I filled out a recent provincial survey to gather input from tourism operators in our province, and reflected on our business model, our clients, and what we do as a learning adventure and experiential tourism company. We are not like other tourism companies. As I reflected on this survey, I began to feel that we are missing something in the data collection process. And, to serve up kudos to our provincial tourism agency, I am delighted that they are doing this kind of research. Bravo!
We are a low volume, high yield company, and offer programs and experiences that are targeted as being “the right programs for the right clients in the right seasons”. As a result, we do not use language like low season, or off season. This devalues the actual experiences that should be priced for the right season. E.g. Snowshoeing and night sky viewing is best done from Oct – April. Theatre experiences or Christmas Lights experiences are best done at specific times of the year.
My Point: Let’s start helping the industry to create and deliver tourism experiences in all seasons by helping them to create and deliver the right experiences, in the right seasons, for the right guests. That’s a pretty big shift.
Are we looking for just data about numbers of people? I think that this is one piece of a pie that is rapidly morphing…Numbers may be appropriate for high volume businesses. But, perhaps not as important for low volume businesses. Yield might be equally important. Or, “guest transformation” might also be important to measure (Seeing or touching a beluga whale and experiencing the accompanying feeling of wonder). I wonder if it is time to start measuring some new data points, to begin to really effect an economic transition or transformation within the tourism sector.
Experience PEI offers some amazing new experiences, and has served somewhere close to 400 customers this past summer. Tourism PEI’s Once in Lifetime Experiences also offers a number of unique new experiences. How have the lives of these travelers been transformed, and how will they use word of mouth and “word of mouse” to tell others to go to PEI for these amazing experiences?
How do we, individually and collectively, as tourism industry partners begin to help our research partners and DMO’s to collect new and perhaps equally important information about “guest experiences”?
We have entered an economic cycle in travel and tourism, mirrored in other sectors, that we are calling The Experience Economy. People pay to travel for experiences as well as traditional tourism attractions, accommodations, camping or recreational activities. By focusing on “data about infrastructure” and not including parallel information about “the quality or engagement value” of visitor experiences that take place at these infrastructure locations might mean that we are still focused on “Bricks and mortar” data capture, rather than expanding our knowledge and awareness of guest experiences as a key component in the new social marketing environment.
What I think that we need to learn to capture may include some of the following as well (and, there may be lots more):
$ Yield per client
Data about programs or experiences delivered. We need lots more data about experiences/programs/theatre events/attractions that people take part in:
- Actual programs delivered, by season – to help identify gaps in seasons, opportunities for product enhancement
- # of experiences that are being delivered by season
- How people have been transformed by the tourism experience, person, place, or event – for example, how do we turn Travel Manitoba’s excellent It’s My Moment Stories (social media sharing online by guests) into data that is relevant for the “sharing of the Manitoba tourism” story? How do we guide our guests to tell even better stories?
- What kinds of experiences people are taking part in? By season? By location?
- Linking experiences to the CTC EQ – and asking ourselves what kind of customers are coming through the doors, parks, trails, museums?
