Tourism Research - Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation
FAQ
Frequently asked questions regarding Tourism British Columbia and the tourism industry.
- What does Research, Planning and Evaluation do?
- Why is tourism research important?
- What am I subscribing for?
- Where can I find British Columbia and Canadian statistics on various tourism indicators?
- Where can I find specific British Columbia region information?
- Where can I find visitor volume to a city?
- Where can I find information on global market travel trends?
- Where can I find information on activity motivated travel?
- How do I go about conducting my own research?
- Where can I get Visitor Centre Statistics?
- Where can I find camping and RV statistics?
- Where can I find additional tourism research information?
- Where can I find travel information?
- Where can I obtain British Columbia media and photographs?
- Where can I obtain travel guides?
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
What does Research, Planning and Evaluation do?
Tourism British Columbia conducts research on various aspects of the tourism industry, providing the industry with information to enhance the effectiveness of future marketing activities and development projects. This includes the dissemination of information through research publications, developing and implementing performance tracking surveys, leading and participating in projects with regional, provincial, and national tourism partners, providing research support for Tourism British Columbia staff for market and strategic intelligence, and fulfilling public information requests. Staff involvement on provincial and national research committees and projects is essential for forging alliances with industry stakeholders and working towards a single vision.
TopWhy is tourism research important?
Good research is essential for making informed business decisions, formulating strategic plans, and marketing effectively. When the right facts are presented, tourism professionals can plan, operate, and control their businesses more efficiently while reducing potential risks. Research can enhance businesses by providing the tools that enable users to better understand the trends affecting their business operations and staying in touch with important customers. This can lead to the discovery of new markets, new product, and new uses for existing products. Research can also assist in reducing inefficiencies by identifying gaps and potentially saving businesses time and money. Tourism British Columbia has a myriad of marketing research intelligence easily accessible online to assist with business development, reports, and projects.
What am I subscribing for?
Research, Planning and Evaluation's mailing list is a monthly email notification about our latest research publications. Subscribing will ensure that you are informed about and have easy access (through direct links) to the newest publications. The information you submit about yourself will be used solely to enable us to provide the requested email notifications.
Where can I find British Columbia and Canadian statistics on various tourism indicators?
Various British Columbia and Canadian tourism
statistics can be found in the
Industry
Performance section. The information in this
section includes:
- Tourism Indicators (customs entries, provincial and regional room revenue, commercial restaurant receipts, provincial and regional occupancy and average daily room rates, visitor centres, regional airports, ferries, and conference centres).
- International Visitor Arrivals (overnight customs entries from British Columbia and Canada)
- Year-in-Review (summary of international and regional customs entries, hotel room revenues, occupancy, room rates, airport and highway volume, and visitor centre parties).
Where can I find British Columbia region information?
Various research publications and reports that can be attributed to within one of British Columbia’s six destinated tourism marketing regions can be found in the Research by Region section. The six regions include: Vancouver Coast & Mountains, Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, Northern British Columbia, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, and Kootenay Rockies.
Where can I find visitor volume to a city?
Although there is no direct method of counting
the number of visitors to one city or area there are
various tourism indicators that can track visitor
volume and industry performance overtime. These
indicators can be found in the
Industry
Performance section. Also, visitor volume and
profiles of cities in British Columbia can be found
in our Value of the Visitor Centre Reports. These
studies are conducted over the summer months and
cover a select number of cities throughout the
Province. These reports can be found in the
Research by Region
section. Another statistic source is using the
visitor centre statistics. Counsellors at each of
the visitor centres throughout the province collect
statistics on the number of visitors they speak
with. It is important to note that these statistics
do not account for all visitors of the area or
visitor centre. Only the visitors that enter a
visitor centre and speak with a counsellor are
included in these statistics. The visitor centre
statistics can be found at the
BC Visitor Centre Statistics Program
website.
Where can I find information on global market travel trends?
British Columbia’s international market research can be found in the Research by Market section. Within the listed continents there are Market profiles that cover an array of information on various countries including the following: outbound travel, market size, trip duration and purpose, traveller demographics, party size, activities, transportation, expenditures, economic profile, competition, and emerging trends in the travel trade. There is also a wide variety of other market research reports.
Where can I find information on activity motivated travel?
Travel Activities and Motivation Surveys (TAMS) help to identify existing and potential travel markets in North America. Survey results provide detailed information on Canadian and American travellers and including the following: traveller activities, travel motivators, places visited, type of accommodation used, impressions of Canada, its provinces and territories, demographics, and media consumption patterns. These reports can be found in the Travel Motivations (TAMS) section. Other research reports and sector information can be found in the Research by Activity section which includes major sector research projects that Research, Planning and Evaluation, Tourism British Columbia has been involved in.
How do I go about conducting my own research?
In the Resources for Researchers section there are a variety of publications available that you can adopt to assist you in developing your own research activities including: Methodologies (summarizes our methodology for the Value of Visitor studies), How-to Guides (survey procedures for festivals, events and permanent attractions), Research Links (links to BC, Canadian and International sources), and Glossary (includes tourism terminology).
Where can I get Visitor Centre Statistics?
Counsellors at each of the visitor centres
throughout the province collect statistics on the
number of visitors they speak with. It is important
to note that these statistics do not account for all
visitors of the area or visitors entering a visitor
centre, only the visitors that enter a visitor
centre and speak with a counsellor are included in
the statistics. The visitor centre statistics can be
found at the
BC Visitor Centre Statistics Program
website. To access daily, monthly, year-to-date, and
year-over-year statistics as well as anecdotes for
all British Columbia or all Tourism British Columbia
Provincial Centres by tourism region or individual
visitor centre, click on the link above and select
your preferences.
Where can I find camping and RV statistics?
Our Travel Activities and Motivation Survey Reports (TAMS) profile Canadians and Americans who participate in camping and recreation vehicle use (RV’s) and include market profiles, competitive camping and RV destinations, activities on overnight trips, and trip planning. These reports can be found in the Travel Motivations (TAMS) section.
Where can I find additional tourism research information?
A list of website links has been compiled to guide you to the most current marketing research information available for British Columbia, Canada, and international destinations. Click here to be directed to the Research Links Page.
Where can I find travel information?
Information pertaining to your visit to British
Columbia can be found on British Columbia’s Official
Travel Website
HelloBC.com
.
This site has a variety of information including
Brisith Columbia regions and cities, transportation,
maps, things to do, travel Guides (online and print
copies), and accommodation information and booking
reservations.
Where can I obtain British Columbia media and photographs?
Tourism British Columbia's Image Bank
is available to the tourism industry and travel
media for the purposes of developing materials that
promote travel in British Columbia. Hundreds of
images are available for use in materials such as
print advertising, websites, presentations and
brochures promoting tourism in British Columbia.
Please read the Terms and Conditions before use of
these items.
Where can I obtain travel guides?
To order an online or print copy of our travel
guides complete the form on British Columbia’s
Official Travel Website and we will send you free,
up-to-date travel information to help you plan your
next British Columbia vacation.
Go to
the brochure ordering page