New statewide study reveals California travel behavior

The California Traveler© is a syndicated online marketing research study conducted by SMG that quantifies California residents’ attitudes, behaviors and perceptions about travel. The statewide survey collected data from an online consumer panel of 880 California residents. SMG developed the study to provide visitor and convention bureaus with affordable statewide visitor data that includes statistical information on destination visitations, trip frequency, ad awareness, travel spending, trip planning, activity participation, lifestyle profiles and demographics.

“It is imperative that tourism destinations anticipate and fulfill the wants and needs of consumers. Destinations are products and experiences that need to be marketed effectively and efficiently in order to affect market share and increase visitor spending,” says Carl Ribaudo, president of SMG. “The California Traveler© provides the quantitative and qualitative insight that tourism executives need to refine their destination marketing programs for maximum economic impact.”

In addition to identifying specific travel behaviors, The California Traveler© revealed that in-state vacations are top-of-mind among survey respondents: 35 percent said they will increase the number of trips they take within California, while 59 percent said that their trip frequency will remain the same. Only nine percent of survey respondents reported a decrease in trip frequency. The survey also quantifies and profiles three niche travel segments: food, wine, and conscious travelers. Conscious travelers are defined as those who make travel plans based on social and environmental sustainability such as minimizing impact on natural surroundings and resources, and supporting local economies and industries. Information such as this contained the report will help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) better target their marketing campaigns to a captive audience.

The California Traveler© 2007 study is available in four versions priced from $299. The Basic Version is a summary of the overall survey results available for $299. The Destination Version includes overall survey results, customized destination results and ad awareness rankings for 35 California destinations. The Competitor Version includes overall and customized destination results, ad awareness rankings for 35 California destinations, and survey results for top competitive markets. Insider Reports is a tabulation of results against the three niche travel segments.