Tourism Industry Association of Canada Survey Results Summary Outdoor and Adventure Tourism Group Liability Insurance Project
SUMMARY OF SURVEY TIAC conducted an online survey from March 13-March 21, 2004, to discover the current insurance situation for businesses operating in the outdoor and adventure tourism industry segment. A set of questions was written to help understand more about the types of activities offered, the operators years of experience in the business, specifics relating to their guides, their current insurance policies, and their claims and incidents history. Summary of Survey Participants in Study 427 Total Respondents 226 Valid Responses 217 Valid Responses / Participants 50.8% Percentage of Respondents with Liability Insurance 73.3% Percentage of Respondents without Liability Insurance 26.7% Percentage of Respondents in Operation for More than Five (5) Years 68.7% Percentage of Respondents Under Current Management for More than Five (5) Years 61.8% Legal Type of Business is a Corporation 58.3% Percentage of Companies with Less than Five (5) Employees 60.8% Operations on Government Land 81.6% Percentage of Operators with Less than $300,000 in Property/Assets 65.6% Average Property Value $493,843.00 Percentage of Operators with Less than $200,000 in Annual Gross Revenue 69.7% Average Annual Gross Revenues $314,549.00 Percentage of Businesses Operating in Four (4) Seasons 37.3% Business is Main Source of Income (Yes) 66.4% Average Insurance Premium $ 11,740.00 Average Number of Years with Continuous Liability Insurance Coverage 10.8 Most Common Deductible Amount $ 1,000.00 Total Number of Claims / Incidents Identified (Since 1998) 26 Total Number of Claims Settled (Since 1998) 14 Total Value of Claims Settled $528,637.00 Number of Respondents with Claims Pending 6 Number of Respondents Refused Insurance (Since 1998) 10 Page 1
1.0. Outdoor and Adventure Tourism Survey 1.1. Survey Questions and Answers The following section outlines all the questions that were asked in the online survey, detailed charts and tables of the responses received, and implications from the data. Do any of your products or services require a guide? Nearly 90.0% percent of the companies surveyed offer products or services that require guides. Guides Required Frequency Percent Yes 194 89.4% No 23 10.6% Total 217 100% Do you currently carry liability insurance? We have identified that 26.7% (58 respondents) of the outdoor and adventure tourism industry segment is not currently insured. The remaining 73.3% (159 respondents) currently have general liability insurance. Working in an industry with over one quarter of its businesses uninsured is a significant concern for companies that are properly insured. A major uninsured incident could have a negative impact on the entire tourism industry in Canada. This also identifies lost revenues to the insurance industry, as many companies are not paying annual premiums. Location of head office We have identified that 73.2% of the companies surveyed have their head office located in British Columbia, Alberta, or Ontario. Province Percentage Prince Edward Island 1 0.5% Quebec 1 0.5% Saskatchewan 2 0.9% Northwest Territories 2 0.9% Nunavut 2 0.9% New Brunswick 6 2.8% Newfoundland 9 4.1% Nova Scotia 9 4.1% Yukon 9 4.1% Manitoba 17 7.8% Alberta 40 18.4% Ontario 45 20.7% British Columbia 74 34.1%
The following reasons identify why the percentage of companies that responded to our survey are predominantly located in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario: Initiatives actively pursuing an insurance solution by other organizations such as Tourism Action Society in the Kootenays and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia have been underway for over two years. The distribution of our survey was done primarily via email through member associations. Members of associations that pay affiliate membership fees to TIAC would have received the message directly. Association members of organizations such as Tourism Saskatchewan would not have received the message directly from TIAC, which explains the lower response rates from certain provinces. Participation from the Province of Quebec is also low due to the AEQ Program currently in place. Supporting data from their program has been included from their 101 members. This data in no way implies that the outdoor and adventure tourism industry segment in provinces with minimal response is not significant or that those operators have no concerns in regards to their liability insurance. Location where your tourism activities take place The following table outlines the number of companies that operate in each of the Provinces, the Territories, the United States, and Other regions. The percentage shown represents the total number of companies operating in that region relative to the 217 respondents. Province Percentage Prince Edward Island 7 3.2% Saskatchewan 7 3.2% Northwest Territories 8 3.7% Nunavut 10 4.6% New Brunswick 10 4.6% Other 11 5.1% Quebec 12 5.5% United States 12 5.5% Nova Scotia 13 6.0% Newfoundland 19 8.8% Manitoba 19 8.8% Yukon 21 9.7% Ontario 52 24.0% Alberta 53 24.4% British Columbia 110 50.7% Note: All respondents were able to identify multiple regions of operation (up to 15). Page 3
Years in operation Our respondents have indicated that 68.7% of the companies in this industry segment have been in operation for more than five years. More Than Five Years 68.7% Five Years 5.5% Four Years 6.5% Three Years 6.9% Two Years 6.5% Less Than One Year 0.5% One Year 5.5% Years under current management While 68.7% of the companies have been in operation for more than five years, 61.8% have been under the same management for more than five years. Only 7.4% of the operators have been managing their companies for less than 2 years. More Than Five Years 61.8% Five Years 6.5% Less Than One Year 0.5% Four Years 8.3% Three Years 9.2% Two Years 6.9% One Year 6.9% The previous two questions identify that the industry as a whole entails experienced management that have operated their current business for multiple years.
Identify the legal type of business Corporation 58.3% Other 4.6% Sole Proprietor 22.2% Partnership 14.8% Number of employees Our survey identified that 60.8% of the companies in this industry employ less than 5 people. Based on our survey, we can conclude that 90.3% of this industry segment employs less than 20 staff. Number of Employees Percentage Less than 5 132 60.8% 5-9 41 18.9% 10-19 23 10.6% 20-29 4 1.8% 30-39 7 3.2% 40-49 2 0.9% More than 50 8 3.7% Do you employ any guides under the age of 19? Of the 217 respondents, 89.4% (173 respondents) required guides for their products or services. From the 194 that required guides, only 10.8% (21 respondents) of those companies employ guides under the age of 19. In total, 12 of the companies that responded Yes to this question operate in provinces with the majority age of 18. Do you offer any tourism activities that take place on government land? Our survey identified that 81.6% (177 respondents) of the companies in this industry offer products or services on government land. As some of the respondents may not offer tours/trips/excursions, 3.2% (7 respondents) answered Not Applicable. Page 5
Do you have a license or tenure to offer these activities on government land? Of the 177 respondents that operate on government land, we have identified that 68.4% (121 respondents) do carry a license or have tenure for their activities. An additional 12.4% identified Not Applicable for their companies, which can imply that their product or service offerings do not specifically require a license. Replacement cost of all property/assets Based on 215 replacement cost values provided by the operators, the average of all property/assets is $493,843.13. Over 65% of the operators have less than $200,000 in property/assets, which again supports that a significant percentage of the companies in this segment are small companies. $5,000,000 or More 4 $2,000,000 to $4,999,999 9 $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 15 Value of Property/Assets $900,000 to $999,999 $800,000 to $899,999 $700,000 to $799,999 $600,000 to $699,999 $500,000 to $599,999 $400,000 to $499,999 $300,000 to $399,999 $200,000 to $299,999 1 2 9 6 11 9 8 19 $100,000 to $199,999 24 $50,000 to $99,999 34 $49,999 or Less 64
Total gross revenues for 2003 Based on 208 responses identifying the company s total gross revenues for 2003 we have concluded an average gross revenue of $314,549.25 for the outdoor and adventure tourism market segment. The minimum revenue reported is $1,000.00 and the maximum is $5,500,000.00 with 69.7% earning less than $200,000.00 in total gross revenue (2003). The median average of $100,000.00 is indicative of the fact that a significant portion of the respondents earns far below the mean average. $2,000,000 or More 9 $1,000,000 to $1,999,999 7 $500,000 to $999,999 10 Gross Revenues (2003) $400,000 to $499,999 $300,000 to $399,999 $250,000 to $299,999 $200,000 to $249,999 $150,000 to $199,999 $100,000 to $149,999 6 9 12 10 15 27 $50,000 to $99,999 30 $49,999 or Less 73 Page 7
Please identify your most significant revenue generators and the percentage of total gross revenues they account for respectively. The following table identifies significant revenue generators, the number of respondents that selected them, and the average percentage of revenue received from the corresponding revenue generator. Revenue Generator Number of Respondents Average Percentage of Revenue Aviation / Aeronautics 4 29.0% Backcountry Touring 29 38.0% Ballooning 2 18.0% Bird Watching 7 9.0% Boat Tours 11 37.0% Bungee Jumping 3 28.0% Canoeing / Float Trips 40 30.0% Cat Skiing 2 5.0% Caving 2 53.0% Cross Country Skiing / Snowshoeing 18 10.0% Dog Sledding 9 28.0% Eco-cultural Tours 29 34.0% Fishing 34 51.0% Golfing 2 15.0% Hang Gliding / Para-Sailing 3 68.0% Hiking 39 27.0% Horseback Riding 17 32.0% Hunting / Outfitting 20 40.0% Ice Climbing 6 21.0% Ice Skating 1 10.0% Mountain Biking 10 31.0% Mountaineering 10 27.0% Rock Climbing 15 51.0% Sailing 2 33.0% Scuba Diving / Snorkeling 2 23.0% Sea Kayaking 31 59.0% Snowboarding / Skiing 13 37.0% Snowmobiling 12 15.0% Street Biking 6 41.0% Survival Camping 3 10.0% White Water Adventures 20 75.0% Wildlife Viewing (Land) 18 25.0% Wildlife Viewing (Marine) 5 48.0% OTHER Fixed Roof Accommodations 37 37.0% Portable Accommodations 7 15.0% Food Sales 26 17.0% Alcohol Sales 10 9.0% Equipment Rentals 43 16.0% Other 57 36.0%
In what season(s) do you operate your business? The majority of the companies in this industry operate in the spring (72.8%), summer (95.4%), and fall (77.0%), with a considerably smaller percentage operating in the winter (47.0%). 207 158 167 102 Spring Summer Fall Winter Season(s) of Operation Do you require your clients to sign releases, assumptions of risk, or waivers of liability and indemnity before using your products/services? 73.7% (160 respondents) identified Yes 9.2% (20 respondents) that identified Depends on Activity 17.1% (37 respondents) identified No If 'Yes', are these documents specifically worded for your business and its core activities? 97.8% (176 respondents) have identified that their waivers are specifically worded for their product offerings 2.2% (4 respondents) identified No Do your guides carry emergency signal devices (i.e. radios, flares, etc.)? 84.5% (164 respondents) require their guides to carry radios, flares, or other emergency signal devices 15.5% (30 respondents) identified No Do your guides carry medical safety equipment (i.e. first aid kit, etc.)? 92.8% (180 respondents) require their guides to carry medical safety equipment 7.2% (14 respondents) identified No Page 9
Total number of clients per year Our survey indicates that 74.7% of the companies operating in this industry attract less than 1,000 clients per year. Only 8.7% of the companies attract more than 5,000 clients per year. 18 47 31 44 22 8 26 10 9 2 Less Than 50 51-100 101-200 201-500 501-1000 1001-1500 1501-5000 5001-10000 10001-50000 More Than 50000 Number of Clients Per Year Please provide nationality breakdown of your clientele Canadian 56.4% American 27.6% Other 16.0% The respondents identified a total of 585,000 clients per year. Based on the above chart, we conclude that 329,940 clients are Canadian, 161,460 are American, and 93,600 are from other areas of the globe.
If applicable, enter the average number of clients per trip/tour/excursion The chart below shows that 78.8% of our respondents offer trips/tours/excursions with 10 or less clients per trip/tour/excursion. More Than 100 3 Number of Clients per Trip 51 to 100 21 to 50 11 to 20 4 14 25 10 or Less 171 What percentage of your activities is guided? The following chart shows that a significant percentage of the respondents predominantly offer guided activities. Of the 194 respondents, 148 have product offerings of which at least 75% are guided. Also worth noting is that 53% (115 respondents) identified having 100% guided product offerings. 115 10 5 1 3 3 5 0 3 1 11 0 1 0 0 4 7 2 8 13 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 65% 70% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% Percentage of Activities Guided Page 11
Please specify the number of guides per trip/tour/excursion THE FOLLOWING CHART IDENTIFIES THE NUMBER OF GUIDES REQUIRED BY THE CORRESPONDING NUMBER OF COMPANIES FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES. OVER 80% OF THE RESPONDENTS HAVE BETWEEN 1 AND 2 GUIDES FOR THEIR TRIPS/TOURS/EXCURSIONS. IN MOST CASES, THIS SHOWS THAT THE NUMBER OF CLIENTS DOES NOT OFTEN EXCEED 10 PER GUIDE (WHILE EXCEEDING THIS RATIO CAN BE PERFECTLY REASONABLE DEPENDING ON THE ACTIVITY). More Than Five Guides 11 Five Guides 2 Number of Guides Four Guides Three Guides Two Guides 7 12 63 One Guide 97 This question coupled with average number of clients per trip/tour/excursion (above) identifies a safe guide to client ratio. Do you require your guides to be certified by a recognized certification organization? 67.0% (130 respondents) require their guides to be certified 33.0% (64 respondents) identified No If 'Yes', do you keep records of certifications and licenses of guides and contractors representing your business? 86.9% (113 respondents) of the companies that identified Yes to the previous question maintain records of the certifications of their guides and contractors 13.1% (17 respondents) identified No Are your guides certified in First-Aid or CPR (i.e. Wilderness First-Aid)? 91.8% (178 respondents) require their guides to be certified in medical training 8.2% (16 respondents) identified No
If you require your employees to participate in education/training programs, how often do they update their knowledge? Our survey shows that 59.9% (129 respondents) of the companies in this industry require their employees to participate in education/training programs. Of the 129 companies that identified their training requirements, 82.2% (106 respondents) require the employees to update their training annually. 106 4 3 16 88 Monthly Quarterly Semi-Annually Annually Not Applicable Frequency of Training If the outdoor and adventure activities you offer require the use of specialized equipment, please identify whether this equipment is included in the price of the activities, rented by the clients, and/or provided by the clients themselves (please check all that apply). The respondents were able to identify one or more of the following in regards to the equipment being used for the activities: Included with Activity, Rented, or Provided by Client. The table below shows that 168 companies include equipment with the cost of the activities, 41 rent equipment at additional charges, and 61 allow the client to provide their own equipment. While four (4) companies identified that they include or rent equipment, but do not allow the client to provide their own equipment, 14 require the client to provide equipment (i.e. not included in price and do not offer rentals). Page 13
168 41 61 Included w ith Activity Rented Provided by Client Provision of Equipment Please identify which method(s) of transportation are considered to be part of the tourism experience(s) offered by your company (i.e. included in the price of the experience). Guided Non-Guided Both Guided and Non- Guided Number of Respondents (Percentage of 217 Respondents) Bus 12.9% 0.9% 2.3% Car 5.1% 2.8% 2.3% Truck 9.7% 1.4% 11.1% Van 34.1% 2.8% 3.2% Other Passenger Vehicles 5.1% 1.8% 1.8% ATV 6.5% 0.9% 1.4% Snowmobile 7.4% 0.9% 1.4% Motorcycle 0.5% 0.5% 0.9% Other Recreational Vehicles 1.8% 0.9% 0.9% Canoe 16.6% 8.3% 7.4% Fishing Boat 9.2% 4.6% 5.5% Jet Ski - 0.5% - Kayak 4.6% 4.6% 3.7% Raft 11.1% 1.4% 0.5% Sea Kayak 13.8% 1.4% 6.9% Sport Boat 2.3% 0.9% 3.2% White Water Kayak 2.3% 0.5% 1.4% Other Watercraft 10.1% 4.1% 1.4% Non-Owned Airplane 8.3% 1.4% 1.4% Owned Airplane 1.4% 0.5% 0.5% Non-Owned Helicopter 8.8% 0.9% 1.4% Owned Helicopter - 0.5% - Other Aircraft 0.5% 0.5% 0.9% Lift 3.2% 2.3% 0.5% Gondola 3.2% 1.8% 1.4%
Tram 0.9% 0.5% 0.5% Other Alternative Transportation 0.9% 0.5% 0.5% Dogs 4.1% 1.4% 0.5% Horses 9.7% 0.5% 0.5% Llamas - 0.5% - Other Wildlife 2.8% 0.5% 1.4% Alpine Skis 8.3% 1.8% 1.8% Cross Country Skis 9.7% 2.8% 3.7% Mountain Bike 8.3% 1.8% 5.1% Road Bike 3.2% 2.3% 2.8% Rollerblades 0.9% 0.9% 1.8% Other Self-Propelled Transportation 6.5% 1.4% 2.3% Current limit of general liability insurance A total of 157 companies identified their liability limit. The lowest limit carried is $50,000 and the highest limit carried is $10,000,000. Nearly 52.0% (81 respondents) identified $2,000,000 as their current liability limit. The following chart summarizes the limit amounts identified by the corresponding number of companies. 81 4 1 31 1 8 1 21 1 8 $50,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 $2,000,000 $3,000,000 $4,000,000 $5,000,000 $8,000,000 $10,000,000 Liability Limit Number of years with continuous coverage From the 159 respondents that are currently insured, we have identified the average number of years of continuous coverage to be 10.8 years. 73.7% of the respondents have identified continuous insurance coverage for more than five (5) years. This is evidence that the outdoor and Adventure Tourism segment is very well experienced in their lines of work. Amount of deductible The following chart details the differing amounts of deductibles paid by the respondents of this survey. The minimum amount is $250.00 and the maximum is $100,000.00 with $1,000.00 being the most common. Page 15
54 1 1 27 1 2 6 17 1 1 17 7 3 1 2 $250 $300 $500 $1,000 $1,200 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $3,000 $3,500 $5,000 $10,000 $25,000 $50,000 $100,000 Amount of Deductible Cost of Insurance Out of the 159 respondents that identified themselves as currently carrying liability insurance, 150 companies voluntarily provided their most recent premium amount. The minimum premium paid is $240.00, the maximum premium paid is $160,000.00, and the average premium paid is $11,740.45. The total premium amount for the 150 companies is $1,761,067.00, which equates to $1,866,731.02 for 159 companies (those that are currently insured), or $2,547,676.93 for 217 companies. Based on this sample of 217 companies, this represents total lost potential revenue to the insurance industry of approximately $681,000.00 in premium per year. Based on the premiums recorded in this survey we conclude that 27% (41 respondents) pay $2,000.00 or less, 55% (83 respondents) pay premiums of $5,000.00 or less, while 80% (120 respondents) pay less than the average of $11,740.45. This evidence supports the requirement of a low minimum premium or no minimum premium policy for the smaller operators. Please indicate how satisfied you are with your current general liability insurance policy: Too Low Reasonable Too High Don't Know Coverage Limits 18.9% 67.9% 7.5% 5.7% Breadth of Coverage 26.4% 65.4% 0.6% 7.5% Premiums 0.6% 15.1% 80.3% 3.8% Deductibles 1.3% 57.9% 27.7% 13.2% These satisfaction questions identify that the operators are relatively satisfied with the coverage limits and breadth of coverage, while they are dissatisfied with the premium amounts and deductible amounts. Claims and Incidents history Our respondents identified a total of 26 incidents of which 14 have been settled. The 14 settled claims are from 10 different companies with a minimum claim amount of $2,000.00 and a maximum claim amount of $200,000.00. The average value of the settled claims is $37,760.00. Claim Amounts $2,000 $2,900 $4,000 $4,000 $7,000 $9,000 $20,000 $25,000
$30,000 $35,546 $38,371 $50,820 $100,000 $200,000 Number of Claims 14 Total Claims $528,637 Average Value Per Claim $37,760 Page 17
The following chart shows the total number of claims/incidents per year since 1998 identified by our survey. Excluding 2004, the average number of claims/incidents per year is 4.16. Number of Claims / Incidents 5 6 4 5 3 2 1 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year of Claims / Incidents Do you have any claims pending? 97.2% (211 respondents) have no pending claims 2.8% (6 respondents) identified Yes Based on the previous question, we would conclude that these claims are part of the incidents that have been identified in the TIAC survey, but had no settlement amounts associated with them. Since 1998, has any insurance company or underwriter cancelled or refused to renew your general liability insurance due to your claims history? 95.4% (207 respondents) said that they have never been refused insurance due to their claims history 4.6% (10 respondents) identified Yes Many companies have reported that insurance brokers are not willing to insure their business due to the activities they offer, however, this is not directly related to their claims history. Please identify any Regional, Provincial, or National Clubs or Associations of which your company is a member: In order to learn from other businesses, participate in events, market their businesses, and be a part of the community, the respondents of our survey have identified well over 100 clubs, associations, and organizations of which they are members. Please refer to Section 4.5 Associations and Travel Organizations in the Appendix for an inconclusive list of these groups.