Byron Shire Visitor Profi le and Satisfaction Report: Summary and Discussion of ResultsIntroductionTheByronShireVisitorProfileandSatisfaction(VPS)projectwascompletedaspartoftheDestinationVisitorSurveyProgram(DVS)runbyTourismResearchAustralia(TRA),withintheDepartmentofResources,EnergyandTourism.

ThisprojectwasundertakenbyTRA—inpartnershipwithByronShireCouncilandDestinationNewSouthWales—togainabetterunderstandingofvisitorstotheregion,includingtheirmotivationsandsatisfactionwiththeirvisittotheByronShire.Thisincludesprovidingmorereliableanddetailedinformationontheregiontoassistwithdestinationmanagementincludingplanning,developmentandmarketing.

MethodTheByronShireVPSprojectwasconductedintheByronShireduringApril,MayandJune2011.Twowavesofface-to-faceinterviewswereconducted:thefirstinmidAprilduringtheNewSouthWalesandQueenslandschoolholidaysandthesecondinearlyJune.Theresearchwasconductedovertwoperiodstocapturepeakandoff-peakvisitationwhichhasresultedintwodistinctvisitorprofiles.Thesedifferenceswillbediscussedinthesummary.Itshouldalsobenotedthatthisisasnapshotofaspecifictimeoftheyearwhichneedstobetakenintoaccountwhenconsideringtheresultsandinsubsequentdiscussionsandplanning.

Since2006,76VPSprojectshavebeencompletedinAustralianregionaltouristdestinations.DatafromtheseprojectshavebeencollatedtoestablishtheVPSBenchmarkDatabase.

Benchmarksaretheaverageofall(unweighted)VPSdestinationprojectswithatleast50respondents.Somedestinationsaresurveyedduringdifferenttimesoftheyearinordertocaptureabroaderrangeofvisitors.Inthisevent,onlythemostrecentresearchforthedestinationisincluded.ComparisonsagainstVPSbenchmarksaremadethroughoutthissummary.

Visitor and trip characteristicsAsdiscussedthesurveysamplewascollectedintwowaves,with58%ofthesamplefromthefirstwaveand42%fromthesecondwave.Thekeycharacteristicsofthesurveysamplewereasfollows:

• Themajorityofvisitors(80%)visitedtheregionforholiday/leisurepurposes(includestravelforentertainment),with15%visitingfriendsand/orrelatives(VFR).

• Thehighestproportionofvisitorswasinthefamilylifestage(39%),withafurther18%intheolderworkingsingles/coupleslifestage,16%intheyoung/midlifesingleswithnochildrenlifestageand15%intheyoung/midlifecoupleswithnokidslifestage.Theproportionintheyoung/midlifeandfamilylifestageswereabovetheVPSbenchmarks.

• Therewerethreedistincttravelparties–35%travelledwiththeirpartner,30%withtheirfriendsand/orrelativesand26%withtheirimmediatefamilies.

• Threequarters(76%)ofvisitorsweretravellingdomestically.About44%ofdomesticvisitorswerefromQueensland,32%fromNewSouthWalesand17%fromVictoria.

• ThehighestproportionsofinternationalvisitorswerefromNewZealand(18%),NorthAmerica(16%),UK(16%),Scandinavia(10%)andGermany(9%).

• Comparingwaves,thehigherproportionofvisitorsinWave1wereinthefamilylifestage(42%)withvisitorstravellingwiththeirfriendsand/orrelatives(32%),immediatefamily(29%)orpartner(28%).IncontrastthehighestproportionofvisitorsinWave2wereintheolderworking/nonworkinglifestages(41%)and45%weretravellingwiththeirpartner.

• Aboutsevenintenvisitors(71%)wererepeatvisitors–asimilarproportiontotheVPSbenchmark.TherewasaslightlyhigherproportionofrepeatvisitorsinWave2(74%)comparedwithWave1(69%).

• Athirdofallvisitorsplannedmorethanthreemonthsinadvance,with20%planningonetothreemonthsinadvance.ThiswasdrivenbyWave1visitorswith37%bookingmorethanthreemonthsinadvancecomparedwith26%forWave2.

• Theinternetwasthemostpopularinformationsourcewith65%usingtheinternettoobtaininformationfortheirtrip.About36%usedtheinternetonly1forinformationand29%useditincombinationwithothersourcesliketravelguidebooksandvisitorinformationcentres.

• Theinternetwasalsothemostpopularsourceforbookingwith51%ofvisitorsbookingonline.• Accommodationoperatorsites,thirdpartyaccommodationsitesandairlinesiteswerethemostcommonsitesusedforinformationandbooking.Accommodationoperatorsiteswereconsideredthemostuseful.

• Seventytwopercentofvisitorstotheregionwereselfdrive,with15%travellingbyairtransportand11%bybusorcoach.Morethanathird(36%)ofinternationalvisitorstravelledtotheregionbybus/coach.

• About79%ofvisitorsstoppedovernightintheByronShireand21%wereonadayvisit.• AhigherproportionofvisitorsinWave1wereonanovernighttrip(86%)comparedwithWave2(68%).OvernightvisitorsinWave1alsostayedlonger(median=fournights)thanthosein Wave2(median=twonights).

• Themediannumberofstopsintheregionwastwo-90%ofvisitorsstoppedinByronBay,32%inBangalow,31%inBrunswickHeadsand28%inMullumbimby.

• Thehighestproportionofvisitorswhostoppedinthesetownsstoppedonadaytrip,withtheexceptionofByronBay.

• Nearlyallvisitors(96%)whostoppedovernightintheregiononlystoppedinonetownintheregionwith70%ofovernightstopsintheregioninByronBay.

• Overafifthofvisitors(23%)stayedinarentedhouse/apartment,21%inacommercialcaravanorcampinggroundand18%inabackpackers–theproportionsinarentedhouse/apartmentandbackpackersweregreaterthantheVPSbenchmarks.

Motivations for visiting the Byron ShireThemostcommonreasonsforchoosingtovisittheByronShirewerethevariety of things to see and do(30%);andbecauseit’s a great place for a family holiday(23%),a great place to holiday with friends(23%)anda great place to spend time with your partner (21%).Thesinglemostimportantreasonwastovisit specific attractions(29%).

Comparingthemainreasonsbetweenwaves,themainreasonforvisitingtheregionforWave1visitorswasbecauseit’s a great place for a family holidaywithasignificantlyhigherproportionvisitingtheregionforthatreason(29%comparedwith15%inWave2).IncontrastthemainreasonforvisitingforWave2visitorswasthe variety of things to see and do(35%comparedwith26%forWave1).

ThemajorityofvisitorstotheByronShireexpectedarangeofexperiences,withvisitors’expectationsfortheseexperiencessimilartoorabovetheVPSbenchmarks.Thisincluded:

• Relaxation and rejuvenation(88%;12percentagepointsabovetheVPSbenchmark)• Spend quality time with partner/family/friends(87%;15pointsabove)

1 Couldbeincombinationwithpreviousvisitsand/orfriendsand/orrelativesrecommendations.

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• Nature based experiences (80%;23pointsabove)• Tour around and explore(79%;3pointsabove)• Market experience(66%;notbenchmarked)• Food and wine experience(63%;18pointsabove)• Surfing experience(61%;notbenchmarked)• Good shopping(58%;22pointsabove)• Enjoyable entertainment and night life (56%;36pointsabove)• Discover and learn something new (54%;1pointbelow)• An adventure (54%;8pointsabove)• Experience arts or culture (54%;17pointsabove)• Luxury and indulgence(51%;12pointsabove).

Justunderhalfofvisitors(46%)alsoexpectedsomething for the kids to enjoy,14pointsabovetheVPSbenchmark.Comparingwaves,althoughtheproportionofvisitorsexpectingmanyoftheexperienceswerehigherinWave2thanWave1,thedifferenceswerenotsignificant.Theexceptionwasamarket experiencewith77%ofWave2visitorsexpectingthisexperiencecomparedwith58%inWave1.

TheonlyexperiencewhereexpectationswerebetterthanexpectedwhencomparedwiththeVPSbenchmarkwasenjoyable nightlife and entertainment.Inregionswithhighproportionsofrepeatvisitors,itisgenerallyhardertoexceedexpectations.

ThemotivationsandexpectationsoftheByronShirewerereflectedintheactivitiesvisitorsundertookwhileintheregion.Thetopfiveactivitiesweregeneral sightseeing(79%),going to the beach(76%),eating out (76%),going shopping(65%)andgoing to the markets(54%);withtheproportionofvisitorsundertakingtheseactivitiesgreaterthantheVPSbenchmarks.Ahigherproportionofvisitorsalsovisited friends and relatives (26%)andundertook water activities(17%)comparedwiththebenchmarks.Therewerenosignificantdifferencesintheseactivitiesbetweenwaves.

Satisfaction with the Byron ShireThefigurebelowshowswheretheByronShireranksinoverallsatisfactioncomparedtoallotherparticipatingVPSdestinations.About44%ofvisitorswerevery satisfiedwiththeByronShire,sevenpointsbelowtheVPSbenchmarkof51%.Whencomparingwaves,46%ofWave2visitorswere very satisfiedcomparedwith42%ofWave1visitors.

WhencomparingNET2satisfactionbetweenVPSdestinations,theresultfortheByronShireismuchmorepositive.About87%ofvisitorsweresatisfiedwiththeirvisittotheByronShire,asimilarproportiontotheVPSbenchmark(86%).

2 Resultsfor‘Very satisfied’and‘Fairly satisfied’visitorscombined

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Astatisticalanalysisshowedtherewerethreekeydriversofoverallsatisfaction:

• Local atmosphere(89%NETsatisfied;57%verysatisfied)• Variety of things to see and do(86%;45%)• Attractions(80%;38%).

Withtheexceptionoflocal atmosphere,theproportionsforeachkeydriverweresimilartoorlessthantheVPSbenchmarksforNETsatisfiedandvery satisfied.TheonlyotherattributeswheretherewereahigherproportionofvisitorssatisfiedcomparedwiththeVPSbenchmarkswerefood and beverageandentertainment/nightlife.

TherewereanumberoffunctionalattributesofthetripthatscoredbelowtheVPSbenchmarksintermsofsatisfactionincludingattractions,commercialaccommodation,customerservice,friendlinessofthelocals,informationservices,localtransport,parking,personalsafetyandsecurity,publictoilets,roads,signage,toursandvalueformoney.

Therewerefourattributesparticularlythathadhighlevelsofdissatisfactionwithopenendedcommentshighlightingsomeissues.Theseincluded:

• Parking–27%dissatisfied–issueswerenotedaroundthecostofparking,lackofparkingandsignageaboutparking

• Level of local traffic in Byron Bay–25%dissatisfied–issuesweremainlyaroundtrafficcongestioninByronBayingeneral

• Public toilets–17%dissatisfied–issuesweremainlyaroundthecleanlinessofthetoilets• Local roads–15%dissatisfied–issueswerenotedaroundthegeneralstateoftheroads.

Overall,thesurveyresultsshowthatvisitorsweregenerallyhappywiththelocalatmosphereintheByronShire.Theregionoffersavarietyofthingstoseeanddoincludingarangeofexperiencesaroundthebeachandnaturalenvironment,goodshoppingandmarkets,greatfoodandenjoyablenightlifeandentertainment.Theseexperiencesalongwithitbeingagreatplacetorelax,indulgeandspendtimewithotherswerethemainmotivatorsforvisitingtheregion.

RecommendationsDespitethereasonableoverallsatisfactionscore,thereisscopetoimproveofferings(includingquality)aroundarangeofexperiencesandattributes.Thisisparticularlyimportantiftheregion’sfocusistoattractmorefirst-timevisitorstotheregion.Thelocalindustryshouldconsiderdiversifying,reinvigoratinganddevelopingtheirproductsandservicessoastoremaincompetitivebothdomesticallyandinternationally.Thefollowingrecommendationsaremadeforfurtherconsiderationtoassistthelocalindustrywithimprovingtheregion’sproductivecapacity.

1.Stimulatingconsumerdemand• AkeystrengthoftheByronShireisthevarietyofthingstoseeanddoduetothevastrangeofexperiencesonofferintheregion.Thisshouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhenmarketingtheregionandincreasingbothfirsttimeandrepeatvisitation.

2.Improvingproductandservicedelivery• Theinternetisakeysourceforinformationandforbookingbeforeavisitors’trip.Thelocalindustryshouldbeencouragedtobecomemoreproficientindigitalmarketinganddistribution,ensuringvisitorscanaccessinformationontheregioneasilyonline.

• Encouragingvisitorstodisperseacrosstheentireregionisveryimportant,withimprovedvisitorinformationservices,signageandroadsonewayofachievingthis.

• Deliveringqualitytourismexperiencesismorethanjustdeliveryofthetourismproduct.Thedeliveryneedstoencompassallfactorsthatcontributetothewholevisitorexperienceincludingaccessibility,supportinginfrastructure,servicesandamenities,qualityservicedeliveryaswellasthenaturalorurbanenvironment.

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ThisworkislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution3.0Australialicence.Totheextentthatcopyrightsubsistsinthirdpartyquotesanddiagramsitremainswiththeoriginalownerandpermissionmayberequiredtoreusethematerial.

ThisworkshouldbeattributedasByron Shire Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report: Summary and Discussion of Results,TourismResearchAustralia,Canberra.

EnquiriesregardingthelicenceandanyuseofworkbyTourismResearchAustraliaarewelcomeattourism.research@ret.gov.au

3.Productdevelopmentanddiversification• Thereisawiderangeofexperiencesonofferintheregionaroundnature,foodandwineandartandculture(includingthingsforthekidstodo).Thisgivesvisitorstheopportunitytorelax,indulgeandspendtimewithothers.Futuretourismdevelopmentaimedattheseexperiencesshouldbesympathetictothekeycharacteristicsoftheregion.

• Consideradaptingtourismproductsandexperiencestorespondtotheeverchangingcompetitiveenvironmentparticularlyaroundchangingconsumerattitudesandtravelbehaviour.

TourismResearchAustralia DepartmentofResources,EnergyandTourism GPOBox1564 CanberraACT2601 ABN:46252861927

Phone:(02)62437745 Email:tourism.research@ret.gov.au Web:www.ret.gov.au/tra

Image:BrunswickHeadsKitesandBikesFestival Courtesyof:NorthernRiversTourism

Publicationdate:October2011