Dr. Nicole L. VaugeoisBC Regional Innovation Chair in

Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development

Presentation to the Qualicum Beach and Parksville Chambers of Commerce Meeting, May 16, 2012

My messages

What is the tourism “product”?

What does that mean for destination development?

The visitor experience unveiled…

Suggestions along route…

They key ingredient moving forward.

What is the tourism “product”Most destinations spend most of

their time and money selling destinations.

Most visitors spend most of their time and money seeking amazing

experiences.

Suggestion #1Stop thinking about destination development

and begin thinking about visitor experience development.

You’ll need to know… how is the experience manufactured?

A bit about the visitor experience

It is an intangible productCan’t see it, touch it, taste it prior to;Can’t test it out prior to purchase;Have to rely on information from credible sources;It is difficult to produce consistently;It is produced and consumed at the same time;It takes place in more than one destination;It starts before the actual experience and continues long

after…

Five stages of visitor experience1. Anticipation and planning2. Travel to the destination(s)3. On site experiences4. Travel home5. Recollection

Most trips are not “single destination” trips…Most destinations spend

most of their time and money promoting what can happen AT their destination;

Most visitors spend most of their time and money trying to maximize the experience at all stages and in all destinations.

Five destination patterns…Single destination pattern

Stewart and Vogt, 1996

En route pattern

Base camp pattern

Regional tour pattern

Trip chaining pattern

Some useful information…Origins are linked to

travel patterns…Those from further

away tend to do regional or trip chaining patterns

Those from closer regions tend to make single or en route patterns

And to time of year…Regional tour

patterns are more common in spring and summer

Single, base camp and chaining patters are more common in the fall

En route trips equally likely in summer or fall.Stewart and Vogt, 1996

Suggestion #2Find out -

What are the travel patterns of your key markets?

What other destinations are part of the overall visitor experience for these markets? Are you collaborating with them?

Why are they choosing your destination – what part of their overall experience are you responsible for satisfying for them?

Think beyond business and pleasure…Five motives of travelers

for visiting more than one destination…To satisfy the

heterogeneity of preferences;

To visit family and friendsTo find varietyTo reduce the risk of

being dissatisfied with the vacation; and

To increase travel efficiency by visiting as many destinations that interest them during one trip.

(Leu, Crompton and Fessenmaier, 1993)

Suggestion #3Find out what motivates your visitors AND

then make sure that you are holding up your end in the delivery of that experience.

We all need more information…How do visitors cluster together destinations

when they are constructing their experience?By transportation routes?By similar experiences (i.e. golf courses)?Or by differences (seeking variety)?

How do jurisdictional boundaries impact visitor experience?

Do multi destination trips require different planning tools? Are we providing enough information to support the creation of these experiences?

Satisfying visitors requires collaboration

In Cluster developmentBusiness clusters to provide options for visitors, collective

capacity, and to enhance attractivenessIn Product development

Identification of gaps for positive visitor experiences, and collective effort to fill those;

In MessagingTo communicate the full nature of the experience continuum

with other destinations;In Guiding en route

To direct visitors en route to ensure they can access the experiences they seek;

And in delivery…To produce optimal experiences along each contact point.

Big Question is…How can multiple

destinations begin to collaborate

within the system to provide high

quality and seamless visitor experiences on a consistent basis?

Suggestion #4Continue the pattern

of collaboration between organizations within the region…Focus on what you

share in common and enjoy the ripple effects

The benefits are across a few fences…

Regional thinking is what all economists argue for but there are few long term working examples –

You are pioneers and you have few to turn to for example

You will hit fences (politics, divergent thinking, challenging relationships, new ideas…)

It’s about the visitor.

Back to the five stages of visitor experience1. Anticipation and planning2. Travel to the destination(s)3. On site experiences4. Travel home5. Recollection

You can ask…

•Who is involved in satisfying each stage of the experience continuum?

•Are your visitors being supported at each stage?

•How can you work with other destinations to improve the on site experience?

Summary of suggestions…Stop thinking about

destination development and begin thinking about visitor experience.

Find out – about your visitors (travel patterns, other destinations, what they expect when with you)

Find out what motivates your visitors AND then make sure that you are holding up your end in the delivery of that experience.

Continue the pattern of collaboration between organizations within the region…

Nicole L. Vaugeois, PhDBC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and

Sustainable Rural DevelopmentVancouver Island University250-753-3245 Local 1-2772

Nicole.vaugeois@viu.caFollow my Blog

http://ruraltourismdevelopment.blogspot.ca/

ReferencesBC – Ministry of Jobs Tourism and Innovation (2011)

Gaining the Edge Tourism Strategy.Canadian Tourism Commission – Traveler Types EQLeu, C., J. L. Crompton and D.R. Fesenmaier (1993)

Conceptualization of multi destination Pleasure trips. Annals of Tourism Research. 20:289-301.

Stewart, S and Vogt, C. (1996). Multi-Destination Trip Patterns. Research Notes and Reports. P- 458-460

Stewart and Vogt (1999). A Case Based Approach to Vacation Planning. Leisure Sciences 21:79-95

Tourism Australia (2010). Experience Development Strategies