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Information on this page is provided by Purdue Tourism & Hospitality Research Center (PTHRC) and Tippecanoe County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Permission to use the information, partially or in whole, can be obtained by contacting PTHRC.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TIPPECANOE COUNTY VISITORSDemographically,
the majority of visitors (62.3%) to Greater Lafayette in 1996-97 were in the
25-49 age group (Table 1). Some 67.9% of the respondents were 35 or older. A
majority of the respondents, at 61.2%, were male (Table 2). In terms of the
highest educational levels achieved, the three major categories were
Bachelor’s degree holders (36.7%), Master’s degree holders (20.4%), and
earned high school diploma (15.3%) (Table 4). The largest of the occupational
groupings among the respondents were owner/self employed (25.8%), student
(18.4%), and professional/technical positions (13%) (Table 5). AGE GROUPS
In 1996-97, about 67.9% of respondents were aged 35 or more (Table 1). This
proportion of over 35s varied slightly by season, ranging from a low of
59.8% in Spring 1997 to a high of 74.7% in Summer 1996. Only 14.4% of
all the 1996-97 respondents were under the age of 25. The Summer and
Fall 1996 seasons had the highest percentages of the 65 and above group. The
Spring 1997 season showed a relatively high percentage of the 25-44 age group
(59.7%). When
looking at the age compositions of all travel party members, some interesting
seasonal variations were noted. For the entire 1996-97 period, the percentage
of teenagers and younger children was 18.7% of all travel party members. This
percentage of under 20s was at its highest in Summer 1996 (38.3% of all travel
party members) and at its lowest in Winter 1996-97 (4.6%) (Table 3). In
contrast, the proportion of 45 or older persons was at its highest in Fall
1996 (37.4% of all travel party members) and at its lowest in Summer 1996
(13.2%). For
the 1996-97 period, 67.9% of respondents (Table 1) and 55.6% of all travel
party members (Table 3) were aged between 35 and above. The largest individual
age bracket of respondents was those visitors between 35 and 44 at 28.3%
(Table 1). For all travel party members, the largest individual age group was
again 35-44 at 23.8% (Table 3). The 45 and above group represented more than
39.6% of the respondents and 31.8% of all travel party members. EDUCATIONAL
BACKGROUNDS Some
78.1% of all respondents had some college experience, while only 16.4% had
just had a high-school education (Table 4). This is an unusually high level of
education for visitors to a community, but can be explained by the presence of
Purdue University in West Lafayette. The two single largest groups were people
with Bachelor’s degrees, at 36.7%, and those with Master’s degrees at
20.4%. Some 66.8% of the respondents had earned college degrees ranging from
Associates to Doctorates, and 24.6% had postgraduate degrees. The
largest proportions of visitors with earned high school diplomas were in
Summer and Fall 1996, at 23.8% and 16.2% respectively. The lowest percentages
of high-school diploma earners were in Spring 1997 (5.9%) and Winter 1996-97
(9.4%). The largest proportion with earned Bachelor’s degrees was in Spring
1997 (51.8%) and the lowest proportion in Fall 1996 (32.8%). The proportion of
respondents with earned degrees was highest in Spring 1997 at 84.7% and lowest
in Summer 1996 at 56.9%. OCCUPATIONS The majority of Greater Lafayette’s visitors were from four
occupational groupings; owner/self-employed (25.8%), student (18.4%),
professional/technical (13%), and managerial/executive (11.7%) (Table 5).
There were also smaller, but nevertheless significant, proportions of retired
persons (7.8%), homemakers (6.6%), farming/fishing/forestry (5.8%), and
skilled workers (4.4%). The distribution of occupations varied from season to
season. Students were more prevalent in Greater
Lafayette in the Spring 1997, Summer 1996, and Winter 1996-97 seasons (27.6%,
18.1%, and 18.1% respectively). Retired people were at their highest
proportions in Fall 1996 (11.1%) and in Winter 1996-97 (8.1%). HOUSEHOLD
INCOMES Approximately
74.4% of the respondents provided information on their household income
levels, while the remaining 25.6% were unwilling to provide these details
(Table 6). Approximately 71.1% of the respondents who provided this
information had household incomes of $40,000 or more. About 36.3% of those
providing income data reported incomes of $60,000 or more. Some 16.7% of the
respondents providing information had household incomes in the $80,000 and
over range, while 9.8% of these respondents had incomes of $100,000 or more.
Only 8.2% of all the respondents providing income data reported annual, before
tax household incomes below $20,000. The
three most frequently encountered income brackets among the respondents
providing income data were $50,000-$59,999 (12%), $30,000 $39,999 (7.7%), and
$45,000-$49,999 (7.6%). There were some seasonal variations in the patterns of
household incomes. For example, the over $40,000 group was at its highest in
Spring 1997, at 82.4%, and at its lowest in Winter 1996-97, at 62.2%. The
middle income range, from $40,000 to $79,999, was at its highest in Spring
1997, at 72.3%%, and at its lowest in Fall 1996, at 46.6%. GENDER Overall,
the majority of respondents in 1996-97 were males at 61.2% (Table 2). This
proportion was relatively consistent
throughout the year, with the highest proportion of female respondents being
in Summer 1996 at 48.8%. GEOGRAPHIC
ORIGINS OF VISITORS
Geographically, the majority of the visitors to Greater Lafayette in 1996-97
came from 39 of the 50 states in the U.S. In particular, the data showed that
Greater Lafayette’s market is strongest in Indiana and its neighboring
states. The majority (approximately 65.8%) of Greater Lafayette’s U.S.
visitors were from just four states: Indiana (40.6%), Illinois (12.8%), Ohio
(8.9%), and Michigan (3.5%) (Table 9). The only other states with more than 2%
of the respondents were Texas (4%), California (3%), Pennsylvania (2.7%),
Kentucky (2.6%), and New York (2.5%). The
leading census region was East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, and WI),
accounting for 67.4% of all U.S. visitors to Greater Lafayette in 1996-97
(Table 8). The only other significant census regions were South Atlantic
(6.3%) and Middle Atlantic (5.7%). The top three census regions generated
79.4% of all Greater Lafayette U.S. visitors. The smallest-generating census
region was Mountain (1.5%). Some 7.3% of Greater Lafayette’s visitors were
from outside of the U.S. (Table 7). There
were significant changes in geographic origins by season. For example, the
four-state area of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan peaked in Fall 1996
at 69.8% and was lowest in Spring 1997 at 55.8%. Only 25 states were
represented in Winter 1996-97. The most-frequently mentioned 3-digit zip code areas of the respondents were in Indianapolis (460-462 = 11.3%) (Table 10). Other Indiana zip codes with significant numbers of visitors were South Bend (5.8%), Fort Wayne (4.4%), Gary (4.1%), Muncie (3.1%), Kokomo (2.7%), Terre Haute (2.5%), and Bloomington (2.3%). The Chicago area zips (600-606) accounted for 10.3% of all the respondents included in Table 10. The other out-of-state zip with the most respondents was Columbus, Ohio (2.7%). All the other 3-digit zip codes each accounted for less than 2% of the respondents. The Indianapolis area zip codes were at a high proportion of 15.3% in Fall 1996. The
average travel party size for 1996-97 was 2.4 persons (Table 11). About 65% of
all respondents were repeat visitors to Greater Lafayette, while only 35% were
visiting for the very first time (Table 15). It was noticeable that 32.8% of
all visitors were very frequent visitors and had visited Greater Lafayette on
four or more previous occasions. Some
34.3% of visitors were on short‑duration trips of one to four
nights stay in Greater Lafayette, while another 21% were on longer-stay trips
to Greater Lafayette (Table 21). SIZE OF TRAVEL
PARTIES Travel
party sizes ranged from just one traveler to a group of 31 and more visitors
(Table 11). The average party size in 1996-97 was 2.4 persons. The highest
average party size was in Summer 1996 (2.7 persons). The mode for travel party
size, or the most frequently encountered party size, however, was one person
with the highest proportion of 38.1%, followed by groups of two (29.7%), and
three persons (15.2%). The overwhelming majority (96.9%) of visitors to Greater Lafayette in 1996-97 were in travel parties of five or less persons. The average travel party size was the smallest in Winter 1996-97 (2.04 persons) and Fall 1996 (2.22 persons). The highest average party size was in Summer 1996 (2.71 persons). TYPES OF TRAVEL
PARTIES The
majority (46.7%) of Greater Lafayette’s 1996-97 visitors were traveling as
families, with or without friends. Solo travelers were the next largest group
at 39.1% (Table 12). Groups of friends was the next highest
at 11.9%. There
were marked differences in travel party compositions by season. While 57.5% of
the respondents in Summer 1996 were with their families, with or without
friends, this proportion fell to 26.6% in Winter 1996-97. Groups of friends
ranged from a high of 17.7% in Winter 1996-97 to a low of 7.7% in Summer 1996.
The proportion of solo travelers varied from a high of 54.4% in Winter 1996-97
to a low of 28.4% in Summer 1996. Combining
this party composition data with the age information discussed earlier, the
largest proportions of younger visitors (19 and under) were in Summer 1996
(38.3%) and Spring 1997 (17.9%). This suggests that, as could be expected, the
families with children market was strongest in Summer 1996, while students
were more prevalent in Fall 1996 and Spring 1997. TRIP PURPOSES Some
75.7% of all Greater Lafayette’s 1996-97 visitors indicated that their main
trip purpose was for pleasure or personal reasons (Table 13). Business
travelers accounted for 18.6%, and 5.7% worked in Greater Lafayette. There
were some interesting differences in trip purposes by season. Summer 1996 had
the highest proportion of business travelers at 32.8%, due to an above-average
proportion attending conventions, conferences, or meetings. Winter 1996-97 had
the next highest proportion of business travelers at 20.4%. The proportions of
pleasure/personal travelers to total travelers were highest in Fall 1996 and
Spring 1997 at 87.2% and 84% respectively. The
most frequently cited specific trip purposes were visiting a friend or
relative at Purdue University (18.2%), other visiting friends or relatives
(12%), attending Day on Campus at Purdue (10.6%), for children to attend
Purdue sports events or other educational/campus programs (10.6%), attending a
Purdue sporting event (6.5%), and attending a convention, conference, meeting
or trade show (6.4%) (Table 14). These
data clearly confirmed the key importance of Purdue University in attracting
visitors to Greater Lafayette. Approximately 58.4% of the 1996-97 visitors
gave a specific trip purpose that had some involvement with the university.
The data also confirmed the role of Greater Lafayette as a tourism
destination, rather than as a place to pass through en route to another
destination. Only 16.3% of the respondents indicated that they were passing by
or through Greater Lafayette. There were significant differences in specific trip purposes according to season. For example, the percentage of respondents staying in Greater Lafayette to attend a sporting event at Purdue was at a high of 20.3% in Fall 1996. The percentage attending Day on Campus peaked at 29.4% in Summer 1996. The proportion attending conventions, conferences, or meetings also was at a high in Summer 1996, at 14%. The percentages visiting so that children could attend sports and other educational/camps programs peaked in Summer 1996 and Spring 1997 at 19.6% and 12.8% respectively. NUMBER OF
PREVIOUS VISITS TO GREATER LAFAYETTE As was mentioned earlier, the majority (64.8%) of respondents
in 1996-97 had visited Greater Lafayette on at least one previous occasion
(Table 15). In fact, 32.8% of the respondents had visited Greater Lafayette on
four or more previous occasions. Generally, this pattern held true in each of
the four seasons. In Fall 1996, return visitors reached a peak of
68.9% of all respondents. The very frequent visitors (those with five
or more visits) represented around 35% or more of the respondents in Summer
and Fall 1996, but were at lower proportions in the other two seasons. FINAL
DESTINATIONS AND PRIOR TRAVEL STOPS Some
78.6% of all the 1996-97 respondents stated that Greater Lafayette was their
final destination on their current trips (Table 16). The remaining 21.4% had
other final destinations. This relationship held fairly stable for each of the
four seasons, reaching a high of 88.8% in Winter 1996-97 and a low of 73% in
Fall 1996. The
most popular final destinations within Indiana other than Greater Lafayette
were South Bend (9.4%), Monticello (9.4%), and Indianapolis (6.1%) (Table 17).
Other final destinations with some significant proportions of respondents were
Chicago (13.9%) and New York (4.1%). The most popular places visited within Indiana on the respondents’ trips prior to Greater Lafayette were Indianapolis (25 respondents) and Chicago (16 respondents) (Table 18). MODES OF
TRANSPORTATION Given
Greater Lafayette’s location and transportation facilities, it could be
expected that the visitors’ predominant mode of transportation would be the
automobile. In fact, 86.7% of all respondents indicated that private or rented
vehicles were used (Table 19). Among the other transportation modes used, the
most popular was commercial airline (9.7%). These patterns were fairly
consistent throughout the year. There was some seasonal variation in other
transportation mode usage. Commercial airline usage reached a high of 15.2% in
Winter 1996-97. HIGHWAYS AND
ROADS USED The
highways and roads used most frequently to get to Greater Lafayette were I-65
(47.4%), Highway 26 (9%), Highway 25 (5.7%), Highway 231 (4.2%), Highway 43
(3.9%), I-70 (3.7%), and Highway 52 (3.6%) (Table 20). LENGTHS OF STAY The majority of visitors in 1996-97 stayed overnight in Greater Lafayette (58.7% of those who knew of their plans) (Table 21). Most people stayed one to four nights in Greater Lafayette (36.4%). Day trips to Greater Lafayette accounted for 25.8% of the respondents. There was some variation in lengths of stay by season. For example, the day trip percentage was at a high of 29.4% in Fall 1996, but fell to 18.6% in Spring 1997. ACCOMMODATION
USAGE The
majority of the 1996-97 visitors to Greater Lafayette who remained overnight
stayed in local hotels and motels (48.7%) (Table 22-1). The other major types
of accommodation were the homes of friends
(18.2%) and relatives (19.1%). The most frequently used hotels were as follows
(Table 22-2): ACCOMMODATIONS
pERCENTAGE Union
Club
Hotel
33.4% Radisson
Inn
14.5% Signature
Inn
12.0% Holiday
Inn
10.4% University
Inn & Conference
Center
7.9% Fairfield
Inn by
Marriott
4.7% Homewood
Suites
3.8% Lees
Inn
3.5%
Other specific lodging establishments were mentioned by less than 3% of
visitors who remained overnight in Greater Lafayette. VISITOR
EXPENDITURE PATTERNS
Respondents were given the alternative of estimating their travel expenditures
in Greater Lafayette for themselves only or for their travel parties as a
whole. For respondents only, some 74.8% expected to spend less than $250,
while the remaining 25.2% expected to spend $250 or more in Greater Lafayette
(Table 23). The largest single expected spending categories for individuals
were $100 to $149.99 (16.3%), under $50 (15.6%), $50 to $99.99 (14.9%), and
$200 to $249.99 (14.6%). The
pattern of expenditures for groups was different from the individual spending
pattern. For those estimating for their travel parties as a whole, 65.6%
expected to spend less than $250 and the remaining 34.4% to spend $250 or more
(Table 24). The largest expected
spending category for entire travel parties was $100 to $249.99 (44.3%). The
next largest spending category was $250 to $499.99 at 23.3%. The under $100
category ranked third at 21.3%, followed by the $500 and more category
(11.2%). There
were some significant seasonal variations in the spending estimates of this
study’s respondents. For the entire year of 1996-97, the median expenditure
range for travel parties was in the $150 to $199.99 category. However, in
Summer 1996, the median travel party expenditure was lower at $100 to $149.99.
Overall, the Spring 1997 season had the highest average travel party
expenditure figures, with a median in the $300 to $349.99 range. MEDIA AND TRAVEL INFORMATION USAGE
For advertising and marketing purposes, it was felt to be important to
ask respondents about their media habits. Therefore, the questionnaire
included questions on usage of magazines, newspapers, radio formats, and cable
TV stations. Respondents were also asked about their use of the World Wide
Web. Finally, respondents provided information on their sources of travel
information, and about the people or organizations that influenced them to
travel to Greater Lafayette. THE PRINT
MEDIA: MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS
The ten most popular magazines read by what could be considered a significant
proportion of respondents were: Reader’s Digest (154), Newsweek (133),
Sports Illustrated (124), National Geographic (85), People (80), Business Week
(67), Better Homes & Gardens (65), Time (51), U.S. News & World Report
(48), and Woman’s Day (34) (Table 33-1). Other magazines read by significant
numbers of respondents were Redbook (32), Midwest Living (25), Country Living
(23), and National Geographic Traveler (21). Among
newspapers, the most frequently mentioned were USA Today (187), the Wall
Street Journal (97), Chicago Tribune (93), Indianapolis Star (92), Chicago
Sun-Times (49), and Lafayette
Journal & Courier (17). The Chicago newspaper readers were at a peak of
25.8% in Fall 1996. THE ELECTRONIC
MEDIA: RADIO, CABLE TV, AND WORLD WIDE WEB There
was a fairly even distribution of respondents among the five most popular
radio formats. These were rock/popular (Top 40) (260), easy listening (228),
classical (205), country (179), and classic rock (153) (Table 34). The other
popular radio station formats were talk radio (135), jazz/blues (119), and
alternative rock (103). The
ten most popular cable television subscriptions among the respondents were
ESPN (430), CNN (419), A & E (415), USA Network (383), TBS (383),
Discovery Channel (381), CNBC (343), Nickelodeon (314), TNN (311), and the
Family Channel (306) (Table 35). Other cable TV stations with significant
numbers of respondents were HBO (285), Disney Channel (268), Cinemax (245),
The Learning Channel (234), and the Travel Channel (207). Some
52.5% (459) of the respondents said that they had used the Internet/World Wide
Web in their homes or places of business, while the remaining 47.5% (416) had
never used this computer-based medium (Table 36). The majority of the Internet
users had been online at work (72.1%), at a library, school or college
(33.1%), at home via America Online (15%), or at home via CompuServe (3.7%).
This implies that more than half of visitors have potential access to
GLCVB’s World Wide Web site. TRAVEL
INFORMATION SOURCES Given the high proportion of repeat visits noted earlier, it is not surprising that a large proportion of the 1996-97 visitors did not actively seek travel related information for their current trips. In fact, 66% of all the respondents indicated that they “didn’t look for or receive any information” or they “already knew about Greater Lafayette” (Table 31). Significant information sources used were friends or relatives, at 17.7% of respondents, and the Purdue Visitor Information Center (4.7%). MOST
INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN TRAVEL DECISION-MAKING The most influential groups of persons in influencing the travel decisions to Greater Lafayette were the organization for which you work (25.8%), friends (21.2%), children (21.1%), spouses/partners/companions (11%), and other relatives (12.8%). VISITS, AWARENESS, AND RATINGS OF TIPPECANOE COUNTY'S ATTRACTIONS AND FACILITIES ACTIVITY
PARTICIPAT The
respondents were supplied with a list of 23 activities and were asked if they
participated in them during their trips to Greater Lafayette. The ten most
popular activities with the highest participation rates among 1996-97 visitors
were: aCTIVITIES
PARTICIPATION RATES 1.
Shop (general
shopping)
38.6% 2.
Attend a conference or
meeting
23.8% 3.
Take a tour of the Purdue
campus
23.3% 4.
Attend an educational
program
15.3% 5.
Shop for local arts and
handicrafts
12.8% 6.
Attend a sporting event at
Purdue
11.1% 7.
Shop for
antiques
8.2% 8.
Observe wildlife/bird
watch
5.7% 9.
Golf
4.2% 10.
Attend a cultural
performance
4.0% The
most popular activities were definitely shopping, attending a conference or
meeting, and touring Purdue University’s campus. The next most popular
activities were shopping for local arts/handicrafts and attending educational
programs. As
might be expected, there were some seasonal variations in activity
participation that might be attributed partly to changes in the weather
conditions. The following exhibit shows the top ten activities by
participation rates for each of the four seasons. ACTIVITIES summer fall winter spring year 1996 1996 96-97 1997 Shop
(general shopping)
2
1
1
1
1 Attend
a conference or meeting 1
5
2 Take
a tour of the Purdue campus
3
3
3
5
3 Attend
an educational
program
4
8
4
3
4 Shop
for local arts and handicrafts 6
4
6
3
5 Attend a sporting event at Purdue 2 7 6 Shop
for
antiques 7
6
5
6
7 Observe wildlife/bird watch 5 7 8 Golf 9
7
10
8
9 Attend a cultural performance 9 10 8 10 Attend
a sporting event, not at Purdue 7
8
11 Ride
a
bicycle
9
10
12 Visit
a theme or amusement
park
9
13 A To
get an idea of the respondents’ usage and ratings of local attractions,
events, and facilities, they were asked if they visited specific locations
and, if so, to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest
possible rating. The results give an indication of the most popular
attractions and events and, in addition, may indicate where some specific
improvements are needed in certain attractions or facilities. The
two major attractions with the highest rates of usage on current trips were
the retail facilities at Tippecanoe Mall, Downtown Lafayette, and the West
Lafayette Village area (Table 26). This was also the case for previous trips
(Table 25) and for places still to be visited on current trips (Table 27).
Other individual attractions within Greater Lafayette with significant levels
of use were the Riehle Plaza/Bridge, Ross Ade Stadium, Mackey Arena, and Fort
Ouiatenon. Other individual attractions which significant numbers of visitors
had visited on previous trips were Columbian Park and the Tippecanoe
Battlefield (Table 25). Apart from the retail shopping areas and these six
individual attractions, all the other local attractions had relatively low
attendance rates and recognition among the 1996-97 visitors to Greater
Lafayette. The
festivals and events with the highest rates of previous attendance were Purdue
football games, Purdue basketball games, the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, and
Purdue Convocations (Table 25). Again, with the exception of the
Purdue-associated events and the Feast, the awareness and attendance at major
local festivals and events were also relatively low. These results suggest
that more could be done to promote Tippecanoe County’s local events and
festivals, and attractions other than those at Purdue University. Generally,
respondents gave fairly high ratings to Greater Lafayette’s attractions,
events, and festivals (Table 29-5). The highest ratings were given to the
following: Attractions
rating
Responses
1. Mackey
Arena
8.5
121
1. Riehle
Plaza/Bridge
8.5
76
1. Ross Ade
Stadium
8.5 161
1. Ross Hills/4H leadership
park 8.5
15
5. Fort Ouiatenon
8.2
13
5. Imagination
Station
8.2
16
5. Long
Center 8.2
17
5. Wolf
Park 8.2
40
9. Greater Lafayette Museum of
Art 8.1
46 10.
Fowler
House 8.0 40 10.
Tippecanoe
Battlefield 8.0 80 EVENTS
AND FESTIVALS
1. Feast of the Hunters’
Moon
8.7
88 2. Purdue basketball
games
8.7
43
3. Gus Macker
Tournament
8.6
16
4. International
Fest
8.5
8
4. Purdue Grand
Prix
8.5
42
6. Indiana Fiddlers’
Gathering
8.4
13
6. Purdue football
games
8.4
64
8. Colt World
Series
8.3
13
8. Taste of
Tippecanoe
8.3
23
8. U-Sing/Mom’s
Weekend
8.3
16
8. Other Purdue sports
events
8.3 39
The attractions with the lowest overall ratings among the 1996-97 visitors to
Greater Lafayette were as follows: ·
Lafayette
Downtown area (7.5) ·
Tippecanoe
County Courthouse (7.6) ·
Columbian
Park (7.8) ·
Tippecanoe
County Amphitheater (7.8) ·
Tippecanoe
Mall (7.8) Among
out-of-town attractions, the most-highly rated were The Children’s Museum in
Indianapolis (8.9), Brown County/Nashville (8.7), Turkey Run State Park (8.6),
Indianapolis 500 Speedway (8.6), and the Indianapolis Zoo (8.6) (Table 29-5).
The most-visited out-of-town attractions on prior trips were the Indianapolis
500 Speedway, Brown County/Nashville, Circle Centre Mall, The Children’s
Museum, Indiana Beach, Indianapolis Zoo, and Conner Prairie (Table 25). PERCEPTIONS OF TIPPECANOE COUNTY AS A DESTINATION One
of the major objectives of this Visitor Profile Study was to gather
information on the image of Greater Lafayette as a visitor destination.
Seventeen Likert-scale questions were included in the questionnaire to get an
idea of visitors’ perceptions of various aspects of Greater Lafayette as a
travel destination. Respondents were also asked to provide their own
suggestions on what could be added or improved in Greater Lafayette to make it
a more attractive destination for visitors. PERCEPTIONS OF
GREATER LAFAYETTE Greater
Lafayette was seen as having a high degree of accessibility by road, and as
being a safe and affordable travel destination (Table 37). Greater Lafayette
was also perceived by a majority of 1996-97 visitors to be a good place to
visit for a few hours on the way to Chicago or Indianapolis, and as a good
place for a day trip. In addition, a majority of respondents agreed that
Greater Lafayette was a good place to take children. Perceptual
Statements on Greater Lafayette
agree
(positively-worded) 1.
Greater Lafayette has a high degree of accessibility by
road
71.6% 2.
Greater Lafayette is safe as a travel
destination
69.9% 3.
Greater Lafayette is affordable as a travel
destination
64.6% 4.
Greater Lafayette is a good place to visit for a few hours on the way
to
60.5% Chicago or Indianapolis 5.
Greater Lafayette is a good place for a day
trip
53.4% 6.
Greater Lafayette is a good place to take
children
44.2% While
the overall perceptions of Greater Lafayette as a destination were favorable,
a central tendency was noticed for several of the perceptual statements. These
statements tended to have significant neutral (neither agree or disagree)
ratings (at 3.0). Perceptual
Statements on Greater Lafayette
NEUTRAL Greater
Lafayette has several unique attractions for
vacationers
54.0% The
shopping available in Greater Lafayette is a major reason
for
53.4% spending time in this community Greater
Lafayette does not offer many activities for vacation
travelers
51.6% Greater
Lafayette is not a good place for family
weekends
51.0% Greater
Lafayette is a unique vacation travel
destination
49.6% Greater
Lafayette does not have enough high-quality hotels and
motels
47.3% Traffic
congestion is a problem in Greater
Lafayette
45.2% The
directional signs in Greater Lafayette need to be
improved
44.9% There
were small, but significant, proportions of respondents who had negative
perceptions of Greater Lafayette as a travel destination. The less favorable
perceptual ratings are highlighted in the following table. The table indicates
the percentage of respondents who said that they either “disagreed” or
“strongly disagreed” with the statements when the statements were
positively worded or “agreed” or “strongly agreed” when the statements
were negatively worded. ERCEPTUAL
STATEMENTS
AgrEE
DIS-AGREE 1.
The only reason to visit Greater Lafayette is to do
something
36.4%
31.9%
that is Purdue-related 2.
The directional signs within Greater Lafayette need to be
improved 34.6% 20.4% 3.
Traffic congestion is a problem in Greater
Lafayette
34.2% 20.1% 4.
Greater Lafayette does not offer many activities for vacation travelers
30.2% 18.0% 5.
It is difficult to find your way around Greater
Lafayette
29.0% 34.7% 6.
Greater Lafayette does not have enough high-quality hotels and motels15.0%
37.6% 7.
Greater Lafayette does not have enough quality
restaurants
15.4% 46.4% 8.
Greater Lafayette is not a good place for family
weekends
14.6% 34.6% a.
The shopping available in Greater Lafayette is a major reason
for 16.7% 29.7%
spending time in this community b.
Greater Lafayette is a unique vacation travel
destination
7.8% 23.5% c.
Greater Lafayette has several unique attractions for
vacationers
25.0% 20.9% RESPONDENTS’
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS
Most of the suggested improvements were related to traffic flows and road
signs within Greater Lafayette. One of the most frequently mentioned
improvements to make Greater Lafayette a more attractive destination was to
improve the streets and roads (Table 38). The specific suggestions were as
follow: Suggested
Improvements
mentions Better
roads and
streets
41 More
road signs and better
directions
34 More
and better quality
restaurants
34 More
things to
do
26 Better,
more, and more affordable
hotels
14 More
and improved parking
facilities
13 Better
public
transportation 12 RESPONDENT’S
VERBATIM DESCRIPTIONS OF GREATER LAFAYETTE Respondents
were asked to describe Greater Lafayette as a place to visit as it is now. In
general, Greater Lafayette was seen as a nice, very good, college town where
people are friendly and hospitable (Table 39). Other descriptors frequently
used were related to Greater Lafayette being safe, affordable, and pleasant.
The ten most popular descriptions are listed below. The percentages were based
on the total number of respondents in this study. verbatim
Descriptions
Mentions
% Nice
156
17.8% Very
good
57
6.5% A
college
town
44
5.0% People
are friendly and
hospitable 42
4.8% Safe
place to
visit 38
4.3% Great
place 36
4.1% O.K. 36 4.1% Affordable
23 2.6% Pleasant
23 2.6% Suburb
of
Purdue
14 1.6% RESPONDENTS’
INTENTIONS TO RETURN
It was mentioned earlier that the majority of the respondents were return
visitors. This trend should continue according to the findings of this study.
When asked if they intended to come back to Greater Lafayette, 96.1% of the
respondents provided a positive response (Table 40). Only 3.9% of the
respondents said they would not be making future trips to Greater Lafayette. IMPORTANT
FACTORS IN SELECTING DESTINATIONS Respondents
were asked to indicate the most important factors that they consider when
selecting a travel destination. The four most important factors were: 1)
attractions, events, and festivals, 2) natural beauty and scenery, 3)
price/affordability, and 4) weather/climate (Table 41). The most frequently
mentioned factors are shown on the table in the next page. Destination
Selection Factors
% 1.
Price/affordability 11.8% 2.
Accessibility (by highway,
airline) 11.7% 3.
Attractions/events/festivals 10.6% 4.
Range of
activities
9.0% 5. Accommodation/lodging (type and
availability) 8.1% 6.
Natural
beauty/scenery 7.5% 7.
Hospitality/friendliness 6.9% 8.
Uniqueness of a
destination 6.5% 9.
Safety/security 6.3% 10.
Weather/climate 5.9% 11. Business reasons or contacts 5.6% 12.
Restaurants 5.5% |
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