It Is About the

Visitor
Visitor Experience
Parks Canada

Greg Danchuk
Parks Canada, Visitor Experience Branch
Travel Manitoba Conference April 15, 2008

Where Parks Canada Wants to Be

Canadians will see National
Parks and National Historic
Sites as places.

Where visitors can explore
on their own terms what is
means to be Canadian

and create there, their own
meaningful experiences and
memories.
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Enhanced Focus on Relevance

Relevance is essential for long term sustainability
Relevance creates support and interest in discovering more
Memorable experiences result in relevance

Sustainability
- Ecological
- Cultural
- Economic

Relevance
- Visitors
- Supporters

Lonely Planet Its All About

Connection
About discovering more authentic travel opportunities
Ones that will challenge, change and inspire us
And its about making connections in a sustainable way. So
that the same opportunities will be there for the future

Personal Connections to Place

Characteristics of Visitor Experiences

Personally realized
Participatory and engaging
Based on preferences and expectations
Built on quality services but more
Revealed over duration of visit
Perception of interest being met

Memorable
Strong sensory interaction
Transforming
Contact with someone knowledgeable
Often enjoyable
Recalled and shared with others

Shared outcome
Between the attraction provider and the visitor

Defining Emotional & Physical Aspects

Physical

Emotional

Built on tangibles
Information
Programs & services
Staff
Facilities
Real / authentic
resources
Safe and clean
Standards of quality
Visitor commitment of
time and money

Engages all the senses

Personalized and
individually realized
An escape from the
ordinary
Connection with staff
Sense of personal
growth and
accomplishment
Memorable

An Enhanced Client Relationship

Increasingly relevant and
responsive to visitors
Facilitating opportunities that resonate
Step into visitors shoes
Reflect on their perspectives
Make the visitor the central focus with
a renewed service offer
Personal, authentic, and sustainable
Communicated, available, desired
Started from the perspective of a visitor

From:
Offering quality services to the visitor
To:
Setting the stage for
the visitor to create
their personal
experiences and
memories.
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Rethink, Renovate, Renew

Our assets

Our facilities

Our programs
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Rethinking Our Approach

- Taking The Visitors Perspective
Primary Considerations

Visitor needs, expectations, motivations, desires

Understanding the Visitor

Research Research Research

Marketing Approach

People, Product, Price, Promotion, Place

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Key to Success
Matching

Visitor Values and

Interests with
Opportunities to
Connect
Creating Opportunities
for Meaningful
Experiences
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Values Opportunity Matching

One Explorer Type at a Time
No-Hassle Traveler

Understand Explorer Values / Interests

Free Spirit

Identify Responsive Opportunities

Cultural History Buff

Identify Facilitation Requirements

Gentle Explorer

Not the Traditional Product / Market match

Visitor Values / Experience Opportunity
Responsive and Relevant

Virtual Traveler
Cultural Explorer
Authentic Experiencer
Rejuvenator
Personal History Explorer
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EQ Demonstration Program 2007

Four locations over a six week period:
Manitoba:
Riding Mountain National Park,
Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site
Nova Scotia
Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site

Once EQ type is revealed, visitors are

offered a menu of opportunities and
advised about the best way to explore
and discover the national park or national
historic site
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EQ Demonstration Program 2007

Visitor thoughts:
It made something weve done before much more
enjoyable.
Excellent program right on my style, lots of good
ideas up my alley!
Ill recommend Explorer Quotient to everyone I know!
The Explorer Quotient was accurate we already
enjoyed many of the attractions that we were
directed to. New ones were also brought to our
attention, which we look forward to exploring.

Our thoughts:
Staff able to dream beyond traditional boundaries
Fulfilling visitor expectations is moving Parks Canada toward the achievement of
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its Visitor Experience concept

EQ Demonstration Program 2008

Thirteen locations
Market destination clusters (ex. western
Newfoundland, Montreal, Cape Breton)
Full operating season June through September
Expanding methods of having visitors know their EQ
Staff in role of Visitor Experience Advisor
More specific communications of experience
opportunities

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It Is About the Visitor

Understand them
Respect their needs, expectations, motivations
Provide them opportunities
Products, programs, services

They will create their experiences

They will connect

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