Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing: Central Florida Visitors & Convention Bureau November 2012
Methodology 1. Destination Assessment & Mystery Shopping 2. Lodging Survey 36 properties: 3,436 of 6,680 hotel rooms (51.4%) 18 rental companies (36.7%) 3. Visitor Intercept Interviews 203 203: leisure, sports, business, meeting 4. Attraction Manager Survey (20)
Destination Assessment Gateways, signage, wayfinding Access, transportation & Highways 14 Cities & Towns Visitor Centers & Chambers Lodging Restaurants Shopping Attractions Arts Sports Facilities Meetings Facilities Venues (groups weddings, reunions, etc.) Outdoor Recreation
Destination Assessment & Mystery Shopping Overview Overall Appearance: Clean & Fresh Recent Growth is Evident Lodging: Stats on par w/florida Aging Hotels/Motels Require Focus Appeal to Florida (Near Orlando yet still true Florida) LEGOLAND Mixing Authentic with the New Sense of Place (Gateways) Needed
Hotel Geographic Distribution % of Total of Lodging (91 properties) 1= Lakeland Mulberry, Bartow, 49.9% (3,502 rooms, 2 = Davenport, Lake Wales, Clermont, Dundee, Frostproof, Haines City, Babson Park 42 properties) 34.7% (2,435 rooms, 31 properties) 3 = Winter Haven, Auburndale 15.4% (1,077 rooms, 18 properties)
Ages of Hotels Ages of Lodging Age % of Hotel/Motel Inventory Number of Rooms Built prior to 1959 53 or older 11% 787 1960 1979 33 52 years 32.96% 2,312 old 1980 1999 13 32 years 23.25% 1,631 old 2000-2012 0 12 years 32.56% 2,284 old Distribution of Older Lodging Inventory 34+ years old = 3,099 rooms 1= Lakeland Mulberry, Bartow, 16.14% (1,131rooms) 2= Davenport, Lake Wales, Clermont, 16.33% Dundee/Frostproof/Haines/Babson Park (1,146 rooms) 11.72% 3= Winter Haven, Auburndale (822 rooms) 24-29 years = 695 rooms 7.37% (517 rooms) 2.54% (178 rooms) ~ The majority (45%) of new/modern hotels (built since 2000) is in Lakeland
Combined Overall Hotel/Motel 2011 Lodging Report Rental Company 46.19% 51.44% 36.74% Response Rate 24.26% 28.72% 3.44% Individual Corporate/Business 14.12% 16.42% 3.62% Individual white-collar business travelers 10.14% 12.30% 0.24% Individual blue-collar workers/construction/etc. 15.27% 18.21% 1.80% Convention/Meeting 7.81% 9.52% 0.00% SMERF 4.23% 4.91% 1.10% Corporate 1.94% 2.21% 0.70% Association 1.29% 1.57% 0.00% Government 37.87% 29.03% 78.38% Leisure 26.16% 16.07% 72.43% Tourists (visiting Central Florida for the good weather, attractions, events, etc.) 5.58% 6.39% 1.86% Visiting local friends & relatives 4.88% 5.05% 4.09% Visiting primarily for outdoor recreation (golf, fishing, boating, water sports, minor league baseball, etc.) 1.25% 1.52% 0.00% Overnighting to attend arts/cultural performances (plays, concerts, etc.) 18.42% 19.05% 15.53% Group 11.55% 11.73% 10.74% Team sports & tournaments 4.85% 4.86% 4.79% Weddings/reunions/family events/social events 2.02% 2.46% 0.00% Group Tour/motorcoach 4.17% 4.99% 0.42% Transient/Other 3.77% 4.50% 0.42% Transient: Passing through as part of a longer trip
Attraction Manager Survey ATTRACTION SURVEY 2011 Individual Visitors (regular daily admissions) Local/regional (within 50 mile radius) residents (both full time and seasonal 32% residents) Tourists visiting Florida staying in Polk County 13% Tourists visiting Florida staying in Orlando or somewhere OTHER than 10% Polk County Groups: Group tour/motorcoach 3% Educational/school groups 9% Weddings/reunions/family events 3% Social clubs/church groups 3% Corporate events & meetings 5% Other (specify) 22% 100%
Intercept Survey Research Visitor Findings and Responses
Demographics Average Age 51.31 years-old Female 50.75% Male 49.25% College Degree 50.00% Graduate Degree 16.33% Generational Age B ESA L M/C OA Millennium Generation 9-27 0.00% 6.78% 4.30% 0.00% 4.02% Generation X 28-48 45.83% 35.59% 43.01% 13.04% 37.69% Baby Boomer 49-66 54.17% 47.46% 41.94% 69.57% 48.24% Silent Generation 67-84 0.00% 10.17% 10.75% 17.39% 10.05% War Generation 85+ 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Point of Origin State Percentage Florida 50.74% Michigan 5.91% New York 4.93% Illinois 3.94% Georgia 2.46% International: Canada, Australia, U.K. 10.34%
Number of Prior Visits Number of prior visits Business ESA Leisure M/C Overall Once previously 5.00% 8.51% 20.29% 5.56% 12.99% 1-5 times 35.00% 38.30% 42.03% 44.44% 40.26% 6-10 times 20.00% 14.89% 10.14% 11.11% 12.99% 10+ times 40.00% 38.30% 27.54% 38.89% 33.77%
Likes/Dislikes Responses Likes Pleasant weather Friendly people Scenery and landscape Convenience and access to major regional attractions Relaxing and quiet Dislikes Traffic issues Signage/wayfinding issues Accommodations issues (need for updates) Activities 90% = dining 50% = shopping 24% = sporting event 22% = swimming 14% = visit Orlando 9% = visit attraction 5% = golf
Expenditures in Central Florida Category Business ESA Leisure M/C Overall Lodging $99.67 $177.80 $136.69 $124.67 $139.33 Foods/meals $58.70 $54.67 $56.27 $57.78 $56.28 Attractions/ent ertainment $23.20 $37.14 $63.05 NR $52.89 Shopping $55.45 $78.38 $58.54 $90.71 $66.71 Transportation $190.30 $44.23 $114.95 $21.25 $103.05 Average Daily Expense $427.32 $392.22 $429.50 $294.41 $418.26 Average Length of Stay 4.27 3.44 4.90 3.30 4.26 Total Trip Expenditures $1,824.66 $1,349.24 $2,104.55 $971.55 $1,781.79
1. It s good to be you Recommendations - Location (Central Florida, Interstate) - Weather - Growth since 2003 2. Tout your accomplishments - Excellent track record 3. Leadership Continue to diversify the product
Recommendations 4. Monitor lodging inventory (age issues) 5. Authentic heritage vs. new and improved amenities 6. Create a sense of place for Polk County 7. Gateways & signage
Recommendations 8. Word-smithing for attractions in visitor guide, website & promotions (it takes a lot to compete with Disney!) 9. Refine your website presence, continually making it more user-friendly for sports tourism contacts & all visitors
Recommendations 10. Leisure & sports are critical 11. Need growth in weekday business, Convention & Meeting needs to be a strategic focus 12. Sundays, Mondays and August, September are least occupied periods; what promotions can help improve these metrics?
Recommendations 13. Rentals - continue focus on international tourists: U.K., Canada, S. America 14. RevPARs are increasing, albeit slowly; trying to get back to 2007 levels
Recommendations from Intercept Findings 15. Florida is over half of your visitors; market to them in addition to the Triangle 16. Business travelers are coming for business and staying for leisure. Work Hard, Play Hard. 17. Adult parties are 2/3 rd of your visitors; VCFCVB needs to continually market itself both as a great destination for adults as well as families.
Recommendations from Intercept Findings 18. CFVCB priority is website and Internet presence, social media, and mobile
Recommendations for Attractions Attractions partner w/cfvcb - focus on best marketing messages & outreach efforts Ensure operating hours at times when visitors are likely to be able to visit the attraction (days/nights/weekends) Visitor guide should clearly state operating hours Offer appealing experiences that will motivate visitation Aggressively place brochures / promotional materials in hotels and places where visitors are Partner w/hotel front-line - ensure they are aware of the attraction and enthusiastically recommend it
Recommendations for Arts It s all about the Calendar of Events & timely communication to front line Have good tickets available for last minute Be open when travelers can visit Sell performances, not venues
Continued Research Annual: Lodging Study Inquiry Conversion Tracking Attraction Survey Visitor Center Tracking Events Tracking Sports Facilities Analysis Every 2 Years: Intercept Interviews Meeting/Convention Planner Survey Regional Resident Survey (Arts, Sports, Festivals/Events)