Abstract
The Curacao Tourist Board commissioned the Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida to conduct an analysis of tourists' perceptions with regard to the Curacao tourism product, the tourist profile, and the spending behavior of tourists frequenting the island. In addition, the CTB requested that the DPI provided recommendations to the CTB regarding the enhancement of the tourist data collection process, the data analysis, and the re-design of the Tourist Exit Survey itself. Of the 3,390 survey respondents assessed according to year (2007 = 1,938; 2008 = 1,452}, most of the respondents ranged from the ages of 15 to 40 years old, and more than 60% of the tourists visiting the island listed leisure as their main motive for travel. More than SO% of the tourists earned an annual salary of less than USD30,000. Regarding the types of accommodations used by tourists 65% stayed in hotels and 25% stayed with friends and relatives. Additionally, the average length of stay was seven days and the average party size was 1.77 persons. The average tourist spent USD847 in 2007 during a week, while in 2008 the average spending per tourist was USD750. The American tourist spent more per day while the Dutch tourist spent more per stay. The statistics revealed that a large majority of the tourists arriving to the island received their information from travel agencies. The concentration of tourist activities was primarily the downtown area and the beaches. In addition to visiting the downtown area and the beaches popular activities/sites that tourists participated in or visited included the following: Sea Aquarium, the West side area, the Dolphin Academy, and the Hato Caves. Many of the tourists indicated that they liked the weather, the people and the infrastructure the most while visiting the island. Ironically, the people and the infrastructure of the island are also two of the most least liked components of the tourist product. The DPI determined that while the satisfaction levels of the tourists were extremely high the likelihood of repeat visitation indicated a declining trend with more frequent visits. Not only is there a declining trend in the repeat visitation of the tourists but there is also a declining trend in spending behavior. The DPI has provided numerous tables and figures to illustrate the statistics of the tourist s' visiting profiles. We have also provided written assessment and recommendations as well as a draft survey that the CTB may use to enhance the reliability and efficiency of information flow to support the CTB's marketing intelligence. The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies would like to acknowledge the support and assistance from Ms. Christine Campagnard, MIS Research Assistant at the CTB, for the completion of this study.
Keywords
Tourism; Curacao (Netherlands Antilles)
Prepared For
Curacao Tourist Board
Publisher
The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies
College
Rosen College of Hospitality Management
Publication Date
2-11-2011
Document Type
Report
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
DP0013406
Language
English
Place
Curacao
Rights
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies. All copyright, confidential information, design rights and all other intellectual property rights of whatsoever nature contained herein are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies. The information furnished herein is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies for its use, or for any infringements of other rights of third parties resulting from its use. The UCF and The Dick Pope Sr. Institute for Tourism Studies name and logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of the University of Central Florida.
Number of Pages
55 p.
Type
document
Recommended Citation
Croes, Robertico; Rivera, Manuel A.; and Semrad, Kelly, "Perceptions, Behaviors & the Economic Impact of Tourism in Curacao" (2011). Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications. 9.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/dickpope-pubs/9
Comments
Electronically reproduced by the Digital Services unit of the University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, 2014.