Visitors Want Awesome Experiences and Maximum Safety.
But Are They Mutually Exclusive?
People are ready to relax and have fun, but safety remains top-of-mind as we continue to grapple with COVID-19. Attractions face continued challenges in balancing these priorities, but it’s not all bad news. PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor 2022 (VOV 2022) results indicate that visitors think we’re doing a pretty good job in maintaining this balance, and some of the safety-inspired innovations we’ve implemented actually enhance the overall visitor experience.
VOV 2022 results are loud and clear when it comes to visitor motivations: they want to unplug and relax, stay safe, and have fun. Those three responses were virtually tied as the top motivators in this year’s survey, and were the same top motivators cited for 2020. (Notably, safety was in 14th place in 2019.) One thing we are seeing this year is the prioritization on some safety measures – communication of COVID-19 protocols and requiring guests to wear face masks – over the search for authentic experiences, which dropped from 9th place in 2019 and 2020 to 14th place in 2021. While authenticity is still important, this reinforces visitors’ ongoing struggle with managing the pandemic and reminds owners that safety protocols are still vital in attracting some guests.
Trends That Are Gaining Traction
Precautions like mask wearing, hand sanitizing, and deep cleaning may need to remain for the foreseeable future, though it’s likely that most visitors and attraction operators alike would put them in the “necessary evil” category. Thankfully, though, not all safety innovations spurred by COVID-19 fall in this bucket. Some trends that were accelerated by the pandemic are likely here to stay, mostly because they improve the overall visitor experience, and in many cases, also enhance efficiency for operators.
Of the new and “pandemically experimental” options that guests used in 2021, we can expect several to continue, while others will slowly fall away. Food delivery services, online reservations, and mobile app ordering on-site have the highest expected continuance at 78%, 75%, and 74% respectively. While the growth of these services over the past two years was inspired by safety, the benefits they offer extend well beyond mitigating pandemic concerns. These services also make attractions easier to navigate and create an improved overall experience, especially for guests who are neurodivergent or physically disabled.
Adding up those necessary evils and visit-enhancing innovations, visitors overall seem very satisfied that the attractions industry is doing a good job in navigating these rapid changes and delivering safe and relaxing experiences. Satisfaction scores were up in most categories, with the highest jumps over historical averages occurring for quality food experience (+0.21), enjoyment for children (+0.11) and variety of things to do (+0.10). Again, good indications that the industry is finding the right balance between safety and fun.
Providing A Public Service
Last year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Help Line, which offers support for mental health and substance abuse issues, received 1,027,381 calls. That’s up 23% from 2020, when call volume was already up 27% over 2019. In an environment where stress is high and mental health concerns are mounting, it’s important to remember that attractions can play a role in helping to ease this crisis. The mental health benefits of vacations are numerous and well-documented, and VOV 2022 results demonstrate that people are craving those vacations like never before. As we navigate continuing and ever-shifting challenges, we should keep in mind that our efforts not only help to ensure the future of our businesses, but also provide important and valuable services to visitors and society as a whole.
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