51%

The average party 38% TNI’s Visitor Attitude Survey (2018)* reports a higher proportion of Ards & North Down local leisure visitors to Ards & North Down, particularly Northern size is Most of the visitors attracts an older profile Ireland (NI) day trippers, compared with most other areas. As such, (46%) travelled as a 3.05 the area welcomes a greater proportion of frequent visitors than the visitors of visitor, with more than NI average. Great Britain is the second largest source market. family, whilst 38% of visitors travelled as a half being aged 55 or 9% The attractions are a key motivation for visiting Ards & North Down, couple. 9% travelled over and just 9% aged as well as the beautiful scenery. as a group of adults, under 35 LEISURE VISITORS TO AREA 4% of visitors travelled alone and NI residents Under 35 35-54 55+ 12% overnighting in NI 3% were on a tour. 46% 38% 31% NI residents on a day trip in NI Of which 24% overnighted in the area and 30% 54% Out of state (OOS) overnighted elsewhere in NI overnighting in NI By sea into 4% OOS day trip in NI Northern By air into Ireland 16%

58% of visitors from out of state.

Overnight ORIGIN OF THOSE VISITING DESTINATION Trip to ROI 31% 37% 39% of OOS visitors were visiting NI for the first time. Day Trip to Northern Ireland 43% A smaller percentage than 39% ROI 56% most areas. No Trip to 13% 13% ROI

Great Britain 29% By sea into By air into the the Republic 8% 44% of those from Republic of USA & Canada Nights of Ireland Ireland 5% 5.39 outside NI/Republic of Spent 6.14 Nights Ireland (ROI) who visited George Best City Airport Belfast International airport Other Europe in ROI Spent Belfast International Airport 4% Nights this area also visited the in Council Larne Seaport Belfast Seaport Area Spent ROI. Rest of the world 8.80 *SOURCE: : Visitor Attitude Survey 2018, 3% in NI Cognisense Ltd. 1 Total Base: n=267 TOP 5 AREAS VISITED The main reason for To visit a specific attraction In addition to experiencing 37% Attractions that the popular Belfast and visiting Ards & North Causeway Coast & Glens Belfast influenced leisure 48% was “To visit a specific To see beautiful scenery/landscapes areas, those visiting this 16% visitors to come to area were also more likely attraction” (37%). to be visiting Newry, Causeway Coast & Glens To explore the history and culture of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Mourne & Down within the 7% same trip (suggesting a 35% tour of the East coast as a The beautiful scenery was a To visit friends or relatives key focus of the visitor Newry, Mourne & Down trip). another key motivator for 15% 30% visiting the area. Visitors to To see a particular city/town/village Ards & North Down were Mid & East Antrim 3% less interested in seeing 19% Have been to Northern Ireland before and wanted to return particular towns or exploring 7% Antrim & Newtownabbey the history & culture of the Some Other Reason 16% area. 15% 45% 37% Giant’s Causeway Titanic Belfast In line with the (Average score on scale from 0 – 10) prevalence of local NI visitors, there is a higher than average Availability and 7.52 proportion of visitors cost of parking A feeling of being welcomed 7.93 when you arrived in the area using their own car. Relative to other NI areas, visitors to Ards & Car touring routes North Down were more which point out places 7.11 Signs that help you find interesting satisfied with the along the way 38% 11% 7.77 /key tourist locations availability and cost of Belfast City Derry~Londonderry car parking, but less content with the Signposting for 6.88 availability of roadside exploring the area by foot Quality of signposting for roads/ 7.85 viewing bays. directions Places by the road to stop 7.33 while driving and view the 6.41 7.27 landscape Quality of the roads 7.02 37% 11% OVERALL Causeway Game of Thrones SATISFACTION SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor = Significantly lower than = Significantly higher than Coastal Route locations Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd. the average for all areas the average for all areas SCORE 2 Base: n=267 Most OOS leisure visitors planned their trip 2-5 months ahead. Online sources and previous experience dominate the 0% pre-trip planning process 61% 49% 33% 41% 29% 13% 18% OOS On the day for OOS visitors (the latter INTERNET RECOMMENDATIONS MAPS SAT NAV / BROCHURES GUIDE MOBILE leisure 2% FROM PEOPLE MET GOOGLE MAPS BOOKS APPS Within a week before reflecting the lower visitors proportion of first time 19% began 2-3 weeks before OOS visitors to the area). booking 21% and 1 month before planning 2-5 months before 40% their 7.28 6.65 6.64 OVERALL 19% trip… 6-12 months before The mobile The availability The availability SATISFACTION 6.86 phone signal of free Wi-Fi of 3G/4G coverage SCORE

29%† had visited a As a consequence of the Visitor Information higher than average Centre on their trip to volume of repeat visitors, Northern Ireland. 18% there is a lower than had visited a Visitor 56% 36% 10% average use of Visitor 52% 29% Information Centre in ONLINE WEBSITES/ RECOMMENDATIONS GUIDE BOOKS PREVIOUS the area. Information Centres and a INTERNET FROM FRIENDS AND EXPERIENCE greater reliance on FAMILY received information which encouraged previous experience. 38% them to visit other areas in Northern Google Traveller review Other Tourism Transport Ireland they had not planned to visit. Search engine discoverNI.com Websites Sites Social Media Provider Website † 78% A proportion of emails were collected at Visitor Information Centres 62% 50% received information which 40% 30% encouraged them to stay SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd. 8% 29% longer in the area. 3 Base: n=267 8.33 8.69 7.82 7.42 7.89 7.15 7.73 7.76 6.72

7.73 Relative to other areas of NI, leisure OVERALL visitors to Ards & North Down were SATISFACTION SCORE

more likely to stay with Most Popular family/friends. Hotels and self- places to eat

catering were the most popular types of 29% types of commercial 64% Hotel accommodation used. 33% Professional Friendly Value for Menus Quality of Information on Places A rangesrange of of Availability of Many aspects of the eating out && Efficient efficient welcoming money feauturingfeaturing food and drink places to eat available at a restaurants / food to suit experience scored above the NI Cafes Pubs / Bars Serviceservice staff locallylocally out suitable time cafes dietary average (e.g. the friendly/efficient sourcedsourced ingredients ingredients of day/night requirements staff, value for money and menus 26% that feature local ingredients). 88% of visitors with children said that the places to Self-Catering Visitors were less impressed than in eat are “family friendly for children of all ages”. other areas about the knowledge/signposting of their accommodation staff to interesting things to see and do locally. Visitor Information Centres were rated Quality of accommodation 8.52 95% highly. The attractions and 9% of visitors said that the accommodation experience in Ards & Guest House/ quality of the North Down scored well also. Digital B&B Value for money 8.18 connectivity is the area where visitors accommodation are least satisfied. 27% 86% they stayed in exceeded of all guest houses, of visitors with children Professional and efficient 8.46 or met their expectations. described the 8.76 customer service Expectations were 8.37 8.25 B&Bs and self-catering accommodation 3% available as greatly exceeded for Camping/Static accommodation was VIC‡ Attractions Accommodation “family friendly for 8.85 Caravan booked through Airbnb. Friendly and welcoming staff/host 10%. children of all ages”. Accommodation that is a key part 8.18 8.19 8.04 of the holiday experience itself 83% 7.73 5% Planning Eating Out Nights Spent of visitors agreed that Arrival in NI Motorhome/ Staff knowledgeable about interesting 7.70 Touring in Council things to see and do in local area they were able to stay Caravan Area in their preferred type of accommodation. 7.59 7.33 6.86 Availability of free Wi-Fi 7.88 Things to Getting around Digital Only 2% were not. see and do Connectivity 5.39 8.8 in the area

‡ 31% 8.25 Visitor Information Centre Staying with Nights SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor Family/Friends Spent OVERALL SATISFACTION SCORE Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd. Almost double the 4 Northern Ireland average in NI Base: n=267 Friendly staff at the attractions 8.89 Leisure visitors to this area were more likely Visited a forest, than visitors to many other areas to visit Professional and efficient staff at attractions park or garden Visited a pub historic buildings and forest parks/gardens 88% of visitors with 8.5 (notably Mount Stewart House & Gardens); children said that Quality of interpretation and storytelling at museums/visitor centres in area 33% museums (notably the Ulster Folk & the attractions are 8.36 “family friendly for Transport Museum) and beaches. They 64% children A range of interesting/enjoyable visitor attractions were very positive about the 8.29 friendliness/professionalism of staff at these of all ages” attractions but less happy about the Value for money of attractions (historic sites, museums, visitor centres etc) Visited a castle 7.93 Went cleanliness of the beaches and the area in /other historic shopping general. monument 8.37 OVERALL SATISFACTION SCORE 30%

62%

MOUNT SCRABO STEWART COUNTRY HOUSE & Visited a PARK Range of interesting/enjoyable things to see/do in the area GARDENS 8.21 museum or art Visited a cathedral gallery or church 62% 11% Unique things to do and see that reflect the area’s local culture 7.93 18%

ULSTER FOLK & 39% TRANSPORT MUSEUM The range of outdoor activities 7.69

Somewhere you could meet and mix with the local people 7.48 43% 9% EXPLORIS Visited a visitor Shopping opportunities TOWER HOUSE & VISITOR 7.22 Visited a beach /interpretation INFORMATION CENTRE centre

Opportunities to attend local events/festivals 13% 7.03 35% CRAWFORDSBURN 16% COUNTRY PARK 8%

PICKIE FUN PARK Bangor Abbey, Cockle Row 7.68 7.20 8.50 7.59 Cottages and Portaferry Visitor OVERALL Satisfaction with Cleanliness and availability Satisfaction with Information Centre each visited by cleanliness in the area of public toilets in the area safety in the area 7% of leisure tourists. SATISFACTION 14% SCORE SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor Attitude Survey 2018,Cognisense Ltd. 5 Base: n=267 OVERALL EXPERIENCE

Leisure visitors think there is enough to do in the area for... 37% 59% of visitors rate their experience in this area highly. Sightseeing 37% are more neutral about their experience and only 3% around Strangford Genuine down to 59% would regard their experience in earth friendly Lough and the the area as poor. stunning scenery. people and A Week or Longer Depends beautiful scenery. 2% Worse EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS 29% of visitors said the trip to 29% the area was “much better 46% than expected”. 68% said Don’t Know it was around the same or slightly better and only 2% said 22% it was “worse than expected”. The house and garden at Mount Stewart were really quite amazing - RECOMMEND AREA TO FAMILY DETRACTORS never suspected that there would be so much history and beauty there AND FRIENDS and the interest and explanations given by the staff in the house and A Weekend A Day Only 60% of visitors would around the grounds was really second to none. Over and beyond definitely recommend expectations and showed much pride and knowledge in what they did NPS§ this area. 32% and represented and a great reflection of the at Mount 60% 32% are more neutral Stewart. All round absolutely fantastic day out! 53 and 7% would not recommend the area.

Average NPS for all NI council areas was 58 There was enough to do in all weather A wonderful conditions 7.33 holiday. We Over half of visitors had an experience that was beyond should have their expectation. Relative to many other areas in NI, visited a lot There was enough to do in the leisure visitors are more persuaded that Ards & North sooner. Great, evenings 6.88 Down warranted a week’s stay. There is scope to widen the Really enjoyed the friendly people. evening offering and things to do on Sundays. scenery, quiet roads, Scenery to die good food and friendly for, just a § NPS) = Net Promoter Score® helpful people. wonderful place. There was enough to do on Sundays 6.94 (

SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd. 6 Base: n=267 MEASURE ARDS & NORTH DOWN NORTHERN IRELAND The availability of useful information to help you to plan your trip 8.28 8.14 The availability/ease of finding information about the different regions within Northern Ireland 8.38 8.11 Ease of finding information on the area 8.09 8.27 Ease of finding information on things to see and do in Northern Ireland 8.55 8.43 8.04 Ease of finding suitable accommodation in Northern Ireland 8.19 8.14 Ease of finding suitable accommodation in the area --- 7.96 Ease of booking activities and attractions online 8.03 7.75

PLANNING PLANNING &BOOKING Ease of booking accommodation online 8.72 8.49 Ease of booking transport within Northern Ireland 6.76 7.19 A feeling of being welcomed when you arrived in Northern Ireland 8.45 8.11 8.19 Clear signs to let you know when you have arrived in Northern Ireland 8.30 7.48

ARRIVAL The availability of tourist information at the air or sea port you arrived at --- 7.45 Signs that help you find interesting/key tourist locations 7.77 7.69 Quality of signposting for roads/directions 7.85 7.58 Availability of trains --- 7.88 Value for money of trains --- 7.52 Availability of buses --- 7.93 Value for money of buses --- 7.75 Availability of taxis --- 8.02 Value for money of taxis --- 7.86 7.33 Friendliness and professionalism of taxi drivers --- 8.68 Friendliness and professionalism of bus drivers --- 8.49 Car touring routes which point out places along the way 7.11 7.09 A feeling of being welcomed when you arrived in the area 7.93 8.08 GETTING AROUNDIN AREATHE Places by the road to stop while driving and view the landscape 6.41 6.74 Availability and cost of parking 7.52 7.14 Signposting for exploring the area by foot 6.88 7.08 Quality of the roads 7.02 7.15 Friendliness and efficiency of service --- 9.08 Availability of useful information --- 8.95 8.76 Suitable opening times --- 8.66

VISITOR VISITOR Staff convey a sense of pride/belief in their local area THE AREATHE --- 8.93

INFORMATION INFORMATION IN Staff provided ideas about things to see and do --- 8.75

SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR NI SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR NI Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd. ---- = INSUFFICIENT BASE Base: n=267 7 SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR NI ---- = INSUFFICIENT BASE SIGNIFCANTLY LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR NI

MEASURE ARDS & NORTH MEASURE ARDS & NORTH DOWN NI DOWN NI

- The mobile phone signal 7.28 7.47 Cities, towns & villages 7.97 8.15

6.86 The availability of free Wi-Fi 6.65 6.97 Activities 7.77 7.83 IVITY

DIGITAL DIGITAL Beautiful scenery/landscapes 8.80 8.90 CONNECT The availability of 3G/4G coverage 6.64 6.82 Professional, efficient service 8.33 8.22 Friendly local people 8.33 8.47 Friendly, welcoming staff 8.69 8.54 Rich history and culture of area/NI 8.34 8.61 Value for money 7.82 7.73 Ability to trace ancestral links 5.31 6.05 Menus featuring locally sourced ingredients 7.42 7.34 EXPERIENCE Availability of special offers e.g. Groupon deal/good deal on accommodation 4.73 5.58 Quality of food and drink 7.89 7.98 7.73 Screen tourism 6.10 7.14 Information on places to eat and drink out 7.15 7.17 Overall experience during this visit, based on the time you spent in area

EATING EATING OUT 8.72 8.77 Places to eat available at the times of day and night that suit you 7.73 7.75 There was enough to do in all weather conditions 7.33 7.50 Range of restaurants/cafes/coffee shops 7.76 7.74 Availability of food to suit dietary requirements – vegetarian/ There was enough to do in the evenings 6.88 7.16

6.72 7.08 TO DO vegan/gluten free ENOUGH There was enough to do on Sundays 6.94 6.90 Quality of accommodation 8.52 8.46 Cleanliness and availability of public toilets 7.20 7.21 Value for money of accommodation 8.18 8.22 Cleanliness of area/litter free 7.68 7.93 Professional and efficient customer service 8.46 8.57 Cleanliness of the beaches 8.05 8.41 8.25 Friendly and welcoming staff/host 8.85 8.87 SAFETY

Accommodation that is a key part of the holiday experience itself 8.18 8.12 CLEANLINESS/ Sense of safety and security while walking around the area 8.50 8.43 Staff knowledgeable about interesting things to see and do in local area 7.70 8.07 ACCOMMODATION ACCOMMODATION The overall score for attractions in Ards & general, and the beaches in particular, would Availability of free Wi-Fi 7.88 8.12 North Down was above the NI average, with help enhance the visitor experience. Value for money of attractions (historic sites, museums, visitor centres etc.) 7.93 7.95 the friendliness of staff scoring strongly. Information at visitor attractions in your own language --- 5.80 As the beautiful scenery was the second most Given the large number of visitors using their A range of interesting/enjoyable visitor attractions 8.29 8.34 8.37 important reason for visiting the area, own car, improving the provision of roadside Quality of interpretation and storytelling at museums/visitor centres in area 8.36 8.27 improving the cleanliness of the area in viewing bays should be considered. Professional and efficient staff at attractions

ATTRACTIONS 8.50 8.56 Friendly staff at the attractions 8.89 8.80 For further information please contact the Insights and Intelligence Service Unique things to do and see that reflect the area’s local culture 7.93 8.12 ([email protected]) The range of outdoor activities 7.69 7.80 Opportunities to attend local events/festivals 7.03 6.91 For access to Tourism NI’s Visitor Attitude Survey fact cards for Northern Ireland and for each council area, click 7.59 HERE.

Range of interesting/enjoyable things to see/do in the area 8.21 8.20 THINGS THINGS TO SEE ANDDO SEE Shopping opportunities 7.22 7.16 For Tourism NI’s fact cards on the value and volume of tourism in each of the 11 council areas Somewhere you could meet and mix with the local people 7.48 7.59 (based on data released by NISRA), click HERE.

SOURCE: Tourism Northern Ireland: Visitor Attitude Survey 2018, Cognisense Ltd.

Base: n=267 8 SURVEY BACKGROUND & RATING SCALE NET PROMOTER SCORES

• Tourism Northern Ireland’s (TNI) 2018 Visitor Attitude Survey (VAS) was carried out by ® Cognisense, an experienced market research company. The research was conducted in Net Promoter Scores (NPS ) are presented in the survey findings. compliance with the International Standard ISO 20252:2012

• The VAS collected information on a wide range of areas to help TNI better understand visitor profiles, behaviours and attitudes towards tourism products and services

• The VAS supplements national and local government level data on tourism which is collected throughout the year by a number of agencies, and is published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) – click HERE for NISRA’s Northern Ireland The NPS is determined by subtracting the percentage who are detractors from the percentage (NI) tourism statistics who are promoters.

• What is generated is a score between -100 and 100 • The VAS is undertaken during high season only and therefore the findings reflect the views of those taking a trip in NI between June-October 2018 only • At one end of the spectrum, if everyone gave a score lower or equal to 6, this would lead to a NPS of -100

• Participants of the VAS were approached in key tourism locations/attractions across • On the other end of the spectrum, if everyone answered with a 9 or 10, then the total NPS NI’s 11 council areas and invited to take part in a short face-to-face survey, followed by an would be 100 on-line survey on completion of their trip

• The sample comprised leisure overnight and day trip visitors (e.g. visitors on a trip to NI for purely business purposes were excluded)

• Each council fact card contains the council level NPS (based on the number who would • NI and out-of-state (from outside NI) visitors on a day or overnight leisure trip in NI were recommend the area), together with the average NPS score for all NI council areas eligible to participate • The NI fact card contains a NI level NPS score, based on those who would recommend NI

Respondents were asked to rate various experiences on a scale of 0-10. • The council level and NI level NPS scores are not directly comparable as the former relates to the area, while the latter relates to NI. The NI NPS is based only on responses from out of state visitors, while the council level NPS is based on scores from both domestic and out of Generally, satisfaction scores over 8 are excellent, between 7-8 are adequate state visitors and less than 7 require attention. NPS®, Net Promoter® & Net Promoter® Score are registered trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld.