Francophone Markets and Best Practices

Francophone Tourism Toolkit for RTOs: Francophone Markets and Best Practices

Table of Contents

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE ONTARIO’S BEST PRACTICES IN THE DIRECTOR 2 FRANCOPHONE MARKETS 48

BEST PRACTICES: SERVICES 49 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKETS FOR ONTARIO 3 French Services Awareness Campaign 49 Free French classes for staff 50 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: QUEBEC 4 Bilingual front-line staff 50 Quebec travel to Ontario 4 Translating multimedia material 50 The Quebec market 4 Mobilizing a community to embrace Quebec and other tourism markets 5 French language services 50 Visitation rates by market 5 French Services Rating System 51 Demographic weight and visitation rates 6 Survey of the demographic profile of BEST PRACTICES: Direction Ontario’s clientele 6 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 52 Services in French 13 Bike Train Initiative 53 Québec Segmentation 16 Developing and marketing itineraries for Connaisseurs québécois 17 Francophone markets 54 Familles rustiques 20 Incorporating French culture into local events 55 Jeunes voyageurs 23 Making experiences more accessible to Francophone tourists 55 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: FRANCOPHONE ONTARIO 26 BEST PRACTICES: MARKETING 57 Overview of the Francophone community French language marketing campaign in in Ontario 26 Quebec and Ontario 57 The French Language Services Act in Ontario 27 Adapting the product to answer the needs of the market 58 Francophone Ontario Segmentation 28 Long-standing professional translation Sportifs des banlieues 29 relationship 58 Camping et pique-nique 32 Making Francophone travellers feel at home 59 Retraités en détente 35 French URL and website targeting Comparing Francophone groups from Francophones 59 Quebec and Ontario 38 Promote Ontario in French while developing promotional tools that meet the needs of KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: FRANCE 40 the targeted Francophone markets 60 France market at a glance 40 Visitor characteristics 41 APPENDIX A Leisure travel characteristics 41 Visitors to Ontario in 2008 by origin and Travel motivators 42 by travel region 62 Travellers’ composition 42 APPENDIX B Travellers’ activities while abroad 42 Planning long trips 45 French Services Rating – National Evaluation Scale 63 S.W.O.T. analysis 46 Product strengths and weaknesses 47 SOURCES/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 64

CONCLUSION 66

ABOUT DIRECTION ONTARIO 66 A message from the Executive Director

As the Province of Ontario works with the tourism industry to implement the new Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) across the province, Direction Ontario is pleased to support both the Ministry of Tourism and the Regional Tourism Organizations in the development of Francophone markets. As a first initiative in this effort, Direction Ontario has collected and organized extensive market intelligence on the three major Francophone markets. The information has been compiled in this comprehensive “Francophone Tourism Toolkit for RTOs: Francophone Markets and Best Practices”.

This toolkit will provide each tourism region with knowledge and information to guide their initiatives in relation to the three major Francophone markets: Quebec, Francophone Ontario and France.

The first part of the toolkit identifies the three major Francophone markets available to Ontario’s RTOs, its customers’ interests and preferences, and the tourism products that cater to those Francophone market segments.

The second part of the toolkit identifies opportunities within the Francophone markets and highlights a number of Ontario’s best practices which have been developed and successfully used in these markets.

It is our hope that this toolkit will help you better understand the potential of these markets and support you in marketing your region to these markets. Direction Ontario believes that we can continue to assist you in your efforts to attract these markets. We will be following up with each RTO to customize our knowledge sharing and propose other support activities that we can pursue together in order to help position you in these markets.

You will certainly want to share key elements of this toolkit with your tourism operators and relevant product development and marketing committees. Additional copies of the Francophone Tourism Toolkit for RTOs are available in PDF version.

I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you to pursue common initiatives and to build a strong partnership with you and your RTO.

Yours truly,

Louise Lacroix Executive Director Direction Ontario

2 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKETS FOR ONTARIO

Who are the Francophone markets?

This document will enhance each RTO’s ability to better understand and serve Francophone visitors. These visitors are important to Ontario’s tourism industry; as such, we need to ensure we are providing appropriate quality services and products that appeal to this market. This document will identify the Francophone markets available to Ontario’s RTOs, an overview of those markets’ consumer interests and examples of tourism products that cater to those markets.

“Ontario should market its destinations and experiences by strengthening our appeal to French-speaking markets…”*

In order to create part one of this toolkit, Direction Ontario has referenced some of its earlier market studies and reports. Every two years, Direction Ontario conducts a survey among the Francophone clientele that uses its services to plan their trip to Ontario. Direction Ontario’s latest market studies include Quebec travel to Ontario in 2008 and Quebec travel to Northern Ontario in 2009.

In addition, we will also reference the most recent market studies undertaken by the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the Canadian Tourism Commission and the Tourism Network Intelligence.

Based on the findings and our analysis, Direction Ontario has identified three key Francophone markets for tourism in Ontario:

1. Quebec 2. Francophone Ontario 3. France

The second part of the toolkit highlights a number of Ontario’s best practices which have been developed and successfully implemented in Francophone markets. We have grouped our examples in three separate categories, though in many cases the initiatives could easily apply to more than one category. Categories include: Services, Product Development and Marketing.

* Greg Sorbara, Ontario Tourism Competitiveness Study. 3 NO. 1 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: QUEBEC

Quebec Travel to Ontario

For the first analysis of the Quebec market, we will refer to the Market Study of Direction Ontario’s Tourism Clientele, Summer 2008 compiled by Boréale Fusion Consultation. The purpose of the market study was to present general data about Québécois tourism activities in comparison with other markets; to evaluate the current and potential importance of the Québécois market for Ontario’s tourism industry in comparison with other markets; to better understand the consumer habits of Québécois tourists who are interested in travelling to Ontario; and to evaluate the scope of Direction Ontario’s 2008 Francophone travel guide, L’Ontario en français.

The first study analysed data from the Survey of the 2008 summer tourist season (hereafter called “survey”), which was conducted in January 2009 among 315 clients of Francophone tourism organization Direction Ontario.

“Quebec, The survey data paint a picture of Direction Ontario’s clientele, specifically those tourists who contacted the according to organization by email or by phone to receive a copy of the tourism guide and who used it to travel to Ontario. The survey does not attempt to portray the entire profile of Québécois tourists who visit Ontario, as a large number of Competitiveness them visit Ontario without a tourism guide. This latter clientele tends to have shorter stays than Direction Study research, Ontario’s target clientele and, consequently, reflect different consumer habits. holds the largest The Quebec market, in figures untapped pool of potential With a population of over 7.5 million people, Quebec is the second most populated province after Ontario and home Canadian visitors to nearly a quarter of Canada’s population. Quebec sets itself apart by the linguistic makeup of its inhabitants: to Ontario.”* French is the mother tongue of four out of five Québécois, and one out of two Québécois can communicate only in French.

In 2007, Québécois tourists visited Ontario 3.1 million times. According to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, the purpose of the trips can be broken down as follows: 1 million for leisure, 1.49 million to visit relatives or friends, 465,000 for business and 175,000 for personal reasons. Stays of one or more nights accounted for 1.9 million of these trips. Québécois travellers spent $637 million in Ontario, broken down as follows: $456 million on overnight stays (one or more nights) and $180 million on same-day visits.1

The Quebec market

Populationi Total Visits Total Overnight Total Expenses Expenses (000s) Visits (000s) (one or more nights) Total population 7,546,131 3,144 1,896 637,000ii 456,000ii French, mother tongue 5,920,995 2,503a 1,510a 507,225a 363,100 Knowledge of French 7,028,740 2,972a 1,792a 601,175a 430,354a

Sources: i) Statistics Canada, “Quebec (province)” in 2006 Community Profiles, [www12.statcan.gc.ca] (consulted August 7, 2009); ii) Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Ontario’s Domestic Travel Markets, 2007.

Notes: a) Estimate by crossing the total number of Québécois visits to Ontario in 2007 and the demographic weight.

*Discovering Ontario: A report on the future of tourism. 1 Ontario’s Domestic Travel Markets, 2007, Ontario Ministry of Tourism. 4 Quebec

Quebec is mainly a French-speaking market, but it would be a mistake to think that all Québécois visitors are Francophones or Francophiles. A portion of Quebec’s population does not speak French and would therefore not be influenced by French marketing campaigns, a point which deserves to be emphasized. Francophones account for 78.6% of Quebec’s population, allophones 12.6%, and pure Anglophones 7.8%. The vast majority of Québécois (93.1%) speak French.2 The table above presents an estimate of the tourist traffic in Ontario, based on the Québécois demographic. It is merely an estimate, since the Ontario Ministry of Tourism does not compile statistics on Québécois tourist traffic based on language.

Quebec and other tourism markets, in figures

In 2007, Ontarians were the main consumers of tourism products in Ontario. Quebec represents Ontario’s largest outer-provincial Canadian market, accounting for 3.59% of Canada’s total tourist clientele (both same-day visits and overnight stays) or 64.79% of the Canadian clientele outside of Ontario. The economic contribution of the Québécois clientele is greater than that of the main American and overseas markets in terms of expenses with overnight stays. According to available statistics, residents of New York and Michigan are more likely to stay in Ontario for less than 24 hours compared to Québécois. This difference may be explained by the fact that Statistics Canada does not provide the same definition for “person-visits” for foreign and Canadian travellers. Regarding trips taken by Canadians, a trip is defined as the following:

travel to a Canadian destination at least 80 km one-way from home for any reason except: travel to and from work or school (i.e., commuting); one-way travel involving a change of residence; travel of operating crew members of buses, airplanes, boats, etc.; travel in an ambulance to a hospital or clinic; trips that did not originate in Canada; trips longer than a year.3

For international trips, the distance travelled is not taken into account.4 Thus, trips from Detroit to Windsor, two neighbouring cities, are counted but not those from Gatineau to Ottawa.

Visitation rates by market

Number of Number of Visitor Spending Spending by Person Visits Overnight ($) Overnight Person Visits Visitors ($) Canadian visitors 87,531 34,444 14,855,000 7,391,943 Ontario 82,679 30,928 13,160,000 5,891,785 Quebec 3,144 1,896 637,000 456,000 Elsewhere in Canada 1,708 1,620 1,058 1,044,158 American visitors 15,063 6,566 3,494,778 2,890,467 New York 4,485 1,254 570,277 368,830 Michigan 4,744 1,233 659,612 398,224 Ohio 869 581 245,836 219,783 Overseas visitors 2,195 1,971 2,643,614 2,546,876 United Kingdom 419 395 493,211 481,544 Japan 150 132 188,235 181,103 France 124 107 112,671 107,177

Source: Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Historical Statistics, [http://www.tourism.gov.on.ca/english/research/trends/index.html], (consulted August 3, 2009).

2 According to the Canadian Census of Population. See: Statistics Canada, “Quebec (province)” in 2006 Community Profiles, [www12.statcan.gc.ca] (consulted August 7, 2009). 3 Statistics Canada, Canadian Travel Survey – Domestic Travel, 2004, Minister of Industry, 2006, p. 62. 4 Statistics Canada, International Travel – 2007, Minister of Industry, 2008, p. 65-69. 5 Quebec’s population is smaller than that of New York, Michigan and Ohio, but the tourist traffic from Quebec has a higher visitation rate than the New York and Ohio markets. Regarding overnight stays in Ontario, the visitation rate of Québécois is higher than that of Michigan. Francophone travellers from Quebec are also more likely to stay overnight in Ontario compared with the main American markets.

Demographic weight and visitation rates, Ontario’s main markets

Population Visitation Rates Visitation Rates (one or more nights) Quebec 7,750,504i 0.41 0.24 New York 19,449,297ii 0.23 0.06 Michigan 10,003,422ii 0.47 0.12 Ohio 11,485,910ii 0.08 0.05

Sources: i) Statistics Canada, Quarterly Demographic Estimates (April 2009), [www.statcan.gc.ca], (consulted August 6, 2009) and ii) U.S. Census Bureau, “New York,” “Michigan” and “Ohio,” [quickfacts.census.gov], (consulted August 6, 2009).

Montréal’s geographic proximity could explain the high propensity of this market to visit Ontario. After Detroit, Montréal is the closest large metropolitan market to Toronto. It is also closer to Ottawa than the other markets listed. These data lead to the conclusion that the Quebec and American markets visit Ontario’s two capital cities during their trips to Ontario, which is not always the case. For lack of more information on the entry of these markets into Ontario, these data are listed for information only since we know that Toronto and Ottawa are the province’s major tourist attraction hubs.

Survey of the demographic profile of Direction Ontario’s clientele

Age groups

The following chart indicates that in 2008, Direction Ontario’s main clientele was comprised of the 45-64 age group. This group corresponds to the baby-boomers described by the Tourism Intelligence Network. In 2006, the 45-64 age group represented 37.5% of Quebec’s adult population aged 20 years and over, with a population of 159,335.5 The 20-44 age group is a larger cohort and makes up 43.9% of the adult population or 179,880 residents. The 65 years and older age group comes in third place with 18.6% of the adult population or 82,865 residents.6

Another important source of information on the Québécois tourism consumer is the Tourism Intelligence Network (Réseau de veille en tourisme). The Network locates, gathers, analyzes and distributes value-added information to enhance the Quebec tourism industry’s competitiveness and helps its decision-makers develop forward-looking strategies. The information is gathered from a variety of sources: databases, surveys, reports, specialized magazines, conferences, etc. In addition, the Network periodically calls on the expertise of recognized experts and contributors from various fields of tourism.

5 Data on residents aged 18 and 19 years have been aggregated by Statistics Canada within the 15-19 age group and could not be considered in this report. 6 Statistics Canada, “Quebec (province)” in 2006 Community Profiles, [www12.statcan.gc.ca] (consulted August 7, 2009). 6 Quebec

Direction Ontario’s clientele and the Québécois demographic, by age group

50 Direction Ontario’s clientele* 40 Québécois demographic**

0 18-44 age group* 45-64 age group 65 years and older

* As market share for Direction Ontario’s clientele and as a percentage of the population 20 years and older for Québécois demographic data ** 20-44 age group for statistics on Québécois demographics Sources: Statistics Canada and results of the survey of Québécois tourists, 2008 edition.

The above chart shows that the 45-64 age group visits Ontario the most, despite the fact that it is smaller in number than the 18-44 age group. The weight of this demographic factor being equal, the residents of the 45-64 age group are three times more interested in Ontario than the 18-44 age group. Residents 65 years and older are slightly more inclined to visit than the 18-44 age group. Considering its demographic weight and interest in Ontario, the 45-64 age group is without question the easiest group to reach.

Group characteristics

Direction Ontario’s main client base is comprised of couples and families across all age groups. Families represent 39.4% of its clientele, followed by people travelling as a couple (35.6%) and with friends (22.2%). Respondents who claimed to have travelled alone or as another type of visit represent 1.1% and 1.7% of the clientele respectively.

As a family With friends Alone Other As a couple

7 Group characteristics, by respondents’ age group (in percentage)

As a family As a couple With friends Alone Other 18-44 years 13.3 5 2.2 00 45-64 years 23.2 27.1 13.3 1.1 0.6 65 years + 1.1 8.3 3.9 0 0.6

Although families have been in large Direction Ontario’s largest clientele, by taking into account the age group factor, couples in the 45-64 age range are the largest group of tourists who visit Ontario.

Québécois visitors to Ontario

Québécois visitors who received Direction Ontario’s guide through the directionontario.ca website or by telephone had a high visitation rate: 57.5% of them visited Ontario after having received the guide. Among this group, 59.7% said this was their first trip to Ontario in five years. Over half (54.1%) of vacationers said they visited a new region after receiving the tourism guide.

Motivation for visiting

The Québécois visitors surveyed were above all interested in visiting a “new region”, a reason mentioned two times out of three for all regions. Quebec tourists in the past have spent much of their time visiting Quebec regions. They are accustomed to visiting “regions”. Having visited most of Quebec probably more than once, they are now seeking new “regions” to discover that are close to home. This level of interest is higher than average in Northern Ontario and the Georgian Bay region.

The proximity of Ontario in relation to Quebec comes in second place, mentioned by 49.7% or nearly half of vacationers. Tourism activities related to water are the third most common reason (25.4%) for travelling to Ontario.

Accommodations

In 2008, nearly half (45.9%) of Direction Ontario’s tourism clientele stayed in hotels or motels, with motorized or trailer camping (25.4%) coming in second place; back-country camping came in third place at 10.5%. These results destroy the myth that Quebec visitors to Ontario are primarily “campers”.

Main types of accommodations

Hotel or motel

Motorized or trailer camping

Back-country camping

Bed & breakfast

Family & friends

Boat

8 Quebec

Number of days visited

The median stay in Ontario by Quebec tourists who received Direction Ontario’s tourism guide was seven days. The large variation in the number of days visited in Ontario would have made the standard deviation too great and skewed the data. To avoid presenting false conclusions, we are referring to the median stay. We also aggregated the data to get a more accurate picture of visits to Ontario.

The following chart shows that 33.7% of vacationers visited Ontario for a period of seven to nine days. Over one third of tourists (36%) came for a period of four to six days, 17.1% for a period of ten to twelve days and 11.6% for a period of thirteen to fifteen days. Few of Direction Ontario’s clients came for sixteen days or more (5%) or for a period of one to three days (6.6%). Direction Ontario’s clients stay longer in Ontario than the average Québécois tourist: in 2007, Québécois stayed in Ontario an average of 2.9 days. This statistic excludes Québécois travellers who come to Ontario for trips of less than one day.7

Number of days visited, aggregated data

1 to 3 4 to 6 7 to 9 10 to 12 13 to 15 16 and over

7 Ontario Ministry of Tourism, “Table 5: Person Nights spent by Canadian Travellers in Ontario and Avg. Length of Stay, 2007” in “Ontario’s Domestics Travel Markets, 2007”, [http://www.tourism.gov.on.ca/english/research/cdn_intl_travel/domestic_travel_markets_2007.htm] (consulted on August 23, 2009). 9 Activities

The activities people choose to do in Ontario vary from one region to another. Overall, two thirds of visitors or more enjoy walking/hiking (71.3%), shopping (64.6%) and visiting historical sites and museums (63%) throughout Ontario.

Types of activities

0 Walking Historical sites Shopping Boating Nature Amusement French and Beaches Other and museums parks Circuit Champlain

ACCORDING TO THE TOURISM INTELLIGENCE NETWORK:

3.3 million Québécois or nearly half of the population aged 12 and older (48.6%) travelled for pleasure in Canada at least once during the 12 months which preceded the 2009 survey. Among these vacationers, 74% travelled to Quebec, 30% to Ontario and 5% to New Brunswick.

Some activities in which Québécois tourists took part during their trip were very popular among travellers. Shopping was the number one activity, but one quarter of respondents chose to spend time at the beach. In comparing surveys conducted in 2003 and 2009, we see many activities on the rise: shopping, sports activities, participation in cultural events, hunting or fishing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, sports events and golf.8 Did you know? • From 2003 to 2009, the number of Québécois who visited a spa at least once jumped from 213,000 to 703,000, a 230% increase.*

• From 2003 to 2009, yoga increased by 174% (from 2% to 6% of the Québécois population).*

• Bicycling is not only popular and on the rise, but the index in Quebec is 148, well above the Canadian average. Of the 36% of the population who cycled in 2009, nearly 16% practised this sport 10 times or more.*

• Attendance at certain types of attractions or cultural events increased for all except classical music concerts and opera. More than one Québécois in five went to the theatre at least once according to the 2009 survey, a 17% increase versus 2003. Museums and art galleries also saw higher attendance (20% and 36% respectively).*

8 Réseau de veille en tourisme, « Activités, attraits et événements favoris des Québécois », November 13, 2009 [http://veilletourisme.ca/2009/11/13/activites-attraits-et-evenements-favoris-des-quebecois/]. * Réseau de veille en tourisme, « Les loisirs des Québécois », September 3, 2009 [http://veilletourisme.ca/2009/09/03/les-loisirs-des-quebecois/]. 10 Quebec

Québécois tourism by age group

Consumer habits of the Québécois tourists described in this study are related to their age group and the people they travel with (i.e. as a couple, as a family). The purpose of this sector analysis is to understand the habits of vacationers by age group. The findings will be qualified, as needed, with data about the people they are travelling with.

The Tourism Intelligence Network at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) identified four demographic segments: seniors (born in 1945 or earlier), baby-boomers (born from 1945 to 1966), generation X (born from 1967 to 1978) and generation Y (born from 1979 to 1990). These demographic segments correspond fairly closely to the age groups used in the survey.

Motivation for visiting

The idea of discovering new regions is the main factor motivating Québécois tourists to visit Ontario, regardless of age group. More people in the 18-44 and 45-64 age groups said that they visited Ontario for another reason than those suggested in the survey. Among these other reasons, Niagara Falls as well as Ontario’s cleanliness and tranquility were mentioned most often. The 65 years and older age group was less inclined to stay near water compared to other age groups. This older group is slightly more interested in tours than the 18-44 age group, but less interested than the 45-64 group.

Motivation by age group

40 18-44 age group 45-64 age group 30 65 years and over

0 Family Proximity French Water Tourism Regions Outdoors/ Other visit of Ontario services circuits sports

Activities by age group

The 18-44 age group gives a high priority to activities in the great outdoors (nature). In second place, nearly 60% of this group enjoy walking, visiting historical sites, shopping and relaxing on a beach. More than any other demographic groups, this group enjoys taking part in outdoor activities like experiencing nature, relaxing on a beach or boating.

The 45-64 age group prefers walking (71.4%). Like the 18-44 age group, the majority of people in this older group also enjoy shopping, visiting historical sites and museums, and activities in the great outdoors. Boating activities, mentioned by 33.6% of this clientele, are just as popular as amusement parks (35.8%). Activities in French and along Circuit Champlain received equal market share at 34.5%, a significant difference compared to the 18-44 age group.

The 65 years and older group likes the same types of activities as the two other groups, namely walking (84%), visiting historical sites and museums (76%), shopping (60%) and activities in the great outdoors (56%). Boating and relaxing on a beach are less important for this group, who is more interested in activities in French and along Circuit Champlain than the two other demographic segments. 11 Circuit Champlain is a tourism route developed by Direction Ontario that allows tourists to discover 1,500 km of the world’s most extraordinary freshwater seas, breathtaking natural beauty and Ontario’s distinct and vibrant culture.

Circuit Champlain follows the footsteps of the renowned French explorer Samuel de Champlain. After founding Quebec City in 1608, this intrepid explorer tirelessly travelled Ontario from 1613 to 1615 through many of its waterways: the Ottawa River, the Mattawa River, the French River, Georgian Bay, the Kawartha Lakes, Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Today, nature enthusiasts continue to appreciate the beauty of this land. Over the years, Direction Ontario has developed a variety of historical circuits and self-guided driving tours along Circuit Champlain. Details are available in Direction Ontario’s travel guide and on its website.

Type of activities by age group

90 80 70 60 18-44 age group 50 45-64 age group 40 65 years and over 30 20 10 0 Walking Historical Shopping Boating Nature Amusement French and Beaches Other sites and parks Circuit museums Champlain

Accommodations

The types of accommodations preferred across all age groups are hotels/motels and motorized camping. For the 45 years and older group, hotels and motels are particularly popular with a 48% share. Surprisingly, trailer camping is much less prevalent among the 45-64 age group compared to the 18-44 age group and the 65 years and older group. Families in this age group travel much less in a motorized camping vehicle than the 18-44 age group (7.1% vs. 45.8%) and more by back-country camping (16.7% vs. 8.3%) and in hotels and motels (59.5% vs. 37.5%).

Types of accommodations by age group

18-44 age group 30 45-64 age group 65 years and over

0 Hotel or Motorized Back- Bed & Family & Boat Other motel or trailer country Breakfast friends camping camping 12 Quebec

Services in French

At the time that the survey was conducted in January 2009, the majority of Direction Ontario’s Québécois clientele considered French services to be very important, although this was rarely mentioned as a motivation for their choice of destination. This is an interesting discrepancy: overall, 76.8% and 16.6% consider that French services are “very important” or “important”, whereas only 4.4% stated that French services were the primary reason for visiting Ontario. It seems that French services are valued by Québécois tourists, but that they don’t necessarily turn towards Ontario for these services, as they are more readily available in their own province. Since French services are favourably perceived by Québécois tourists, Ontario could attract and retain these clients who tend to vacation more in their own province by offering more French services. Did you French services are important for Québécois travellers, regardless of their comfort level know? in English. It is important to note that a difference exists between Québécois who do not In order to make the trip speak English at all or who are at a beginner’s level and those who have an advanced or easier for them, most intermediate grasp of the English language. In both cases, two thirds consider that French French-speaking Québécois services are very important, with a higher incidence among the former (91.5% vs. 67.9%). travellers to Ontario will plan to have someone in The following chart presents aggregated data on questions about the level of fluency for oral and their group who is written English. For example, a respondent who said he had an advanced level of spoken somewhat comfortable English but an intermediate level of written English was classified in the “advanced/intermediate” with the English category. language.

Importance of French services, according to fluency in written and oral English

100 90 80 70

60 Advanced/intermediate 50 Intermediate 40 Beginner/no knowledge of English 30 20 10 0 Very important Important Not very important Not important at all

13 Use of the French services rating scale (EFTO*)

Yes

Can’t remember

Don’t know

Nearly half (44.2%) of vacationers used Direction Ontario’s French services rating scale (EFTO).

Direction Ontario’s Québécois clientele appreciates French services and this is all the more true among users of the EFTO rating scale. When asked if they wanted to receive news about Ontario’s services in French, 80.7% responded affirmatively. Among EFTO users, this number reached 87.5%.

Interest for French services, according to use of the French services rating scale (EFTO)

65 EFTO users EFTO non-users Sum

Users of the French services rating scale tended to rely more on this tool if their English language skills were lacking. Regardless of this observation, 48.9% of respondents who said they had advanced/intermediate level of English used the EFTO rating scale.9 This observation leads us to conclude that the French services rating scale is useful, even among tourists with advanced English language skills.

* Ontario Francophone Tourism Evaluation. 9 Note: Those respondents who could not remember if they used the rating scale or not were excluded from these results. 14 Quebec

Use of the French services rating scale, according to fluency in written and spoken English

56 55 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 Advanced/intermediate Intermediate/beginner Beginner/no knowledge of English

As studies show, Québécois travel more than other Canadians, but the majority choose to stay in Quebec because they mistakenly perceive a lack of friendliness in Ontario’s attractions. A great many of them are interested in Ontario, but they do not make the province their travel destination of choice. In fact, through its 2005 study on Quebec tourism sponsored by FEDNOR and the OTMPC, Decima tells us that 48% of Québécois vacationers are interested a priori in Ontario as a travel destination, but nearly half of them choose not to travel there.

The following are reasons why Québécois would rather travel in Quebec than in Ontario:

• They are not fully aware of what Ontario has to offer; • They believe that their own province can meet all of their travel needs; and • They feel that they are poorly understood culturally and linguistically by Ontarians.10

The interest shown for travelling by Québécois sets them apart from other Canadians. They are more likely to use guides while travelling and tourist services offered by travel destinations.11 More than any other clientele, Québécois need to have a plan, especially when travelling in regions that do not share their mother tongue.

10 Quebec Tourism Consumer Research, Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and Industry Canada – FEDNOR/Decima, October 19, 2006, p. 111. 11 During the 2007 summer season, Ontario tourist information centres noted a decline throughout the province with one exception: tourist centres between Ottawa and Montréal saw an increase in the number of tourists. Direction Ontario does not have access to the demographic profile of these centres’ clientele, but it estimates that the increase is due in large part to the Québécois clientele. 15 QUEBEC SEGMENTATION

For a final analysis of the Quebec market, we will refer to the Quebec Segmentation study released by the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and Environics Analytics.

Environics Analytics gathered the following data through a segmentation system called PRIZMC2. PRIZMC2 is an innovative consumer segmentation system that classifies all Canadians into one of 66 groups based on their demographics, behaviours and attitudes. It is the first Canadian segmentation model to link geodemographics to Social Values data to explain consumer behaviour. The system has been updated in January 2009 to capture the most recent demographic, behavioural and attitudinal changes.

15 of the 66 PRIZMC2 segments are Francophone and reside predominantly in the province of Quebec. These 15 segments have been further segmented into 42 segments for more granular segmentation resulting in PRIZM QC. The PRIZM QC segments can be used to quantify and locate but not for personification as they do not provide statistically reliable data at this granular level. All personification is completed using the PRIZMC2 segment.

According to this methodology, there are three key segments in Quebec who have the highest potential propensity to travel to Ontario: a) Connaisseurs québécois; b) Familles rustiques; and c) Jeunes voyageurs.

16 Quebec

a) Connaisseurs québécois

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • Middle-aged, large families who enjoy fun holidays with their families • They take their families to tourist-friendly, cost-effective destinations by air with the occasional “getaway” by car • They like to stay at hotels in fun destinations in the sun or at major American and Canadian cities • They live in the suburbs of major cities in Quebec, including Gatineau, Boucherville, Blainville, Terrebonne and Repentigny • They’re big radio listeners who like news/talk, Top 40 and classic rock formats. They’ll play games, read the paper, and research upcoming purchases on the Internet.

Top markets: Urban/suburban areas of Quebec cities - Montréal, Gatineau and Québec

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Middle-aged families with children under age 9 • Large household size (53% have 4+ members) • Average HH income: $102,363 (50% above average) • 12.6% of Quebec households (423,486) • 14.3% of Quebec total population (1,145,191) • 13.6% of Quebec 18+ population (855,768) • 13.6% of Quebec 15+ population (901,174) • 13.7% of Quebec 12+ population (944,956)

PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: Hotels, motels, RV/camper and condo/apartment • Activities/Attractions: Outdoor activities like hiking, backpacking or camping, visiting historical sites, visiting theme parks and water parks, zoos and aquariums • These families love to take in high culture, including evenings at the symphony and opera and curatorial tours of museums, but they also like to kick back at the circus or a fireworks show • On their annual camping trips, these families can be found hiking, bird-watching, kayaking and sunbathing

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • Tend to be longer-range travellers with a taste for sunny climes and discount travel • Usually travel during the summer or the winter holiday seasons • Destinations: France, sun destinations like Cuba and the Caribbean as well as big cities in Canada and US Did you know? 18% of adults in Quebec City intend to travel to/within Ontario during June-August 2010 and 9% in September- November 2010.*

* Travel Intentions Summer/Fall 2010 - TNS 17 CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Free outdoor concerts 1. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 2. Stand-up comedy shows 2. Swimming 3. Live theatre 3. Hiking – same-day excursions 4. Live theatre with dinner 4. Freshwater fishing 5. Rock & roll concerts 5. Cycling – recreational

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Ice skating 2. Professional baseball games 2. Skiing – downhill 3. Auto races 3. Skiing – cross-country 4. Professional football games 4. Snowshoeing 5. Professional soccer games 5. Snowmobiling – organized trails

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Amusement parks 2. Zoos 3. Aquariums 4. Botanical gardens 5. Water theme parks

Festivals & Events Did you 1. Fireworks displays 2. Carnivals know? 3. Exhibitions or fairs 6% of adults in Quebec City 4. Farmers’ markets intend to travel to Toronto during June-August 2010 5. Music festivals & 5% of adults in Quebec City Historic Sites & Museums intend to travel to 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture Niagara Falls during 2. Well-known historic sites/buildings June-August 2010.* 3. Other historic sites/buildings 4. Well-known natural wonders 5. General history/heritage museums

The Connaisseurs québécois segment gathers information from a wide variety of sources, including official sources (guides), TV ads, and direct mail.

* Travel Intentions Summer/Fall 2010 - TNS 18 Quebec

Connaisseurs québécois

These families love to take in high culture, including evenings at the symphony and opera and curatorial tours of museums, but they also like to kick back at the circus or a fireworks show. On their annual camping trips, these families can be found hiking, bird-watching, kayaking and sunbathing.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Light to medium viewers; movies, news/current affairs, soaps, cartoons, reality and contest shows are popular genres • Radio: Medium-heavy listeners; news/talk, adult contemporary, mainstream and classic rock • Newspapers: Best sections are local & regional news, national & international news, movies & entertainment • Magazines: Best titles include Coup de pouce, L’Actualité, 7 jours, CAA Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Châtelaine (FR) • Internet: Medium to heavy users who play online games, read online newspapers and research products online • Direct: Somewhat favourable opinion of flyers at door, likely to use flyers for shopping

COMMUNICATION THEMES • Emphasize the fun factor with these consumers: they are looking for intensely pleasurable, emotive experiences These families • They have an interest in spirituality and are searching for meaning in their lives are less likely • They like to experience and reflect upon the cultural differences they come across in their travels • They are sceptical of both big and small business and look to the government as a source of than the information they can trust average Ontarian CREATIVE MESSAGING • Middle-aged families with children of all ages living in the suburbs; family is an important factor to make for them their travel • Physical beauty and attention to detail are important for ads and mailers; images of attractive, reservations professional families appeal to them • They like to be on the leading edge with new and exciting products and like to be looked upon as online. having all the latest by their peers

TOUCH POINTS • Radio ads on news/talk, adult contemporary and classic rock stations • Online ads on newspapers and search-related ads (e.g. Google ads) • Flyers and catalogues delivered to the door – they are typically responsive to all forms of well-designed direct mail

SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS These families are on a constant journey to create more meaning in their lives. They are strong believers in Social Darwinism and experience a sense of urgency to get ahead in life, with little desire to step back, reprioritize work or money, and lead a simpler existence. Still, these families often find themselves pursuing pleasure and happiness with little regard to their duties, which often finds them purchasing beautiful clothing and housewares and indulging in delicious food and wine. They love being the first to try new things, and they’ll often tell everyone they know about a great new product or restaurant, or a wonderful place to go on vacation. They often enjoy opportunities to step out of their comfort zones – trying a new ethnic cuisine or visiting a new city for a few days – although these experiences often leave them feeling sure that nothing is quite as special as the familiarity and comfort of home.

19 b) Familles rustiques

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • These middle-aged families enjoy the outdoors with friends and extended family • They will drive to campsites throughout Quebec, Northern Ontario or the American Northeast, and occasionally fly with a package deal • They tend to travel according to their kids’ school calendar: primarily in the summer, and occasionally to a sun destination in the winter • They are found outside of large and small Quebec cities such as Saguenay, Lévis, Terrebonne and Saint-Jérôme • They are heavy TV viewers and like to watch movies, news, documentaries and game shows

Top markets: Near small cities – Saguenay, Lévis and Terrebonne

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Middle-aged families with children of all ages • Large household size (39% have 3+ members) • Average HH income: $69,074 (average) • 30.2% of Quebec households (1,017,517) • 30.9% of Quebec total population (2,467,720) • 31.1% of Quebec 18+ population (1,962,347) • 31.1% of Quebec 15+ population (2,058,748) • 31.1% of Quebec 12+ population (2,139,971)

PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: RV or camping, motels, package tours, friends/relatives • Activities/Attractions: Carnivals, free concerts, some historical sites, zoos and water parks, cycling and ATVing • Aside from a few kid-friendly activities like zoos, these families are less likely than the average to vacation in urban settings • They like vacations that give them the opportunity to use their toys, including golf packages, snowmobile/ATV excursions, cross-country skiing or hunting

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • Family-oriented travellers who like to share their time with friends and extended family. They usually travel locally by car, RV or camper and occasionally fly on package trips. • Destinations: Parks and campgrounds around Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes. These families are strong for travel to Northern Ontario.

20 Quebec

CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Free outdoor concerts 1. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 2. Stand-up comedy shows 2. Swimming 3. Live theatre 3. Freshwater fishing 4. Rock & roll concerts 4. Hiking – same-day excursions 5. Live theatre with dinner 5. Motor boating

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Ice skating 2. Auto races 2. Skiing – downhill 3. Professional football games 3. Snowshoeing 4. Professional baseball games 4. Skiing – cross-country 5. Horse races 5. Snowmobiling – organized trails

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Zoos 2. Amusement parks 3. Botanical gardens 4. Aquariums 5. Water theme parks

Festivals & Events 1. Fireworks displays 2. Exhibitions or fairs 3. Carnivals 4. Farmers’ markets 5. Music festivals

Historic Sites & Museums 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture 2. Well-known historic sites/buildings 3. Other historic sites/monuments 4. General history/heritage museums 5. Well-known natural wonders

The Familles rustiques segment is more inclined to gather travel information from information received in the mail, the advice of friends and relatives, TV ads, as well as some official travel guides.

21 Familles rustiques

Aside from a few kid-friendly activities like zoos, these families are less likely than the average to vacation in urban settings. They like vacations that give them the opportunity to use their toys, including golf packages, snowmobile/ATV excursions, cross-country skiing or hunting.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Heavy viewers; movies, news/current affairs, documentaries, soaps, game shows are popular • Radio: Light-medium listeners; adult contemporary and mainstream top 40 • Newspapers: Best sections are local and regional news, food, fashion/lifestyle, classifieds, automotive • Magazines: 7 jours, Coup de pouce, Reader’s Digest, CAA Magazine, Châtelaine (FR) • Internet: Light users who use instant messaging, access current news and search for specific info on the Internet

COMMUNICATION THEMES Light Internet users • Appeal to the image-conscious nature of these consumers and their need for status recognition in general, these • They are not looking for a cultural experience: they want to visit places that feel familiar and where families tend to the culture and language are known to them • Emphasize the small business angle, and even relationships with their local travel agencies avoid purchasing any part of their CREATIVE MESSAGING trips online. • Middle-aged families with children of all ages who like the familiar and the comfortable • They are status-conscious and image is important to them; “keeping up with the Joneses” (or in this case, They are more the “Tremblays”) is important to them likely to be more • They want to be pampered on their vacations and bring back interesting stories to share about their travels responsive to TOUCH POINTS information • TV advertisements during movies, news/current affairs, documentaries, soaps and game shows received • Newspaper ads in local/regional news, food, fashion/lifestyle or automotive sections in the mail. • Generally lighter on the Internet, but frequent news sites • Flyers and catalogues

SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS These blue-collar families may sometimes feel a little left behind by the rapid pace of technology and the labour market, and yearn to return to simpler times. One of the ways that they cope with this feeling of disconnection is in a constant quest for status recognition, even among their similarly middle-class peers. They love to buy new things – particularly toys like Skidoos and ATVs – which are on display in their yards or garages. As they see it, these toys help them spend time outside with friends and family, and provide a steady stream of good stories to share at the dinner table. Like many other Francophone families they too are motivated by a strong need for pleasure and happiness, leading them to enjoy a little pampering on vacation. These families prefer to have both big and small decisions laid out neatly for them, and can easily get turned off by ethnic diversity.

22 Quebec

c) Jeunes voyageurs

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • These young active singles and couples love to explore sun destinations and nearby cities • Car trips are common, but they’ll fly off-peak to sun or international destinations a couple times a year • They look for deals on transportation and accommodations, but spend (sometimes extravagantly) on activities and entertainment once they arrive • They are found in Quebec’s larger cities, often near the universities • The Internet is their main source for most of their news and consumer information, although they also read sections of the daily paper at high rates

Top markets: In large cities – Longueuil, Laval, Montréal-Est, Mont-Royal

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Young urban downscale singles and couples • 45% are 1 person households (48% above average); above-average Did you proportion of lone-parent families • Average HH income: $53,284 (22% below average) know? • 20.4% of Quebec households (687,690) 22% of adults in Montréal • 17.0% of Quebec total population (1,356,020) intend to travel to/within • 17.7% of Quebec 18+ population (1,118,823) Ontario during June- • 17.5% of Quebec 15+ population (1,158,550) August 2010 and 9% in • 17.3% of Quebec 12+ population (1,190,611) September-November 2010.* PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: B&Bs, with friends and relatives, hotels, and all-inclusive resorts • Activities/Attractions: Visit historical sites, visit parks/city gardens, attend art galleries/museums/science centres, attend music festivals • These active young urbanites enjoy a range of activities in both the city and the countryside • They particularly enjoy an opportunity to get outdoors, and are strong for active sports like kayaking, hiking and skiing

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • They like to go on short trips as well as the occasional escape to somewhere warm, taking in the historical sites, galleries and music festivals • Destinations: Popular scenic locations as well as periodic trips to sunny destinations; likely to seek out cheaper accommodations like B&Bs or the homes of friends and relatives

* Travel Intentions Summer/Fall 2010 - TNS 23 CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Free outdoor concerts 1. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 2. Live theatre 2. Swimming in lakes 3. Rock & roll concerts 3. Hiking – same-day excursions 4. Stand-up comedy shows 4. Kayaking/canoeing – freshwater 5. Classical/symphony concerts 5. Cycling – recreational

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Ice skating 2. Professional baseball games 2. Skiing – downhill 3. Auto races 3. Snowshoeing 4. Professional football games 4. Skiing – cross-country 5. Horse races 5. Snowboarding

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Amusement parks 2. Zoos 3. Botanical gardens Did you 4. Aquariums know? 5. Water theme parks 10% of adults in Montréal intend to travel to Toronto Festivals & Events during June-August 2010 1. Fireworks displays & 2. Music festivals 11% of adults in Montréal 3. Exhibitions or fairs intend to travel to Niagara 4. Farmers’ markets Falls during June-August 5. Carnivals 2010.*

Historic Sites & Museums 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture 2. Other historic sites/monuments 3. Well-known historic sites/buildings 4. Well-known natural wonders 5. Art galleries

The Jeunes voyageurs segment is more inclined to gather travel information from travel guidebooks and trade shows, official guides, the advice of family and friends, and some TV ads and programs.

* Travel Intentions Summer/Fall 2010 - TNS 24 Quebec

Jeunes voyageurs

These active young urbanites enjoy a range of activities in both the city and countryside. They particularly enjoy an opportunity to get outdoors, and are strong for active sports like kayaking, hiking and skiing.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Light viewers; documentaries, mini-series, soaps and talk shows are popular genres • Radio: Medium-heavy listeners; news/talk and classical/fine arts stations • Newspapers: Best sections are international news, movies & entertainment, business & financial, editorials and food • Magazines: Best titles include L’Actualité, Coup de pouce, Châtelaine (FR) • Internet: Medium-heavy users who use instant messaging, research products online, and download music files • Direct: Very unfavourable opinion of flyers received at door; most likely not to use flyers or coupons for shopping

COMMUNICATION THEMES • They are open-minded, and an emphasis on cultural activities and exposure to different cultures and new ideas will appeal to them Despite their • Their own roots are important to them, and they like opportunities to learn more about their own generally cultural history • Flexibility and creativity resonate strongly with this group, so the ability to choose their own path will be strong important to them Internet use, this group CREATIVE MESSAGING • Young urban singles and couples who are looking to explore and experience new things, especially in is not as likely situations that allow for social interaction to purchase • Emphasize brands and destinations that allow them to explore Francophone history outside Quebec in an interactive manner travel online. • Ethical companies and services, especially where the environment is concerned, will usually be their first choice • Seek thrills and emotional stimulation

TOUCH POINTS • Online communications • Radio ads on news/talk and classical/fine arts stations • Newspaper ads in international news, entertainment, business and food sections • Not receptive to direct marketing

SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS These young individualists savour every opportunity to learn from others and express their personal creativity. They are particularly interested in learning about their own cultural heritage and exploring Francophone culture outside of Quebec, whether in Ontario and the Maritimes or elsewhere in Le Monde Francophone. They like to be the first to try new things, and are particularly interested in “authentic” cultural travel experiences that enhance their perspectives on life and provide lots of stories to share with their friends. Concern for the environment is particularly strong among members of this group, and they will go out of their way to buy products and services that are produced in an ethical, environmentally friendly manner. When it comes to travel, this group wants to have it all, but on a budget: they’ll spend freely on activities but usually stay where they can get a discount.

Conclusion Quebec The Quebec market is totally under-explored for many of Ontario’s RTOs and there are many opportunities for the whole province to increase its share of that market. It is important to note that Ontario has everything it takes to attract Quebec tourists: our products, the province’s geographical proximity and its ability to meet the needs of this clientele, coupled with the fact that Québécois are looking for new close-by destinations and have rarely visited Ontario, are all competitive advantages for Ontario compared to other destinations. 25 NO. 2 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: FRANCOPHONE ONTARIO

Overview of the Francophone community in Ontario*

According to Statistics Canada 2006 census, Ontario’s Francophone community numbers 582,690, i.e. 4.8% of the province’s total population. It represents the largest Francophone market in Canada outside Quebec.

The distribution of the Francophone population in Ontario is as follows: 41.5% of Francophones live in Eastern Ontario; 28.7% live in Central Ontario; 22.5% live in Northeastern Ontario; 5.9% live in Southwestern Ontario; and 1.4% live in Northwestern Ontario.

Ontario’s Francophone Population – Regions

One in four Region Francophones Total Francophones in residents of Population Total Population Northeastern % Ontario 582,695 12,028,900 4.8 Ontario is East 242,055 1,578,960 15.3 Francophone – RTOs: 9, 10, 11 (24%)* Central 167,235 8,158,825 2.0 – RTOs: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 (Some 1, 4, 7, 11, 12) Southwest 34,390 1,514,140 2.3 – RTOs: 1, 4, 7 Northeast 130,825 544,600 24.0 – RTOs: 12, 13a, 13b Northwest 8,190 232,370 3.5 – RTOs: 13c

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006

One in six residents of Eastern Ontario is Francophone (15.3%)*

* Office of Francophone Affairs, “Demographics” [http://www.ontario.ca/en/communities/francophones/profile/ONT05_024276]. 26 Ontario

The French Language Services Act in Ontario1 (FLSA)

In accordance with Ontario’s French Language Services Act, the provincial government must provide services in French in its offices located in designated areas of the province. There are currently 25 designated areas under the FLSA. For an area to obtain designation under the Act, Francophones much make up at least 10% of its population; urban centres must have at least 5,000 Francophones.

Designated areas:

RTO 1 RTO 10 • County of Essex: City of Windsor; • City of Ottawa: all Towns of Belle River and Tecumseh: Townships • County of Prescott: all of Anderdon, Colchester North, Maidstone, Sand- • County of Russell: all wich South, Sandwich West, Tilbury North, Tilbury West and Rochester RTO 11 • County of Kent: Town of Tilbury; Townships of • County of Renfrew: City of Pembroke; Dover and Tilbury East Townships of Stafford and Westmeath • County of Middlesex: City of London RTO 13a RTO 2 • City of Greater Sudbury: all • Regional Municipality of Niagara: Cities of • District of Cochrane: all Port Colborne and Welland • District of Nipissing: all • District of Sudbury: all RTO 3 • District of Timiskaming: all • City of Hamilton: all • District of Parry Sound: Municipality of Callander RTO 5 • City of Toronto: all RTO 13b • Regional Municipality of Peel: City of • District of Algoma: all Mississauga, City of Brampton RTO 13c RTO 7 • District of Kenora: Township of Ignace • County of Simcoe: Town of Penetanguishene; • District of Thunder Bay: Towns of Geraldton, Townships of Tiny and Essa Longlac and Marathon; Townships of Manitouwadge, Beardmore, Nakina and RTO 9 Terrace Bay • County of Dundas: Township of Winchester • County of Glengarry: all • County of Stormont: all • County of Frontenac: City of Kingston

Though the French Language Services Act does not apply to RTOs, it is important to be aware of the presence of large numbers of Francophones in each RTO area in order to provide services and information that would either: motivate Francophones to stay in your own region; or assist you in developing appropriate and relevant marketing tactics if targeting another region in Ontario to visit your region.

1 Office of Francophone Affairs, “French Language Services Act, Map of Designated Areas” [http://www.ofa.gov.on.ca/en/flsa-mapdesig.html]. 27 FRANCOPHONE ONTARIO SEGMENTATION

There is very little analytical research on the Francophone Ontarian traveller but we know, anecdotally, that similarly to their Quebec cousins, they are very receptive to Francophone products and are very interested generally in “experiencing” their own province. They respond well to Francophone marketing initiatives and there are a number of synergies that apply to both product development and marketing initiatives for both markets of Ontario.

The only piece of tourism research that we are aware of on the Francophone traveller from Ontario is the Ontario Francophone Analysis and Segmentation study recently released by the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation and Environics Analytics.

According to this methodology, there are three key segments in Francophone Ontario who have the highest potential propensity to travel to Ontario “staycation”: a) Sportifs des banlieues; b) Camping et pique-nique; and c) Retraités en détente.

28 Ontario

a) Sportifs des banlieues

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • These large, established families have a zest for life and love opportunities to spend time together, particularly out in nature • Holidays are spent with their families, either flying to large tourist-friendly cities in Canada and the US, or driving to national/provincial parks • A moderate budget limits them to one annual destination holiday and a few smaller camping and fishing trips • They are moderate users of all media: they like to shop with catalogues, coupons and inserts from their newspapers and magazines

Top markets: In the suburbs of Ontario’s mid-sized Southern cities and larger Northern cities: near Ottawa, Windsor, Sudbury and Cochrane

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Middle-aged and older families with children of all ages • 50% have 3+ members • Average HH income: $84,334 (5% lower than average)

PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: RV/camper, hotel, camping, motel • Activities/Attractions: Mostly outdoor activities like water parks, zoos, pro sports, hunting/fishing, and just spending time in nature • While they do travel to a new or favourite city each year, these families are not particularly strong for most urban/cultural activities • They enjoy spending time in nature, particularly when it involves fishing or a ride on an ATV

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • Family travellers who like to take week-long excursions by minivan or RV and tend to try to keep expenses down • Destinations: Big Canadian cities and the tourist attraction cities in the US, as well as family-type trips for camping, visits to parks and hunting or fishing

29 CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Live theatre 1. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 2. Free outdoor concerts 2. Swimming 3. Rock & roll concerts 3. Freshwater fishing 4. Ballet/dance performances 4. Motor boating 5. Stand-up comedy shows 5. Hiking – same-day excursions

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Skiing – downhill 2. Professional baseball games 2. Ice skating 3. Auto races 3. Skiing – cross-country 4. Professional football games 4. Snowboarding 5. Professional basketball games 5. Snowshoeing

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Amusement parks 2. Zoos 3. Water theme parks 4. Botanical gardens 5. Aquariums

Festivals & Events 1. Farmers’ markets 2. Fireworks displays 3. Exhibitions or fairs 4. Carnivals 5. Religious festivals

Historic Sites & Museums 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture 2. Well-known historic sites/buildings 3. Other historic sites/monuments 4. Well-known natural wonders 5. General history/heritage museums

The Sportifs des banlieues segment is more inclined to gather travel information from TV programs and travel websites, though they generally are below the provincial average on most channels.

30 Ontario

Sportifs des banlieues

While they do travel to a new or favourite city each year, these families are not particularly strong for most urban/cultural activities. They enjoy spending time in nature, particularly when it involves fishing or a ride on an ATV.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Moderate viewers; mini-series, variety/award specials, CFL football; Le Canal Nouvelles, Canal D, Météomédia • Radio: Moderate listeners; mainstream top 40/CHR, classic rock, country • Newspapers: Favourite sections are sports, general news, movies & entertainment • Magazines: Best titles include Cosmopolitan, Coup de pouce • Internet: Moderate users; online activities include playing games, using instant messaging, searching for information • Direct: Likely to use catalogues and newspaper/magazine inserts in shopping, also stronger than average for coupons and average use of the Internet and mail order for shopping These families COMMUNICATION THEMES • Keep it simple – these consumers are not big on complexity and they are not overly interested in original are generally touches weak for • Intensity & pleasure – they will seek out some level of variety in their travel and are willing to shrug off booking travel responsibility for a little fun • Familiar novelty – with a preference for the familiar but also a willingness to experience other cultures, over the they will likely enjoy exposure to other cultures in a setting that is not too alien Internet; when they do CREATIVE MESSAGING • They are not very open to risk-taking and will like familiar scenes and family-oriented messaging need to make • The importance of their local region and a small-town feel should be emphasized, given their strong sense arrangements, of regional identity and scepticism toward big business they’ll contact • They want to feel pampered on their vacations and bring home interesting stories to share their travel TOUCH POINTS agent or call • TV ads during mini-series or awards shows the provider. • Radio ads on Top 40, country or classic rock stations • Newspaper ads in sports, general news or entertainment • Catalogues and community newspaper or magazine inserts

SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS These families’ yen for pleasure makes them great candidates for trying a little bit of everything on their vacations. They’re proud of their local cultural heritage, and enjoy opportunities to learn more about their distinctively French Canadian history. They constantly try to find meaning in their lives, which often leads them to seek out intense thrills to be experienced individually or as a family. It could be that part of the reason they search for meaning is that they feel somewhat left behind or out of touch with mainstream culture in Ontario – they are not very comfortable with complexity and like trying new foods and cultural activities every once in a while, but without venturing too far out of their comfort zones. They often look to the government as an institution they can trust for providing accurate and good quality information and services, while remaining sceptical of big business.

31 b) Camping et pique-nique

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • These established middle-class families like to spend their time outdoors, and particularly like learning about their own cultural history • They travel with their family by car, with the occasional flight to a sunny destination • The majority of their holiday time is spent camping and fishing in favourite national/provincial parks, and visiting museums and fairs in Ontario’s larger cities • Heavy TV watchers, they tune in to dramas, documentaries and makeover shows at high rates. They are heavy readers of magazines with a preference for fishing, art, nature and gardening formats.

Top markets: In small towns and exurbs surrounding Ontario’s mid-sized cities – near Sudbury, Timmins, Barrie and outside Ottawa

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Established families with older teens at home; some empty nests • Medium-size; over 50% have 2 or 3 members • Average HH income: $73,540 (17% less than average)

PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: Camping, motels, all-inclusives • Activities/Attractions: Exhibitions and fairs, science museums, outdoorsy activities like hunting, swimming and hiking • Like many other Ontario Francophones, these families generally prefer outdoorsy activities to spending time in big urban centres • Hunting/fishing and motorsports are particularly enjoyable for these families

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • Seasonal family travellers (March Break and summer) who like to go on week-long trips with their families as well as weekend getaways to closer destinations, generally within driving distance • Destinations: National and provincial parks, occasionally they will fly. They tend to enjoy local attractions like exhibitions and fairs as well as outdoorsy destinations.

32 Ontario

CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Live theatre 1. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 2. Classical symphony concerts 2. Swimming in lakes 3. Rock & roll concerts 3. Freshwater fishing 4. Free outdoor concerts 4. Motor boating 5. Stand-up comedy shows 5. Kayaking/canoeing – freshwater

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Ice skating 2. Professional figure skating 2. Skiing – downhill 3. Professional football games 3. Snowmobiling – organized trails 4. Professional baseball games 4. Snowshoeing 5. Auto races 5. Snowmobiling – overnight trips

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Amusement parks 2. Zoos 3. Aquariums 4. Botanical gardens 5. Water theme parks

Festivals & Events 1. Farmers’ markets 2. Music festivals 3. Carnivals 4. Exhibitions or fairs 5. Religious festivals

Historic Sites & Museums 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture 2. Well-known historic sites/buildings 3. Well-known natural wonders 4. General history/heritage museums 5. Other historic sites/monuments

The Camping et pique-nique segment is more inclined to gather travel information from official travel guides, TV programs and ads, and information received by mail.

33 Camping et pique-nique

Like many other Ontario Francophones, these families generally prefer outdoorsy activities to spending time in big urban centres. Hunting/fishing and motorsports are particularly enjoyable for these families.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Heavier viewers who watch mini-series, documentaries, soaps and makeover shows • Radio: Light listeners; best stations are top 40, adult contemporary, classic rock, oldies • Newspapers: Light readers of dailies, heavy readers of local community papers • Magazines: Heavier readers; genres include fashion, gardening/homes, art, nature and ecology • Internet: Moderate to light users; go online to chat/use newsgroups, will click on ads, use instant messaging • Direct: Somewhat favourable to flyers directed to the door, are likely to shop using mail order, catalogues, coupons and flyers delivered to the door

COMMUNICATION THEMES These families are • Emphasize wilderness activities, not urban cultural pursuits not strong • These are cost-conscious travellers; emphasizing the economic advantages of local travel will resonate Internet users, • Keep it simple. They are not fans of complexity or trying out new things. Tried and true is what they prefer.

and when CREATIVE MESSAGING they travel • Established families with older teens at home and some empty nesters, generally blue collar they prefer to • Emphasize the “fun factor” and the opportunity to get away from the stresses of daily life • Their strong sense of regional identity means they will feel an affinity to the local areas they visit make arrangements TOUCH POINTS over the phone • TV ads especially on mini-series, documentaries, soaps • Magazine ads in fashion, gardening/homes, art, nature and ecology titles or in person, or • Advertisements and articles in Francophone community newspapers via their local • Flyers delivered to their doors, catalogues travel agent. SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS Whether in their daily lives or on vacation, these households are pleasure-seekers who love their toys and spending time in nature. These families have a strong motivation to “keep up with the Joneses”, whether by buying new things, spending more time with family and friends, or taking pleasurable vacations that give them an opportunity to use all their “toys”. Their communities are often tightly-knit, and families have a strong sense of regional identity that they enjoy developing through trips to historical sites and exploring the great outdoors. Like their wealthier Francophone counterparts, this group also feels a step out of touch with mainstream life in Ontario and experiences displeasure adapting to different ways of life – on vacation they tend to avoid the cities and their diversity, and when planning their trips they stick to maps and guidebooks, generally disinterested in the Internet.

34 Ontario

c) Retraités en détente

TARGET GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • These retirees enjoy low impact outdoor activities they can share with their family and friends • They will travel by car or RV to parks throughout Canada; usually their trips last longer than one or two weeks • These travellers know what they like and are unlikely to try new things • Their holidays are usually budget conscious, but they will occasionally splurge on a cruise or an overseas bus tour • They are heavy users of TV, radio and newspapers; they are favourable towards flyers delivered to their door

Top markets: In small, remote communities throughout Northern and Eastern Ontario: the Kawartha Lakes area, Elliot Lake, Sudbury, Prince Edward County and Cornwall

DEMOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS • Empty-nested retirees; some are widows or widowers. When kids are present they tend to be in their teens. Few adult children live at home. • Small households, 69% have 1 or 2 members • Average HH income: $64,807 (27% below average); many households live on fixed income from pension or savings

PERSONAL TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS • Accommodations: RV/camper, camping, rented condo, motel • Activities/Attractions: Professional sporting events (especially figure skating), ATV and snowmobiling, hunting and fishing • This group is at ease exploring the countryside and enjoys a wide range of outdoorsy activities • Favourite vacation activities for these older travellers include ATV and snowmobiling, watching wildlife, hunting and fishing

TRAVEL BEHAVIOURS • Generally these folks travel in off-peak seasons, usually taking trips by car and RV and travelling on a budget • Destinations: Parks in Atlantic and Western Canada are more common than travel within Ontario. They like trips to remote provincial or national parks.

35 CONSUMER PREFERENCES

TOP 5 – Arts & Culture TOP 5 – Outdoor Activities

Performing Arts Summer Activities 1. Live theatre 1. Swimming 2. Rock & roll concerts 2. Sunbathing/sitting on beach 3. Free outdoor concerts 3. Freshwater fishing 4. Live theatre with dinner 4. Motor boating 5. Stand-up comedy shows 5. Hiking – same-day excursions

Spectator Sports Winter Activities 1. Professional ice hockey games 1. Skiing – downhill 2. Professional baseball games 2. Snowmobiling – organized trails 3. Auto races 3. Ice skating 4. Horse races 4. Skiing – cross-country 5. Professional figure skating 5. Snowmobiling – overnight trips

Theme Parks & Amusement Parks 1. Amusement parks 2. Zoos 3. Botanical gardens 4. Water theme parks 5. Aquariums

Festivals & Events 1. Farmers’ markets 2. Exhibitions or fairs 3. Fireworks displays 4. Music festivals 5. Carnivals

Historic Sites & Museums 1. Observe urban buildings/architecture 2. Well-known natural wonders 3. Well-known historic sites/buildings 4. General history/heritage museums 5. Other historic sites/monuments

The Retraités en détente segment is more inclined to gather travel information from direct mail, TV ads and past experience. They are weaker for online, travel guides and official sources.

36 Ontario

Retraités en détente

This group is at ease exploring the countryside, and enjoys a wide range of outdoorsy activities. Favourite vacation activities for these older travellers include ATV and snowmobiling, watching wildlife, and hunting and fishing.

MEDIA SOURCES • Television: Heavy viewers; top programs include figure skating, crime dramas, golf, movies, CFL and hockey • Radio: Heavy listeners; best stations are country and golden oldies • Newspapers: Heavy readers of both dailies and local community papers • Magazines: Moderately heavy magazine readers; best genres include senior citizens, gardening and homes, current affairs, art, and travel/tourism • Internet: Light Internet users; many do not have access to the Internet or have dial-up connections • Direct: Favourable towards flyers delivered to the door; routinely use these and coupons, catalogues, and newspaper inserts when shopping

COMMUNICATION THEMES • Keep it simple and risk-free for these consumers: they take comfort in the familiar • Emphasize outdoor adventures in Ontario that offer the traditional comforts of home These older • Budget-minded consumers who will be attracted to the economy of local travel folks do their • Emphasize regions and their attractiveness; avoid cultural exploration best to avoid CREATIVE MESSAGING using the • Empty-nested retirees; generally older with some widows or widowers Internet – and • They are proud Canadians and extra proud of their small communities and Francophone heritage • They place a great deal of emphasis on the importance of family and tend to be more traditional in their when they do, world view they are • A small business approach will appeal to them unlikely to TOUCH POINTS provide credit • TV commercials, especially during movies, crime dramas, figure skating, golf, hockey and CFL card or other • Newspaper ads in both dailies and local community papers • Magazine ads in senior citizens, gardening & homes, current affairs and travel & tourism titles personal • Avoid the Internet information. • Flyers delivered to the door, catalogues and newspaper inserts

SOCIAL VALUES & TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS These older couples and singles generally do not like to venture out of their comfort zones. As with the other Francophone groups, regional identity is important to them, and they enjoy opportunities to connect with key aspects of their culture, whether at home or on holiday. It is important to them that they feel welcomed and comfortable in their surroundings, which often relates to the availability of French-language materials and programs at parks, historic sites, and other attractions they like to visit.

Keeping in touch with nature is important to them, as is maintaining healthy families and spiritual lives. Living on fixed incomes, they have some financial concerns about the future and try to keep their lifestyles as low-cost as possible. These households spend very little time (if any) on the Internet and are often concerned about privacy, the accuracy of information, and their own ability to find what they’re looking for.

Conclusion Ontario When we think of French markets, it is automatically easier to focus on our Quebec neighbours to the East or on Francophone Europe. We tend to forget that there is a considerable number of French-speaking Ontarians living throughout Ontario. The potential is huge to encourage them to “staycation” in their own province (and in many cases, using the same promotional materials used to attract Quebec visitors).

37 Comparing Francophone groups from Quebec and Ontario

There is a considerable opportunity to leverage marketing materials developed for the Quebec marketplace to reach Ontario’s Francophone segments (or vice versa), as two of the three sets of segments share much in common.

We have included a comparison of similarities between the Quebec and Ontario Francophone markets to highlight the real synergies that exist between both markets.

Upper-Middle-Class Families Connaisseurs québécois (CQ) and Sportifs des banlieues (SB) Quebec & Ontario

Leverage creative imagery, but modify message and media.

Key similarities between Quebec and Ontario segments

DEMOGRAPHICS • Families with school-aged children • Homeowners • Mix of educational attainment and job categories (although college education is most common • Live mainly in suburbs or larger cities

SOCIAL VALUES • Like to try a few new things, but only in controlled settings • Strong for primacy of the family • Both travel to gather stories to share, enrich relationships with spouse and children, and feel challenged and energized • Both groups enjoy luxury accommodations and pampering

TRAVEL AND LEISURE • Similar seasonality in their travel (school calendar) • Similar types of destinations and expenditures: moderate spenders, and a mix of destinations in Canada and the US • Enjoy kid-friendly activities like circuses, water parks, theme parks and zoos

MEDIA • Consistent for TV and flyers/direct mail; moderate for the Internet (although neither is strong on booking on the web)

38 Middle-Class Families Familles rustiques (FR) and Camping et pique-nique (CP) Quebec & Ontario

Leverage creative, messaging and most media.

Key similarities between Quebec and Ontario segments

DEMOGRAPHICS • Families with kids at home • Own homes built in the 1970s and 1980s • Lower education levels; high school, trade school education • Job types are primarily blue collar • Very low diversity

SOCIAL VALUES • Like to try a few new things, but only in controlled settings • Both travel to gather stories to share, enrich relationships with spouse and children, experience some pampering • Feel disconnected from technology and the labour market • Quest for status recognition – lots of “toys” • Low need for escape

TRAVEL AND LEISURE • Similar seasonality in their travel (school calendar) • Very similar spending patterns (low to moderate) • Similar accommodations: camping, motels • Similar activities: ATV, snowmobiling, hunting/fishing, ice skating

MEDIA • Strong for TV, lighter for radio • Good for community newspapers • Good for direct mail

39 NO. 3 KEY FRANCOPHONE MARKET: FRANCE

For the review of the France market analysis, we will refer to four key studies on the French market: (1) France Tourism Market Profile, 2009 Update; (2) Global Tourism Watch, Year 3, France Key Findings 2009 - both studies released by the Canadian Tourism Commission; (3) Évaluation du potentiel du marché français envers les provinces de l’Ouest du Canada (Evaluating the potential of the French market in Western Canada), released by Chaire de tourisme Transat ESG UQAM; and (4) Tourisme des Français, Les activités des touristes lors de leurs voyages (French tourism: Activities of French tourists while on vacation), released by Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres (France).

The numbers don’t lie: Travel from France to Canada is still growing

Based on Statistics Canada’s May 2010 report, France visitation to Canada increased 8.6% versus May 2009, compared to 8.2% for Germany and 1.2% for the U.K.1

In June 2010, France travel to Canada showed a 6.6% increase over the same month in 2009, resulting in 37,000 same-day and overnight trips.2

The reality is that travel to Canada from France continues to grow. The question is: Is Ontario getting its fair share of that market? According to the Canadian Tourism Commission, in recent years, while the French market has increased to Canada, Ontario’s share of the French market coming to Canada has diminished.

France market at a glanceCTC

France is the second largest overseas country in terms of inbound travel to Canada, with $541M in receipts, 404,500 overnight trips and a 12.2% increase in 2008 over the previous year. In 2008, France improved Did you its share of overnight receipts by 2.1 points and accounted for 24.7% of know? total European core market expenditures in Canada. Quebec (91%) continued to be the top destination in Overseas visitors by country of residence Canada for French travellers in 2009, followed by France accounted for 5.5% of Ontario’s overseas visitors.4 Ontario (79%) and British Columbia (69%).3 Country OS Visitors Country OS Visitors to Ontario to Ontario U.K. 17.2 % India 3.6 % Japan 6.4 % China 3.5 % Germany 6.1 % South Korea 3.3 % France 5.5 % Australia 3.2 % Mexico 5.3 % Italy 3.0 %

1 Statistics Canada’s International Travel: Advance Information service bulletin for May 2010 [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/66-001-p/66-001-p2010005-eng.pdf]. 2 Statistics Canada’s International Travel: Travel between Canada and other countries, June 2010 [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100819/t100819d1-eng.htm#tab1ftnote5]. CTC France Tourism Market Profile – 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission. 3 Global Tourism Watch, Year 3, France Key Findings 2009, Canadian Tourism Commission. 4 International Travel Survey 2008, Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. 40 France

2008 all (France) visitor characteristics - CanadaCTC

• Summer remains the most popular time to travel with 45.4% of French travellers visiting during this period, followed by spring (22.5%) and fall (17.0%) • Direct air capacity increased by 6.8% in 2008 and was forecasted to grow by 1.8% in the following year • Average spend per trip: $1,337; third consecutive year of growth • Average number of nights per trip: 17.3%; higher than both German (16.7 nights) and UK (13.6 nights) travellers • Average spend per night: $77 • 39.2% of travellers to Canada travel alone

2008 leisure travel characteristics - CanadaCTC

• $450.4M overnight leisure receipts • Leisure travel accounted for 86.2% of all France travel to Canada with 348,679 overnight trips • Summer remains the most popular season to travel (49.7%) • Those aged 45 or younger represented the highest proportion of French leisure travellers (50.5%) • Leisure travellers make up approximately 86.2% of the visitation and 83.2% of receipts • Average spend per trip: $1,291 (leisure travellers) • Average spend per trip: $1,626 (business travellers) • Average number of nights per trip: 18.2 Did you • Average spend per night: $71 know? Quick factsCTC Among French leisure travellers, the further the destination is from home, All visitors by age All travellers by gender the longer they stay. Trips to 65+ 11.9% Male: 52.7% faraway destinations (Asia, 55 to 64 21.2% Female: 47.3% the Americas, overseas) have 45 to 54 16.4% an average duration of nearly Leisure travellers by gender 35 to 44 12.1% 2 weeks.4 25 to 34 18.3% Male: 49.6% -24 20.1% Female: 50.4%

Leisure visitors by age Business travellers by gender 65+ 13.5% Male: 71.8% 55 to 64 20.8% Female: 28.2% 45 to 54 16.0% 35 to 44 11.6% Accommodations 25 to 34 15.4% Hotel/motel 32% -24 22.7% Friends/family 26% Camping/cottage 2% Business visitors by age Combination of at least 65+ 5.1% two categories 40% 55 to 64 23.1% 45 to 54 19.4% 35 to 44 16.4% 25 to 34 32.3% -24 3.7%

CTC France Tourism Market Profile – 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission. 4 « Le tourisme des Français en 2007 », Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres. 41 Travel motivators5

Top 10 key motivations for visiting Canada and the regions

1. Seeing beautiful scenery 90% 2. Visiting national parks and protected areas 87% 3. Observing wildlife in their natural habitats 85% 4. Exploring vibrant cities that are in close proximity to nature 84% 5. Experiencing a country’s unique character and local lifestyles 82% 6. Exploring nature in close proximity to a cosmopolitan city 81% 7. Seeing historical and cultural attractions 80% 8. Experiencing aboriginal culture and attractions 78% 9. Sampling local flavours 72% 10. Multi-day touring on your own by car or train 68%

The reality is that Ontario is not well known to the French tourism media and French tour operators, hence their reluctance to sell Ontario. Over the years, Direction Ontario has worked closely with this market to overcome this barrier. Direction Ontario strongly believes that if French tourists were more aware of Ontario’s tourism products, they would be more motivated to visit Ontario while they travel to Canada. We need to increase Ontario’s visibility in that market so that while they come to Canada they will spend time or more time in Ontario.

Travellers’ compositionCTC

Composition of travelling party – all: • Travelling with children: 11.6% • 3 or more adults: 11.1% • 2 adults: 38.1% • Travelling alone: 39.2%

Composition of leisure travelling party: • Travelling with children: 13.6% • 3 or more adults: 11.7% • 2 adults: 41.4% • Travelling alone: 33.3%

Composition of business travelling party: • Travelling with children: 0% • 3 or more adults: 7.4% • 2 adults: 18.3% • Travelling alone: 74.4%

Travellers’ activities while abroad

96% of trips to another country involve participating in at least one activity, versus only 81% in metropolitan France. Apart from winter sports and leisure activities that are more frequent in metropolitan France, almost all other activities are practised more frequently out of country. This is particularly the case for water sports and cultural activities. Visits to cities, natural sites and outdoor places and museums, exhibitions, monuments and historical sites are 3 to 4 times more frequent during out-of-country travel. In 2007, tourists visited a city during nearly one trip out of two to a foreign country.6

5 Global Tourism Watch, Year 3, France Key Findings 2009, Canadian Tourism Commission. 6 « Tourisme des Français, Les activités des touristes lors de leurs voyages », Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres. CTC France Tourism Market Profile – 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission. 42 France

Trips taken by one or two adults involve the highest level of activity*

The fewer adults there are in the group, the more the activities practised are diverse and frequent. Stays involving one or two people are rarely “inactive” in terms of the definition used herein (respectively 13% and 14% of all stays). This number jumps to 21% within groups of 3 or 4 people and to 24% for groups of over 5 people.

The influence of the number of people in the group is particularly prevalent for cultural activities (visits to a city, natural sites and outdoor places or museums, exhibits, monuments and historical sites). These types of activities are more frequent among groups of one or two people, with a peak frequency among groups of two, except for attending a festival, concert, play or cultural event which is more frequent among people travelling alone (4% of stays).

For sports activities, hiking is most often done in groups of two, while sporting activities involving lessons during the stay are practised during individual stays (snowboarding, sailing, dinghy sailing, catamaran sailing, windsurfing, power boating, jet skiing, water skiing, diving, horseback riding). Some sporting activities are practised in small groups of over four people: downhill skiing, sailing, dinghy sailing, catamaran sailing, windsurfing, tennis, racket sports, golfing.

Among leisure and various activities, walking is the most frequent activity regardless of the number of people in the group. The second most popular activity is swimming/spending time at a beach, and the third most popular is shopping in town for stays involving groups of one to three people. This order is reversed for groups of over three people. Compared to cultural or sporting activities, leisure and various activities show less of a decrease with an increased number of people in the group, except for swimming/spending time on a beach which is distinctly more frequent among groups of two or three people. Conversely, gourmet dining is much more frequent for group stays (6% of stays among groups of 5 to 10 people and 8% of stays among groups of over 10 people).

Travel with children gives rise to leisure and sport activities*

In general, people who travel with children tend to practise fewer activities. While only 15% of stays without children do not include practising any particular activity, this number increases to 23% for those travelling with one child and decreases to 21% and 20% for those travelling with two and three children respectively.

Cultural activities decrease dramatically among people travelling with children. This decrease is very marked among people travelling with even one child, especially for visits to a city, visits to museums, exhibits, monuments and historical sites, as well as visits to natural sites and outdoor places. However, visits to a market, fair and flea market are more stable (approximately 6% of stays participate in this activity).

On the other hand, some leisure or sporting activities are more frequent during stays with children. This is the case for walking, swimming, spending time at a beach, going to an amusement park, water park or animal park, downhill skiing and biking.

For travellers with one child, inactivity peaks are related to the child’s age and to the fact that it is not always feasible for people travelling with very young children to practise various activities. Since the majority of families have two children, their participation rate increases on some activities as the children get older. This is the case for visiting natural sites and outdoor places and walking, which are relatively compatible activities with children.

* « Tourisme des Français, Les activités des touristes lors de leurs voyages », Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres. 43 Tourists stay active regardless of their age, but the activities change over time*

In general, the percentage of stays involving no activities is the highest among the 25-39 age group (over 20%). On the other hand, among the 15-19 age group and the over 50 age group, practising at least one activity is the most frequent and involves about 85% of stays.

Although practising an activity does not decrease with age, the types of activities change over time.

Sporting activities are more frequently practised by people under 55. Some activities are very specific to the 15-19 age group (snowboarding, sailing, dinghy sailing, catamaran sailing, windsurfing, surfing, sea kayaking or other water sport, group sports) and the 20-24 age group (kayaking, rafting, other white water sports, group sports), while golf is characteristic of the 30-34 age group. Downhill skiing is most popular among the 35-49 and the 15-19 age groups (family vacations). After 55, sporting activities tend to be less frequent except for hiking which is most often practised by seniors (up to 79 years old).

Cultural activities are in general more frequently practised by people over 50, except for attending a festival, concert, play or cultural event which is more frequent among people under 30, and visiting a city for the 20-24 age group.

The increased frequency of cultural activities among older travellers is particularly prevalent for visits to a museum, exhibit, monument and historical site, as well as visits to natural sites and outdoor places. For these activities, the highest frequency is noted among the 65-79 age group. After 80, there is a dramatic decrease in cultural activities.

Concerning leisure and various activities, walking is the top activity among all age groups. Walking is slightly more frequent among the 15-30 age group and stabilizes at about 25% of all stays. In the same way, gourmet dining is stable at about 5% of all stays for travellers over 30. Only handicrafts and gardening are clearly more frequent for travellers over 55 (about 10% of stays). On the other hand, shopping in town becomes less and less frequent with age (decreasing progressively from 16% of stays for the 15-19 age group to 7% for people over 80). Swimming, spending time at a beach and going to an amusement park, water park or animal park are most frequent among the 30-44 age group, especially if they are travelling with children. These activities get progressively less frequent after 45 years for swimming and after 40 years for amusement parks.

* « Tourisme des Français, Les activités des touristes lors de leurs voyages », Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres. 44 France

Planning long trips7

New European research on travel revealed that Europeans start planning their long-haul trips 35 to 40 weeks before their departure date.

• Planning time: 40.6 weeks • Reservation date: 17.2 weeks before departure

The firm Insignia published a report in February 2008 on French travellers’ consumption habits. The firm developed a purchase cycle model which was evaluated in six countries, including France. The model was applied to 23 million potential visitors. The different steps are as follows:

• Step 1: Awareness • Step 2: On the list of dream destinations • Step 3: On the list of destinations seriously being considered • Step 4: Creating a vacation scenario • Step 5: Planning a detailed itinerary • Step 6: Finalising details about the flight and stay • Step 7: Purchase

Focus groups within this same study were used to divide the French long-haul market into five segments:

1. Local culture (25%): meet and interact with local residents, experiencing the local lifestyles 2. Observing nature (21%) 3. Participation in outdoor activities in nature (8%): soft adventure 4. “Resort style” (21%): relaxing, sunshine and luxury 5. City life and culture (25%)

Did you know? Internet Usage According to internetworldstats.com, world Internet usage is estimated to be 1,596 million users, or 23.8% of the world’s population. France ranks third highest for Internet usage in Europe, with 40.9 million Internet users, 65.7% of the French population and a market share of 10.4% of all European Internet users.CTC

7 Évaluation du potentiel du marché français envers les provinces de l’Ouest du Canada, Chaire de tourisme Transat ESG UQAM. CTC France Tourism Market Profile – 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission. 45 S.W.O.T. analysisCTC

Strengths: • The French love the Canadian outdoors; • Stressful French lifestyle is a key driver for travel to Canada; • Long-haul outbound travel market remains robust; • Canada has a strong presence, ranking first as a dream destination; • Increasing appetite for winter travel; Quebec has been developing this winter market for years; • Rates as number one for vibrant cities close to nature against other competitive destinations; • High interest in aboriginal tourism; • Canada is rated the highest as an environmentally-friendly tourism destination by the CTC.

Weaknesses: • Economy is expected to remain weak in 2010 yet travel numbers for this year appear healthy; • Canada is considered relatively expensive vis-à-vis other competitive destinations; • Decrease in marketing purchasing power with a weakening Canadian dollar; • Canada is undistinguished against competition in terms of luxury/pampering and culture.

Opportunities: • The population is aging (over 55); the number of people with more time to travel and more disposable income is expected to increase; • Over one in four of the potential France market have not taken a trip to Canada; • Canada’s competitive position is strong in France, where it is second only to the US as a considered destination; • Indicative of their general enthusiasm for Canada, French travellers express above-average interest in visiting other regions of the country; • Opportunity to leverage the historic French connections in regions outside of Quebec; • Increase in marketing purchasing power with strengthening Canadian dollar; • Strong propensity to travel long-haul – France is the only GTW (Global Tourism Watch) market to see an increase in travel intentions in the face of adverse market conditions.

Threats: • Fierce competition – number one barrier to visit Canada is “other places they want to see more” and that may hamper conversion; • Strengthening of the Euro against the US dollar may encourage French travel to that country; • Low-cost carriers favouring short-haul destinations.

CTC France Tourism Market Profile – 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission. 46 France

Product strengths and weaknesses8:

General Product Strengths • Beautiful scenery • Cities close to nature • National parks/protected areas • Wildlife • Proximity to nature

General product weaknesses (important to travellers but not favourably rated) • Local flavours • Unique character/local lifestyles • Aboriginal culture • Historical/cultural attractions • City culture

Niche product strengths • Multi-day touring on own • Summer activities • Resorts in natural settings • Land-based journeys • Water-based journeys • Other winter activities • Ski/snowboard vacations

Niche product weaknesses (important to travellers but not favourably rated) • City activities • Major events • Food/wine festivals • Culinary learning • Multi-day group tours • Entertainment

Conclusion France A higher proportion of French take long trips compared to Americans (2/3 of all trips versus 1/2 of all trips). The French have more vacation time than their North American counterparts and are now “obligated” to take two weeks’ vacation between May 1 and October 1 of each year thanks to the recent Loi sur la réduction du temps de travail (RTT) (Law on the reduction of hours worked). On average, the French receive five weeks of vacation time per year.

Air service between Ontario and France is stable and could easily be increased if the numbers warrant it. Travel from France to Canada continues to increase at a healthy rate. There is “low hanging fruit” in this market that can be converted into “bums in our Ontario beds” with some concerted efforts from all of us. We can increase our share of that market.

8 Global Tourism Watch, Year 3, France Key Findings 2009, Canadian Tourism Commission. 47 ONTARIO’S BEST PRACTICES IN THE FRANCOPHONE MARKETS

It is always a challenge for a tourism operator or a tourism region to develop new marketing strategies, product development initiatives or new service delivery models to target new developing markets. Yet research has repeatedly shown that different markets require different approaches and that investment tailored to new markets proves successful if done in a strategic way. In many cases, these initiatives need not be expensive to implement. To demonstrate the success of such initiatives, Direction Ontario has identified a number of tourism operators and regions in Ontario that have successfully implemented new strategies to attract Francophone markets.

This second part of the toolkit highlights a number of Ontario’s best practices which have been developed and successfully implemented in Francophone markets.

We have grouped our examples in three separate categories, though in many cases the initiatives could easily apply to more than one category. Categories include: Services, Product Development and Marketing.

Many more examples are available by contacting Direction Ontario. The following examples demonstrate that here in Ontario there are best practices that are easy to implement and effective in achieving their goals. For ease of reading, we have kept the examples relatively short, but more information on each of these best practices can be obtained by contacting either the operators or regions directly or Direction Ontario.

An interesting finding that we discovered while compiling these examples, and talking to the operators and regions that have implemented these initiatives, is that many of them did not even realize they were pursuing best practices. They were just doing these things “because it made sense.” This is often the case. Best practices, in many cases, are just “common sense.”

We salute all our participants who accepted to be a part of this exercise and thank them, on your behalf, for sharing their stories with all of us.

48 Best Practices: Services

SERVICES

The importance of French language services is always debated when discussing services tailored to the Francophone markets. Many people point out that Franco-Ontarian, Quebec and French tourists travel the world and “get by” with speaking English. Though that is true, the special efforts that any establishment, operator or region can make to “improve the quality of the visit” for these consumers will be remembered and will both increase the level of satisfaction of their visit and promote, through word of mouth, visits from their families and friends, as well as the all-important repeat business.

In previous pages, we have highlighted how the Francophone markets do their research using Francophone research tools. This section will underline the importance of providing some services in French in order to “close the deal.” Sometimes the attitude demonstrated by an establishment or an operator – a simple “Bonjour” when welcoming a Francophone visitor – can make a difference rather than a full bevy of services.

Over sixty percent of the organizations surveyed by Equinox in 2007 believed that offering services in French to Ontario’s Francophone tourism clientele is “important” or “very important.” These interviews were mainly conducted with destination marketing organizations.1

The following businesses or organizations give us a good overview of the potential strategies and best practices that can be adopted in the Services category:

Best practice: French Services Awareness Campaign TOURISME FRANCO-NIAGARA, Welland, ON (RTO 2) www.bonjourniagara.com

Tourisme Franco-Niagara is a DMO based in Welland, Ontario. Since the Niagara region is a highly-sought destination for French-speaking markets, Tourisme Franco-Niagara and its partners developed an annual French visitor’s guide called “Les saisons.” The purpose was to extend the French visitors’ stay by providing them with more information in their language about the destination.

In 2007, Tourisme Franco-Niagara launched the “Bonjour Niagara” campaign – the development and branding of Niagara as a “French-friendly” destination. The purpose of the on-going campaign is to better serve the French-speaking guests by identifying French-speaking service providers in the Niagara region. It also empowers property management with identification icons (i.e. Bonjour logos, posters, window decals, pins and tent cards) and supports properties that actively promote their business in French and identify that property as “French-friendly.” The campaign promotes community pride in the Francophone community of the Niagara region and provides training to staff at information centres, hotels, wineries, etc. on the needs of French- speaking guests. The program also provided tools for industry participants to feel more competent in serving their French-speaking guests.

The many results of the campaign include: making the French-speaking guests feel welcome in Niagara; easily identifying the French-speaking staff; raising awareness on a local level about the possibility and importance of adding French-speaking people to the staff and the availability of bilingual staff in Niagara; and encouraging young people (either bilingual or French immersion students) that speaking French is important when job searching.

Tourisme Franco-Niagara also actively promotes the Niagara region in the Quebec marketplace by attending four consumer and trade shows per year.

1 Equinox, op. cit., p. 48-49. 49 There are many other simple but effective initiatives to improve customer service in French to the Francophone markets. Here are a few simple best practices:

Best practice: Free French classes for staff STONE GATE INN, Orillia, ON (RTO 7) www.stonegateinn.com/Francais/index.cfm

A few years ago, the Stone Gate Inn decided to offer French courses to its employees. The employees had the option to take the course or not, and the Stone Gate Inn covered the cost for those who were interested. In addition, the Inn actively seeks to hire bilingual employees and its menus are translated into French.

Best practice: Bilingual front-line staff HÔTEL BOUTIQUE LE GERMAIN TORONTO, Toronto, ON (RTO 5) www.germaintoronto.com/fr/page-daccueil

The Le Germain hotel chain, which is headquartered in Quebec, always tries to find qualified and bilingual employees to work at its establishment outside Quebec. The reception service is always bilingual between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Even the Anglophone employees must answer the phone or welcome guests with a simple “Bonjour.”

Simple efforts such as these, which reach out to Francophones, add that extra value that all visitors look for.

Best practice: Translating multimedia material ST. JACOBS COUNTRY, St. Jacobs, ON (RTO 4) http://www.stjacobs.com/html/stjacobs_fr1.html

The Mennonite Story Visitor Centre in St. Jacobs quickly saw the value of the Francophone markets once it started getting involved with these markets. As a first initiative, the Centre translated its 11-minute multimedia piece, “Telling the Mennonite Story.” The website is now also available in French and suggested itineraries are offered in French. The Centre has found that the French-speaking visitors provincially, nationally and internationally are very pleased to have these options and that these services add to visitor satisfaction levels.

A community that has really appreciated the importance of French language services for repeat visitation is Wasaga Beach.

Best practice: Mobilizing a community to embrace French language services WASAGA BEACH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, Wasaga Beach, ON (RTO 7) www.wasagainfo.com

For many years, Wasaga Beach has advertised to the Québécois. Over the years, on the advice of Direction Ontario, the municipality has paid closer attention to the needs of Francophone tourists who come to bask in the sun of Wasaga’s sandy beaches each summer. Over the years, a number of new initiatives have been implemented: city billboards in French and English, distribution of stickers identifying the availability of French services to merchants in town, employees pursuing French language training, recruitment of French-speaking employees who are available to offer services in both languages. In particular, emergency care workers working for the municipality adapted their hiring practices to include French-speaking employees because of the increase in Francophone visitors.

Quebec is a very large market for Wasaga Beach and Wasaga has definitely seen the benefits of marketing to Quebec and offering French language services.

50 Best Practices: Services

Best practice: French Services Rating System DIRECTION ONTARIO, Based in Kapuskasing, ON (RTO 13a) www.voyagesontario.com

For eight years, Direction Ontario has presented Francophone tourists with a French language services rating system indicating the level of French services they can expect from tourism businesses and attractions in Ontario. The system works and Direction Ontario has received positive comments from Francophone tourists, who have an informed idea of what they can expect when visiting Ontario. Surveys conducted by Direction Ontario reveal that Francophone consumers who use the rating system are generally satisfied with the French services they received in Ontario – in many cases because they knew what to expect before arriving at the establishments or operators that they visited during their stay.

Users of the French rating scale tend to rely on this tool if their English language skills are lacking. However, regardless of this reality, 49% of respondents who said they had an advanced/intermediate level of English still used the rating scale and found it useful for their own purposes. This observation leads Direction Ontario to conclude that the French services rating scale is useful, even among tourists with advanced English language skills.

Three years ago, the success of this rating system in Ontario was discussed with the national Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité (RDÉE) and all provinces and territories working with the RDÉE in the Francophone tourism sector. As a result of this national dialogue, a National Rating System, based on Direction Ontario’s model, was launched nationally, with a new standardized national symbol (fr) to be implemented across the country.

The system covers four categories, where two of the categories evaluate front-line services and the other two evaluate printed and on-line promotional services.

Tourism businesses can be evaluated on their marketing material (website and brochures, guides, etc.), their product development/communications (signage, menus, forms, etc.), and front-line services in French available either at all times, upon request or during peak season. Each category is identified with a coloured “fr”, either in red, blue, green or yellow, depending on the services provided. A copy of the French Services Rating Evaluation Scale is attached as Appendix B.

51 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The Equinox study on strategically marketing to Francophone tourists, presented to the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation (OTMPC) in July 2007, demonstrated that a strong correlation exists between the Québécois’ interest for a tourist destination and the offer of tourism products.2

The more a region can produce tourism products that meet the needs of a given market, the more likely that market will be to visit that destination. Beyond adapting its tourism marketing, the tourism industry must also offer appropriate products to first attract then retain a tourism clientele in any given destination.

Internationally, many studies have emphasized the importance of product development in destination marketing. In an environment where consumers’ tastes are ever-changing, product renewal is a prerequisite to arousing consumer interest for a tourism destination.3 It would be wrong to conclude that the existence of Francophone products is the only deciding factor in the choice of a tourism destination by French-speaking tourists. However, it is true to say that Francophone products are an “added value” and are one of the deciding factors in their choice of a tourist destination.4 The vacationer’s decision-making process is a complex one and is not influenced by one factor alone.

2 Equinox, “Marketing Strategy Focusing on French language Visitors: Foundation document,” presented to the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, July 2007, p. 61. 3 Partial bibliography: Middleton, V.T.C. & Clarke, J. 2001. Marketing in Travel and Tourism. 3rd Edition. Oxford: Butterworth- Heinemann. Murphy, P., Pritchard, M.P. & Smith, B. 2000. The Destination product and its impact on traveller perceptions. Tourism Management 21 (2000). pp. 43-52.; Smith, S.L.J. 1994. The Tourism Product. Annals of Tourism Research Vol. 21, 3. pp. 582-595.; Pearce, D. 1989. Tourist Development. Second Edition. London: Longman Scientific and Technical. 4 Following bibliographical research and sixty interviews with tourism stakeholders in the province, Equinox reached the following conclusion: “It is important to note that French language services, including Francophone signature events, are not drivers for French language visitors. They are “an added-value,” a condition among others that can make the difference between going and not going.” (Source: Equinox, op. cit., p. 73.) 52 Best Practices: Product Development

The following examples represent excellent and very successful initiatives in the Product Development category:

Best practice: Bike Train Initiative TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS, Toronto, ON (RTO 5) www.biketrain.ca/bienvenue

The Bike Train Initiative introduced bike racks onboard select passenger rail trains to destinations across Ontario, making cycling holidays easy and accessible. Cycling is very popular in Quebec and Québécois have a long history of visiting other countries by bike excursions. Statistics clearly indicate that cycling is a popular activity with Québécois who now enjoy cycling in several countries, as this travel trend continues to grow. In fact, the number of cycling enthusiasts has doubled in Quebec over the past 25 years. Direction Ontario published a report in August 2006 outlining regions in Ontario that would benefit from developing and growing this activity. The report is still very valid and can be used as an important reference document for those regions who wish to capitalize on this activity.

The Bike Train Initiative is a project of Transportation Options, a non-profit organization dedicated to stimulating sustainable systems of transportation.

Originally developed by Toronto cyclist Justin Lafontaine and launched in partnership with VIA Rail Canada between Toronto and Niagara in 2007, the Bike Train has proven to be a fun, economic and environmentally friendly way to enjoy a cycling getaway. Getting to the destination is made easy as passengers travel in comfort while their bicycles are safely secured in a baggage car with bike racks. During the summer months, the Bike Train connects Toronto with destinations all across Ontario, providing cyclists of all abilities easy access to the Greenbelt, to wine and culinary regions, to northern lakes and forests, to off-the-beaten-path towns and villages, to world-renowned natural and historical sites, and to thousands of kilometres of recreational trails and on-road cycling routes.

Over 2,500 passengers have travelled on the Bike Train since 2007, and routes include Toronto- Niagara, Windsor/Essex, Muskoka, North Bay, Eastern Ontario and Montréal. The Bike Train also provides a catalyst for cycle tourism infrastructure and program development in regions that are served.

The Francophone market was targeted through French brochures, bilingual website content, attendance at the Montreal Bike Show, and through partnerships with Vélo Québec and VIA Rail. Transportation Options has received an increase in inquiries from Francophones, due in part to promotions by the partners mentioned above as well as their French Bike Train brochures and bilingual website content.

The Bike Train Initiative has been a success due to its collaborative partnership nature. Over 50 tourism organizations, businesses and governments from across Ontario have participated in the development, launch and promotion of the Bike Train.

Transportation Options will continue to promote the Bike Train to the Francophone markets in Ontario and Quebec and hopes to expand its bilingual services in the coming year.

53 Best practice: Developing and marketing itineraries for Francophone markets RIDEAU HERITAGE ROUTE TOURISM ASSOCIATION, Ottawa to Kingston, ON (RTOs 9, 10 & 11) www.circuitpatrimonialrideau.ca

The Rideau Heritage Route Tourism Association (RHRTA) is a Destination Marketing Organization mandated to promote the Rideau Heritage Route by developing and marketing promotional programs. The Rideau Heritage Route, comprised of the Rideau Canal, its adjoining towns and villages and the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, offers a variety of world-class heritage experiences.

In response to an increased demand for a detailed itinerary for canoeists and kayakers interested in paddling a section or the entire length of the Rideau Canal, the RHRTA developed the long-awaited Rideau Heritage Route Luxury Paddling Itinerary. This colourful itinerary takes you on a 10-day adventure from Kingston to Ottawa along the historic Rideau Canal, Ontario’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, complete with paddling tips, portages, accommodations, sights along the route and more.

The Quebec market makes up 27% of visitation to the Rideau Canal and the Francophone markets have traditionally had a healthy appetite for outdoor recreation, so this itinerary has been very appealing to them. The “luxury” element adds an extra option for the trip as paddlers can camp at the fully serviced lock stations along the way or at waterfront B&Bs or inns.

The most current segmentation profiles also show that 16% of Ontario and Quebec households are seeking responsible/sustainable tourism options and 20% of domestic travellers in Ontario are looking for green tourism options. Paddling provides green transportation and leaves a small footprint on the asset.

The results show an increased number of paddlers on the Rideau Canal and an increase in overnight stays along the route. For example, visitation numbers from the Rideau Acres Resort indicate a 5% increase in 2009 over 2008 for the Quebec market and an increase in the average length of stay from 2 to 3 nights.

In 2010, the RHRTA noticed that the second most requested keywords on its website were “canal Rideau en bateau” (“Rideau Canal by boat”) which was not the case in the previous year. The RHRTA also noticed a considerable increase in the amount of Quebec visitors to its website.

Aug 2010 website visits by Province Aug 2009 website visits by Province 63.8% Ontario 75% Ontario 30.5% Quebec 19.3% Quebec

This is a success story in its first year of existence. Most of the success is due to having brought together a group of local experienced canoeists and kayakers who contributed a wealth of information to this itinerary. The organizers also listened carefully to the current paddle market to make sure its needs were being addressed.

Additional itineraries will be developed for optional activities that will link to other activities that paddlers have identified as being of interest to them such as cycling, hiking, museum visits and historic walking tours.

54 Best Practices: Product Development

A simple but effective initiative to improve Product Development to attract the Franco-Ontarian market can be found at:

Best practice: Incorporating French culture into local events SAINTE-MARIE AMONG THE HURONS – FIRST LIGHT EVENT, Midland, ON (RTO 7) http://www.saintemarieamongthehurons.on.ca/french/index.html

Every year, for the past eleven years, Sainte-Marie among the Hurons holds its annual event “First Light/Premières lueurs.” Local and surrounding communities are invited to enjoy an enchanted evening on the historic site. Anglophone, Aboriginal and Francophone heritage comes to life in a celebration of Christmas with a historic flair. In the process, Sainte-Marie makes an effort to highlight the local and regional Francophone heritage by showcasing French talent such as traditional folkloric entertainers and displaying local Francophone crafts. The Restaurant Sainte-Marie hosts a “Café français” where the public is welcome to feast on a supper specially prepared for the occasion. There is a special effort to underline the importance of both the historical and the current Francophone presence in the Huronia region, and working with local Francophone partners is a key element to this initiative. In addition to opening its doors to the general public, the organization targets local and regional Francophone school children and their families to participate. Festivals and Events Ontario has named the popular event one of Ontario’s “Top 100” events.

This is an excellent example on how to successfully outreach to the local and regional Francophone markets in Ontario. Many organizations across the province use this approach to build up their local or regional tourism base during the slower months of the tourism cycle.

One of the most successful Product Development initiatives in all of Ontario for Francophone markets is the Taste Trail/Arts Trail in Prince Edward County.

Best practice: Making experiences more accessible to Francophone tourists TASTE TRAIL/ARTS TRAIL, Prince Edward County, ON (RTO 9) www.tastetrail.ca/fr/index.html

The Taste Trail was developed and launched as a partnership between Taste the County, the wine and culinary community of the region, and the Municipal Economic Development Office in July 2004. Later, the Arts Trail was started with support from the Prince Edward County Cultural Round Table (which also started out of the Municipal Economic Development Office) and funding from the Trillium Foundation. The first Arts Trail guide was produced in 2008.

Participants on both trails are charged a yearly fee - $1,500 for new members and $1,150 for returning members. These rates have remained in place over the past few years. All the components of the trails (guide book with map, website, road-side signs) are completely supported by user fees, e.g. government funding, donations, company investments, charges to the end-user, partnerships.

The Taste Trail is a “route” through Prince Edward County that links regional culinary businesses under a single theme, packaging the experience in an easy-to-drive, self-guided tour and encouraging tourists to experience and visit the participating businesses via a guide map, a website and road signage. The Taste Trail is about more than tourism and hospitality: at its very core is the importance of local agriculture and what is grown and made in the region. The Arts Trail does the same for artists. Initially, both trails were developed independently. But in 2010, a combined guide was produced, with the objective of increasing the number of guides in circulation (from 30,000 separate guides in print to a total of 60,000 combined guides); it was also clearly recognized that the wine and food consumer was also the art customer.

55 In the summer of 2005, the Taste Trail received funding to translate and produce the first bilingual Taste Trail guide and to update the website to be bilingual. The original objective was to make experiences in the county more accessible and welcoming to Francophone tourists. The Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Community Futures Development Corporation, with funding assistance from Industry Canada, helped fund the initiative to make the Taste Trail bilingual.

The long-term goals of the Taste Trail remain the same:

1. Drive high-yield culinary Anglophone and Francophone tourists to Taste Trail businesses. 2. Offer value-added experiences (the trail itself, promotions, Taste Trail packages). 3. Support the branding of Prince Edward County as a culinary tourism destination. 4. Create a financially sustainable model for the Taste Trail.

The Trail’s success is measured by the return rate of participants that is generated every year. In 2008, 21 artists signed up for the Arts Trail; in 2011, there will be 31 participating studios and galleries. The Taste Trail will have over 31 venues in 2011.

Based on reports and feedback from members and anecdotal evidence, the proportion of Francophone visitors has grown substantially since the initiation of the Trail, so much so that on certain days some people say that “you only hear French in the area.” Generally there has been an increase of Francophone traffic to the region overall. Reports from the Trail’s partners (accommodations and restaurants) have shown that a greater number of Francophone tourists are visible during the summer months. Attention from the French media has increased substantially, proving that the Trail’s efforts to draw attention in the Francophone markets have been successful.

In the opinion of the Trail’s organizers, this best practice for Francophone markets succeeded because of the business model itself. They took an existing successful best practice, which had already increased tourist interest in the region, and marketed it using similar techniques to Francophone markets.

The region used the same model with both the Taste Trail and the Arts Trail guide/website. Few changes were made with the addition of the Arts Trail. Since the Taste Trail model proved to be successful, the organizers simply stuck to the same model to bring the Arts Trail to their Francophone visitors.

56 Best Practices: Marketing

MARKETING

“Ontario should market its destination and experiences by strengthening our appeal to French-speaking markets.”5

This is a very powerful statement. Though it can mean on the one hand that Ontario must, as a destination, develop more aggressive marketing campaigns in Francophone markets in order to better tell our story and sell our experiences, it also means that smaller steps can also make a difference. Many organizations are unsure of how big these initiatives need to be, but we would like to highlight a few which, though they required some additional work and focus, represent initiatives that can be duplicated in many other areas across the province.

The following businesses have initiated successful Marketing initiatives that cater specifically to the Francophone markets and have yielded strong returns for them.

Best practice: French language marketing campaign in Quebec and Ontario OTTAWA TOURISM, Ottawa, ON (RTO 10) www.tourismeottawa.ca

The first Marketing best practice focusses on a traditional marketing campaign. It demonstrates the effectiveness of being in a market for a reasonable period of time in order to gain traction, presence and credibility.

Ottawa Tourism started targeting the province of Quebec six years ago based on an awareness program. The Quebec market, especially Montréal, has been very positive for Ottawa. The strategies used are television, radio and print marketing. It uses the same strategies in Ontario to capture the Franco-Ontarian market.

Combinations of practices are used to target Québécois travellers year-round; however, the summer months are its heaviest ones. Ottawa Tourism’s return on investment has proved to be very successful during the past four years. It experienced its strongest summer campaign in the summer of 2010 (Ottawa, on y va), as the conversion rate was 11 to 1.

Ottawa Tourism hires the research firm Harris Decima Research to measure the success of its marketing campaigns’ performances in the Quebec market. Findings in the last report revealed “nothing short of great marketing performance … top of mind awareness has hit the highest point since it started six years ago …” Harris Decima Research tracks all advertisements of Ottawa Tourism.

Ottawa Tourism also attends tradeshows and marketplaces in Quebec.

Ottawa Tourism stresses the fact that since 2008, its new booking engine has helped tremendously to attract Francophone visitors. It is now experiencing an increase of online bookings from France. Both the website and call centre services are offered bilingually and much attention is given to the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by locating relevant keywords in French. Ottawa Tourism also has in-house staff to proofread its French promotional material and increasingly seeks to hire bilingual employees.

Ottawa Tourism targets the Francophone markets of Ontario and Quebec and it is certain that the number of visitors from France would significantly increase if airlines offered direct flights from France to Ottawa.

5 Greg Sorbara, Ontario Tourism Competiveness Study, 2009. 57 On the other hand, not all Marketing initiatives need to be so elaborate or comprehensive to get the message across to the Francophone markets that you are “open for business.” In many cases, Francophone tourists do not need to have all services provided in French when they get to a destination, but they do research their destination on French websites or through French promotional materials and efforts to attract them in their own language go a long way to striking their interest and “closing” the sale. What follows are a few “simple” but very effective examples of initiatives that make a difference in attracting Francophone tourists.

Best practice: Adapting the product to meet the needs of the market STONE GATE INN, Orillia, ON (RTO 7) www.stonegateinn.com/Francais/index.cfm

The Stone Gate Inn sees the Francophone markets as a huge potential rather than a complex puzzle. After having been asked to volunteer at a trade show in Montréal a few years ago, the owner of the Stone Gate Inn jumped at the chance. Why? “Because there are 7.5 million people in Quebec, and this fact alone made it worth exploring.” Though the owner could only speak English, some visitors to the booth were receptive while others had little interest in communicating with him in English. He quickly became aware that even though the market could understand spoken English most of the time, when it came to reading promotional material, Québécois wanted French products.

After participating in the trade show, the importance of having a French brochure became evident. This led to an important initiative by the Stone Gate Inn: it started with a French insert in its English brochure. Eventually it produced a totally separate French brochure. The owner personally ensures the delivery of his brochures. He drops them off at CAA offices and tourist information centres in the language they request. In Quebec, they want French. In Ontario, it depends on the community. In the words of the Stone Gate Inn’s visionary, “You need to find out what the market wants and offer it. It’s as simple as that.” Though the owner cannot identify one activity in particular that draws Québécois to his region, he did mention that many Quebec visitors appear to golf in the area.

Best practice: Long-standing professional translation relationship MARINELAND, Niagara Falls, ON (RTO 2) www.marineland.ca/fr

Having retained the same translator over the years, Marineland saw the opportunity to add a French component to its website. The competent translator knows Marineland's products and services inside and out and ensures that its message is well presented to the Francophone consumer, rather than simply proceeding with a word-for-word translation. Word-for-word translations can sometimes be very dangerous, as they alienate potential customers if the message is not communicated correctly. It is important to work with a translator who is familiar with the tourism business and its terminology or to build a relationship with someone who will get to know the sector and the business. Never use translation programs and online translation tools. They lead to approximate and inaccurate translations, and embarrassing situations at times. Poor translations can actually be a deterrent to Francophone visitors as they project the image that the attraction or business is not concerned with the quality of its marketing and services.

Marineland decided to get its website professionally translated since its greatest concentration of Francophone visitors hails from Quebec. Over the years, Marineland discovered that many of its guests and potential guests did not speak or understand English. Since Marineland does not have many French-speaking employees, it is hoping that the French component of its website will better serve Quebec consumers in their own language, hence enhancing the opportunity to make a sale through French language promotional material on its website.

58 Best Practices: Marketing

A fourth Marketing best practice demonstrates a different approach and a comprehensive sensitivity to marketing to Francophone markets.

Best practice: Making Francophone travellers feel at home BROOKSTREET HOTEL, Ottawa, ON (RTO 10) www.brookstreet.ca/francais.php

At Brookstreet, they believe that the best way to attract the Francophone market is by addressing that clientele directly in their native tongue. If time and budget permit, all marketing materials (brochures, rack cards, posters, etc.) are produced bilingually. Brookstreet has a bilingual website, bilingual advertisements and bilingual signage throughout the hotel. French menus are available and employees are trained to address Francophone clients in French. Once Francophone guests enter the hotel, the staff ensures that they feel right at home, with the objective of generating repeat visits. The current total for Francophone leisure guests from Quebec alone is 11%. The overall number of Francophone guests is much higher (including other markets and corporate, group tour and government guests); however, the hotel's reporting system does not distinguish Francophone clientele in those segments.

The practice is most effective in making the traveller feel at home in a different destination. Think of when you visit a different destination: you welcome staff greetings in your own language, menus that you can understand and signage that allows you to get around comfortably. Again, since many travellers do their research in their own language, promotional material in their language makes a huge difference in attracting them to your establishment.

Our final example in this category is taken from the Georgian Bay region.

Best practice: French URL and website targeting Francophones GEORGIAN BAY COASTAL ROUTE, Georgian Bay, ON (RTOs 7, 12 & 13a) www.bonjourbaiegeorgienne.com

The first best practice of the Georgian Bay Coastal Route was to get a French URL. This simple initiative is not often understood by regional organizations or operators. Search engines like Google look at all aspects of words in a website, URL included. If the URL matches the page name (title), plus paragraphs, plus image names, plus keywords, it will most likely award more “points” for taking the time to follow the proper procedures, thus giving you a great ranking in search engines. One of the things Google looks for when it catalogues pages is the density of the keyword usage. What’s more, having a specific French URL allows the marketer to specifically track its ads or campaigns.

Once the Georgian Bay Coastal Route had given itself a French URL, it decided to promote its destination to the upscale adventurers and roamers of Quebec. Therefore it opted for a very quick, easy and affordable Google AdWords strategy. Google AdWords allows you to create ads and choose relevant keywords. When people search on Google using those keywords, the ad you created may appear next to the search results. For example, if the browser types in “plage baie Georgienne” (“Georgian Bay beach”) and those are some of thechosen words for the advertiser, the ad will appear on the search page. It’s a way to advertise and to target an audience that’s already interested in the product or experience. Through its AdWords strategy, the Georgian Bay Coastal Route positioned the many experiences surrounding the beaches and parks in the region – which it knows appeal in particular to the upscale adventurers and roamers of Quebec – as well as the Georgian Bay area in general.

59 And finally, we would like to share two Marketing best practices from Direction Ontario. With over eight years in the business of marketing Ontario to Francophone markets, Direction Ontario has developed some best practices that have been recognized by experts in the field. The two examples that we will briefly review are the Francophone tourism guide and the website.

Best practices: Promote Ontario in French while developing promotional tools that meet the needs of the targeted Francophone markets DIRECTION ONTARIO, Based in Kapuskasing, ON (RTO 13a) www.voyagesontario.com

The Francophone tourism guide: L’Ontario en français

The importance of printed guides as one of many tools for the consumer is well documented internationally. The explosion of commercial guides like Lonely Planet with over 500 titles and Rough Guides shows how interested people are in this type of publication. A tourism guide “made in Ontario” favourably influences the choice of Ontario as a destination among consumers and encourages them to stay longer in the province.

From a Quebec perspective, the Tourism Intelligence Network in Quebec underlines the point that even though 35% of Québécois use the Internet to plan their trip, 62% of Quebec travellers still look for tourist information once they are on the road.6 We know that this is a marketing tool very specific and relevant to the Quebec market.

At Direction Ontario, the guide is written from the outset in French; it is not a straight translation from an English version. French nuances and a “French flair” are added to the guide, making references to Quebec examples so that Quebec consumers can understand the references and explanations in the guide (e.g. Lake Nipissing is comparable to Lac St-Jean in size); the guide also highlights the Francophone cultural events and attractions that Quebec consumers might be more interested in visiting. In essence, Direction Ontario’s approach is based on the idea that the Quebec tourism market has specific cultural needs.

Direction Ontario’s French Services Rating Scale, which is referenced earlier in this document, evaluates all the listed establishments in the guide (a feature that is very popular with the readers, according to Direction Ontario’s annual surveys).

Now in its ninth year of existence, L’Ontario en français is a resourceful travel information guide which contains hundreds of tourism operators throughout the province of Ontario. Its electronic counterpart (e-guide) on the web receives over 1,000 unique visits per month; 40% of the e-guide visitors consult its pages for 2 to 15 minutes and 20% of visitors for 15 minutes or more.

In the Quebec marketplace, the guide is distributed at specific trade shows such as Bienvenue Quebec and at consumer shows such as RV, boating and motorcycling shows. In Ontario, the guide is a sought-after and valuable tool at Ontario Travel Information Centres.

6 Les brochures sont-elles encore efficaces?, Claude Péloquin, Tourism Intelligence Network, http://veilletourisme.ca/2006/02/09/les-brochures-touristiques-sont-elles-encore-efficaces. 60 Best Practices: Marketing

Direction Ontario’s conversion rate for the guide is extremely high: 57.5% of Québécois visitors who received and consulted L’Ontario en français have travelled to Ontario. Among this group, 59.7% said this was their first trip to Ontario in five years. Over half (54.1%) of vacationers said they visited a new region after receiving the tourism guide.

Again, for those who received the guide before their trip and used it to plan their visit to Ontario, the median stay was 7 days, compared to the average of 2.9 days for Québécois who did not plan their visit with L’Ontario en français.

The website: Bonjour Ontario

Direction Ontario’s Bonjour Ontario website has seen a large increase in traffic since the summer of 2009. The number of daily unique visitors has increased from 1,500 to 2,500, a 67% jump. The increase can be explained by the addition of many new components through a major revamping of the site. Direction Ontario changed the look of the website and refined its layout to make browsing easier. The content was diversified with the objective of maintaining good referencing results in search engines like Google. Direction Ontario also wanted to offer the best venue (or visibility) for its members. Many ways were used to accomplish this goal. First, work was done on the visual aspect of the site. In addition, a new URL address, VoyagesOntario.com, was added, as well as a number of French themed URL addresses, reflecting the experiential offerings of Ontario – an approach that has also now been repeated in the guide (e.g. lacsontario.com, campingenontario.com, plagesontario.com). Other additions to the website include locating members on a Google map, adding points of interest in the regions and a photo gallery. The website attracts over 2,500 unique visitors per day and search engines like Google and Yahoo recognize over 9,000 of its pages.

Conclusion The Ontario tourism landscape is full of other examples, both large and small, to develop marketing, product development and French language services for Francophone markets. These initiatives can be adapted very easily to target other emerging destinations and other language-sensitive markets.

These initiatives make Ontario more welcoming to these markets and highlight our cultural diversity and our openness to the world.

In the end, best practices in Francophone markets are simply just good “business practices.”

61 APPENDIX A

The following table indicates the number of visitors to Ontario in 2008, by origin and by travel region.

Visits by Origin by Region - Number of Visits TR = Travel Region

Origin TR 1 TR 2 TR 3 TR 4 TR 5 TR 6 TR 7 TR 8 TR 9 TR 10 TR 11 TR 12 TR 13

Total 13,370,405 10,292,999 7,109,496 7,932,400 19,126,255 7,035,410 9,169,119 4,657,182 6,324,004 5,907,460 4,039,750 3,432,326 5,953,369

Ontario 9,365,196 5,363,648 6,458,801 7,090,248 13,790,723 6,478,532 8,728,874 4,460,977 4,608,072 3,502,197 3,702,058 3,194,053 4,303,076

Quebec 61,055 107,419 51,080 40,278 561,371 24,677 23,136 15,484 372,413 1,306,723 76,926 18,661 89,305

Manitoba 7,985 7,322 11,109 8,522 65,491 1,996 8,523 5,159 2,269 29,820 2,321 2,140 356,306

Other Canada 83,651 51,207 53,482 43,046 560,331 39,046 40,179 15,698 70,968 212,959 22,800 12,619 57,508

US 3,718,864 3,922,666 353,475 601,838 2,521,100 290,462 229,460 112,312 1,126,796 428,099 200,879 130,446 1,100,004

Overseas 133,654 840,738 181,548 148,468 1,627,238 200,699 138,946 47,550 143,486 427,663 34,766 74,407 47,171

Source: Statistics Canada, Travel Survey of Residents of Canada 2008.

62 APPENDIX B

French Services Rating National Evaluation Scale

Name of organization: ______Each colour-coded FR symbol guarantees a certain type of Address: ______service in French. Red means the establishment uses French City: ______promotional tools; blue means that written documents are Postal Code: ______available in French; green means that French is spoken Province: ______during peak season or on request; yellow means that French services are available at all times. Postal address: (if different from above) ______City: ______– Website and brochure in French Postal Code: ______– regulations, signage, labels, menus and Province: ______forms are available in French on site – French is spoken during peak season or Contact person: ______on request Phone: ______Email address: ______– French is spoken at all times Website: ______– no service in French

Category 1 Marketing c) Attractions/Museums a) Website 1. Is the interpretation in your attraction/museum available in French? 1. Is your Website in French? __ Yes __ No __ Yes __ No __ Do not apply __ Do not apply d) Outfitters/Guides If yes, your Website is in French: __ Entirely 1. Are your guides, contracts and release forms available in __ Partially French? __ Yes __ No b) Brochure __ Do not apply 1. Do you produce a French or bilingual brochure? __ Yes __ No Category 3 Partial French services 1. Are services in French available upon request? Category 2 Product development __ Yes __ No a) Restaurant 2. Are services in French available during peak season? 1. Do you have a menu available in French? __ Yes __ No __ Yes __ No __ Do not apply Category 4 Services in French at all times b) Accommodation 1. Do you have a minimum of one French speaking employee 1. Is the information in your rooms available in French? at reception on each work shift? (how to make a call, hotel services, etc.) __ Yes __ No __ Yes __ No __ Do not apply

63 ONTARIO TOURISM MARKETING PARTNERSHIP CORPORATION http://www.tourismpartners.com

• Quebec Segmentation, July 2009, Environics Analytics • Ontario Francophone Analysis and Segmentation, June 2009, Environics Analytics

The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation hired Environics Analytics to gather the following data through a segmentation system called PRIZMC2. PRIZMC2 is an innovative consumer segmentation system that classifies all Canadians into one of 66 groups based on their demographics, behaviours and attitudes. It is the first Canadian segmentation model to link geodemographics to Social Values data to explain consumer behaviour. The system has been updated in January 2009 to capture the most recent demographic, behavioural and attitudinal changes.

CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION http://en-corporate.canada.travel/Corporate/Flyout.page?id=222&fid=372

• France Tourism Market Profile, 2009 Update, Canadian Tourism Commission • Global Tourism Watch, Year 3, France – Key Findings, 2009, Canadian Tourism Commission

As a world-class leader in tourism research and intelligence, the CTC lets the facts and figures do the talking, offering data, market intelligence, industry analysis and e-business initiatives to support strategic and operational decisions.

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TOURISM http://www.tourism.gov.on.ca/english/research/travel_intentions/index.html

• Travel Intentions Summer/Fall 2010, TNS Canadian Facts

The Ontario Ministry of Tourism seeks to increase investment in Ontario’s tourism industry by developing appropriate tools to foster an attractive climate in which to invest. Through its agency, the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation, the program markets Ontario as a year-round world-class travel destination. They work in partnership with our agencies, attractions, boards and commissions and the private sector. These partnerships maximize the economic, cultural and social contributions of its agencies and attractions and stimulate economic growth, job creation and stronger communities.

OFFICE OF FRANCOPHONE AFFAIRS http://www.ofa.gov.on.ca

• Profile of Ontario’s Francophone Community, 2009

Created under the French Language Services Act, the Office of Francophone Affairs works together with the ministries to ensure that the Act is applied. With assistance from the French Language Services Coordinators, it ensures that the public has access to services in French in the 25 designated areas. It also provides information on the province’s Francophone population to other levels of government and the public.

Specifically, the OFA supports the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs in the development of French- language services, policies and programs that meet the needs of Ontario’s Francophones; provides expert advice on matters relating to Francophones and the delivery of French-language services; gathers and provides information on Ontario’s Francophone community; and acts as a link between the Francophone community and government ministries and their agencies. 64 Sources/Acknowledgements

LE RÉSEAU DE VEILLE EN TOURISME (The Tourism Intelligence Network) http://veilletourisme.ca

• Les loisirs des Québécois, September 3, 2009 • Activités, attraits et événements favoris des Québécois, November 13, 2009

The Tourism Intelligence Network is an organization devoted to strategic intelligence gathering in the field of tourism. It was launched on January 30, 2004 by the Transat Chair in Tourism at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) School of Business Administration, with the financial support of Canada Economic Development – Quebec Regions and Tourisme Québec.

STATISTICS CANADA http://www.statcan.gc.ca

• Statistics Canada’s International Travel: Advance Information service bulletin for May 2010 • Statistics Canada’s International Travel: Travel between Canada and other countries, June 2010

Statistics Canada, a member of the Industry Portfolio, produces statistics that help Canadians better understand their country – its population, resources, economy, society and culture.

LE CORRIDOR TOURISTIQUE FRANCOPHONE DE L’OUEST www.ouestcanadien.ca

• Évaluation du potentiel du marché français envers les provinces de l’Ouest du Canada, Chaire de tourisme Transat ESG UQAM

The Corridor touristique francophone de l’Ouest (Francophone Tourism Corridor for Western Canada) is an initiative that links Western Canada’s Francophone communities and their tourism businesses. Its objective is to stimulate the tourism industry of its member French-language communities. L’Ouest canadien en français is coordinated by the four provincial Francophone Economic Development Organizations (FEDOs) comprised of the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Communities, the Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique (British Columbia Economic Development Corporation), the Conseil de la Coopération de la Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Cooperation Council) and the Conseil de développement économique de l’Alberta (Alberta Economic Development Council).

RDÉE ONTARIO http://www.rdee-ont.ca

• Le tourisme des Français en 2007, Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres • Tourisme des Français, Les activités des touristes lors de leurs voyages, Direction du Tourisme, TNS Sofres

A special recognition to Mr. Alain Brosius from RDÉE Ontario for sharing his valuable market intelligence on the Francophone markets in Europe.

RDÉE Ontario promotes economic development and employability in Ontario’s Francophone communities to ensure that they remain vital and sustainable.

DIRECTION ONTARIO http://www.directionontario.ca/publications.cfm

• Market Study of Direction Ontario’s Tourism Clientele, Summer 2008

65 Conclusion

Working in Francophone markets should be seen as a continuous process. There is a certain inherent learning curve to working in each of these markets.

The Franco-Ontarian market is the easiest to reach and is consistent with the current “staycation” focus of many RTOs. It also gives RTOs an opportunity to develop Francophone consumer promotional materials and evaluate their service delivery capacities at little extra costs.

The Quebec Francophone market is the next of these markets easiest to reach and attract. As we have seen through the consumer preferences and the best practices components of the toolkit, we have the products, they only need to be “tweaked” a little to appeal to the Quebec consumer.

The market from France is the third level of the continuum. Your services and products need to be able to compete with other world-class products – but your returns are higher. The visitations from France continue to increase to Canada, so the cost of getting French visitors to come to Ontario can be shared with other domestic suppliers, regions or provinces who already work in that market.

It is our hope that the consumer preferences and best practices contained in this toolkit are considered practical and conducive to supporting RTOs and their members who plan, first: to do a quick analysis and evaluation of the Francophone markets that they intend to either target or continue serving; and second: to implement new approaches to better serve those markets. Ontario experiences clearly demonstrate that we can be successful in these markets.

About Direction Ontario

For the past nine years, Direction Ontario has been the leader of Francophone tourism in Ontario. The vision of this non-profit organization is to work with the newly formed Regional Tourism Organizations in order to showcase Ontario’s tourism products and increase the number of Francophone visitors to Ontario.

Since 2005, Direction Ontario has been compiling statistics on the growth of Francophone tourism traffic in Ontario resulting from its activities. The purpose of these market studies is to allow Direction Ontario’s partners to better understand the consumer habits of the Francophone tourists in order to identify their specific needs and future product development opportunities, as well as to evaluate the scope of its tourism guide. In recent years, Direction Ontario, in collaboration with RDÉE Canada, developed a rating scale for French services which has now been adopted at the national level. This essential tool for tourists who don’t speak English also has the potential to be adapted for other markets (i.e. Chinese, Spanish, etc.).

The development of Francophone markets and products has been the cornerstone of Direction Ontario’s tourism strategy. Based on studies that show the importance and the potential of the French-language tourism market in Ontario, Direction Ontario wants to create viable tourism infrastructures by positioning its activities to meet the needs of its partners and its clientele by offering Francophone and bilingual experiences and products.

In partnership with other tourism industry organizations, Direction Ontario has been involved in several projects and initiatives, such as the promotion and strengthening of French-language services, various market studies, the development of regional tourism projects, the creation of promotional networks including Alliance Club, and the improvement of relations between Ontario’s tourism industry and Francophone markets. On the promotion front, Direction Ontario has led initiatives in consumer trade shows, published a tourism guide and launched marketing campaigns in Quebec.

66 Notes

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