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  • 2015 Australian Tourism data

2nd October 2015
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2015 Australian Tourism data you can’t ignore

The first day of the 2015 WA Tourism Conference gave lots of insights and inspiration for Western Australia’s tourism industry. We think some of the data and research that came out is particularly important for tourism operators, visitor centres, regional tourism organisations and government at all levels.

Jessica Quinlan at TripAdvisor gave the results of TripAdvisor’s latest user survey.

1

60{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

use mobiles to search for and book travel and accommodation.

2

91{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

use mobiles while in their destination to check their social media and to research and make bookings – so access to WiFi is essential!

3

Free wifi

is more important than free breakfast.

 

4

88{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

use TripAdvisor reviews to make decisions about their travel destinations.

5

95{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

use reviews to decide on hotel bookings.

6

82{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

trust Tripadvisor reviews because they are user-generated.

7

77{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6}

of users want to see how management responds.
To get a high ranking, operators MUST respond to reviews – especially negative ones.

 

For Visitor Centres

8

1 in 4 visitors

go to a Visitor Information Centre at their destination. They spend 60{8e6d983e74874acb387086f732b9e8bca692130348b310c73ee91b097eb7ecc6} more in the destination than those that don’t.

This is because they find out what’s on offer from knowledgeable people. So, it follows that you need to make you VIC easy to find, interesting and inspiring for visitors.

 

Packaging travel and experiences has lots of benefits

 
In outback areas, packaging can be used for self-drive trails. It’s a great way to overcome concerns from potential visitors about not knowing where to go, what to do or how to get there.

For destinations, packaging is a chance to give visitors information about what’s on offer – i.e – the ‘must-do’s’ in the destination.

For tourism operators, packaging experiences generates brand awareness and sometimes leads to bookings outside the package. Packaging was referred to as ‘free marketing’.