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This research aims to clarify the goals and usage of the Alaska Visitors Publication (AVP) and the TravelAlaska.com website, and understand how visitors use them as planning tools and sources of information for their Alaska vacations.
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ATIA AVP/Website/Internet UsageFocus Groups Prepared for: ATIA 2600 Cordova Street, Suite 201 Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Research Objectives • Clarify if the AVP and the Website fulfill duplicate goals or if they should co-exist because they fulfill distinct, non-competing objectives. • Clearly understand where visitors are in their decision to visit Alaska when they requiest the AVP and/or first visit the TravelAlaska.com website. • Clarify the role among visitors, the AVP and the TravelAlaska.com website played as a planning tool, source of information, and guide to travel. • Clarify how, when, who and for what reasons Alaska visitors use the AVP, the website, or both for decision, planning, and booking. • Clarify how, when, who and for what reasons Alaska visitors use the AVP, the website, or both as a link to Alaska businesses. • Identify visitor needs, if any, fulfilled by the AVP not fulfilled by the website, and vice versa. • Profile AVP and website visitor user types demographically, etc.
Methodology Number of Groups Twelve (12) qualitative groups total; four (4) each in Los Angeles, Tampa and Chicago markets. 120 respondents overall.
Methodology Participant Qualifications • Visited Alaska in 2009. • Confirmed to have ordered and received the 2009 AVP. • Visited TravelAlaska.com website. • An equal mix of those who purchased a package trip that includes transportation and those that traveled as a non-cruise/independent traveler. • Two age groups were recruited, 45-65 and 65+ • Equal split of males and females • Have no member of household employed by a marketing research or ad agency firm, or be employed in the travel industry.
Methodology Recruiting Sample Source Random selection from inquiry lists provided by ATIA was used to recruit the twelve (12) consumer focus groups. Length of Discussion Two hours Incentive $100 Moderator Dick Anderson, GMA Research
When did you become interested in Alaska? • Most visitors have been thinking about and/or planning to take an Alaska vacation for many years. • A large portion of visitors first think of or hear about Alaska from a friend or relative. • “I would say it was either six or seven years ago that my brother and his family went on a cruise to Alaska. They sent text and emails and pictures all through their cruise, they put the bug in our ear.” • A large portion of visitors have been to Alaska before and wanted to go back again. “We went on a cruise 20 years ago and have always wanted to go back.” • It’s now or never “we are getting older and time is slipping by, we have to do this now.” • A significant and surprising number of visitors indicate their trip was due to a special occasion. • “We went to visit my mom, it was Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas and everything else in one package. • “My daughter graduated college.”
Why did they send for the AVP? What were they looking for? • Package visitors order the AVP to see what else was available to see and do not offered in their packages. • “I wanted to know what else we could do in cities besides just the cruise excursion that would appeal to the kids.” • “I thought the book would be a good visual aid and help educate me more, even though I booked directly through the cruise line, I got more information on the land tours through the brochure.” • “We were looking for information about things we could do before our cruise, this would help us plan our time in different ports as well. • “When looking at shore excursions for different cruise lines the brochure helps validate what they are selling.” • Independent visitors are ordering the book to help with the researching and planning stages. • “I didn’t know much so I wanted an overview and what the state considered main attractions, I didn’t know what I was going to do and the book helped.” • “I wanted to make sure we hit everything while we were there, we didn’t want to miss anything.” • “We used the AVP to divide up cities so we could get background information on where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see.”
How do visitors use the AVP and the website? • The AVP and the Website do not fulfill duplicate goals. They fulfill non-competing objectives. • Observation was many of those that visited Alaska would not have come without the AVP, the Website, or both. Particularly for people who knew they were coming, had not made plans, the AVP played an important role in reinforcing or confirming their decision. The AVP played the role of initial planning, and the website played the role of helping them decide which activity, sightseeing, hotel, et. They wanted to use. • Both independent and package travelers see the website and the AVP as necessary, the two compliment each other. • “I like both of them, I start with the book then move to the internet, sometimes back and forth.” • “I prefer to use both, the ease and speed of the internet and the compactness and depth of the book.” • Each has it’s own role. • The AVP is the executive summary, the web is more for detailed and specific information. • “I used them both, the web was very in-depth but the brochure is condensed and easier to use, it’s more convenient than going on the web.”
How do visitors use the AVP and the website? • Each has something the other doesn’t • The AVP is tangible, you can take it with you. • The web is good for quick, current and accurate information. • Sometimes one is easier to use than the other. • “I used the internet when researching alone and the brochure when I was with my husband.” • Both the AVP and the Website become important sales tools. • With many visitors, friends or relatives are also traveling and are involved in the decision. The AVP is used as a very important sales tool to convince others to go to Alaska. • The planner is more visual, a picture tells 1000 words. • The AVP sits on the coffee table and is a constant reminder. • The internet is good for the younger generation. • The website allows for 1 stop shopping.
When and how was the decision to go to Alaska made? • There is no one process that everyone follows in the decision making process. Most are at very different places or stages of the decision making process when they get the AVP or first go to the website. • Some have already decided they are going and are using the AVP and the website to research what they already bought plus see what else is available. • Some go to the website first then get the AVP because the AVP gives them an overview in one place of what is available. • Some are truly starting from knowing very little and using the planner and the website to figure their entire trip out. • The decision to definitely visit Alaska is heavily influenced by friends and family. • Most are traveling in large groups that range from 4 to 38 • “My son and daughter in law made us an offer we could not refuse”. • The timing is right • “we kept putting it on the back burner” • “for 2 years I pushed it and they finally said OK.”
When an how was the decision to go to Alaska made? • The price was right • Many said price played a role in their decision to visit Alaska. • “Price was definitely a consideration. There were better deals the last couple of years.” • “Price made a difference for us going on the cruise and the time of year that we took the cruise. Because as the season goes on the prices go up.” • “the price was too good to be true.” • In general, other destinations are not being considered when the decision to visit Alaska is made. • Most decided on Alaska and never thought about going anywhere else. • “It was Alaska or nothing.”
Role AVP and Website play in planning • The AVP and TravelAlaska.com both play an extremely large role in the planning stages for both independent and package visitors. • Alaska is a major and expensive destination, no one wants to come home after their trip and realize they missed something. • In general the independent traveler does much more researching and planning than the package traveler. • The AVP is the starting point for most, is helps with understanding what is available and what one can do, from there they are able to narrow things and then go to the website for more detail. • The AVP and the website are used during different stages of planning. • The planner is mainly used at the beginning stages of planning and formulating ideas and sparking interest. • The website is used more for digging deeper for more detailed information.
Role AVP and Website play in planning • Most package visitors used the AVP and the website to gather information on tours, side trips, pre and post hotel bookings, excursions, restaurants, maps and car rentals. • “I used it for side trips, I made reservations for the train in Whittier, sometimes I used it to get telephone numbers and called the actual businesses.” • “I went on the internet maybe 12 to 15 times, once we decided on the cruise I wanted to see what was in the places we were going to stop.” • Independent visitors use the AVP first to help them understand what is available, what to do, places to visit, how long to stay. It helps narrow things down to something more manageable. • “This helped us decide how long to stay in each area” • “We used this to help up find an RV.”
Role AVP and Website play in planning • Most travelers used both the website and the AVP. • Some preferred to use the website for their researching and planning needs. • “I do everything online.” • “I was able to find more detailed information on the web.” • Some used the book more than the website. • “The website takes too long and the brochure was right where I needed it all the time.” • “My husband doesn’t use computers.” • “I work at a computer all day long, I like a hard copy, I like the book better.” • “I did both but you can’t take the computer with you everywhere you go, it is nice to have something tangible.”
Role AVP and Website play in booking • The AVP is used often for actual booking. Some contact directly while others use it to gather information about specific companies listed then dive deeper by using travelalaska.com to gather more detailed information before finally booking. • Independent travelers are more likely to use the AVP to book directly. • “We used it for ice trekking and a cruise out of Valdez.” • Many independent and package travelers contact and book with businesses listed on the website either by phone, email, or online purchase. • “I booked lodging in Denali and in Fairbanks, some times I did not book, like with the rafting because I wanted to find out about the weather.” • “I went back and forth between the website and the book, but I did book from the website.”
Role AVP and Website play in booking • Some used the website as a guide then used other sites such as Hotwire and Expedia to book some of their lodging and transportation. • “I used the site a lot but for hotels I just went to Hotwire or Expedia.” • Many independent and package visitors take the AVP with them and purchase from AVP listing while in Alaska. • “The book influenced us once we got there, we took the book with us and made adjustments as to what the weather was.”
Role AVP and Website play in booking • TravelAlaska.com was visited repeatedly by both independent and package visitors. • “Each time you go to the site you see something a little different or you hear about something and you want to go back and check and see if its accurate. I am always looking to see if the tourism people are recommending certain vendors so you can follow that link.” • Most visited travelalaska.com at least a half a dozen times or more. • “I visited at least a dozen times, I was looking for information and constantly printing information off of the website.” • Some visited 20 or more times. • “I used it a lot, it was a bit of a mental break for me at work, dreaming and thinking about the vacation. I think I went at least 25 times.”
Role AVP and Website play in booking • Many different Alaska websites as well as the web in general are used. • Almost all visitors used the web as a resource but most cannot name or recall which sites they used. • Most used the internet for very specific information. • “We were looking for train and ferry schedules.” • Quite a few jurisdictional websites were used. • “I went to Fairbanks and the Ketchikan websites.” • Package visitors often used sites such as Cruise Critic, Trip Advisor, various airline and hotel websites. • Independent visitors relied on the web for more in-depth information they could not find elsewhere. • Road maps, chamber of commerce, mile post, AAA are among the top mentions. • Several indicate the AVP and the website do not include a lot of businesses. • People are using other resources and the internet to research further. They are aware listings in the book and website are advertisements. Some end up purchasing from non members due to further research.
While in Alaska • Many visitors took the AVP with them on their trip. • Most Independent and package visitors did not use the internet while on their trip. • A very large percentage of Los Angeles Alaska visitors belong to AAA. • Most ordered the AAA Alaska book. • Very few of Alaska's visitors use Social Media. • Of those that use Social Media, most subscribe to Facebook. • “All of my Alaska pictures are on my Facebook page.”
