Qualitative research
Tourists were asked to write down in a few words what they relate to the name Valkenburg. Below one will find a list of the words mentioned.
- Limburg “vlaaien” (local specialty cakes)
- Cycling (Amstel Gold Race, World Cup cycling)
- Caves
- Thermae 2000 - The Cauberg
61 - Nature (surroundings, river the
Geul, hills)
- Valkeniers Fun Park - Leeuw beer
- Holland Casino
- Holiday (weekend getaway) - Close to 3 country point
- Relaxation (rest, peaceful area) - “Gezelligheid” (cosiness) - City centre (going out,
restaurants, bars, terraces) - Cable way
- Christmas markets - Tourism
In the words that were mentioned by the tourists, one can see connections to the strengths of Valkenburg. It also complements their desired identity. The mentioning of feelings like relaxation, cosiness and a holiday feeling, are promising for the identity desired. Furthermore the tourists link Valkenburg to the Christmas markets, caves, cycling, city centre and nature, which are all
represented in their identity. Specific attention goes to the Thermae 2000, Holland Casino, Leeuw beer, the Cauberg and Limburg “vlaaien”. However on the other hand one can see that there are also attractions mentioned, like for Valkeniers Fun Park and the Cable way, which remind people of the old days, when the attractions were real pull factors for the city.
Tourists were also asked to write down in words any other remarks that they would like to mention. Below one will find a short summary of the most important ones, and most frequently mentioned.
- People that do not stay overnight are rejected in bars and restaurants (during lunch/ dinner time)
- A true family destination
- The proximity of everything in the city centre is ideal
- Valkenburg has not changed much over the years, it has a lot to offer but needs to modernize and upgrade
- You often hear “It is not what it used to be”
- There is not much to do in Valkenburg (shopping wise)
62 Quantitative research
Tourists were asked to rate several statements on a Likert-scale (1 to 5, 1 being “completely disagree”, 5 being “completely agree”). Lastly the tourists were asked the grade Valkenburg as a tourism destination. Figures are based on the data from the research, which one can find in appendix 7.9.1.
In total there were 123 respondents for the tourist questionnaire. 47.2% were male, 52.8% female.
N=123. In the birth year distribution figure, one can see that there was a large amount of respondents that were not older than 25 years old. This will have an effect on the outcome and
therefore should be taken into consideration when looking at the results.
The level of education, showed a strong presence of high levelled respondents. The mean is 4.9, N=123.
Most respondents visisted the city with friends. The other values are quite evenly distributed, with family and boyfriend/ girlfriend scoring a bit higher than man/ wife. The mean is 3.2, N=123.
Most respondents have visited the city several times, or even more than 5 times. Only a mere 8.1% visited the city for the first time. This proves the fame of
Valkenburg among the Dutch people. The mean is 2.4, N=123.
63 Most respondents do/ did not stay overnight. If
they did stay overnight, most respondents stayed overnight for 2 nights. Valkenburg is a popular city in the Netherlands, especially for daytrips. This is why there is such a large amount of respondents that did not stay overnight. The mean is 2.1, N=123. The 3 most important features
The outcomes show a result of 5 different features that were chosen the most. Respondents could tick three ouf of ten options, what they thought were the three most important features of Valkenburg.
1. Caves (68% of the respondents chose this feature) – N=122 2. Events (47.1% of the respondents chose this feature) – N=123 3. City Centre (43.1% of the respondents chose this feature) – N=123 4. Nature (39.8% of the respondents chose this feature) – N=123 5. Activities (38.2% of the respondents chose this feature) – N=123
The statements
Most respondents agree with the statement. There are only few
respondents that disagree, and none at all that completely disagree. This shows that on average the tourists like the residents of Valkenburg, and that they feel
welcome while visiting Valkenburg. The mean is 4.2, N=123.
Most tourists agreed with this statement. Due to the low percentages of
respondents disagreeing, being neutral or did not know, one could say that
Valkenburg definitely has a lot of fun activities to offer. The mean is 4.2, N=122.
Most respondents agree that Valkenburg is a romantic city. The distribution is divided among the several values, but over 60% agrees/ completely agrees with the statement. The mean is 3.8, N=123.
64 More than half of the respondents agrees
that Valkenburg is a fresh and lively city. The value “neutral” also ranks high, having 25% of the respondents. The mean is 3.8, N=123.
According to the results it is safe to say that the respondents like the city centre of Valkenburg. It is a cosy and fun place to be, with almost all of the respondents agreeing/ completely agreeing with this statement. The mean is 4.3, N=122. The answers are distributed over all different values. Most respondents think that there are enough parking
possibilities. On the other hand there are also around 40% of the respondents that disagree or are neutral on this statement. The mean is 3.9, N=122.
More than 80% of the respondents agrees or completely agrees with the fact that Valkenburg is a good spot to discover its surrounding areas. The mean is 4.2, N=123.
Most respondents were neutral on this statement. The value “agree” ranked secondly, right after that. The distribution over the values shows that on average there is a good price/quality ratio, however it could be better. The mean is 3.9, N=123.
Almost half of the respondents agrees that the directions are good. On average one could say that the directions could be better, but there are few people that are bothered by it. The mean is 4.1, N=123.
65 No respondents disagreed with this
statement and one could thus say that information is easy and readily available, if tourists want to know more on the activities and offers of the city. The mean is 4.4, N=123.
Almost 78% of the respondents agreed or completely agreed with this statement. One could say that Valkenburg is regarded a safe city. The mean is 4.3, N=123.
There are few respondents that disagree with the statement. Over 60% agrees or completely agrees that Valkenburg is a green and clean city. There are also 28.5% of the respondents that were neutral. The mean is 4, N=121.
I come to Valkenburg for/ to...
Very few respondents agreed with this statement. Most respondents (36.6%) disagreed, 27.6% completely disagreed. One could say that the respondents, on average, do not come for the wellness & healthcare. The mean is 2.5, N=123.
Almost all of the respondents disagreed with the statement. One could say that the respondents do not come for the Holland Casino. The mean is 2, N=123.
66 Most of the respondents agreed with the
statement. They visit Valkenburg for its events. The others were quite evenly distributed over the other values. The mean is 3.3, N=123.
Most respondents come to enjoy and relax theirselves. Less than 20% disagreed with the statement. One could say that the respondents visit the city to find joy and relaxation. The mean is 3.6, N=122.
Most of the respondents agreed with the statement. However the differences are relatively small, which makes it difficult to say anything about the outcome. The mean is 3.3, N=123.
Most respondents disagreed with the statement. On average one could say the respondents do not visit the city for shopping. The mean is 2.6, N=122.
Most respondents disagreed with the statement. However the differences with the values “neutral” and “agree” are relatively small. One could say that history is a pull factor but not a priority. The mean is 2.8, N=123.
67 Valkenburg’ tourism industry
Most respondents agree that the tourism industry in Valkenburg is professionally managed. There are very few that disagree with this statement. The mean is 4.2, N=122.
Most respondents agree that Valkenburg is in need for renewal. There are very few that disagreed, while there were 30.1% respondents being neutral. The mean is 3.8, N=123.
The grade
Most respondents graded Valkenburg with an 8. The mean is 7.4, which is a relatively high grade. One could say that tourists are well satisfied when visiting Valkenburg. N=123.