Running head: DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 1
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: Demographics and Barriers in Guided Canoeing
Ryan M. Woroch
Algonquin College DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 2
Table of Contents
Target Market...... 3
Canoeing Industry Profile...... 3
Demographics...... 3
Participation Rates...... 5
Enthusiasts...... 6
Crossover Participation...... 7
Guided Canoeing Market Profile...... 8
Demographics...... 8
Psychographics...... 10
Industry Barriers...... 11
History and Development...... 11
Trade Organizations...... 12
Certifying Bodies...... 13
Barriers to Startup...... 13
Government Involvement...... 14
International Aspects...... 15
References...... 17 DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 3
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: Demographics and Barriers in Guided Canoeing
Target Market
Participants in canoeing possess a considerable range of skills, involvement and outdoor interests. When describing the profile characteristics of the participants in the canoeing industry, it is important to make a distinction between overview data for the industry as a whole and the statistics provided for enthusiasts in order to identify specific qualities, values and habits that define a candidate for the specific services provided by guiding operations. To this end, a generalized assessment of an industry participant is presented before an analysis of enthusiasts.
Canoeing Industry Profile
Demographics. Qualities of the average canoeist vary by locale but a review of three tourism studies undertaken in North America reveals that the participants are usually male
(Leisure Trends Group, 2004; Physical Activity Council, 2015; Rogers, 2003), with an average age of 36 (Rogers, 2003) with the greatest number of participants from the 25 – 44 age brackets, followed by 45 years and up (Physical Activity Council, 2015). Most canoeists are from adult only households (Rogers, 2003) in which 50% are married (Leisure Trends Group, 2004). They are typically better educated with a college degree or higher (Physical Activity Council, 2015;
Rogers, 2003) and their household income is generally higher, with 48% earning more than
$75K USD and 33% earning more than $100K USD (Physical Activity Council, 2015).
Surprisingly, the ethnic profile of the canoeist is Caucasian but this figure is shifting. In 2004,
91% of canoeists were Caucasian (Leisure Trends Group, 2004) but in 2015 this number had DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 4 dropped to 82% (Physical Activity Council, 2015). These facts have been summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Average North American Canoeist Profile Gender Average Children in Married Education Mean Income Greatest Age House USD Ethnicity Male 36 None 50% College or Higher >$75K Caucasian Note: Compiled from the Outdoor Recreation Participation Study for the United States (Leisure Trends Group, 2004), 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports (Physical Activity Council, 2015) and A Snapshot of the Canoeing & Kayaking Travel Market in North America (Rogers, 2003).
Identifying where canoeists live is another aspect of defining who is involved. The distribution of Canadian residents who canoe and kayak is shown in Figure 1. Obviously, the greatest number of Canadian canoeists reside in Ontario which is understandable given that
Ontario has the greatest population density of all regions. Although this pie chart includes kayakers it is still indicative of the canoeing market due to high crossover rates between canoeists and kayakers (Leisure Trends Group, 2004).
Figure 1. Where Canadian Canoeists/Kayakers Live (Rogers, 2003). DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 5
The residence location of the bulk of the American canoeing population is located along the border to Canada especially from the central region to the east coast. Participants from the
American North Central and North Eastern regions (see Figure 2) comprise 51% of canoeists in the United States with another 33% from the south (Leisure Trends Group, 2004).
Figure 2. Regional Breakdown of the United States (Transair, 2017).
In summary, seventy percent of Canadians canoeists live in Ontario or eastward and fifty- one percent of American canoeists live in the states that border that same zone.
Participation Rates. General canoeing participation rates are somewhat unclear due to the varied methodology of various organizations. Despite the discrepancy, the numbers reach into the millions and represent a sizeable market base. For example, the Outdoor Recreation
Participation Study for the United States (2004) stated that, “canoeing ranks as the most popular of the Paddlesports of 2003” with 25.5 million participants. The American Canoe Association partnered with the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE) to create the
Paddlesports Participation Report that indicated that 22.8 million participants were involved in canoeing in 2009 (2010). The 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports placed canoeing participation at 10 million Americans and the 2016 General Social Survey (GSS), Canadians at
Work and Home, suggested that 6.6 million Canadians had gone canoeing or kayaking in 2016. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 6
All of these figures are from North America although some are strictly USA numbers and some
Canada only.
Outings statistics suggest that the average American went canoeing seven times in 2014
(Physical Activity Council, 2015) which is up from five in 2004 (Leisure Trends Group, 2004) and 5.5 in 2010 (NSRE, 2010). The maximum number of outings reported in 2014 was 24
(Physical Activity Council, 2015). The rolling trend or method of smoothing out fluctuations in data identified by the Leisure Trends Group (2004) was that canoeing participation rates are gradually increasing. Outing statistics for Canada were not available.
Enthusiasts. A breakdown of these numbers reveals subtle differences in the characteristics between a general canoeist compared to an enthusiast. An enthusiast is clearly an avid participant that possesses a superior skill set in the sport compared to the average individual.
The Outdoor Recreation Participation Study (2004) prepared a comprehensive assessment of an
American enthusiast based on their survey data and concluded that enthusiasts represent the top
15% of all canoeing participants or 3.5 million individuals. According to their data, enthusiasts most common characteristics are; male (75%), unmarried (57%), Caucasian (91%), from childless households (52%), with higher than average income (mean $62K, 22% >$80K USD) and with a median age of 32. The age demographic of enthusiasts was polarized between 16 - 24 years and greater than 45 years, with 7% of the enthusiast population being older than 60. These individuals primarily reside in the North Central and North East areas of the United States although 71% of all enthusiast participants live in the northern states that border Canada from coast to coast, an equivalent of 2.485 million people (3.5M x 71%). Enthusiast participants represent 1.6% of the American, adult population greater than 16 years. They took 77 million outings which represents 69% of all outings and 11% of all participants. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 7
Enthusiast statistics for Canada were not available but can be considered equivalent to the
American values for comparison purposes since enthusiasts share most of the same demographic qualities as the general canoeing population and the industry demographics did include figures from Canada.
Table 2 shows a summary of enthusiasts’ demographics and has been adjusted in the income category to reflect the change in the USD from 2004 to 2015 (H Brothers Inc., 2018).
Table 2
Average North American Enthusiast Canoeist Profile Gender Median Children in Married Education Mean Income Greatest Age House USD Ethnicity Male 32 None 43% College or >$79K Caucasian Higher Note: Compiled from the Outdoor Recreation Participation Study for the United States (Leisure Trends Group, 2004).
Perhaps the greatest differences between the average canoeist and an enthusiast have to do with skill, frequency of outings and age. When considering the number of enthusiast outings, it may be important to keep in mind that outings are the number of times participants went canoeing and does not account for the fact that enthusiasts may have actually been on multi-day excursions rather than day trips.
Crossover Participation. Canoeists, like other paddle sport participants enjoy a variety of other activities. In the 2015 Special Report on Paddlesports walking for fitness (51%) was the most common activity, followed by hiking (42%), running (39%) and bicycling (37%), camping and bowling (both 35%). This result was derived from the responses of all paddlesport participants
(canoeing, kayaking, rafting and stand up paddling) but is still relevant since it reflects the DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 8 conclusion presented in the Outdoor Recreation Participation Study (2004) that only studied canoeists. The 2004 study states that the most frequent crossover activities of canoeists were hiking (71%), bicycling (54%) and car camping (48%). In addition, canoeists also participated in kayaking (27%) and rafting (23%). Stand up paddling did not exist at the time of the 2004 study.
Guided Canoeing Market Profile
Demographics. The demographic profile of an individual interested in guided canoeing is somewhat different than that of a mere participant or enthusiast and rather often defined by the destination itself and the goals of the participant.
For destinations that are extremely remote and therefore difficult to access, greater funds, flexibility and freedom of personal time are required. These circumstances and privileges often come later in life and help define candidates for guided excursions in remote locations. Based on this premise and the known demographics of both participants and enthusiasts we can assume that the guided traveller for remote destinations will most often be male, with higher than average education and income, possibly married and not likely to have minors in their households. They will be more affluent because these trips are expensive and likely older than fifty. They will likely be Caucasian, drawn from North America and Europe but, in the case of the iconic trips in the Canadian territories, will include a growing number of Asian travellers.
The Chinese market specifically, is growing due to China granting Canada “Approved
Destination Status” in 2009 which lifted the travel restriction that permitted only students, diplomats and business people travel to Canada. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 9
Additionally, individuals participating in guided excursions to remote locations from both domestic and international markets may or may not have prior paddling experience yet both groups can be accommodated by matching the skill level of the participants to the difficulty of the trip. In fact, route conditions on some remote excursions require the proficiency that only enthusiasts possess. Enthusiasts remain a viable market group for guided excursions in remote locations when there is a necessity for food drops or air transfers to isolated put-ins and when there are hazards that stem from lack of familiarity with weather patterns, elevation, seasonal water levels, wildlife and when technical rivers dictate high physical demands and skill. Despite the ability of enthusiasts to overcome these obstacles there are those who would prefer to fully engage the experience without the hassles inherent in a remote, self-guided trip. These concerns can be easily addressed or handled by an experienced and local guide.
The demographic profile of a participant in remote guided canoeing can be supported by statements made by Neil Hartling, operator of Nahanni River Adventures and Canadian River
Expeditions, in his article, 50 is the New 30 as Empty-Nesters Flock to Northern Rivers, when he stated “the average age of our guests is 57 (2014).” He goes on to state that Generation X and Y, births from the mid-60’s to late 90’s, are “noticeably absent from northern waterways, on both guided and self-guided expeditions… (because)… they can’t afford northern river trips (2014).”
He also recognizes that ‘our own stats…fly in the face of research (2014).”
It is expected that where excursions occur below the 60th parallel (the approximate division between the Canadian territories and provinces), the demographic will remain similar but shift to include younger individuals and a market drawn from North American cities with a closer residential proximity to the destination. Enthusiasts are typically absent from guided DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 10 excursions in the lower half of Canada especially if the destination is close to their home because enthusiasts possess the knowledge and skills to self-guide in less remote and familiar locations.
Regardless of the remoteness of an excursion, the entire target market for guided canoeing consists of destination clients as opposed to drop in clients as these trips must be planned and prepped in advance.
Psychographics. According to the Adventure Tourism Market Study 2013 (ATTC and The
George Washington University) and the Outdoor Adventure Travellers: Characteristics, Attitudes
& Motivations (Gilson and Mohler, 2005) the psychographic elements of an adventure traveller and by extension a consumer for guided canoe trips include the following interests:
a powerful love of the outdoors and natural or protected environments
enjoyment from exercise in the outdoors
desire to be immersed in the outdoors and the beauty of the scenery
desire to get away from the urban environment
connecting and bonding with traveling companions
reading publications such as National Geographic
“Adventure travellers ranked areas of natural beauty as the most important factor in choosing their last destination (ATTC and The George Washington University, 2013)” while
“two-thirds of American and half the Canadian canoeists/kayakers are enthusiastic about wildlife viewing (Rogers, 2003).” The adventure traveller is also more likely to use guides because of an interest in safety, training, expert guidance and a need for special equipment. (ATTC and The
George Washington University, 2013)” DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 11
Industry Barriers
History and Development. The canoeing industry in Canada began with the design and development of the canoe by First Nations people in North America. The boat was used to transport goods and people over water as this was often the only way to access the remote wilderness regions of the country. The design of the boat was that of a curved hull with wooden ribs that were covered with birch bark and sealed with sap and resin. The canoe was instrumental in transporting huge shipments of fur from the interior of Canada. Samuel de Champlain, the
French explorer created strong bonds with the Algonquin tribe and was one of the first non- native people to travel by canoe in 1615 (Goldi Productions Limited, 2007). Eventually, John
McGregor, a Scotsman, popularized canoeing as a recreational activity and not merely a commercial transport vehicle. He designed a modified canoe based on the native design and eventually founded the Royal Canoe Club in 1866. He is remembered as the person responsible for popularizing canoeing as a sport.
The earliest commercial application of recreational sport canoeing began with the creation of a canoe tripping camp in Maine in 1893 (Keewaydin, n.d.) which was later relocated to more rugged wilderness in Algonquin Park in 1902. More camps began to open in the park, such as, Tanamakoon in 1925 (Tanamakoon, n.d.). From this date canoeing continued to gain popularity creating an eventual market for guided expeditions.
The first river guiding expedition company in Canada was established by Canadian River
Expeditions in 1972 (Nahanni River Adventures, 2017). Other organizations such as Canoe
Arctic Inc., Black Feather, Nahanni River Adventures, Ruby Range Adventures, Canoe North
Adventures, Sea to Sky Expeditions and many others began shortly thereafter. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 12
Trade Organizations. There are a number of trade organizations in Canada that support the training and development of the recreational canoe trade as governed by the national organization Paddle Canada. Paddle Canada sets the national standards for instruction and skill certification in recreational canoe, kayak and standup paddleboard. These qualifications are internationally and nationally recognized. Each province, with the exception of Ontario, Prince
Edward Island, Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories has an association that is linked to
Paddle Canada and is of value for the work they do in training and safety and, environmental preservation and access issues affecting waterways. Although there is assistance to be gained from Paddle Canada and its Affiliates, there are no governing regulations that restrict operators in
Canada.
In addition to the network created by Paddle Canada, there are numerous clubs/trade groups that govern or support competitive canoeing in Canada like Canoe Kayak Canada and its regional groups. There are also many canoe clubs across Canada that promote paddling and social events. To a lesser extent, there are some regional groups like Wilderness Canoe
Association, Thompson River Interior Paddle Sports Club that exist to promote wilderness travel, conservation, training, and shared social events. The influence of these clubs on the commercial guided canoeing industry is limited to the effectiveness of their conservation efforts and any interest they can generate amongst their members for guided excursions.
Worldwide, other organizations exist for training, racing and all other canoe aspects. Of note is the International Canoe Federation that is the umbrella organization of all national associations (International Canoe Federation, n.d.). DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 13
Trade organizations that go beyond canoeing include the Adventure Travel Trade
Association (ATTA) that assists and advocates for member organizations with regards to the development of worldwide adventure travel and helps address their concerns. Within Canada, the
Wilderness Tourism Association of BC helps address land use issues affecting nature-based businesses in British Columbia.
Certifying Bodies. Paddle Canada is the governing body that sets national assessment standards for instruction and certification in all recreational paddlesports. There are provincial associations, recognized by Paddle Canada that certify paddlers skills. The following are the active regional organizations: Paddle Alberta, Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan, Paddle Manitoba, Eau Vive Quebec,
Paddle Newfoundland and Labrador, Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia, Canoe Kayak New Brunswick.
British Columbia and Ontario have independent associations.
Of note is the presence of the Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Associations
(ORCKA), a provincial organization that exists to promote safety, skills development and training, wilderness tripping and camping techniques (Ontario Recreational Canoeing and
Kayaking Association, 2018). ORCKA has over 1800 members and provides a Canada wide recognized certification system of its own making but is not affiliated or governed by Paddle
Canada. It claims to be the industry standard yet lacks the national or worldwide endorsement that Paddle Canada receives.
Barriers to Start up. There are only a few barriers to startup in the guided canoeing industry.
The more common issues include land access challenges and potential high entry costs depending on the level of entrance into the industry. As well, since the market structure is that of a monopolistic competition profile it can be difficult for new entrants to differentiate their DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 14 product from the abundance of offerings so a carefully crafted business model would be necessary. Creating a market presence based on experience, favourable reviews and credibility will also be necessary given the pre-trip research habits of today’s adventure traveller.
Government Involvement
There are a variety of ways in which government bodies influence, dictate or prohibit the activities of guided canoeing operators but most stem from a desire to ensure safe travel for all participants.
The Wilderness Tourism Licensing Act requires that anyone who takes a client into the wild in the Yukon and is paid for their services must be licensed and have standard first aid with
CPR-C (Wilderness Tourism, 2018).
Transport Canada released small vessel regulations in 2010 requiring guided excursion boats including canoes to be equipped with specific safety equipment including personal lifesaving equipment, vessel safety equipment and navigation equipment. Also required is a first aid kit in a waterproof case. Managers and excursion leaders are responsible for ensuring lifejackets or PFD are worn, that helmets are worn when in Class III or greater moving water and for ensuring that anything stowed on board is secure. As well, procedures and safety equipment for submersion in cold water (< 15°C) must be available, safety briefings must be undertaken at the beginning of the trip and a float plan must be filed with a responsible, on-shore person before departure.
Restrictions exists for camping on lands that are adjacent to waterways that flow through provincial or national parks and may require permits for use. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 15
Access restrictions in Nunavut occur in the Nunavut Settlement Area which is privately owned and inaccessible and any other access requires the registration of a travel plan with the
RCMP detachment nearest the destination.
International Aspects
Canoe tripping is a worldwide activity but not to the same degree as in Canada and the
United States where the greatest number of canoeists from novice to enthusiasts participate and reside. The majority of guided canoe operations occur in Canada, The United States and New
Zealand. Within Canada and the United States there are hundreds of operators offering variations of guided canoeing. Common traits found in the canoeing industry outside North
America are that; many trips in Europe and Scandinavia are self guided, many coastal countries including most of Central and South America and the Pacific Rim countries are primarily involved in kayaking. It is rare to find guided excursions through tropical jungles because of route dangers from wildlife, weather, native populations and rapid river flow. Of course, some countries lack the natural resources required for canoeing, like no water in desert zones.
Although some regions, like much of Europe, offer guided canoeing it is only for single days while most small countries and island nations lack the waterways and sheer size to host a multi- day excursion.
It is apparent that the industry leaders for guided canoeing excursions are in Canada and the United States. Industry Leaders in Canada are Black Feather, Canadian River Expeditions /
Nahanni River Adventures, Canoe North, Sea to Sky Expeditions and Ruby Range Adventures.
Organizations in the United States are Allagasha Canoe Trips, Outward Bound, Sunrise DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 16
Expeditions, Nols and Moab Rafting Company, in New Zealand there is Whanganui River
Canoes and Canoe Safaris and in Sweden Lapland Canoe Central.
In most countries, where there is a canoe presence (see Figure 3), it is possible to organize a guided trip through one of the international trekking companies or to utilize a local guide who can help with an expedition although the small operators likely won’t or can’t be found on the web.
Figure 3. Estimate of the Presence of Canoe Tripping Organizations Worldwide. (Woroch, 2017).
Finding canoeing operations worldwide is very challenging as canoeing is often used synonymously with kayaking and kayaking is more popular in the rest of the world than canoeing is in North America. DEMOGRAPHICS AND BARRIERS IN GUIDED CANOEING 17
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