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Discover Mid-America — January 2006

Statistics point the way
by Bruce Rodgers, Editor/Publisher

Snow, slick streets and the cold aren’t exactly inducements to get in the car to drive somewhere to shop. And for shop and mall owners, and operators of historical and cultural attractions, lousy winter weather tends to peel away the allure of their operation as a “destination.”

But hey, the ballots are coming — most notably from the Wichita area — in our Discover Mid-America Destinations voting. (Click here to vote)

Boosters of online shopping like to point out that more and more people are shopping online. Cold weather can be motivator for that. But as the number of online shoppers rise, there’s plenty of griping along the way. Research has show that the majority of online shoppers list “avoiding crowds” as the main reason they shop online, particularly during the holidays. Convenience is another reason.

But the convenience factor fades when researchers asked about the difficulties of shopping online. Shipping costs heads the list as a negative with confusing and hard-to-navigate websites following close behind.

But as the Travel Industry Association of America (www.tia.org) points out in its research, “the Internet and online services are very popular with travelers,” with 70 percent using the Internet for travel planning.

The TIA has other research that DMA advertisers and readers may find interesting, particularly in how it relates to being a destination. The statistics were gleaned from the years 2000 to 2004:

• 75% of U.S. adult travelers attended a cultural activity or event while on a trip,

• 41% attended a festival and/or fair during a trip, with 31% of all travelers attending a state or county fair, or arts and crafts fair,

• a majority (58%) of U.S. adult travelers included an historic activity or event on a trip, with three in ten visiting a designated historic community or town,

• almost 30% of Americans take five or more weekend trips a year, with trips lasting more than one week in decline. Visiting cities (33%) and small towns (26%) are favored destinations (There’s that word again.),

• and shopping continues to be the most popular trip activity for U.S. adult travelers. The TIA estimates that 34% of all person-trips include shopping, and most (81%) shopping travelers say that their most recent trip that included shopping was for leisure purposes.

Though men travel further than women when traveling, when women travel, they shop more than men.

What does this all mean? Well…it means people in the antique and collectibles, and historic tourism business need to consider ways to point these shopper/travelers their way, and we’re here to help. Vote in Discover Mid-America Destinations! Deadline for ballots is Jan. 31, 2006.

Contact Bruce Rodgers at publisher@discoverypub.com.

> Editor’s Notebook Archive — past columns