Evaluation Of Customer Survey Data To Develop An Effective Marketing Plan For State Parks: A Case Study Using The Texas Parks And Wildlife Department State Park Study

Abstract

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) collected information from 2001-2007 from individual parks throughout Texas in an effort to gain useful marketing information from its customers.  This project was the first to survey the majority of state parks in Texas in order to gain a system-wide understanding of state park visitors to help plan for state-wide and regional marketing strategies in the future.  This survey project collected data from state park visitors such as demographics, whether they were overnight or day visitors, and season of visit in order to identify distinct patterns.  Most visitors to the parks were white/non-Hispanic (92%) despite the fact that this category makes up only about half of the Texas population.  There were 13% of park visitors from outside the state of Texas and these visitors were older than the average resident Texan visitor and had a lower household income.  The data from this survey will allow TPWD to develop specific marketing strategies to increase attendance, revenue, and customer satisfaction at state parks.  Specifically, the information will aid in identifying a specific target market on which TPWD should concentrate its efforts.