Research findings
Contents 1 Key insights 3 2 4 Insights from the 'decided audience' 33 5 Profile and perceptions of the ski 2015 audience 3 6 Appendix 45 Influencing the 'undecided audience' 14 2
1 Key insights
Key messages (1 of 2) The addressable market for a ski holiday equates to approximately 3.1m Australians aged 18 to 74 years and 75% of these have yet decided on a destination The market is more likely to be male, younger, prior visitors of NZ, located in NSW, and two thirds consider themselves beginners NZ has strong power in the mind, equal to Australia while stronger than Canada and twice as strong as Japan For the ski 2015 audience, destination appeal is driven by value for money, accommodation at the ski field, being known for its great snow conditions, a range suited to all abilities and being a fun place Whilst NZ can leverage strengths on being value for money and being a fun place it must improve weakness on key drivers; accommodation at the ski field, being known for its great snow conditions and offering a range suited to all abilities For half of non-considerers NZ does not penetrate the consideration set that is NZ is simply never thought of as a ski destination; while a fifth have already been and would rather go somewhere else 4
Key messages (2 of 2) For the undecided group, decision-making suggests in Feb/Mar-15 with roughly a third planning on deciding their ski destination around then and an earlier campaign start will be beneficial though there is no evidence to suggest that this would translate into higher average ski days Opportunity to intercept the undecided audience looks to be largest via the websites of accommodation providers, airlines and accommodation aggregation websites Most of the undecided audience intend to take a holiday of 8-14 days in length and 61% intend to spend around half of their holiday skiing, although proportion of ski days decreases as length of stay increases When prompted, Mt Hutt is the most recognised ski field while other ski fields are not as well recognised; and although some people may recognise these names verbatim and previous research indicate they do not know the location of these fields 5
2 Profile and perceptions of the ski 2015 audience
19% of Australians aged 18 to 74 are in the addressable market for ski equating to approximately 3.1m people We surveyed Australians aged 18 to 74 that said they would consider NZ generally for a holiday and that are in the market for ski in 2015 (1) 100% 61% 18 to 74 years Would not consider NZ 39% 20% Would consider NZ From here we ll refer to this group as the ski 2015 audience Not interested /would not ski 19% In the market for ski 2015 Base: Australians aged 18 to 74 years. Sample size: n = 1,889. In the market for ski 2015 means a frequent, infrequent or lapsed skier; a first timer that would like to ski again; a non-skier that would like to try it and who would consider at least one of 12 international ski destinations to visit in 2015. 7
The market is skewed towards males, younger people, prior visitors of NZ, NSW residents and two thirds are ski beginners Demographics Gender Segment Region Male Female Young Adventurers Independent Professionals Silver Surfers Not classified NSW VIC QLD Rest of Australia 60% 40% 39% 44% 12% 5% 38% 22% 22% 18% Household structure Visited NZ Ski/snowboard ability Singles/couples Families Previous visitors Potential FTAs Beginner Intermediate Advanced 60% 40% 44% 56% 67% 22% 11% Base: Ski 2015 Audience. Sample size: n = 402. Significantly higher/lower than general population 8
New Zealand has good levels of equity as a ski destination, equal to Australia Power in the mind a measure of the brand equity of international ski destinations New Zealand (25%) Canada (15%) Switzerland (9%) USA (7%) % = share of desire for all destinations Australia (24%) Japan (7%) Austria (4%) Italy (2%) Spain (1%) France (3%) Chile (1%) Argentina (1%) Base: Ski 2015 Audience. Sample size: n = 363. Power in the mind is a shared-based measure of the market s desire for a particular brand, or in this case ski destination. It is a share of commitment measure rather than a share of customer measure. 9
Key drivers of a destination s appeal for skiing are: value for money; accommodation at the ski field; great snow conditions; suited to all abilities; and being an all around fun place to visit Drivers of brand equity for international ski destinations (1) Value for money Has accommodation at the ski field Known for great snow conditions Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels Fun place Known for reliable snow conditions Has a good range of other activities Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level Restaurants/bars are in close proximity to the ski fields Offers a wide range of ski fields Easy to fly to Place I can visit without needing a rental car Unique experiences Easy to drive to Offers night-skiing Usual experiences Offers heli-skiing 20 26 38 36 49 61 103 102 144 139 138 138 137 135 130 120 183 Base: Ski 2015 Audience. Sample size: n = 363. 1. Drivers determined using Tanimoto co-efficient which assesses the strength of the relationship between these criteria and power in the mind, drivers are then divided by the average of all driver coefficients and indexed to 100 10
NZ performs well on value for money and being fun to visit but the ski 2015 audience sees it as weak on having accommodation at the ski fields Destination performance on drivers of brand equity among considerers of that destination Drivers, ranked by impact on brand equity Australia New Zealand Japan Argentina Chile USA Canada France Italy Austria Switzerland Spain Value for money 105 114 103 99 100 98 92 99 99 97 94 99 Has accommodation at the ski field 139 83 98 99 101 97 91 103 99 97 93 99 Known for great snow conditions 104 99 100 99 100 99 101 99 99 101 98 99 Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels 118 93 99 99 99 100 98 98 100 98 98 99 Fun place 92 105 99 100 100 101 105 99 99 99 100 99 Known for reliable snow conditions 95 102 99 100 100 101 104 99 99 102 102 99 Has a good range of other activities 97 102 102 99 100 102 99 99 99 101 99 100 Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level 108 101 99 100 99 99 99 100 99 98 99 99 Restaurants/bars are in close proximity 104 102 101 99 101 99 98 99 99 99 99 99 Offers a wide range of ski fields 102 100 100 99 99 100 104 99 99 98 99 99 Easy to fly to 106 96 99 101 100 100 103 99 100 99 98 99 Place I can visit without needing a rental car 99 91 100 100 99 107 104 100 101 96 103 99 Unique experiences 96 96 101 99 99 99 106 101 102 99 101 99 Offers night-skiing 106 98 100 101 100 101 98 100 100 98 99 99 Usual experiences 90 99 105 100 99 102 104 100 100 101 101 99 Offers heli-skiing 103 91 109 100 99 101 107 100 99 98 95 99 Base: Ski 2015 Audience. Sample size: n = 363. Performance based on weighted share of mentions. 1. Indexes are based on weighted share of performance across all providers and attributes less the destinations PiM and indexed to 100 11
With non-considerers, there is an opportunity for destination marketing to impose NZ in the consideration given most have just never thought of us Barriers to considering NZ as a ski destination (% non-considerers) I ve never thought about it enough to consider it 54% I ve been before and would like to try somewhere else The ski fields are too difficult for my experience level The ski fields are too easy for my experience level It s a hassle to get up to the ski fields There s nothing else to do there during winter I didn t know you could ski there The ski fields are too busy The ski fields are too small, with few slopes and / or short runs The snow conditions aren t reliable enough It s too far to fly to It s generally an expensive destination to visit Other 21% 18% 16% 16% 14% 14% 14% 13% 13% 12% 11% 11% Base: Ski 2015 Audience that would not consider NZ. Sample size: n = 162. 12
In summary, there is a sizeable opportunity to target those yet to choose a destination the undecided audience but that would be open to New Zealand Opportunities to target the Australian ski 2015 audience Consideration for NZ for ski in 2015 43% 38% Would not (49%) 70% 57% 62% Would consider NZ for ski (51%) 30% Booked at least one component (14%) Base: Ski 2015 Audience. Sample size: n = 363 Decided but yet to book anything (10%) Undecided (75%) Stage in decision-making process for skiing in 2015 13
3 Influencing the 'undecided audience'
Compared to those already decided for next year, the undecided audience is less experienced which likely also reflects the slight skews towards females, Silver Surfers and the minor states Demographics Gender Gender Segment Segment Region Region Male Female Young Adventurers Independent Silver Not Professionals Silver Surfers Surfers Not classified NSW VIC QLD Rest of Australia 57% 43% 37% 43% 14% 5% 33% 24% 22% 21% Household structure Visited NZ Ski 2015 planning behaviour Singles/couples Families Previous visitors Potential FTAs Decide where I want to go then make the plans Research then decide where I want to go Don t know 59% 40% 55% 45% 28% 66% 6% Ski/snowboard ability Ski/snowboard frequency Skier or snowboarder Beginner Intermediate Advanced Frequently Can but not often Lapsed Once before Never have Skier Both Boarder 76% 20% 4% 6% 13% 14% 26% 41% 45% 49% 6% Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. Significantly higher/lower than the decided audience 15
To intercept the undecided audience, a February campaign start would be timely, especially as most will book shortly after deciding on a destination Will decide on a destination (% undecided audience) Will have made bookings (% undecided audience) Time frame between deciding and booking destination By Dec-14 8% By Dec-14 4% Jan-15 Feb-15 7% 15% Jan-15 Feb-15 5% 13% Within same month 53% Mar-15 14% Mar-15 16% Apr-15 12% Apr-15 14% May-15 Jun-15 7% 10% May-15 Jun-15 11% 10% 1-2 months 39% Jul-15 7% Jul-15 6% Aug-15 4% Aug-15 3% Sep-15 Oct-15 2% 2% Sep-15 Oct-15 1% 2% 3 or more months 8% Nov-15 12% Nov-15 13% Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 215 after data cleaning. 16
This holds true for those who yet to decided but that would consider New Zealand for 2015 Will decide on a destination (% ski NZ considerers) Will have made bookings (% ski NZ considerers) Time frame between deciding and booking destination By Dec-14 11% By Dec-14 4% Jan-15 Feb-15 8% 17% Jan-15 Feb-15 6% 15% Within same month 50% Mar-15 17% Mar-15 18% Apr-15 11% Apr-15 16% May-15 Jun-15 8% 9% May-15 Jun-15 11% 10% 1-2 months 42% Jul-15 5% Jul-15 3% Aug-15 4% Aug-15 4% Sep-15 Oct-15 1% 1% Sep-15 Oct-15 1% 1% More than 3 months 8% Nov-15 9% Nov-15 10% Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ. Sample size: n = 130 after data cleaning. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 17
New Zealand has strong power in the mind among the undecided audience, alongside Australia Power in the mind - a measure of the brand equity of international ski destinations 15% 9% 7% 2% 1% 2% 4% 6% 0% 0% 26% 27% Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. 18
For the undecided audience, the top three key drivers of a destination s appeal are: value for money, accommodation at the ski field and runs suited to all abilities Drivers of brand equity for international ski destinations (1) (Undecided audience) Value for money Has accommodation at the ski field Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels Fun place Has a good range of other activities Known for great snow conditions Known for reliable snow conditions Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level Restaurants/bars are in close proximity Easy to fly to Offers a wide range of ski fields Place I can visit without needing a rental car Unique experiences Offers night-skiing Usual experiences Offers heli-skiing 11 19 26 41 57 105 101 121 149 145 143 142 141 139 134 190 Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. 1. Drivers determined using Tanimoto co-efficient which assesses the strength of the relationship between these criteria and power in the mind, drivers are then divided by the average of all driver coefficients and indexed to 100 19
NZ is seen to deliver value for money but is largely undifferentiated on other important drivers which could be addressed via comms messaging New Zealand s performance on drivers of brand equity (% undecided audience that associated NZ with driver) Value for money Has accommodation at the ski field Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels Fun place Has a good range of other activities Known for great snow conditions Known for reliable snow conditions Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level Restaurants/bars are in close proximity Easy to fly to Offers a wide range of ski fields Place I can visit without needing a rental car Unique experiences Offers night-skiing Usual experiences Offers heli-skiing 107 98 101 97 99 105 100 100 95 114 100 89 100 92 91 96 Strength Undifferentiated Weakness Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. Performance based on weighted share of mentions. 20
An additional barrier is that prompted awareness of major NZ ski fields is low, even amongst those that would consider NZ Prompted awareness of the names of major NZ ski fields (%) Turoa, 13% Verbatim feedback What options are there in NZ aside from Queenstown? Advertising I've noticed in Australia is just general (e.g. "Queenstown") without talking about specific resorts Rainbow, 13% Whakapapa, 15% Mt Hutt, 40% Treble Cone, 13% Coronet Peak, 23% Cardrona, 11% The Remarkables, 26% Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ. Sample size: n = 273. 21
For those in the undecided audience just getting them to think about New Zealand as a ski destination is the biggest challenge Barriers to considering NZ as a ski destination (% non-considerers) I ve never thought about it enough to consider it 56% I ve been before and would like to try somewhere else It s a hassle to get up to the ski fields The ski fields are too difficult for my experience level I didn t know you could ski there There s nothing else to do there during winter The ski fields are too easy for my experience level It s too far to fly to The snow conditions aren t reliable enough It s generally an expensive destination to visit The ski fields are too busy The ski fields are too small, with few slopes and / or short runs Other 17% 16% 14% 13% 13% 11% 11% 11% 9% 9% 8% 9% Base: Undecided audience that would not consider NZ. Sample size: n = 109. 22
The greatest opportunities to intercept the undecided audience are via operator websites rather than destination websites Channels people are likely to engage with when planning/booking their 2015 ski trip (% undecided audience) Total NZ ski considerers Nonconsiderers Visit an accommodation provider s website 80% 82% 77% Visit an airline s website 77% 76% 79% Visit an accommodation aggregation website 77% 77% 77% Visit a ski field operator s website 75% 76% 74% Visit an online travel website such as Expedia 75% 77% 70% Visit an official government tourism website for a particular country, destination or region 62% 60% 64% Go into a travel agency s store and speak with someone 51% 54% 45% Meet face-to-face with my preferred / usual travel agent 37% 35% 40% Email or phone my preferred / usual travel agent 36% 32% 42% Sample size 259 156 103 Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 23
Nearly half intend to take a holiday of 8-14 days in length, spending roughly 56% of the time skiing, and the proportion of ski days drops as length of stay increases Proportion of total holidays days set aside for ski (assuming conditions permit, % days) Average total days 14.4 Average ski days 6.8 46% 56% 11% 15% 16% 12% 72% 70% 40% 43% 1-6 days 7 days 8-14 days 15-21 days 22+ days Non-ski day Ski days Base: Undecided audience, sample size: n = 172. Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ, sample size: n = 101. Base: Undecided audience that would not consider NZ, sample size: n = 71. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 24
Compared to non-considerers, people considering NZ would on average stay longer but spend the same number of days skiing indicating that NZ is seen as a place to partake in other non-ski activities Proportion of total holidays days set aside for ski (assuming conditions permit, % days) Would consider New Zealand Would not consider New Zealand 48% 44% 6% 67% 15% 68% 58% 19% 12% 38% 37% 20% 75% 14% 76% 53% 11% 11% 45% 54% 1-6 days 7 days 8-14 days 15-21 days 22+ days 1-6 days 7 days 8-14 days 15-21 days 22+ days Non-ski day Ski days Non-ski day Ski days Average total days 15.4 Average ski days 6.8 Average total days 12.8 Average ski days 6.9 Base: Undecided audience, sample size: n = 172. Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ, sample size: n = 101. Base: Undecided audience that would not consider NZ, sample size: n = 71. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 25
This is also illustrated in that those considering NZ are less likely to spend all their time skiing (5%) compared to non-considerers (23%) How people plan to split their total holiday time (assuming conditions permit, % people) % of time spent skiing 91-100% 81-90% 71-80% 61-70% 51-60% 41-50% 31-40% 5% 11% 2% 2% 21% 19% 8% 7% 16% 14% 19% 23% 23% 1% 16% 6% 12% 13% 21-30% 11-20% Up to 10% 10% 12% 13% 5% 5% 6% 7% 4% 12% 3% 4% 1% Undecided audience Would consider NZ Would not consider NZ Base: Undecided audience, sample size: n = 156. Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ, sample size: n = 95. Base: Undecided audience that would not consider NZ, sample size: n = 61. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 26
People intending to choose a destination in February or March are no more likely to spend their holiday time skiing so a February campaign launch doesn t necessarily translate into higher average ski days Intended average number of holiday and ski days by intended month for choosing a ski 2015 destination No significant differences 14.2 13.1 11.7 7.6 6.6 5.8 Feb-Mar 15 Apr-May 15 Jun-Oct 15 Non-ski day Ski days Proportion spent skiing 54% 51% 50% Base: 52 29 33 Base: Undecided audience after data cleaning. Significantly higher/lower than other periods combined 27
With travel party in mind, the main opportunity with the undecided audience is in targeting couples; smaller opportunities exist for groups of friends and families Other people the undecided audience plans to travel with on their ski 2015 holiday (%) 60% 27% 26% 7% 5% 9% No one I'm going alone No one I'll meet friends / family there Friends My partner / spouse My children Other relatives Would consider NZ? Yes 7% 3% 29% 60% 24% 8% No 7% 7% 24% 59% 28% 10% Base: Undecided audience, sample size: n = 273. Base: Undecided audience that would consider NZ, sample size: n = 164. Base: Undecided audience that would not consider NZ, sample size: n = 109. 28
Visiting restaurants and bars, shopping and visiting hot springs are popular activities people would also want to do on their ski holiday, particularly if they are already considering NZ Other activities decided skiers plan to participate in on their 2015 ski holiday (% undecided audience) Total NZ ski considerers Nonconsiderers Visiting restaurants and bars 75% 81% 65% Shopping 71% 71% 71% Visit hot springs 69% 76% 57% Museums & galleries 54% 57% 48% Ice skating 43% 44% 40% Wine tasting at a vineyard 38% 41% 33% Hiking 38% 43% 29% Other snow sports beyond skiing or snowboarding 37% 44% 25% Jet boating 28% 31% 21% Bungy jumping 14% 16% 11% Sample size 273 164 109 Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. Significantly higher/lower than non-considerers 29
With the exception of the offer for children, the potential NZ ski offers have good levels of appeal with the undecided audience Appeal of potential ski propositions (% undecided audience) 50% 49% 48% 40% 27% 26% High appeal 43% 43% 47% 42% 46% Moderate appeal Low appeal 6% 8% 5% 18% A lift pass that gives you access to all ski fields in the South Island Ski for five days and get one day free, valued at $98 Show your Air NZ boarding pass and receive 25% off ski passes Ski for five days and get a free adventure activity, valued at $150 Children ten years and under gets a free lift pass, free accommodation and free meals Base: Undecided audience. Sample size: n = 273. Propositions tested provided by Tourism New Zealand. See appendix for full proposition wording. Appeal rated on a 1 to 10 scale where 1 means not at all appealing and 10 means extremely appealing. Low appeal, ratings 1 to 4; Moderate appeal, ratings 5 to 7; High appeal, ratings 8 to 10. 30
The rank of proposition appeal is similar across demographics and naturally the children s offer has strong appeal with families Heat map high appeal of potential ski propositions within the undecided audience, by segment A lift pass that gives you access to all ski fields in the South Island Ski for five days and get one day free, valued at $98 Show your Air NZ boarding pass and receive 25% off ski passes Ski for five days and get a free adventure activity, valued at $150 Children ten years and under gets a free lift pass, free accommodation and free meals Previous visitors Potential FTAs NZ ski considerers Non-considerers Beginner Intermediate Advanced Youth Independent Professionals Active Boomers Single / couple Family 52% 48% 50% 40% 28% 49% 49% 47% 39% 27% 59% 53% 51% 48% 30% 37% 42% 44% 26% 23% 51% 47% 45% 40% 24% 55% 60% 62% 39% 38% Sample size too low 51% 51% 49% 45% 27% 45% 46% 43% 39% 34% 60% 48% 53% 24% 8% 50% 49% 47% 37% 14% 49% 48% 49% 43% 47% Base: Undecided audience, by segment. Propositions tested provided by Tourism New Zealand. See appendix for full proposition wording. Appeal rated on a 1 to 10 scale where 1 means not at all appealing and 10 means extremely appealing. Low appeal, ratings 1 to 4; Moderate appeal, ratings 5 to 7; High appeal, ratings 8 to 10. 31
Potential ski visitors want more information about where you can ski in NZ plus all the other logistic information one needs to plan a holiday Information about where all the snowfields are... What are the specific resorts in Queenstown? What options are there in NZ aside from Queenstown? When is the best time to go? What are the snow conditions like? What else is there to do besides skiing? Are there child minding facilities? What combined packages are available? How safe is skiing in New Zealand? What is the experience level needed? (Where) can you rent equipment? How do you get to the ski places? What are the accommodation options? 32
4 Insights from the 'decided audience'
The decided audience is more likely to be comprised of frequent and/or advanced skiers and over half are resident in NSW Demographics Gender Segment Region Male Female Young Adventurers Independent Professionals Silver Surfers Not classified NSW VIC QLD Rest of Australia 69% 31% 46% 46% 5% 4% 53% 17% 21% 9% Household structure Visited NZ Singles/couples Families Previous visitors Potential FTAs 61% 39% 41% 59% Ski/snowboard ability Ski/snowboard frequency Skier or snowboarder Beginner Intermediate Advanced Frequently Can but not often Lapsed Once before Never have Skier Both Snowboarder 38% 30% 33% 39% 23% 4% 15% 19% 59% 32% 8% Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. Significantly higher/lower than the undecided audience 34
Even among the decided audience, New Zealand has strong power in the mind... Power in the mind a measure of the brand equity of international ski destinations 13% 9% 8% 6% 3% 3% 5% 9% 3% 2% 19% 20% Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. 35
... And furthermore, 30% have already decided to visit NZ for ski in 2015 Where the decided audience plan to ski in 2015 (% decided audience) 14% 12% 9% 9% 0% 0% 3% 8% 1% 1% 13% 30% Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. Single response question; respondents intending to visit a number of destinations were asked to indicate the first destination they intended to visit in 2015. 36
Other market factors are positively impacting NZ s share; in addition to promotional offers, other non-ski activities are part of the attraction for skiers planning to come to NZ Power in the mind of international ski destinations and where the decided audience plan to ski in 2015 (% decided audience) PiM Impact of market factors Share NZ has 20% share of mind but 30% intend on visiting. This means that market factors are working in NZ s favour to boost share about what NZ would achieve from its desirability for ski along. These factors are: Promotions 70% decided on New Zealand based on a promotion compared for 30% Australia Non-ski activities people coming for ski in 2015 are also interested in other activities, particularly hot springs, jet boating and museums 10% 30% 19% -6% 20% 13% Australia New Zealand Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. Single response question; respondents intending to visit a number of destinations were asked to indicate the first destination they intended to visit in 2015. 37
Over half of the decided audience made their decision within the past three months mainly as a result of seeing a good deal advertised on flights (70%) Time frame and trigger for deciding on 2015 ski destination (% decided audience) In the past month 1-3 months ago 4-6 months ago More than 6 months ago Can't recall 24% 32% 27% 13% 4% Triggers I saw a good deal advertised for flights 61% 70% 48% I saw a good deal advertised by a ski field 37% 34% 43% It s when my travel party came to an agreement 23% 17% 32% Other 6% 5% 7% Total In the past three months More than three months Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. Significantly higher/lower than more than 3 months 38
Nearly 70% of those who say they are skiing in the Southern hemipshere winter plan to do so between May and July quite possibly before New Zealand ski fields open Arrival month, Northern hemisphere destinations (% decided audience heading North) Arrival month, Southern hemisphere destinations (% decided audience staying South) Dec-14 9% Dec-14 Jan-15 28% Jan-15 Feb-15 21% Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 13% 14% Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 May-15 24% Jun-15 Jun-15 18% Jul-15 Jul-15 25% Aug-15 Aug-15 18% Sep-15 Sep-15 5% Oct-15 Oct-15 12% Nov-15 6% Nov-15 Dec-15 9% Dec-15 Base: Decided audience heading North; sample size: n = 46. Base: Decided audience heading South; sample size: n = 44. 39
As with the undecided audience the proportion of holiday days dedicated to ski tends to decline as length of holiday increases Proportion of total holidays days set aside for ski (assuming conditions permit, % days) How people plan to split their total holiday time (assuming conditions permit, % people) Average total days 16.6 Average ski days 7.1 22% 64% 19% 60% 21% 67% 19% 48% 18% 35% 1-6 days 7 days 8-14 days 15-21 days 22+ days 14% 4% 17% 7% 10% 14% 12% 14% 7% 1% % of time spent skiing 91-100% 81-90% 71-80% 61-70% 51-60% 41-50% 31-40% 21-30% 11-20% Up to 10% Non-ski day Ski days Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 73. 40
Most of those that have decided on their destination are travelling as a couple but nearly half are travelling with friends Other people the decided audience plans to travel with on their ski 2015 holiday (%) 58% 45% 22% 11% 7% 2% No one I'm going alone No one I'll meet friends / family there Friends My partner / spouse My children Other relatives Destination hemisphere North 13% 10% 47% 52% 25% 2% South 9% 3% 42% 64% 19% 2% Base: Decided audience, sample size: n = 90. Base: North, sample size: n = 50. Base: South, sample size: n = 40. Significantly higher/lower than the Southern hemisphere 41
Over half of the decided audience want to be able to go shopping on their ski holiday Other activities decided skiers plan to participate in on their 2015 ski holiday (% decided audience) Shopping 60% Visiting restaurants and bars 43% Visit hot springs 37% Ice skating 36% Jet boating 33% Museums & galleries 32% Wine tasting at a vineyard 30% Hiking 29% Other snow sports beyond skiing/snowboarding 28% Bungy jumping 24% Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. 1. Indexes are based on weighted share of performance across all providers and attributes less the destinations PiM and indexed to 100 42
Travel agencies, airlines and accommodation providers are key touch points for those in the decided audience that have started booking their trip Channels people used for booking components of 2015 ski trip (% decided audience who have already booked particular component) This includes people purchasing lift passes from the ski resort Flights Accommodation Rental car / van Equipment rental Lift passes Face-to-face at a travel agency 55% 17% 13% 17% 10% Email or phone with a travel agent 7% 43% 11% 7% 10% Via an airline s website 15% 14% 49% 11% 4% Via an online travel website such as Expedia 6% 6% 4% 24% 7% Via an accommodation provider s website 4% 8% 4% 8% 40% Via an accommodation aggregation website 1% 6% 0% 11% 10% Via a ski field operator s website 5% 2% 4% 9% 3% Via an official government tourism website 0% 0% 4% 0% 7% Via a rental car brand s website 4% 0% 0% 4% 0% Via a rental car aggregator website 0% 2% 6% 2% 2% Sample size 51 50 40 41 42 43
As a ski-savvy audience, the appeal of the five potential NZ ski offers is strong with this group Appeal of potential ski propositions (% decided audience) High appeal among the decided audience is due to this group being more ski savvy (see slide 34) 69% 69% 69% 67% 56% 27% High Appeal Moderate Low 24% 26% 27% 29% 7% 5% 4% 4% 18% Ski for five days and get one day free, valued at NZD$98 A lift pass that gives you access to all ski fields in the South Island Ski for five days and get a free adventure activity Show your Air New Zealand boarding pass and receive 25% of ski passes Children ten years and under gets a free lift pass, free accommodation and free meals Base: Decided audience. Sample size: n = 90. Propositions tested provided by Tourism New Zealand. See appendix for full proposition wording. Appeal rated on a 1 to 10 scale where 1 means not at all appealing and 10 means extremely appealing. Low appeal, ratings 1 to 4; Moderate appeal, ratings 5 to 7; High appeal, ratings 8 to 10. 44
5 Appendix
Demographic profiling Demographic profile (% ski 2015 audience) Total Decided Undecided Gender Segment Region Household structure Visited NZ Male 60% 69% 57% Female 40% 31% 43% Young Adventurers 39% 46% 37% Independent Professionals 44% 46% 43% Silver Surfers 12% 5% 14% Not classified 5% 4% 5% NSW 38% 53% 33% VIC 22% 17% 24% QLD 22% 21% 22% Rest of Aust 18% 9% 21% Singles/couples 60% 61% 59% Families 40% 39% 40% Other 1% 0% 1% Previous visitors 44% 55% 41% Potential FTAs 56% 45% 59% Base 363 90 273 Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 46
Ski behaviour profiling Ski/snowboard profile (% ski 2015 audience) Total Decided Undecided Ability Frequency Skier or snowboarder Beginner 67% 38% 76% Intermediate 22% 30% 20% Advanced 11% 33% 4% Frequently 14% 39% 6% Can but not often 15% 23% 13% Lapsed 12% 4% 14% Once before 23% 15% 26% Never have 36% 19% 41% Skier 67% 59% 45% Both 22% 32% 49% Snowboarder 11% 8% 6% Base 363 90 273 Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 47
Consideration for international ski destinations Ski destination they would consider (% ski 2015 audience) Total Decided Undecided New Zealand 57% 41% 62% Australia 51% 45% 53% Japan 26% 32% 23% Argentina 7% 15% 5% Chile 6% 13% 4% USA 29% 34% 27% Canada 46% 41% 47% France 16% 25% 13% Italy 12% 14% 12% Austria 18% 19% 18% Switzerland 33% 31% 34% Spain 9% 14% 8% Base 363 90 273 Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 48
Power in the mind for international ski destinations Power in the mind a measure of the brand equity of international ski destinations (% share of desire for all destinations) Total Decided Undecided New Zealand 25% 20% 27% Australia 24% 19% 26% Japan 7% 9% 6% Argentina 1% 2% 0% Chile 1% 3% 0% USA 7% 8% 7% Canada 15% 13% 15% France 3% 6% 2% Italy 2% 3% 2% Austria 4% 5% 4% Switzerland 9% 9% 9% Spain 1% 3% 1% Base 363 90 273 Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 49
Drivers of brand equity Drivers of brand equity for international ski destinations (1) Total Decided Undecided Easy to fly to 102 90 105 Has accommodation at the ski field 144 124 149 Place I can visit without needing a rental car 61 77 57 Known for great snow conditions 139 134 141 Known for reliable snow conditions 137 132 139 Offers a wide range of ski fields 103 113 101 Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level 130 113 134 Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels 138 113 145 Has a good range of other activities 135 105 142 Restaurants/bars are in close proximity 120 114 121 Offers heli-skiing 20 54 11 Offers night-skiing 36 74 26 Value for money 183 154 190 Fun place 138 117 143 Unique experiences 49 80 41 Usual experiences 26 53 19 NOTE: 1. Drivers determined using Tanimoto co-efficient which assesses the strength of the relationship between these criteria and power in the mind, drivers are then divided by the average of all driver coefficients and indexed to 100 50
New Zealand s performance on drivers of brand equity New Zealand s performance on drivers of brand equity (% weighted share of associations) Total Decided Undecided Easy to fly to 39% 33% 41% Has accommodation at the ski field 25% 21% 26% Place I can visit without needing a rental car 19% 26% 16% Known for great snow conditions 31% 25% 33% Known for reliable snow conditions 27% 30% 27% Offers a wide range of ski fields 27% 27% 27% Offers a range of runs suited to my ability level 26% 23% 27% Offers a range of runs suited to all ability levels 27% 23% 28% Has a good range of other activities 25% 21% 26% Restaurants/bars are in close proximity 22% 19% 22% Offers heli-skiing 17% 12% 23% Offers night-skiing 21% 24% 19% Value for money 34% 29% 35% Fun place 23% 19% 25% Unique experiences 24% 20% 27% Usual experiences 17% 15% 19% Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 51
Barriers to considering NZ as a ski destination Barriers to considering NZ as a ski destination (% non-considerers) Total Decided Undecided I didn t know you could ski there 14% 14% 13% I ve never thought about it enough to consider it 54% 48% 56% There s nothing else to do there during winter 14% 17% 13% I ve been before and would like to try somewhere else 21% 29% 17% The snow conditions aren t reliable enough 13% 17% 11% The ski fields are too difficult for my experience level 18% 25% 14% The ski fields are too easy for my experience level 16% 28% 11% The ski fields are too small, with few slopes and / or short runs 13% 24% 8% It s a hassle to get up to the ski fields 16% 15% 16% The ski fields are too busy 14% 24% 9% It s too far to fly to 12% 16% 11% It s generally an expensive destination to visit 11% 17% 9% Other 11% 15% 9% Base 162 53 109 Significantly higher/lower than undecided audience 52