% 10% 0%
9% Domestic
International
All
4.5 Type of transport The event generated 2,200 SAS legs Flying to Copenhagen was the most common means of getting to the games. Sixty-four pct. came by airplane, this was followed by car (21 pct.) and trains/metro (12 pct.). Not surprisingly 74 pct. of all international participants and spectators came by airplane, whilst this was the case for only 9 pct. of the domestic participants and spectators. The majority (56 pct.) of domestic participants and spectators came to the event by car, followed by train (29 pct.). SAS was used by 36 pct. of people flying, either as a single airline or in combination with others, as the most frequently used company. This adds up to 1,100 return tickets with SAS.
26
5. Inspiration and information
27
Where do you usually gain inspiration when deciding on your travel destination? 81% 82% 80%
Personal recommendations 51% 52% 50%
Previous experiences 36% 36% 36%
Journalistic features on TV/internet/other media Offers from travel agencies
8%
All
12% 32%
International
9% 9% 7%
Offers from transp. or accom. companies
Domestic
8% 8% 10%
Other
8% 8% 5%
Blog etc. (web 2) 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
5.1 Inspirations when choosing destination â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Word of mouthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is very inspirational The bar chart shows where participants and spectators gain inspiration from when choosing their holiday destination in general and it provides information in terms of where destinations should allocate communication and marketing resources. Generally speaking personal recommendations outnumber all other inspiration sources by far. As many as 81 pct. of all participants stated personal recommendations as the inspiration source most commonly used. Past experience also ranked high, 51 pct. stated previous experience as being an important inspirational factor.
Offers from Travel agencies were an inspirational source for on average 12 pct. However, in terms of the domestic participants the figure was as high as 32 pct. The least important source of inspiration were social media such as blogs and other user-created content websites (web 2), which where used by only 8 pct. of all participants. This is perhaps surprisingly as social media is used by a continuously increasing group of people around the world. However, as a inspirational source it is not very common. The results are, nevertheless, very similar to that of other tourist surveys.
Also journalistic features was an inspirational source for more than 34 pct.
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Which websites have you used to gain information about the event, about Denmark and/or Copenhagen prior to your stay? 6% 6%
Have not used websites Other
6% 7% 5%
tripadvisor.com
6% 7%
11%
20% 18%
facebook.com visitcopenhagen.com
International
13% 15%
3%
visitdenmark.com
All 29%
Domestic
13% 15%
1%
copenhagen2009.org
84%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
91% 92%
90%
100%
5.2 Information gathering Informed by www.copenhagen2009.org The World Outgames official website www.copenhagen2009.org was by far the most common means of gaining information about the event and the destination, as many as 91 pct. used the official website to collect information.
The official website of the event (www.copenhagen2009.org) also offered tourist information on the destination and hence the need for using more general tourism information websites was perhaps less.
Also social media were also used to gain information â&#x20AC;&#x201C; though to a lesser extent. Twenty pct. used facebook.com and 6 pct. used tripadvisor.com. Hence, social media were used more as a source of information than as an inspiration when going on holiday. The official websites of the Danish Tourist Organisation (www.visitdenmark.com) and Copenhagen Tourist organisation (www.visitcopenhagen.com) were used by 15 pct. of all international participants. Although this might seem low it is considerably higher than results from similar surveys of tourists.
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6. Opinion poll on World Outgames
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What is you overall attitude towards the World Outgames event taking place in Copenhagen?
6. 1 Attitudes towards World Outgames Support from local residents The majority of local residents in the Capital Region knew about the World Outgames event and were supportive of the event.
People in the youngest age group (18-34 years) and women had the most positive attitude, whilst the oldest age group was less positive.
As many as 90 of the local residents knew that the event would take place / took place in Copenhagen. Fifty-eight pct. had an overall positive attitude towards the event taking place in Copenhagen, whilst 31 pct. were neutral in their attitude and 9 pct. had a negative attitude. Note the bar chart does not included the categories “don’t know” or “neutral”. The fact that more than half of all local residents had a positive attitude towards the event being held in Copenhagen is considered quite satisfactory as the event is a minority event. One out of three decided to be neutral in their answer. 31
To what degree do you feel Copenhagen is an open and tolerant city?
6. 1 Attitudes towards Copenhagen Copenhagen is open The majority (60 pct.) of the local residents in the Capital Region feelt that Copenhagen to a high or very high degree is an open and tolerant city. In particularly towards the LGBT segment this is an important message to send. Residents in the youngest age group (18-34 years) and women felt mostly that Copenhagen is an open and tolerant city.
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7. Further information The report has been conducted by the departments of analysis in VisitDenmark and Wonderful Copenhagen. The report is partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Union. For further information on the report and findings of the study contact: Chief consultant Christian Ă&#x2DC;rsted Brandt cb@visitdenmark.com VisitDenmark Senior Analyst Lone Alletorp Callard lac@woco.dk Wonderful Copenhagen
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