Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS)

1. Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS)

2. Summary of Presentation • Background to the Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) • Methodology and Outturn • Some Practical Issues

3. Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) • Development – Summer 2009 • Pilot/Dress Rehearsal – Nov/Dec 2010 • Golive at ports and airports – Jan 2010 • Second year - Jan 2011

4. Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) • The target population for the survey is: • those passengers departing NI who are not residents of the Island of Ireland and • who have spent at least one night in NI (or in the ROI) but less than a year and • their visit is not done so frequently as to be part of their usual environment i.e. at least weekly • Collects country of residence, purpose of visit, nights stayed, locations visited and expenditure.

5. NIPS Survey • There are two different types of interviews within the survey. • Short/Country of Residence Interview (CoR) • Country of residence, nights stayed, reason for visit, total expenditure and party size. • Full/Long Interview • CoR, nights stayed, reasons for visit, reasons for selecting NI, how booked trip, activities participated in, locations stayed, transport used, expenditure broken down, views on value for money and occupation.

6. CSU NIPS Methodology • Sample visitors to the Island of Ireland, but only once per visit. • ‘Flow’ sampling at all exit ports in NI to get a representative sample of everyone leaving NI • Interviewing is conducted on tablet computers using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)

7. Flow Sampling

8. Advantages of Flow Sampling • Robust, systematic and clear rules. • No interviewer discretion on who to select • Self-weighting • Flexible – sampling fraction can be varied • Over-sampling and sub-sampling are possible

9. 2010 NIPS Plan

10. 2010 NIPS Plan

11. Challenges • Falling passenger numbers for all air and seaports since 2008, the year on which planning was based. • April 2010 - Volcanic Ash • December 2010 - Severe weather

12. 2010 NIPS Plan • The eligibility rate was lower than assumed in the design stage so it was necessary to add additional shifts and increase the number of contacts to try and achieve the target of 16,000 visitors in 2010.

13. 2010 NIPS Plan • The eligibility rate was lower than assumed in the design stage so it was necessary to add additional shifts and increase the number of contacts to try and achieve the target of 16,000 visitors in 2010.

14. Composition of Achieved Sample

15. Difficulties at sea ports • The weather! • interviewers work in the car lanes. • Sun – reflections on the computer screen • Rain • Non contacts when boarding starts - interviewers not permitted to work in car lanes when vehicles are moving.

16. Difficulties at Derry Airport • The interviewers cannot interview passengers when the planes are boarding. • Increased non-contacts • Increased partial interviews.

17. Difficulties at Belfast City Airport • New departure lounge (in 2010) • New shops and stalls - interviewers taking customers • Non Contacts - passengers entering bar and restaurant • Refusals from Business travellers before 9am on weekdays – interviewers try to collect CoR only from the passengers • Sunday evening shift very busy – not enough space to increase the team of interviewers

18. Respondents at BHD by day and time Interim data NB: Interim dataJan – Aug 2011, that is still being cleaned and unpublished.

19. Respondents at BHD by day and time The average clicks on a Sunday pm shift is 57 passengers. We would expect 34 of them to be visitors. NB: Interim dataJan – Aug 2011, that is still being cleaned and unpublished.

20. Belfast International Airport Difficulties • New airport layout • Sunday night shifts

21. Counting Line Counting Line Interviewers Interviewers Original Layout of Belfast International Airport

22. BFS Outcomes, 2011

23. New Layout at BFS

24. New Layout at BFS

25. New Layout at BFS Counting Point 1

26. New Layout at BFS Counting Point 1 Interviewers

27. New Layout at BFS Counting Point 1 Interviewers

28. BFS Outcomes, 2011 * This is a passenger that has already been interviewed during the shift and has now recrossed the counting line.

29. New Layout at BFS Counting Point 1 Interviewers

30. BFS Outcomes, 2011 * This is a passenger that has already been interviewed during the shift and has now recrossed the counting line.

31. New Layout at BFS Counting Point 2 Interviewers

32. BFS Outcomes, 2011 * This is a passenger that has already been interviewed during the shift and has now recrossed the counting line. # Interim data that is still being cleaned.

33. Belfast International Airport Difficulties • New airport layout • Sunday night shifts

34. Respondents at BFS by day and time Interim data NB: Interim dataJan – Aug 2011, that is still being cleaned and unpublished.

35. Sunday pm shift at BFS NB: figures are based on all 5 Sunday pm shifts, so far this year.

36. Sunday pm shift at BFS 377 visitors 295 not visitors NB: figures are based on all 5 Sunday pm shifts, so far this year.

37. Estimated Number of Visitors not Interviewed due to Clicks, 2010 and 2011

38. Possible Solutions to ‘Clicks’ • Use more interviewers on shifts. • due to space restrictions we could not increase the team.. • Change the sampling fraction. • this will decrease the total number of interviews • Change the rotation of the long/short questionnaire. • this will increase the number of contacts (fewer clicks) but decrease the number of long interviews • Shorten the questionnaire. • this will allow interviewers to approach more respondents, reducing clicks

39. Questions?

40. Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS)

41. Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) • NIPS had been running for many years by NITB. • Provide estimates of volume and value of overseas visitors to Northern Ireland who leave through its ports; it also provides details of these visitors and their trips. • Includes details on country of residence, purpose of visit, nights stayed, locations visited and expenditure.

42. Belfast International Airport Difficulties • New airport layout • Security exit now leads straight into the restaurant • New counting point • Sunday nights shift is mainly visitors and the interviewers are missing a lots of possible interviews.