Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic Sales & Marketing Plan by Tourism Victoria

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic Sales & Marketing Plan

Table of Contents Introduction

Situation Analysis

Economic Impact

Issues & Challenges

Market Overview

Our Brand

Sales & Marketing Objectives

Key Strategies

Geo Specific Messaging

To access complete appendices and further research, please visit www.tourismvictoria.com/research.

Direct to Consumer Marketing

Niche Market Investment

Sales Strategy

Partnerships

Sales & Marketing Initiatives by Market

Building on Success

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new for 2011?

Summary

Appendices

Printed on FSC paper, a product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fiber, by a certified CleanPrint BC printer.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

We will continue to position Greater Victoria as a world class destination.

Introduction Tourism Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandate is to increase the economic impact of the tourism economy to Greater Victoria. This is achieved through several sales and marketing initiatives in our key markets. The 2011 Strategic Sales & Marketing Plan captures the markets, strategies and objectives we will execute throughout the year in order to continue to position Greater Victoria as a world class destination. Tourism Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2011 Strategic Sales & Marketing Plan is based on experience, research, relationships and partnerships. The strategy is more geo-centric than in past years in order to deliver market-specific messages about our visitation drivers. We will reach out to new markets in China and India to take advantage of new opportunities and we will continue to be a leader among Destination Marketing Organizations with our Social Media Strategy. Tourism Victoria is committed to being accountable and effective. Performance measures that will track our overall effectiveness are included in the appendices.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria/Deanne Gillespie

Situational Analysis Economic Impact There is no question the tourism economy in Greater Victoria has suffered over the past several years. Accommodation revenue decreased 16% in 2009 and 2010 seems to have held flat or may realize slight growth. Globally, the economic recovery is slow and this has a direct impact on travel patterns. We continue to experience extremely short booking windows and visitors have become accustomed to below market prices. Early indicators for 2011 suggest the recovery period will continue and Tourism Victoria is optimistic about 2011. As such, we are predicting a 1% increase in the additional hotel room tax for 2011.

Issues & Challenges As an island destination Greater Victoria is both blessed and cursed. For many, the idea of coming to an island destination enhances their experience. For others, particularly from our short-haul markets, this can be viewed as a barrier in both time and additional cost. Increased competition from other destinations continues to impact our ability to influence travel and the strong Canadian dollar also hurts our competitive advantage. However, the single most important issue continues to be funding. Victoria, although relatively small in population, carries a global brand. In order to promote and sell that brand, we must be in our key overseas markets in the areas of travel trade, meeting and incentive travel, and travel media. In addition, Victoria must keep pace in advertising, promotions, social media and maintain a strong digital presence. As hotel tax revenue falls and other sources of revenue disappear, it has become systematically impossible to maintain all these lines of delivery; in some cases, even at a basic level.

Globally, the economic recovery is slow and this has a direct impact on travel patterns.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Primary Secondary International

Our primary markets include British Columbia, Alberta and Washington State.

Market Overview In 2011, Tourism Victoria and our partners have identified several global markets that hold great value to the destination. Our primary markets include British Columbia (Vancouver and Vancouver Island), Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton and the rest of Alberta) and Washington State (Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula). Secondary markets include Ontario (Toronto), California (San Francisco, Los Angeles) and Oregon (Portland). We will also work in international markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Korea, China, India and Australia (New Zealand).

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

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Meeting Planner’s Guide 2010-2011 F o r A c c o m m o D At i o n r E s E r vAt i o n s c A L L 1 - 8 0 0 - 6 6 3 - 3 8 8 3

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Tourism Victoria’s Vacation Guide

Travel Trade Planner 2010-2011 W W W. T O u r I S M v I C T O r I a . C O M / T r a v e lT r a D e

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Tourism Victoria’s Meeting Planner’s Guide

Tourism Victoria’s Travel Trade Planner

www.tourismvictoria.com

Our Brand BrandPromise ™ Victoria is where old-world tradition meets new-world experiences. Our guests are rejuvenated by fresh ocean air and are inspired by our warm, island welcome and year-round, natural beauty. Tourism Victoria created this brand to be flexible and allow us to tell the story of the destination. A complete member brand toolkit can be found in the appendices.

Victoria is where old-world tradition meets new-world experiences.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria/Christina Craft

KEY STRATEGIES: 1. Geo Specific Messaging 2. D irect to Consumer Marketing 3. Niche Market Investment 4. Sales Strategy

Sales & Marketing Objectives Tourism Victoria has three main strategic marketing objectives: • Increase tourism revenues by attracting visitors from both our short-haul and long-haul markets. • Continue to maintain and build relationships with key tour operators, meeting planners and travel media through sales efforts in our key markets in North America, Europe and Asia. • Match our key offerings and visitation drivers with the appropriate receptive geomarket in order to best deliver tailored messaging for that particular consumer.

Key Strategies Geo Specific Messaging Tourism offerings represent the type of messaging that will be included in our marketing efforts. Tourism Victoria has identified several tourism offerings that resonate with visitors and which will be used specifically in the geographic markets they attract. • Outdoor Enthusiasts Activities such as cycling, kayaking, ziplining, whale watching, walking, hiking, and fishing will be used for messaging in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Toronto, California, Oregon, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, China, India, France, and Germany.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria/Tyler Ahlgren

• Sport, Art, Culture and Heritage Lovers Authentic experiences through heritage tourism, sporting events, festivals, cultural events, museums, Aboriginal Tourism and horticulture will be used for messaging in the same markets as Outdoor Enthusiasts in addition to Vancouver Island. • Gay & Lesbian Travellers Greater Victoria is well positioned and has a strong appeal for the LGBT traveller. We will use this message in Vancouver, Seattle, Toronto and California. • Foodies Our Culinary Tourism message is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences, according to the International Culinary Tourism Association. Tourism Victoria will highlight our unique culinary offerings through messaging in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Toronto, California, Oregon, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, India, France, and Germany. • Golf Enthusiasts Golf has been highlighted as a standalone activity as Victoria and Vancouver Island are perfectly situated as a premium golf getaway. The golf message will resonate in all our key markets as truly a year round activity. The strongest case for the golf message will be in British Columbia, Alberta and Washington State. • The Leisure Traveller For many, a trip to Victoria is purely a leisure activity. This message will speak to families, multi-generational vacations, seniors and working professionals looking to celebrate occasions or for getaways and extended stays. This message will resonate across all of our geographic markets.

Golf has been highlighted as a standalone activity as Victoria and Vancouver Island are perfectly situated as a premium golf getaway.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria’s most-Tweeted words throughout the last year.

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youtube weekend

victorias festival

victoria free

checkstay

dine

local tourism tourismvictoria help

canada tomorrow

video summer

mukmuk welcome town happy enjoy blog

week

Direct to Consumer Marketing FOLLOW US

The goal of Tourism Victoria’s destination marketing and promotions initiatives is to reach our target geographic markets with compelling offers that present Victoria in Facebook Flickr Twitter new and fresh ways that ultimately increase visitation to Greater Victoria. Tourism YouTube Victoria will focus the majority of our consumer marketing efforts on consumers in Columbia, Alberta and Washington State. Efforts outside of these areas may Flickr Twitter YouTube Twitter Facebook YouTubeBritish YouTube include San Francisco and the prairie provinces.

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Tourism Victoria will integrate traditional marketing with eMarketing, Social Media Twitter YouTube

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and Promotions as we talk directly to consumers. Through a targeted approach, Tourism Victoria will engage potential visitors through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and a variety of blogs. Engaging fans and followers in our conversations will allow us to begin utilizing user generated content on our website. The full Social Media strategy is included in the appendices. Promotions will also continue to be part of our direct to consumer marketing. Concepts like the Sunshine Guarantee, Christmas is Here, YouTube videos promoting our key offerings, and events that promote the vibrancy of the destination we all be used to capture the interest of visitors and will help garner potential media coverage. Website development will continue in order to ensure it meets the needs of all visitors. Increased attention to content, functionality and search engine optimization will continue in 2011. Tourism Victoria will also increase the usefulness of the Vacation Guide as a tool to drive traffic to our website and influence travel. Tourism Victoria’s Visitor Centre is the hub for destination information once visitors arrive in our destination. One-on-one visitor counselling ensures visitors are armed with all the information necessary to maximize their time in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. Visitor Services will continue to provide actual and potential visitors with comprehensive, accurate information through Tourism Victoria’s publications, website, call centre and Visitor Centre.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria/Tony Austin

Finally, we will work to increase the number of opt-in consumers, currently 45,000 plus, who receive monthly eNewsletters from Tourism Victoria. This direct marketing tool is an incredibly valuable medium for us and we will continue to improve its effectiveness.

Niche Market Investment Marketing the destination requires product offerings that have visitor appeal. Tourism Victoria has identified several niche markets that would benefit from our investment. Sport Tourism is an area of tremendous potential; Tourism Victoria will work with SportHost Victoria to continue to proactively seek out and secure events for the city and region. The opportunities include regional, provincial, national and international sporting events. We will identify the events we have the facility and capacity to host and we will pursue them. Working with Aboriginal Tourism BC Tourism Victoria will identify key areas where our organizations can work together to highlight the offerings from this market. These experiences will be some of the most authentic available and hold huge visitor appeal. We will continue our efforts to work with the Arts, Culture and Heritage groups in Victoria to lead tourism initiatives that highlight our arts and cultural products. We will support the creation of new events and festival as they add value to the visitor experience. Tourism Victoria recognizes the importance of being a sustainable organization and we will continue to showcase Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental and eco-friendly aspects to visitors and residents alike.

Sport Tourism is an area of tremendous potential; Tourism Victoria will work with SportHost Victoria to continue to proactively seek out and secure events for the city and region.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria

KEY SALES AREAS: 1. Travel Trade 2. M eeting & Incentive Travel 3. Travel Media Relations

Sales Strategy Sales Function Areas • Travel Trade Tourism Victoria’s Travel Trade department works to promote export-ready product to tour operators and travel agents to develop and increase tour itineraries to Victoria. Attending trade shows and conducting sales calls gives the Travel Trade sales team the opportunity to encourage key account tour operators to introduce new product into existing itineraries and extend existing programs to include additional room nights. These sales activities also allow the opportunity to establish relationships with new operators who may add Victoria to their programs. Travel Trade also recognizes the important role of receptive tour operators (RTOs) and travel agencies by providing destination training and support. A major channel for educating travel professionals and showcasing the destination is hosting familiarization tours (FAMs) for travel agents and product managers from tour companies. • Meeting & Incentive Travel Tourism Victoria’s Meeting & Incentive Travel (M&IT) department works to bring meetings, conferences and incentive programs to Victoria. Working in partnership with the Victoria Conference Centre (VCC), Tourism Victoria focuses on groups who would hold a program within a hotel, while the VCC targets city-wide conferences. Attending trade shows, hosting client events, conducting sales calls and making prospecting calls gives the M&IT sales team the opportunity to encourage meeting planners to consider Victoria. M&IT also recognizes the important role of destination marketing companies (DMC’s) and provides destination training. A major channel for educating meeting planners and showcasing the destination is hosting

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria

familiarization tours (FAMs) and conducting sites. M&IT also extensively services confirmed conferences coming to Victoria by fulfilling requests for destination information, printed materials and attendance-building collateral. â&#x20AC;˘ Travel Media Relations Tourism Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Travel Media Relations department works to achieve editorial coverage of Victoria to raise awareness of the region as a leisure and business destination. Attending trade shows and media events, conducting media calls and distributing targeted eNewsletters gives the Travel Media Relations team the opportunity to encourage travel media to cover the destination in print, broadcast and online. Travel Media Relations also recognizes the important role of social media and has introduced various components into their activities. A major channel for educating travel media and showcasing the destination is hosting individual media visits and group familiarization tours (FAMs).

Partnerships Tourism Victoria understands the critical need for strong partnerships. We will continue to actively seek out partners to enhance our messages and leverage our investment. In 2011 we will create a cooperative marketing program with a destination sell for partners to buy in to. We will work with all levels of government and national, provincial and regional tourism associations. Partnerships with our members will be key to our mutual success.

Tourism Victoria understands the critical need for strong partnerships.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Sales & Marketing Initiatives by Market Consumer direct marketing

Canada

united States

Seattle British Columbia

Olympic Peninsula

Alberta

Los Angeles San Francisco

Seattle & Portland –

Travel Trade

international

Vancouver – Tourism Showcase and Destination Training, Tourism Vancouver Calgary & Edmonton – Sales Calls

Toronto – Sales Calls

Victoria Clipper Two Nation Vacation and Sales Calls (Retail)

San Francisco & Los Angeles – Sales Calls/ Event (Retail)

West & East Coast U.S. –

UK – Sales Mission Germany – Sales Mission Australia – Corroboree China – Sales Mission China/Japan/Korea/India –

Showcase Canada - Asia (4 nations combined)

Sales Mission (Tour Operators)

India – Showcase Canada

National Tour Association

Canadian Inbound Tourism Association Asia Pacific

US Tour Operators Association Cruise3sixty

RTO Sales Calls – Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal

Cross Market initiatives

Rendez-vous Canada

Meeting & incentive Travel

Canada’s West Marketplace GoMedia Canada

Vancouver – Client Event and Sales Calls

Calgary – Client Event and

Sales Calls

Seattle – Live Canada

Edmonton – University

San Francisco – Sales Mission

Toronto & Ottawa –

Trailblazers, including post-tour

of Alberta Tradeshow and Sales Calls Sales Calls

Los Angeles – SITE SoCal

Canadian Society of Association Executives (Exhibitor) Incentiveworks (Exhibitor)

Seattle – CTC Media Dinner

Travel Media

Seattle – Media Event Vancouver – Media Event

Portland – Media Calls

Vancouver – Media Calls

San Francisco & Los Angeles – Media Mission

Calgary – Media Calls/

Event

New York (National Media) –

Toronto – Media Mission

CTC Media Luncheon and Media Mission

Travel Media Association of Canada

Canada Media Marketplace Society of American Travel Writers Travel Classics Conference

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Travel Bloggers Exchange

Building on Success Despite the challenges faced in 2010, Tourism Victoria and the destination have had several successes that we will build on moving forward. In 2010 Canada was granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) with China. This allows us promote Canada as a destination to consumers in China and facilitate the tours and itineraries that will be offered in this vast market. In 2011 we will increase our attention in this market with additional tradeshow activity and a travel media push. The development of a new, stronger web platform and investment in increased search engine optimization began in 2010. We will focus more closely on content development in 2011 to ensure accuracy, relevance and completeness. Further efforts will be invested to improve functionality and member usability. The Social Media Strategy created in 2010 will be built upon as we strive to become the hub of destination conversations. We will also begin to pull content from our social media sites and incorporate those into our website.

2010 Accolades Victoria earned numerous accolades in 2010 that we will use in our marketing efforts to prove to visitors we are indeed a step above the rest. Accolades received in 2010 include: ictoria is the second most walkable V city in Canada, second to Vancouver, according to Up! Magazine. ictoria is ranked 24th in V Trip Advisor’s list of the Top 25 Destinations in the World. ictoria is the number one V Honeymoon destination, according to Evening Magazine’s Best of Western Washington & Northwest Escapes ictoria’s Ryder Hesjedal placed 7th V overall in the 2010 Tour de France. This is the best Canadian result at the Tour de France since Steve Bauer’s fourth place in 1988. ravel + Leisure Magazine named T Victoria the 9th Top City in the United States and Canada and Vancouver Island was named the 3rd Top Island in North America in 2010 orking closely with SportHost W Victoria and the skating community Victoria was named host city for the 2011 BMO Skate Canada National and Junior National Championships. The Championships will be held in Victoria in January 2011.

e hosted the first CBC Play On! W Street Hockey Championships that garnered the destination televison coverage across the country. This resulted in over 400 room nights for the destination and garnered national and international media coverage. ourism Victoria’s Sales teams T continue to build the number of travel trade sales calls in key markets. They will take full advantage of Trailblazers being held in Whistler in 2011 and will continue to increase the number of leads generated through Travel Media Relations. ourism Victoria’s travel media T team had tremendous success leveraging the destination during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Most notably was the successful attempt at bringing the entire hosting team of NBC’s Today Show to Victoria to discover us first hand. Viewership of the Today Show tops 17 million online and 4.9 million broadcast viewers.

Victoria is the second most walkable city in Canada, second to Vancouver, according to Up! Magazine.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

Tourism Victoria/Gary Webster

Tourism Victoria will continue to position Greater Victoria as a world class destination and grow a recovering visitor economy.

What’s new for 2011? Tourism Victoria will take a very strategic and targeted approach to all our consumer direct marketing. We will use web tools to target specific geo markets with our key messages. This is more effective than ever due to the level of data social media sites are collecting about our markets. eMarketing will be the mainstay of marketing efforts with social media assisting us to spread the word, engage and interact with our consumers. Tourism Victoria will shift our tactics in 2011 away from specific call to action campaigns to much more of a destination sell that will allow us flex our brand and deliver a storytelling approach to our messages. We will position Victoria’s unique selling propositions through the use of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. We will create a series of YouTube videos highlighting our key offerings. Tourism Victoria will continue to celebrate Dine Around & Stay in Town, an event we created seven years ago. In 2011 we will add Bravo! Victoria to the event and will celebrate Victoria’s diverse performing arts community. Both India and China have growth potential for Victoria. Tourism Victoria will continue to build relationships with key accounts and will also investigate the use of social media to engage these huge populations.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

CBC Play On! Street Hockey Championships will once again be hosted in Victoria. This year an additional 16 teams are expected to participate with over 900 room nights generated. The Tall Ships Victoria Festival will come to Victoria in June of 2011. This event has proven itself as an economic driver for the destination. The event has broad appeal to visitors from BC, Alberta and Washington State. Tourism Victoria will support this event through sales initiatives, consumer direct marketing and ticket sales. New travel trade sales activities proposed for 2011 include increased participation in destination training in Vancouver, attendance at the Victoria Clipper Portland show, in-market efforts to support the pending direct fight from LAX-YYJ, biannual sales mission to key account operators in Eastern and Western coastal US, attendance at Corroboree and participation in an Agent Super FAM to BC. We also plan to conduct sales missions and attend events in China and India. New Meeting & Incentive Travel activities proposed for 2011 include a Client Event in Calgary, attendance at the University of Alberta Meeting and Travel Arrangers Tradeshow, co-sponsor SITE SoCal with the CTC, Tourism Vancouver and Tourism Whistler, and we will leverage Trailblazers which is being held in Whistler by hosting the Victoria portion of the post-tour. New Travel Media Relations proposed for 2011 include attendance at the Travel Bloggers Exchange and Travel Classics Conference being held in Vancouver and leveraging these with pre/post-tours to Victoria, in-market media event for Vancouver, in-market media event for Seattle, Leverage GoMedia Marketplace being held in Edmonton to re-enter this market. Additionally we will target three to four major events such as Symphony Splash and create Tourism Victoria led press trips around them.

Summary As one of the only accredited Destination Marketing Organizations in Canada, Tourism Victoria is well positioned to take advantage of the economic recovery expected to continue through 2011. The continued but very slow recovery from the global recession will again be a challenging factor going forward. Strategically, Tourism Victoria will continue to promote visitation to the destination to our traditional strong customers. Marketing messages will be crafted to appeal to specific geo regions as well as the target demographic and psychographic segment. Digital presence and social media will again be a key focus in marketing efforts and with the introduction of the Tourism Victoria App, hand held devices and usage trends will be monitored and appropriately invested in. Through strong tourism partnerships the Victoria brand will continue to be delivered through our Travel Trade team to operators and agents; to meeting planners through our M&IT team; and to travel writers, reporters and bloggers through effective Travel Media Relations. The 2011 Strategic Marketing Plan is designed to build further awareness of our destination, feature our key visitation drivers, leverage partnerships, and continue to grow a recovering visitor economy.

In June 2011, Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scenic Inner Harbour will provide the backdrop for the 2011 Tall Ships Festival.

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic SALES & Marketing Plan

APPENDICES

Tourism Victoria 2011 Strategic Sales & Marketing Plan

APPENDICES Key Performance Measures

Social Media Strategy

Brand Tool Kit

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

Tourism Victoria Exit Surveys

To access complete appendices and further research, please visit www.tourismvictoria.com/research.

APPENDICES

Key Performance Measures 2011 Performance Measures Travel Trade

Performance Targets

Sales Calls Tradeshows Leads FAM Tours Travel Trade Visits (Individuals) New Programs by Tour Operators Co-Op Programs

Performance Measures Meeting & Incentive Travel Sales Calls Tradeshows Client Events Leads (RFP's) Confirmed Room Nights FAM Tours Site Inspections Conference Services

Performance Measures Travel Media Relations

Sales Calls Tradeshows Media Events Leads FAM Tours # of media opportunities per FAM Tour Media Visits (Individuals) # of Placements - Print # of Impressions - Print (circulation - millions) # of Placements - Broadcast # of Impressions - Broadcast (Based on online viewership per month - millions) # of Placements - Social Media (online publications, blogs, twitter) Newsletters

Performance Measures Cooperative Marketing Program Destination Sell Number of member participants Reach

Performance Measures Promotions

Key Performance Measures

2009 Actual 178 16 445 46 63 9 N/A

2010 Forecast 185 9 300 55 75 8 10

2011 Target 210 10 325 60 80 8 11

Performance Targets 2009 Actual 71 6 2 64 13,582 2 20 N/A

2010 Forecast 70 7 2 46 13,600 4 16 325

2011 Target 70 6 2 46 13,500 2 16 300

Performance Targets 2009 Actual 80 4 5 198 28 143 129 287 32 10 15

2010 Forecast 60 4 5 215 15 85 130 170 25 28 95

2011 Target 80 6 5 225 20 95 135 170 23 20 25

N/A

320

350

Performance Targets 2 0 1 Forecast n/a n/a

0 2011 Target 30 TBA

Performance Targets 2011

# of Placements - Social Media (online publications, blogs, twitter) Newsletters

N/A

320

350

APPENDICES

Performance Measures Cooperative Marketing Program Destination Sell Number of member participants Reach

Performance Measures Promotions

2011 Promotion #1 – to be announced for 2011 Page views Bookings Media coverage ad rate equivalency 2011 Promotion #2 –to be announced for 2011 Page views Bookings Media coverage ad rate equivalency 2011 Promotion #3 – to be announced for 2011

Performance Measures Visitor eNewsletter

Recipient list Open rate average Click rate average

Performance Measures Social Media

Performance Targets 2 0 1 Forecast n/a n/a

0 2011 Target 30 TBA

Performance Targets 2011 Target TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Performance Targets 2 0 1 Forecast 44,000 14% 18%

0 2011 Target 50,000 18% 20%

Performance Targets 2010 Forecast

2011 Target

# of facebook fans

4439

10000

# of Twitter followers

2784

3000

Klout Score - Twitter

98.9 66

99 75

Hubspot grader – Twitter Hubspot grader – Facebook

Performance Measures Visitor Services

Performance Targets 2009 Actual

2010 Forecast

2011 Target

# of visitor parties counselled at Visitor Centre

78,195

99,750

# of visitor parties counselled electronically

13,936

14,000

14,300

90%

89%

Exit Survey Overall Satisfaction rate of “Very or Quite Satisfied”

Key Performance Measures

APPENDICES

Social Media Strategy Prepared June 2010

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

APPENDICES

Tourism Victoria has identified Social Media marketing as a critical component to the success of marketing the Greater Victoria area as a destination. Tourism Victoria has worked with a Social Media Agency Think! Social Media who have helped Tourism Victoria narrow in on the focus of this plan. This Social Media Strategy is the foundation in which Tourism Victoria continue to build an innovative and expanding global social network. Goals We see Tourism Victoria facilitating the central hub for the online travel and tourism community for the Greater Victoria area based on authentic member and fan engagement; transparent information and intentions. Three critical objectives are evident through the use of various Social Media mediums: 1. Excellent customer service and support tool enhancing the value to our customer/client experience. 2. Prominent vehicle to direct traffic to www.tourismvictoria.com. 3. Excellent research and development tool, engaging customers and clients in to an active community enables successful push/pull marketing strategies. Mission: We are the centre of online interactions about our destination. Vision: Tourism Victoria will be a leader in online social media strategies by facilitating a social community hub for online tourism and travel interactions regarding the Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island region. Transparency: Tourism Victoria does not condone manipulating online conversations or content by creating "fake" profiles and/or posts designed to mislead followers and control a conversation. Every website, "fan page", or other online forum that is administered by Tourism Victoria must make that fact known to users. We also require contributing bloggers and social media influencers to disclose to their readers when we're associated with them. Content Message to Market: Primary Markets: Vancouver Island, Mainland, Alberta, Washington State Message to Market: Urgency; things that are happening, events that are coming, reasons to come now. Secondary Markets: Ontario, California, Oregon Message to Market: Ideas, hidden secrets, quirky fact etc... reasons to commit to travelling here - better yet, book their trip now. Tourism Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Target Markets (as identified in the 2010 Marketing Plan)

Vancouver Calgary Edmonton Seattle Toronto California Oregon China Japan Korea UK Germany

Outdoor x x x x x x x x x x x x

Sports, Art, Culture x x x x x x x x x x x x

Gay & Lesbian Culinary x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Golf x x x x x x x x x

Leisure x x x x x x x x x x x x

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

APPENDICES

How are we going to get there?

Walk | Run | Fly

Fully engage a community

Facilitate a community hub of online interaction

Build a community

Walk Stage (3-12 months)

Listen | Monitor | Research

Goals:  Establish a social network presence and brand.  Establish and form Social Media relationships.  Identify tools for monitoring and engaging.  Listen and Learn: Who is talking? What are they saying? Where are they talking?  Identify Social Media Market and Category influencers that are discussing Victoria products.  Develop tracking and measurements tools/objectives. Tactics:  Configure Social Media tools.  Listen and Monitor current conversations and communities online. (methodically)  Identify trends and opportunities.  Begin relationship building process with Market and Category influencers.  Develop a reward system for our Brand Ch ampions/Mavens. (Status and/or Incentive) Run Stage (6-18 months + ongoing)

Integrate | Community Growth | Increase Engagement Goals:  Grow the Community, expand relationships.  Continue expanding Social Media connections and relationships.  Enable the community to assist each other in their trip planning.  Engage members appropriately within the community.  Tracking and measurement tools in place. Tactics:  Develop an Ambassador Incentive Program.  Encourage Social Media Market and Category influencers to share the Victoria message.  Start acting as a facilitator.  Integrate social tools into website.  Coordinate Social Media campaigns with obtainable goals.

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

APPENDICES

Fly Stage (9-18 months + ongoing)

Members Fully Engaged | Community Events

Goals:  We take a facilitator role within the community. (Sometimes an initiator, other times a responder)  Community is now connected, (continuously growing and expanding)  Results are now measureable, (not necessarily in sales but in web connections and SEO)  Continue to maintain and develop relationships.  Converting online engagement to offline events. Tactics:  Efforts are focused more on expansion and credibility.  Extracting user-generated information for marketing use.  Analysis of Results will determine focus and direction. Measurements: Walk Stage (3-12 months) - Number of blog posts, comments, tweets, posts. - Web Referrals (benchmark). Run Stage: (6-18 months + ongoing) - Blogs: Craft/adopts a formula based on reach, quality, etc… - Compare Web referrals. - Level of Engagement. - Increase in connections and contributions. Fly Stage: (9-18 months + ongoing) - Community management. - Direct referrals to www.tourismvictoria.com. - Community engagement levels.

Our Voice To genuinely talk to people, and share information, we need to establish a voice that conveys our personality. This voice will essentially support our brand. Voice: A fun, friendly, knowledgeable and respectful voice is the agreed tone throughout the organization. With every effort made, we want to portray this personality:

“We want everybody to have an amazing experience during their trip to Victoria. We’re really friendly. We value our guests and reward people who help them. Through customer service that exceeds expectations, our guests continuously tell their friends about our hospitality and choose to come back time and time again.”

This voice fits with repeat visits. It fits with member engagement. It is approachable, believable and most importantly, it is true!

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

APPENDICES

Key Social Networks TWITTER Tourism Victoria Twitter Accounts: Two consumer focused Twitter Accounts: 1. Current acccount - @VictoriaVisitor [www.twitter.com/Victoriavisitor] {Hashtag: #vicvisitor}  Main Voice: Victoria’s Twisitor Centre  Targeting Primary Markets  Provide Trip Ideas; Offer Support. 2. NewVictoriaAccount –  Main Voice: Victoria, BC is the place to be  Targeting Primary and Secondary market consumers who have not ‘yet’ booked or chosen Victoria as a destination.  Unique and quirky information / facts on why Victoria is the place to be. Two to Three Sales focused Twitter Accounts: 1. Travel Media: @tourismvicmedia [www.twitter.com/tourismvicmedia]  Targeting Travel Media Influencers  Providing new and unique story ideas 2. Meetings & Incentive Travel: @meetvictoriabc [www.twitter.com/MeetVictoriaBC]  Targeting M&IT professionals and planners  Providing news and unique information of interest to meeting planners 3. Travel Trade: Determine benefit of using Twitter, if worthwhile, then will start up an account accordingly. Tourism Victoria’s Twitter Focus: Each Tourism Victoria account has a different audience and the main focus is listed accordingly. However, the following notes act as a guide to the type of information Tourism Victoria should primarily focus on tweeting.  Immediacy – ie: What is happening right now? Why should I book my trip / write an article / schedule that conference right now?  There is tremendous value in offering to help people. We should try to support and inform people who post Victoria travel related questions on Twitter. Goals:  Establish a consistent and engaging Twitter presence and community.  Grow number of followers in each Twitter account.  Increase number of re-tweets. Approach:  Cross-promote Tourism Victoria accounts.  Incentives/Prizes: give away something small on a regular basis, something big once in a while. o Need to be(come) a fan and need to re-tweet the prize message (plus hashtag)  Integrate in other channels; web, visitor centre etc..  Monitor and respond to people with interest.  Encourage various Tourism Victoria departments to be actively and appropriately involved.  RSS Feeds visable and promoted. Measures:  Increased number of tweets, re-tweets and interactions. Number of re-tweets and interactions = Value of information in tweets.  Increased number of visitors to www.tourismvictoria.com from Twitter.

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

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FACEBOOK Tourism Victoria Facebook Accounts: 1. Tourism Victoria: http://www.facebook.com/tourismvictoriafan  Centre of our Social Media Community.  Visitor and fan Engagement.  Effective and efficient customer service tool.  Speak to primary target markets with the benefit of a global reach.  Easy re-direct to www.tourismvictoria.com 2. Dine Around: http://www.facebook.com/dinearound  Fanpage focused specific to the Annual Dine Around Event.  Great tool for tuning in on conversation.  Efficient communication method to participants.  Speak to primary target market (local Victoria and Vancouver Island residents) with the benefit of attracting short-term fans/visitors who are in Victoria at the time.  Easy re-direct to http://www.tourismvictoria.com/dinearound Tourism Victoria’s Facebook Focus: Tourism Victoria’s Fanpage is an opportunity to energize through community management. The focus is to reinforce and define the Full of Life brand in a personal manor by providing valuable customer service through dialogue and fan engagement. When appropriate, Facebook is an excellent way to facilitate an online community, market www.tourismvictoria.com as well as extract visitor generated content such as top 10 lists, funny facts, etc… Goals:  Energize a community of Fans to encourage travel to Victoria and assist Victoria travelers in their trip planning.  Engage our members appropriately into Facebook.  Grow # of fans: Target locals, experts, past visitors, new visitors. Approach:  Increase and improve Fanpage tabs content.  Motivate Twitter Followers, local experts and recent Victoria visitors to become Fans on Facebook.  Develop a custom Facebook fanpage that acts as a Facebook homepage.  Run contests and motivate Fan growth with giveaways.  Encourage various Tourism Victoria departments to be actively and appropriately involved. Measures:  Fan Growth.  Engagement and response rate.  Increased Website (www.tourismvictoria.com) / Online traffic (Blogs, member links, etc.).  Overall sense of value to visitors as a customer support tool.

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

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BLOGS Tourism Victoria’s Blog Strategy 2010 is to continue the momentum generated in 2009 with the launch of two blogs: The Going Local blog and the Green Victoria blog. The goal is to increase Tourism Victoria’s web presence and further increase Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By offering blogs specific to visitors, clients and members as well as a blogsite with a green focus, Tourism Victoria is emerging as a leader among Destination Marketing Organizations. Tourism Victoria will also launch a Members Blog in 2010. Tourism Victoria Blogs: 1. Going Local – www.tourismvictoria.com/goinglocal • Visitor and Travel Media Relations Blog. Links and feeds are located on the homepage and on the Travel Media Relations section of www.tourismvictoria.com. • Open to the public. Audience target are travel media professionals, consumers and local residents. • Primarily an information tool to clients and visitors adding value and credibility to www.tourismvictoria.com by offering a local’s perspective. Focus: • Use “brand champions” to share their expert knowledge about Victoria. • Represent Tourism offerings throughout: outdoor, sports, arts, culture, culinary, golf, leisure, family etc… • Engage impartial, credible bloggers at an appropriate level. Approach: • Monitor various communities, initiate contact and relationship with brand champions. • Actively seek new bloggers/contributors based on passion and/or incentive program. • Target Victorian bloggers that are already active within their chosen online community (Example: Culture Vulture). • RSS Feeds visable and promoted. • Encourage various Tourism Victoria departments to be actively and appropriately involved. 2. Green Victoria – www.tourismvictoria.com/green • Featured Green Victoria site mainly blog focused with additional features including green meetings, tips to green your business, climate smart members’ highlights and Tourism Victoria green initiatives. • Open to the public. Audience target are green conscience travellers and tourism industry professionals. Focus: • Highlight tourism businesses’ sustainable and green efforts. • Offer meeting planners a resource for planning green meetings in Victoria. • Position Victoria, BC and Tourism Victoria as a leader in sustainable, green initiatives. Approach: • Continue to add and improve content in the Green Meetings, Visit and Did you Know sections. • Post blog articles on a regular basis to maintain and improve readership and awareness. • Seek and engage impartial, credible bloggers at an appropriate level. • RSS Feeds visable and promoted. • Encourage various Tourism Victoria departments to be actively and appropriately involved. 3. • • • •

Members Blog - TBA Open to members, targeting Tourism Victoria members and stakeholders. “Latest News” appears on the ‘landing page’ of the Member Section of www.tourismvictoria.com Membership Matters eNewsletter automatically feeds into blog. Press Releases will appear on this blog. Manual blog entries. Offer industry insights with a “Blogs We are Following” list on sidebar. Focus: • Transparent and effective communication tool with members. • Topics include all Tourism Victoria related activities; industry and member news that is relevant to the membership / tourism industry as a whole. • Transitions from relying solely on eNewsletter for information sharing and allows members to tune in at their discretion. Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

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Approach:  eNewsletter entries are automatically loaded into the blog as an entry.  Comments enabled allowing members to post comments and questions.  Once the blog is formatted and up to date, begin promoting through existing communication methods.  RSS Feeds visable and promoted.  Encourage various Tourism Victoria departments to be active and involved. Blog Goals:  Improve Organic and direct SEO to www.tourismvictoria.com.  Broad representation of tourism offerings throughout content.  Offer blog subscribers rich, informative and enjoyable content.  Incorporate Guest Bloggers into the network. Blog Measures:  Looking for a continuous upward trend of followers/subscribers.  Improved Organic and direct SEO to www.tourismvictoria.com.  Increase number of blog contributions/content. TRIPADVISOR Our past visitors are talking and we need to be actively listening. We are fortunate in that we really do have a great reputation for happy customers. Focus:  Leverage TripAdvisor’s brand and loyal following.  Monitor Victoria, BC, ‘Mavens’, aka Brand Champions.  Share information with travellers. Approach:  Maximize Victoria’s TripAdvisor content.  Add photos and video.  Share information with travellers.  Link to TripAdvisor’s Victoria profile page along with other Social Media links.  Energize Victoria, BC ‘Mavens’ aka Brand Champions. Goals:  Connect with our ‘Mavens’ aka Brand Champions. Measures:  SEO rankings.  Connections. YOUTUBE Channel: TourismVictoriaBC Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismVictoriaBC Focus:  YouTube is the world's most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.

FLICKR

Approach:  Post all Tourism Victoria Video on channel.  Grow network by subscribing to member channels.  Grow network by searching and linking favourable amateur video’s.  Start our own amateur video diaries (Hospitality awards etc…). Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

FLICKR

Approach: APPENDICES  Post all Tourism Victoria Video on channel.  Grow network by subscribing to member channels.  Grow network by searching and linking favourable amateur video’s.  Start our own amateur video diaries (Hospitality awards etc…). Focus: Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com 

We will expand our use of Flickr focus on visitor submissions to share with those that visit our website. Approach:  Continue to upload and maintain inventory of images  Engage public and members to post as well  Utilize the ease of use for sharing images

LINKEDIN Professional networking site can be very useful for keeping in touch with colleagues and contacts globally in a professional manor. 

Approach: Sales Team members have up to date accounts and use at individual discretion.

Tourism Victoria | 4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC V8W 1J1 T: 250.414.6999 | F: 250.361.9733 | www.tourismvictoria.com

Social Media Strategy

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full of life

a brand toolkit for members and partners of Tourism Victoria

fully engaged

This brand toolkit has been created to empower and educate our members, partners, and community to help all of us â&#x20AC;&#x153;live the brandâ&#x20AC;?. Although our BrandPromiseTM has been in circulation for sometime, this toolkit digs deeper into the Victoria brand and provides us with solid examples of how we can enhance our unified messaging through our visitor interactions, marketing initiatives, sales activities, and the growth of our partnerships.

Brand Tool Kit

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full of...

full of life Mission, Vision, Commitment Brand Story BrandPromiseTM

4 5 6

full of experiences key offerings and messaging sport, arts & culture gay & lesbian tourism culinary tourism golf and leisure travel outdoor activities

7 8 9 9 10 11

full of enthusiasm how to live the brand

full of opportunities let us help you

full of pride logo usage

full of possibilities

mission

We inspire the world to experience our destination.

vision

Tourism Victoria will be internationally recognized as a leader in sustainable tourism development, ensuring Greater Victoria remains one of the top destinations in the world.

commitment

Tourism Victoria markets Greater Victoria and Vancouver Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse year-round tourism products and exceeds expectations. We deliver progressive, responsible leadership by advocating sustainable development of the destination for the social, cultural, environmental and economic enrichment of our members and community.

Brand Tool Kit

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brand story

Few places on earth are as full of life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on every level â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as Victoria. From wildlife, to plant life, to arts and cultural life, our fair city offers a complete experience that is rejuvenating, fun filled, and inspiring. full of life is exactly what and who we are. This moves the needle forward for Victoria and puts to rest, once and for all, the tired old definitions of us. full of life personifies Victoria in a positive and true fashion.

BrandPromiseTM

Victoria is where old-world tradition meets new-world experiences. Our guests are rejuvenated by fresh ocean air and are inspired by our warm, island welcome and year-round, natural beauty.

Brand Tool Kit

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full of experiences a leading destination. These key offerings are much like our primary what Victoria has to offer our guests and they garner the highest return on marketing investment. It is important to note, that much like Greater Victoria’s iconic landmarks and attractions, the following key offerings tell only part of our story. Victoria has endless experiences and surprises to inspire and attract a diverse range of visitors. unique and truly full of life. Greater Victoria is a horticulturist’s dream, offering guided and self-guided garden tours through some of the most awe-inspiring private and public gardens in the world.

sport, arts & culture

You can feel the pulse of a city through its arts and entertainment and Victoria is alive with culture. Victoria and Vancouver Island boast a year-round schedule of cultural entertainment bursting with talent; experience live theatre, art Victoria’s heritage is rich and unparralled in Canada. The downtown is a mix of old-world charm married with trendy new-world shops, galleries, restaurants, and cafés. Be it their legends and lore, ceremonies and potlaches, or totems and masks, the First Nations people’s heritage and legacies live on in Victoria and on Vancouver Island. A First Nations experience Victoria. Visit a museum or cultural centre, attend a powwow, or take a Native heritage tour around the Island to truly learn about Victoria’s history. From high performance athletes to weekend cycling clubs, Victoria is a sport Mecca. In particular, our year round mild climate allows us to enjoy outdoor sporting activities year round. Victoria has an excellent reputation for hosting world class sporting events. Our venues offer regional, provincial, national, and international sport associations first class facilities to host competitions and training camps.

Brand Tool Kit

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gay & lesbian tourism

Victoria’s gay and lesbian community is integrated throughout the city and is not defined by a single neighbourhood. All visitors to Victoria feel safe and welcome which is likely part of the reason Victoria was voted among the Top Canadian Cities by Community Marketing Inc. ’s 11th Annual LGBT Travel Survey in 2006. Victoria has an active gay and lesbian scene. Many events and festivities take place throughout the year including the growing Annual Pride Parade and Festival in July.

culinary tourism

Victoria’s cuisine scene will feed your soul. Using the freshest local ingredients and island-crafted wine, beer, cider, and spirits that reflect the wild West Coast, a number of restaurants, hotels, inns, and specialty shops have put Victoria and Vancouver Island on the culinary map.

Many discerning guests are not only interested in unique experiences, but are taking a “back to the land” approach to travel. Visitors not only want to meet the chef who prepared their dinner, but also the farmer who grew or raised the produce used.

golf

Victoria is one of the premier golf destinations in Canada and, with the mildest climate in the country, residents and visitors can golf year-round. Golfers can choose full-scale championship links to smaller and less difficult courses, most with spectacular lake, ocean, and mountain views. The truly dedicated golfer can spend an entire vacation exploring the variety of courses and literally golf their way up and down Vancouver Island.

leisure travel

As an internationally renowned visitor destination, Victoria, is a safe, friendly city that offerings an oustanding array of activites and attractions for every kind of traveller and every type of vacation.

Victoria is a city where the youthful energy of the West Coast blends with the time-honoured British, European and Asian traditions. Where it is just as natural to picnic on a beach as it is to sip tea in a formal tearoom, where you can explore on bicycle or horse-drawn carriage, and where stately historic buidings house contemporary art.

Brand Tool Kit

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outdoor activities

Victoria and Vancouver Island are ideal playgrounds for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. On land or at sea, outdoor activities are possible year-round in our temperate climate. From whale watching to crescent moon kayaking, diving or hiking the West Coast Trail, visitors will delight in the wild beauty of the Island. According to the Government of Canada, Greater Victoria is the fittest city in the nation. Of our adult population, nearly double the national average is active. Moreover, Victoria is the cycling capital of Canada. One of the best-loved outdoor activities among vistors and locals is walking. Downtown Victoria can easily be expolored by the power of your own two feet. Guided and self-guided walking tours will unveil the secrets of the city that may have been hidden if you were to pass by too quickly.

full of enthusiasm

Our warm island-welcome and laid-back nature inspire visitors to immerse themselves easily into our culture and unique experiences. No matter how amazing our venues, rooms, restaurants, or attractions are, without the destination and hospitality, it’s just another meeting, hotel, restaurant, or attraction. It’s the experiences guests remember and it’s these experiences that make Victoria unique. Exceptional hospitality is a characteristic Victorians come by naturally. We’re welcoming and inclusive of guests from all walks-of-life. WorldHost and the Victoria Hospitality Awards are excellent initiatives to enhance our already friendly reputation.

Brand Tool Kit

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full of opportunties

To help your business grow and live the BrandPromiseTM, Tourism Victoria encourages you to take advantage of all your membership benefits. The following are just a few of the fresh ideas to make your business full of life.

sociable - become Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend on facebook, watch and link to Victoria on YouTube and follow us on Twitter. connect - attend Tourism Victoria events, workshops and read the Membership Matters eNewsletter so you never miss an opportunity.

image gallery - fresh, beautiful images are available for your marketing use.

place your face - on the surface you may think this is just a fun interactive video. But the marketing potential is huge and personal! Try uploading faces and send it to your guests before they arrive to build excitment and in the case of meetings - attendance!

full of pride

Strengthen your alliance with Tourism Victoria and the BrandPromiseTM by using the Tourism Victoria Member logo on your website, brochures or advertisments. Contact the membership services team if you would like a window decal for your business.

Please note, usage restrictions do apply.

Brand Tool Kit

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full of possibilities

For as much uncertaintly as the economy has created, it has also had the positive affect of building more opportunities through partnerships. Tourism Victoria works with industry partners and members to increase our impact in a crowded global marketplace. Victoria stands out as a leader and will continue to succeed when we â&#x20AC;&#x153;sell the destinationâ&#x20AC;? with one unified voice. Keep your eye out for member exclusive opportunties and partnerships throughout the year in your membership eNewsletter. Take advantage of hosting travel trade familarization (FAM) tours, join Tourism Victoria on joint sales missions, or participate in cooperative marketing opportunties. Creativity thrives in a changing environment and we anticipate exciting times ahead for Victoria - our favourite destination.

Created November 2009

Brand Tool Kit

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Exit Survey Segment Analysis 2009

This summary report was prepared by Dr. Brock Smith of the University of Victoria.

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

APPENDICES

Background The 2009 Tourism Victoria Visitor Exit Survey was implemented in March, July, and September of 2009 using a quota sample methodology that was consistent with previous Exit Surveys (1998-2008), with the exception that in 2009 data was also collected at the Black Ball Ferries (MV Coho) terminal. Monthly reports and an Annual Report provide details of visitor demographics, attitudes, and behaviours, in total and by mode of transportation. This report represents additional analysis of potential interest to members of Tourism Victoria. It identifies key pleasure visitor segments among the 2054 visitors who reported coming for pleasure only, for visiting friends and family, or for a mix of business and pleasure. It is offered in the spirit of generating better understanding of visitor segments and profiles, on which to base targeted marketing strategies. Two-stage Cluster Analysis of the activities in which visitor parties participated identified six clusters or market segments that significantly differ in how they experience Victoria as a travel destination (behavioural segmentation). Cluster analysis is an analytic tool that groups respondents based on the commonality of their answers, identifying groups where the respondents within a group answered a set of questions similarly, but differently from respondents in other groups. While there are other types of Cluster Analysis, two-stage Cluster Analysis is most appropriate when categorical questions are being examined. While other types of variables (such as attitudes or demographics) could have been used to identify the major visitor groups in the visitor data, focus on questions relating to the activities visitors participated in results in actionable market segments that significantly differ in what they do when they visit Victoria. Finally, the number of clusters or groups identified in the data is determined, in part, by interpretation of results by the researcher. While four, five, six, and seven group solutions were examined, the six group results were chosen for interpretation and further investigation because: a) the characteristics of the groups made sense (were interpretable), and b) the groups were all large enough to warrant targeting by Tourism industry participants (no groups less than 10% of the visitors). Cluster Analysis identifies the group or cluster assigned to each respondent. This group or cluster information was used in a second analytic tool, One Way Analysis of Variance, to identify whether the mean (average) responses of respondents in different cluster groups significantly differ with respect to other demographic, psychographic (attitudes and opinion), and behavioural questions in the Tourism Victoria Exit Survey. One-Way Analysis of Variance enables researchers to develop a detailed profile of the cluster groups (market segments) that focus on the statistically significant differences (at a 95% confidence interval) between the groups. In the Tables reported below, statistically significant differences are either bolded (high means or proportions) or italicized (low means or proportions). The interpretation of high and low means or proportions allows the reader to understand the differences among the visitor segments.

Cluster Profiles Summary Six behavioural clusters (groups or market segments) were identified in the 2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey data. The size of these clusters or segments ranged from 14% of visitors to 19% of visitors, which indicates that there are many different ways in which visitors experience Victoria as a travel destination, and that no one particular segment dominates â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are relatively equal in size.

2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Segment Profiles -2-

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

APPENDICES

Table 1: Segments & Size 18.8% Cluster 1 Do it All

18.4% Cluster 2 Outdoor Adventurists

19.1% Cluster 3 Butchart or Bust

16.1% Cluster 4 Downtown Casual

13.7% Cluster 5 Strollers

13.9% Cluster 6 R&R Seekers

Visitors

Cluster 1 represents almost 19% of visitors to Victoria. This group might best be labeled the “Do it All” segment. As seen in Table 1 (below), this group has the highest rate (proportion) of participation of any of the groups for most of the activities captured in the Exit Survey. However, very few of them golf or cycle. This group is made up mainly of senior couples and other couples, but they also include the highest proportion of nuclear (2 parent) families and other family groups (adults with children). More than 60% of the visitors in this segment are Americans (the second highest proportion of Americans), and this segment has the highest proportion of visitors from Oregon, and the second highest proportion of visitors from Washington State and California. About 74% of these visitors come for pleasure and only 14% come to visit friends and family. They are motivated by a pleasurable previous visit (69% have visited previously, the second lowest proportion of visitors), convenience, and recommendation, and they are the most likely segment to visit for cultural activities. This group likes to travel and they like to see as much as possible when they do. They are generally active people. They visit Victoria using all modes of transportation. Those who have visited previously, visit twice a year, on average. These visitors were away from home the second longest (8.1 nights) and along with the second cluster, spent the most nights on Vancouver Island (5.4 on average). They have the second highest annual pleasure trip budget (about $6,000 per year), but their expenditure per person per day in Victoria is similar to other segments. They are, however, more likely to spend their money on attractions. Cluster 2 represents 18% of visitors to Victoria, and might best be labeled “Outdoor Adventurists.” Almost everyone in this group (97%) went walking or hiking and almost all of them (97%) went to a beach. These visitors were the most likely to visit parks (93%), go whale watching (18%), go kayaking or canoeing (17%), or go fishing (8%). They were the least likely, or among the least likely, to visit Craigdarroch Castle, the Wax Museum, the Bug Zoo, Butterfly World, Miniature World, Imax, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Demographically, the “Outdoor Adventurists” are typically couples (25% of this group is adult couples, and 19% of this group is senior (55+) couples). This segment also has the highest proportion of mixed adult visitor groups (9.2%). Other (non-nuclear) families, male singles, and female singles make up about 9% of this group (each). This segment has the second highest proportion of Canadian visitors (53%) and the highest proportion of international visitors (9%). Most of these visitors are from BC (31%), Alberta (10%), or Washington State (10%). It also has the highest proportion of visitors from Ontario (7%). A primary trip motivation for this segment is recreational activity. They are the least likely to visit for cultural activities. The “Outdoor Adventurists” are the most likely to consider themselves outdoorsy and active people. They like to travel, don’t like everything planned in advance, don’t like to be pampered when travelling, and are the most likely to be willing to pay a premium for “green” products. About 77% of them have previously visited Victoria, and those who have previously visited, reported visiting on average 2.3 times per year. This group booked their accommodation the latest of all groups (with a high proportion booking a week or less in advance). This segment spent the most nights away during their trip to Victoria and spent the most nights (5.5 on average) on Vancouver Island. This group is highly travelled, making the most out of State or Province pleasure trips per year (4.2 on average. They spend, on average, $5,400 per year on pleasure travel, but spent the second lowest amount per person per day during their trip to Vancouver Island. Cluster 3 represents 19% of visitors to Victoria, and might appropriately be labeled “Butchart or Bust.” Most (87%) of these visitors go to Butchart Gardens (this group and the Do It All group (65%) have the highest proportion of Butchart Gardens visitors by far). About 32% of visitors in this segment go on guided tours. About 2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey – Segment Profiles -3-

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

APPENDICES

half visit parks and historical sites and 43% tour outside the downtown core. And that is about all they do. Almost 32% of this group is senior (55+) couples and this segment has the highest proportion of senior groups (5%). Couples (24%), adult female groups (10%), and other (non-nuclear) families (10%) make up most of the rest of this group. This group has the highest proportion of American visitors (74%) and they come from all over the United States, but many come from Washington State (23%) and California (10%). About 41% of these visitors indicated that “Seeing an Attraction” (Butchart Gardens) was a very important reason for their visit. This group attributed the highest importance to “recommendation” as another motivation, and was among three groups that identified “convenience” as very important motivation. Butchart or Bust travellers were most likely to strongly agree that when travelling, they like everything planned in advance, and they tied as the most likely to like being pampered when travelling. They were also among the groups most likely to like to shop, and were the second highest to want to see as much as possible when travelling (but their idea of seeing as much as possible is much more limited than the Do It All group. Forty-four percent of these visitors came on the Victoria Clipper. About half (53%) had previously been to Victoria, and those visitors visited an average of 1.7 times per year. Although 84% of these visitors stayed overnight, 16% of them did not (and this group was the least likely to stay overnight), and they stayed the fewest nights on Vancouver Island (an average of 2.6 nights). This group was among three who booked the farthest in advance – typically 1 to 4 weeks in advance. They are also among the visitors who take the fewest pleasure trips out of State or Province each year, but they spent the most per person per day on Vancouver Island ($129 on average). Cluster 4 represents 16% of visitors and might be labeled “Downtown Casual Visitors.” Many (84%) of the walk around, 53% visit parks, 43% visit beaches or the seashore, 41% go the Royal BC Museum, and 25% go to the Imax Theatre, but that is about all they do. They are least likely to tour outside downtown Victoria. Demographically, this group is a bit non-descript. 43% are either couples or senior (55+) couples – consistent with the overall make up of visitors to Victoria. About 20% of the visitors in this group are families (nuclear or other). They include about equal proportions of Americans and Canadians. The most important reasons for their coming to Victoria include “Pleasurable Previous Visit”, “Convenience”, and “Cultural Activity”. These visitors are among the most likely to like their trip planned in advance, be pampered during their trip, and like to shop. They are more likely to book their accommodation well in advance. They are less likely to be Air Travellers or MV Coho passengers. They spend the second lowest number of nights on Vancouver Island (3.3 on average), and have the lowest annual pleasure trip budget ($4,800 on average). Cluster 5 represents 14% of visitors and might appropriately be labeled “Strollers.” Opposite of the “Do it All” segment, this group does not do much at all, except that 100% of them participate in walking/hiking. About 36% of them visit beaches and 22% tour outside of downtown. About 10% of them golf, the second highest proportion of golfers. They are the least likely to visit historical sites, go on guided tours, go to Butchart Gardens, or go to the Undersea Gardens, and are among the least likely to visit other attractions. Demographically, they have the highest proportion of single men (almost 15%) and single women (almost 10%) of any segment. More than 22% of this group is couples, but this group has the smallest proportion of senior couples (16%) of any of the segments. This segment has the highest proportion of Canadian visitors (66%) and the lowest proportion of international visitors (4%). Almost half of the visitors in this group are from BC (47%) and this group has the highest proportion of visitors from Alberta (11%). “Strollers” are the most likely to be visiting friends or family (36%) and they are the most likely to be mixing business and pleasure (14%). They are the least likely to be visiting for reasons of “Recommendation”, “Convenience”, or “Cultural Activity”. They consider themselves active people. They are the least likely to like to shop, and they are the least likely to want to see as much as possible when travelling. Travellers in this segment are most likely to have previously visited Victoria (85% of them have). Exactly half of these visitors travel to Victoria via BC Ferries. They visit the most often (2.5 times a year, on average) and are among the latest to book their accommodation. They have the lowest average trip expenditure per person per day. Cluster 6 represents 14% of visitors and might be labeled “Rest and Relaxation Seekers.” They have the highest proportion of golfers (17%) and are the most likely to go fishing (9%). Interestingly, none of them go walking or hiking. In other respects they are similar to the “Strollers”, but they are more likely to visit parks, 2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey – Segment Profiles -4-

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

APPENDICES

visit beaches, visit Butchart Gardens, tour outside of downtown, or attend festivals than the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strollersâ&#x20AC;?. However, they do so less frequently than other segments. This segment has the highest proportion of senior groups (5%) of any of the segments, and the lowest proportion of couples. This segment has the second highest proportion of Canadian visitors (54%), and among the highest proportion of international visitors (7%). This segment also has the second highest proportion of visitors from BC. Like the Strollers, a high proportion of the Rest and Relaxation Seekers come to visit friends or family (33%) or for a mix of business and pleasure (11%). They identify recreational activity as a very important reason for coming to Victoria and are the least likely to be highly motivated by a pleasurable previous visit. This group least likes to travel, are the least likely to consider themselves active people, and they are among the visitors who least like to shop. Almost half (47%) of these visitors come via BC Ferries, but they are among the least likely to stay overnight (15% of them do not). Those that do stay overnight, stay on average 3.6 nights, which puts them in the middle of the other segments. A key distinguishing feature of this group is that they have the highest annual pleasure travel budget ($6,500 on average).

Detailed Results Following are tables that provide the detailed results of the Cluster (segment) comparisons. It is the interpretation of the high and low scores in these tables that provides the detailed profiles of the segments.

2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Segment Profiles -5-

Tourism Victoria Market Segmentation

APPENDICES

Exit Survey Report July 2010

This summary report was prepared by Dr. Brock Smith of the University of Victoria.

Tourism Victoria Exit Surveys

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BACKGROUND The Tourism Victoria Exit Survey is a research initiative of Tourism Victoria that provides market (visitor) information of use by Tourism Victoria and its industry members for making business and marketing decisions. The July 2010 implementation of the TVES was conducted during the third week of July (22nd to 25th) consistent with previous years. This is the first of two implementations planned for 2010 (a September implementation is also planned). Because the number of implementations has fallen to two (from the five in 20032008) there will not be an annual report produced for 2010. However, comparisons to the July 2009 results will be made in this report. A four-page survey instrument was administered using a quota sample intercept methodology at Swartz Bay terminal of BC Ferries, the Victoria International Airport, Clipper Navigation, and the MV Coho Ferry terminal. The questions asked were similar to those asked in 2009, with some questions having been benchmarked for more than 10 years. Four visitor publics were targeted: Rubber-Tire visitors at the BC Ferry Swartz Bay terminal, Rubber-Tire visitors at the MV Coho Ferry terminal, Air Travel visitors (at the Victoria International Airport), and Foot Passengers visitors (on the Victoria Clipper). The July 2010 sample consists of 286 BC Ferry customers, 146 MV Coho customers, 137 Clipper Navigation customers, and 140 Airport customers (709 total). Attention was paid to random intercept of respondents until quotas were met. Study results can be generalized to the population of July visitors within each transportation mode segment. Relative quota sizes are consistent with previous implementations of the Exit Survey, allowing comparison within segments, across years, within month of implementation.

RESULT SUMMARY The July 2010 results are similar to those found in 2009, with a few exceptions (reported below). This re-enforces the value of the Exit Survey as a benchmarking tool as consistency in key indicators across years is a hallmark of survey reliability and makes variations, when they occur, meaningful. The July 2010 Exit Survey does not determine whether more or fewer visitors came to Victoria, but the results do indicate that there was a higher proportion of visitors from Canada (49% in 2010 vs 44% in 2009) and a lower proportion from the United States (43% in 2010 vs 48% in 2009). The Canadian results were driven mainly by an increase in people from Ontario (8% in 2010 vs 4% in 2009). More respondents came to Victoria to visit friends or family than in 2009 (25% vs 20%). Fewer Air Travelers reported visiting Victoria for vacation or pleasure (20% in 2010 vs 35% in 2009). Less than 1% of visitors came mainly to attend an arts or cultural event. This item was new 1 to the 2010 survey.

Tourism Victoria Exit Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 2010

Tourism Victoria Exit Surveys Fewer respondents indicated in 2010 that value for money (12% vs 17%) and convenience

from Ontario (8% in 2010 vs 4% in 2009). More respondents came to Victoria to visit friends or family than in 2009 (25% vs 20%). APPENDICES Fewer Air Travelers reported visiting Victoria for vacation or pleasure (20% in 2010 vs 35% in 2009). Less than 1% of visitors came mainly to attend an arts or cultural event. This item was new to the 2010 survey. Fewer respondents indicated in 2010 that value for money (12% vs 17%) and convenience (28% vs 32%) were very important in their decision to visit Victoria. New to the 2010 study, 6% of respondents indicated that prior exposure from a cruise was a very important reason for their coming to Victoria. 3% of respondents indicated that exposure from the Olympics was a very important reason for their visit. As in 2009 and previous years about 70% (68.5%) of visitors had previously visited Victoria. 16% of visitors reported visiting more then six times in the previous year, up from 13% in 2009. Trip satisfaction continues to remain high as over 90% of visitors reported high or very high satisfaction with their trip to Victoria. BC Ferry Rubber-Tire respondents reported higher satisfaction in July 2010 than 2009 (90.5% vs 86.1%) but Air Travel respondents reported lower satisfaction in 2010 (93% vs 97%). Information sources used by visitors when planning their trip was similar to the 2009 results, with the exception that BC Ferry Rubber-Tire visitors and Air Travel visitors made greater use of friends and family as sources of information and Clipper Navigation Foot Passengers made less use of this information source. The top areas where respondents thought that Victoria could be improved as a visitor destination continue to include ferry pricing, pricing in general (too expensive), and helping/removing panhandlers. Improved highways (congestion) and more activities were more frequently reported as areas for improvement in 2010 than 2009. A high proportion of Victoria visitors continue to be short stay visitors, as 43% of visitors stayed 3 or fewer nights (vs 46% in 2009). More respondents were on extended trips (8 or more days) in 2010 than 2009 Tourism Victoria Exit Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July (32% 2010 vs 27%). 3 In 2010 more respondents reported spending more than $2000 during their trip (29% vs 22% in 2009). Daily expenditure per traveling party and per person were significantly higher in 2010 than in 2009. Daily expenditure per person (of those who stayed overnight) was $107 in 2010 vs $58 in 2009. The 2009 figures were exceptionally low and the 201o results may suggest that visitors are less concerned about the current recession than they were a year ago. Visitors, on average continue to spend about 3.4 nights in Greater Victoria during their visit. Fewer Air Travelers spent only 1 night in Victoria in July 2010 than July 2009 (10% vs 17%). Clipper Foot Passengers continue to visit Victoria for very short periods of time. Twenty three percent did not stay overnight (vs 26% in 2009) but 84% of those who did stay over night stayed only 1 or 2 nights (vs 75% in 2009). More respondents stayed in rental or time share accommodation in 2010 (5% in 2010 vs 2.6% in 2009) and this increase came mainly from BC Ferry Rubber-Tire visitors.

Some differences were observed in performance metrics. Air Travelers perceived significantly lower value for money in 2010 than 2009 (58% reporting Good or Very Good in 2010 vs 68% in 2009), as did MV Coho Rubber-Tire visitors (51% in 2010 vs 55% in 2009). Air Travelers and Clipper Foot Passengers perceived lower safety and cleanliness in 2010, Tourism Victoria Exit Surveys but BC Ferry Rubber Tire visitors perceived higher safety and cleanliness than in 2009.

Fewer Air Travelers spent only 1 night in Victoria in July 2010 than July 2009 (10% vs 17%). Clipper Foot Passengers continueAPPENDICES to visit Victoria for very short periods of time. Twenty three percent did not stay overnight (vs 26% in 2009) but 84% of those who did stay over night stayed only 1 or 2 nights (vs 75% in 2009). More respondents stayed in rental or time share accommodation in 2010 (5% in 2010 vs 2.6% in 2009) and this increase came mainly from BC Ferry Rubber-Tire visitors. Some differences were observed in performance metrics. Air Travelers perceived significantly lower value for money in 2010 than 2009 (58% reporting Good or Very Good in 2010 vs 68% in 2009), as did MV Coho Rubber-Tire visitors (51% in 2010 vs 55% in 2009). Air Travelers and Clipper Foot Passengers perceived lower safety and cleanliness in 2010, but BC Ferry Rubber Tire visitors perceived higher safety and cleanliness than in 2009. Differences were also observed in the activities in which visitors participated. Fewer visitors went to the beach or seashore (42% in 2010 vs 45% in 2009) driven mainly by a decrease in the beach/shore activities of MV Coho Rubber Tire visitors (38% in 2010 vs 49% in 2009). Fewer BC Ferry visitors (53% vs 60%) and Clipper Navigation visitors (47% vs 53%) went to parks in 2010 but more MV Coho visitors did so (66% vs 54%). More Air Travelers visited historical sites (41% vs 32%). More MV Coho visitors went on guided tours (20% vs 13% in 2009). Fewer BC Ferry visitors (32% vs 39%) and more Clipper Navigation visitors (42% vs 37%) traveled outside of downtown Victoria in 2010. More Clipper Navigation visitors went whale watching (19% vs 14% in 2009). More Air Travelers (16% vs 9%) and fewer MV Coho visitors (6% vs 14%) went kayaking or canoeing, Fewer visitors went to the Royal BC Museum (21% in 2010 vs 28% in 2009), driven by an increase in Air Traveler patronage but a decrease in other visitor patronage. Butchart Garden patronage was also down (40% of visitors in 2010 vs 44% in 2009, driven by a decrease in Air Traveler patronage (26% in 2010 vs 37% in 2009). Craigdarroch Castle patronage was also down (10% vs 14% in 2010) but increased among MV Coho visitors (18% vs 13% in 2009). Patronage was also lower among BC Ferry Rubber Tire visitors at Butterfly World, Undersea Gardens, Miniature World. IMAX patronage was down across the board (8.5% in 2010 vs 12% in 2009). Attendance was down at Galleries/Exhibits (8% vs 12%). Visitors to Victoria continue to be well travelled, as 35% of them made four or more trips out of Province or State in the past year for pleasure and 17% made four or more trips out of Province or State for business. Fewer respondents in 2010 reported that they typically stay in 4 or 5 star accommodation (43% inVictoria 2010 vs 55% in 2009). Tourism Exit Survey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 2010 4 Annual pleasure travel budgets remained at about $5700, on average, but average annual pleasure travel budgets were lower for BC Ferry Rubber-Tire visitors and Air Travel visitors and higher for MV Coho and Clipper Navigation visitors in 2010 than in 2009.

Tourism Victoria Exit Surveys

4th Floor, 31 Bastion Square Victoria, BC Canada V8W 1J1 250-414-6999