Insights Archive

Destinology Issues

Traveling Teenagers

The Heart of Generation Z

You may be seeing clusters of teenagers taking selfies for Instagram and whispering drama-infused hearsay around your attraction; but what you should be seeing are your future members, volunteers, donors, board members, and vice presidents. In this issue of Destinology, we explore these developments to better equip you for the face of your destination’s future.

Voice of the Visitor 2018 Cover Destinology

Destinology’s Voice of the Visitor

2018 Outlook on the Attractions Industry

Voice of the Visitor provides an industry-standard dashboard that quantifies aggregate attractions’ industry performance and provides an outlook on future visitation, specifically using insights gained directly from the point of view of the visitors themselves about why they choose to visit attractions – or not to visit. This six-article, condensed version is a high-level summary of the key findings from the full Voice of the Visitor report, which can be found to the right in digital format or ordered for free in hard-copy from this page.

Cover of February 2018 Destinology, Fight for Attendance, people at Diwali or a Color Run

The Fight for Attendance

The Attraction of the Non-Attraction

When analyzing competition, we most often consider the other brick-and-mortar attractions in our direct market: the other museums, zoos, theme parks, aquariums, theaters, FECs, etc. However, there is a large, diverse, and tempting selection of other entertainment outlets that don’t fall in line with our traditional peers: festivals, sports, tabletop games, watching TV, and exercise. In this issue of Destinology, we explore the other competitors, reveal their popularity and trends, and work to understand their success.

Generationally Speaking

How Cultural Shifts Impact Your Destination

PGAV Destinations recently partnered with H2R Market Research to explore how America’s “Generational Cohorts” have changed in recent years, and how they’re perceiving – and exploring – destinations across the nation. Click to explore today’s generations’ new travel attitudes, preferences, motivators, and behaviors.

The Cincinnati Zoo's baby hippo Fiona greets an interpreter

Communicating Conservation

Strengthening the Public's Trust

This year, PGAV Destinations surveyed 1,006 people across the country to understand their perception of conservation and zoos’ and aquariums’ roles in it. We were curious to uncover Americans’ understanding of conservation, their perceptions of what zoos and aquariums do in conservation; and most importantly, understand people’s opinions of zoos and aquariums based on the conservation they perceive these institutions to be doing. In this issue of Destinology, we reveal some of the disconnects between the fantastic work zoos and aquariums conduct and what the public understands and cares about those efforts; and how these institutions can grow to maximize conservation and animal care transparency.

2017 Voice of the Visitor: Outlook on the Attractions Industry cover

Destinology’s Voice of the Visitor

2017 Outlook on the Attraction's Industry

Destinology

Our quarterly publication, Destinology, shares consumer insights and trends in the travel and leisure industry. More than 7,000 industry professionals around the world read this award-winning publication.

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Our Publications

Voice of the Visitor

2018 Annual Outlook on the Attractions Industry

Voice of the Visitor provides an industry-standard dashboard that quantifies aggregate attractions’ industry performance and provides an outlook on future visitation, specifically using insights gained directly from the point of view of the visitors themselves about why they choose to visit attractions – or not to visit. Americans are eager to hit the road, and we’re just as eager to share the results of this benchmark survey.

A stock photo of a little girl reading a big book

Storytelling

It Can Change Your Mind

As we carefully study, and have the privilege of helping sculpt, the destination industry, we see guests and visitors becoming more and more captivated by storytelling. We interviewed neuroscientists, social scientists, and our own experienced storytellers to unravel the mysteries and skills woven throughout the best tales ever told.

A group of people huddle around a map and study it with a laptop

The Art of the Family Vacation

What They Want, How They Plan, Why They Go

It’s that delicate balance of interests, more complex than a Congressional subcommittee. It’s the think-on-your-feet flexibility to adapt when things don’t play out the way that you planned. And just when you think you’ve got the kids figured out, they change on you. It’s the family vacation, the most creative act that most families will ever undertake together.

Upcoming Speaker Engagements

Lateral Thinking: How to Build the Impossible in SketchUp

What do you do when someone puts a sketch of a turtle-shaped restaurant on your desk… or a circular, spiraling, space frame observation tower…and asks you to build it in SketchUp?

By harnessing the power of Lateral Thinking, you can build just about anything using SketchUp. When Push-Pull and Follow Me won’t get you there, Lateral Thinking forces you to invent a new approach to modeling, approaching problems in an indirect way, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious or obtainable by traditional step-by-step logic. This is how you open up a new world of possibilities in SketchUp.

This presentation will look at several real world examples of lateral thinking in the context of themed attraction and experience design, demonstrating the unique approach, methods, techniques and tools required for lateral thinking in 3D.

*Presented by PGAV Destinations Senior Creative Designer Dave Cooperstein.

September 24

Palm Desert, CA

Communicating Conservation: Strengthening the Public’s Trust

PGAV Destinations recently surveyed 1,006 people across the country to understand their perception of conservation and zoos’ and aquariums’ roles in it. We were curious to uncover Americans’ understanding of conservation, their perceptions of what zoos and aquariums do in conservation; and most importantly, understand people’s opinions of zoos and aquariums based on the conservation they perceive these institutions to be doing. In Communicating Conservation, PGAV Destinations Vice President John Kemper reveals some of the disconnects between the fantastic work zoos and aquariums conduct and what the public understands and cares about those efforts; and how these institutions can grow to maximize conservation and animal care transparency.

September 24

Seattle, WA

Assessing Public Perceptions of Zoos and Aquariums: Comparing Data and Recommendations from Four Different Research Firms

Over the last two years, AZA has conducted a study every quarter on the Public Perceptions of Zoos and Aquariums. During this time, we continue to see a national, slow, downhill trend on how the zoo and aquarium industry is perceived by the general public. But do we all need to look at data from other studies, including research on a facility-basis level, to see what is happening in the our local and national marketplace as a whole? PGAV Destinations vice president John Kemper joins a fantastic panel of three additional experts to share their results, and contrast them with AZA’s data. This is one session you can’t afford to miss!

Debra Erickson

Moderator / Marketing Director

San Diego Zoo Global

Scott Corwan

CEO

IMPACTS Research & Development

Wen-Tsing Choi

Partner

Prime Group

John Morey

President

Morey Consulting

September 25 @ 4:00 pm

Seattle, WA