CHRISTMAS SEASON CANADIAN VISITOR SPENDING SURVEY

The 1998 Christmas season survey had a total response of 142, down from the 197 respondents in 1996. The survey was conducted from December 5 through 13, 1998 and included both the starting and ending days. The results of this survey, as well as the 1995 and 1996 efforts, are presented below

Results of Surveys of Canadian Retail Customers in Clinton County, New York, 1995, 1996

 

Place of Residence Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
Quebec 161 165 106 85% 84% 75%
Ontario 26 25 27 14% 13% 19%
Other 0 5 9 0% 3% 6%
Blank 3 2 0 2% 1% 0%

  There appears to be no significant difference in the residence of origin of the Canadians visiting Clinton County in 1995 and 1996. In 1998, there is a reduction in the number of Canadians visiting from Quebec, down from 84% in 1996 to 75% and an increase in the number from Ontario.

Trips Per Year Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
One 7 14 16 4% 7% 11%
Six 84 64 37 44% 32% 26%
Twelve 42 54 30 22% 27% 21%
Twenty-four 30 24 16 16% 12% 11%
More than twenty-four 27 38 43 14% 19% 30%
Blank 0 3 0 0% 2% 0%

Forty-eight percent of respondents made six or fewer trips to Clinton County in 1995 while only 39% of respondents came at this rate in 1996.  Fifty-two percent of respondents had made 12 or more trips to Clinton County in 1995 while 58% percent of respondents came at this rate in 1996. Overall in 1998, 37% of respondents make six or fewer trips to Clinton County and 62% had made twelve or more trips, with 30% making more than twenty-four. As we can see over the periods 1995, 1996, and 1998, more Canadian visitors are making more frequent trips to Clinton County. 

Usual Length of Stay Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
Same day trip 115 110 58 60% 56% 41%
1-2 days 48 68 50 25% 35% 35%
3-7 days 18 15 18 9% 8% 13%
More than 7 days 3 4 16 2% 2% 11%
Blank 5 10 0 3% 5% 0%

Canadian visitors are spending more time in Clinton County as well. In 1998 11% of respondents stayed more than eleven days, up significantly from 2% in both 1995 and 1996. More than half of all visitors, 59% spent at least one night.

Approx. Spending Per Trip Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
Less than $10 U.S. 1 5 4 1% 3% 3%
$11-$100 U.S. 90 81 41 47% 41% 29%
$101 - $300 U.S 77 81 43 41% 41% 30%
$301-$500 U.S. 11 19 24 6% 10% 17%
More than $500 U.S. 8 7 28 4% 4% 20%
Blank 2 4 2 1% 2%% 1%

 The ranges of approximate spending per trip do not change much from 1995 to 1996, but in 1998 we see a very significant increase in the number of visitors spending between $301-$500 and more than $500 per trip. In 1998 almost twice as many visitors spent $301-$500 and five times as many (20%) indicated spending at least $500 per trip to Clinton County. This is consistent with the data on longer stays.

Categories of Most Spending* Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
Apparel 114 105 63 60% 53% 44%
Food 101 155 105 53% 79% 74%
Gasoline 55 119 63 29% 60% 44%
Entertainment 48 27 28 25% 14% 20%
Liquor/Tobacco 19 25 38 10% 13% 27%
Other** 14 39 8 7% 20% 6%
Services/Repairs 3 3 25 2% 2% 18%

*Respondents could choose more than one response to this question.
** "Other" includes: antiques, motel and food, crafts, camping, toys, books, home items.

The 1998 survey included convenience stores and gas stations. These additions are probably related to the increased numbers of respondents reporting tobacco and service/repair spending.

Usual Form(s) of Payment* Number Percent
  1995 1996 1998 1995 1996 1998
Canadian currency 33 46 38 17% 23% 27%
Credit cards 33 89 65 17% 45% 46%
Checks 0 7 4 0% 4% 3%
U.S. Currency 112 134 52 59% 68% 37%

*Respondents could choose more than one response to this question.

Visitor responses readily reflect the weak Canadian dollar. Only 38% of respondents indicated U.S. currency as their usual form of payment, down from 68% in 1996.

 Methodological Notes:

   To evaluate the reliability of the results one must consider characteristics of the population from which it was drawn.  According to border crossings reports for the week of Dec. 5 through Dec. 13, 1998, 43,459 Canadians entered Clinton County as reported by the U.S. INS office. The director of the Champlain INS office estimates that approximately 50% of the December crossings are coming to visit Clinton County.  This defines our population as approximately 21,730 individuals.  In order to be conservative, we also assume that the variability associated with this population is moderate to high.  According to generally accepted methods for the analysis of surveys of this type, a response rate of 0.65% (142/21,730)) is significant and supports a 10% level of confidence.  With this as background, the sample of 142 can be seen as reasonable and we can feel more comfortable drawing conclusions from the results.