1. Gros Morne Tourism Forum 10 November 2017
Provincial and Western Region Tourism Performance

2. Summary of Tourism Season YTD
Majority of indicators point to a successful season
Increased auto travel for third year in a row
Airport passengers movements are down
Many attractions have seen healthy increases in visitation
Impact of free “Canada 150” entry to National Parks and National Historic sites
Evidence from many operators that they were very busy
There are many indications that we had a great tourism season in the province; many operators have told us they were very busy.
*****Conversations that I’ve had with around the DMO table, with operators like Todd White, Daryl House, Janet & Jeff Green (Jackladder), Rosanne White (Holiday Inn Express), and those further up and down the coast within the Western Region, all indicate a banner year!***** still from last year ....
Increased auto travel for a third in year in a row. . .the last time we saw 3 consecutive years of increases in auto traffic was the period 1998 to 2000.
After a 4% increase in 2016, airport passenger movements in 2017 are down a bit this year, with the decrease in St. John’s driving the provincial numbers.

3. Non-resident Visitation
January to September 2017
Non-resident air visitors
Non-resident auto visitors
88,500
2015
315,700
2016
2016/
2017
Conducting exit survey
2017
89,300
N/A% 1%
As we are still pouring over the Exit Survey data for 2016, we cannot report on non-resident air visitation at this point. The exit survey will give us the new numbers that we will use for our estimates; we can only do this once the survey data have been fully processed and we can dig into the results. We are very close to getting this done and are hoping to have the results available before the year is out.
On the auto side, we are doing well again this year – for the third year in a row, with non-resident visitation up about 1% so far this year between Jan and Sep, with over 89,000 non-residents making the drive to the province.
We believe that Marine Atlantic – which has been experimenting with various pricing strategies over the past three years – is on to something when they offer various deals to their customers as this strategy has had a positive impact not only on bookings for which a deal is offered but also on bookings overall.
Total non-resident air and auto visitors: N/A

4. Airports / Ferry – Province
January to September 2017
1.87 million
Passenger movements
283,960
Passenger movements
On Marine Atlantic ferry service through Port Aux Basques and Argentia
At province’s seven major airports 2% 1%
1,311
Ferry crossings
On Marine Atlantic (both directions)
Between January and September, our airports were quite busy, accommodating nearly 1.9 million passenger movements - that’s the number of boarding and deplaning passengers at the province’s 7 major airports (St. John’s, Gander, Deer Lake, Stephenville, St. Anthony, Goose Bay and Wabush). However, compared to 2016, the number is about 2% lower – or 38,000 fewer passengers making their way through these airport. The decrease is driven by what’s going on in YYT as the airport is experiencing a decrease of their own at 3% or about 35,000 fewer passengers. We believe that part of why this is happening is decreased seat capacity from some domestic markets, mainly Ottawa, Halifax and Toronto as well as the loss of our major non-stop connection to the US (United flight to/from Newark). Overall, in 2017, we lost about 70% of our seat capacity (which amounts to about 21,000 seats) from the US compared to what we had in 2016.
As already mentioned, this is the third year in a row that we are up with auto travel and we are hoping the trend will continue – Marine Atlantic certainly has done a great job in providing incentives to travellers by looking at different pricing schemes for their fares (last year – 50% reduction in fares between May 15 and Jul 15 on their Mon through Thursday crossings on the PAB route; this year it was a $50 gas card on all return bookings for travel between June 18 and July 15). This shows in their numbers – for Jan-Sep, although there were fewer crossings than last year, passenger traffic was up 1% over 2016, with vehicle traffic [number not on slide = 104,800 passenger vehicles Jan- Sept 2016] also up by 1%. 1%

5. Airports / Ferry – Western Region
January to September 2017
313,540
Passenger movements
252,500
Passenger movements
On Marine Atlantic ferry service through Port Aux Basques
At YDF, YAY and YJT airports 1% 0%
1,249
Ferry crossings
On Marine Atlantic through Port Aux Basques (both directions)
For the western region, the 3 airports (Deer Lake, St. Anthony and Stephenville) also showed a decrease in airport passenger movements – 1% on a combined basis with over 313,000 boarding and deplaning passengers. On an individual basis, the 3 airports have been experiencing a mix of ups and downs:
Deer Lake Airport (Jan to September): 291,970 passenger movements, an increase of 1%
Stephenville airport (Jan to Sept): 6,402 passenger movements, a decrease of 9% (fewer flights from Deer Lake and St. John’s)
St. Anthony Airport (Jan to Sept): 15,169 passenger movements, a decrease of 3%
For Marine Atlantic activity in Port-Aux-Basques specifically, we are seeing a similar picture as for the province overall (i.e. including Argentia), with the number of ferry passengers staying about the same as last year at over 252,000 but distributed over fewer crossings
PAB passenger movements (Jan to Sept): 252,500 versus 252,100 in 2016 (flat)
PAB ferry crossings (January to September): 1,249 versus 1,262 in 2016 (decrease of 1%) 1%

6. Accommodations Occupancy – Province
January to August (Preliminary)
1,958,774
996,787
50.9%
2016
Room nights available
Room nights sold
Occupancy rate
+2.6%
+2.0 points
-1.3%
1,933,516
1,023,099
52.9%
2017
Room nights available
Room nights sold
Occupancy rate
Occupancy is PRELIMINARY at this stage – so the 2017 numbers you are looking at here are likely going to change a bit as more operators send in their reports (if there are any operators in the room, please send in your reports ASAP ).
Reporting for September is still a little short and would not provide an adequate picture. We have fairly good data up till August as we go through licence renewal during that month, and one of the conditions to reissue a licence is you have to have the reports up-to-date
That being said, on a provincial level, occupancy rates are up a healthy 2 points for the first 8 months of the year, coming in at just under 53%. Over 1,000,000 room nights were sold in the province, nearly 3% more than in the same period in 2016.
[Note: the difference in the room nights available works out to about 104 fewer rooms per day that were available in We are not aware of any big property closures in the province that could account for that. So the reason why there are fewer rooms available is likely a combination of operators opening/closing at varying times this year versus last year, or offering fewer rooms, and some properties not operating at all while others are starting out]

7. Accommodations Occupancy – Western
January to August (Preliminary)
469,787
229,037
48.8%
2016
Room nights available
Room nights sold
Occupancy rate
+6.2%
+4.1 points
-2.0%
460,210
243,351
52.9%
2017
Room nights available
Room nights sold
Occupancy rate
In the Western region, the numbers pretty much speak for themselves --- with room night sales up over 6% and occupancy up by over 4 points --- a great result for the region…explains why everyone has been busy as beavers!
[Note: the difference in the room nights available works out to about 39 fewer rooms per day that were available in Again, we are not aware of any big property closures in the region that could account for that. So the reason why there are fewer rooms available is likely a combination of operators opening/closing at varying times this year versus last year, or offering fewer rooms, and some properties not operating at all while others are starting out]

8. Average Daily Room Rate
January to August (Preliminary)
2016
2017
2016
2017
$140
$141
$129
$131
Province
Western
+0.4%
+1.5%
Again, talking about the January to August period, we are also seeing some increases in average daily room rates (ADR), however, those increases are at a much more moderate level than what we saw in ADR increased by a moderate $1 province-wide and about $2 in the western region. Part of the reason for these lower rate increases is that things have slowed down a bit on the Avalon Peninsula (St. John’s in particular) which usually drives ADR (ADR for St. John’s region actually dropped from $147 to $144 in 2017 despite a 4.5% increase in room night sales --- more competition in town!!)

9. Camping Activity in National Parks
Operating Season May to October – Camping nights sold
Terra Nova
Gros Morne
13,412
2016
21,579
2016
$141
2017
23,766
2017
17,306
10%
29%
Camping activity is also a good news story when it comes to the National Parks, with both Gros Morne and Terra Nova seeing double digit increases in camping nights sold during this year’s operating season. Just wanted to mention that National Parks offered free entry this year in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday. However, campers did have to pay the respective camping fees in the parks – so camping as such was not free of charge. The numbers pretty much tell the story – 10% increase in camping nights sold in Terra Nova and a whopping 29% increase in Gros Morne – half that increase again and the park might see 20,000 camping nights next year... 
Kidding aside, this goes to show that camping remains a popular activity among travellers in the province – both residents and non-residents appear to be big fans.

10. Camping Activity in Provincial Parks
Operating Season May to September – Camping nights sold
Province (13 parks)
Western Region (6 parks)
24,129
2016
64,440
2016
$141
2017
62,064
2017
23,314
Barachois Pond (-11%)
Blow Me Down (+6%)
J. T. Cheeseman (+9%)
Pistolet Bay (+6%)
Sandbanks (-6%)
Squires Memorial (+4%) 4% 3%
Provincial Park Campsite nights sold Campsite nights sold
Barachois Pond Western 11, , %
Blow Me Down Western 1, ,384 6%
J. T. Cheeseman Western 3, ,392 9%
Pistolet Bay Western 1, ,934 6%
Sandbanks Western 1, , %
Squires Memorial Western 4, ,783 4%
This season was a mixed bag for our provincial parks – among the 13 parks in the province, 7 experienced an increase in camping nights sold while 5 were down (Pinware in Labrador remained even with last year). The decrease was driven by those parks that sell the most nights, including Butterpot in the Avalon and Notre Dame in Central. It also includes Barachois Pond in the western region which was down 11% in terms of camping nights sold – and with over 10,000 nights sold, it brought down the numbers for the region as a whole. The only other park at which camping night sales decreased was Sandbanks (-6%). All the remaining parks were up, showing a combined increase of 6%.
Would Canada 150 and the free park entry have something to do with that? Good question – something we’ll have to check into a little more ...

11. Commercial Campgrounds – Province
May to September (Preliminary)
760,997
457,420
60.1%
2016
Sites available
Sites sold
Occupancy rate
-8.2%
-8.2%
No change
698,920
419,723
60.1%
2017
Sites available
Sites sold
Occupancy rate
Commercial campground reporting is also PRELIMINARY at this stage – so the 2017 numbers you are looking at here are likely going to change a bit as more operators send in their reports. While the sales might look alarming at this stage at 8%, part of this decrease is likely due to outstanding reports. But is it likely that for the season, we’ll probably see a decrease in camping nights sold. However, as you can see, the occupancy has stayed the same.

12. Commercial Campgrounds – Western
May to September (Preliminary)
180,432
85,165
47.2%
2016
Sites available
Sites sold
Occupancy rate
-2.6 points
-10.2%
-15.2%
161,979
72,201
44.6%
2017
Sites available
Sites sold
Occupancy rate
In the Western region, the numbers don’t look any prettier --- again, at this point, we would attribute the large decrease to incomplete reporting but we’ll likely end up with a decrease in sites sold for the season and a decrease in the occupancy as well.

13. Parks and Attractions
2017 Operating Season
95,617 visitors at all Provincial Historic Sites (May – Oct) 2%
145,674 visitors at all National Historic Sites (May – Sep)
26%
31,533 visitors at Terra Nova National Park (Visitor Centre) (May – Oct)
20%
As a group, all our PHS recorded over 95,000 visitors for the operating season ending October 2016 , a slight decrease of 2% over the same time period of However, considering the last few years of operation, 2017 is still the second best year in terms of visitors to our provincial historic sites.
Visitation at the sites was mixed, with Point Amour Lighthouse registering the biggest increase at 26% (8,400 visitors) while the Hearts Content Cable Station showed the largest decrease at 35% (5,733) – however, this comes after a banner year last year when the site celebrated its 150th anniversary. The Bonavista Lighthouse (-8%; 26,000 visitors) and Boyd’s Cove (+5%; 13,700 visitors) continue to be the province’s most popular historic sites.
Our National Historic Sites welcomed over 145,000 visitors, up a whopping 26% or about 30,000 more visitors than last year. Most of the sites [with the exception of Signal Hill/Cabot Tower (-16%, no access in May/Jun due to parking lot paving)] showed double digit increases, with Hawthorne Cottage [8,600 visitors; + 149%] and Port Aux Choix [15,800 visitors; +58%] showing the highest increases. L’Anse Aux Meadows (36,400 visitors) and Signal Hill (28,000) remain the 2 most popular national historic sites in the province.
There is no doubt that Parks Canada’s free entry to the national historic sites did have a significant impact on visitation – we have even heard some stories that visitors opted for the free national sites and did not visit the provincial sites for which they would have to pay – the numbers certainly appear to support this but we do not know what type of traveller would do that (i.e. resident or non-residents).
As with camping activity at Terra Nova, the visitor centre at the Park saw a significant increase in visitors.

14. Parks and Attractions – Western Region
May to September 2017
36,443 visitors at L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site
31%
15,776 visitors at Port Au Choix National Historic Site
58%
??? visitors at Gros Morne National Park
??%
As for the attractions in the Western region, things are looking very good this year, with the 3 major sites here recording significant double digit increases, very likely stimulated by the free entry to the sites. L’Anse Aux Meadows had over 36,000 visitors, up from 2016’s 28,000 visitors, continuing on the upward trend we have seen there over the last few years (e.g. up from about 22,000 visitors in 2013). It was also the most popular of all the National Historic Sites in the province. Port Au Choix also keeps continuing on its upward trend – at nearly 16,000 visitors, the site has seen increased visitation over the past few years and welcomed almost 6,000 more visitors this year than it did in 2016 (10,000).
*****Gros Morne has also seen this steady upward trends, welcoming close to a quarter million visitors – this compares to ‘just’ 192,000 visitors in 2013, or if we go back a little further to 2011, there were “only” 180,000 visitors – so a 33% increase over a few short years. It is quite obvious that this Park is a major tourism draw not only for the region but also for the entire province, and our research shows that it remains a consistent travel motivator for visitors and always ranks as one of the top things people what to experience when they visit the province.**** [still from last year, needs to be updated once we get the number]
All in all we have had another busy and successful tourism season, thanks to all who made it possible!!

15. Provincial Visitor Exit Survey – Update
Data processing at NL Statistics Agency
4 staff assigned full time to project
Support and guidance from TCII research staff
Results available in late November / December*
Nov / Dec
*based on current status of data processing, subject to change pending further data processing activities
Communication of survey results
Presentations to staff
Presentations to Tourism Board, HNL, DMOs, industry and other stakeholders
Highlights Report, special reports, infographics online
A quick update on the exit survey – I am sure all of you or most of you are aware that we were doing this survey in We collected a wealth of data about our non-resident visitors – everything from what motivated them to come here, how long they stayed, how much they spent, what they did and did not have a chance to do and what they think of us as a travel destination. With the survey results, we will be able to create visitor profiles that will help all of us to improve the experiences travellers are seeking when they come here and attract more of them.
We are hoping to be able to share survey results with everybody before the year is out – we are working closely with our Statistics Agency to keep on track with our timelines. For more information on the survey, please contact our research director, Michaela Roebothan ....

16. Sector Research Team (Tourism)
Michaela Roebothan,
Krista Noseworthy,
Roger Haynes,
Donna Skanes-McCormack,