RESEARCH AND PLANNING VALUE OF THE POWELL RIVER VISITOR CENTRE STUDY RESULTS – FOR DISTRIBUTION April 2008 Research and Planning Tourism British Columbia 300-1803 Douglas St. Box 9830 Stn. Prov. Gov’t. Victoria, BC V8W 9W5 Web: www.tourismbc.com/research Email:
[email protected] Phone: 250-387-1567 Value of the Powell River Visitor Centre - Summer 2007 Executive Summary Due to increasing needs in communities around the province, Research Services, Tourism British Columbia has developed a methodology that Visitor Centres (VCs) can use to measure the impact of the VC on traveller behaviour and to determine the economic benefit of the VC. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the Powell River Visitor Centre. Specifically, the study objectives were: 1. To profile travellers who use the Powell River VC in terms of traveller and trip characteristics. 2. To measure the influence the Powell River VC has on the decision-making process of travellers in British Columbia: the influence the VC has on the length of stay, expenditures, and selection of additional or alternative activities, attractions or destinations. A three-location, two-stage survey design was used to examine the study objectives. Travellers were interviewed at three locations, the Powell River VC and at two reference sites (Westview and Saltery Bay BC Ferries Terminals). The purpose of collecting information from these two sites (referred to as Reference Site for the purposes of this report) was to obtain information about the typical traveller to the Powell River Region for comparison with travellers who used the VC. On-site interviews collected information from travellers during their trip and a mailback questionnaire collected information from travellers after their trip.