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Minjerribah Visitor Research Program Minjerribah Visitor Research Program Round 2 Report June 2019 Acknowledgements Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the Quandamooka People as the Traditional Owners of Minjerribah, and their connection to land and community. We pay our respects to all Traditional Owners, and to the Elders both past and present. Minjerribah Futures The Minjerribah Visitor Research Program is one of 23 projects being delivered under the Queensland Government’s Minjerribah Futures initiative. Minjerribah Futures is coordinated by the Department of Department of Innovation, Tourism Industry Development and the Commonwealth Games (DITID). Minjerribah Futures continues the work commenced by the North Stradbroke Island Economic Transition Strategy (ETS). Stakeholder Reference Group The project team would like to acknowledge the assistance of members of the Stakeholder Reference Group consisting of: . Department of Innovation, Tourism Industry Development and the Commonwealth Games (DITID) . Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP) . Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) . Brisbane Marketing . Redland City Council . Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) . Straddie Chamber of Commerce (SCoC) Other Acknowledgements We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the following organisations: . Stradbroke Ferries (Sealink) . Gold Cats Stradbroke Flyer . Department of Transport and Main Roads . Minjerribah Camping . Discover Stradbroke . Island Vibe Festival . Quandamooka Festival . The University of Queensland Moreton Bay Research Station Project Team Research Assistants . Associate Professor Pierre Benckendorff . Vicki Kelleher . Josephine Ellis . Associate Professor Karen Hughes . Afiya Holder . Clara Durbidge . Associate Professor Lisa Ruhanen . Taneeka Perry . Olivier Oren . Professor Roy Ballantyne . Sherren Gross . Associate Professor Jan Packer Cover images courtesy of Straddie Chamber of Commerce, Shara Delaney Other Reports . North Stradbroke Island Visitor Research Program, Round 1 Report (March 2018). Disclaimer While every care has been taken in preparing this publication, The University of Queensland and the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained within. To the best of our knowledge, the content was correct at the time of publishing. • • • ii • • • Executive Summary Background Minjerribah, or North Stradbroke Island (NSI) as the island was named by European settlers, is the world’s second-largest sand island. Tourism is the island’s largest employer, with 20 per cent of the island’s workforce employed in accommodation and food services. However, future tourism opportunities have been constrained by mining activity. The Queensland Government has committed to phasing out sand mining on Minjerribah and expanding the island’s existing industries to ensure a strong, sustainable economy for the future. The NSI Economic Transition Strategy (ETS) was released in 2016 to deliver on this commitment. The Minjerribah Futures program was established to continue the implementation of the ETS. The six-year Minjerribah Visitor Research Program is one of 23 projects being delivered under the Minjerribah Futures initiative. The purpose of the Minjerribah Visitor Research Program is to collect data from a range of sources to better understand the visitor market and its needs. The program provides insights into market awareness, travel intentions, transport and activity preferences, visitor behaviour, and spending patterns for major market segments. Methodology The project methodology draws on five data sources, including the NSI Visitor Survey of current visitors; an Online Survey Panel of potential visitors and non-visitors; focus groups with visitors and non-visitors; TripAdvisor reviews for accommodation, restaurants and activities on the island; and secondary data and information. The project is organised into three reporting rounds between 2018 and 2021. This report is the second in the series and summarises the key findings from the second round of data collection, which took place between July 2018 and May 2019. Round 2 results were broadly consistent with the data collected in round 1. Key Findings The findings are organised around six major sections that answer key questions about current and potential visitors and their needs: 1. Market Profile: Who are the visitors? What motives drive visitation to Minjerribah? What are the reasons for not visiting? How much do visitors spend? 2. Market Origin: Where do visitors come from? 3. Seasonality: When do visitors come to the island? 4. Destination Awareness: How much do current and potential visitors know about Minjerribah? How do current and potential visitors perceive the destination? What are the key destination attributes? How is the destination positioned relative to competitors? How aware are visitors of advertising? What information sources do visitors use? 5. The Visitor Experience: Why do visitors come to Minjerribah? What experiences are current and potential visitors seeking? What aspects of the experience can be improved? • • • iii • • • Market Profile The market profile provides insights into visitor numbers, demographics, trip characteristics, visitor motives, reasons for not visiting and visitor spending. Key findings: . Passenger ferry (water taxi) patronage increased by 5.4% in 2018. Total visitation for 2018 was conservatively estimated to be between 345,000 to 405,000 visitors, based on ferry patronage, occupancy data and responses to the NSI Visitor Survey. 54% of visitors were aged between 36 and 55, with a median age of 43. The island is a popular family destination with almost 48% of visitors being “full nesters”. A majority of these were families with primary and secondary school-aged children. Only a small proportion of visitors (3.6%) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. The Online Survey Panel profile of potential visitors indicates a more diverse demographic mix of visitors could be attracted to the island. The socio-demographic profile of current visitors is indicative of single income vs dual income households, with the most common household income categories being $50,001 to $110,000 (28.5%) and above $200,000 (15.5%). Most current visitors were employed full-time. The current market is time poor, but reasonably affluent. The majority of visitors (70.1%) indicated that a holiday was the primary reason for visiting the island. The results indicate a very high rate (79.3%) of repeat visitation. 38.1% of visitors indicated that they were travelling with children or extended family and the average travel party size was five visitors. The vast majority of visitors were free independent travellers (FITs). Organised group tour markets such as cruise passengers, education groups and retirees were underrepresented in the results. Day trippers made up 33.3% of visitors to the island (a decrease of 4.0%). The mean length of stay for overnight visitors was 3.7 nights - lower than the mean length of stay (4.7 nights) recorded in round 1. Round 2 results are likely to be more accurate because the data were collected over an 11 month time period. The island excels at providing experiences that appeal to escape and relaxation motives. Learning about aboriginal culture, learning about the island, and experiencing new things are moderately important but are under-performing. Reasons for not visiting the island include cost, accessibility and lack of interest or awareness. The results highlight that there are some incorrect perceptions about accessibility, which could be addressed through marketing and provision of visitor information. Visitor spending: The median spend per day was $120 (20%) for day trippers and $172 (10%) for overnight visitors. Accommodation accounted for the highest expenditure category. Families spend considerably more than other visitors on accommodation and food. Day trippers are likely to spend more per day than overnight visitors in all spending categories. • • • iv • • • Market Origin A majority of visitors (95.5%) were domestic. The proportion of international visitors (4.5%) was slightly higher than reported in previous studies. Key findings include: . 90.7% of all current visitors who provided their postcode came from Queensland. A considerable proportion (72.6%) of domestic visitors came from within a 50km radius of Dunwich and the top postcodes were concentrated in Brisbane and Redland City. The geographic analysis highlights significant opportunities to attract domestic visitors from slightly further afield. 3.7 million Australians live within 200km of the island. The most common international source markets were Western Europe (1.0%), the United Kingdom (0.9%) USA (0.7%) and New Zealand (0.4%). Seasonality Seasonality indicators include ferry patronage, accommodation occupancy, Google Trends data and responses from repeat visitors on the NSI Visitor Survey. Key findings include: . Average 2018/2019 occupancy rates for commercial accommodation ranged from 33.7% in May/June to 77.7% in December. Average occupancy for campsites ranged from 9.9% in June to 56.7% in December. The average occupancy for campsites (26.4%) was consistently lower than other types of accommodation (52.0%). The current market is highly sensitive to Easter, spring and summer school holiday periods. Peak periods occur in March or April (depending on the timing of Easter),
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