Author: Canada Council, Research and Evaluation Section

Publication Year: 1979

Media Type: Report

Summary:

The data necessary to draw meaningful statistical correlations between tourism and festival attendance does not currently exist. What data do exist are largely of a one-time nature. Nevertheless, available information does provide some indication of the role of culture, both on a national level and on the level of specific cultural events, in attracting visitors to Canada.

Abstract:

The data necessary to draw meaningful statistical correlations between tourism and festival attendance does not currently exist. What data do exist are largely of a one-time nature. Nevertheless, available information does provide some indication of the role of culture, both on a national level and on the level of specific cultural events, in attracting visitors to Canada.

This report has been divided into three parts according to the types of information currently available. The first part consists of general statistics on tourism in Canada. The size of tourism in Canada, the origin of tourists, and expenditure by tourists are noted. The second part consists of five surveys of tourists from the , Great Britain, France, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. The surveys were undertaken to establish demographic and attitudinal profiles of actual or potential visitors to Canada with a view to developing marketing strategies for tourism to Canada.

For the most part cultural activities are either left undefined or defined very broadly in the questions. Where defined, cultural activities include such things as visits to historical places, museums, galleries, arts and crafts exhibits. As a result, the travel surveys provide only the most general indication of the relationship between culture and tourism. The third part of the study consists of three surveys of major cultural festivals: the Stratford Festival Survey, 1972; Shaw Festival Survey, 1973; and the National Arts Centre Survey, 1974. Conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Industry and Tourism, the surveys were intended to assist in the marketing of the festivals by ascertaining the socio-economic characteristics of visitors, and their recreational patterns and expenditures in the regions involved.

From each of the surveys the following indicators have been collected; attendance, origin of visitors, reasons for visiting the festival region, previous visits to the festival, expenditure, expenditure by length of stay, expenditure by origin area, and economic impact on the area. These surveys are somewhat dated and it is hoped that follow-up studies may someday be undertaken. Because of this limitation data has been expressed, wherever possible, in terms of percentages instead of absolute numbers. As the same indicators are used in each survey, and are expressed in percentages, meaningful comparisons can be made.

Findings are displayed as a series of abstracts, by survey. When warranted, observations on particular surveys are included, following the abstracts. These observations are based on the survey data, but are not the comments of the survey authors, unless otherwise noted. Summaries are located at the end of the travel and festival survey sections. (Introduction, p. 1-2).

CONTENTS
Introduction.
Tourism in Canada.
Travel surveys:
     .
     United Kingdom.
     France.
     Africa.
     Asia.
     Latin America.
     Oceania.
     Travel survey summary.
Festival surveys:
     Shaw Festival.
     Festival Canada (National Arts Centre).
     Stratford Festival.
     Festival survey summary.
     Conclusion.
Bibliography.

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Tourism