Hilton Head Island Tennis Destination Study

8/14/2019 Hilton Head Island Tennis Destination Study

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A Study of Tennis Player Attitudes,

Perceptions & Behaviors

Hilton Head IslandTennis Destination Study


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2

Tennis Playing Background

Tennis Destination Study

Playing Habits

Media and Vacation Planning

Tennis Travel Profile

Tennis Destinations

South East Destinations

Hilton Head Island

Conclusions

Contents


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3

Tennis PlayingBackground


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Source: Sports Marketing Surveys, USA & Taylor Research and

Consulting Group

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20124m

5m

5m

5m

5m

5m

6m

6m

6m

MillionsofPlayers

5.921

5.727

4.9

4.561

4.753

5.2 5.19

5.25

5.62

5.43

4.8 4.8

5.3


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Challenge: An Aging Frequent Player Base

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012


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Participation by generation

Participation Rateby Generation. Gen Ys

have highest rate of participation.

Gen Y

Birth Rate

peaked in

1990

85 Million

Gen Ys

between

13-322009 2010 2011 20123%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

10%

6~12

Gen Y (13~32)

Gen X (33~47)

Boomers (48~67)


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Participation by generationParticipation by Generation

Gen Y (13~32) Gen X (33~47) Boomers (48~67)1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Millions

5.348

0.967

1.239

3.396

0.596

0.555

1.565

0.31

0.607

Less than 21 times

21-49 times

"Serious" (50+ times)

3 Million

Serious

Players in

the USA


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Participation by generationParticipation by Generation

Gen Y (13~18) Gen Y (19~32) Gen X (33~47) Boomers (48~67)

1

2

2

2

3

4

4

4

5

6

Millions

1.317

0.274

0.547

4.017

0.69

0.685

3.396

0.596

0.555

1.565

0.31

0.607

Less than 21 times

21-49 times

"Serious" (50+ times)

1.84 M

adult

Serious

Players


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Gen Y Behaviors and implications for tennis

Social

Social conscience - support non-

profits

Prefer organized group activitiesPositive

More conforming than Gen X

Want instant feedback

Text/instagram/snap chat

Over parented

Has to be fun and social

Group oriented

Cant take too long

Fitness aspect important


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Tennis DestinationStudy


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Methodology

Three primary samples:1. USA Serious Players

TIA national database of tennis players derived from the tennisconnect court reservation and

facility management software. These serious players are representative of the approximately 3

million serious players in the USA who typically play more than once a week, are more likely to

play at private facilities and have the highest tennis expenditures.

Total Interviews: 1,003

2. Hilton Head Chamber Marketing Database

The Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce Database of individuals who have registered on

hiltonheadisland.org.

Total interviews: 1,015

3. Hilton Head Tennis Centers

Hilton Head Tennis Centers sample these interviews were from individuals on the databases of

Hilton Head tennis centers (Palmetto Dunes, Port Royal and Van der Meer).

Total interviews: 567

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For this presentation, most analysis is from the USA Serious Player sample


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12

Tennis PlayingHabits


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Playing History of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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Most Serious Tennis Players have

been playing for quite a while (78% for

more than 10 years and 58% for more

than 20).

This distributionappears similar

when investigating

tennis travel by years

playing.


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Play Time Distribution of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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League play is more common (29%) among those who have takenvacations for tennis than in other groups.


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Skill Level of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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Over half of the Vacation FOR tennis describe their skill level as

advanced.


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Skill Level of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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Those who have taken a tennis specific vacation, or played tennis while

on vacation/business are more likely to have an NTRP rating.


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Facility Usage of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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Serious Tennis Players utilize

private clubs to play tennis

37% play most often at a

private tennis club, 9% at a

private country club, 6% at aprivate community court (total

of 52% ). Commercial / pay

for play clubs are used most

often by 26%.

Har-Tru is the most preferred

surface of Serious Tennis

Players (33%), followed by

Facilit Most Fre uentl Used:

USA

Serious

Players

A private tennis club where a membership is required 37%

A public, school, or park court 26%

A commercial club o en to the ublic or a for la 16%

A rivate countr club where a membershi is re uired 9%

Private communit court 6%At our own court at home 1%

On a court at an a artment or condo 1%

A hotel or resort when on vacation or business 1%

Other Community Court/Park 1%

Preferred Surface:

USA

Serious

Players

Har-Tru 33%

Hard cement 30%

Hard acr lic 25%

Red Clay 8%

Grass 1%

Car et 1%

Green/Grey Clay (Rubico) 1%


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The Why - from Serious Tennis Players

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Its all about Fun! The most important

thing about playing tennis to a Serious

Tennis Player is having fun. Exercise

is also very important (second inrating). The challenge and competition

follow in importance and the social

aspects rate medium in importance

(see table below).

Scale of 1 to 5 with 1 = Not at all

important and 5 = Very important.

Average Importance RatingTo Playing Tennis

Tennis Attribute Importance:

USA

Serious

Players

Fun 4.7

Exercise / sta in health 4.6

Improving my game 4.2

Challenging my skill set 4.1

Com etition 3.8

Socializin 3.6

Meetin new eo le 3.4

Gets me out of the house 3.3Family time together 2.9

Matches don't take too lon 2.6

Serious or not,

its all about the fun!


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Media VacationPlanning


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Digital Device Usage of Serious Tennis Players (USA)

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Most digital device usage time is spent on a personal computer (56%). The

smartphone is second at 28%, followed by the tablet at 16%. Smartphone

usage is higher (38%) among those under 40 years of age.

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Tennis Publication Readership

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Tennis Magazine is read often by over half of Serious

Tennis Players (53%) and read at least occasionallyby 82%. Approximately 4 in 10 read USTA magazine

often.

All readership frequency is increased among those who

travel for tennis.

Over half the serious

eyes are on Tennis

Magazine often

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Tennis Website Browsing

USTA.com is regularly accessed

by 68% of Serious Tennis

Players. Tenniswarehouse.com

is the highest mentioned retail siteat 62% accessing it regularly.

Regular website access is morelikely among those who travel for

tennis, especially for the top 6

sites mentioned. Advertising on

these sites would be a great way

to reach those who vacation FOR

Tennis Websites Accessed Regularly:

USASerious

Players

USTA.com 68%

TennisWarehouse.com 62%

MidwestSports.com 35%

TennisChannel.com 35%

TennisExpress.com 34%Holabirdsports.com 26%

TENNIS.com 21%

Atpworldtour.com 18%

Tennis15-30.com 17%

WTAtennis.com 12%

Others (Single mentions) 5%

Busted Racquet (yahoo tennis blog) 4%Playtennis.com 4%

TennisResortsOnline.com 4%

Tennis Link 1%

Tennis Recruiting 1%

USPTA 1%

USTA (Local divisions) 1%

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Website Browsing (Tennis Travel Info Gathering)

General search engines

are the way the typical

Serious Tennis Playerinitiates the quest for

tennis travel information.

The specific websites

noted most were

Tripadvisor.com (33%) andExpedia (33%).

Websites Accessed Regularly For Tennis travel:

USA

SeriousPlayers

Search en ines Goo le, Yahoo!, Bin etc. 49%

Tri advisor.com 33%

Expedia 33%

Priceline 18%

TennisChannel.com 18%

Ka ak 17%

Facebook 14%

TennisResortsOnline.com 13%

Tenniswarehouse.com Talk Tennis forum 10%

Tennis blogs 6%

Pinterest 3%

Other Named Sites 2%E inions.com 1%

Hotels.com 1%

Orbitz 1%

Hotels/Resorts 1%

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Influential Sources in Tennis Travel Destination Choice

Word of Mouth plays

the most influential rolein helping Serious Tennis

Players decide on their

tennis travel destination.

Comparatively, Social

Media has relatively low

influence (Facebook,

Twitter, Pinterest)

Average Influence Rating ToDestination Choice

Mean Rating (Scale of 1 to 5 with 5 = Very Influential and 1 = Not at all Influential

USA

Serious

Players

Friends 3.3

Spouse/partner 3.3

Search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing etc.) 3.0Online travel reviewers/bloggers 2.6

Travel industry experts 2.4

TV travel shows 2.4

Children 2.4

Other family members 2.3

News media 2.3

Travel Agent 2.0

Facebook 2.0Visitor and Convention Bureau 1.9

Information from Chamber of Commerce 1.8

Pinterest 1.7

Twitter 1.6

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TV Channels Watched Regularly

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More Serious Tennis Players watch

ESPN/ESPN2 regularly than any

other TV channel. This is especially

true among those who have taken atennis specific vacation (80%) in the

past 5 years.

OF NOTE: 60% mention watching

Tennis Channel regularly.

USA

SeriousPlayers

ESPN (or ESPN2) 72%

ABC 63%

CBS 61%

NBC 60%

Tennis Channel 60%

Fox / Fox News 36%Fox S orts 34%

USA Network 34%

Histor Channel 33%

The Discover Channel 30%

Food Network 29%

HGTV Home and Garden TV 28%

TNT (Turner Network Television) 27%

The Weather Channel 27%

HBO Home Box Office 26%

TBS 25%

A&E Television Network 24%

National Geographic 22%

Bravo 18%CNBC 18%

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Destination Tennis on the Tennis Channel

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Nearly 6 in 10 (57%) of those who had taken a vacation for tennis in thepast 5 years indicated having watched Destination Tennis 75% of

them claimed it inspired them.


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Tennis Travel Profile

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Tennis O

Business

Tennis O

Vacation

Vacation

FOR Tenn

To See

Tennis

TourneyIn the last 12 months 18% 55% 20% 39%

Within the last 5 Years 19% 28% 18% 25%

No 63% 16% 62% 36%

Avera e Annual Travel Pla s 3.3 5.1 5.1 2.0* *Number of

Travel Profile Serious Players (USA)

Almost 4 in 10 Serious Tennis Players have vacationed specifically for

tennis in the past 5 years (38%), and more still, find a way to play tennis

while on vacation (a strong 84% in past 5 years).

Further, 64% of Serious Tennis Players indicate having travelled to see

a tennis tournament in the past five years (39% within the past year).

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Attribute Importance While playing tennis

on vacation or business.

Just like we saw with playing tennis in general, when playing

tennis while travelling its also - all about Fun! Exercise is also very

important again (second in rating). The social aspects rate medium in

importance, while the competition/tournaments rate comparatively low.

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USA

SeriousPlayers

Spouse / significant other 57%

Friends 46%

Lea ue team 24%

Children 21%

Famil 19%

Business associate/s 4%Alone 3%

Typical Travel Group For Tennis Trips

Serious Tennis Players are most likely totake a tennis trip with their spouse/significant

other or their friends. Interestingly, men are

more likely to take a tennis trip with their

spouse/significant other (65%) while women

are more likely to take a tennis trip with their

friends (53%).

Tennis trips are most likely taken in multiples of 2 people (32% two people

and 21% four people) not surprising considering singles and doubles game

play types.

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Booking Tendencies For Tennis Trips

Most Serious Tennis Players prefer to book

tennis travel on-line (59%), but many have no

preference (30%) either way.

A full service hotel is the preferred

accommodation mentioned most often (36%),

but several Serious Tennis Players feel this

depends on the type of tennis trip they are

planning.

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Destination Attribute Importance Tennis Trip

When choosing a tennis trip destination, accommodation quality is the king

general attribute for Serious Tennis Players.

Often what is NOT important can be as interesting as what is important.

We can see that nightlife, cultural activities and watersports are notim ortant eneral characteristics when choosin a tennis tri destination.

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Destination Attribute Importance Tennis Trip

When considering actual tennis related attributes, the cost associated

with the tennis is most important. However, court surfaces and the

number of courts at the facility are not far behind in importance.

Junior programming and tournament participation are not very importanttennis related destination attributes.

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USA

SeriousPlayers

Relaxing 79%

Dining 72%

Beaches 68%

Shopping 46%

Historic sights 43%

Spas & Wellness 39%

Nature-based activities 30%

Local festivals 29%

Visiting family / friends 27%

Attending sports events 27%

Biking 25%

Museum/historical tours 25%

Parks 20%

Golf 20%Walking tours 18%

Performance / visual arts 15%

Boating/sailing 13%

Children's activities 10%

Fishing 8%

Dolphin tours 7%

Business/work 5%

Tennis Destination Interest in Activities

Other Than Tennis

Outside of playing tennis on

their tennis trip, Serious Tennis

Players want to relax. They

also want to enjoy good dining

and possibly some time on the

beach. Women showed more

interest, in general, for many ofthese secondary activities.

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Tennis Destinations

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Destination Consideration Set

Hilton Head Island, SC is the tennis trip destination that appears most inthe consideration sets of Serious Tennis Players (65%). Other destinations

appearing often are Charleston, Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Myrtle Beach and

Destin.

Consideration Set:

USA

Serious

Players Male Female HHI CoC

Tennis

Centers

Hilton Head Island (SC) 65%66% 66%

81% 92%Charleston (Kiawah, Wild Dunes, Seabrook, Daniel Island, SC) 55% 54% 57% 58% 69%

Palm Beach / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami (Southeast, FL) 34% 33% 36% 25% 23%

Ft. Myers/Naples (Southwest, FL) 31% 33% 29% 27% 29%

Myrtle Beach (Litchfield, SC) 30% 30% 31% 33% 29%

Destin / Pensacola / Panama City (Panhandle, FL) 29% 28% 30% 26% 29%

Sarasota / Bradenton (West, FL) 27% 28% 26% 21% 22%

Sea Island / St. Simons (Coastal, GA) 27% 25% 29% 32% 36%

Orlando (Central, FL) 22% 23% 20% 23% 16%

Tampa Bay (FL) 22% 24% 20% 19% 17%

Gulf Shores (Gulf Coast, AL) 19% 19% 20% 23% 18%

Pinehurst / Sandhills (NC) 19% 19% 20% 19% 21%

Jacksonville / Daytona / Palm Coast (Northeast, FL) 18% 21% 15% 15% 21%

None of the above 9% 11% 8% 6% 3%

Other Named 1% 1% 0% 0% 1%

Other (gen) 1% 1% 1% 1% 0%

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Destination Consideration Set(shown by Region)

Hilton Head Island, SC is the tennis trip destination that appears most in theconsideration sets of all regions. Charleston, Destin, Sea Island and Gulf

Shores have above average consideration numbers in the Atlanta region.

Consideration Set:

USA

Serious

Players

Atlanta

region

Other

South

East

North

East

Mid

West

West

South

Central West

Hilton Head Island (SC) 65% 81% 68% 64% 66% 50% 62%Charleston (Kiawah, Wild Dunes, Seabrook, Daniel Island, SC) 55% 66% 65% 57% 51% 39% 45%

Palm Beach / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami (Southeast, FL) 34% 17% 31% 46% 34% 37% 32%

Ft. Myers/Naples (Southwest, FL) 31% 19% 30% 40% 48% 23% 20%

Myrtle Beach (Litchfield, SC) 30% 36% 27% 32% 39% 30% 24%

Destin / Pensacola / Panama City (Panhandle, FL) 29% 68% 34% 15% 29% 44% 13%

Sarasota / Bradenton (West, FL) 27% 19% 29% 32% 35% 24% 17%

Sea Island / St. Simons (Coastal, GA) 27% 58% 32% 25% 22% 20% 18%

Orlando (Central, FL) 22% 22% 22% 24% 27% 29% 12%

Tampa Bay (FL) 22% 10% 25% 19% 33% 23% 19%

Gulf Shores (Gulf Coast, AL) 19% 44% 22% 10% 26% 28% 11%

Pinehurst / Sandhills (NC) 19% 10% 25% 17% 19% 19% 16%

Jacksonville / Daytona / Palm Coast (Northeast, FL) 18% 24% 20% 20% 15% 14% 12%

None of the above 9% 2% 1% 0% - 1% -

Other Named 1% - 1% 1% 1% - 1%

Other (gen) 1% 2% 7% 11% 8% 9% 17%

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Destinations Have Been To In Past 5 Years

Hilton Head Island, SC is also the tennis trip destination that

Serious Tennis Players have been to most (22%). Other top

destinations visited were Charleston, Palm Beach, Orlando, and Ft.

Myers. USASerious

Players Male Female HHI CoC

Tennis

Centers

Hilton Head Island SC 22% 24% 19% 48% 83%

Charleston (Kiawah, Wild Dunes, Seabrook, Daniel, SC) 17% 17% 17% 17% 28%

Palm Beach / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami Southeast, FL 15% 17% 13% 6% 8%

Orlando Central, FL 12% 13% 11% 14% 9%

Ft. Myers/Naples (Southwest, FL) 11% 12% 10% 9% 9%

Destin / Pensacola / Panama Cit Panhandle, FL 9% 10% 9% 8% 9%

Sarasota / Bradenton (West, FL) 9% 9% 8% 6% 6%

Tam a Ba FL 9% 10% 8% 6% 7%Jacksonville / Da tona / Palm Coast Northeast, FL 8% 10% 5% 7% 10%

Gulf Shores Gulf Coast, AL 7% 6% 8% 6% 5%

M rtle Beach Litchfield, SC 7% 8% 5% 12% 9%

Pinehurst / Sandhills (NC) 4% 4% 4% 2% 5%

Sea Island / St. Simons Coastal, GA 4% 4% 3% 4% 4%

Other 1% 2% 1% 2% 3%

None of the above 44% 43% 46% 34% 11%

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USA

Serious

Players

Atlanta

region

Other

South

East

North

East

Mid

West

West

South

Central WestHilton Head Island (SC) 22% 32% 31% 20% 19% 8% 8%

Charleston (Kiawah, Wild Dunes, Seabrook, Daniel, SC) 17% 32% 31% 13% 6% 3% 6%

Palm Beach / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami (Southeast, FL) 15% 12% 16% 25% 7% 8% 10%

Orlando (Central, FL) 12% 12% 14% 12% 14% 11% 6%

Ft. Myers/Naples (Southwest, FL) 11% 7% 11% 16% 16% 5% 5%

Destin / Pensacola / Panama City (Panhandle, FL) 9% 39% 13% 3% 6% 7% 2%

Sarasota / Bradenton (West, FL) 9% 7% 12% 10% 8% 3% 1%

Tampa Bay (FL) 9% 8% 10% 8% 6% 10% 7%

Jacksonville / Daytona / Palm Coast (Northeast, FL) 8% 19% 13% 6% 1% 3% 1%

Gulf Shores (Gulf Coast, AL) 7% 10% 14% 2% 5% 6% 1%

Myrtle Beach (Litchfield, SC) 7% 8% 11% 6% 4% 1% 2%

Pinehurst / Sandhills (NC) 4% 2% 9% 1% 2% 1% 1%

Sea Island / St. Simons (Coastal, GA) 4% 15% 5% 3% - - 2%

Other 1% 3% 3% 0% - 1% 1%

None of the above 44% 27% 27% 46% 54% 64% 67%

Destinations Have Been To In Past 5 Years(shown by Region)

Hilton Head Island, SC is the leading destination for South East and the Mid

West. Destin area is the leading destination for serious players in the Atlanta

Region. Palm Beach is ranked the number 1 destination in the South East for

players in the North East and the West.

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SoutheasternDestinations

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USASerious

Players

Hilton Head Island, SC 31%

Charleston (Kiawah, Wild Dunes, Seabrook, Daniel, SC) 20%

Amelia Island, FL 17%

M rtle Beach Litchfield, SC 12%

Destin, FL 8%Sea Island, GA 5%

None of the above 57%

Promotion Recall seen promotion in past 6 mo.

31% of Serious Tennis Players recall seeing a promotion for Hilton Head

Island, SC as a destination in the past 6 months (35% of men recall seeing

a promotion).

Hilton Head Island promoshave reached over 30% of

USA Serious Players

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Type of Promotion Recall Among those who saw a promotionAmong those who indicated seeing a promotion for Hilton Head Island,

SC as a destination, 60% recall a magazine ad, 37% recall a TV ad, 26%

recall an internet ad. 29% recall being direct marketed to either via e-

mail or standard mail. Destin, FL showed the highest percentage of direct

marketing recall (36% e-mail and standard mail combined).

Amelia

Island Destin

Hilton Head

Island Charleston Myrtle Beach Sea Island

Ma azine 63% 56% 60% 60% 57% 67%

Television 31% 25% 32% 37% 35% 16%

Internet (Google/Bing/Yahoo) 16% 19% 21% 26% 23% 20%

Email 10% 23% 13% 16% 14% 11%

Direct Mail Marketin 4% 13% 8% 13% 7% 4%

Facebook 5% 5% 3% 3% 3% -

Newspaper 3% 5% 3% 7% 4% 7%

Mobile 1% 1% 1% 1% - -

Radio - 1% 1% 3% 1% -

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Length of Stay at Southeastern Destinations (Days)

Hilton Head length of stay is the longest at 5.5 days

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Comparative Cost Per Trip at Southeastern

Destinations

It should be noted this is an average and considerable numbers of travelers spend within

the $201-$500 range for their trip.

A m e l i a

I s l a n d

S e a I s l a

n d

H i l t o

n H e a d

I s l a n d

C h a r l e

s t o n

D e s t i n

M y

r t l e B e a c h

$100

$200

$300

$400

$5

00

$600

$700

$800

$900 874

780.59 754.75

615.51548.07

513.05

216.337187.642

138.233 140.688 118.374 121.576

Average Trip Cost per Person Average Cost per Person Per Day

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Comparative Reasons for Selecting

- Southeastern Destinations

Primary reasons for selecting certain tennis trip destinations vary widely.

Looking at the top reasons for each destination individually can give us a

snapshot of the lure of each place for the Serious Tennis Player.

Amelia Island Easy to get to, Weather, Activities other than tennisDestin Easy to get to, Enjoyed it before, WeatherHilton Head Island Enjoyed it before, Easy to get to, AccommodationsCharleston Easy to get to, Weather, Enjoyed it before, RestaurantsMyrtle Beach Easy to get to, AffordableSea Island Easy to get to, Accommodations, Reputation

If we focus on the main attribute of fun (what its all about), and we look

at responses of enjoyed it before, we can see that this is the top reason

Serious Tennis Players gave for selecting Hilton Head Island (37%).

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Comparative Dislikes- Southeastern Destinations

Dislikes of certain tennis trip destinations also vary widely. Looking at

the top dislikes for each destination individually can give us a snapshot of

the pitfalls of each place for the Serious Tennis Player.

These ratings are among the relatively small number of travelers givingdislikes:

Amelia Island Expensive, Facility poorly managed, did not enjoylevel of competition,

Destin Expensive, Restaurants too crowded, bad weatherHilton Head Island Expensive, Nightlife dead, Restaurants toocrowded

Charleston Expensive, Courts too busy, Nightlife deadMyrtle Beach Run down facility, Accommodation below expectation,Courts too busy

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Comparative Likelihood of Recommending

- Southeastern Destinations

Serious Tennis Players (with travel experience to the destination) have the

highest likelihood to recommend the Charleston, SC area (score of 8.7 out

of 10). Most destinations scored 8.0 or above, which are typically good

recommendation scores. However, Myrtle Beach returned a concerning

score of 6.8 from those who have taken a tennis trip there.

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Family Circle Tennis Tournament

Daniel Island, SC

11% indicated they have

attended the Family Circle Tennis

Tournament at some point in

the past. Of those, 55% played

tennis while they were in the areaattending the tournament.

92% of those attending the

Family Circle Cup felt it made

Charleston a more attractive

destination

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Hilton Head Island

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Travel Methods / Drive Time

to Hilton Head Island, SC

45% of Serious Tennis

Players would normally fly

to Hilton Head Island, while

37% would normally drive

and the remaining 17% are

unsure.

If driving, many would

have a trip of over 7 hours

in front of them (54%), a

high percentage of these

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Perceptions of Hilton Head Island (adjective description)

Remember this: tennis trip travelers find Having Fun most importantabout the tennis - and they value Relaxing most as an activity other

than the tennis --- So it is highly encouraging that the top two adjectives

associated with Hilton Head Island by Serious Tennis Players are

Relaxing(35%) and Fun (33%).USASerious

Players Male Female HHI CoC Resort

Relaxin 35% 36% 35% 57% 56%

Fun 33% 31% 34% 43% 51%

Ex ensive 24% 20% 29% 16% 11%

Upscale 20% 18% 22% 16% 18%

Friendl 19% 19% 19% 28% 41%

Classic 16% 15% 17% 13% 10%Luxurious 14% 12% 15% 12% 4%

Entertaining 12% 15% 10% 16% 13%

Traditional 10% 9% 12% 7% 5%

Commercialized 9% 9% 8% 4% 5%

Natural 7% 6% 9% 12% 17%

Adventurous 5% 3% 7% 9% 5%

Old fashioned 5% 6% 4% 1% 1%

Relaxing and Fun- highly associated with

Hilton Head Island

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Perceptions of Hilton Head Island (agreement statements)

Most agree that Hilton Head Island also has great golf courses to offer.

Leveraging the perception could be valuable. This could provide an

opportunity to key in on those individuals that cross-participate in both

tennis and golf. (22% of tennis players play golf, 17% of golfers play tennis)

Most also agree that Hilton Head Island would be a great destination for anATP or WTA pro tournament.

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Likelihood to Visit Hilton Head Island (in next 2 years)

29% of Serious Tennis Players indicate that they are at least likely

to visit Hilton Head Island in the next 2 years (9% very likely).

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Conclusions andRecommendations

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Hilton Head Island is the #1 Southeast Tennis Destination among

serious tennis players in the USA

Serious players who vacation FOR tennis can be targeted through

usta.com, tenniswarehouse.com and the other leading online retailers

Word of mouth plays the most influential role in helping tennis

players decide on destinations refer a friend program?

ESPN and Tennis Channel reach most serious tennis players good

potential for advertising

Conclusions

57


57/60

Tennis away from home needs to be FUN. Exercise is also important.

Fun and fitness program?

Accommodation quality is the most important general attribute

for tennis travel. Good dining is more important than nightlife/

entertainment.

However, the actual tennis cannot be too expensive.

Outside of playing tennis, they also want to relax, enjoy good dining

and possibly some time on the beach. Other activities also include:

shopping, historic sights, spas & wellness and nature-based activities.

Conclusions 2

58


58/60

Hilton Head Island performs really well against competition but Destin

is the most visited destination for those living in Atlanta. Specific

promotions should be considered for ALTA players.

Having fun is the most important aspect about tennis. Players value

relaxing as the most important activity other than tennis. The top

two adjectives associated with Hilton Head are relaxing and fun.

The third most selected adjective describing Hilton Head was

expensive (24%) but less important for those who have been to

Hilton Head (ranked 7thin Tennis Center sample). So perception may

be different to reality.

Conclusions 3

59


59/60

Hilton Head scored above average for the adjectives friendly and

natural among those who have been there. May be useful for

messaging.

There appears to be widespread support for an ATP/WTA tournament

among players. From the Family Circle questions we see that those

that attended the tournament were also very likely to play so an

additional economic impact for surrounding facilities.

Conclusions 4


60/60

A Study of Tennis Player Attitudes,

Perceptions & Behaviors

Hilton Head IslandTennis Destination Study

6650 W Indiantown Road, Suite 220

Jupiter, Florida 33458

Documents

Hilton Head Island Tennis Destination Study