Experiential Travel: Increased Opportunities for Visitors

12 Sep tem ber 2013 bia Th e No rth Peace Re gio n of Bri tish Col um

Facilitated by: Nancy Arsenault, Managing Partner Tourism Cafe Canada

About your Workshop Host Nancy Arsenault

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

So Why Are We All Here?

1. Grow your tourism potential

By understanding how experiential travel can benet businesses

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

Collaborate to Compete

2. Discover how focusing on key visitor experiences can generate new value.

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

Think like a traveller

3. Understand who are Canadas best guests

Need 3 images: RV, outtter, biz dude

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

My Goal
To kick start your thinking on making the shift to experiential travel!
Validate whats is happening Stimulate new ways of thinking Demonstrate that collaborating to compete works

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

Nancys Five Basic Principles ... to succeed in the experience economy

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

Nancys Five Basic Principles! #1: Think like a Traveller #2: Make the shift from #3: Dare to be different #4: Engage, engage, engage #5:

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

Theres a customer revolution going on!

What if your visitors wanted a unique experience?

And all you offered was same ol

Will they come? Come back? How will visitors respond? Tell their friends?

What if you dont change?

(c) 20th Century Fox: Parental Guidance. 2012.

The

Experience Factor
New visitor value New business opportunity A destination opportunity Host and community pride A paradigm shift A response to growing demand

The customer experience ... the next competitive battle ground & new currency.

Signing Boat Guide

Cowboy Poetry

Atl-Atl Throwers

1st Female Cod Fisher

Seeing the sights is no longer enough. Experiential travellers want to venture beyond the beaten tourist paths and dive deeper into authentic, local culture, connect with people in deep and meaningful ways, and fulll a desire to give back. More than ever people are travelling their passions.
Joe Diaz, Afar Magazine

Todd Wight, General Manager, Oceanview Hotel

Rocky Harbour, NL Located in Gros Morne National Park

We now pay for experiences

How we spend our money is changing. In the new experience economy,

we pay to do

things, not have things.

The best things in life are not things.
(c) Joe Pine & James Gilmore 1999

W C

ouldja ?

ouldja ?
www.tourismcafe.org

Attractions: If you could, would you

Have the courage to lead program innovation against the norm? Create ways to connect with niche traveller types? Charge $200 CDN for a 3-hour experience for 4 people? Help generate revenues for community partners? Get LOTS of free media coverage
The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada

Soldier for a Day understood di erent people are willing to pay for di erent experiences
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/visit/visit9/ visit9d.aspx

Hotels: If you could, would you

Invest in your local community as a visitor market? Enjoy a permission database of 12,000 in your own city to invite
regularly to your hotel? to stay over night? markets?

Excite people in your own community to spend $$$ and choose Develop brand aligned partners to deliver experiences to core
The Fairmont Empress,Victoria British Columbia

Friends of the Empress Program ... reached an entire new market that now enhances other markets
http://www.friendsoftheempress.ca/

Restaurants: If you could, would you

Risk increasing your HR costs to reduce your wait sta

guess ratio?

to

Make your chef accessible to customers? Focus on building food memories over serving food? Drive business to 60 food vendors?
Edible Canada,Vancouver British Columbia

Edible Canada Vancouver, BC

http://www.ediblecanada.com/tours.php/

www.ediblecanada.com

Edible Canada Connecting with what people really want - the chef & conversation!
From: Traditional dining To: Personalized market tours Kayaking with a Chef

Edible Canada,Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com

Competitive Position

Services Goods Commodities

Market Price Pricing & Prots Premium Price

Edible Canada,Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com

Competitive Position

Restaurant Dining (Service)

Culinary Artisan Store (Goods) No to Low Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement Market Price Pricing & Prots

Food ingredients (Commodities) Premium Price

Edible Canada,Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com Greater Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement

Granville Island Chefs Market Tour (Experience) Competitive Position Restaurant Dining (Service)

Culinary Artisan Store (Goods) No to Low Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement Market Price Pricing & Prots Food ingredients (Commodities) Premium Price

Edible Canada,Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com Greater Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement

Chefs Gourmet Kayaking (Experience)

Low Volume High Yield

Granville Island Chefs Market Tour (Experience) Competitive Position Restaurant Dining (Service)

Culinary Artisan Store (Goods) No to Low Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement Market Price Pricing & Prots Food ingredients (Commodities) Premium Price High Volume Low Yield

Commodity: Goods: Services: Off-site Culinary Adventures:

Vegetables: $1 to $3/kg Olive Oil: $12 to $100 Served Meals: $12 to $23.00+/per person Chefs Market Tour: $35/pp (2- 8 pax) Chefs China Town Tours: $40 - 60/pp (2-8 pax) Guest Chef Market Dinner: $100/pp (14 - 24 pax) Gourmet Kayaking Weekends: $750/pp (8 - 12 pax)

Edible Canada,Vancouver, BC
www.ediblecanada.com Greater Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement

Competitive Position

is Ra

in

n rso e P , en t a lu e m e g dV nga s an E n n r o nectio a B he Con gt

a aliz

tion

E RO & I RO
Sales, Brand Strength & Advocacy

No to Low Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement Market Price

I RO

Premium Price Pricing & Prots

Each of these represent a success story.

What do they have in common?

They Use Experiences to Compete on Value

Value is the immunization factor. When there is no difference in value people buy on price alone. Competing on value allows you to create a be different strategy that your competitors will have difculty copying.
Roy Osing. (2009). Be Different or be Dead

Credit: Inniskillin

The CN Tower:Photo Credit: CTC

They CHOOSE to Raise the Bar on: Engagement Personalization Connections Value ... for travellers Partnerships Collaboration Shared revenue Competitive positioning New business

Charge for the Story, the People, the Engagement

People/Programs Activities
Infrastructure

Competitive positioning (Differentiation) Perceived value of your brand Customization and personalization Customer relevance (Greater the relevance, the higher the price point)

Text

(c) Tourism Cafe Canada & Earth Rhythms (2013)

Experiential Travel

Photo Credit: GMIST

Photo Credit: Celes Davar

Photo Credit: Experience PEI

Engages visitors in a series of authentic, memorable travel activities, revealed over time, that engage the senses, are inherently personal and makes connections on a physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual or social level.
Source: Nancy Arsenault (2004). Packaging Experiences - A CTC Publication

Why invest?

Competitive & differentiating advantage Shift the selling price Attract new markets Layer new opportunities Build communities Showcase hidden gems

Attract higher yield customers Non-traditional partnerships New uses of infrastructure New, non-traditional partnerships

... If you dont someone else will!

So who is your customer?

EXPLORER TYPES
Free Spirit Authentic Experiencer

Cultural History Buff

Virtual Traveller Gentle Explorer

Cultural Explorer

Personal History Explorer

Rejuvenator

No Hassle Traveller

EXPLORER TYPES
Free Spirit Authentic Experiencer

Cultural History Buff

Virtual Traveller Gentle Explorer

Cultural Explorer

Personal History Explorer

Rejuvenator

No Hassle Traveller

Your EQ Types with Canada

Gentle Explorer Personal History Explorer Free Spirit Authentic Experiencer No Hassle Traveller Cultural Explorer Virtual Traveler Cultural History Buff Rejevenators
Jody H., Cathryn, Jocelyn, Karen T., Nicole April, Samantha, Ann, Jody G, Sandy, Paola, Eliza, Karen MB, Kelly, Elinor, Russel Jennifer, Heather, Brenda Victoria, Brandy, Nancy, Judy Mike Darren

Guess What?

Many be different than your ideal guests!

Making the Shift

Your Regional DMO Your Provincial DMO The CTC The Customer!

The Customer! Your Company Your City DMO

to the experience economy

Meet the Neighbours Experience Route

Need a good picture or two of guest/people Same

... weaving the Cultural Explorer visitor type and the story in the South Peace Region to create a new visitor experience and invitation to discover and stay.

Experience Routes aligned to CTC EQ Cultural Explorer

Meet the Neighbours

What its about Why we developed it Steps we took to engaging the business
community

 To our businesses To the region Most importantly, to the traveller Unanticipated benets!
How We Changed as well with our Visitor Centre!

Infrastructure

Activities

Programs & People

Travel is not just about where you've been anymore -

Place & Infrastructure

Fortress of Louisbourg, NS

and what you did while you were there,

DIG IT LAS VEGAS

Activities

Ocean Quest, NL

its about how you feel, the people you met and the memories you took home.
Sewell Valley Game Farm, BC

Programs & People

A Creative Shift: Whats the difference between:

A festival in a community and A community festival?

Welcome to Norris Point Newfoundland

Shirley had a dream! Build a 10-day pre-tourism season festival in a Try to grow the spring season to help all businesses Engage businesses & partners 1 at a time
Trails,Tales & Tunes: Norris Point Newfoundland Population: 785

Welcome to Norris Point Newfoundland

Population: 785

Well off the beaten track

700 km from St. Johns Approx 7.5 hour drive

72 km from Deer Lake, Approx 1 hr drive

Trails

Tales

Tunes Performance Venues

The street The Gas Bar

Catstop

14 Festival Venues!
Julia Ann Walsh Heritage Centre Anglican Church

Gas Bar

They made a major shift ... my business ... my guests

to WE

... our region ... our visitors ... our people, places & passions

and its paid o

big-time!

Benets ... to name a few

True community festival, 14 venues 10 day event, 7 years and going strong Extended shoulder season for all 3 communities by 2 weeks, Driving new business opportunities Something for everyone & want to there Sponsors, donations (private & public) and fees Key players participated/featured in training Community pride

Trails, Tales and Tunes

http://www.trailstalestunes.ca Greater Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement

WALKING & MUSICAL EXPERIENCES

Low Volume High Yield

Competitive Position (Goods)

(Activity/Service) Musicians Showcase Community Catalyst

No to Low Differentiation, Emotion, & Engagement

(Commodities) Trails, Storytellers & Musicians Market Price Pricing & Prots Premium Price

High Volume Low Yield

Louisbourg, Nova Scotia

430 km from Halifax, approx 5 hour drive

FOCUS ON: TOGETHER THE EXPERIENCE IS BETTER

Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site

Point of View Suites & the Beggars Banquet The Lobster Kettle

Louisbourg Theatre

Louisbourg Seafoods & Mira Bay Seafoods

www.tourismcafe.org

FOCUS ON:
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site

Time Travel Life in an 18th Century Fortress

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

FOCUS ON:

Point of View Suites & the Beggars Banquet

TOGETHER IS BETTER

(c) Dr. Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

FOCUS ON:

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

$39.95/pp

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FOCUS ON:

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

FOCUS ON:

4 to 96!

www.tourismcafe.org

www.thissh.info

www.thissh.info

www.thissh.info

FOCUS ON:

Louisbourg Theatre

(c) Nancy Arsenault, Tourism Cafe 2013

www.tourismcafe.org

Walk Among Us

Theres a lot of characters on the trail!

Meet Alice Rogers

(aka. Nora Roberts cira 2013)

She shares her story of traveling to Delburne alone in 1913, and becoming the communitys AGT telephone operator, or Hello Girl.

Instills Community Pride!

A chance to share share with others who we are and our 100+ year history of where we came from.

Dessert Theatre is more than an evening of entertainment, it is the preservation and promotion of Albertas early history and heritage, a time when the west was being discovered and Canada was still being formed.

FOCUS ON: WHAT IF?

Hotel Historic Attraction

Your Story/ Theme

Theatre/ Performing Arts Oil & Gas Company

Restaurant

www.tourismcafe.org

Consider how to layer on new opportunities

that drive new revenues, markets, and partnerships.

Lets Go Outside!

Think of your business & region as a stage

For staging experiences

... and engaging audiences

Everyone has a story to tell!

Archeologist - Tyler BRUCE

Retired School Teacher,

Norris Point NL

People Business Destinations Regions Province Canada

(c) Tourism Cafe Canada & Earth Rhythms (2012).

Cowboy Poetry, SK

Historian, QC

Every community has a unique stories and authentic storytellers ... that are yours

But HOW you tell it can evoke a completely di erent customer experience

RESULTS: THE 2007 ROYAL BC TITANIC MUSEUM

451,120 visitors, 1/3 said this was the

reason to visit

Victoria $30M economic impact Fabulous exhibit but the passenger manifest and the ticket were the ticket, to a terric guest experience. I received my boarding pass and entered I saw, I sampled, I tried on, I touched, then Discovered my fate on April 15th, 1912.

How did we want to experience the story?

The Pump House

Stories can be powerful, compelling, exciting, informative, educational, personal, and memorable.

What are at the heart of your visitor experience?

stories

Are you using them to create a competitive advantage?

(c) Tourism Cafe Canada & Earth Rhythms (2012).

Why Stories Work

Trigger emotion and intrigue Engage people, bring understanding Have a theme, plot, characters, action They can evolve, have chapters-episodes Storytelling is a natural human impulse When meaningful, they are memorable
(c) Tourism Cafe Canada & Earth Rhythms (2012).

The Natural Resources & Industry Story

The Alaska Highway Story

The Guiding and Outtting Story

http://go2mk.ca/expedition
http://fehrgameouttters.com

Why Make the Shift

Business Benets from Experiential Travel

Attracts new & repeat visitors Extends the length of stay Increased revenues, new revenue streams Introduces high yield products New partnership possibilities Extends the season Increases free media & word of mouth New partnership possibilities

Destination Benets from Experiential Travel

Provides a new layer of choice and appeal Encompasses a customer-centric approach Connects more businesses to tourism Di erentiates communities & like businesses Creates pride in destination, place and people Celebrates what is authentically, uniquely yours Attracts media and leverages marketing dollars

Ingredients for Success

Truly put the customer at the heart of the tourism industry Invest in people & community Discover and polish hidden gems Di erentiate on value Align with others to build critical mass/ reputation

Ingredients for Success

Collaborate to Complete shift from ME to WE Celebrate what is uniquely yours & share with guests Appreciate every community/business has something to contribute - if they wish.

What if every new tourism project built in all the elements?

Programs & People

Value Creation

Activities

Infrastructure

Solo or partnered?

Thanks!
Contact Info: www.tourismcafe.org (website) www.tourismcafe.ca (blog) nancy@tourismcafe.org Tel: 250.391.6077

The experience gal

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