Day-Tripper, Yeah!

Okay, so the Beatles weren’t singing about the same kind of day-tripper. It is still a song that is unmistakable and seared into my memory.

But DCVB has long seized a competitive advantage by knowing as much as we can about day-trip visitors. I understand we’re still one of a handful of DMO’s helping to pioneer discovery of what can be 80% of a community’s visitation.

I don’t mind sharing some of the take-aways from the 2008 study performed for us by DK Shifflet because they are unique to Durham anyway. For instance even nearby destinations like Raleigh and Chapel Hill have a much different mix of day-trip visitors.

As Durham’s marketing agency, DCVB deploys the findings to benchmark progress, empower stakeholders and calibrate messages to wrap into telling Durham’s story and getting on the list for consideration by day-trippers.

Below are 11 preliminary take-aways about day-trip visitors to Durham during 2008:

• More than 6 out of 10 households within 100 miles of Durham take day-trips to various communities during the year.
  


• Of those who took a day trip, 34% considered Durham as a destination and 57% actually visited Durham on a day-trip.
  


• The main purpose of day-trip travel to Durham was 51% leisure, 17.1% both business and leisure and 12.2% for personal reasons like healthcare.
  


• Dining and cuisine was an activity for 46.1% and the main reason for the trip for 17.3%.
  


• Shopping was an activity for 44.3% and the main reason for the trip for 28.5%.
  


• Conventions and meetings were an activity for 11% and the main reason for the trip for 8.7%.
  


• Watching sports events was an activity for 10.6% and the main reason for the trip for 8.2%.
  


• Nightlife and entertainment was an activity for 10.3% and the main reason for the trip for 2.1%.
  


• Concerts, plays, dance and performing arts was an activity for 9.7% and the main reason for the trip for 5.8%.
  


• Museums, Art exhibitions and visual arts were an activity for 9% and the main reason for the trip for 5%.
  


• Visiting friends and relatives was an activity for 29.7% and the main reason for 15.8%.
  

Some day-trippers even revisited Durham on overnight trips during the year.