Family Tourism Market – More Important than Ever!

1. Family Tourism Market –More Important than Ever! Carol Southall Lecturer in Tourism and Event Management Staffordshire University Business School

2. Overview • Defining the ‘family’ • The UK family tourism market: Statistics and Trends • The importance of today’s family market • The Role of Grandparents • Changing Consumer Motivations • Factors influencing leisure activities • Challenges • Summary • Recommendations

3. Defining the ‘Family’

4. Defining the ‘Family’ • Social groups including at least two family members • The ONS (2011, p.3) defines families “...by marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation or, where there are children in the household, child/parent relationships exist.” • The family unit is generally considered to consist of one or more parents together with one or more children. • The extended family is likely to consist of grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family members. • Family tourism therefore, involves the family unit and their participation in diverse forms of tourism activity.

5. The UK Family Market: Statistics & Trends • According to ABTA (2011) those people most likely to have young families, i.e. those aged 35-44, are the age group most likely to take a UK domestic holiday • Trend for people to take a number of single-day holidays or ‘daycations’ PLUS the ‘staycation’ is here to stay? • The number of visits abroad in 2009 was the lowest since 2001 (ONS, 2010d) and ‘2009 was an exceptional year for domestic tourism’ (VisitEngland, 2010, p.1) • Differences across socio-economic grade ‘…with the number of trips taken by the more affluent AB demographic group unchanged compared with 2009 levels while trips taken by the least affluent DE social grade were down by 15 per cent’ (VisitEngland, 2010, p.1) • Importantly ‘households with children maintained trip levels, whereas 7 percent fewer trips were made by households without children.’

6. The UK Family Market: Statistics & Trends • Average weekly household expenditure in the UK in 2009 was £455.00, a drop from £471.00 in 2008. • Spending was highest, as in previous years, on transport at £58.40 per week, followed by recreation and culture at £57.90 per week. • Combining the categories of recreation and culture with expenditure on restaurants and hotels (the fifth highest spending category) it is clear that expenditure on tourism remains hugely important to UK households. (ONS, 2010b; ONS, 2010c)

7. The UK Family Market: Statistics & Trends • The family holiday, despite its perceived benefits, is often the first to be sacrificed in poverty (Hughes, 1991; Hazel, 2005) • ‘...trips taken by the least affluent DE social grade...down by 15 per cent’. (VisitEngland, 2010, p.1) • Family relationships are improved through participation in leisure-based activities and ‘quality’ time spent together (Smith & Hughes, 1999, p.131)

8. Importance of today’s Family Market The growing importance of the family tourism market in the UK cannot be underestimated and, despite the prevailing economic climate, it is undoubtedly a growth market. Even in difficult economic circumstances, many families are unwilling to forgo their family holiday.

9. The Role of Grandparents • 75% of UK families with young children planning a summer holiday with grandparents in 2011 (Home While Away, 2011) • Grandparents now play a more significant role in childcare than previously

10. Changing Consumer Motivations • Changing profile – “…today’s consumers of cultural activities no longer have the same profiles they had in previous decades.” (Mencarelli et al, 2010, p.331) • Social ties • Emotional quest • Sensoral gratification • Visitors actively involved in constructing own experience • New management of time • Integration of new technologies

11. Factors influencing Leisure Activities • Family offers/child discounts • Parking facilities • Safety and security for children • Where children say they want to go • Children’s entertainment at or near the venue • Somewhere other families are likely to go • Child-friendly staff • Children’s food menu • Educational activity (Mintel, 2009)

12. Challenges • Rising socio-economic inequalities • Proliferation of ‘alternative’ families – catering for diversity • A rise in the proportion of ABC1 families • An ageing population • ‘Pester power’ • Provision of multi-generational products • Exponential growth in the use of social media and a corresponding rise in the use of electronic entertainment

13. Summary • Family tourism is a growth market • Children within today’s families are the customers of tomorrow and their consumption, experiences and level of enjoyment will shape the way they structure their own leisure activities in future • Lucrative market for those organisations willing to recognise and accommodate needs • Differentiator between long-term success and failure

14. Recommendations • Consider and cater for the diversity of the ‘family’ market • Multi-generational products • Recognise importance of ‘pester power’ • Consider specific needs of ‘family’ market • Role of social media

15. Questions?

16. References • Glover, P. & Prideaux, B. (2009) Implications of population ageing for the development of tourism products and destinations. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 15(1), pp.25-37. • Hazel, N. (2005) Holidays for Children and Families in Need: An Exploration of Research and Policy Context for Social Tourism in the UK. Children and Society. 19, pp.225-236. • Home While Away (2011) Family Holidays with Grandparents become more Popular [http://www.homewhileaway.co.uk/family-holidays/2011/04/05/family-holidays-with-grandparents-become-more-popular] [Accessed 25/6/11]. • Hughes, H. (1991) Holidays and the economically disadvantaged. Tourism Management, 12(3), pp.193-196. • Lehto, X.Y., Jang, S., Achana, F.T. & O’Leary, J.T. (2008) Exploring tourism experience sought: A cohort comparison of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 14(3), pp. 237-252. • Mencarelli, R., Marteaux, S. & Pulh, M. (2010) Museums, consumers and on-site experiences. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 28(3), pp.330-348. • Mintel (2009) Reports Family Leisure – UK. Issues in the Market http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/my_reports/display/ [accessed 13/09/11] • Nickerson, N. & Jurowski, C. (2001) The influence of children on vacation travel patterns. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(1), pp.19-30. • Office for National Statistics (2010b) Family Spending : A report on the 2009 Living Costs and Food Survey http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_social/familyspending2010.pdf [accessed 24/06/11]. London: ONS. • Office for National Statistics (2010c) Family Spending : A report on the 2008 Living Costs and Food Survey http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_social/Family-Spending-2008/FamilySpending2009.pdf[accessed 24/06/11]. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. • Office for National Statistics (2011) Households and families. London: ONS. • Page, S. & Connell, J. (2009) Tourism A Modern Synthesis, 3rd Edition. Andover, UK: Cengage Learning EMEA. • Smith, V. & Hughes, H. (1999) Disadvantaged families and the meaning of the holiday. International Journal of Tourism Research, 1, pp.123-133. • VisitEngland (2010) UK Tourism Survey – December 2010 – Summary of Results. http://www.visitengland.org/Images/December%202010%20Commentary_tcm30-25399.pdf [accessed 9/09/11].