BMTC20 Tourism Course: 2019 Beer Tour Operator Survey Presented at #BMTC20

Date and Location
8:30 – 11:30 AM
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, Bayboro Ballroom
St. Petersburg, Florida

2019 Beer Tour Operator Survey conducted by Zephyr Conferences on behalf of their Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference

1. Beer Tour Operator Survey 2019 Results
2. Section One About the Beer Tour Industry
3. 165+ beer tour operators worldwide 1. Local Tour Operators: Operate in a specific city, running day tours to breweries 2. Vacation Tour Operators: Offer multi-day vacations 3. Vacations - Inbound: Serving people traveling to a company’s home country
4. Types of Tour Operators
5. About Our Survey Respondents 41% work part time 59% work full time 91% are owner operators 39% employ full time staff (beyond the owner) 61% employ part time staff 48% employ contract guides
6. Median Number of Customers Per Year Local Day Tours 1,000 Beer Enthusiasts • Ranges from 75 to 7,500 for 2019 respondents • Multiplied by the 123 day tour operators we know about gives a yearly impact on 123,000 beer enthusiasts
7. Median Price Per Day Tour $70 Note: Ranges from $20 to $259 for 2019 respondents.
8. Median Beer Tour Operator Revenue
9. Section Two About Beer Tour Customers
10. Percentage of Customers Based on Beer Knowledge Conclusion: Tour operators serve consumers of all knowledge ranges Experts - knowledgeable and experienced Fans - interested in beer but not experienced Novices - just touring for fun
11. Gender & Age Percentage of Male & Female Customers Percentage Customers by Age Groups
12. Most Important Vacation Tour Aspects to Customers
13. Group Versus Individual Types of Customers by Percentage 33% 33% 11% 24% 6%
14. Section Three Marketing
15. Biggest Challenge 68.75% of respondents said their biggest challenge was finding customers No other response received more than 12%
16. Biggest Challenges Other challenges included: mechanical issues with trolleys, competition and SEO.
17. Most Effective Marketing Methods
18. Marketing Methods Not In Use
19. Missed Marketing Opportunities Public relations and creating partnerships are two effective forms of marketing not used by 27% and 15% of respondents respectively. Email marketing to one’s own database, which is still considered one of the most effective and least expensive forms of marketing, is not used by 34% of respondents. 76% of respondents said it was “somewhat effective” or “very effective.”
20. Social Media Effectiveness
21. Social Media Platform Effectiveness • Most Effective: Facebook and then Instagram • Least Effective: Twitter • Where we see opportunity: YouTube or Facebook Video
22. Section Four Overall Conclusions
23. Overall Conclusions • Industry is Full of Small, Independent Operators • Number of Customers Served is Substantial • Operators are increasingly profitable • Operators Need Support From Industry (DMOs and Breweries)