The Quad Cities attracts lots of "Family-Oriented Frugals," and older residents are more likely to brag about living here.
Those are just a couple of highlights from a survey conducted by Visit Quad Cities earlier this fall.
More than 2,300 people completed the survey, and about 400 of them were visitors.
The results will help the agency develop a master tourism plan.
President and CEO, Dave Herrell, says about half of the visitors had positive perceptions of the Quad Cities before their visits.
But good impressions jumped to nearly 70% after they left. "The challenge is to get people here for the first time and keep them here (laughter). Data show we'll have a good result. Tactically, that's something we need to work on."
Slightly less than half (48%) of the residents who responded to the survey said they brag about living in the Quad Cities. Herrell says age plays a significant role in "bragability." He says, "Only 39% of those under the age of 35 said they brag about living in the Quad Cities. But older people (55+) do brag and a lot more, 60% vs 48%."
Still, 48% is a significant improvement from three years ago when the 2016 Q2030 survey revealed only 29% of residents bragged about living here.
The Visit Quad Cities survey did not reveal any red flags, but Herrell says there's always room for improvement.
The full results of both residents' and visitors' surveys are available below.
Herrell hopes the final, master tourism plan will be ready early next year.
Note: The first pdf includes the results from the survey of tourists, a.k.a. visitors, people who don't live in the Quad Cities.
QC Visitor Survey Report by Michelle O'Neill on Scribd
This second pdf includes the survey results from people who live in the Quad Cities.
QC Community Survey Report by Michelle O'Neill on Scribd
