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Home My WebLink AboutTDC Backup 122017Visit St. Lucie County Fiscal Year 2017 (October 2016 – September 2017) Phillip Downs, Ph.D. Joseph St. Germain, Ph.D. Rachael Anglin Hope Wiggins Downs & St. Germain Research 1 Purpose of Economic Impact Research Document Inform Marketing Communicate Inspire 2 Tourism Matters to St. Lucie County Economic Impact $801,665,800 3 1,195,560 4 visitors 4 1,173,424 Hotel Rooms Generated by Visitors 5 7,965 jobs $225,763,010 in wages 6 6 Visitors Create Jobs 7 150 VISITORS TO ST. LUCIE COUNTY 1 ST. LUCIE COUNTY JOB 7 8 $3,923,390 TDT paid 8 9 Visitors save St. Lucie County residents $314 per household 9 Executive Summary Visitor Tracking FY 2017 10 Origin of Visitors 4% 10% 27% 45% 14% of visitors were from areas outside the U.S. 11 Origin of Visitors 66% of visitors were from 6 states or Canada 34% 6% 9% 4% 3% 6% 4% 12 Origin of Visitors 4 in 10 visitors were from 8 U.S. markets 7% 11% 6% 4% 2% 6% 2% 2% 13 Visitors’ Accommodations 47% Paid Accommodations 23% Friends & Relatives 30% Day Trippers 14 Visitors’ Paid Accommodations 50% Hotel/motel 17% Rental house/condominium 18% Personal house/condo 11% RV park/campground/cabin 15 Travel Parties The typical visitor traveled in a party composed of 2.9 people 47% traveled with at least one person under the age of 20 in their travel party 39% of visitors traveled as a couple to St. Lucie County 3 in 10 visitors traveled by themselves to St. Lucie County 16 Transportation 66% of visitors drove to St. Lucie County 17% of all visitors flew in via Palm Beach International Airport 8% of all visitors flew in via Miami International Airport 17 Length of Stay Visitors spent 6.31 nights in St. Lucie County 1When including visitors who stayed longer than 1 month, average nights stayed is 18.2 nights. 18 Visitation 23% were first time visitors 19 Visitor Satisfaction Visitors gave St. Lucie County a 9.21 as a place to vacation 94% of visitors will return to St. Lucie County 110=Excellent; 1=Poor. 20 Top Reasons for Visiting Relax & unwind Friends or family Special occasion Family vacation Attractions Visit art galleries, museums, cultural events Beach 21 Top Activities During Visit Relax & unwind Beach Friends or family Attractions Restaurants Family vacation Visit art galleries, museums, cultural events Sporting event 22 Visitor Spending Visitors spent $258 a day Visitors spent $1,625 on their trip 23 Trip Planning 41% of visitors planned their trip 1 to 3 weeks in advance Top trip planning sources: Friends Google, Bing, etc. Travel website Hotel website Airline website Trip planning app 24 Other Destinations 14% of visitors considered other destinations in place or in addition to St. Lucie County when planning their trip, including the following: Jensen Beach Vero Beach West Palm Beach 25 Additional Upscale Hotels 18% of visitors would visit more often if there were additional upscale hotels on the beach. 47% of visitors agree that adding upscale hotels on the beach would make St. Lucie County a more attractive destination to visit. 26 Advertising & Promotions 13% of visitors had seen, read or heard advertising or promotions about the St. Lucie County area 14% of visitors who had seen, read or heard advertising or promotions about the area recalled Visit St. Lucie County as the sponsor 5% of visitors used the Visit St. Lucie mobile app 27 Demographics The typical St. Lucie County Visitor: Is 53 years old Has a median household income of $72,700 Is Caucasian (76%) Is female (52%) 28 Detailed Findings 29 Key Performance Indicators 30 30 Key Performance Indicators 31 1On a 10-point scale. 31 Inside Story 32 Each visitor spends $435 in St. Lucie County 150 visitors = 1 job in St. Lucie County Visitors save each St. Lucie County household $314 in taxes 32 Visitors’ Direct Spending 33 St. Lucie County Visitors spent $520,562,200 in FY 2017 33 Visitors to St. Lucie County 34 1,195,560 – Total Visitors to St. Lucie County 561,913 – Stayed in paid accommodations 271,392 – Visited friends and relatives (VFRs) 362,255 – Day visitors 34 Direct Spending by Visitor Type 35 35 Origin of Visitors 42% of St. Lucie County visitors live in 9 markets 36 Origin of Visitors 62% of St. Lucie County visitors live in 6 states or Canada 37 Visitors’ Accommodations 38 Visitors’ Paid Accommodations 1Only asked of visitors staying in paid accommodations. 39 Travel Parties The typical visitor traveled in a party composed of 2.9 people 47% traveled with at least one person under the age of 20 in their travel party 65% of visitors traveled as a couple or a family 40 Typical St. Lucie County Visitor Drove to St. Lucie County (66%) 34% who flew used the following airports: 41 Typical St. Lucie County Visitor Spent 6.3 nights in St. Lucie County When including long term vistiors1, average nights stayed is 18.2 23% were first time visitors 10% had visited more than 10 times 1People who stayed longer than 1 month. 42 Visitor Satisfaction Visitors gave St. Lucie County a rating of 9.21 as a place to vacation2 94% will return to St. Lucie County 110=Excellent; 1=Poor. 2<1% of visitors who gave St. Lucie County a rating of 6 or below gave the following suggestions for improvement: 1. More to do during the day; 2. More/better restaurants; 3. Less expensive, 4. More to do at night 43 Reasons for Visiting 1Up to three responses permitted. 44 Visitor Activities 1Multiple responses permitted. 45 Visitor Activities vs. Reason for Visit 1Multiple responses permitted. 2Up to 3 responses permitted. 46 Trip Planning Cycle 4 in 10 visitors planned their trip only 1-3 weeks in advance 47 Trip Planning Sources 5% of visitors accessed the Visit St. Lucie mobile app Visitors used the following sources to plan their trips1: 1Multiple responses permitted. 48 Other Destinations 14% of visitors considered one or more of the following destinations in place or in addition to St. Lucie County when planning their trip1. Places most often considered by these 14% were: 1Multiple responses permitted. 49 Additional Upscale Hotels 18% of visitors would visit St. Lucie County more often if there were additional upscale hotels on the beach: 47% of visitors agree that adding upscale hotels on the beach would make St. Lucie County a more attractive destination to visit vs. West Palm Beach, Jensen Beach, Vero Beach, and other similar areas: 50 Advertising & Promotions 13% of visitors had seen, read or heard advertising or promotions about the St. Lucie County area on the following media1: 1Multiple responses permitted. Visitors who had seen, read or heard advertising or promotions about the St. Lucie County area recalled the following sponsors1: 51 Visitor Profile 52 Age Median age = 53 53 Household Income in 2016 Median HHI = $72,700 54 Race/Ethnicity 55 Gender 56 Quarterly Comparisons 57 Quarterly Comparisons 58 Quarterly Comparisons 59 * Includes day trippers and visitors staying with friends and relatives (VFRs) 59 Quarterly Comparisons 60 * 10 point scale 60 Quarterly Comparisons 61 Quarterly Comparisons 62 Quarterly Comparisons 63 Methodology The economic impact of tourism on St. Lucie County is based on data collected from over 3,465 visitors to St. Lucie County in FY2017. Interviews were conducted throughout St. Lucie County. Total economic impact of tourism on St. Lucie County is a function of direct spending by visitors in St. Lucie County & induced + indirect effects of this spending. Indirect effects are increased business spending resulting from tourism dollars. Induced effects are increased household spending resulting from tourism dollars. Downs & St. Germain Research uses IMPLAN to calculate the economic multiplier for St. Lucie County (1.54). ¹Over 1,500 organizations use IMPLAN, which has been used to model the economic impact of tourism since 1992. Agencies such as FEMA, EPA, Federal Reserve Bank, and Bureau of Land Management use IMPLAN. 64 Economic Impact of Tourism Study Fiscal Year 2017 Charlotte Bireley – Director of Tourism & Marketing St. Lucie County 772-462-1539, BireleyC@stlucieco.org Joseph St. Germain, Ph.D., President, joseph@dsg-research.com Phillip Downs, Ph.D., Senior Partner, pd@dsg-research.com Rachael Anglin, Senior Project Director, rachael@dsg-research.com Hope Wiggins, Project Director, hope@dsg-research.com Downs & St. Germain Research 850-906-3111: www.dsg-research.com 65