Preparing for the 2021 Tourism Season in NL - March 2021
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Preparing for the 2021 Tourism
Season in NL
March 2021
Agenda • Travel demand • 5 things to know about resident travellers • Opportunities for the 2021 season • The baseline • Building traveller confidence • Delivering value • If the Atlantic Bubble does open … (April 19?)
• There are signs of pent-up travel
demand, with over half of residents Travel Demand is Building …
missing travel
• In-province travel features well on
top of residents’ minds as nearly
two thirds would plan to travel in-
province if travel restrictions were
lifted tomorrow
• According to research by
Destination Canada, NL residents
are the only provincial residents Residents who Residents who Residents likely Residents planning
across the country who indicated would plan to miss travel and to take an in- to spend more
they were more likely to take a trip travel in-province if can’t wait to go province trip in vacation time in-
within their own province (41%) COVID-19 travel out and travel 2021 province this year
than to take an out-of-province trip restrictions were again than last year
(26%) within Canada lifted tomorrow
• With residents less inclined to spend
their vacation time travelling out-of-
province or out-of-country,
provincial tourism stands to benefit
63% 54% 41% 30%
as residents plan to spend more of
their vacation travelling in-province
Source: Destination Canada Nov 2020; TCAR Nov 2020
• As residents were encouraged to spend their vacation at home in Resident Travellers 2020, a large share (43%) heeded the call and explored the province 5 Things to know on overnight trips • Residents of all regions and all ages Residents of all ages and from all regions are travelling, went across the province for vacation and to visit family/friends with a preference of nearby destinations • While residents tended to stay Residents are travelling for vacation and/or to visit closer to home by either travelling in their own region or a nearby family/friends on multi-night stays region, they took in the outdoors and beautiful natural scenery, Residents are looking for culinary, outdoor and nature favouring hiking and walking and experiences, enjoy attraction visits visits to the beach • Residents cherished time with Residents enjoyed their travel experiences last year and family and friends the most and even discovered places and sites for would do it again this year the first time • Ensuring the province is a safe place Travel potential can be increased by building up to travel will be crucial to build on residents’ level of confidence that it is safe to travel last year’s momentum
• 2020 saw residents travelling to all
regions, however, residents tended Resident Travellers Travel
to stay in their own region or a near destinations
by region, with travel patterns likely Relative Regional Strengths
impacted by the pandemic
• The province is diverse in terms of Labrador Western Central
landscapes, scenery, history, culture • Unique culture • A place that inspires • Touring around
• Great place to see • Great place for outdoor • A place to spend quality
and types of attractions across the
wildlife activities time with family
regions, providing a wealth of travel • Unique experiences • Beautiful scenery • Value for money
opportunities for everyone
• Based on residents’ perceptions, Eastern Avalon Peninsula St. John’s
regions have distinct strengths • Great for exploring • Friendly, welcoming • Diverse food/culinary
which provides opportunities for • Great historic, cultural people experiences
(cross-) regional collaboration experiences • Lots to see and do • Vibrant arts scene
• Appealing festivals • Authentic experiences • Outdoor + city
• As in all provinces, destination
knowledge about provincial tourism
regions varies among residents,
Destination Residents rating their
implying a need to educate
residents about travel opportunities knowledge 49% destination knowledge
as excellent/very good
18%
which would benefit stimulating
resident travel potential to all
regions Source: Destination St. John’s Labrador
Canada GTW Nov 2020
• As in 2020, going on vacation and
visiting relatives or friends are also Resident Travellers Travel purpose/
the top two reasons for residents to
get on the road for their next in-
length of stay
province trip Likely to do during next in-province trip …
• In 2020, half of residents went on
more than one trip and it is very
likely that this will be the case again Go on vacation 60%
this year, with individual trips
varying by purpose
• While residents averaged 4 nights
Visit relatives/
per trip in 2020, trip purpose and 47%
destination(s) will drive trip length friends
• Research suggests that residents
prefer shorter getaways of 1-3
Take a short
nights over longer trips (4+ nights) 37%
getaway (1-3 nights)
• Short getaways are a year-round
travel opportunity, and offers that
appeal to the desire for shorter,
Go on a longer
more frequent trips are likely to get 21%
residents on the go as they are trip (4+ nights)
looking for a ‘change of scenery’ Source: Destination Canada GTW Nov 2020• 2020’s top experiences involved
local food and drink to a great Resident Travellers Experiences
extent, which also contributed to
many memorable trip moments
and activities
• Exploring the province’s hiking and
walking trails, historic sites and Last year’s TOP 10 TOP 10 Interests / Anchor activities
beaches were also among the top
experiences for residents last Local food/culinary experiences Hiking/walking
summer/fall Hiking/walking Natural attractions
• Spending time outdoors in nature, Beaches Local food/culinary experiences
seeing natural attractions and
Local pub/bar Nature parks
wildlife as well as culinary
experiences continue to be among Historic sites Wildlife viewing
residents’ top interests into 2021 Craft breweries Camping
• Promoting uncrowded natural Provincial/national parks Self-guided tours
spaces and showcasing nearby
historic sites, parks, trails and Whale watching Breweries/wineries
beaches will help attract residents Ocean fishing Art galleries/museums
who want to relax and unwind
Nature parks Historic sites
• If allowed, live shows and festivals
would create additional travel Anchor activity: Activity around
potential for residents
Live shows? Festivals? which travellers would plan a trip• Residents appear to have had a
great time travelling the province Resident Travellers Memorable
last summer/fall and came home
with many memorable moments
moments
• While they enjoyed spending time
with family and friends the most, a
number of residents found visits to
specific places and attractions most
memorable Spending time with
• Despite living here, many residents
family and friends Based on 2020’s travel
found the province’s natural beauty experiences in NL,
and scenery amazing and inspiring
• Many a resident’s memorable
Visiting specific 92%
moments are also associated with places, attractions of residents would
local eating places and the unique consider taking an
food and drink they offered overnight pleasure trip
• In-province travel experiences in Beauty of the again in 2021
2020 will drive repeat travel this
season
province, nature,
scenery• Culinary experiences are an
essential part of any travel and this Opportunities
is true for residents as well, as 2020
has shown
• Interest in local food and drink is
generally high year-round and Give residents a “taste” of the province
showcasing the variety of culinary
experiences (e.g. restaurants, cafes,
picnics, breweries) would support
motivating any type of trip
Feature local
food and drink
• Combining culinary experiences
with other experiences/activities in any setting
would help attract residents and
add value by expanding on the
“traditional sense of taste” Combine culinary
• Creating packages featuring unique experiences with
local food and drink opportunities
other activities
along with nearby hiking trails,
beaches or historic sites will likely
encourage more residents to travel
at home and “taste” the province in Regional and Cross-regional Packages & Partnerships
nearly any setting• There is great potential to motivate
residents to travel at home by Opportunities
encouraging them to discover
something new
• Over one quarter of residents Let residents discover something new in
discovered a new destination while their own backyard
travelling in the province last year,
and more than one third would visit
new destinations
• Showcasing destinations and sites
that may be considered ‘hidden
27% 38%
gems’ provides an opportunity to
inspire travel at home and attract Residents who travelled Residents who would visit
more residents by appealing to their last summer/fall visited a
interest in nature and history new destinations
destination for the they have never visited
• To limit social interaction, residents
will only do one or two things first time before
during a day rather than fill it with
as much as they can and unique
opportunities such as discovering
Residents enjoyed exploring
something new have great potential historic sites and other attractions
to make a traveller’s day when they travelled in NL in 2020• Family and friends are an integral
part of residents’ in-province trips Opportunities
and opportunities to visit with
family and friends is notably more
important for NL residents than for Enable residents to explore the province as
residents of any other province
a family or with friends
• For many residents who travelled
last year, spending time with family
and friends was the most
Visiting with family and friends is a highly
memorable part of their vacation
important factor for residents when it
• As “family bubbles” will likely still
be part of our lives come the travel comes to deciding where to travel on
season, being able to explore the
province and taking in attractions their in-province trips
and experiences as a family will
resonate well with residents in 2021
and likely factor into travel decisions
• Appealing to kids’ curiosity and
Enjoying family time
sense of learning, contests or prize while exploring sites
draws for completing activities or and attractions
visiting various sites may inspire
longer trips to more destinations• The pandemic has brought deep
changes to how people perceive and The Baseline
feel about travel
Building traveller confidence
• Pandemic related health risks and
safety concerns are the top barriers
to travel among residents, unseating
cost of travel from its longstanding
38% of residents did not travel last summer/fall
place at the top of the list due to pandemic-related concerns
• When selecting a travel destination,
residents are now most concerned
about the safety of the destination Half of residents are discouraged from travel due to
• (Re-) building traveller confidence is health risks and safety concerns
essential to supporting tourist
activity and many aspects can be
controlled by operators as residents
need to be assured that the 49% of residents are looking for a safe place to visit
province is a safe place to travel
• Mitigating residents’ health and
safety concerns also includes
flexible travel policies so travellers
22% of residents would be most encouraged to
have an “out” if the course of the make a travel booking if offered full refunds
pandemic impacts their travel plans Source: Destination Canada Nov 2020; TCAR Nov 2020• Even with things opening up for
travel, it is not going to be “business The Baseline
as usual”
Building traveller confidence
• Promoting and following proper
COVID-19 hygiene protocols,
including mask enforcement, is a
leading factor in influencing travel
decisions
• To address travellers’ health and
safety concerns, face-to-face Demonstrated commitment
interactions will need to be limited,
increasing the role of technology to to health, hygiene and safety
provide virtual, digital and touchless
services
• As economic effects of the
pandemic filter into travel decisions,
travellers seek liberal and flexible
cancellation, options for refund and
travel postponement
Vastly increased role of Flexible and easy New business models,
• Flexible and adaptable business
models are key to address the
digital, virtual, cancellation, rebooking flexibility and
changing needs of travellers touchless and refund policies adaptability• With the economic impact the
pandemic has had on people, it is The Baseline
understandable that potential
travellers are concerned about the Delivering value for money
cost of travel
• Cost of travel/affordability has NL residents who experienced a dramatic/
typically been the top reason before big impact of the pandemic on their 27%
the pandemic why residents do not household finances (TCAR Nov 2020)
travel in the province
NL residents who delayed big purchases
• Over a quarter of residents has due to the COVID-19 pandemic (TCAR Nov 2020) 54%
experienced big financial impacts
due to the pandemic and the cost of NL residents who feel their economic well-
travel and residents’ level of price being is worse now than 12 months ago 20%
sensitivity are likely to play a major (Narrative Research AQ Q4 2020)
role in travel decisions this season
NL residents who are discouraged from
• Given that Canadians across the travelling due to costs (DC Nov 2020)
38%
country, including NL residents, will
curb travel spending, focusing on
meeting travel budget needs and
NL residents who would spend … … less 38%
than they did on vacation pre-
delivering value are more important
than ever
COVID-19 (DC Nov 2020) … more 14%• Understanding travellers’ re-shaped
sense of value is key to adapting The Baseline
offers to deliver memorable
experiences at every stage of the Delivering value for money
visitor journey
• Value is in the eye of the traveller
and creating that value means that PRICE is what you pay; VALUE is what you get.
operators need to understand their (Warren Buffet)
customers’ needs
• While discounts or monetary perks Personalize and Turn an ‘activity’ into an
always have appeal for some customize, make ‘experience’ to increase
travellers, prices operators charge
customers feel special perceived value
need to match the value travellers
are seeking and expecting
Make it easy for
• Consumer trends toward prioritizing Partner with others to
travellers to find out
meaningful experiences over ‘package’ a variety of
about special offers,
material possessions provides new activities/experiences
opportunities for creating value
packages and rates
which can be anchored in flexible
Create memorable Empower staff,
operational processes that include
customized offers, partnerships to experiences through the engage customers,
enhance offers or empowering staff entire visitor journey stay connected• With over one quarter of
Maritimers considering NL as travel If the Atlantic Bubble Does Open …
destination, combined with a strong
likelihood of travelling to visit family 5 things to know about potential Maritime visitors
and friends, there is solid potential
for visitation from the Maritimes
• In addition, given NL’s range of
One quarter to one third of Maritimers are seriously
natural attractions, UNESCO World considering NL as a travel destination this year
Heritage Sites, rugged landscapes
and scenery, NL is well positioned to Local food and drink, hiking/walking and nature/
attract Maritime travellers natural attractions are top interests
• Similar to NL residents, Maritimers’
interest in culinary and outdoor/ Maritimers are likely to plan trips around visiting
nature based experiences provides a
natural attractions and historic sites
range of opportunities to showcase
local food in combination with other
activities and in various settings Safety of the destination is a top consideration among
• With health risks posing the largest
Maritimers when deciding where to travel
barrier to Maritimers’ travelling in
Canada, positioning NL as a safe
Nearly half of Maritimers are likely to travel to visit
place to visit is essential to attract family and friends this year and strong family ties with
visitors from the Maritimes NL will stimulate travel here“We’re going to need a holiday and the
world will still be there as long as we look
after it and support it.”
(Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato travel company)Contact and Further Information
Michaela Roebothan, 729-6024
michaelaroebothan@gov.nl.ca
https://www.gov.nl.ca/tcar/files/Resident_Trav
el_Survey_Dec2020.pdf
Krista Noseworthy, 729-2975
kristanoseworthy@gov.nl.ca
https://www.gov.nl.ca/tcar/tourism-
division/visitor-and-market-insights/
https://www.gov.nl.ca/tcar/files/tt_covid_c
ons_res.pdfYou can also read
