Potential demand for rural vacation experiences in Alberta by residents of Alberta Exploratory qualitative research Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation June 10, 2012 Potential demand for rural vacation experiences in Alberta by residents of Alberta Exploratory qualitative research Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation June 10, 2012 408 Lessard Drive Edmonton Alberta Canada T6M 1A7 Telephone: (780) 487-3682 Fax: (780) 484-9813 [email protected] INFORMATION . PLANNING . EVALUATION Executive summary This study was undertaken to explore the perceptions that each of three household lifestage groups residing in Alberta’s urban areas currently have of the rural vacation experiences available in the province. Using a qualitative approach, twelve focus groups were held with Albertans, two each in Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Lloydminster and Red Deer. Over 100 people participated, about a third aged 18-34 years living in Young Adult-only households, a third aged 25-44 years living in Family households with children under 18 years, and a third aged 45-69 in Older Adult-only households. Lifestage profiles Young Adults mostly lived in groups with roommates, some with partners or spouses. They travelled with family members (parents and siblings) or friends and were the strongest users of social media. Among their most enjoyable activities, two stood out: “hanging” with friends and taking part in challenging physical pursuits. They were highly social and very involved with and influenced by their peers. Young Adult views of rural Alberta were influenced by their experience. Those who grew up there either liked to reconnect and enjoy outdoor activities not available in the city or were no longer interested in small town life and only go to visit family. Those who grew up in a city sometimes had a romantic expectation of what there was to do in rural Alberta (e.g., every small town is historic and has interesting shopping, or they can go to quiet lakeside campsites where they can kick back in isolation). Travel was most often with family (parents and siblings), followed by friends. They tended to go to Banff and Jasper, Calgary and Edmonton for their weekends away with friends. They viewed travel in rural Alberta as an opportunity to take a break from their working lives in the city and relax, but were less certain what there really was to do that would engage their interest once there. However, the major barrier to visiting was that rural Alberta lacks a “coolness” factor, peer acceptance and word of mouth – or other – promotion. Family households were most often a nuclear family with two parents and children. This was how they usually travelled as well, sometimes with friends or extended family, less often as a couple, or on girls- or boys-only trips. They were social media users, but appeared less attached than Young Adults, possibly because of time pressures. Radio was used while driving. Their leisure activities often revolved around their families; their children’s sports activities frequently drove their own interests (e.g., attending games, coaching, going to out of town i. tournaments). Besides sports, they wanted to spend time outdoors wherever possible. This drive to be active outdoors – which was increasingly limited by work and family pressures in this age group – is the key to attracting rural visits. Many were trailer/RV users and mostly parked in one place unless on their way out of the province. While trip destinations were not necessarily chosen for the children, destinations did have to have something to engage them, with water based activities being most in demand. Their in-Alberta destinations were often to visit relatives and take advantage of attractions in Edmonton and Calgary or to participate in rural (sometimes farm) activities. Older Adult households were usually made up of a married couple, often with a pet and occasionally an adult child finishing their education. Intensive socializing was as important here as with Young Adults (with friends) and Families (with children), except here their focus was spending as much time as possible with their grandchildren. While some form of hiking or walking was popular at all ages, physical abilities and activity preferences changed with aging to become less demanding. This lifestage travelled most often as a couple, sometimes with friends or with family (i.e., their adult children and grandchildren). Travel was viewed more as an enjoyable activity than the break or vacation of younger households. They were the most familiar of all with rural Alberta destinations and had visited a wider variety of places in Alberta. They were the most likely lifestage to do circle trips and tour along highways or trails. They were the only lifestage to travel to browse in small towns, enjoy the historic environment and go shopping for antiques, local food delicacies or arts and crafts. Younger age groups also did these things once at a destination, but were generally not motivated to travel to do so. Older Adults appeared to use a different media mix. While most were online and even on Facebook, they still used mass media (TV, newspapers, magazines) in traditional ways. Many had smartphones. Differences by location Lloydminster, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie residents often considered themselves to be living in a rural rather than urban location. The difference was based on the quantity of amenities and number of people that constituted “urban” in their minds. The perceived culture or way of life (or “mentality”) in the community also weighed in when making this assessment. Northern and central Alberta trips frequently focused on lakeside camping, southern Alberta trips on small towns and their attractions, including camping. Lloydminster and Grande Prairie residents were often relative newcomers, lacking knowledge of the activities available in the surrounding region. They were drawn to the ii. large cities as a result and prepared to drive longer distances. Grande Prairie appeared to be particularly starved of rural options (or knowledge about them). Lloydminster residents were quite heavily focused on Saskatchewan destinations. On the whole, these areas seemed to have more in common than they differed in their attitudes to rural Alberta. It was primarily constraints such as the amount of time they were willing to spend on a rural trip (same day, weekends or slightly longer, not a week or more), highway links and distance/driving time that influenced their destinations and activities. Perceptions of rural Alberta Thoughts that came to mind about rural Alberta as a travel destination varied among urban Albertans: . Many thought of small communities, their hockey rinks and leisure centres, community halls, local attractions and a different, more supportive, culture and way of life; . Farms and visual images associated with farming were another very common theme; . Water bodies, notably lakes, along with water-based activities; . Camping, along with other land-based activities; . A slower pace of life that offered peace and quiet and an opportunity to escape the city was the last major theme; . Other, less frequently mentioned themes included scenery, provincial and smaller national parks, museums and historic sites, horse-related activities, outdoor activities, summertime, sightseeing, the history of small towns, food-related activities and strolling around small towns and shopping. When asked to identify the top six benefits to themselves of a rural, urban or mountain park visit from a card pack with 42 alternatives, the key competitive benefits offered by rural Alberta emerged as being welcoming and friendly, and informal. Other more frequently chosen benefits suggested that focus group participants expected to enjoy a leisurely or slow paced trip, offering the opportunity to unwind far away from the crush of people in urban areas, often with family or friends. Additional expected benefits included having an unusual or rare experience and that the experience might be educational. However, in comparison to Alberta’s urban and mountain park areas, benefits such as being exciting, fun or offering a lot of activities to do were rarely selected, and cast a less favourable light to a leisurely or slow paced trip, particularly in the Young Adult and Family lifestages where there was a fear of boredom. iii. There were three types of locations that urban Albertans would still like to visit or revisit. The first was leading museums and historic sites in southern Alberta, notably the Drumheller area and Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, also the “Stettler train”, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Writing-On-Stone provincial park, Reynolds-Alberta Museum and Frank Slide. Barriers proved to be incomplete knowledge about what the attraction itself has to offer or even where it is located, inertia or lack of a pressing need to visit and the association of historic attractions with “education” or schooldays, something that many people prefer to avoid when on holiday. The second location with pent up demand was to go “up north”. Many towns were mentioned, with the appeal being grounded in the diverse natural attractions in the vicinity – scenery, wildlife, forests, fishing and northern lights. Distance, travel time and the number of days necessary to go there were the key barriers, with out of province destinations holding greater appeal by comparison. The final set of locations included parks and other attractions, with a desire to visit Waterton dominating this list, based on a combination of natural beauty and things to do there. The remaining attractions included festivals, large statues and sports activities in scenic locations. Recommendations Numerous recommendations were made based on the detailed study findings. A complete discussion may be found in the final chapter of the report. Consistent findings throughout the focus groups pointed to a lack of “buzz” about rural destinations. People rarely talk about them – and word of mouth is the primary form of information.