ARIZONA

Phoenix doesn't crack top 30 vacation destinations, according to J.D. Power

Dawn Gilbertson
The Republic | azcentral.com
A view of downtown Phoenix at night.

Here's something you won't see Phoenix tourism boosters brag about in their next campaign to woo visitors: "We're No. 39.''

That's the city's lowly ranking as a travel destination among 50 U.S. cities in a new study by J.D. Power, the research company that became a household name with its annual car ratings.

The inaugural J.D. Power Destination Experience Satisfaction Study, out today  and based on responses from more than 26,000 travelers who visited a U.S. metropolitan area between December 2015 and July 2016, rated destinations on six factors to come up with an overall satisfaction score.

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The six factors: activities; costs and fees; food and beverage; infrastructure; lodging; and travel/arrival.

Metro Phoenix, a popular winter and spring destination for decades given its gorgeous weather, plentiful resorts and hotels, outdoor activities galore, special events like the Waste Management Phoenix Open and Major League Baseball spring training, had the worst score in the Southwest — 783 out of 1,000 — and the 12th lowest score overall. The average score for Southwest cities was 802; nationally it was 797.

Visit Phoenix, which promotes vacations and conventions in greater Phoenix, downplayed the low scores.

"Our millions of visitors that travel to our destination are the true measurement of our warm hospitality, inviting resorts, a vibrant downtown, memorable local museums, a diverse culinary scene, and many outdoor activities,’’ spokesman Doug MacKenzie said in a statement.

Phoenix posted its highest score — 826 — in the lodging category, which includes hotel availability, quality, variety and location. The lowest score — 727 — was for costs and fees, which include lodging, transportation, food and activities.

Rick Garlick, head of J.D. Power's global travel and hospitality practice, said it's not that Phoenix is among the most expensive cities to visit but that visitors don't feel they get as much value for their money as they do in other destinations. He notes that New York is a pricey city to visit but ranked high in the  study.

"There's a big gap for Phoenix on costs and fees and (visitor) satisfaction,'' he said.

Another area Phoenix didn't do well in, even though it wasn't one of the six categories in the satisfaction score: a visitor's emotional attachment to the city.  Survey participants were asked to rate things like how much they loved the city, whether they would want to live there and whether they would be sad if they could not return for a visit.  Just one-third of the Phoenix visitors were "highly attached'' to the city, compared with nearly half of visitors to Austin, Texas, Garlick said.

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Overall, St. Louis rated the lowest in the study, scoring 761, followed by Riverside/San Bernardino, Calif., with 767 and Sacramento with 767.

A handful of other major cities scored lower than Phoenix, including popular tourist destinations Portland, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The top five cities are Las Vegas (827); Austin, Texas (818); Orlando, Fla. (815); New York City (805); and Columbus, Ohio (799.)

J.D. Power says high visitor satisfaction translates to more visitors and tourist dollars.  Visitors who rate a place a 10 out of 10, spend an average of $1,446 per visit, while those who are indifferent or disappointed spend just under $1,000. The average spending per trip overall was $1,169.

A separate survey out this week rated metro Phoenix more favorably than J.D. Power did. Personal finance site WalletHub called the area the 4th best place for warm-weather travel this winter. That survey of 37 metro areas is based on factors including travel costs and hassles, attractions, weather and activities. The top three: Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego.

In that report, Phoenix fared best in winter weather conditions (third place) and worst in attractions (16th place).

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