Dr. Nicole L. Vaugeois BC 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 #1 Stop 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 product Can’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 experience 1. Anticipation and planning 2. Travel to the destination(s) 3. On site experiences 4. Travel home 5. 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 Parksville Hotel Dinner Rest Stop Home Stewart and Vogt, 1996

En route pattern Scenic overlook Victoria Relatives house shopping Nanaimo Beach Craft shops Qualicum

Base camp pattern ParksvilleCoombsNanaimoQualicum Port Alberni

Regional tour pattern VancouverVictoriaNanaimo Qualicum/ Parksville Gulf Islands

Trip chaining pattern Oregon Washington BC Alaska Alberta

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 #2 Find 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 friends To find variety To 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 #3 Find 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 development Business clusters to provide options for visitors, collective capacity, and to enhance attractiveness In Product development Identification of gaps for positive visitor experiences, and collective effort to fill those; In Messaging To 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 #4 Continue 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 experience 1. Anticipation and planning 2. Travel to the destination(s) 3. On site experiences 4. Travel home 5. 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, PhD BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development Vancouver Island University Local Follow my Blog

References BC – Ministry of Jobs Tourism and Innovation (2011) Gaining the Edge Tourism Strategy.Gaining the Edge Tourism Strategy. Canadian Tourism Commission – Traveler Types EQTraveler Types EQ Leu, C., J. L. Crompton and D.R. Fesenmaier (1993) Conceptualization of multi destination Pleasure trips. Annals of Tourism Research. 20: Stewart, S and Vogt, C. (1996). Multi-Destination Trip Patterns. Research Notes and Reports. P Multi-Destination Trip Patterns. Research Notes and Reports Stewart and Vogt (1999). A Case Based Approach to Vacation Planning. Leisure Sciences 21:79-95A Case Based Approach to Vacation Planning. Tourism Australia (2010). Experience Development StrategiesExperience Development Strategies