Visitor spending has increased 29 percent in Hot Springs since the last comprehensive tourism industry research study in 2013, according to the latest study released Monday by Visit Hot Springs.
Visitor spending reached a record $677 million in 2018, according to research by Longwoods International, which presented the report to the public and the tourism industry at the Hot Springs Convention Center on Monday.
According to the report, 85 percent of 2018 visitors were white, 9 percent were black, 7 percent were Hispanic and 7 percent were "other."
The top special interest activity for travel was visiting historical places, and the number two special interest activity for travel was cultural activities/attractions, 15 percent of survey-takers reported.
One audience member, Jeff Stamps, expressed concern over the low numbers of nonwhite visitors and posed the idea of using the increased interest in historical and cultural places as an inclusion tool.
"I was surprised that you were stating that in regards to special interests, historic places and cultural activities was on the high end," Stamps said. "What do you see Hot Springs doing to go ahead and increase those numbers? And what are you considering doing to take advantage of that?"
"People really look at the history of Hot Springs," Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said. "They look at the entire history and look at the gangsters, the baseball, Bojangles going down Central Avenue. We've got all sorts of history here that nobody else has."
"And I guess that's one of my main concerns," Stamps said, "particularly as it looks at the nonwhite piece of that when we talk about Pleasant Street (or) Black Broadway. What can we do to enhance that and cross some of those nonwhites to the area and increase the flow to the city?"
"I think that we've just got to develop that product," Arrison said. "Rome wasn't built in a day, unfortunately, you know, we built up these other areas and I think that that's a next area. ... It's on there along with everything else. We market to everybody."
Michael Erdman, Longwoods International's senior vice president of research, explained how the visitor profiles can be beneficial in marketing.
"What that means is you want to know how many people come to Hot Springs, how much they spend, where they come from, the sources of business."
He said knowing this information helps business owners target the right places to advertise, the right ages to cater to and the right interests to feature in their advertising.
According to the report, in 2018, Hot Springs welcomed 7.9 million visitors, up 18 percent over 2013. Of these trips, 2.9 million, or 26 percent, were overnight trips, and 5 million, 74 percent, were day trips.
In terms of where to advertise, the report showed 59 percent of Hot Springs day visitors were from Arkansas, 9 percent were from California, 7 percent were from Texas and 5 percent were from Missouri.
Visitors spent $186 million in local restaurants and bars in 2018, according to Erdman, and their purchases in retail stores topped $143 million. Spending in hotels and other accommodations amounted to $129 million, while expenditures on sightseeing, entertainment and recreation reached $142 million, and spending on local transportation, such as gas, car rentals, parking, taxis, etc., amounted to $78 million.
In terms of how to advertise, 79 percent of travelers reported using social media for travel, according to the report.
"For those of you who are marketing to tourism, travelers, in the past five years, travelers' ownership of mobile devices has virtually doubled," Erdman said. "Now smartphones have morphed into a key planning tool, especially when people are traveling. ... But now people are using their cellphones to find experiences. And they want immediate action. They want to book things right now."
In terms of who to advertise to, the report showed the average age for visitors was 41 -- five years younger than the U.S. norm -- with 55 percent being male and 45 percent being female.
"Tourism is obviously very important to your economy here. You've had some great records that were broken this year," Erdman said. "I haven't seen a lot of places with such an impressive rate of growth over the past five years. Why? Because your product is improving. People have a good time here. It's not just because you've got product, it's because you've been showing people a good time. And obviously some marketing."
Local on 08/21/2019