Visit South Walton · Beautiful beaches (61%) Great place to visit (32%) Relaxing (32%)...

VISIT SOUTH WALTON

Phillip Downs, Ph.DJoseph St. Germain, Ph.DRachael AnglinIsiah LewisGlencora Haskins

Visitor Tracking StudySpring 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTSStudy objectives & methodology 3

Executive summary 5Visitor’s journey 6

Economic impact 7Pre-visit 10Travel party profile 20Trip experience 26Post trip evaluation 32

Yearly comparisons 37

Detailed findings 42Pre-visit 43Travel party profile 55Trip experience 60Post trip evaluation 67Economic impact 73

STUDY OBJECTIVES: MAP THE VISITOR JOURNEY

3

Pre-VisitTravel Party

ProfileTrip Experience

Post-Trip Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

▪ Party size▪ Party composition▪ Demographics

▪ Accommodations▪ Length of stay▪ Number of times in

destination▪ Activities in

destination▪ Visitor Spending

▪ Number of visitors▪ Expenditures▪ Economic impact▪ Room nights

generated▪ Occupancy, ADR,

RevPAR

▪ Visitor origin▪ Planning cycle▪ Planning sources▪ Visitor Guide usage▪ Other destinations

considered▪ Trip influencers▪ Reasons for visiting▪ Exposure to

promotions▪ Booking▪ Mode of

transportation

▪ Likelihood of recommending

▪ Likelihood of returning

▪ Evaluation of destination attributes

▪ Painting a picture for others

METHODOLOGY

4

*Interviews are with out-of-county guests who stay at properties/vacation rentals at beach communities across South Walton, and at various locations along the beaches. It should be noted that 285 interviews were conducted via face-to-face interviews along the beach and in public areas. This is a higher number than in Spring 2018.

Visitor Tracking StudyVisitor tracking is completed through the use of internet surveys and in-person interviewing in public areas in South Walton, including beaches, towns and events.

Data CollectionQuarterly visitor tracking is performed in South Walton to render visitor profiles. This report is based on Spring visitors who traveled to South Walton between March and May 2019.

Tracking data is derived from the analysis of 723 completed surveys of visitors to South Walton.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

VISITOR JOURNEY: ECONOMIC IMPACT

6


ProfileTrip Experience


Economic Impact on

Destination

This report is organized along the visitor’s journey as shown below.

VISITOR JOURNEY: ECONOMIC IMPACT

7


ProfileTrip

ExperiencePost-Trip

EvaluationEconomic Impact

on Destination

We start at the end, that is, the economic impact of the visitor’s journey.

ECONOMIC IMPACT – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019

Property Statistics

Spring 2018 Spring 2019 % Change

Room nights 703,790 741,800 +5.4%

Total visitors 1,026,100 1,110,343 +8.2%

TDT collections $6,287,112 $7,115,181 +13.2%

Direct spending $820,519,200 $900,109,600 +9.7%

Economic impact $1,214,368,400 $1,332,162,190 +9.7%

Occupancy 61.0% 61.1% +0.2%

Room rates $302.19 $304.42 +0.7%

RevPAR $184.34 $186.00 +0.9%

8

Data sources: Walton County government, properties in South Walton that rent to visitors, Key Data, and visitor surveys by Downs & St. Germain Research.

An increase in active units from 12,996 in Spring 2018 to 13,675 in Spring 2019 (+5.2%), coupled with increases in occupancy and ADR led to an increase in TDT of 13.2%.

Numbers of visitors were up 8.2%, which resulted in direct spending being up 9.7%.

With occupancy and room rates up modestly, RevPAR was up 0.9% despite the inventory increase.

ECONOMIC IMPACT - LODGING STATISTICS

Occupancy ADR RevPAR

2.8% 0.7% 0.1%

9

VISITOR JOURNEY: PRE-VISIT

10

Pre-Visit Travel Party Profile

Trip Experience


Economic Impact on

Destination

ORIGIN OF SPRING VISITORS

11

2% of visitors were from areas outside the U.S.

58%

21%3%

3%

13%


12

Atlanta

Pensacola – Mobile

Nashville

Birmingham

Panama City – Destin

Dallas – Ft. Worth

New Orleans

11%

6%

6%

5%

5%

5%

3%

» 4 in 10 visitors plan a Spring South Walton vacation at least 4 months in advance

» 1 in 10 considered vacationing at a beach outside of South Walton

PLANNING CYCLE

13

Friends, family

Search enginesWebsite for 1 of the 16 beach neighborhoods

Travel websites Online travel reviews/blogs

TRIP PLANNING SOURCES*

14

*Multiple responses permitted.

» 18% of visitors viewed the South Walton Visitors Guide before going to South Walton

110 = Extremely useful; 1 = Not at all useful

SOUTH WALTON VISITOR GUIDE

15

TOP REASONS FOR VISIT*

16

Family vacation (60%) Relax and unwind (57%) Annual routine (24%) Special occasion (16%)

*Multiple responses permitted

» 32% of visitors have recently seen, read or heard promotions about South Walton

SOUTH WALTON PROMOTIONS

17

Magazine articleSocial media

Online article Television

Magazine Ad

TOP BOOKING SOURCES

18

Vacation Rental Company (54%)

Hotel/condo (32%)

VRBO, Homeaway(11%)

VISITOR TRANSPORTATION

19

52%Northwest Florida Beaches

International Airport

32%Destin-Ft. Walton Beach

Airport

8%Pensacola International

Airport

» 83% of visitors drove to South Walton

» 17% who flew used the following airports:

VISITOR JOURNEY: TRAVEL PARTY PROFILE

20


ProfileTrip

ExperiencePost-Trip

Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

TRAVEL PARTY SIZE AND COMPOSITION

21

The typical visitor traveled in a party composed of 5.4

people

49% traveled with at least one person under the age of 20 in

their travel party

» The typical South Walton Spring visitor:

» 53 years old

» Female (58%)

» Median household income of $167,500

» From the Southeast (71%)

SPRING VISITOR PROFILE

22

VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL VACATIONER1

23

→The typical Vacationer1 Visitor:

→Is 51 years old

→Has a median household income of

$184,900

→Is female (60%)

→57% travel with children

→77% drove

→Is from:

→Southeast (76%)

→Midwest (16%)

1Travel parties who stayed 1-10 nights.

VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL LONG-TERM1 VISITOR

24

→The typical Long-Term1 Visitor:

→Is 69 years old

→Has a median household income of

$127,700

→Is male (52%)

→81% did not travel with children

→88% drove

→Is from:

→Midwest (38%)

→Southeast (37%)

→ International (17%)1Travel parties who stayed more than 10 nights.

VISITOR PROFILE: TYPICAL DAY TRIPPER

25

» The typical Day Trip Visitor:

» Is 43 years old

» Has a median household income of $137,500

» Is female (55%)

» 39% traveled with with children

» 99% drove to the area

» Is from:

» Florida (79%)

» Southeast – not including FL (17%)

VISITOR JOURNEY: TRIP EXPERIENCE

26


Profile Trip Experience Post-Trip Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

ACCOMMODATIONS

27

74% Condos, rental houses, etc.

8% Personal condo

10% Hotels

TOP VISITOR ACTIVITIES*

28

Beach (95%)Restaurants (95%) Relax and unwind (88%)

Family time, reading, cooking (78%) Shopping, antiquing (72%) Biking, running (45%)

*Multiple responses permitted.

LENGTH OF STAY

29

» Visitors spent 6.0*nights in South Walton

*Visitors who stayed 30 or fewer nights. When considering all visitors, average nights stayed was 7.

FIRST TIME AND EXPERIENCED VISITORS

30

» 15% were first-time visitors

» 42% had visited more than 10 times

» Visitors spent $966 a day

» Visitors spent $5,796 on their trip

VISITOR EXPENDITURES*

31

*Visitors staying in paid accommodations.

VISITOR JOURNEY: POST TRIP EVALUATION

32


ProfileTrip

ExperiencePost-Trip

Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

VISITOR SATISFACTION

33

» Visitors gave South Walton a rating of 9.21 as a place to vacation

» 96% will return to South Walton2

110 = Excellent; 1 = Poor2About 3% of visitors will probably not return to South Walton because of the following reasons: 1. Too expensive, 2. too crowded, 3. too many families

VACATION ATTRIBUTE IMPORTANCE VS. RATINGS

34

Pleasant place to unwind

Place you feel comfortable

Scenic beauty

Sugary white sand & blue waters

Customer service

Good place for family vacation

Value for your travel dollar

Returning to familiar places & traditions

Place that’s different and unique

Variety of architecture, scenery, etc.

Activities other than the beach

Cultural events & festivals

9.3

9.3

9.0

9.0

8.7

8.7

8.3

7.5

6.7

6.5

6.3

4.6

9.3

9.2

9.3

9.4

8.5

9.1

7.5

8.5

7.6

7.6

7.1

6.1

Importance1 South Walton Ratings2

1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.

2Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor.

VISITOR DESCRIPTIONS OF SOUTH WALTON

35

Beautiful beaches (61%) Great place to visit (32%) Relaxing (32%)

“Beautiful area with white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, friendly people, lots of marine life, and lots of entertainment.”

“Magical. The people are so friendly. Just a very unique, relaxing, fun place to visit. There's something for everyone.”

“It is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy friends and family. There are parts of it that evoke "Old Florida" and a slower pace of life.”

EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTH WALTON*

36

*Coded verbatim responses; multiple responses permitted.

YEARLY COMPARISONS

VISITOR PROFILE – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019

Visitor Metrics¹ Spring 2018 Spring 2019

Travel party 5.5 5.4

Kids <20 55% 49%

Median age 59 53

Estimated median household income $164,700 $167,500

Stayed in condo/rental house 78% 74%

Drove 85% 83%

Nights spent 6.1 6.0

Direct expenditures (travel party for entire trip) $5,338 $5,796

1st time visitor 17% 15%

10+ visits to South Walton 38% 42%

38

1 Visitors who stayed in paid accommodations for up to 30 nights.


39

Top Origin States Spring 2018 Spring 2019

Georgia 14% 14%

Alabama 11% 12%

Tennessee 11% 10%

Texas 10% 9%

Florida 6% 9%

Origins - Regions Spring 2018 Spring 2019

Southeast 66% 71%

Northeast 4% 3%

Midwest 26% 21%

West 1% 3%

International 3% 2%


Top Visitor Activities Spring 2018 Spring 2019

Beach 95% 95%

Restaurants 95% 95%

Relax and unwind 89% 88%

Family time, reading, cooking 80% 78%

Shopping, antiquing 73% 72%

Biking, running, etc. 50% 45%

Bars, nightclubs 27% 25%

Water sports 26% 23%

Hiking, nature walks, eco tours 19% 19%

Attractions 20% 19%

State parks 17% 17%

Special events 13% 16%

Golf, tennis, etc. 15% 15%

40


Visitor Metrics Spring 2018 Spring 2019

Will return to South Walton 97% 96%

Rating for overall experience1 9.3 9.21

Viewed Visitors Guide 19% 18%2

Planned trip 4 – 6+ months out (50%) 4 – 6+ months out (44%)

Used VisitSouthWalton.com 16% 18%

Used 1 of 16 beaches’ websites 28% 32%

41

110-point scale with 10=Excellent & 1=Poor.216% used the online version & 2% used the print version.

DETAILED FINDINGS

VISITOR JOURNEY: PRE-VISIT

43

Pre-Visit Travel Party Profile

Trip Experience


Economic Impact on

Destination


Top Origin Markets % of Visitors

Atlanta 11%

Pensacola-Mobile 6%

Nashville 6%

Birmingham 5%

Panama City - Destin 5%

Dallas-Ft. Worth 5%

New Orleans 3%

Chicago 2%

St. Louis1 2%

Memphis 2%

Houston 2%

Indianapolis 2%

Cincinnati 2%

Louisville 2%

44

71%

3%

3%

21%

2%

Southeast

Northeast

West

Midwest

International

1The metro area of St. Louis includes some parts of Missouri and Illinois.


45

State Percentage of Visitors

Georgia 14%

Alabama 12%

Tennessee 10%

Texas 9%

Florida 9%

Louisiana 6%

Mississippi 4%

Indiana 3%

Missouri 3%

Kentucky 3%

Ohio 3%

Illinois 3%

Arkansas 3%

of spring visitors came from 13 states

82%

PLANNING CYCLE

46

7%

14%

14%

20%

18%

26%

A week or two

A month or so

2 months

3 months

4 to 5 months

6 months or more

Over 4 in 10 visitors plan a Spring South Walton vacation at least 4 months out.

Relatively few visitors to South Walton have a short (a month or less) planning cycle.

52%40%

32%25%

22%21%

18%11%10%

7%4%

2%2%2%1%1%

17%

Friends, familySearch sites

Website for 1 of 16 beachesTravel websites

Online travel reviewsHotel website

VisitSouthWalton.comBrochures

Airline websitesFacebook

South Walton's social mediaTravel agent

AAATravel magazines

TelevisionNewspaper

None

PLANNING SOURCES1

1Multiple responses permitted.

47

Over half of visitors use friends and family to help plan their trip to South Walton.

SOUTH WALTON VISITOR GUIDE

48

1Rated on a 10 point scale where 10 is extremely useful and 1 is not at all useful.

18% of visitors viewed a South Walton Visitors Guide before going to South Walton.

Visitors Guide received a rating of 7.5 out of 101.

2%

16%

Print version Online version

OTHER DESTINATIONS CONSIDERED

49

56%

35%

7%

2%

Only considered 1 of theSouth Walton beaches

Considered another 1 ofthe 16 South Walton

beaches

Considered vacationingoutside of South Walton,

but in FL

Considered vacationing ata beach outside of FL

Only 1 in 10 visitors considered vacationing at a beach outside of South Walton.

IMPORTANT VACATION DESTINATION ATTRIBUTES1

50

9.3

9.3

9.0

9.0

8.7

8.7

8.3

7.5

6.7

6.5

6.3

4.6



Sugary white sand and turquoise blue waters

Scenic beauty


Customer service


Returning to familiar places, people, and traditions




Cultural events & festivals1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.

REASONS FOR VISITING1

60%

57%

24%

16%

2%

1%

1%

7%

Family vacation

Relax and unwind

Annual routine

Special occasion

Business

Conference/meeting

Special event

Other1Multiple responses permitted.

51

SOUTH WALTON PROMOTIONS1


52

22%21%20%20%20%19%

16%14%14%

8%8%

5%4%3%3%2%2%1%

10%

Magazine adMagazine article

Social mediaOnline article

TelevisionSouth Walton's social media

Ad on a websiteRental Agency

VisitSouthWalton.comTravel guideTravel blogs

BrochureRadio

AAAWeather app

BillboardNewspaper

Hulu/YouTube/PandoraOther

32% of Spring visitors have recently seen, read or heard advertising, promotions or travel stories about South Walton.

BOOKING ACCOMMODATIONS

53

54%

32%

11%

1%

1%

1%

Vacation rental company

Hotel/condo

VRBO, Homeaway

Online travel agency

Airbnb

Other

VISITOR TRANSPORTATION

54

52%

32%

8%

8%

Northwest Florida BeachesInternational Airport

Destin-Ft. Walton BeachAirport

Pensacola

Other

83% of Spring visitors drove to South Walton.

31% of those who drove were aware that there were direct flights from their city to the South Walton area.

17% who flew used the following airports:

VISITOR JOURNEY: TRAVEL PARTY PROFILE

55


ProfileTrip

ExperiencePost-Trip

Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

TRAVEL PARTY SIZE AND COMPOSITION


56

4%

37%

12%

16%

10%

21%

Solo traveler

2 people

3 people

4 people

5 people

6+ people

Visitors traveled in a party composed of 5.4 people.

49% of visitors traveled with children under the age of 18.

10%

33%

42%

15%

Under 35

35 to 49

50 to 65

Over 65

AGE OF SPRING VISITORS

57

Median age of Spring visitors was 53 years old.

4%

16%

23%

20%

17%

10%

10%

Less than $50,000

$50,000 to $99,999

$100,000 to $149,999

$150,000 to $199,999

$200,000 to $299,999

$300,000 to $499,999

$500,000+

TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN 2018

58

Spring visitors had a median household income of $167,500.

58%

42%

Female Male

GENDER

59

VISITOR JOURNEY: TRIP EXPERIENCE

60


Profile Trip Experience Post-Trip Evaluation

Economic Impact on

Destination

² $2,196

$1,686

$300

$900

$366

$216

$132

$5,796

65

VACATION ATTRIBUTE IMPORTANCE VS. RATINGS

69



Scenic beauty

Sugary white sand & blue waters

Customer service



Returning to familiar places & traditions




Cultural events & festivals

9.3

9.3

9.0

9.0

8.7

8.7

8.3

7.5

6.7

6.5

6.3

4.6

9.3

9.2

9.3

9.4

8.5

9.1

7.5

8.5

7.6

7.6

7.1

6.1

Importance1 South Walton Ratings2

1Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is very important and 1 is not at all important.

2Rated on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is excellent and 1 is poor.

ECONOMIC IMPACT – SPRING 2018 VS. 2019

Property Statistics

Spring 2018 Spring 2019 % Change

Room nights 703,790 741,800 +5.4%

Total visitors 1,026,100 1,110,343 +8.2%

TDT collections $6,287,112 $7,115,181 +13.2%

Direct spending $820,519,200 $900,109,600 +9.7%

Economic impact $1,214,368,400 $1,332,162,190 +9.7%

Occupancy 61.0% 61.1% +0.2%

Room rates $302.19 $304.42 +0.7%

RevPAR $184.34 $186.00 +0.9%

73

Data sources: Walton County government, properties in South Walton that rent to visitors, Key Data, and visitor surveys by Downs & St. Germain Research.

An increase in active units from 12,996 in Spring 2018 to 13,675 in Spring 2019 (+5.2%), coupled with increases in occupancy and ADR led to an increase in TDT of 13.2%.

Numbers of visitors were up 8.2%, which resulted in direct spending being up 9.7%.

With occupancy and room rates up modestly, RevPAR was up 0.9% despite the inventory increase.

V I S I T

SOUTH WALTON

downs & st. germain

R E S E A R C H

Visit South Walton · Beautiful beaches (61%) Great place to visit (32%) Relaxing (32%)...

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