We love Weymouth, even though most of us are just day trippers. We'll be back, survey says!

In an overwhelming vote

1.  

 

of confidence for Weymouth, 83 per cent

of visitors randomly surveyed in the Town Centre and on the Esplanade at

the end

of May will return to the town again. Most had been to Weymouth before

and

two-thirds were visiting for the day.

These are some

conclusions of the survey which has just been

published, undertaken by six Weymouth College students who questioned 91

visitors to Weymouth, chosen at random, on the last Friday in May.

The survey results are

of interest from several dimensions,

providing a snapshot of why visitors come to Weymouth, where they eat,

how long

they stay, how much they spend and if they will come again.

Asked for their home

town, visitors recounted a fascinating mix

of places, including eight from overseas- France, Germany, Poland and

China.

There were visitors from Blackpool, Yorkshire, Cornwall, Liverpool,

Wales and

Durham. One had travelled from Jersey. There were visitors from the Isle

of

Wight, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Bristol and Gloucester.

Just under half of those

surveyed [42] had arrived in Weymouth

by car, while 26 came by coach. Of the remainder, ten had travelled by

train and

eight by bus. One came on the Condor ferry and four by air.

Not surprisingly, 34 were

on holiday, plus 21 on a day trip and

seven staying the weekend. Interestingly, 16 had come to Weymouth to

visit the

Pavilion Theatre. One was walking the coastal path and others were

meeting

friends or visiting family. Some were sightseeing or looking for work.

Asked if they would be

lunching in Weymouth, the majority [62]

said they would, 24 would not. Of those who were eating, 23 were going

to a

cafe, 20 to a pub, ten to a takeaway, seven to a restaurant and two were

planning to picnic!

Inevitably, many visitors

were shopping and 35 had come to

Weymouth specifically for the shops- including Marks & Spencer,

Debenhams,

Primark and Tesco. Five were going to Brewers Quay.

Asked how much they would

be spending, 25 said up to £50 and

eight thought up to £100.

The new question asking how

long visitors would be in Weymouth

revealed many day visitors- 25 were staying a few hours, 24 all day.

Only 29

were staying one night or more- 19 for a week, two for a fortnight and

eight for

the weekend.

Happily, 71 visitors said

they will return to Weymouth, with

only eight claiming they will not be back.

"How often do you visit

Weymouth" revealed most had been to the

resort before, with only 18 saying it was their first visit.

"What would encourage you

to spend more time in Weymouth,"

brought some interesting suggestions including keeping the town tidier,

better

shops, cheaper prices, better signage, more toilets, better parking and

better

weather!

Visitors commented on the

lovely beach, the good atmosphere,

being so accessible and generally clean & tidy. Other comments

included poor

& expensive parking, bad traffic jams and the need for more shops.

The twice yearly visitors’

surveys are organised by Weymouth

& Portland Chamber of Commerce through Secretary Michel

Hooper-Immins. "We

are very grateful to George Davies, Megan Flux, Angelika Hardej, Sam

McDonald,

Naomi Oakley-Smith and John Rumbelow for their valuable work on this

second

survey," comments Michel Hooper-Immins. "Thanks to Janine Hodson at

Weymouth

College for encouraging her students to undertake our surveys. The

Chamber is

also grateful to Executive Committee member Ali Cocks, who has carefully

analysed all twelve questions from 91 completed survey sheets to arrive

at the

conclusions. We hope to carry out another survey just before

Christmas."

Janine Hodson, Programme

Area Manager of Hospitality Services

at Weymouth College, comments: "We are pleased to assist the Chamber of

Commerce

in a further survey to gauge results from different visitors to Weymouth

in the

summer. This is an interesting venture that the students have engaged in

and are

pleased to be involved in with the Chamber to help them in their

studies- and

for their future careers in the travel & tourism industry, whether

it be in

Weymouth or further afield."

WPCC

President Nigel Reed comments: "The Chamber finds these

surveys extremely useful and whilst they are a snapshot of a small

number of the

many visitors to the area, they do provide a useful insight. It is hoped

that we

can continue these surveys on a regular basis with support from Weymouth

College."

　

DETAILED RESULTS OF THE WPCCIT SURVEY

1. From where

have you come today?

Bournemouth

6, Hampshire 6, Bedford 5, Wiltshire

5, Dorset 5, Manchester 4, Wales 4, Cornwall 4, Weymouth

& Portland 3, Midlands 3, Bristol and Avon 3, Gloucester 3, Isle

of

Wight 3, Northampton 2, Cheshire 2, Worcestershire 2, Liverpool 2;

Individuals from Chester, Eastbourne, Ilminster, Kent, Bath, Surrey,

Hertfordshire, Yorkshire, Jersey, Somerset, Stafford, London, Durham,

Birmingham, Blackpool, Shropshire. Overseas- France 2, Poland 2, China

2,

Germany 2

2. How did

you travel to Weymouth today?

Car 42, Coach 26, Train 10, Bus 8, Ferry 1, Aeroplane

4.

3. What is the purpose of

your visit today?

Holiday

34, Day trip 21, Visit Pavilion 16, Meet

or visit friends 8, Weekend 7, Shopping 5, Visiting family

4,

Sightseeing 3, Looking for work 2, Going to work 2, Walking coastal path

1.

4. Will you be having lunch

in Weymouth today? What sort of

eaterie?

Yes 62, No 24.

Cafe 23, Pub 20, Takeaway 10, Restaurant 7, Picnic 2.

5. Have you come to visit

any particular shops?

Yes 35, No 46.

Debenhams 8, Brewers Quay 5, Tesco 3, Marks & Spencer 3,

Library, Bookshop, Post Office, Primark.

6. How much money do you

think you will spend in Weymouth

today?

Up to £50 25, £50 to £100 8, over £100 1 Over £200 2, "not

much" 4.

7. How long will you be in

Weymouth today?

A few hours 25, all day 24, all week 19, weekend 8, One hour 5,

Two weeks 2, "not long" 2.

8. Will you return to

Weymouth on another occasion?

Yes 71, No 8, Maybe 6.

9. How often do you visit Weymouth?

Often 20, Not often 15, First time 18, Every year 12, Every few

weeks 2, Two or three times a year 5, Every week 4, Every day 2.

10. What would encourage

you to spend more time in

Weymouth?

Better weather 24, If it were tidier 5, Better shops 4, Better

parking 2, If it was cheaper 1, A park and ride service 1, Better

signage 1,

More toilets 1.

11. General Comments.

Like it a lot 13, Beautiful place 11, Lovely beach 9, Clean and

tidy 8, Poor and expensive parking 6, Accessible 2, Friendly, Good

atmosphere,

Bad traffic, Safe, Needs more shops, Busy, Nice when the weather’s good,

Like it

as it is, Enjoy coming.