Visitor Servicing
Many destinations suffer under the misapprehension that once a visitor has been attracted to an area the job is complete and the economic benefit will flow. Destinations need to be mindful that attracting the visitor is only the start of the satisfaction process. When the visitor arrives on your doorstep it is vital that the area delivers and exceeds the promises made through marketing. Failure to deliver on the promise will severely reduce repeat visitation and could result in the spreading of negative publicity.
It is often quoted in the retail industry that it takes four to six times more effort (and money) to attract a new customer than to retain one. It’s also believed that if a business can sustain a 5% improvement in customer retention, then its profits should double within five years. The lifetime value of a highly satisfied visitor is often years of return visits, increased expenditure, increased length of stay, and highly positive word of mouth.
Major determinants of visitor satisfaction include:
- The welcoming nature of the community,
- The quality and attitude of tourism providers,
- Good quality infrastructure, especially roads, signage, toilets, recreation areas etc,
- Information provision, such as visitor information centres, tourist radio, information bays, electronic kiosks.
Local government plays an important role in most of the above, through the education of its community and tourism operators, and especially through the provision of infrastructure, including visitor information centres. A study of traveller behaviour on Victoria’s Western Highway (Beaufort to Kaniva) in 1999 (Sully et al) revealed that one of the key determinants of motorists stopping in a town or city was the visual impression they absorbed within the first 60 seconds of entering the urban limits, as well as the accessibility and quality of key service facilities, such as toilets, petrol, parking, refreshments and shops.
The sense of ‘welcome’ displayed by business people and residents contributes significantly to a positive impression. Destinations that have been strategically based on a Tourism Development Plan, which embraces the needs and opinion of the resident community, usually display a more positive attitude towards visitors. It is often when residents feel that their community is becoming overrun by visitors that negativity and conflict can arise.
The commitment of tourism operators to upgrading their own skills and those of their staff also plays a large role in building a healthy attitude and excellence of service. Unfortunately, commitment to training and professional development usually takes low priority among tourism operators, and even among many tourism industry organizations. This can be especially so when considerable travel and time is required for regional operators to attend courses. The incorporation of regular training sessions on highly relevant topics should be part of the networking role of local and regional tourism organizations. Because most of the visitor contact with ‘locals’ is through retail staff, it is also advisable to work with chambers of commerce, especially for the delivery of customer service training.
Visitor information
While a dedicated visitor information centre is often seen as the ultimate means of visitor servicing, there are other, lower cost ways of meeting the information needs of visitors:
- Roadside information bays
- Through 7 day a week offices
- Through retail outlets
- Visitor radio services
- Through ‘welcome shops’
- Interpretative signing
- Electronic kiosks
The operation of an accredited visitor information centre is an expensive recurrent cost, but it can act as the ‘shop window’ to your town or region. A well run V.I.C. will often result in extended length of stay and increased expenditure among visitors, as well as projecting a very positive image of your community, which will be taken back with people to other parts of the country and the world.
Many of the more recently established visitor information centres also incorporate visually engaging and often interactive presentations of their local natural and social history. Not only does this provide a further reason to call at the V.I.C., but it can also present an overview of the town or district to many more people than can a local museum or heritage centre. V.I.C.s in Bendigo, Wangaratta, Rutherglen, Apollo Bay and Portland are good examples of this ‘value-adding’.
In dispersed regional areas it may be worth considering the establishment of a centralised information centre to service the region. This may involve sharing costs and administration responsibilities among a number of municipalities and tourist associations.
Click here to read about the criteria for establishing an accredited visitor information centre in Victoria.
However, it is worth remembering that even the most successful and prominently sited V.I.C.s rarely service more than 5% of the total visitation to an area. It’s often forgotten that the major dispensers of information to visitors are the frontline staff in accommodation houses and caravan parks. The implementation of systems to keep these people up to date on local attractions and services can significantly boost the level of information available to visitors. Similarly, effective brochure distribution systems to local accommodation houses also means that information is readily available to people at the time when they are most likely to be making decisions about what to see and what to do.