1. Tourism Vancouver Island Destination Advertising Evaluation
BC and Alberta Markets: Pre-Campaign Research 2017
Final Report
May 2017

2. For more information, contact:
David Thexton President ext.231
Lune Yee Vice President ext.234
Insignia Marketing Research Inc.
The findings reported herein are provided on a confidential basis to Tourism Vancouver Island. Tourism Vancouver Island is free to use the findings in whatever manner it chooses, including releasing them to their travel and tourism industry stakeholders and partners and/or media.
Insignia Marketing Research Inc. subscribes to the standards of the World Association of Opinion and Marketing Research Professionals (ESOMAR). ESOMAR sets minimum disclosure standards for studies that are released to the public or the media. The purpose is to maintain the integrity of market research by avoiding misleading interpretations. If you are considering the dissemination of the findings, please consult with us regarding the form and content of publication. ESOMAR standards require us to correct any misinterpretation.
May, 2017

3. Table of Contents Background Research Objectives Methodology3
Background
Research Objectives
Methodology
Detailed Findings
Past Travel to Vancouver Island
Future Travel to Vancouver Island
Perceptions of Vancouver Island
Advertising Awareness
5. Appendix

4. Background
Tourism Vancouver Island launched its FY’18 campaign in Alberta and British Columbia. The goal is to increase awareness of, intention to visit and actual visitation to Vancouver Island. The campaign runs in two flights:
Spring campaign - runs from April 24, 2017 through to June 30, 2017.
Fall campaign - runs from mid August to end October, 2017
Tourism Vancouver Island engaged Insignia Marketing Research Inc. to measure travel intentions and advertising (campaign) awareness in the Alberta and B.C. market in both the pre- and post-campaign stages.
The outcome from this research will be used as a performance measurement tool to provide Tourism Vancouver Island with insight into the overall effectiveness of the program as well as strategic advice for improving and better leveraging future campaigns.

5. Research Objectives
The overall objective of this research is to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and to provide Tourism Vancouver Island with suggestions on how to improve the campaign moving forward, as well as to provide benchmark data for future waves.
The research was to determine:
Level of awareness of Vancouver Island as a travel destination and travel intention;
Proven recall of each specific execution;
Whether the campaign has had a positive impact on the market in terms of generating both short term travel and future travel intent;
The extent to which the campaign has moved prospects down the Path to Purchase;
The ROI (return on investment) of the campaign; and
Ideas and direction on improving the campaign moving forward.
The research is being conducted in 3 waves. The results are compared to last year’s fall post-campaign survey where applicable.
Pre-wave survey:
Assessing destination awareness, intention to travel, etc. prior to the campaign. To provide a benchmark for the post-campaign measures
TVI spring campaign (April 24, 2017 to June 30, 2017)
High tourism season (July, August 2017)
TVI fall campaign (mid Aug to end Oct 2017)
Post-wave survey:
Measuring campaign recall immediately after the campaign has ended, with results compared to the pre-wave measures
Fall Travel season (November, December 2017)
Conversion follow up survey:
The conversion survey would be undertaken 3 months after the post-wave to measure behaviour change (i.e., actually travelled or created a firm future booking)

6. Methodology
This report focusses on the pre-wave research of the FY’18 campaign.
The pre-wave survey was conducted via a national online panel operated by Research Now from April 5 to 21, 2017, prior to the campaign start.
Respondents met the following criteria:
Age 45+
With household income $75k+
Residents of Alberta and British Columbia.
All have taken a leisure trip in the past 12 months. A leisure trip was defined as “out of town trips of one or more nights for the purpose of visiting friends and/or relatives, for pleasure, vacation or holiday, or for personal reasons such as travel to attend sporting events or weddings, and trips where you combine business with a pleasure trip.”
A total of n=1,006 interviews were conducted.
Sample quotas by age, gender and geographical location were set to align with the population in Alberta and BC and the FY’17 post- campaign surveys.
Data weighting: to analyze the total market (all three origin regions) Alberta, BC Mainland and Vancouver Island were weighted to reflect true population distribution of the target markets.

7. A Note on Significant Testing
Unless otherwise indicated, throughout the report the following symbols are used to indicate significant differences at a 90% confidence level:
Significantly higher than the Total
Significantly lower than the Total
Significantly higher than the FY’17 fall post-wave result
Significantly lower than the FY’17 fall post-wave result

8. Highlights Positive Momentum Prior to This Year’s Campaign
Likelihood of visiting Vancouver Island has strengthened from last fall—32%, up from 28%.
Although to some degree this could reflect a seasonal bias (interest being higher prior to high season than prior to low season) it is in a positive direction.
The Path to Purchase results are also positive—50% at the Seriously Consider stage and beyond for a Vancouver Island visit, up from 44% last fall.
With so many at the Consider stage or already into early trip planning, the goal of advertising is clearly to push interested travellers to make the commitment to vacation on the Island this year.
Unaided awareness of recent vacation advertising for Vancouver Island is also building from the fall wave—now at 35% up from 27%.
Inspiration Remains The Same
The campaign themes that resonate best with the prospective market have not changed appreciably since the fall wave. They are:
General Nature (both beautiful nature and relaxing environment)
Gardens (beautiful gardens)
Accommodation (good variety)
Wildlife (mainly whale watching)
Outdoor activities (mainly hiking, activities in protected areas)
Sip & Savour (more excellent dining than great wineries focused)
The emotional drivers that resonate best are also unchanged from the fall:
Relaxing and unwinding
Connecting with nature
Experiencing a lifestyle closely connected with nature
Uplifting and inspiring takeaway from the environment and lifestyle.

9. Past Travel to Vancouver Island1
Past Travel to Vancouver Island

10. Destinations Visited in the Past 12 Months
B.C. remains the single most popular popular destination—visited by as many as 65% of the target market in the past 12 months. Albertans are almost equally likely to vacation in B.C. as in their own province. All three regions, then, continue to be significant sources of visitors.
Post-Wave Fall FY’17 79 59 39 18 12 5 4 3 2 1 63 43
Destinations Visited in the Past 12 Months
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403)
(200)
Canada (Net) 82 85 79 81
British Columbia 65 57 70 74 42 60 31 25
Ontario 16 15 19
Saskatchewan 11 17 8 4
Manitoba 6
Quebec 5 3
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island 2 1
New Brunswick
Newfoundland & Labrador
Yukon
Northwest Territories * -
Other
US (Net) 61 56 64
Other (Net) 41 37 45 43
Base: All respondents (n=1006) * Less than 0.5%
Q.3a During the past 12 months, which of the following countries or destinations did you visit for leisure and stay at least one night, if any? Please select as many as apply.
Q.3b Which of the following provinces/territories did you visit during the past 12 months? Please select as many as apply.

11. B.C. Destinations Visited in the Past 12 Months
As expected, Vancouver is the most popular B.C. region visited, but Vancouver Island does well too—with visits almost equal to Vancouver. This is similar to last fall.
B.C. Destinations Visited in the Past 12 Months
Total Travellers
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403)
(200)
B.C. Destinations Visited in the Past 12 Months
British Columbia (Net) 65 57 70 74
Vancouver 30 23 33 43
Kelowna 19 18 20 17
Victoria 13 27 10
Kootenay Rockies 16 9
Thompson Okanagan 14 11 12
South Okanagan
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains 6
Kamloops
Whistler 3 5
Richmond 7 4
Northern BC
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast 1 8
Gulf Islands
Other
Vancouver Island (Net) 28 31 47
Post-Wave Fall FY’17 59 25 18 16 14 13 11 12 10 7 6 5 4 1
Net Vancouver Island: 28% vs. 26% (fall post-wave)
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.3c On those trips to British Columbia in the past 12 months, which regions or cities in British Columbia did you visit? Please select as many as apply

12. Past Travel to Vancouver Island
The vast majority from Alberta and the B.C. Mainland have visited Vancouver Island before. That means that virtually all will have some familiarity with the Island. These results are similar to the fall wave.
The core strategy, then, should be to bring back past visitors as opposed to a first timer focus.
Past Travel to Vancouver Island
Post-wave Fall FY’17 36 12 23 21
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403)
(200)
Ever visited Vancouver Island 93 87 98
When Visited?
Within past 12 months 40 24 43 82
1-2 years ago 13 10 16 6
2-5 years ago 17 19 18 7
Over 5 years 34 21 4
Ever visited--93% vs.
92% (fall)
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.16a. Have you ever previously visited Vancouver Island on a leisure trip?
Q.16b. When did you last visit Vancouver Island on a leisure trip?

13. Details on Last Trip to Vancouver Island – Month Visited
The preferred season of travel to Vancouver Island is quite broad—especially for Island residents. Core travel months are March to August for V.I. residents, May to September for B.C. Mainland and Alberta residents.
Among Those Who Took a Trip to Vancouver Island in the Past 5 Years
Month Visited Vancouver Island
63%
(-10% fall)
71%
(-- fall)
62%
(-11% fall)
52%
(-8% fall)
Total (n=716)
Alberta (n=215)
BC Mainland (n=311)
Vancouver Island (n=190)
Base: Among those who visited Vancouver Island within past 5 years
Bracketed numbers are changes from flight #1 (May-Sept).
Q.17a Thinking about the most recent trip you took to Vancouver Island for leisure during the past 5 years, in which month did you take that trip?

14. # of Nights Spent in Vancouver Island
Details on Last Trip to Vancouver Island – Number of Nights in Vancouver Island
Among recent Island visitors, most nights away from home are spent on Vancouver Island. In other words, the Island was a primary trip destination, not a stopover on a mainland focused journey. Again, as noted last fall, this confirms that the Island can be positioned as a stand alone destination.
Among Those Who Took a Trip to Vancouver Island in the Past 5 Years
Total # of nights away from home:
Avg. # of nights in Vancouver Island:
# of Nights Spent in Vancouver Island
Total (n=716)
Alberta (n=215)
BC Mainland (n=311)
Vancouver Island (n=190)
Base: Among those who visited Vancouver Island within past 5 years
Q.17b How many nights did you spend away from home?
Q.17c How many nights did you spend in Vancouver Island ? .

15. Details on Last Trip to Vancouver Island – Regions Spent at Least One Night
Alberta residents heading to the Island often had a stopover in Vancouver (27%) and/or Kamloops (19%). B.C. Mainland and Island residents all focused their time on Vancouver Island.
Among Those Who Took a Trip to Vancouver Island in the Past 5 Years
Regions spent at least one night
Post-wave Fall FY’17
(720) 52 19 6 10 8 5 7 4 3 2 1 *
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(716) %
(215)
(311)
(190)
Only in Vancouver Island 50 37 57
Vancouver 21 27 19
Kamloops 9 5 6
Kelowna 15
Washington State 7 4 8 12
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains
Whistler 3
Thompson Okanagan 10
Kootenay Rockies
The Alberta Rockies 1
Calgary and area
South Okanagan 2
Edmonton and area
Other Canadian provinces/territories
Richmond
Northern BC
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
Southern Alberta
Central Alberta -
Northern Alberta
Other
Base: Among those who visited Vancouver Island within past 5 years (n=716)
Q.17d What other regions did you spend at least one night on that trip, if any? Please select as many as apply.

16. Likelihood to Recommend Vancouver Island
Two-thirds of past visitors say they are very likely to recommend Vancouver Island to others. Only 10% would be unlikely to recommend, so the net promoter score is a solid 55%--similar scores among past visitors from Alberta and B.C. %
65% Promoters
25% Passives
Net Promoter Score: 55%
Alberta: 52%
BC Mainland: 50%
Vancouver Island: 88%
10% Detractors
Base: Among those who visited Vancouver Island within past 5 years (n=716) *Less than 0.5%.
Q18c. [ASK IF TAKEN A TRIP TO Vancouver island IN PAST 5 YEARS I.E., [CODE 5,6 OR 7] CHECKED AT Q.3C OR CODE 1,2,3 AT Q.16b] How likely are you to recommend Vancouver Island to family/friends as a place to visit? Please use a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 indicates “Extremely likely” and 0 indicates “Not at all likely”

17. Future Travel to Vancouver Island2
Future Travel to Vancouver Island

18. Destinations Likely to Visit in the Next 12 Months
B.C. continues to be the single most popular destination for next 12 month leisure travel among residents of all three regions.
Post-wave Fall FY’17 65 51 36 18 11 5 2 3 * 69 52
Top 10 Destinations Very Likely to Visit in the Next 12 Months
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403)
(200)
Canada (Net) 74 75 72
British Columbia 60 59 61 64 39 50 32
Ontario 20 21 18 27
Saskatchewan 13 10
Nova Scotia 8 7 9
Manitoba
Quebec
Newfoundland & Labrador 5
Prince Edward Island 4 6
New Brunswick
Yukon 3
Northwest Territories 2 1
Nunavut * -
Other
US (Net) 65 66 68
Other (Net) 51 46 54 56
Base: All respondents (n=1006) * Less than 0.5%
Q.4a. Which of the following countries or destinations would you be very likely to visit in the next 12 months for leisure and will stay for at least one night, if any? Please select as many as apply.
Q.4b Which of the following provinces/territories would you be very likely to visit in the next 12 months? Please select as many as apply.

19. B.C. Destinations Likely to Visit in the Next 12 Months
Very likely to visit Vancouver Island are 32%, up from 28% last fall. By market, the growth in interest is primarily among Vancouver Island residents (+13%) themselves, with some gain from Alberta and B.C. Mainland (each +3%).
B.C. Destinations Very Likely to Visit in the Next 12 Months
Total Travellers
Post-Wave Fall FY’17 51 22 17 19 18 13 14 15 10 7 6 5 1
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403) %
(403)
(200)
B.C. Destinations Very Likely to Visit in the Next 12 Months
British Columbia (Net) 60 59 61 64
Vancouver 28 26 40 20 15 37
Victoria 17 25
Kelowna 19 18
Kootenay Rockies 21 10
Thompson Okanagan 16 13 14
South Okanagan 11
Vancouver, Coast and Mountains 8
Whistler 6 7
Kamloops 12
Northern BC 4 9
Gulf Islands 5
Richmond
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast 1
Other 3
Vancouver Island (Net) 32 27 34 45
Net Vancouver Island: 32% vs.
28% (fall)
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.4c. Where in British Columbia would you be likely to visit on this trip? Please select as many as apply.

20. Vancouver Island’s Position on the Path To Purchase
Total
Fall – Post
Alberta
BC Mainland
Van Island
In the April, 2017 survey, on the path-to-purchase, 50% of target travellers are seriously considering a trip to Vancouver Island, with 29% having started to create their own concept of a trip.
Vancouver Island residents are more actively planning now than last fall, not unexpected given the start of high season.
Step 1:
Aware only
Step 2:
On Future Trip/Dream List
Step 3:
On “Seriously Considering” List
Step 4:
Creating a “Vacation Movie”
Step 5:
Detailed itinerary planning
Step 6:
Finalizing trip arrangements
Step 7:
Purchase
19%
32%
21% 9% 8% 5% 7%
21%
35%
23% 8% 6% 4% 3%
23%
38%
20% 8% 6% 3%
18%
28%
24% 8% 9% 5% 8%
25%
14%
15%
11%
50%
44%
40%
54%
68%
Base: Data percentage on all respondents (n=1006)
15b. Thinking about a future leisure trip to Vancouver Island, please select the one box which best describes how far along you are in planning/booking that trip.

21. Demographic Profile of Prospects
Total
Potential Visitors*
(1006) %
(509)
Region
Alberta 41 33
BC Mainland 48 52
Vancouver Island 11 15
Age
45-54 38 37
55-64 39
65+ 23 24
Gender
Male 50
Female
Household Income
$75K-$99K
$100K+ 63
Education
Less than university 57 55
University or higher 43 45
Employment
Working (full-time or part-time) 61 62
Homemaker 3
Retired
Other 2
Marital Status
Married or living with someone 86
Single/divorced/separated/widow/widower 14
Household Composition
Adults only 81 83
With kids <18 19 17
Similar to the fall wave, the profile of those who are actively considering an Island vacation (at Step 3 to 7 on the Path to Purchase) puts the importance of each region in perspective—The B.C. Mainland is key, followed by Alberta, then Vancouver Island residents themselves. Demographically, among the target audience, 1 in 3 are retired (and, therefore will likely be open to travelling in shoulder seasons and probably looking for deals).
Potential Visitors
Vancouver Island
BC Mainland
* Travellers who are at least considering a trip to Vancouver Island in the next 12 months on the Vancouver Island’s Path to Purchase Position (step 3 to 7).

22. PERCEPTION OF Vancouver Island3
PERCEPTION OF Vancouver Island

23. Experience Drivers for Vancouver Island
The campaign themes that resonate the strongest with the prospective market have not changed appreciably since the fall wave. They are:
General Nature (both beautiful nature and relaxing environment)
Gardens (beautiful gardens)
Accommodation (good variety)
Wildlife (mainly whale watching)
Outdoor activities (mainly hiking, activities in protected areas)
Sip & Savour (more excellent dining than great wineries focused)
As noted in the fall reports, Vancouver Island residents have a much greater appreciation for the variety of activities—notably hiking, fishing, whale watching, garden viewing and dining opportunities.
Alberta residents are particularly interested in gardens (likely Butchart Gardens).

24. Experience Drivers for Vancouver Island
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(403) %
(403) %
(200) 81 80 86 68 65 43 46 64 7 8 20 38 72 40 39 22 51 5 37 33 35 57 25 56 12 13 30 73 70 47 41 16 10 32 28 23 15 34 45 31 42
Campaign Theme
Post-wave Fall FY’17 79 64 52 15 41 48 30 10 39 32 18 65 55 34 36 28 19 40 31 29
General Nature
Wildlife
Outdoor Activities
Marine Activities
Garden
Accommodation
Sip & Savour
Culture/events
First Nation
Spa
Other
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.18a Please select the words and phrases listed below that, in your opinion, describe Vancouver Island extremely well. Please select all that apply.
* Travellers who are at least considering a trip to Vancouver Island in the next 12 months on the Vancouver Island’s Path to Purchase Position (step 3 to 7).

25. Emotional Drivers for Vancouver Island
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(403) %
(403) %
(200) 61 59 69 52 54 68 46 60 50 47 66 44 34 32 39 27 48 26 20 23 19 28 15 11 12 35 10
Post-wave Fall FY’17 60 53 52 56 50 38 30 27 21 17 14
The emotional drivers that resonate best are also unchanged from the fall:
Relaxing and unwinding
Connecting with nature
Experiencing a lifestyle closely connected with nature
Uplifting and inspiring takeaway from the environment and lifestyle.
Islanders themselves have the best appreciation of these benefits, but Mainland B.C, and Alberta residents do as well.
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.18b Below is another list of phrases that can describe the feelings and attitudes when traveling in a destination. Please select the words and phrases listed below that, in your opinion, describe Vancouver Island extremely well. Please select all that apply. .

26. Advertising Awareness4
Advertising Awareness

27. Unaided Recall of Specific Destination Vacation Advertising
Unaided awareness of recent vacation advertising for Vancouver Island is building from the fall wave conducted at the end of last year’s campaign—now at 35% up from 27%. Vancouver Island ranks 3rd in Alberta after Banff/Lake Louise and Calgary, in Mainland B.C. second only to Whistler, whereas on the Island it leads.
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(403) %
(403) %
(200) 25 50 51 27 37 53 44 28 23 31 30 19 43 21 15 14 13 18 6 8 24 20
Specific Destination Advertising Awareness
Post-wave Fall FY’17 32 27 26 13 24 22 18 7 6 37
Base: All respondents (n=1006)
Q.5. Have you seen or heard any advertising for the following places as a vacation destination in the past 5 months, that is, since November, 2016? Select all that apply.

28. Recall Vancouver Island Ad (Unaided)
Demographic Profile
Total
Recall Vancouver Island Ad (Unaided)
(1006) %
(362)
Region
Alberta 41 32
BC Mainland 48 52
Vancouver Island 11 17
Age
45-54 38 31
55-64 39 43
65+ 23 26
Gender
Male 50
Female
Household Income
$75K-$99K 37
$100K+ 63 61
Education
Less than university 57 59
University or higher
Employment
Working (full-time or part-time) 56
Homemaker 3 2
Retired 33
Other
Marital Status
Married or living with someone 86 87
Single/divorced/separated/widow/widower 14 12
Household Composition
Adults only 81 82
With kids <18 19 18
Vancouver Island’s advertising is connecting particularly with age Those recall seeing Vancouver Island advertising (unaided) skew older (69% age 55+) and retired.

29. 5
appendix

30. Regional Demographic Differences30
This table profiles the target audience by origin region. (The target audience is defined as age 45+. household incomes $75k+, have taken a leisure trip in the past 12 months.)
Noteworthy:
Vancouver Island residents skew significantly older, as in the fall post-wave. Over 4 in 10 in the target are retired.
Alberta residents skew significantly younger with higher incomes, also similar to the fall wave.
Total
Alberta
BC Mainland
Vancouver Island
(1006) %
(403) %
(403)
(200)
Age
45-54 38 40 39 28
55-64 41 37
65+ 23 19 24 36
Gender
Male 50
Female
Household Income
$75K-$99K 31 46
$100K+ 63 69 61 54
Education
Less than university 57 56 60 52
University or higher 43 44 48
Employment
Working (full-time or part-time) 55
Homemaker 3 5 1
Retired 33 27
Other
Marital Status
Married or living with someone 86 85 87 84
Single/divorced/separated/widow/widower 14 15 12
Household Composition
Adults only 81 77
With kids <18 17
Number of out-of-town trips taken in past 12 months
4.7
4.4
5.0
4.5

31. Insignia is a boutique market research firm focused on delivering best practice Research, Knowledge, and Strategy. For over twenty years, Insignia has been at the forefront of the market research industry – helping our clients interpret and leverage the insights garnered from best-practice travel and tourism research to develop better market strategies, increase market share, and grow revenue.