DECEMBER, 2019
ISSUE. 1
The official e-journal of the Tourism Society
IN THIS ISSUE
As the decade draws to a close
REFLECTION ON THE LAST
By Kevin Kaley, Chairman
DECADE OF THE TOURISM
As the decade draws to a close it is time to look back at
SOCIETY
what we have learnt in the Tourism Industry but more importantly what can we anticipate happening in the future. Like many organisations, The Tourism Society
THE TOURISM SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM
has undergone many changes since 2010 but our commitment to our members remains consistent and it always will. In fact, we are looking forward to a new era of membership activity and knowledge sharing so that our tourism businesses, and those that work in them,
IS YOUR DESTINATION WOKE ENOUGH?
are at the heart of what we do. New events, regular communications
and
new
ways
to
pay
for
your
membership are just a few examples of the changes that you will notice early in 2020.We hope you will enjoy reading this latest issue of our new online Journal, please
submit
considered
any
articles for
you
would
like to
future
be
editions
to director@tourismsociety.org We look forward to a successful 2020 together and to seeing you at the new Prospects event on 11 February "Vision 2035".
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 1
Diverse, accessible, sustainable and good for you - Is your destination woke enough? By Katrina Michel
Chester Zoo’s conservation work protecting rhinos and orangutans and the relentless destruction of these animals’ habitats to make way for palm oil trees spurred the zoo into high profile action. They created a Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge designed to balance the needs of consumers with the needs of wildlife - a campaign they believed to be of interest mainly to conservationists. However, the people and businesses in Chester have embraced the challenge and Chester is now the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City. People keen to understand the issue now travel from around the world to events at the Zoo and the Zoo is invited to speak on the issue all over the globe. Newquay and Oxford have now signed up to follow suit in taking up the Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge. The team at Chester Zoo are of course delighted but admit to being surprised by the amount of interest - evident from engagement on social media and relevant sections on the zoo’s website - and by the amount of resulting business for them and therefore the city of Chester.
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 2
On a smaller scale I was recently invited to judge the Lancashire Tourism Awards
and
operator
encountered
who
is
commercialising
also
their
a
small
successfully
commitment
to
sustainability and, more broadly, client education
and
well-being.
At
Moss
Wood Caravan Park the ethos is one of respect
for
tourism.
nature
The
site
and is
responsible designed
to
encourage wildlife and wildflowers with 5,000
sq
interpreted
ft
of
wildflower
nature
trails
meadow,
and
a
lake
where guests can fish knowing the stocks come from sustainable sources.
The park also commits to using and thus showcasing local producers. Site management includes extensive recycling and capturing run-off water from buildings on site for use in
grounds
maintenance.
Electricity
is
from
100%
renewable sources and constantly monitored to minimise wastage and there is a project to look at micro-generation. Out of season, they host a ‘Wild Day’ to enthuse locals about their mission. Not surprisingly customer satisfaction is 95%, occupancy is up 46% and the park’s ethos is a main reason for repeat purchase or in many cases the purchase of a permanent holiday home. These are just two examples of how consumption is being stimulated not just by the ‘what’ – castle, theme park, safari, museum - but increasingly the ‘why’ – accessible, sustainable, diverse, healthy. We’ve heard a lot in tourism about the experience economy, but this starts to get into the realm of a ‘values’ based approach. The healthy theme park?
The
sustainable
music
festival?
And
whereas
previously this sort of thinking might have been dismissed as somehow idiosyncratic, it is now totally mainstream. (Thanks Greta)
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE.3
There is a lesson here for destination management. Destinations can also move from the ‘what’ to the ‘why’ and attract new audiences who wouldn’t previously have considered them. Penzance is Britain’s first Plastic Free Town
and
Bristol
has
long
demonstrated
a
strong
commitment to cycling and Fair Trade and is now banning private diesel cars from its city centre. A couple of hours strolling around a city such as Hereford illustrates the passion
of
young
food
and
drink
entrepreneurs
for
authentic local produce served in spaces designed to delight the sense or calm the stressed out traveller. Knitting provided! In Chester the main source of tourism used to be heritage buffs and hen parties (I exaggerate but you get my meaning). Now the city is attracting a more environmentally engaged audience – exploring the zoo but
Katrina Michel
also seeking out food, drink and entertainment that is
Non-executive
aligned with their thinking. We have two new Vegan
connector
restaurants, a new breed of ‘refill’ shops and grocers, more
Board member of the Tourism Society
people exploring the river, the walls and the parks and in
and a number of other boards - LTE
2017 the city was the first in Britain to receive the
Group,
European Access City Award.
Storyhouse.
Feels like a Win Win to me
The
director
Halle
and
business
Orchestra
and
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 4
The Tourism Symposium 2019: Disruption and The Tourism Challenge By Richard Denman The Tourism Society’s annual symposium for 2019 was held on September 23/24 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Our chosen theme, disruption and the tourism challenge, proved most apt and timely. The demise of Thomas Cook and the Supreme Court’s ruling on the prorogation of parliament both occurred while we met. Yet the mood was positive. Throughout the event we heard stories of how to work creatively with disruption and change to deliver new forms of business and visitor experiences that can provide a sustainable future for our sector. The venue also proved highly appropriate for the occasion. Blackpool ably demonstrated how it has been meeting challenges and embracing change through the
Session 1: Keynote and inspiration
commitment to tourism by the Council and other players. They
have
been
necessary
Following
investments, not least in new transport infrastructure
Benjamin
and
Board Member and facilitator of the
conference
celebrating
the
prepared
facilities, resort’s
to
while
heritage
make
recognising as
a
centre
entertainment and memorable family experiences.
and of
an
introduction
Carey,
symposium,
Tourism
delegates
from Society were
welcomed by Sir Andrew Parmley, leader of the Blackpool ambassador programme and former Lord Mayor of London. He underlined his passion for Blackpool and for keeping tourism at the centre of its economy.
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 5
Kevin Kaley, Chairman of the Tourism Society, directed his comments on the tourism challenge to the government’s overall approach to the north of England and to the tourism sector as a whole. In both respects, there is a danger of fine words but little action. The Northern Powerhouse may be a great concept, but five years on there is not much to celebrate. While the UK has a great heritage product, it sits at the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index in terms of price
competitiveness
government
and
prioritization
of
in
77th
the
place
sector.
for
These
concerning indicators point to the need to address some big issues, such as tax policy and VAT on accommodation and the delivery of needed investment in our High Streets, transport and other tourism infrastructure. While the government’s newly agreed Tourism Sector Deal is rightly welcomed, are the limited measures that it contains capable of delivering the change that is needed to make the most of tourism’s significant economic potential?
Adrian Mills, Director of Business and Operations
England,
BBC,
gave
the
Symposum’s keynote address, follwed by a discussion led by Katrina Michel, Tourism Society Board Member. The story of the BBC’s move to the north of England provides a rich example of how an organisation can cope with and benefit from disruption. Externally, the BBC has seen massive changes in the way people relate to the media and what they expect from it. Internally, the BBC created its own upheaval, moving 2,000 jobs to Salford in 2011. The BBC has stimulated creativity in the north and has benefited from it. This sense of area awareness has also affected its programmes – they are seeking to root many more in identifiable parts of the UK
(e.g.
Strictly/Blackpool,
Poldark/Cornwall, Happy Valley/ West Yorkshire) with spin off benefits for tourism. The commercial potential in developing further links between the BBC
(or
companies)
independent and
production
specific
attractions is acknowledged.
tourist
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 6
Throughout his talk and in answering questions from the floor, Adrian identified various lessons from the BBC’s experience of working with disruption, that are widely applicable, including: Don’t leave things to chance – if so, nothing changes. Disruption requires a plan. Change should be seen as ongoing. You need to keep asking the necessary questions. Creative staff engagement is crucial. The BBC has introduced ‘hot-shoeing’ (exposing people to their colleagues’
jobs)
and
‘stepping-out’
(meeting
directly with their customers). The best way to encourage young people to take up
Rachel Farrington, Senior Policy Executive, Visit Britain, spoke on ‘policy as disruption’.
a particular career is to point not only to the mix of
She
skills required, but especially to the fun they can
including
have, e.g. in a sector such as tourism.
focus
Getting more people to attend events and meetings
Tourism Sector Deal presents commitments
requires
to address them under five separate pillars.
focusing
content
and
invitations
on
carefully selected groups.
outlined and
key
tourism
seasonality, lack
of
challenges,
excessive
regional
London
spread.
The
Crucially, by being selected as one of 10 sector deals amongst 70 bids, tourism has
The first session ended with two short inspiration
now become front of mind. This has helped
slots.
in making connections for the sector right across government.
Steve Wild, Sky TV, gave an example of the disruptive and enabling power of technology. He described the advent of ‘addressable TV’, being
the
ability
to
show
different
advertisements to different households while they are watching the same program. Such targeting, informed by audience data, is available on Sky. It increases impact and enables one to track performance. It is well suited to tourism promotion and help is available for the production of targeted ads.
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE. 7
Session 2: Sustainability Prof
Richard
Sharpley,
University
of
Central
Lancashire, opened the session with some hardhitting remarks about the response of the tourism sector to climate change and other sustainability issues. While subscribing to sustainable tourism in principle, there has been little real change in the last thirty years. We are now faced with sizeable issues of growing emissions from aviation and the incidence of over-tourism. It is time to move from a growth-led policy to one that addresses how to sustain business and consume less throughout the sector. A panel of four
speakers
initiatives
to
presented enhance
examples
sustainability.
of
specific
Jane
Cole,
Blackpool Transport, described the impressive programme of investment in public transport in Blackpool, including electrification of the railway, the extension and modernisation of the tram service (while retaining heritage trams), and the move to electric
buses.
Usage
has
been
helped
by
the
development of an award-winning travel app. Kathryn Davis, Destination Bristol, spoke about an initiative to make the city’s food offer more sustainable, including more vegan options and local sourcing. This has involved
close
liaison
international travel trade.
with
restaurants
and
the
Asher Moses, Sherbert Ride, described various initiatives to reduce resource use in their taxi fleet in a fast-changing market. This has involved not only investment in electric cars but also management initiatives to support driver sharing of vehicles and diversification of revenue
streams.
explained
how
company use
of
his
prioritises technology,
destinations drastically
to
do
reduced;
Darren
Khan,
travel
film
production
sustainability. the film
need shoots
carbon
Travlrr, Through
to
fly
has
emissions
to
been are
offset on every project; and the company has worked closely with Trees for Life to promote tree planting in Scotland.
DECEMBER, 2019
PAGE.8
The following key points emerged during questions and discussion: The examples given are all good, but they need to be seen in a wider global picture. More
education
is
needed
to
help
tourism
businesses do things differently. Sustainability residents,
is
about
addressing
businesses,
visitors
needs and
of the
environment and measuring impacts on them. We
need
to
deliver
the
right
services
for
different needs. In Blackpool, a lot of emphasis is placed on the social needs of local people when planning
infrastructure
that
also
benefits
visitors. We need to consider adjusting consumption patterns as part of the answer to reducing emissions
from
the
sector,
including
in
prioritising markets. For example, more attention should be paid to domestic markets as a low transport/low carbon option.
Session 3: Shapeshifters Paul
Bristow,
Arts
Council
England,
described how tourism can help ACE in its mission to deliver great art and culture for everyone, streams,
through
providing
income
expanding
audiences
and
in
many other ways. Likewise, the cultural sector can be highly supportive of tourism, for example in addressing seasonality, identified in the Tourism Sector Deal as a main barrier to profitability. We must maintain
a
dialogue
and
build
understanding between the sectors and individuals involved, through partnerships and networks. The proposed new tourism zones could play a part here.
DECEMBER, 2019 Three
panel
PAGE. 9
members
described
some
of
their
activities in aspects of place making. Philip Evans, Eastbourne
Borough
Council,
described
how
perceptions of Eastbourne and the balance of visitor markets are being changed through a programme of investment and entrepreneurial activity by the Council itself. Culture has been an important part of this. Examples range from the local branding of lifeguards, the purchase of a failing pub and reviving the bandstand to a new conference centre and investment in Eastbourne’s world class tennis facilities. Philip Welsh, Visit Blackpool, spoke similarly of the use of
brought into public ownership to preserve them for
Session 4: Storytelling
future generations. Key components of the
Brandon
Crimes,
Member,
introduced
product investment to change
perceptions
of
Blackpool,
while
retaining
the
town’s heritage appeal. Some assets have been
approach include: a new destination management plan, new hotels, further regeneration projects and strong destination marketing in collaboration with Merlin entertainments. Robin Miller-Scott, Transport for the North, presented a range of information on the economic performance of the north
of
England,
within
the
context
of
the
Strategic Transport Plan. A holistic approach is needed, with transport planning supporting issues of
tourism,
culture,
sustainability,
health
and
inclusiveness. There is a need to address the whole journey offer. Inspiration slot: Lily Christensen, What3Words, described a new way of communication locational information which is more user friendly than GPS coordinates. By using unique groupings of three words, very precise locations can be identified based on 3m x 3m squares. This can be used to locate the entrance to buildings etc. The system is being used by Lonely Planet, the YHA and many others.
Tourism the
Society
final
Board
session.
He
reminded the audience of some of the key challenges for tourism and the need for joined up thinking between government, the private sector,
universities
Storytelling
is
communication.
and
one Each
part panel
other of
players. effective
members
gave
practical examples of the impacts of storytelling and forms of delivery: Kat Brogan, Mercat Tours, told us how her company has been delivery guided tours of Edinburgh since 1985 based on ‘good old-fashioned storytelling’. Through some moving examples, Kat showed how authentic personal communication is an excellent way of helping people truly connect with a place, its people and their history and begin to know and understand them. Rachel McQueen, Marketing Lancashire,
emphasised
the
importance
of
keeping it real – knowing the truth behind the stories before they are told.
DECEMBER, 2019 Visitors engage best with stories about people. Real people are used to promote Lancashire and to speak about its ambitions as well as its past. Chris Sands, The Good Company, used examples from his work in South Australia and in Hebden Bridge to show how a sense of place brought out by stories can affect residents, visitors, staff and even investors. Personal life stories can be powerful. We should remember that someone’s everyday experience can often seem extraordinary and fascinating to someone else. Shaon Talukdar, Geotourist, described his company’s app which enables visitors to access audio stories in locations all round the world, through clicking on a map. The system ensures a consistently high standard, guaranteeing free, assessible, local and authentic interpretation of the destinations. It can also be used as a source of data on consumers and their movements and preferences. Questions and discussions pointed to: The need to work hard on creating and promoting great stories about a destination to increasetheir chance of positive (as distinct from negative) exposure by search engines. The importance of understanding the visitor’s own situation and personal interests, in order tomake a connection with them and to decide which stories to tell. The opportunity for providers of new digital systems to work with others who are experts in content and storytelling, to mutual benefit.
PAGE. 10 Keith Brown, Tourism Society CEO, closed the Symposium. He reminded delegates of the topic of disruption and the events surrounding the day’s proceedings. The programme had been very rich, covering such matters as inspiring young people, delivering new policies, embracing new technology, finding practical approaches to sustainability, using culture to change perceptions of destinations and enhancing experiences through storytelling. Keith warmly thanked all those involved with the programme and the venue and hoped to see everyone at future Tourism Society events.
RICHARD DENMAN, DIRECTOR, THE TOURISM COMPANY rdenman@thetourismcompany.com http://thetourismcompany.com/
The e-journal is published bi-monthly by The Tourism Society—to provide information of interest to its members, their customers and/or employees. This replaces the quarterly Journal and is delivered electronically via email as e-newsletters have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in general has gained popularity over printed correspondence. of you would like to contribute an article, opinion piece or Tourism Society event report please contact the secretariat on membership@tourismsociety.org For future events see www.tourismsociety.org