Executive Summary Data was collected using a short written survey, during September/October 2001. A total of 123 visitors to the village of St. Jacobs completed surveys.
The results indicated that 48% of the 123 respondents were male, and 52% were female. Additionally, 60% were 50 years of age or older. The majority of the respondents were travelling within the province (82%), and most of these 101 individuals lived in Southern Ontario. Most of the visitors were spending less than a day in St. Jacobs and used their own automobile for transportation. Since most of the respondents were spending less than a day in St. Jacobs, they did not require accommodation in the village. When visitors were asked how they had heard about St. Jacobs, 80% of the respondents replied "word of mouth." Clearly, this is the most important form of advertising for the Village. Related to this are the results regarding visitors' satisfactions, which were very positive.
English: Millrace Trail at sunset in St. Jacobs, O...
English: Downtown St. Jacobs looking south.
English: Farmer's market in St. Jacobs. Photo cour...Respondents overwhelmingly indicated that the Village had met or exceeded their expectations. In fact, only one person stated that their visit to the Village had failed to meet their expectations. Also, 75% of respondents said they would absolutely recommend a visit to St. Jacobs to friends and family. An important reason for conducting this survey was to determine why people were coming to St. Jacobs, and what new tenants they would like to see. The most popular reason for visiting the village was for a general outing (40%). As for choices for a new tenant, answers were spread across the different possibilities, however 13 respondents said they did not want to see anything else added to the village.
It is highly doubtful that anyone would dispute the forecast for continued growth of tourism in St. Jacobs. This paper will...