TOURISM OPERATORS’ DIGITAL UPTAKE
BENCHMARK SURVEY 2013
RESEARCH REPORT
Project Team:
Dr. Nina Mistilis, University of New South Wales
Associate Professor Ulrike Gretzel, University of Wollongong
June 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .........................................................................................................................................................................1
1.
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................................................5
2.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ..............................................................................................................................................................6
3.
PROFILE OF SAMPLE ..................................................................................................................................................................7
3.1
RESPONDENT DETAILS ....................................................................................................................................................7
3.2
BUSINESS/ORGANISATION DETAILS ...............................................................................................................................7
3.2.1
Main Office Location in Australia .............................................................................................................................. 7
3.2.2
Tourism Industry Sector ............................................................................................................................................ 8
3.2.3
Accommodation Sector ............................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.4
Type of Organisation ................................................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.5
Size of Organisation ................................................................................................................................................. 10
4
KEY FINDINGS ..........................................................................................................................................................................11
4.1
ONLINE PRESENCE ........................................................................................................................................................11
4.1.1
Email Address .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
4.1.2
Representation on Any Other Parties’ Websites ..................................................................................................... 12
4.1.3
Own Website ........................................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1.4
Why organisation Has No Website .......................................................................................................................... 14
4.2
WEBSITE ADOPTION AND MANAGEMENT ...................................................................................................................15
4.2.1
Features on Website................................................................................................................................................ 15
4.2.2
Website Optimisation for Viewing on Mobile Devices ............................................................................................ 16
4.2.3
Use of Organic Search Engine Optimisation ............................................................................................................ 17
4.2.4
Use of Paid Online Services to Drive Traffic to Website .......................................................................................... 18
4.2.5
Website Performance Measurement ...................................................................................................................... 19
4.2.6
Website Traffic Referrals ......................................................................................................................................... 20
4.2.7
Percentage of Mobile Users .................................................................................................................................... 21
4.2.8
Website Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................. 22
4.3
ONLINE DISTRIBUTION..................................................................................................................................................23
4.3.1
Takes Bookings ........................................................................................................................................................ 23
4.3.2
Email Booking Requests from Own Website ............................................................................................................ 24
4.3.3
Ability to Check Availability and Price...................................................................................................................... 25
4.3.4
Instant Confirmation Booking .................................................................................................................................. 25
4.3.5
Online Payments ...................................................................................................................................................... 25
4.3.6
Instant Online Confirmation Bookings through Other Parties ................................................................................. 26
4.3.7
Online Payments through Other Parties .................................................................................................................. 27
4.3.8
Reasons for Not Offering Instant Booking on Own Website ................................................................................... 28
4.4
SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE .........................................................................................................................................29
4.4.1
Official Presence on Social Media Sites ................................................................................................................... 29
4.4.2
Social Media Site Updates ....................................................................................................................................... 30
4.4.3
Reasons for No Social Media Presence .................................................................................................................... 31
4.4.4
Social Media Monitoring ......................................................................................................................................... 31
4.4.5
Have a Company Blog .............................................................................................................................................. 33
4.4.6
Have a Mobile App .................................................................................................................................................. 33
5
COMPARISONS ........................................................................................................................................................................35
5.1
COMPARISONS BY DATA SOURCE .................................................................................................................................35
5.2
COMPARISON BY INDUSTRY SECTOR ............................................................................................................................38
5.3
COMPARISON OF 2010 AND 2013 FINDINGS ...............................................................................................................41
6
CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................................................................................42
6.1
DIGITAL CAPABILITY SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................42
6.2
EXTENDING UPTAKE AND ENHANCING CAPABILITY .....................................................................................................42
6.2.1
Extend Industry Reach to Dining Sector .......................................................................................................................43
6.2.2
Web Presence Update and Website Enhancement ......................................................................................................43
6.2.3
More sophisticated social media use ...........................................................................................................................44
6.2.4
Tackling mobile apps ....................................................................................................................................................44
7
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................................45
APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................... A1
APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRES ........................................................................................................................................................ B1
List of Figures
FIGURE 1. PROFILE - JOB TITLE OF RESPONDENT ................................................................................................................ 7
FIGURE 2. PROFILE – MAIN OFFICE LOCATION OF TOURISM OPERATOR ................................................................................. 8
FIGURE 3. PROFILE - TOURISM INDUSTRY SECTOR .............................................................................................................. 8
FIGURE 4. PROFILE - ACCOMMODATION SECTOR ............................................................................................................... 9
FIGURE 5. PROFILE - TYPE OF ORGANISATION BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ..................................................................... 10
FIGURE 6. PROFILE - SIZE OF ORGANISATION BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ...................................................................... 11
FIGURE 7 OWN EMAIL ADDRESS BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ...................................................................................... 12
FIGURE 8. OWN EMAIL ADDRESS BY ACCOMMODATION ................................................................................................... 12
FIGURE 9. OWN WEBSITE BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY............................................................................................... 14
FIGURE 10. OWN WEBSITE BY ACCOMMODATION ........................................................................................................... 14
FIGURE 11. REASONS FOR NOT HAVING OWN WEBSITE ................................................................................................... 15
FIGURE 12. FEATURES PROVIDED ON ORGANISATION WEBSITE .......................................................................................... 16
FIGURE 13. WEBSITE OPTIMISATION FOR MOBILE DEVICES ............................................................................................... 17
FIGURE 14. USE OF ORGANIC SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION ........................................................................................... 17
FIGURE 15. USE OF PAID ONLINE SERVICES TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO WEBSITE .......................................................................... 18
FIGURE 16. TYPE OF PAID ONLINE SERVICE USED ............................................................................................................ 18
FIGURE 17. MEASURE PERFORMANCE OF WEBSITE .......................................................................................................... 19
FIGURE 18. TYPE OF SERVICE USED FOR WEBSITE PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT................................................................. 19
FIGURE 19. ESTIMATED REFERRAL RATES BY CHANNEL ..................................................................................................... 20
FIGURE 20. BASIS FOR REFERRAL RATE ESTIMATE ............................................................................................................ 21
FIGURE 21. ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE OF USERS ACCESSING THE WEBSITE WITH A MOBILE DEVICE ........................................... 21
FIGURE 22. TYPE OF WEBSITE HOSTING AND MAINTENANCE ............................................................................................. 22
FIGURE 23. FREQUENCY OF WEBSITE UPDATES ............................................................................................................... 23
FIGURE 24. REPRESENTATION ON THIRD PARTY WEBSITES BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY.................................................... 13
FIGURE 25. REPRESENTATION ON THIRD PARTY WEBSITES BY ACCOMMODATION .................................................................. 13
FIGURE 26. TAKE BOOKINGS BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ........................................................................................... 23
FIGURE 27. TAKE BOOKINGS BY TYPE OF ACCOMMODATION.............................................................................................. 24
FIGURE 28. TAKE EMAIL BOOKING REQUESTS FROM WEBSITE ........................................................................................... 24
FIGURE 29. POSSIBLE TO CHECK AVAILABILITY AND PRICE ON WEBSITE ................................................................................ 25
FIGURE 30. INSTANT CONFIRMATION VIA WEBSITE .......................................................................................................... 25
FIGURE 31. ONLINE PAYMENTS VIA WEBSITE.................................................................................................................. 26
FIGURE 32. FULL PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................................... 26
FIGURE 33. INSTANT BOOKING THROUGH THIRD PARTY WEBSITES ..................................................................................... 27
FIGURE 34. THIRD PARTY WEBSITES PROCESS PAYMENT................................................................................................... 27
FIGURE 35. FULL PAYMENT THROUGH THIRD PARTY WEBSITES.......................................................................................... 28
FIGURE 36. REASONS FOR NOT OFFERING INSTANT BOOKING ON WEBSITE .......................................................................... 28
FIGURE 37. SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ............................................................................... 29
FIGURE 38. SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE BY ACCOMMODATION ............................................................................................. 29
FIGURE 39. SPECIFIC SOCIAL MEDIA USE ....................................................................................................................... 30
FIGURE 40. UPDATE FREQUENCY FOR DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA TYPES ............................................................................... 30
FIGURE 41. REASONS FOR NOT HAVING A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ................................................................................... 31
FIGURE 42. SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING BY DATA SOURCE .............................................................................................. 32
FIGURE 43. SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING BY INDUSTRY .................................................................................................... 32
FIGURE 44. HAVE COMPANY BLOG BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY .................................................................................. 33
FIGURE 45. HAVE COMPANY BLOG BY ACCOMMODATION................................................................................................. 33
FIGURE 46. HAVE MOBILE APP BY DATA SOURCE AND INDUSTRY ....................................................................................... 34
FIGURE 47. HAVE MOBILE APP BY ACCOMMODATION ...................................................................................................... 34
FIGURE 48. BOOKING THROUGH MOBILE APP ................................................................................................................ 34
List of Tables
TABLE 1. ONLINE PRESENCE INDICATORS BY DATA SOURCE ............................................................................................... 35
TABLE 2. ONLINE DISTRIBUTION INDICATORS BY DATA SOURCE .......................................................................................... 36
TABLE 3. WEBSITE MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY INDICATORS BY DATA SOURCE .................................................................. 37
TABLE 4. ONLINE PRESENCE INDICATORS BY INDUSTRY SECTOR .......................................................................................... 38
TABLE 5. ONLINE DISTRIBUTION INDICATORS BY INDUSTRY SECTOR ..................................................................................... 39
TABLE 6. WEBSITE MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY INDICATORS BY INDUSTRY SECTOR ............................................................. 40
TABLE 7. 2010 VS. 2013 ONLINE CAPABILITY ................................................................................................................ 41
TABLE 8. 2010 VS. 2013 WEBSITE FEATURES ................................................................................................................ 42
TABLE 9. GVA NUMBERS AND PROPORTIONS ................................................................................................................. A3
TABLE 10. INDUSTRY SECTOR PROPORTIONS TARGETED FOR THE CATI INTERVIEWS ............................................................... A3
TABLE 11. INDUSTRY SECTOR, PRODUCT TYPE AND APPROXIMATE ANZSIC CODES IN SENSIS RECORDS..................................... A4
TABLE 12. SENSIS INDUSTRY SECTOR CLASSIFICATION VS. CLASSIFICATION ACHIEVED ............................................................. A6
TABLE 13. ONLINE SURVEY SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... A6
TABLE 14. CATI RESPONSE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... A7
TABLE 15. SAMPLE WEIGHTS SUMMARY........................................................................................................................ A9
Page 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES
This report contains the findings from the 2013 benchmark survey of tourism operators’
digital uptake in Australia, commissioned by Tourism Research Australia. The project aimed:

to measure the level of sophistication in uptake of various digital technologies and the
digital distribution capability of businesses and organisations in main industry sectors
associated with tourism;

to identify gaps and trends of digital uptake and capability of businesses and
organisations in main industry sectors associated with tourism and

to report findings which enable and facilitate ongoing appropriate government support
in extending uptake and enhancing capability following those introduced after the
earlier 2010 report.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The survey of a total of 2172 respondents was conducted during May and June 2013 using
CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) across the Australian population of
randomly selected businesses and organisations in select industry sectors associated with
tourism and an online survey of ATDW members in those sectors; these resulted in 1200
respondents reported as GENERAL and 985 (972 tourism operators plus 13 information
services) ATDW respondents, respectively. Full details of the research methodology are set
out in Appendix A.
KEY FINDINGS
The project covered four main topics of investigation – the online presence of tourism
operators, their website adoption and management strategy, their online distribution
approach, and their social media and mobile presence:
1. Online Presence
Almost all operators have their own email address. Representation on third party websites
was very high for ATDW operators (94%) and much lower for the overall sample (76%).
There were also large differences among industry sectors, with Accommodation operators
most likely to have a third party website presence (89%). In the GENERAL cohort, almost
four fifths of all operators had their own website whereas 94% of the ATDW cohort and four
fifths of the ALL cohort did. Amongst the industry sectors only the dining sector differed
markedly with just three fifths having their own website. The top reason for not having a
website was ‘customers make contact by other means’ for the GENERAL cohort and Cost for
the ATDW operators without a website.
2. Website Adoption and Management
While traditional features have been widely adopted (product information 95%, photo gallery
86%, Web-based inquiry form 74%, and maps 70%), more advanced website features such as
user generated contents and online videos are only used by a third or less of the operators.
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 2
Further, only some take advantage of linking to social media, to other businesses and to
destination marketing organisations.
About 40% of the operators do not have sites that are optimised for mobile viewing and less
than half take advantage of organic search engine optimisation. Use of paid online services to
drive traffic and website performance measurement are also only adopted by half or less.
About 20% of tourism operator websites are updated only once a year or less frequently.
3. Online Distribution
In all cohorts about nine tenths of businesses or organisations take bookings for their products
or services, either offline or online through their own website or through a third party.
Accommodation operators almost all take bookings for their products or services, along with
most of tours and dining (about nine tenths) and attractions and hire and transport (about four
fifths). Almost 90% of the operators take email booking requests and over half provide
consumers with the ability to check both availability and price of products through their own
website.
Regarding the capability of instant confirmation bookings on their website, in the GENERAL
and ALL cohorts, less than half reported people could make instant confirmation bookings
compared to about two fifths in the ATDW cohort. In all the cohorts about seven tenths of
operators who offer instant confirmation bookings through their websites reported that people
could make online payments as well.
In the GENERAL and ALL cohorts, about half reported that other parties offered instant
confirmation bookings online for their business or organisation (WOTIF, booknow, Stayz,
etc) and in the ATDW cohort only two fifths did. Of those organisations for which other
parties offered instant confirmation bookings online, almost nine tenths also took payments
online for them in the GENERAL cohort; it was slightly less at 84% in the ATDW cohort and
slightly more (87%) in the ALL cohort.
Consumers contacting the business through other means is the main reason for those who do
not offer instant confirmation bookings on their website.
4. Social Media and Mobile Presence
Three fifths in the GENERAL cohort reported they had an official presence on a social media
site and seven tenths of the ALL cohort and four fifths of ATDW reported they did. Of these
almost all (over nine tenths) in the three cohorts had a presence on Facebook.
For those organisations with no presence on social media, the most frequent explanation
(three fifths) in the GENERAL cohort was that there was no need as customers contacted
them by other means. After that came that other online presence (e.g. website) was sufficient,
then no time and not relevant to the organisation (each about three tenths). In the ATDW
cohort, the most frequent explanation (just over one third) was other online presence (e.g.
website) is sufficient or lack of technical expertise followed by being unsure of benefits for
organisation (three tenths) and that there was no need as customers contacted by other means
(27%).
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 3
About two thirds of the operators monitor social media engagement and about 80% monitor
customer sentiment.
In the three cohorts, around one tenth of organisations reported having a mobile app that
people could download to their mobile devices.
5. Comparisons
Comparisons between the ATDW and GENERAL cohorts revealed that ATDW members
have generally greater digital capabilities. Crosstabs further confirmed significant differences
among the various tourism industry sectors in terms of digital capabilities, with dining
establishments lagging behind and operators in the Tours segment being very active on social
media.
Comparisons to findings from the 2010 survey show that the digital capability has improved
but has still room to grow, especially as far as social media adoption and website features are
concerned.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Extend Industry Reach to Dining Sector
Policies could be introduced to extend the dining industry sector digital capability in
recognition of its importance in delivering high quality tourism experiences. This could
be achieved in part through their industry associations.

Web Presence Update and Website Enhancement
Policies could focus on facilitation of web site introduction in non ATDW operators and
particularly amongst the dining businesses.
Reasons for not having a website which could be addressed include unsure of where to
obtain training or lack of training support and lack of technical expertise. These can be
addressed by ATDW through a wider membership uptake. Addressing not only training
needs but also needs for platforms that allow micro-businesses to pool resources and
overcome their size issues will be increasingly important as more consumers expect
digital services.
More advanced and more frequently updated websites are important in distributing
information and driving online distribution. Three policies are suggested to enhance
operator websites – first develop greater uptake of advanced website features and
interlink sites, second increase website optimisation for viewing on mobile devices and
third increase organic search engine optimisation of website as well as paid search/online
advertising.

More Sophisticated Social Media Use
While Facebook has been widely adopted, other social media types have been neglected
despite general consumer trends indicating increased uptake of e.g. Tumblr, Twitter and
Instagram. Here the industry will need guidance from ATDW and other industry bodies
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 4
as to the use of different media to enhance digital capability. More research is needed that
can inform Australian tourism operators’ decisions in which markets to invest.
Maintenance of social media needs to be improved through more frequent updating of all
contents in order to achieve currency of information, meet consumer expectations and
increase consumer engagement with contents. Whilst many of the operators monitor
consumer sentiment and engagement on their social media, the proportion could be much
higher, arguably to approach 100%.

Tackling Mobile Apps
Mobile app development is costly and time consuming and out of the realm of the many
micro-businesses that make up the Australian tourism industry. Developing thousands of
apps also makes little sense from a consumer perspective. It is therefore suggested that
the Australian tourism industry needs to envision a common mobile future with
investments made to develop key apps of benefit to a large number of tourism operators.
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 5
1. INTRODUCTION
The current Australian tourism strategy is based on the Jackson report (Australian
Government, 2009a). Of its ten recommendations, one focused on SMEs’ online capability,
advising to ‘urgently support the acceleration of the online capability of the Australian
tourism product, working with State and Territory Tourism Organisations to fund programs
that expand cost-effective digital platforms for distribution and bookings and accelerate
SMEs’ uptake’(2009a, p5).
From this report the current strategy, the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy (NLTTS;
Australian Government, 2009b), was derived and launched in 2009. One action item
nominates ‘online distribution’ as a broader part of Tourism Australia’s capacity and
functions (2009, pp5-6) and the Digital Distribution Working Group (DDWG; Australian
Government, 2012) was established to facilitate implementation of the Strategy action items.
It undertook further development of the Jackson report’s digital strategy recommendation.
The DDWG consists of representatives from state and national governments and one industry
association. It ‘aims to increase the online capability of the Australian tourism industry and to
encourage greater uptake by small and medium size tourism enterprises of online distribution
systems’ (Australian Government, 2011b, p14). It broadcasts its key achievements
(Australian Government, 2012d) as including development of the National Online Strategy
for Tourism (NOST), the Going Global Action Plan and the Tourism Operators Online
Benchmarking Survey (respectively Australian Government, 2011a; Australian Government
2010b; Australian Government, 2010a).
The purpose of NOST is to increase the online distribution and global visibility of Australia’s
tourism product. It provides a plan for the digital enablement of the tourism industry in
Australia to foster its excellence in the promotion and distribution of tourism product online
(Australian Government, 2011, p3); the various key themes include one for digital
distribution. The Going Global Action Plan was a commissioned guide to provide practical
support to tourism operators in adapting to the changing environment of tourism digital
distribution using new technologies (Australian Government, 2010b). It supplemented this by
engaging the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) to develop further its Tourism ekit (ATDW, 2012) which ‘incorporates a series of easy to consume tutorials that equip
tourism operators with effective knowledge about online marketing’ (2012, p2).
To establish through quantitative research the extent and level of online presence and
capabilities across the tourism industry in Australia as well as barriers or reasons for nonimplementation, the Tourism Operators Online Benchmarking Survey (Australian
Government, 2010a) was commissioned in late 2010. Its primary sample was based on
listings of the ATDW. The research presented in this current report was commissioned as a
continuing measure of tourism digital uptake in 2013 to account for the rapidly changing
technological environment, given the three years since the 2010 report.
The project had a steering group consisting of four members - Dr Leo Jago (Chair), Tourism
Research Australia - Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism; Don Richter, Tourism
Victoria; Liz Ward, ATDW; and, Deborah O'Connor, Destination NSW. They provided
guidance of major decisions made, occasionally in consultation with NOST members.
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 6
Three modifications to undertaking a complete replication of the 2010 survey design were
introduced; first, the topics to be covered in the survey; second, the selection of industry
sectors and proportions determining sampling procedures for survey respondents; and, third,
the approach to achieve the 2000 respondent target.
In terms of the topics, more questions relating to social media and mobile presence were
added which more extensively explored their uptake and management. The questions
regarding the respondent intentions to develop the business or organisation web capabilities
further were eliminated to allow the social media questions without lengthening the estimated
survey completion time and to focus on facts rather than vague projections. In terms of the
selection of industry sectors and proportions, the Tourism Satellite Accounts data for real
Gross Value Added (GVA) of tourism businesses were used as a guide (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 2011 p16).
In terms of the approach to achieve the 2000 respondent target, there were two methods of
data collection – 1. phone interviews of 1200 respondents identified using Sensis records and
undertaken by a professional computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) provider; and,
2. a link to an online survey emailed to ATDW members in select industry sectors. The value
of this approach is that it allows comparison of the digital capability of a general industry
sector population with the cohort of ATDW members. The results are reported separately for
each cohort; that is, for the general industry population (CATI) and for ATDW (online).
Given that ATDW members have opted to have their information distributed online and also
completed the survey online, they can be seen as probably more technology affine than the
general sample.
The method for selection of industry sectors and proportions is explained more fully in
Appendix A.
2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The project aimed:

to measure the level of sophistication in uptake of various digital technologies and the
digital distribution capability of businesses and organisations in main industry sectors
associated with tourism;

to identify gaps and trends of digital uptake and capability of businesses and
organisations in main industry sectors associated with tourism;

to report findings which enable and facilitate ongoing appropriate government support
in extending uptake and enhancing capability following those introduced after the
earlier 2010 report.
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 7
3. PROFILE OF SAMPLE
This section provides an overview of the types of tourism operators included in the
study. Additional information about the two different samples can be derived from Appendix
A.
3.1 RESPONDENT DETAILS
In the GENERAL cohort almost half the respondents were owners, just over one third were
marketing managers and the remainder were marketing, sales or IT /web managers. The main
differences in the ATDW cohort were that almost three quarters were owners and only a
quarter were marketing managers, resulting in total differences in the ALL cohort of three
fifths being owners and one quarter marketing managers.
Figure 1. Profile - Job Title of Respondent
3.2 BUSINESS/ORGANISATION DETAILS
3.2.1
Main Office Location in Australia
Almost two-thirds of business or organisation main offices in the GENERAL cohort were
located in New South Wales (NSW; 39%) or Victoria ( 26%), followed by Queensland (19%)
and Western Australia (9%), with 2% or less in each of South Australia (SA), Tasmania,
Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. In the ATDW cohort there were
fewer in NSW (one third) and Victoria (16%) but much more in Tasmania and SA (about
15% each). The ALL cohort was similar to the GENERAL with slightly less in NSW and
Victoria and slightly more in Tasmania and SA.
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 8
Figure 2. Profile – Main Office Location of Tourism Operator
3.2.2
Tourism Industry Sector
In the GENERAL cohort, nearly half (44%) of the surveyed tourism operators were mainly
involved in accommodation, followed by dining (29%), tours including travel agents (12%),
attractions (11%), and hire and transport (4%). The proportions reflect the industry
proportions determined based on GVA and therefore this sample did not have to be weighted.
The unweighted ATDW cohort consisted of accommodation (55%), followed by tours
including travel agents and attractions each 17%, dining (6%), and hire and transport (4%)
and also included information services. It was weighted to reflect the overall ATDW
membership. The total sample was weighted to again represent the GVA-based proportions.
Information services were not included in the overall sample.
Figure 3. Profile - Tourism Industry Sector
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
Page 9
3.2.3
Accommodation Sector
Of the tourism operators whose main activity involves the provision of accommodation
services, by far the largest type in the GENERAL cohort was Hotels/Motels/Resorts (40%),
followed by Caravans and Camping (27%), Cabins and Cottages (12%), Apartments (8%),
Self-contained (6%) and Backpackers and Hostels with only 2%.
Almost all the proportions in the unweighted ATDW cohort differed markedly to the
GENERAL with about one quarter each for Self-Contained and Bed and Breakfasts, 16% for
Cabins and Cottage, about 12% for Hotels/Motels/Resorts and Apartments and 6% for
Caravans and Camping. Figure 4 lists these and the ALL unweighted cohort proportions.
Figure 4. Profile - Accommodation Sector
Percentage of operators with primary activity being Accommodation
3.2.4
Type of Organisation
Seven tenths of operators in the GENERAL cohort were stand-alone businesses, with almost
one fifth being part of a group/chain; only a very small proportion of each (less than 5%)
were a franchise, government agency or not for profit organisation. The ATDW cohort
differed markedly with four fifths of businesses or organisations being stand-alone, about one
tenth a not for profit organisation and 5% or less being a government agency, part of a
group/chain, government agency or franchise. The ALL cohort proportions were close to
those for the ATDW cohort except of part of a group and not for profit which were higher
and lower respectively.
Almost three quarters of accommodation operators were stand-alone businesses in the
GENERAL cohort, with almost one fifth being businesses that were part of a group/chain;
only a very small proportion of each (less than 3%) were a franchise, government agency or
not for profit organisation. Dining, tours and transport and hire followed a similar pattern, but
attractions differed as expected with a higher proportion being not for profit (about three
tenths) or a government agency (about one fifth).
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set out in the National Statement
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Figure 5. Profile - Type of Organisation by Data Source and Industry
3.2.5
Size of Organisation
In terms of size defined by number of employees (including full-time, part-time and casual),
in the GENERAL cohort, almost two fifths had less than five employees and one fifth had
five to nine; less than one tenth had 200 or more employees.
Almost three fifths had less than five employees in the ATDW cohort and 16% each had five
to nine or ten to nineteen employees whilst only 2% had 200 or more employees. For the
ALL cohort almost half had less than five employees, about 15% each had five to nine or ten
to nineteen employees whilst only 6% had 200 or more employees.
For accommodation businesses or organisations in the ALL cohort about two thirds had
fewer than five employees, 15% had five to nine employees, 10% had ten to nineteen and
there were less than one tenth in each of the 20-199 and 200 or over categories. For dining
the greatest proportion (about one quarter) had ten to nineteen employees or 20 to 199 with
about one fifth each having less than five or five to nine employees; about one tenth had 200
or more employees. For the other industry sectors, size differed to both accommodation and
dining but in general included about 50% micro-businesses with less than five employees.
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Figure 6. Profile - Size of Organisation by Data Source and Industry
4 KEY FINDINGS
The research covered four main topics of investigation – the online presence of
tourism operators, their website adoption and management strategy, their online distribution
approach, and their social media and mobile presence; the findings are set out below:
4.1 ONLINE PRESENCE
4.1.1
Email Address
Nine tenths of all businesses or organisations had their own email address in the GENERAL
cohort; the ATDW cohort was slightly higher at 97% and the ALL cohort was 93%. In the
individual sectors, only tours which had a higher proportion (almost all) and dining (83%)
with a considerably smaller proportion differed. In the ATDW cohort almost all (97%) had an
email address.
Among the different types of accommodation establishments, backpackers and hostels (88%)
and caravans and camping (92%) exhibit considerably lower levels of email adoption than
other types.
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Figure 7 Own Email Address by Data Source and Industry
Figure 8. Own Email Address by Accommodation
4.1.2
Representation on Any Other Parties’ Websites
About three quarters of the tourism operators indicated that their businesses are represented
on the website of other parties. While almost all (94%) ATDW operators are represented on
third party websites, only 65% of operators in the GENERAL sample are.
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Figure 9. Representation on Third Party Websites by Data Source and Industry
Representation on third party websites differs across the various industry sectors represented
in the overall sample. Accommodations (89%) and Attractions (86%) are to a great extent
represented on third party websites while the proportions are lower for Tours (74%) and Hire
& Transport (63%). Dining operators are the least likely to have an online presence through
third party websites. The representation on third party websites is generally high across all
accommodation types (over 80% except for other accommodation) but is highest among bed
and breakfasts (96%), self-contained establishments (96%), and apartments (92%).
Figure 10. Representation on Third Party Websites by Accommodation
4.1.3
Own Website
A large majority (83%) of Australian tourism operators has a business website. In the
GENERAL cohort, only about four fifths of the operators indicated having their own website,
whereas 94% of the ATDW cohort did. Comparing across industry sectors, only the dining
sector differed markedly with just two thirds having their own website.
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Figure 11. Own Website by Data Source and Industry
Figure 12. Own Website by Accommodation
4.1.4
Why organisation has no website
For those organisations without a website, the Top 5 most frequent explanations overall for
why no website were: 1. there was no need as customers contacted by other means (56%); 2.
the organisation was too small to warrant a website (42%); 3. not having enough time (34%);
4. cost (31%); and, 5. lack of technical expertise (28%).
In the GENERAL cohort, customers contacting the operator through other means was also
the most frequently indicated reason (69%). After that came small size of organisation (about
two fifths), then no time (just over one third) and lack of technical expertise (28%). Lack of
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technical expertise and seeing no relevance for the business were also selected as reasons by
about 27%, respectively.
The ATDW cohort differed significantly with two thirds citing cost as their explanation for
no website, followed by being sufficiently represented on the website of another party and
lack of technical expertise (each at about half).
Figure 13. Reasons for Not Having Own Website
Percentage of operators without own website
4.2 WEBSITE ADOPTION AND MANAGEMENT
4.2.1
Features on Website
In the GENERAL, ATDW and ALL cohorts, the most common feature provided on
organisations’ website was description of their tourism-related features and services (95%),
and the least common was online videos (one quarter). Photo gallery (at least four fifths) was
also a commonly listed feature. There were differences in the other features for each cohort.
ATDW members are more likely to include links to their social media sites, links to
destination marketing organisations, and links to other tourism companies than the
GENERAL cohort. On the other hand, they are less likely to offer web-based inquiry forms,
downloadable materials and user-generated contents.
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Figure 14. Features Provided on Organisation Website
Percentage of operators with own website
4.2.2
Website Optimisation for Viewing on Mobile Devices
Only just over half of the tourism operators have websites that have been optimised for
viewing with mobile devices.
In the GENERAL cohort almost three tenths of operators with a website had site optimisation
whilst almost one quarter of organisations’ websites had not been optimised for viewing on
mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.) but had a separate mobile site. Almost two fifths
had neither an optimised nor a separate mobile site.
The ATDW cohort differed with a much higher proportion (39%) of operators having
optimised their websites for mobile viewing but a lower proportion of operators with separate
mobile sites. About one tenth of each cohort could not say.
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Figure 15. Website Optimisation for Mobile Devices
Percentage of operators with own website
4.2.3
Use of Organic Search Engine Optimisation
Only 40% of ALL tourism operators with websites engage in organic search engine
optimisation. Of those organisations which had a website in the GENERAL cohort, one third
used organic search engine optimisation, just over half did not and about one tenth could not
say; whereas in the ATDW cohort a much higher proportion (46%) used this means of
increasing the visibility of their websites, almost two fifths did not, and about 15% could not
say.
Figure 16. Use of Organic Search Engine Optimisation
Percentage of operators with own website
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4.2.4
Use of Paid Online Services to Drive Traffic to Website
Less than half of the tourism operators use paid services to drive traffic to their websites and
the proportion is even smaller (two fifths) for the ATDW cohort.
Figure 17. Use of Paid Online Services to Drive Traffic to Website
Percentage of operators with own website
In all three cohorts, of those who paid for online services to drive traffic to their website,
about seven tenths use Google Adwords to drive website traffic. Facebook Advertising is also
a prominently used service with about half of the operators using it. For all cohorts, about one
tenth used other services. In the GENERAL cohort about half used Facebook Advertising,
5% or less used Microsoft adCenter but one tenth used Yahoo!Search Marketing. In the
ATDW cohort over half used the paid online services of Facebook Advertising, but only 5%
used Yahoo!Search Marketing.
Figure 18. Type of Paid Online Service Used
Percentage of operators with own website who use paid online service to drive traffic to website
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4.2.5
Website Performance Measurement
About half of the tourism operators measure the performance of their website. The proportion
is much higher in the ATDW sample (63%), while only 40% of the GENERAL cohort
engages in this important practice.
Figure 19. Measure Performance of Website
Percentage of operators with own website
Of those who measure website performance, Google Analytics is used by the majority (over
three quarters) across all cohorts, while the ATDW sample also uses customized solutions to
some extent (13%). Almost a quarter use other services, e.g. statistics provided by the web
hosting company, other services like Medallia, and freeware.
Figure 20. Type of Service Used for Website Performance Measurement
Percentage of operators with own website who use services to measure website performance
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4.2.6
Website Traffic Referrals
The tourism operators overall estimated that about half (48%) of the traffic to their websites
comes from search engines, followed by 11% from destination marketing organisations at the
local, regional and state levels, 9% from their own social media sites, 8% from business
partners, 7% from TripAdvisor and similar online communities as well as 4% from directory
listings. Only 1% indicated receiving referrals from www.australia.com.
The GENERAL cohort estimated the traffic from search engines as even more important
(55%). The ATDW sample indicates greater referrals from destination marketing
organisation pages (15%) and their own social media sites (11%) and less from directory
listings (3%).
Figure 21. Estimated Referral Rates by Channel
Mean values for estimated percentages by operators with own website
Overall, only a small proportion (15%) of operators based these estimates on hard numbers
derived from website analytics. By far the majority (over three quarters) of businesses or
organisations in the GENERAL cohort, based their estimate on customer feedback, etc.,
almost 15% on actual numbers obtained from tracking website traffic and almost one tenth on
other means. Those other means involved information from their point of sales software as
well as just guesses. In the ATDW cohort a similar proportion tracked their website traffic
but fewer (seven tenths) estimated based on customer feedback and slightly more (15%) did it
by other means.
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Figure 22. Basis for Referral Rate Estimate
Percentage of operators with own website
4.2.7
Percentage of Mobile Users
The tourism operators overall estimated that on average 29% of their website users accessed
the site through a mobile device. The ATDW sample estimated the proportion at 33% and the
GENERAL cohort only at 26%.
Figure 23. Estimated Percentage of Users Accessing the Website with a Mobile Device
Mean values provided by operators with own website and able to estimate
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4.2.8
Website Maintenance
The most common approach among ALL tourism operators is to outsource the hosting of the
website but maintain contents in-house (38%). Only about 30% do both in-house and almost
a quarter (23%) have outsourced both. In the GENERAL cohort, the proportion of operators
who do everything in-house is much greater (36%) but outsourcing both is also more
common (25%). In the ATDW sample, the housed externally but content maintenance being
done internally is the dominant approach (52%).
Figure 24. Type of Website Hosting and Maintenance
Percentage of operators with own website
In the ALL sample and the GENERAL cohort, about 20% of operators update their website
once a year or less while this proportion is much smaller in the ATDW sample (12%). On the
other hand, there are less tourism operators in the ATDW sample that update very frequently,
namely more often than weekly (18% ATDW compared to 26% GENERAL). The most
frequent update intervals across all three samples are two to four times a month and two to
twelve times a year.
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Figure 25. Frequency of Website Updates
Percentage of operators with own website
4.3 ONLINE DISTRIBUTION
4.3.1
Takes Bookings
In all three cohorts about nine tenths of operators take bookings for their products or services,
either offline or online through their own website or through a third party. There are some
differences across industry sectors, with almost all Accommodation (98%) and Tours (96%)
operators taking bookings, while only 80% of Attractions and 88% of Dining products are
bookable.
Looking at the different accommodation sectors, almost all accommodation operators take
bookings for their products or services, except for backpackers and hostels. In this category,
only 82% of operators allow customers to book. Caravans and camping establishments
indicated also a somewhat lower penetration of booking availability (95%).
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Figure 26. Take Bookings by Data Source and Industry
Figure 27. Take Bookings by Type of Accommodation
Percentage of operators with primary activity being Accommodation
4.3.2 Email Booking Requests from Own Website
Almost 90% of the operators take email booking requests. The proportion is however lower
for ATDW members (only 86%).
Figure 28. Take Email Booking Requests from Website
Percentage of operators who take bookings and have own website
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4.3.3
Ability to Check Availability and Price
Just over half of the tourism operators report that people can check both the availability and
price of their products and services on their websites.
Figure 29. Possible to Check Availability and Price on Website
Percentage of operators who take bookings and have own website
4.3.4
Instant Confirmation Booking
Less than half (46%) of the tourism operators with websites offer instant confirmation
booking on their websites. The proportion is even lower in the ATDW sample (41%).
Figure 30. Instant Confirmation via Website
Percentage of operators who take bookings and have own website
4.3.5 Online Payments
Of those who offer instant confirmation booking on their websites, 70% also support online
payments.
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Figure 31. Online Payments via Website
Percentage of operators who take instant booking on their website
One third of those operators who process online payments on their websites never require
payment in full, while two tenths sometimes do and 45% always do. The ATDW operators
who process online payments are more likely to always require full payments. In contrast,
two fifths of the operators in the GENERAL cohort who process online payments never
require payment in full.
Figure 32. Full Payment Requirements
Percentage of operators who take instant booking on their website and process payment online
4.3.6
Instant Online Confirmation Bookings through Other Parties
In the GENERAL and ALL cohorts, about half reported that other parties offered instant
confirmation bookings online for their organisation (WOTIF, booknow, Stayz, etc) and in the
ATDW cohort only two fifths did.
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Figure 33. Instant Booking Through Third Party Websites
Percentage of operators who take bookings and are represented on third party websites
4.3.7
Online Payments through Other Parties
Of those organisations for which other parties offer instant confirmation bookings online, in
the GENERAL cohort almost nine tenths also took payments online for them; in the ALL
cohort it was slightly less at 87% due to the lower proportion in the ATDW cohort (84%).
Figure 34. Third Party Websites Process Payment
Percentage of operators who offer instant booking through third party websites
A small proportion of these other parties (11%) does not require payment in full and this
percentage is even lower for the ATDW cohort (6%) while 15% of the GENERAL cohort
indicated it was the case. About 50% always require payment in full and about two fifths
sometimes require payments in full.
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Figure 35. Full Payment Through Third Party Websites
Percentage of operators who offer instant booking through third party websites that take online payment
4.3.8
Reasons for Not Offering Instant Booking on Own Website
For all cohorts, the main reason explaining why instant booking is not offered on the website
was that customers made contact by other means – for more than two thirds of the
GENERAL cohort and just under half or over half for ATDW and ALL cohorts respectively.
Other main reasons for all cohorts included small organisation size and for GENERAL cohort
not relevant to the organisation.
Figure 36. Reasons for Not Offering Instant Booking on Website
Percentage of operators who take bookings and have website but do not offer instant booking
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4.4 SOCIAL MEDIA AND MOBILE
4.4.1
Official Presence on Social Media Sites
Three fifths in the GENERAL cohort, four fifths in the ATDW cohort and almost 70%
overall reported they had an official presence on a social media site. Across industry sectors,
the proportion was the lowest in the Accommodation (64%), Hire & Transport (66%) and
Dining (70%) sectors and highest in the Attractions (78%) and Tours (76%) sectors.
Figure 37. Social Media Presence by Data Source and Industry
The social media presence is especially low among Caravans and Camping establishments
(48%), while Apartments (76%) and Backpackers & Hostels (71%) report substantially
higher proportions than the Accommodation sector average.
Figure 38. Social Media Presence by Accommodation
Of those who have a social media presence, almost all (94%) are represented on Facebook.
For the ATDW sample, this proportion is slightly smaller (92%). Twitter (30%), YouTube
(23%), Google+1 (19%) and LinkedIn (18%) are also used by a substantial proportion. The
ATDW sample uses Twitter (32%), YouTube (29%), Pinterest (10%), LinkedIn (25%) and
Flickr (6%) more than the GENERAL cohort.
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Figure 39. Specific Social Media Use
Percentage of operators with social media presence
4.4.2
Social Media Site Updates
Overall, only a small proportion of tourism operators make daily or more frequent updates.
The most frequently updated social media types are Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and
Facebook while YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and Google+1 sites are not frequently updated.
Figure 40. Update Frequency for Different Social Media Types
Percentage of operators that use specific social media type
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4.4.3
Reasons for No Social Media Presence
These reasons differed markedly between the three cohorts. For those organisations with no
presence on social media, the most frequent explanation (three fifths) in the GENERAL
cohort was that there was no need as customers contacted by other means. After that came
other online presence (e.g. website) was sufficient, then no time and not relevant to the
organisation (each about three tenths). In the ATDW cohort, for those organisations with no
presence on social media, the most frequent explanation (just over one third) was other online
presence (e.g. website) is sufficient or lack of technical expertise followed by being unsure of
benefits for organisation (three tenths) and that there was no need as customers contacted by
other means ( 27%). For the ALL cohort over half thought there was no need as customers
contact by other means.
Figure 41. Reasons for Not Having a Social Media Presence
Percentage of operators without a social media presence
4.4.4
Social Media Monitoring
The social media monitoring approaches are quite similar across the three cohorts, with
ATDW operators engaging in it just slightly more. About two thirds of organisations with a
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presence on social media in the GENERAL cohort actually monitored the number of
consumers engaging with them through specific social media types (number of followers,
subscribers, page likes, etc.) or the level of consumer engagement with their social media
contents views (retweets, repins, shares, likes, number of comments). About four fifths of
them indicated they monitor what consumers say about their products/services on social
media sites. For the ATDW cohort, over seven tenths of organisations with a presence on
social media actually monitor the number of consumers engaging with them through social
media and about two thirds monitor the level of consumer engagement. About four fifths of
them monitor what consumers say about their products/services on social media sites.
Figure 42. Social Media Monitoring by Data Source
Percentage of operators that have a social media presence
Accommodation businesses are least likely to monitor the number of consumers who engage
and their level of engagement but still the majority of them does (over 56%). A large
proportion of the operators across all industries monitor what consumers say; however, the
percentage is quite considerably lower for the Hire & Transport sector.
Figure 43. Social Media Monitoring by Industry
Percentage of operators that have a social media presence
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4.4.5
Have a Company Blog
Company blogs are not very common among tourism operators in Australia. Only 11% of the
ALL cohort, 15% of the ATDW sample and 9% of the GENERAL cohort are represented
through a company blog. Across industry sectors, Tours (21%) and Hire & Transport (20%)
are the sectors with the highest blog adoption rates.
Figure 44. Have Company Blog by Data Source and Industry
Interestingly, none of the backpackers and hostels has a company blog while the Apartment
establishments reported a high rate of blogging (18%).
Figure 45. Have Company Blog by Accommodation
4.4.6
Have a Mobile App
About one tenth (12%) of the operators has a mobile app. Accommodation and Hire &
Transport operators report the highest proportions (15% and 17%, respectively). This is also
reflected in the proportions reported by the individual accommodation types. Only
Backpackers and Hostels report a substantially lower availability of mobile apps (6%).
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Figure 46. Have Mobile App by Data Source and Industry
Figure 47. Have Mobile App by Accommodation
About three fifths, seven tenths and two thirds of organisations in the GENERAL, ATDW
and ALL cohorts respectively with a mobile app made bookings of products/services possible
through their mobile app.
Figure 48. Booking Through Mobile App
Percentage of operators with mobile app
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5 COMPARISONS
Cross tabulations and Chi Square Tests were used to explore significant differences between
the two data cohorts ATDW and GENERAL and among the different industry sectors.
Comparisons were also made between the 2013 and 2010 findings as permitted.
5.1 COMPARISONS BY DATA SOURCE
Regarding their online presence, the tourism operators in the ATDW sample are significantly
more likely to have an email address, to have a website, to be both represented on their own
and on a third party website, to have a social media presence, and to have a company blog.
Their websites are also more likely to be optimised for viewing on a mobile device. They are
less likely to use Facebook but more likely to use YouTube, Pinterest, Google+1, LinkedIn
and Flickr.
Table 1. Online Presence Indicators by Data Source
Email address (n=2162)
Data Source
% ATDW
% General
98.4
89.1
Significance
p<.05
*
Web presence (either own website, third
party website, social media or blog)
(n=2169)
100.0
89.4
*
Website (n=2151)
Own website only (n=2152)
Third party website only (n=2152)
Both own and third party (n=2152)
100.0
3.5
5.0
91.6
84.9
22.8
9.9
52.2
*
*
*
*
Social media presence (n=2169)
Facebook (n=1490) +
Twitter (n=1489) +
YouTube (n=1490) +
Pinterest (n=1491) +
Google+1 (n=1489) +
Tumblr (n=1489) +
LinkedIn (n=1488) +
FlickR (n=1488) +
Instagram (n=1671) +
Other (n=1670) +
79.5
92.2
30.1
29.9
10.5
24.1
1.7
25.8
6.0
1.8
5.4
61.2
95.8
30.4
17.1
5.1
14.4
1.5
10.3
3.2
3.3
5.3
*
*
Company blog (n=2113)
16.3
8.1
*
Mobile presence
Mobile app (n=2111)
Optimized website (n=1780) ++
Separate mobile site (n=1780) ++
12.0
39.8
9.8
12.8
30.1
23.0
*
*
+Percentage
*
*
*
*
*
of operators with a social media presence
of operators with own website
++Percentage
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The ATDW operators are significantly more likely to take bookings and offer the ability to
check both availability and prices for their products/services on their websites. They are more
likely to offer instant confirmation bookings on their website and process online payments
through their websites. They are more likely to require full payments both on their own
website and through third party bookings and significantly more of them always require full
payments for bookings on their own website.
Table 2. Online Distribution Indicators by Data Source
Take bookings (n=2166)
Data Source
% ATDW
% General
96.1
89.8
Significance
p<.05
*
Email booking requests (n=1679) +
90.3
88.3
Availability & price checking (n=1676) +
Only availability
Only price
Both price and availability
Neither price nor availability
2.1
29.0
57.0
12.0
1.9
19.0
52.8
26.3
*
*
*
*
Total instant confirmation booking (n=1389) ++
Through own website (n=1680) +
Through third party website (n=1489) +++
61.4
49.6
50.6
63.7
44.0
51.0
*
Total online payments (n=533) ++++
Through own website (n=781) +++++
Through third party website (n=725) ++++^
95.9
73.8
87.2
91.1
66.1
86.6
*
*
Total online payments in full (n=373) ^
Through own website (n=544) ^^
Through third party website (n=619) ^^^
99.5
74.4
94.3
92.9
59.8
86.0
*
*
*
Total online payments in full – always (n=373) ^
Through own website (n=543) ^^
Through third party website (n=619) ^^^
34.6
50.9
49.7
29.2
38.8
48.7
*
Booking through mobile app (n=258) #
80.8
56.6
*
+Percentage
of operators who take bookings and have own website
of operators who take bookings and are represented on own or third party website
+++Percentage of operators who take bookings and are represented on a third party website
++++Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings either on own or on third party website
+++++Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings on own website
++++^Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings through third party website
^Percentage of operators who take online payments either on own or third party website
^^Percentage of operators who take online payments on own website
^^^Percentage of operators who take online payments through third party websites
#Percentage of operators with mobile app
++Percentage
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Page 37
The ATDW sample is significantly more likely to have own websites. The ATDW operator
websites are more likely to include product descriptions, links to the company social media
sites, links to LTO, RTO and NTO websites, links to other companies, photo galleries and
online videos but less downloadable materials.
The ATDW operators are more likely to use organic search engine optimisation and less
online paid services to drive traffic to their websites. They are more likely to measure website
performance. They less likely to both host and maintain their website in-house and are less
likely to update the website more often than once a week.
Table 3. Website Management and Strategy Indicators by Data Source
Have website (n=2160)
Data Source
% ATDW
% General
95.1
75.0
Significance
p<.05
*
Website features (n=1780) +
Description of own products/services
Links to company’s social media sites
Links to LTO, RTO, NTO websites
Links to other tourism companies
Maps
Photo gallery
Web-based enquiry form
Downloadable materials
User generated contents
Online videos
96.8
59.2
45.6
42.7
71.4
88.8
73.7
35.0
32.4
27.9
93.8
53.1
33.5
32.1
68.8
82.6
74.8
59.9
35.3
23.4
*
*
*
*
Use of organic search engine optimisation (n=1543) +
57.6
36.7
*
Use of paid online services to drive traffic (n=1776) +
40.8
46.5
*
Use of services to measure performance (n=1776) +
66.4
40.0
*
Type of hosting and maintenance (n=1686) +
Outsourced hosting & maintenance
Outsourced hosting, in-house maintenance
In-house hosting, outsourced maintenance
Hosting & maintenance in-house
23.0
53.2
3.3
20.5
25.3
29.0
6.6
39.1
*
*
*
*
Frequency of website updates (n=1698) +
One to several times a day
2-7 times a week
2-4 times a month
2-12 times a year
Once a year
Less often than once a year
Never
2.0
14.3
32.5
34.5
11.1
4.7
1.0
10.3
15.9
20.6
33.0
12.7
4.5
2.9
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
+Percentage
*
*
*
of operators with own website
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5.2 COMPARISON BY INDUSTRY SECTOR
The industry sectors differ significantly in terms of their adoption of email, their web
presence, their representation on their own and on third party websites, their social media
presence, and their mobile app adoption. They do not significantly differ when it comes to
optimising their websites for access via mobile devices.
Dining lags behind on traditional web presence measures but leads in terms of overall social
media presence. Tours is the sector with the highest social media engagement across all types
of social media sites, meaning that those operators in the Tours sector who adopt social
media, adopt a wide range. Tours operators also lead in terms of email and blog adoption.
Accommodation operators are the most likely to have a web presence through their own
website as well as a third party website.
Table 4. Online Presence Indicators by Industry Sector
Email address (n=2162)
% Acc.
96.7
Industry
% Dining % Att.
83.1
94.9
%Tour
99.2
% HT
96.5
Sig.
p<.05
*
Web presence (either own website, third
party website, social media or blog)
(n=2169)
97.4
85.7
97.9
96.2
90.7
*
Website (n=2151)
Own website only (n=2150)
Third party website only (n=2152)
Both own and third party (n=2150)
96.8
8.0
7.1
81.8
78.3
23.2
12.1
43.0
97.4
10.6
8.5
78.3
95.3
21.1
2.7
71.5
88.4
25.9
2.3
60.5
*
*
*
*
Social media presence (n=2169)
Facebook (n=1490)+
Twitter (n=1489) +
YouTube (n=1490) +
Pinterest (n=1491) +
Google+1 (n=1489) +
Tumblr (n=1489) +
LinkedIn (n=1488) +
FlickR (n=1488) +
Instagram (n=1671) +
Other (n=1670) +
64.0
92.3
20.9
22.4
6.5
22.4
1.5
16.4
3.4
0.5
4.0
69.5
97.0
30.1
10.0
5.0
10.5
0.7
9.8
1.4
4.3
7.2
78.2
94.1
36.6
34.4
9.1
16.7
3.2
22.5
7.5
5.3
5.8
75.8
96.5
48.2
42.9
17.2
24.9
3.5
31.3
11.2
3.3
7.6
66.3
82.5
46.4
26.3
1.8
33.3
0
29.8
7.0
1.6
0
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Company blog (n=2113)
9.9
7.1
15.2
21.3
20.5
*
Mobile presence
Mobile app (n=2111)
Optimized website (n=1780) ++
Separate mobile site (n=1780) ++
14.8
39.2
19.4
9.8
39.0
18.5
10.4
38.0
17.3
10.4
34.1
20.3
17.9
43.1
16.9
*
Note: Acc = Accommodation; Att. = Attractions; Tour = Tours; HT = Hire & Transport; Sig = Significance
+Percentage of operators with a social media presence
++Percentage of operators with own website
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Page 39
Attractions and Dining operators are the least likely to take bookings for their products and
services. Those Attractions and Dining establishments who take bookings and have a website
are still less likely to take email booking requests and online instant confirmation bookings
through their own website than operators in other sectors. The Accommodation operators
have the most sophisticated online distribution set up but are less likely to require full
payment at the time of booking.
Table 5. Online Distribution Indicators by Industry Sector
Take bookings (n=2166)
% Acc.
97.8
Industry
% Dining % Att.
87.4
80.6
%Tour
95.4
% HT
90.7
Sig.
p<.05
*
Email booking requests (n=1679) +
94.6
80.2
79.5
91.2
92.4
*
Availability & price checking (n=1676) +
Only availability
Only price
Both price and availability
Neither price nor availability
2.5
18.0
66.8
12.7
1.3
27.0
40.5
31.2
1.8
35.5
46.4
16.3
2.2
27.3
48.0
22.5
0
32.3
30.8
36.9
*
*
*
*
Total instant confirmation booking (n=1389) + +
Through own website (n=1680) +
Through third party website (n=1489) + + +
76.6
59.4
68.9
46.5
33.2
32.1
32.9
28.7
17.9
52.8
38.5
34.6
46.9
34.8
26.0
*
*
*
Total online payments (n=533) + + + +
Through own website (n=781) + + + + +
Through third party website (n=725) + + + +^
98.3
76.0
92.1
61.4
33.6
53.0
95.2
79.2
92.9
100.0
86.4
90.2
66.7
62.5
61.5
*
*
*
Total online payments in full (n=373) ^
Through own website (n=544) ^^
Through third party website (n=619) ^^^
96.0
59.9
91.0
100.0
66.7
85.7
100.0
81.6
92.0
100.0
93.3
92.6
80.0
93.3
75.0
*
Total online payments in full – always (n=373) ^
Through own website (n=543) ^^
Through third party website (n=619) ^^^
23.6
36.5
44.5
54.2
44.2
55.8
46.2
57.9
64.0
82.9
78.4
80.0
60.0
66.7
50.0
*
*
*
Booking through mobile app (n=258) #
83.8
37.9
56.5
57.7
40.0
*
Note: Acc = Accommodation; Att. = Attractions; Tour = Tours; HT = Hire & Transport; Sig = Significance
Note of caution: when the overall sample size is lower than 800, the number of Hire & Transport operators in the sample drops below
30.
+Percentage of operators who take bookings and have own website
++Percentage of operators who take bookings and are represented on own or third party website
+++Percentage of operators who take bookings and are represented on a third party website
++++Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings either on own or on third party website
+++++Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings on own website
++++^Percentage of operators who take instant confirmation bookings through third party website
^Percentage of operators who take online payments either on own or third party website
^^Percentage of operators who take online payments on own website
^^^Percentage of operators who take online payments through third party websites
#Percentage of operators with mobile app
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Page 40
Most Tours operators have a website while Dining operators lag behind. Regarding website
features, the Tours sector links heavily to its many social media platforms. Consistent with
their broad adoption of social media, the Tours sector also features user generated contents
and online videos more than other operators. They are also more likely to engage in organic
search engine optimization than other types of operators and engage in website performance
measurement more than others. Dining establishments are the least likely to have links to
destination marketing organisations and links to other tourism companies. On the other hand,
they are the most likely to host and maintain their website in-house. Attractions and Tours
operators update their websites more frequently than operators in other sectors.
Table 6. Website Management and Strategy Indicators by Industry Sector
Have website (n=2161)
% Acc.
89.8
Industry
% Dining % Att.
66.5
89.0
%Tour
92.6
% HT
86.0
Sig.
p<.05
*
Website features (n=1780) +
Description of own products/services
Links to company’s social media sites
Links to LTO, RTO, NTO websites
Links to other tourism companies
Maps
Photo gallery
Web-based enquiry form
Downloadable materials
User generated contents
Online videos
96.7
48.5
48.5
46.2
77.9
91.6
78.3
37.3
35.5
22.3
89.4
62.3
17.4
14.0
64.3
82.6
67.7
63.1
35.0
18.3
96.6
62.5
46.6
39.9
70.2
82.7
63.9
59.1
26.0
33.2
98.3
65.4
38.6
41.9
57.0
77.6
81.0
54.4
38.0
41.9
95.9
54.8
31.5
34.2
52.1
64.4
73.0
46.6
20.3
27.0
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Use of organic search engine optimisation (n=1543) +
46.4
37.0
48.3
58.7
47.0
*
Use of paid online services to drive traffic (n=1776) +
40.8
49.0
38.8
48.3
50.0
*
Use of services to measure performance (n=1776) +
54.8
36.9
54.6
65.0
58.3
*
Type of hosting and maintenance (n=1686) +
Outsourced hosting & maintenance
Outsourced hosting, in-house maintenance
In-house hosting, outsourced maintenance
Hosting & maintenance in-house
26.9
42.9
5.6
24.7
20.7
27.7
6.2
45.3
21.3
45.7
3.0
29.9
23.5
45.1
3.1
28.3
23.9
40.8
7.0
28.2
*
Frequency of website updates (n=1698) +
One to several times a day
2-7 times a week
2-4 times a month
2-12 times a year
Once a year
Less often than once a year
Never
5.6
11.6
23.9
36.6
15.4
5.2
1.6
4.0
18.5
27.9
33.9
8.2
3.5
4.0
7.1
21.4
29.1
30.1
7.1
3.1
2.0
12.7
17.1
29.4
25.9
9.6
4.4
0.9
11.3
15.5
19.7
32.4
12.7
8.5
0
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Note: Acc = Accommodation; Att. = Attractions; Tour = Tours; HT = Hire & Transport; Sig = Significance
+Percentage of operators with own website
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
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Page 41
5.3 COMPARISON OF 2010 AND 2013 FINDINGS
Table 7 compares findings for 2013 with 2010 results with respect to online capability. For
every main area of email booking requests, website presence on own website, availability and
price checking, and instant confirmation bookings, there was mostly a marked improvement
in 2013. The only exception was website presence on others’ website which showed a similar
proportion of three quarters to 2010 for the ALL cohort. Capabilities regarding online
payments can unfortunately not be compared as numbers are reported as percentages of
operators who take bookings in 2010, while the 2013 survey measured percentages of
operators who take instant confirmation bookings online.
Table 7. 2010 vs. 2013 Online Capability
2010 ALL
2013 ALL
2013 ATDW
2013 GENERAL
Own email address
84
93
97
91
Total Website presence
84
91
100
85
Own website
71
83
94
78
On others’ website
74
76
94
65
Email booking requests
62
89
86
89
Availability and price checking
41
54
47
54
Total Instant confirmation bookings
42
62
61
64
Through own website
27
46
41
45
Through others’ website
36
50
38
52
37
40
46
33
n=1904
n= 2164
n= 975
n= 1200
Online Capability
Search engine optimisation
note n= refers to own email address; other n=
may differ
In other measures of capability such as search engine optimisation in 2010, 37% of those
organisations which had a website used organic search engine optimisation, compared to two
fifths of the ALL cohort, almost half of the ATDW cohort and one third of the GENERAL in
2013. This does not show much difference in 2013 compared to 2010. The increases could be
greater, considering that the 2010 records may be over supplied with ATDW businesses or
organisations relative to those in GENERAL and so show higher capability than a
representative sample.
The comparative advanced website development is shown by the increased adoption
percentage of the select list of website features in Table 8. Here a much greater percentage of
operators has advanced features in place in 2013 compared to 2010 while basic features have
remained the same or have decreased. For example links to social networking sites increased
from about one quarter in 2010 to over half in the ALL and GENERAL cohorts and three
fifths in the ATDW cohort; online video from 13% to about one quarter; user generated
content from less than one tenths to at least three tenths in 2013; however, the projected 40%
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Page 42
adoption rate reported in the 2010 survey has not yet been achieved. Blogs stayed the same at
about one tenths in the ALL cohort and slightly decreased in the GENERAL sample.
Table 8. 2010 vs. 2013 Website Features
2010 ALL
2013 ALL
2013 ATDW
2013 GENERAL
95
95
96
95
Web-based inquiry form
76
74
69
76
Downloadable materials
54
49
40
59
Links to social networking sites
26
56
61
52
Online video
13
25
27
25
Photo gallery
91
86
87
83
Blogs
11
11
15
9
Maps
78
70
71
70
User Generated Content
6
34
30
35
n=1904
n= 2164
n= 975
Online Capability- website features
Description of non-tourism related
products/services
n= 1200
6 CONCLUSIONS
6.1 DIGITAL CAPABILITY SUMMARY
Overall the ATDW cohort was more advanced than the GENERAL cohort that is
representative of the population in the select main tourism industry sectors and includes some
ATDW members. There were also significant differences across industry sectors, with dining
establishments lagging behind other sectors in terms of general digital capabilities. Regarding
the level of sophistication in uptake of various digital technologies associated with tourism
websites, web presence and bookings were good but payment, checking availability and price
and instant confirmation of bookings need much more development. For social media,
progress has been made but much more development is needed to extend uptake and enhance
capacity of tourism operators.
In terms of managing their web presence, most of the Australian tourism operators do not
currently take advantage of either organic search engine optimisation or paid services that
provide online advertising opportunities. There is also limited capability in terms of
monitoring website performance. Further, there is no collaborative strategy with only
minimal links to other tourism companies and destination marketing organisations. The
tourism operator websites are mostly not mobile-ready.
6.2 EXTENDING UPTAKE AND ENHANCING CAPABILITY
Policies suggested by findings which enable and facilitate ongoing appropriate government
support in extending uptake and enhancing capability following those introduced after the
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Page 43
earlier 2010 report are set out below. They cover two main areas of digital capacity – extend
the industry sector reach for greater inclusion of the dining sector and facilitate/extend and
enhance operators’ website and social media presence.
6.2.1
Extend Industry Reach to Dining Sector
The dining sector as shown in the GVA data had significant tourism economic impact of
$3bn in 2010-2011 (Table 9), making an important contribution. However there are relatively
few ATDW dining members and generally in all indicators of digital capability dining
businesses lagged. Therefore policies could be introduced to extend the dining industry sector
reach for greater inclusion of the dining sector in recognition of its importance in delivering
high quality tourism experiences. This could be achieved in part through their industry
associations.
6.2.2
Web Presence Update and Website Enhancement
Two policies are suggested to facilitate web site uptake - first target select sectors and second,
address reasons for not having a website:
Target select sectors: Whilst almost all the ATDW cohort had a website, fewer (four fifths)
of the GENERAL and even fewer (three fifths) of the dining GENERAL cohort did.
Therefore policies could focus on facilitation of web site introduction in non ATDW
operators, and particularly amongst the dining businesses.
Address select reasons for not having a website: Reasons which could be addressed include
unsure of where to obtain training or lack of training support and lack of technical expertise.
These can be addressed by ATDW through a wider membership uptake, presuming that these
businesses and organisations are not already ATDW members. For those which lack technical
expertise, this could be addressed by provision of paid consultancy services advertised
though ATDW and industry associations. Addressing not only training needs but also needs
for platforms that allow micro-businesses to pool resources and overcome their size issues
will be increasingly important as more consumers expect digital services.
Enhance websites and their management: More advanced and more frequently updated
websites are important in distributing information and driving online distribution. Three
policies are suggested to enhance operator websites – first develop greater uptake of
advanced website features and interlink sites, second increase website optimisation for
viewing on mobile devices and third increase organic search engine optimisation of websites
as well as paid search/online advertising.
Website features not only increase the persuasiveness of websites and add informational and
experiential value, they are also important for driving traffic, e.g. links to and from social
media as well as links to and from other businesses and destination marketing organisations.
Further, initiatives such as optimising a website for mobile viewing, frequent website updates
and integrating user-generated contents make websites much more search engine friendly.
However, the World Wide Web is huge and consumer attention spans are short. The
Australian tourism industry cannot rely on consumers actively searching for their products.
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Paid search is important and for online advertising to deliver high returns on investment,
website performance measurement is needed. There is also a clear need for the LTOs, RTOs,
STOs and the NTO to more clearly and widely state their case and provide hard evidence for
their value in driving business to the operator websites.
6.2.3
More Sophisticated Social Media Use
While Facebook has been widely adopted, other social media types have been neglected
despite general consumer trends indicating increased uptake of for example You Tube,
Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram. Here industry needs guidance from ATDW and other
industry bodies regarding the use of different media to enhance digital capability. Two
policies are suggested:
Informed social media uptake: Firstly, several reasons mentioned for not engaging in social
media marketing and distribution can be easily addressed through training. Second, social
media trends change fast and consumer markets differ hugely in terms of their social media
use and perceptions. More research is needed that can inform Australian tourism operators’
decisions in which markets to invest.
Enhanced maintenance and monitoring: Maintenance of social media needs to be improved
through more frequent updating of all contents in order to achieve currency of information,
meet consumer expectations and increase consumer engagement with contents. For visitors, it
is vital that information is current, especially for those already arrived at the destination who
want correct information to make decisions and book/pay whilst on the move. Whilst many
operators monitor consumer sentiment and engagement on their social media, the proportion
could be much higher, arguably to approach 100%. Monitoring provides an excellent means
to track consumer trends and therefore increases the capacity of the operator to respond.
6.2.4
Tackling Mobile Apps
Mobile app development is costly and time consuming and out of the realm of the many
micro-businesses that make up the Australian tourism industry. Developing thousands of apps
also makes little sense from a consumer perspective. It is therefore recommended that the
Australian tourism industry needs to envision a common mobile future with investments
made to develop key apps of benefit to a large number of tourism operators.
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Page 45
7 REFERENCES
Australian Government (2009a). The Jackson Report On behalf of the Steering Committee
Informing the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy. Commonwealth of Australia Canberra
http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/documents/tmc/jackson-report-july09.pdf
Australian Government (2009b). National Long-Term Tourism Strategy. Commonwealth of
Australia Canberra
http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/documents/tmc/dret%20tourism%20strategy.pdf
Australian Government (2010a). Tourism Operators Online Capabilities Benchmark Survey
2010 Research Report Commonwealth of Australia Canberra
http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/Documents/tmc/Digital%20Distribution%20Working%20Gr
oup%20-%20Benchmark%20Survey%202010.pdf
Australian Government (2010b). Going Global an Action Plan to Adapt to the Changing
Tourism Distribution Landscape Commonwealth of Australia Canberra
Australian Government (2011a). National Online Tourism Strategy. Accessed 1 July 2012
at http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/Documents/nltts/NOST.pdf
Australian Government (2011b). National Long-Term Tourism Strategy (NLTTS) Progress
Report 2011 Commonwealth of Australia Canberra
http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/documents/nltts/2020/nltts-annual-report-dec11.pdf
Australian Government (2012). Digital Distribution Working Group. Accessed
21 December 2012 at
http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/policies/nltts/workinggrps/digital/Pages/default.aspx
Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (2012) Tourism e kit September 2012. Australian
Tourism Data Warehouse: Brisbane. Accessed 29 October 2012 at
http://www.atdw.com.au/tourismekit.aspx
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Tourism Research Australia
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on Ethical Conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard ISO20252 procedures
APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY
A2
A.1
Approach
The project had a steering group consisting of four members - Dr Leo Jago (Chair), Tourism
Research Australia, Don Richter, Tourism Victoria, Liz Ward, ATDW, and Deborah
O'Connor, Destination NSW. They provided guidance of major decisions made, occasionally
in consultation with other NOST members.
The approach selected was to ensure continuity with respect to the 2010 survey but at the
same time had to take into account new technological developments: In terms of the topics,
more questions relating to social media and mobile presence were added. The questions
regarding the respondent intentions to develop the business or organisation web presence
further were eliminated to allow the social media questions without lengthening the estimated
survey completion time.
A further problem was discussed by email after the project started. Because the tenders for
the proposed phone survey of 2000 respondents all quoted cost amounts far beyond the
allocated budget for the project it was decided to have an additional approach to achieve the
2000 respondent target – an online survey of ATDW members in the selected industry
sectors. The value of this approach is that it allows comparison of the industry sector
population with the cohort of ATDW members. Given that ATDW plays a significant
industry education and training role, these research findings will be a very valuable
benchmark of the comparative digital capability. The results are reported separately for each
cohort, that is for GENERAL (CATI) and for ATDW (online).
A.2
SAMPLE DESIGN
There were two methods of data collection - phone interviews of 1200 respondents and an
online survey of ATDW members in select industry sectors.
A.2.1 The Sensis Sample for Interviews by Q&A Market Research Pty Ltd
For the interview sample, the first task involved consideration of the relative proportions of
five main industry sectors to be targeted. For this research report, in consultation with the
project steering group, it was decided to use the Tourism Satellite Accounts data for real
Gross Value Added (GVA) of tourism businesses as a guide (Australian Bureau of Statistics,
2011, p16). By way of note, the Account released on 26 April 2013 after the project
commenced contains similar proportions (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013, p16).
Table 9 shows the numbers and proportions of GVA of accommodation, restaurants, bars,
travel agents/ tour operators and motor vehicle hire, with accommodation, restaurants having
more than two thirds or $8740m of the GVA. Bars were not included separately as the
restaurant sector includes dining – hotels and pubs. These data do not show attractions, an
important sector as probably there is no equivalent ABS Australian and New Zealand
Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) category for data gathering, though some would
be included in museums, art galleries, and theme parks classifications. They were not listed in
the GVA table (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011, p16). Therefore an attraction industry
sector was added giving it an estimated relative proportion (11%).
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A3
Table 9. GVA Numbers and Proportions
2013
AMENDED
PROPOSED
Real GVA ($m) 2010-2011 (select
sectors)
industry sector
($m)
%
Accommodation
5300
0.44
Restaurant
3440
0.28
Bars
1290
0.11
Travel Agents Tour Operators
1500
0.12
542
0.04
12072
1
Motor Vehicle Hire*
TOTAL
Source: ABS Cat. No. 5249
The five final industry sectors in descending order of their proportions are accommodation
(44%), dining (29%), tours including travel agents/consultants (12%), attractions (11%), and
hire and transport (4%).
Table 10. Industry Sector Proportions Targeted for the CATI Interviews
Industry Sector
%
Accommodation
44
Dining
29
Attractions
11
Tours
12
Hire & Transport
4
100
Sensis used ANZSIC codes and related Yellow Pages headings to retrieve a total of 20,000
records of Australian businesses. Table 11 shows the breakdown of records by industry sector
enterprise/business, ANZSIC code and description as supplied by Sensis; these are exact
proportions of the five industry sectors noted above. These records were then used by the
interviewing firm Q&A Research to target respondents for the survey. The resulting sample
represents a general industry sample, including some ATDW members, and therefore is
referred to as GENERAL cohort in the report.
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A4
Table 11. Industry Sector, Product Type and Approximate ANZSIC Codes in Sensis Records
INDUSTRY SECTOR
Accommodation
PRODUCT TYPE
ANZSIC
CODE
GUEST HOUSES
MOTELS
CAMPS
HOLIDAYS & RESORTS
BED & BREAKFAST ACCOMMODATION
BACKPACKERS ACCOMMODATION
APARTMENTS-SERVICED
HOTELS-ACCOMMODATION
4400
4400
4400
4400
4400
4400
4400
4400
MUSEUMS
CARAVAN & TOURIST PARKS
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, INFORMATION &/OR
SERVICES
ZOOS, SANCTUARIES & ANIMAL PARKS
8910
4400
Accommodation - 44% - 8800
Total
Attractions
7299
8921, 8922
Attractions - 11% - 2200 Total
Dining
RESTAURANTS
CAFES
THEATRE RESTAURANTS
HOTELS-PUBS
4511
4511
4511
4520
CAR &/OR MINIBUS RENTAL
AIRLINES & AIRLINE AGENTS
CAMPERVANS & MOTOR HOMES-HIRE
MOTOR CYCLES-HIRE & TOURS
6611
4900
6619
6619
SHOPPING TOURS &/OR SERVICES
SKI CENTRES, TOURS & RESORTS
TRAVEL AGENTS &/OR CONSULTANTS
ADVENTURE TOURS & HOLIDAYS
SPORTS TOURS & HOLIDAYS
BUS & COACH CHARTERS & TOURS
5010
6639, 5010
7220
5010, 7220
7220
4621
Dining - 29% - 5800 Total
Hire & Transport
Hire & Transport - 4% - 800 Total
Tours
Tours - 12% - 2400 Total
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A5
A.2.2 THE ATDW SAMPLE
The choice of industry sectors for the ATDW cohort was identical to that for the GENERAL
cohort with one modification – an information services group was added. This sector
included visitor information centres, state, regional and local visitor organisations, etc. which
constitute an important, though small category of ATDW members. However as its response
rate was very low – only 13 completions, they were included in the ATDW cohort and not
analysed separately as an industry sector.
The industry sector proportions in the 2010 sample were based on those of ATDW members.
In the 2010 sample there was a greater proportion in Accommodation (60%) and Tours (14%)
but lesser in Dining (5%) and Attractions (11%). These proportions differ markedly from
those derived from the GVA data which guided the 2013 sample proportions. This strongly
suggests that ATDW members’ product categories do not reflect the wider Australian
population of select tourism industry sectors.
Records on the ATDW members’ database are classified at a broad level by Product Category
and within that Product Type. As members often nominate multiple categories, each record
could be classified to several Product Categories and several Product Types - that is, ATDW
reported that a single product member may identify with multiple product types. For the
purpose of industry sector listing, ATDW was instructed to record product category once
only in the appropriate industry sector. The email address of business enterprises and
organisations in the ATDW sample records which duplicated those in the phone listings of
the Sensis data were removed by ATDW from their list of member email addresses.
Additional rules were applied to ATDW records to determine their in-scope status for the
survey. Records were excluded from the survey frame if they were not active or had expired
as at the date of the report or did not contain email address. The resulting ATDW sample
included a total of 14,527 records.
A.3
FIELDWORK
The interview survey was conducted by Q&A Research using CATI (Computer assisted
telephone interviewing); 1200 interviews were completed between 20 May and 4 June 2013
with randomly selected business enterprises and organisations across Australia in five
industry sectors as noted above – accommodation, dining, attractions, travel agents/tour
operators and motor vehicle/other hire/transport. The interviews met the 12 minute desired
time span, average length being 10 minutes.
Interviewing proceeded smoothly, though there were several minor problems which were
satisfactorily resolved on a case by case basis:
1. For the position/job of the respondent (see Appendix B question QC1a), there were a
large range of job titles initially reported, often which had little meaning for the
purposes of the survey; therefore respondents were asked to describe their primary
responsibilities and the essence of their role; these were matched to the code which
matched the level of focus. Even so, there was a significant proportion which were
coded ‘other’.
2. The industry sector allocated in the Sensis records was typically incorrect. This meant
that in order to fill quotas, the industry sector was taken from the respondents’
nomination to the question QC2 ‘Which of the following tourism activities is your
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A6
organisation mainly involved in?’ Table 12 lists the totals achieved from that
nomination for each industry sector; the rows give sector allocated in the Sensis data.
For example in accommodation only 289/528 records were Sensis classified as
accommodation – the remainder were classified as dining, tours, attractions, hire and
transport (63, 4, 3, and 1 respectively).
3. There was delay in achieving the required numbers for the dining sector (see
Appendix B question QC2) –several phone calls had to be made before the
appropriate manager was available and/or many reported their restaurant was part of
an accommodation business or an attraction.
4. For many respondents it was hard initially to give a considered response to the
website traffic question (see Appendix B question QB11), even if they knew; the
interviewer had to ask that they quietly reflect on it, read out the list of possible
channels and ask for their proportions as applicable; this was too hard to work through
or they had no idea and so no response was recorded for a significant proportion.
Table 12. Sensis Industry Sector Classification vs. Classification Achieved
From Sample Location
Accommodation
Dining
Attractions
Tours
Hire &
Transport
TOTALS
Accommodation
289
27
179
31
2
528
Dining
63
272
7
0
0
342
Attractions
3
14
103
13
0
133
Tours
4
1
18
122
1
146
Hire & Transport
1
0
4
39
7
51
360
314
311
205
10
1200
Final Quota
Total
For the online survey, operators in the ATDW sample were emailed a link to an online survey
(see Appendix B) programmed using the online survey platform Qualtrics. The email was
sent on behalf of the ATDW CEO Liz Ward, with a note encouraging their participation. An
earlier newsletter included advice of survey TBA. Note that Queensland numbers were
affected by the TEQ requirement of only including products with an expiry date of 30 June
2014 or later. The online survey fieldwork took part in the period 4 to 18 June 2013. The
initial email invitation was followed up by a reminder email 14 June.
Table 13. Online Survey Summary
Initial Invitation – 4 June 2013
Emails sent
Unique opens
Bounced
Unopened
Clicks
14,527
3,815
890
9,822
886
Follow-up Reminder Email – 14 June 2013
Emails sent
Unique opens
Bounced
Unopened
Clicks
14,178
3,142
593
10,443
626
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A7
Table 14. CATI Response Summary
Table CATI Response summary
Overall
Accommodation
Dining
Hire &
Transport
Tours
Attractions
Interviews
1200
360
314
10
205
311
Soft appointment
550
55
288
27
95
85
Hard appointment
5
1
1
1
2
0
Quota Failure
24
1
3
0
3
17
Quota not Available
997
118
261
111
347
160
Screener - Not in tourism
4
0
0
0
3
1
Screener - DK Bookings
1
0
0
0
1
0
Screener - DK Email
1
0
1
0
0
0
Screener - DK Website
0
0
0
0
0
0
Screener - DK Other website
10
3
5
0
1
1
Non-business number
34
4
12
0
12
6
Refusal
683
154
310
14
131
74
Out/answering machine
414
17
300
13
22
62
Engaged/busy
16
0
11
0
3
2
Language
76
0
73
0
3
0
Fax (Kill 1)
40
4
18
1
12
5
12144
6998
3208
197
591
1150
TMD (Kill 2)
678
74
344
44
155
61
Dead
591
76
378
3
70
64
17468
7865
5527
421
1656
1999
Previous Status
Contact made, eligibility established, eligible, interviewed
Contact made, eligibility established, eligible, not interviewed
Contact made, eligibility established, not eligible
Contact made, eligibility not established
New Status
Virgin
Contact not made, eligibility not established
Total
Incidence Rate: Completed/
(Screen outs + Completed)
53%
74%
53%
8%
36%
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65%
A8
CATI Response Summary Legend
Status
Description
Virgin
These are sample items that were never accessed by our system
Interviews
Completed sample items that originally came from this location
Refusal
Respondents that refused to complete the survey for us
Out/answering machine
Sample items that were called less than 6 times and didn't pick up
Engaged/busy
Sample items that were called less than 6 times and didn't pick up
Soft appointment
Respondents that were contacted and gave us a soft appointment
Hard appointment
Respondents that were contacted and gave us a hard appointment
Language
Respondents that had language difficulties and couldn't complete the survey with us in English
Quota Failure
Sample items that were filed as Quota Full as we already had enough surveys for the quota
Fax (Kill 1)
Sample items that were picked up by a fax machine
TMD (Kill 2)
Sample items that were disconnected
Quota not Available (Kill 101)
Sample items that did not qualify for an interview e.g.
- Head Office looks after online presence
- Person responsible not available for survey period
- Wrong number
Screener - Not in tourism (Kill 6)
QC2 Terminate
Screener - DK Bookings (Kill 7)
QC6 Terminate
Screener - DK Email (Kill 8)
QC7 Terminate
Screener - DK Website (Kill 9)
QC8 Terminate
Screener - DK Other website (Kill 10)
QC9 Terminate
Non-business number
Sample item was a residential number
Dead
Sample item was called 6+ times with no resolve
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A9
A.4
FIELD SUMMARIES
The response rates for the CATI cohort are listed in Table 14 with an overall completion rate
of 53%; the complete rate varied by the industry sector: Accommodation 74%, Dining 53%,
Attractions 65%, Tours 36% and Hire and Transport 8%. The table also shows the final
counts of respondents for each industry sector and the sample history. Overall, the CATI
effort achieved the desired 1200 respondent goal and the industry proportions set out based
on GVA proportions.
Of the ATDW operators who received the invitation email and clicked on the survey link,
1042 started the survey. 46 indicated that they did not want to complete the survey after
reading the information section or dropped out after the first question. 996 completed the job
title question. Three dropped out after that and 8 did not qualify for the rest of the survey as
they were either not involved in tourism activities or where unable to indicate what business
they were in. This resulted in an overall sample of 985 ATDW members.
A.5
SAMPLE WEIGHTING
The data were weighted to achieve a sample that is representative of the Australian tourism
industry in terms of the relative importance of industry sectors based on their GVA
contributions.
A.5.1 General
The general sample derived from the CATI fieldwork largely corresponded to the industry
proportions determined and therefore did not have to be weighted.
A.5.2 ATDW
The ATDW sample was weighted to reflect the proportions of industry sectors in the ATDW
membership base.
A.5.2 Total
For the construction of the sample that included ALL records (General + ATDW), the
information services operators were eliminated as the tourism satellite accounts GVA table
does not include any values for information services and the response rate was also extremely
low in this category. The records were then weighted to reflect the GVA based industry
proportions.
Table 15. Sample Weights Summary
Industry sector
GVA
proportions
Accommodation
Dining
Attractions
Tours
Hire/Transport
Info Services
0.44
0.29
0.11
0.12
0.04
-
ATDW
member
proportions
0.361
0.200
0.306
0.089
0.027
0.017
ATDW
sample
proportions
0.550
0.059
0.165
0.174
0.038
0.013
Total
proportions
ATDW
weights
Total
weights
0.493
0.184
0.137
0.146
0.041
-
0.656
3.383
1.845
0.511
0.721
1.292
0.892
1.576
0.803
0.822
0.976
-
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APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRES
B2
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013
Interviewer _______________ Response No: _____ __
Date__________ Time _____
Record:
Name of business .....................................................................................
Phone number .......................................................
Postcode ........................................................
INTRODUCTION GUIDE TO POTENTIAL RESPONDENTS
PHONE Good morning/afternoon. My name is ……… I’m calling regarding a survey we are conducting for
Tourism Research Australia on how tourism businesses and organisations use the Internet for
marketing and distribution. Participation is voluntary, but it’s a great opportunity for you to contribute to
this important tourism initiative.
Can I please speak with the person who is responsible for your organisation’s online marketing activities. Would
you be available now to answer some questions? – it will only take about 10 minutes?
IF NOW – CONTINUE
IF NOT NOW – MAKE APPOINTMENT
IF REFUSED – THANK and TERMINATE
The research is conducted by the University of New South Wales and University of Wollongong on behalf of
Tourism Research Australia. You will be asked questions about your company’s online activities and
capabilities. Refusing to participate in the study will not have any negative consequences for you.
Regarding confidentiality and disclosure of information, any information that is obtained in connection with this
study and that can be identified with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your
permission, except as required by law. If you give us your permission by participating in this study, we plan to
publish the results as a Tourism Research Australia report and in academic journals. In any publication,
information will be provided in such a way that you cannot be identified.
Complaints may be directed to the Ethics Secretariat at the University of New South Wales
ASK IF THEY WOULD LIKE CONTACT INFO AND ONLY READ OUT IF YES:
Phone: +61 2 9385 4234
Fax: +61 2 9385 6648
Email: ethics.sec@unsw.edu.au
Completion of this telephone survey will imply consent to using your data in our study. We would be happy to
post/email you the Participant Information Statement and Revocation of Consent Form if you are interested. (if
interested- record post/email address.)
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out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B3
CLASSIFICATION DETAILS
ASK ALL
QC1a. Firstly, can I please confirm your position/job title. Are you the…..
READ OUT. SINGLE ANSWER ONLY:
Owner
................................................................................................................................. 1
Manager
............................................................................................................................2
Marketing manager .............................................................................................................................. 3
Sales manager
................................................................................................................................. 4
IT/web manager ................................................................................................................................. 5
Other
............................................................................................................................... 96
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ...................................................................................................99
QC1b. What is the postal code of the main office location of your company in Australia?
TYPE IN POSTAL CODE: ____________________________
QC2.
Which of the following tourism activities is your organisation mainly involved in:
READ OUT. SINGLE ANSWER ONLY:
Accommodation ................................................................................................................................. 1
Dining
................................................................................................................................. 2
Attractions (e.g. theme parks, zoos, galleries, museums, etc) ............................................................. 3
ours
................................................................................................................................. 4
Hire (e.g. car, bike, skis etc) ................................................................................................................. 5
Transport
................................................................................................................................. 6
Other (Please Specify) ........................................................................................................................96
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ...................................................................................................99
NOT INVOLVED IN TOURISM (DO NOT READ OUT) ...........................................................98
IF NOT IN TOURISM (code 98 at QC2) – THANK AND TERMINATE, SAYING:
Sorry, thanks anyway but we are only interviewing those involved in tourism for this survey.
IF “ACCOMMODATION” (code 1 at QC2), ASK QC3, OTHERS (codes 2-96, 99 at QC2)
GO TO QC4
QC3.
Which one of the following best describes the TYPE of accommodation your organisation is mainly
involved with:
READ OUT. SINGLE ANSWER ONLY:
Apartments.......................................................................................................................................... 1
Backpackers and Hostels .................................................................................................................... 2
Bed and Breakfasts ............................................................................................................................. 3
Cabins and Cottages ........................................................................................................................... 4
Caravans and Camping....................................................................................................................... 5
Hotels/Motels/Resorts ........................................................................................................................ 6
Self-Contained ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Other ..............................................................................................................................................96
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) .................................................................................................99
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
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out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B4
QC4a. Which one of the following best describes your organisation?
READ OUT. SINGLE ANSWER ONLY:
A stand-alone business ......................................................................................................................... 1
A franchise
................................................................................................................................. 2
A business that is part of a group/chain ............................................................................................... 3
A Government agency; or .................................................................................................................... 4
A not for profit organisation................................................................................................................. 5
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ...................................................................................................99
QC5.
How many employees (counting full-time, part-time and casual) are employed by your organisation
<<across all locations in Australia>> excluding any seasonal peaks you may have in your business?
RECORD IN APPROPRIATE CATEGORY BELOW:
Less than 5
5-9
10-19
20-199
200 or more
Can’t say
QC6.
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................................. 3
................................................................................................................................. 4
................................................................................................................................. 5
............................................................................................................................... 99
Does your organisation take bookings for its products or services? This can be either offline or online
through your own website or through a third party.
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
............................................................................................................................... 99
IF CAN’T SAY (code 99 at QC6) – THANK AND TERMINATE, SAYING:
Sorry, thanks anyway, but we need to speak with people who know about bookings.
OTHERS CONTINUE
QC7.
Does your organisation have its own email address(es)?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
............................................................................................................................... 99
IF CAN’T SAY (code 99 at QC7) – THANK AND TERMINATE, SAYING:
Sorry, thanks anyway but we need to speak with people who know about this.
OTHERS CONTINUE
QC8.
Does your organisation have its own website?
Yes
................................................................................................................................. 1
No
................................................................................................................................. 2
Can’t say
............................................................................................................................... 99
IF CAN’T SAY (code 99 at QC8) – THANK AND TERMINATE, SAYING:
Sorry, thanks anyway but we need to speak with people who know about this.
IF NO (code 2 at QC8) – CONTINUE THROUGH TO QA2; THEN SKIP QB1- QB7; CONTINUE
QB8- QE1; SKIP QB10- END AND THANK RESPONDENT
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
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ISO20252 procedures
B5
QC9.
Is your organisation represented on any other parties’ website?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
…………………………………………………………………………………99
IF NO WEBSITE (code 2 at QC8) –GO TO QC10a THEN SKIP QB3-QB7; QB10- QB14 END
OTHERS CONTINUE
QC10a. Does your organization have an official presence on any of the following social media sites?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
Facebook ....................................................................................................................... Yes=1
Twitter........................................................................................................................... Yes=1
YouTube........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Pinterest ........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Google+1....................................................................................................................... Yes=1
Tumblr ........................................................................................................................... Yes=1
LinkedIn ....................................................................................................................... Yes=1
Flickr ............................................................................................................................. Yes=1
Other (Please specify). .................................................................................................. Yes=1
NONE............................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................... Yes=1
IF YES (QC10 codes 1 – 96):
IF NO (QC10 codes 97 and 99): skip to QC12
QC10b. How often are the contents of your social media sites updated?
ONLY READ OUT THOSE OPTIONS THAT WERE INDICATED ABOVE:
One to
several
times a
day
6
2-7
times a
week
5
2-4
times a
month
4
2-12
times
year
3
a
Once
year
2
a
Less
often
than
once a
year
1
Never
0
Can’t
say
99
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Pinterest
Google+1
Tumblr
LinkedIn
Flickr
Other
QC11a. Does your organization monitor the number of consumers engaging with your company through
specific social media types (e.g. number of followers, subscribers, page likes, etc.)?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
…………………………………………………………………………………99
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B6
QC11b. Does your organization monitor the level of consumer engagement with your social media contents
(e.g. views, retweets, repins, shares, likes, number of comments, etc.)?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
……………………………………………………………………………….99
QC11c. Does your organization monitor what consumers say about your products/services on social media
sites?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
…………………………………………………………………………………99
QC12. Does your organization maintain a company blog?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
…………………………………………………………………………………99
QC13. Does your organization have a mobile app that people can download to their mobile devices?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................. 1
................................................................................................................................. 2
………………………………………………………………………………...99
IF ORGANISATION HAS MOBILE APP (code 1 at QC13), ASK:
QB14a.
Is it possible to make bookings of your products/services through your mobile app?
Yes
No
Can’t say
.................................................................................................................. 1
.................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................99
ORGANISATIONS WITHOUT OWN WEBSITE (code 2 at QC8)
IF DOES NOT HAVE WEBSITE ASK:
QA1. Which, if any, of the following reasons explain why your organisation has no website?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
No need to as customers contact us by other means.................................................... Yes=1
Website of another party offers information/bookings ............................................... Yes=1
Other online presence (e.g. on social media) is sufficient . ..........................................Yes=1
Unsure of benefits for my organisation ....................................................................... Yes=1
Cost
............................................................ Yes=1
My organisation is too small
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of technical expertise
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of availability of training providers/support ....................................................... Yes=1
Unsure of where to obtain training
............................................................ Yes=1
No time
............................................................ Yes=1
Not relevant to my organisation
............................................................ Yes=1
Poor Internet connections
............................................................ Yes=1
Haven’t thought about it
............................................................ Yes=1
Other (Please specify).
............................................................ Yes=1
No reason in particular (DO NOT READ OUT) ......................................................... Yes=1
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................... Yes=1
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B7
ORGANISATIONS WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE (code 97 at QC10)
IF DOES NOT HAVE ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ASK:
QA2. Which, if any, of the following reasons explain why your organisation has no presence on social media?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
No need to as customers contact us by other means.................................................... Yes=1
Security/privacy concerns ............................................................................................ Yes=1
Worried that consumers will post negative opinions .................................................. Yes=1
Other online presence (e.g. website) is sufficient .... ................................................... Yes=1
Unsure of benefits for my organisation ....................................................................... Yes=1
Cost
............................................................ Yes=1
My organisation is too small
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of technical expertise
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of availability of training providers/support ....................................................... Yes=1
Unsure of where to obtain training
............................................................ Yes=1
No time
............................................................ Yes=1
Not relevant to my organisation
............................................................ Yes=1
Poor Internet connections
............................................................ Yes=1
Haven’t thought about it
............................................................ Yes=1
Other (Please specify).
............................................................ Yes=1
No reason in particular (DO NOT READ OUT) ......................................................... Yes=1
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................... Yes=1
ORGANISATIONS WITH OWN WEBSITE – Code 1 QC8 (Section B)
QB1.
Which, if any, of the following features are provided on your organisation’s website?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
Description of your own tourism-related features and services ................................................. Yes=1
Links to your company’s social media sites ............................................................................... Yes=1
Links to local, regional or national tourism organisation websites ............................................ Yes=1
Links to other tourism companies (attractions, transportation, etc.) .......................................... Yes=1
Maps
........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Photo gallery
........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Web-based order or enquiry form ............................................................................................... Yes=1
Downloadable materials .............................................................................................................. Yes=1
User generated contents (comments, reviews, photos) .............................................................. Yes=1
Online videos
........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................................. Yes=1
QB2.
Has your website been optimized for viewing on mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, etc.)?
Yes – existing site is optimized ............................................................................................. 1
No – have separate mobile site.............................................................................................. 2
Neither optimized nor separate mobile site .......................................................................... 3
Can’t say
................................................................................................................99
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B8
BOOKINGS
IF ORGANISATION TAKES BOOKINGS (Code 1 at QC6), ASK:
QB3. You mentioned your organisation takes bookings. Can people make email booking requests
from your website?
Yes
No
Can’t say
QB4.
.................................................................................................................. 1
.................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................99
Can people check the availability and price <<availability – IF DINING CODE 2 AT
QC2>>of your products or services on your website? IF DINING: This refers to availability
of a table for example,rather than availability of a menu online.
INTERVIEWER: IF”DINING” THIS RELATES TO AVAILABILITY (E.G. OF A TABLE,
FUNCTION ROOM ETC). IT DOES NOT REFER TO A MENU!
Only availability .................................................................................................................. 1
Only price
.................................................................................................................. 2
Both price and availability .................................................................................................... 3
Cannot check price nor availability ...................................................................................... 4
Can’t say
................................................................................................................99
QB5.
Can people make instant confirmation bookings on your website?
Yes
No
Can’t say
.................................................................................................................. 1
.................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................99
IF INSTANT CONFIRMATION BOOKINGS POSSIBLE (code 1 at QB5), ASK:
QB6. Can people make online payments through your website for these instant confirmation bookings ?
INTERVIEWER: IF WEBSITE CAN JUST COLLECT CREDIT CARD DETAILS BUT NOT
PROCESS THE ACTUAL PAYMENT THEN CODE AS ‘NO’ BELOW
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................... 1
................................................................................................... 2
.................................................................................................99
IF ABLE TO MAKE PAYMENTS THROUGH WEBSITE (codes 1 at QB6), ASK:
QB7.
And are people required to pay in full at the time of making these instant confirmation bookings on
your website?
IF RESPONDENT SAYS DEPOSIT REQUIRED: PROBE WHETHER ANY OCCASIONS WHERE
FULL AMOUNT REQUIRED. IF NO CODE AS 3 “NEVER”, IF YES CODE AS 2 “SOMETIMES”
Yes – Always required to pay in full ................................................................................................... 1
Yes – Sometimes required to pay in full.............................................................................................. 2
No – Never required to pay in full ....................................................................................................... 3
Can’t say .............................................................................................................................................99
IF ORGANISATION TAKES BOOKINGS AND IS REPRESENTED ON OTHERS WEBSITE AS
WELL (code 1 at QC6 and code 1 at QC9), ASK:
QB8.
Do other parties offer instant confirmation bookings online for your organisation (eg WOTIF,
booknow, Stayz, etc)
Yes
No
Can’t say
.................................................................................................................. 1
.................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................99
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B9
IF OTHER PARTIES OFFER INSTANT CONFIRMATION BOOKINGS FOR ORGANSATIONS (code
1 at QB8), ASK:
QB9. Do these other parties also take payments online for you?
Yes
No
Can’t say
................................................................................................................................................ 1
................................................................................................................................................ 2
..............................................................................................................................................99
IF OTHERS TAKE PAYMENTS THROUGH WEBSITE (codes 1 at QB9), ASK:
QB9a. Are people required to pay in full at the time of making these instant confirmation bookings on these
websites???
IF YES: PROBE FOR ‘ALWAYS’ OR ‘SOMETIMES’
IF RESPONDENT SAYS DEPOSIT REQUIRED: PROBE WHETHER ANY OCCASIONS WHERE
FULL AMOUNT REQUIRED. IF NO CODE AS 3 “NEVER”, IF YES CODE AS 2 “SOMETIMES”
Yes – Always required to pay in full ................................................................................................... 1
Yes – Sometimes required to pay in full.............................................................................................. 2
No – Never required to pay in full ....................................................................................................... 3
Can’t say
...........................................................................................................................99
IF INSTANT BOOKING NOT POSSIBLE ON OWN WEBSITE (code 2 at QB5), ASK:
QE1. Which, if any, of the following reasons explain why your organisation does not offer instant booking on
its website?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
No need to as customers contact us by other means.................................................... Yes=1
Website of another party offers instant bookings ........................................................ Yes=1
Security/privacy concerns
........ ................................................... Yes=1
Unsure of benefits for my organisation ....................................................................... Yes=1
Cost
............................................................ Yes=1
My organisation is too small
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of technical expertise
............................................................ Yes=1
Lack of availability of training providers/support ....................................................... Yes=1
Unsure of where to obtain training
............................................................ Yes=1
No time
............................................................ Yes=1
Not relevant to my organisation
............................................................ Yes=1
Poor Internet connections
............................................................ Yes=1
Haven’t thought about it
............................................................ Yes=1
Other (Please specify).
............................................................ Yes=1
No reason in particular (DO NOT READ OUT) ......................................................... Yes=1
Can’t say (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................... Yes=1
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B10
MANAGING AND MEASURING TRAFFIC TO SITE
IF ORGANISATION HAS WEBSITE (code 1 at QC8), ASK
QB10. Do you use organic search engine optimisation for your website? <ONLY READ IF EXPLANATION
NEEDED: organic SEO means improving the ranking in the search results by optimizing the content and/or
link structure of the website to facilitate indexing by search engines and increase the relevance of the site for
certain search terms>
Yes
No
Can’t say
.................................................................................................................. 1
.................................................................................................................. 2
................................................................................................................99
QB11. Which, if any, of the following marketing services do you use to drive traffic to your website?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
Google Adwords ........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Yahoo! Search Marketing ........................................................................................................... Yes=1
Microsoft adCenter ...................................................................................................................... Yes=1
Facebook Advertising ................................................................................................................. Yes=1
Others (Please specify)............... ................................................................................................. Yes=1
Does not use paid services to drive website traffic..................................................................... Yes=1
CAN’T SAY (DO NOT READ OUT) ....................................................................................... Yes=1
QB12. Which, if any, of the following services does your company use to measure the performance of your
website?
READ OUT. MULTIPLE ANSWERS POSSIBLE
Google Analytics ........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Salesforce
........................................................................................................................ Yes=1
Customized solution .................................................................................................................... Yes=1
Others (Please specify)............... ................................................................................................. Yes=1
Does not measure performance of website .................................................................. .............. Yes=1
CAN’T SAY (DO NOT READ OUT) ....................................................................................... Yes=1
…
QB12B How do customers reach your website?
Please insert % for each type of channel from which you receive referrals to your website. Must add up to
100%. Please provide your best estimate.
Search engines _______%
Local, regional or state tourism office websites _______%
www.australia.com ______%
Your company’s social media sites _________%
Partner business websites _______%
Yellowpages and similar paid directory listings _______%
TripAdvisor and similar rating/virtual community sites _______%
Other (Please specify) _______%
CAN’T SAY (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................................999
QB12C How did you derive the percentages?
Actual numbers obtained from tracking website traffic ........................................................................ 1
Estimate based on customer feedback, etc............................................................................................. 2
Other (Please specify)............... .........................................................................................................… 96
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B11
QB12D What percentage of users accesses your website with a mobile device?
Percentage of website users who access through mobile device: _____%
CAN’T SAY (DO NOT READ OUT) ............................................................................ ……………. 99
QB13. How do you maintain your website?
Housed on internal web server and content is maintained in-house .....................................................
Housed on internal web server but content maintenance is outsourced ...............................................
Outsourced hosting of web site but content is maintained in-house .....................................................
Outsourced hosting and content maintenance .......................................................................................
Can’t say
...................................................................................................................................
1
2
3
4
99
QB14. How often is your website updated?
One to
several
times a
day
6
2-7
times a
week
5
2-4 times
a month
4
2-12
times
year
3
a
Once
year
2
a
Less
often than
once
a
year
1
Never
0
Can’t
say
99
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND INTEREST, IT’S APPRECIATED!
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B12
ONLINE SURVEY
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B13
If Other:
If Accommodation:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B14
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B15
If Other:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B16
Note: only options selected in the previous questions are displayed.
If social media presence:
If mobile app:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B17
If no website:
If Other:
If no social media presence:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B18
If Other:
If own website:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B19
If takes booking and has own website:
If instant confirmation booking:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B20
If online payment:
If takes booking and is represented on third party websites:
If instant booking through third party websites:
If third party websites take online payment:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B21
If own website and takes booking but does not offer instant confirmation booking:
IF Other:
If own website:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B22
If Other:
If Other:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B23
If Other:
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures
B24
Tourism Operators’ Digital Uptake Benchmark Survey 2013 for Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism
All Research is conducted in accordance with the requirements of University of New South Wales ethics approval 136020 set
out in the National Statement on Ethical conduct in Human Research; Q&A operate in accordance with industry standard
ISO20252 procedures