Centre for Tourism Research
TIAPEI
Annual Conference
March 4, 2015
Kent Hudson, Managing Director
Centre for Tourism Research at TIAPEI
WELCOME/INTRODUCTION
 Get comfortable
 But not too comfortable
 There may be a test at the end of
the presentation!
Slide 1 of 143
HISTORY
 TRC was originally housed at UPEI since
inception in 2006
 July 1, 2014 – moved to TIAPEI
 Current funding until March 31, 2015
 Presently working on a three year tourism
research strategy and funding agreement
with Tourism PEI and ACOA
RESEARCH
 What most people don't understand is that
UFOs are on a cosmic tourist route.
 That's why they're always seen in Arizona,
Scotland, and New Mexico.
 Another thing to consider is that all three of
those destinations are good places to play golf.
 So there's possibly some connection between
aliens and golf.
Alice Cooper
VISION
 The Centre for Tourism Research at TIAPEI
exists to conduct research with and about
the tourism industry in Prince Edward
Island.
 We produce meaningful research that can
be used by industry, marketing teams, and
decision/policy makers to enhance the
tourism industry in Prince Edward Island.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
 encourage/achieve authentic
engagement or collaboration
 conduct relevant research to provide
better information for decision/policy
makers
 guide current and future investments
 conduct better knowledge exchange
and sharing mechanisms
POSSIBLE DESTINATION RESEARCH
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Leadership and Coordination
Planning
Product Development
Marketing and Promotion
Partnership and Team Building
Community Relations
LEADERSHIP & COORDINATION
 Estimating economic impact of
tourism
 Documenting non-economic benefits
of tourism (i.e. socio-cultural)
 Identifying tourism sector and
stakeholder needs/issues
 Measuring performance
PLANNING
 Completing environmental scans
 Conducting SWOT analysis
 Research new products and trends
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
 Analysing successful product
development cases in other
destinations
 Assessing tourist satisfaction
 Destination analysis (product
analysis)
 Doing project market
analysis/feasibility studies
MARKETING & PROMOTION
 Analysing marketing efficiency and
effectiveness
 Determining destination image
 Identifying potential visitors
 Preparing competitive analysis
 Profiling existing visitors
PARTNERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING
 Measuring partnering benefits
 Studying successful partnering
case studies
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
 Collecting resident opinions
and attitudes towards tourism
 Gathering community input
suggestions
CURRENT PRIORITIES
 2014 Exit Survey
 Overall Exit Survey Report - Tentative Release: April-May 2015
 Charlottetown Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: May 2015
 Summerside Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: June 2015
 NCCD Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: June 2015
 Red Sands Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: June 2015
 GGS Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: May 2015
 PECD Visitor Profile - Tentative Release: June 2015
 PEI 2014 Research
SOME OTHER KEY INITIATIVES
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Development of a Tourism Barometer/Index
Travel Intentions Surveys
Conversion Surveys
Volume and Value Model
Signature Festivals & Events
Demand/Supply Based Research
Tourism Operators Surveys
Annual Residents Survey
MANAGEMENT/STAFF
 Kent Hudson
Managing Director
 Dr. Dongkoo Yun
Research Director
 Amanda Strongman
Research Officer
COMMON RESEARCH MYTHS
 Myth 1: Market Research is too Expensive
 Myth 2: A Researcher Could Never
Understand My Complex Business
 Myth 3: We Know Our Customers - Research
Would Just Tell Us What We Already Know
 Myth 4: We Can Do Our Own Research
HOW DOES RESEARCH HELP YOU?
 Spot trends
 Uncover new target
demographics
 Make better decisions
 Understand your competition
 Stay ahead of the competition
SUMMARY / FINAL THOUGHTS
 In final summary, the CTR has the potential to
serve a vital role in the continued development
of the Prince Edward Island tourism industry.
 Now, more than ever, with limited resources
and immense competition, PEI needs to take
advantage of utilizing research for better
evidence based decision making.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
 We want to hear from you!
 How can we serve you better
through research activities?
 What are you willing to do to
assist with research?
Questions?