A digital tracking system has collected the latest visitor numbers to Sauble Beach and it says the shoulder seasons are getting busier.
It also says most people in the area are local, and the majority of those who are visiting, are coming from Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Brampton and Cambridge.
The Mobile Analytics report, compiled by the Town and the regional tourism promotion office RT07 will be used to inform advertising and economic development strategies.
It was created using data from Environics Analytics. The geographical area of survey is within what’s called a ‘Geofence’ and it gathers information from people’s phones and digital devices about where they are coming from and makes statistical analyses about thier habits and preferences, building a profile of the most common types of visitors.
They say visitation was strongest in June followed by July, then August and September.
The analysis says shoulder season visits grew substantially, especially in May in 2023.
They also note the intersection of Main Street and Southampton Parkway is included in the geofence, so anyone who has driven through that area counts towards the numbers even if they are heading elsewhere.
They say the majority of people in the area (38 per cent of visitors) are from South Bruce Peninsula and surrounding areas.
Most visitors are married with children under 19 living at home, and there are a lot of people from households with more than three people. They have a slightly higher income than the average. 75 per cent of them use Facebook, 72 per cent go on YouTube and the next most common app is Instagram at 44 per cent.
They say top values for the majority of visitors is an attraction to nature, confidence in advertising, and the importance of spontaneity. They like outdoor activities.
They say what’s different from 2022, is it’s a more It is a more urban or suburban family audience than the rural mature group that led visitor numbers in statistics from 2022.
Town staff and RT07 are recommending focusing advertising those families in the KW/ Guelph areas and some rural communities. They say to expand the visitor season, businesses could consider staying open longer in the shoulder seasons.
Some seasonal businesses already do open weekends from May to sometime in October.
The data is gathered through MobileScapes which is an anonymized, permission-based data service that collects information from location-enabled mobile devices.
The Town says in a social media post, “This invaluable report offers businesses insights into consumer behaviour, visitor demographics, and population movement patterns in the Sauble Beach area.” They add, they believe it’s important because it can enhance the local community’s understanding of visitors and consumers and inform local business marketing strategies.