Occupancy Data Collection
Accommodation Occupancy Program - Year 2 Review 2008 (1.48MB PDF)
Occupancy Data Update
It is a well known fact that occupancy figures complete a formula to
project visitor spending in a region. In Yukon, this data does not
exist. IT Edge Consulting was working on behalf of TIA Yukon to connect with accommodations operators. A portal was created for voluntarily collecting occupancy data from Yukon accommodations operators with the view to collect meaningful data on the industry.
Key components of this program ensured that it was:
- Confidential
- Easy to use
- Collecting minimal information – 3 figures twice per month
- Assisted by an on-line calculator to facilitate use
- Accessible with in-person, real-time support as a reminder, an administrator, and someone to asks questions to.
For tourism, this program provided access to quantifiable data about visitor spending. It also showed trends in vacancy rates and peak times.
For the operators, this tool provided an on-line data collection system that is automated, confidential, can show individual operators their own trends from year to year, month to month, etc.
How did the program go? Several operators committed to participate and some of those entered their information. Many operators declined participation, didn’t understand the benefits and/or were not willing to participate for fear of data access.
What are options? This question was discussed during the week of June 11, 2007 at the TIA Yukon Board of Directors table. In partnership with Tourism & Culture and Economic Development, TIA Yukon needs to make a decision if more time spent with operators will beget more participation and therefore more meaningful data. Otherwise, without this critical data, it will remain difficult for the industry and government to articulate industry performance in the future.
Conclusion: TIA Yukon has for now discontinued the Occupancy Data Program largely due to lack of participation by operators.
Comments and/or more information, contact TIA Yukon