Research: Visitors deem Cedar Rapids friendly, progressive, vibrant

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids is a city on the move, but needs more visitors to move around the city.

That's the findings of visitor profile research conducted to help the Cedar Rapids Area Convention & Visitors Bureau develop a strategic plan to promote the city as a travel destination, Berkeley Young, president of Young Strategies Inc., told The Gazette's Editorial Board on Friday.

His firm, based in Charlotte, N.C., has compiled more than 100 pages of data on who is coming to Cedar Rapids, their impressions of the city, where they're spending their money and what they want to see and do here.

'We wanted to understand the segmentation of travelers,' Young said, noting that the bulk are coming for business and, like tourists, seek out restaurants, entertainment, shopping and recreational opportunities.

'It's no secret you have a thriving business community here,' Young said.

With about 3,000 hotel rooms in the market, statistics show 47 percent of room nights are sold to business travelers, 25 percent to leisure tourists and 27 percent to groups coming for conferences, meetings and sporting events.

'There's a little a-ha in the data there, that, yes, Cedar Rapids is a getaway, it is a destination,' Young said.

And with an occupancy rate of 58 or 59 percent in 2015, just under 2,000 hotel rooms are being used on a typical night.

'If you have 2,000 people staying here, that's somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 meals that are being consumed each evening by visitors,' Young said. 'They get out, and they shop, and they look for entertainment.'

Visitor Impressions

Young partnered with 18 local organizations, including the Med Quarter and Brucemore, to distribute a survey link via their visitor databases. That garnered about 1,000 replies. Nearly another thousand surveys were completed by residents who host visitors, and another batch came from 142 community leaders who stated their views of the city as a destination.

The results were among the most positive Young has ever seen, with the top one-word description being 'friendly.' 'Progressive' and 'vibrant' also were in the mix. Visitors are looking for unique experiences, outdoor activities, and local food and shopping opportunities.

'They want to engage with the river, bicycles and trails,' Young said.

Many tourists are 'day-trippers,' coming from within a couple hours' drive for amenities they can't find at home. One problem is that they may not be able to 'find' the amenities once they get here. Signage and way-finding rated low on the satisfaction scale.

'You have to help them find things,' Young said, likening it to 'a treasure hunt' for visitors to discover destinations within the destination, like the NewBo and Czech Village districts.

OK to brag

He also encourages residents to get out and visit the sites they may not have seen in a while, if ever, so they'll know where to send their guests. And they can't be afraid to talk up all the city has to offer, shaking off the way 'our parents taught us not to brag,' Young said.

That reticence 'makes our job harder,' added Aaron McCreight, president and CEO of the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Over the next six to eight weeks, his group will be analyzing the data, finding the holes in the calendar where hotel stays drop off and figuring out how to fill them.

As for the City of Five Seasons slogan, that's a separate City of Cedar Rapids tagline. It was mentioned in some of the surveys, but the sentiment wasn't overwhelming either way, McCreight said, and isn't part of the Convention & Visitors Bureau's outreach.

'We're not advocating cutting down the Tree of Five Seasons,' he said. 'We're putting a campaign together for the destination. ... While that sounds similar to the city, it's totally different. ...

(The slogan) is not a motivating factor to get people to come here..'