Ontario RTO7 Strategic Study — Bruce County Visitor Analysis

Final Report April, 2012 Introduction

 In 2011, RTO7 undertook the development of a strategic plan, involving a comprehensive study of the consumer market in Ontario, Quebec and U.S. border states.

 From that study, conducted by Longwoods International in early 2011, we have extracted and analyzed data for visitors to 9 places/areas in the region – Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood/Wasaga Beach, Blue Mountains, Owen Sound, Lake Huron beach towns, Simcoe County, Bruce County and Grey County – comparing those visitors to the aggregated visitors across the region.

 Longwoods also conducted a Winter Leisure Travel Study examining travel to RTO7 from December 2010 through March 2011. Reflecting a smaller overall sample than we had available for the strategic study, analyses are provided for winter visitors to a more limited set of locales – Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood/Wasaga Beach, Blue Mountains, Owen Sound.

 From the Strategic Study, “visitors” are defined as having visited RTO7 and the locale being analyzed in the past 2 years. From the Winter Leisure Study, visitors are defined as having taken a trip during the four-month period from Dec.1, 2010 to Mar. 31, 2011.

2 Introduction

 The sample sizes of the groups of visitors analyzed are as follows: Collingwood Lake Huron All Simcoe Grey Bruce /Wasaga Blue Owen Beach RTO7 County County County Barrie Orillia Beach Mtns. Sound Towns Visitors Strategic 510 417 419 840 642 639 524 437 529 1,858 Study Winter Study – - - - 203 133 204 156 99 - 629 Day Trips Winter Study – Overnight - - - 277 195 258 213 145 - 806 Trips

3 Visitor Profile

4 Visitor Profile

 The top source of leisure traffic to Bruce County is Southwestern Ontario, which accounts for almost half of visitors, followed by the Greater Toronto Area which provides 3 in 10 visitors:

 Compared to the RTO7 region as a whole, SW Ontario is a far more important market to Bruce County, while Quebec and the United States are less important

 Demographically, versus the average RTO7 visitor, Bruce County visitors tend to be skewed:

 Male

 Older (especially concentrated in the 45-64 age group)

 Higher income

 Caucasian

5 Regional Sources of Visitors on Day/Overnight Trips

31

GTA 33

South West 47 Ontario 33

6

Eastern Ontario 8

5

Quebec 9

11

U.S. 17

0 20 40 60 Percent Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 6 Gender

55 Male

52

45 Female

48

0 20 Percent 40 60

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 7 Age

17 18-24 18

15 25-34 20

21 35-44 21

20 45-54 16

14 55-64 12

13 65 or older 14

0 10 Percent 20 30

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 8 Household Size

17

1 person 18

35

2 persons 33 Average Household Size 3 persons 16 18 Visited Bruce County: 2.8

22 Visited RT07: 2.8

4 persons 20

10

5+ persons 11

0 20 40 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 9 Household Composition

32

Any children in household 30

12

Any child 5 years old or younger 13

9

Any child 6-8 years old 9

10

Any child 9-12 years old 10

17

Any teens 13-17 years old 16

0 10 20 30 40 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 10 Marital Status

Married / Living With 68

Partner 66

18 Single 22

Separated / Divorced / 14

Widowed 12

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 11 Employment

50 Full Time 47

6 Part Time 10

20 Retired 19

24 Other 24

0 20 40 60 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 12 Education

14 High school or less 14

Some college / 17 university 20

Graduated college / 52 university 46

17 Post-graduate studies 20

0 20 40 60 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 13 Income

10

Less than $25K 11

21

$25-$49K 21

17

$50-$75K 22

17

$75-$99K 18

35

$100K+ 28

0 20 40 Percent Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 14 Race

91 Caucasian 83

Asian / SE 3

Asian 9

6 Other 8

0 20 40 60 80 100 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07

15 Awareness of & Experience with County Places/Attractions Awareness of & Experience with County Places/Attractions

 Among recent Bruce County visitors, the most recognizable place names in the county are Tobermory, the Lake Huron beach towns of Port Elgin, Sauble Beach, Kincardine, and Southampton, as well as Wiarton and Walkerton.

 These are also the towns people have most often visited in the past.

 The county attractions that visitors are most aware of are the beach at Sauble Beach and the Bruce Trail, followed by Sauble Falls Provincial Park, Flowerpot Island, Wiarton Willie Statue/Festival, the beaches at the other Lake Huron towns, and the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry:

 Each are recalled by at least half of visitors

 Slightly fewer recognize the names of Formosa Springs Brewery, Lion’s Head Provincial Park, Bruce Peninsula National Park and the Saugeen River

17 Awareness of & Experience with County Places/Attractions

 Despite the relatively high awareness levels for many of these attractions, the only one actually visited in the past (ever) by a majority of visitors is the Beach at Sauble Beach at 63%.

 Most of the other “familiar” attractions listed above have only been visited by about a third of county visitors, and only 1 in 10 visitors have taken in the Wiarton Willie festival or seen his statue.

18 Awareness of Places in Bruce County

Tobermory 82 Port Elgin 81 Sauble Beach 81 Kincardine 80 Wiarton 78 Walkerton 76 Southampton 66 Lucknow 55 Mildmay 45 Chesley 41 Ferndale 35 Cape Croker 26 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percent 19 Awareness of Attractions in Bruce County

The Beach at Sauble Beach 78

The Bruce Trail 65

Sauble Falls Provincial Park 55

Flowerpot Island 54

Wiarton Willie Statue/Festival 52

The Beach at Kincardine 52

The Beach at Port Elgin 50

Chi-Cheemaun Ferry/dinner cruise 50

The Beach at Southampton 48

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 20 Awareness of Attractions in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Formosa Springs Brewery 48

Lion’s Head Provincial Park 48

Bruce Peninsula National Pk/The Grotto 45

Saugeen River 45

Bruce County Rail Trail 38

Fathom Five National Marine Park 33

Kincardine Scottish Festival 33

Inverhuron Provincial Park 32

Bruce County Museum/Cultural Centre 29

0 20 40 60 80

Percent 21 Awareness of Attractions in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Black Creek Provincial Pk/Stokes Bay 28

MacGregor Point Provincial Park 28

Kincardine Lighthouse Museum 27

Cabot Head Lighthouse/Museum 27

Saugeen Valley Conservation Areas 25

Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area 24

Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band concert 22

Port Elgin Pumpkinfest 22

Teesdale's International Plowing Match 22

0 20 40 60 80

Percent 22 Awareness of Attractions in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Point Clark Lighthouse/Museum 20

CP Rail Trail 20

Sauble Beach August Sandfest 18

Bruce Pen. Mountain Bike Adventure Pk 15

Walkerton Fish Ladder 15

Port Elgin Beach Carnival 12

International Motorcross Park 12

Chantry Island Lighthouse/Museum 11

Saugeen Rail Trail 10

0 20 40 60 80

Percent 23 Awareness of Attractions in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Saugeen Amphitheater 8

Carrick Wines & Ciders 7

Canadian Big Band Celebration 6

Larkwhistle Garden 4

Biener's Bush cross-country ski trails 3

Keppel Croft Farm & Gardens 1

Cinderella’s Carriage Antique Car Show 1

Wilmer Trout Ponds 1

0 20 40 60 80

Percent 24 Places Ever Visited in Bruce County

Sauble Beach 75 Kincardine 66 Tobermory 64 Port Elgin 63 Wiarton 58 Southampton 52 Walkerton 51 Chesley 33 Mildmay 32 Lucknow 30 Ferndale 19 Cape Croker 18 0 20 40 60 80 Percent 25 Attractions Ever Visited in Bruce County

The Beach at Sauble Beach 63

The Beach at Port Elgin 38

The Bruce Trail 36

Sauble Falls Provincial Park 34

Chi-Cheemaun Ferry/dinner cruise 33

Saugeen River 32

The Beach at Southampton 31

The Beach at Kincardine 31

Bruce Pen. National Park/The Grotto 30

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 26 Attractions Ever Visited in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Flowerpot Island 28

MacGregor Point Provincial Park 22

Lion’s Head Provincial Park 20

Fathom Five National Marine Park 20

Inverhuron Provincial Park 16

Formosa Springs Brewery 16

Kincardine Scottish Festival 15

Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band concert 15

Bruce County Museum/Cultural Centre 13

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 27 Attractions Ever Visited in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Cabot Head Lighthouse & Museum 12

Black Creek Prov Park/Stokes Bay 12

Kincardine Lighthouse Museum 11

Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area 11

Wiarton Willie Statue/Festival 10

Saugeen Valley Conservation Areas 10

Point Clark Lighthouse/Museum 9

Bruce County Rail Trail 7

Sauble Beach Sandfest in August 7

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 28 Attractions Ever Visited in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Port Elgin Pumpkinfest 7

Walkerton Fish Ladder 5

Bruce Pen. Mountain Bike Adventure Pk 4

Larkwhistle Garden 4

Saugeen Amphitheater 3

Canadian Big Band Celebration 3

CP Rail Trail 3

Chantry Island Lighthouse/Museum 3

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 29 Attractions Ever Visited in Bruce County (Cont’d)

Port Elgin Beach Carnival 2

International Motorcross Park 2

Biener's Bush cross-country ski trails 2

Saugeen Rail Trail 2

Carrick Wines & Ciders 1

Keppel Croft Farm & Gardens 1

Cinderella’s Carriage Antique Car Show 1

Teesdale International Plowing Match 1

Wilmer Trout Ponds 0

0 20 40 60 80 Percent 30 Intended Trips & Interest in Activities Intended Trips

 Interest in returning to the region is especially high among visitors to Bruce County, which suggests a very substantial level of satisfaction:

 Compared to the RTO7 norm of 50% intending a return trip, 74% of those who have visited this county indicate they are planning to come again

 This above-average intent extends to both day and overnight trips

 Interest in coming to the region is comparatively high for both winter and summer among Bruce County visitors relative to the regional norm.

 The top trip purpose segments for Bruce County visitors planning their travel to the region are visits to friends/relatives, touring trips, outdoor trips (camping, fishing, hiking, etc.), resort trips and special events:

 Relative to RTO7 as a whole, Bruce Trail seems to be attracting higher numbers of VFR, outdoor and special event trips

32 Interest in Activities

 Generally speaking, interest in the types of activities people want to engage in while visiting RTO7 are a bit higher across the board among Bruce County visitors than they are among RTO7 visitors as a whole.

 The activities for which Bruce County visitors have a significantly greater interest than the norm include:

 Scenic tours by car or motorcycle

 Going to the beach/swimming

 Hiking on the Bruce Trail

 Concerts/live music

 Historic lighthouses

 museums

33 Intent to Visit RTO7 on Day/Overnight Trip in Next 2 Years

61 Any Overnight Pleasure 38

68 Any Day Pleasure 46

74 Any Overnight/Day Pleasure (Net) 50

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RTO7 34 Intent to Visit RTO7 on Day/Overnight Trip by Season

36 Winter 20

34 Spring/Summer 26

4 Fall 5

0 20 40 Percent Visited Bruce County Visited RTO7 35 Purpose of Intended Trips to RTO7

48 VFR 26 47 Touring 43 43 Outdoors Trip 36 39 Resort 36 39 Special Event 30 18 City Trip 18 15 Shopping 13 13 Ski/snowboarding 9 12 Gaming 12

0 20 Percent 40 60 Visited Bruce County Visited RT07

36 Interest in Activities

66 Dine overlooking bay/harbour 61

64 Scenic car tour 57

57 Beach/swimming 49

56 Boat ride/short cruise 51

56 Resort 55

53 Hiking along the Bruce Trail 44

49 Conservation area/provincial park 42

48 Fine dining 49

46 Open air mountain gondola ride 44

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 37 Interest in Activities (cont’d)

46 Concert/ live music 35

46 Brewery or winery 43

46 Local farmers' market/shop 43

46 Historic lighthouse 38

43 Food/culinary festival 39

43 Historic town walking tour 37

39 Other type of festival or fair 33

39 Music/rock/folk festival 35

38 Interesting restored homes/shops 37

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 38 Interest in Activities (cont’d)

38 Museum 31

37 Monument, fort or historic home 33

36 Tree-top walking/ziplining 33

36 Spa 33

36 Live theatre 34

36 Public/local garden 31

35 Camping 30

33 Historic shipbuilding/marine site 29

33 Sailing/boating 30

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 39 Interest in Activities (cont’d)

31 Miniature golf/putt-putt 28

30 Canoeing/ kayaking 26

29 Art gallery/art show 26

29 Scenic motorcycle tour 23

29 Cycling on local roads/trails 26

28 Zoo 32

28 Antiquing 25

28 Golfing on golf courses 25

27 Amusement/water park 28

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 40 Interest in Activities (cont’d)

27 Sports event 26

26 Horseback riding 25

25 Snowmobiling 20

24 Brand-name/boutique shopping 23

24 Casino 26

24 Caving/rock climbing 25

24 Fishing/ hunting 22

22 Snowshoeing 16

22 Cross-country skiing 18

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 41 Interest in Activities (cont’d)

18 Mountain/off-road biking 18

18 Downhill skiing 19

18 Scuba diving 21

17 Racetrack 17

15 Para-sailing 15

15 Ice fishing 13

13 Snowboarding 14

0 20 40 60 80 Percent

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 42 Travel Motivators & Image Among Visitors

43 Travel Motivators & Image

 Among Bruce County visitors, the destination attributes that are most motivating when selecting where to vacation are perceived excitement, and suitability for adults and children – same as for people visiting RTO7 in general – with the addition of the worry- free factor, meaning a sense of relaxation and safety.

 Further down the list of drivers, we see that climate and affordability are somewhat more important to Bruce County visitors, while they attach less priority to what a destination offers with regard to entertainment, sports and recreation, quality of accommodations and dining.

 Visitors to Bruce County give the region much higher marks for overall appeal and for value for the money than the norm.

44 Travel Motivators & Image

 This apparent satisfaction extends across all detailed image factors and virtually every individual image attribute. The greatest differences vs. the norm are related to satisfaction with:

 Travel distance and ease of getting to/around the region

 Popularity

 Sense of fun and excitement

 Fall weather

 Sightseeing variety, including the unique and beautiful scenery, well-known landmarks, small towns and villages

 Recreational opportunities such as snowmobiling, boating, off-road biking, swimming and other water sports

45 Travel Motivators

45 Adult Destination 51 44 Family Atmosphere 50 47 Exciting 47 42 Worry-Free 34 31 Sightseeing 32 30 Unique 31 32 Popular 31 19 Sports & Recreation 27 Importance 19 Luxurious 27 31 Climate 19 23 Affordable 19 12 Entertainment 18 0 20 40 60

Visited Bruce County Visited RT07 46 Overall Image of RTO7

“A place I’d really enjoy visiting” “Excellent value for the money” 60 59

47

45

40 39

20 Percent Who Strongly Agree Strongly Who Percent

0

Visited RTO7 Visited Bruce County

47 Image of RT07

57 Adult Destination 50 56 Family Atmosphere 50 50 Exciting 42 63 Worry-Free 57 46 Sightseeing 40 45 Unique 39 45 Popular 38 54 Sports & Recreation 48 37 Luxurious 33 50 Climate 44 56 Affordable 45 25 Entertainment 22 0 20 40 60 80 Percent Who Strongly Agree

Bruce County Visited RT07 48 Positive Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County

Not too far away 15

Easy to get to 12

Easy to get around once there 12

Well-known destination 10

Unique waterfront areas 10

A fun place 10

Truly unique scenery 10

Good weather in the fall 10

Must-see destination 10

0 10 20 Differences in Percent Who Strongly Agree

49 Positive Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County (Cont’d)

Lots to see and do 10

Affordable to get to 9

Well-known landmarks 9

Truly beautiful scenery 9

Great for snowmobiling 9

Great for boating/sailing 9

Great for off-road/trail/mountain-biking 9

Great for swimming/water sports 8

Great for sightseeing 8

0 10 20 Differences in Percent Who Strongly Agree 50 Positive Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County (Cont’d)

Interesting small towns/villages 8

Great for snowshoeing 8

Beautiful countryside 8

Great beaches 8

Great for antiquing 8

Popular with travelers 8

Good for couples 8

Affordable accommodations 8

Good weather in the summer 8

0 10 20 51 Differences in Percent Who Strongly Agree Positive Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County (Cont’d)

Great for canoeing/kayaking 7

A real adventure 7

Good for viewing wildlife/birds 7

Good for families 7

Safe anywhere 7

Interesting place 7

Great for walking/strolling 7

Great for cross-country skiing 7

Variety of accommodations 7

0 10 20 Differences in Percent Who Strongly Agree 52 Positive Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County (Cont’d)

Affordable to eat there 7

Good for an adult vacation 7

Unique travel experience 7

Great inns/B&B’s 6

Safe in tourist areas 6

Great climate overall 6

Great camping/RV facilities 6

Good place for camping 6

Good place to relax 6

0 10 20 Differences in Percent Who Strongly Agree 53 Negative Differences in Image of RTO7 Among Visitors of Bruce County

There are no negative differences between Bruce County Visitors’ and All Visitors’ Perceptions of RTO7

54