The results of the 2015 summer visitor’s survey were unveiled at an afternoon event hosted by Tourism Tofino and the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber on Nov. 26.
From June to September this year, 709 useable surveys were collected from visitors to the area.
The survey closed in early October, and the data was then analyzed by a team of experts from The Social Scientists and Vancouver Island University.
The visitor profile generated from the data came as no big surprise to the dozen or so Chamber members in attendance who participated in a candid game of Family Feud to guess the results of the survey.
According to the survey results, the majority of visitors to Tofino arrived by personal car for leisure purposes.
Beach activities ranked as the number one recreation, followed by hiking, shopping, and surfing.
In terms of accommodation, 76 per cent of visitors booked directly with the accommodation provider while 10 per cent booked with a travel website.
The most common type of accommodation selected was campground/RV park, followed hotel/motel, cabin/cottage, and resort/lodge.
Almost half of those surveyed responded that they were travelling with their spouse or partner, while 27 per cent said they were travelling with friends and 25 per cent were travelling with kids under the age of 19.
In the open-ended portion of the survey, some visitors noted that improved Wi-Fi would be appreciated as would more mid-range options for accommodation, tours, and restaurants to make Tofino more affordable and accessible to middle-income families.
“It was our highest revenue generating year on record,” said Tourism Tofino general manager Kirsten Soder.
Anyone interested in reading the 2015 Tofino Visitor Profile in its entirety is encouraged to contact Tourism Tofino at 250-725-3414 or through their website at www.tourismtofino.com
nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
