Overseas Visitors Quantitative Research 2008/09

1. Overseas Visitors Quantitative Research 2008/09

2. Introduction • This report presents the findings for the Overseas Visitor Survey for Fáilte Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland. Fieldwork began in June 2008 and concluded in May 2009. • A detailed questionnaire was addressed to overseas visitors at race meetings and 638 interviews were completed in total. • Observation studies also recorded the number of Irish attendees to provide a representational context: Over 6,000 observation records were made in total. J.9325

3. Key Objectives • The key objectives for the survey were as follows: • To accurately estimate the number of overseas visitors attending horse racing meetings in Ireland and their expenditure; • To establish the profile of these visitors in terms of their; country of residence, gender, age, socio-economic group and, their party size. • To determine the length of stay, accommodation usage and expenditure while in Ireland; • To establish which sources and quality of information prompted them to (a) visit Ireland and (b) attend the race meeting that they attended. • To gauge the likelihood of them attending future race meetings in Ireland. J.9325

4. Methodology • A number of key considerations were taken into account to ensure the representativeness of the data produced. • In brief, these considerations are as follows: • As wide a representation of Irish race meetings as possible were included within the sampling frame, so as to minimize as far as possible statistical sampling error. • The specific race meetings selected for the survey were as representative as possible of the total Universe of race meetings in terms of Type of Meeting, Time of Day, Day of Week (incorporating festivals in appropriate proportions). • A distribution of race meetings across different months of the year was also incorporated to the schedule, particularly as the volume of overseas visitor to Ireland varies from month to month. • Controls were set within this overall sampling frame by individual race course, so as to ensure that those courses which hold more regular meetings are represented to a greater degree than those holding relatively irregular meetings. J.9325

5. Methodology • Critically, the total Sample Universe was recruited to represent all attendees at Irish race meetings over the survey fieldwork period. The objective was to survey a representative sample of all such individuals as our starting point, with a representative sub-sample of non-Irish visitors emerging naturally from this total Sample Universe. • A systematic method of choosing respondents for interview at each individual race meeting was selected, referred to as the Very Next Person (VNP) technique. Interviewing was conducted at an agreed fixed point and the surveyor approached the very next person passing that point for interview. • If that person was identified as an Irish resident, their basic demographic details were recorded on a contact sheet. • If the person was a non-Irish visitor, the full interview was conducted. • During the later stages of the survey, this approach to recording Irish residents was revised to allow a short interview to be conducted with a small sample of respondents. • The overseas visitor dataset was weighted at analysis stage to reflect individual course attendance figures gathered by Horse Racing Ireland. J.9325

6. Sample Structure J.9325

7. Sampling StructureSpread Of Fieldwork J.9325

8. Irish Racecourses J.9325

9. Sampling StructureSpread Of Fieldwork J.9325

10. Irish Racecourse Attendees2008/09 J.9325

11. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09Base: All observations and interviews (n=7,284) Overseas Visitors Irish Attendees J.9325

12. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors vs Irish Attendees GENDER Overseas Visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 Female Female Male Male J.9325

13. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors Vs Irish Attendees AGE Overseas Visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 -24 25-44 45-64 65+ -29 30-44 45-59 60+ J.9325

14. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors vs Irish Attendees PARTY SIZE* Overseas Visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 1 2 3+ Reference only – Comparing slightly different questions: Overseas Visitors – “How would you best describe the party you travelled with to Ireland this time?” Irish Attendees – Observation: Party size. J.9325

15. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors vs Irish Attendees Type of Meeting Total Mixed Total Flat Total National Hunt Total Festival J.9325

16. Meeting Time Meeting Day Overseas Visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 Overseas visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 Mon-Wed Thurs-Sun Afternoon Evening Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors vs Irish Attendees J.9325

17. Racecourse Attendees 2008/09: Overseas Visitors vs Irish Attendees Course Region Overseas visitors Base: 638 Irish Attendees Base: 6,646 Dublin Rest of Leinster Munster Connacht/Ulster J.9325

18. Estimated No. of Racecourse Attendances 2008/09 Attendances by Overseas Visitors (9%) Attendances by Irish Attendees (91%) J.9325 Total: 1,303,835 attendances Attendance Figures Source: Horse Racing Ireland

19. Irish Attendees J.9325

20. ResidenceBase: 737 (March ’09 – May ’09) Northern Ireland Rep. of Ireland J.9325 Q. Do you live in ROI or NI? (*This question was added to survey in March ’09)

21. TOTAL RESIDENCE Yes ROI NI Base: 737 646 91 Don’t know % % % Yes 13 9 42 No 82 88 37 Don’t know 5 2 21 No Nights Away From HomeBase: 737 (March ’09 – May ’09) Q. Have you or do you intend to spend one or more nights away from home either before or after this race meeting? (*This question was added to survey in March ’09) J.9325

22. Overseas Visitors J.9325

23. Class Age Gender -34 35-54 55+ ABC1 C2DE F Male Female Sample Profile: Overseas VisitorsBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) Overseas visitors are predominantly Male, 40+ and middle class J.9325

24. Sample Profile: Month of AttendanceBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325

25. Weighted Sample Profile: Type of MeetingBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) TOTAL MIXED Festival Mixed TOTAL FLAT Festival Flat TOTAL NATIONAL HUNT Festival National Hunt TOTAL FESTIVAL J.9325

26. % Spain 2 Taiwan 1 Sweden 1 Mexico 1 Japan 1 Canada 1 Italy 1 Switzerland 1 New Zealand 1 Denmark 1 (All others less than 0.5%) Sample Profile: Country of ResidenceBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325

27. Planning the Trip J.9325

28. Info. Used Before Trip Info. Used During Trip Planning the TripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Q.2 And before you actually came to Ireland, which of these sources of information, if any, did you use at all in considering or planning this trip? Q.3 And since you arrived in Ireland, which of the following sources of information, if any, have you used to help you plan your trip? J.9325

29. Information Sources Used Before TripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325

30. Information Sources Used During TripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325

31. Time Spent So Far Total Planned Duration Less than 24 hours 1– 3 days 4 – 6 days At least a week At least two weeks More than two weeks Mean (days): 5.0 8.9 Time Spent in IrelandBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Q.4a How much time have you spent in Ireland so far on this trip? Q.4b And what is the total planned duration of your current trip to Ireland – from the time you arrived to the time you return home? J.9325

32. Time in Ireland so far on this tripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Country of Residence TOTAL USA Others Any Britain Less than 24 hours 1– 3 days 4 – 6 days At least a week At least two weeks More than two weeks J.9325

33. Total Trip DurationBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Country of Residence TOTAL USA Others Any Britain Less than 24 hours 1– 3 days 4 – 6 days At least a week At least two weeks More than two weeks Don’t know J.9325 British considerably more likely to be on short breaks

34. On Package/Inclusive or Independent TripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Package Independent Q.12 Are you travelling on a package/inclusive trip, that is, a trip where an inclusive price for fares to/from Ireland and at least one other element, such as accommodation, car hire, etc. was paid fully or partly in advance?" J.9325

35. On Package/Inclusive Base: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) MONTH: COUNTRY: TOTAL PLANNED DURATION: REASON FOR VISIT: COURSE REGION: J.9325

36. Reasons for Visiting Ireland J.9325

37. Reasons for Visiting IrelandBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325 Q.5 And which of these was the primary reason for this trip to Ireland?

38. Reasons for Visiting IrelandBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325

39. Reasons for Visiting Ireland for Race MeetingBase: All for whom race meeting(s) is primary reason for trip (n=161) J.9325 Q.6 And which of these best describes the reason you visited Ireland to attend a race meeting/meetings?

40. Professional Interest or Stake in IndustryBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) Yes No Q.7a And do you or any of your travelling party have a professional interest or stake in the horse racing industry? J.9325

41. Professional Interest or Stake in IndustryBase: All Overseas Visitors (n=638) MONTH: COUNTRY: COURSE REGION: GENDER: AGE: TYPE OF MEETING: J.9325

42. Influenced to Make This Trip By Stake in IndustryBase: All have professional interest in industry (n=117) No influence Minor influence Strong influence Q.7b And did the fact that you or someone in your party had such a stake or interest in the industry have a strong influence, a minor influence, or no influence at all on your decision to make this trip to Ireland? J.9325

43. At Current Race Course In Total 1 2 3 4 5 Don’t know No. of Days Racing on Current TripBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Q.8 How many days of racing will you attend at this particular race course during your current trip to Ireland? Q.9 And in total how many days of racing will you attend in Ireland during your current trip, including any days spent at this race course? J.9325

44. Total No. Days Racing on Current Trip – Mean Score (days)Base: Overseas Visitors (n=638) REASON FOR VISIT: COURSE REGION: TYPE OF MEETING: MONTH: COUNTRY: J.9325 Those who attend most days racing on any trip are from the USA, travel specifically for racing and attend in the spring.

45. Information Sources on Race MeetingBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) J.9325 Q.10 Thinking specifically of your visit to this race meeting, which of the following sources of information did you use in finding out about it?

46. Likelihood of Attending Future Race Meetings in IrelandBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Reasons for Visit Total To Attend a Race Meeting(s) Other Reason Very likely Quite likely Neither likely nor unlikely Quite unlikely Very unlikely Don’t know 68% Of those who didn’t visit Ireland primarily for racing, two-thirds (68%) are likely to attend a race meeting in Ireland in the future. J.9325 Q.11 Do you feel you are likely or unlikely to attend any more horse racing meetings during further trips to Ireland over the next three years or so?

47. Likelihood of Attending Future Race Meetings in IrelandBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) TOTAL PLANNED DURATION: COURSE REGION: TYPE OF MEETING: MONTH: COUNTRY: J.9325 Those most likely to attend in future are British, visited in the Spring on short breaks and attended in Rest of Leinster.

48. Current Trip to Ireland J.9325

49. No. Adults/Children in GroupBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) Adults Children 0 1 2 3/4 5-10 11+ 0 1 2+ J.9325 Q.13 How would you best describe the party you travelled with to Ireland for this trip?

50. Accommodation Types UsedBase: Overseas Visitors (n=638) 1 in 3 stay in top grade hotel J.9325 Q.14 And what type/types of accommodation did you decide to stay in during this trip to Ireland?