01
11/2/14
16:20
Page 1
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Inside Front 10/2/14 16:16 Page 1
03
11/2/14
16:08
Page 1
Contents
Editorial The outlook for destinations Precipitation. It is something that we have seen a great deal of in the UK this winter. It can come in a variety of forms, some more pleasant than others, but by and large it has been a fairly unvarying supply of rain that has landed over the last couple of months, and usually with some force. For most people it is low season and visitor numbers will have been low anyway; the hope is that as March approaches and Spring takes over things will warm up, dry out and entice the holiday-maker, leisure traveller, attraction visitor and day-tripper back out of hiding. Just what it is they will be visiting, and how they will be encouraged to choose one place over another, will depend to a large extent on how the organisation that looks after the destination in question operates.That was a tricky sentence to write, as I had to avoid using either the word ‘markets’ or ‘manages’ – fortunately I don’t have to worry about the finer details of these different approaches, but for people working in or running DMOs it is an issue that provides daily challenges. At least the acronym is one-size-fits-all. On pages 18 and 19 Melanie Sensicle offers her views on the different approaches to funding that have been adopted in England following the establishment of DMOs over recent years, and the choices between a management approach and a marketing approach that have to be made. However the destination is looked after, it is always useful to know who is visiting, how long for etc. Market research is crucial in providing the data that goes on to inform campaigns and strategies. Peter Lane, on page 20, talks about the emerging European Tourism Indicator System which will provide a common platform for measuring destination performance and sustainability; crucially, it will rely on destinations sharing their data to allow benchmarking. What gives an area its local flavour? It could be the landscape, architecture, dialect, characteristic dress, industrial heritage or a sporting association. Something else on the list is food, and with more and more people keen to get a taste of authentic local produce farmers’ markets, food fairs and festivals are enjoying a
Tourism and Jobs: Apprenticeships in the Tourism Industry Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for Skills and Enterprise
4-5
The Economy:Tourism and the recovery Kurt Janson MTS, Policy Director,Tourism Alliance
6
Event Report: Prospects for 2014 Gregory Yeoman MTS, Executive Director,Tourism Society
7
Tourism in Canada:The situation post (?) recession Kerry B. Godfrey MTS, Professor and Associate Dean (Academic), College of Management and Economics, University of Guelph, Canada
8
Marketing and PR:The end is nigh for PR – Read all about it online Mike Bugsgang FTS, Managing Director, Bugsgang & Associates Travel & Leisure PR
9
Food Tourism: Food fairs, festivals and markets Sean Beer, Senior Lecturer, Bournemouth University
10-11
An Interview With… Barbara Thomas MTS Passenger Services Director, Southeastern
14-15
Case Study: Hull – the UK’s City of Culture 2017 Jon Pywell, City Lead, Hull UK City of Culture 2017
16-17
DMO Funding Models: Destinations – Dial M for …? Melanie Sensicle MTS MTMI, Chief Executive,Visit County Durham
18-19
Destination Management:The value of destination intelligence 20 Peter Lane FTS MTMI, Independent Consultant, Chair of British Destinations Executive, expert advisor (ETIS) Focus On… BDRC Continental: Getting less down and dirty with the data 21 Max Clapham MTS, Client Services Director, BDRC Continental Membership News
23
The Back Page: Chairman’s view Sandra Matthews-Marsh FTS MTMI
24
Front cover picture credit: Foodies Festivals.
busy time.The overall economic impact (direct and indirect) of food festivals across Wales in 2012/2013 was estimated at £22.7million, shared between the producers and local businesses. Perhaps there is a gap in the market in your area that a food event could fill, without spoiling visitors’ appetites for the other attractions – Sean Beer looks into the opportunities on pages 10 and 11. It is interesting to compare Kurt Janson’s article on page 6 with Kerry Godfrey’s on page 8. Recent tourism performance in both the UK and Canada has responded to changes in exchange rates, and as recession eases, productivity increases and currencies strengthen the global competition for visitors will hot up. Along with the weather, I hope.
Gregory Yeoman MTS Executive Director gregory@tourismsociety.org
To view our website scan here
The Tourism Society Queens House, 55-56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BH T 0207 269 9693 F 0207 404 2465 E journal@tourismsociety.org W www.tourismsociety.org Registered in England No. 01366846. ISSN: 02613700 Designed and produced by Script Media Group Contact Tony Barry 47 Church Street Barnsley S70 2AS T 01226 734333
www.tourismsociety.org
E tb@scriptmedia.co.uk W www.scriptmedia.co.uk © Copyright 2014 The Tourism Society Tourism is the journal of the Tourism Society.The views expressed in Tourism are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of the Tourism Society. Whilst unsolicited material is welcomed, neither transparencies nor unpublished articles can be returned. The Tourism Society cannot be held
Issue 157 Spring 2014
responsible for any services offered by advertisers in Tourism. All correspondence must be addressed to the Editor. Tourism is only available to members of the Tourism Society and on subscription, it is distributed quarterly to 1800 professionals working in national and regional tourist boards, local government, travel agencies, and tour operators, visitor attractions, accommodation and catering, entertainment, information services, guiding, consultancies and education and training.
3
4 and 5
11/2/14
16:08
Page 1
Tourism and Jobs
Apprenticeships in the Tourism Industry
The growth of Apprenticeships and strengthening of vocational education has been a big success story of the last three years. Over that time, we have increased the number of Apprenticeships, but also put in place long-overdue reforms to improve rigour in vocational education, and make the system responsive to what employers need. I want it to be the norm for young people leaving school and college to go to university or undertake an Apprenticeship or – in the case of some Higher Apprenticeships – do both. With over 1.5 million apprenticeship starts since May 2010, this is fast becoming a reality. Latest figures show that there are record numbers of people participating in Apprenticeships, with 868,700 last year, up 77 per cent on 2009/10. Of these, over 27,000 have been in the Tourism,Travel and Leisure industries. I want all Apprenticeships to meet the needs of the learner, with training that is high quality and rigorous, and for the content of Apprenticeships to meet the needs of employers. When firms decide to take on an apprentice, it is vitally important they can see the benefits to their business.
4
That is why I launched the Trailblazers scheme in October 2013.Trailblazers are employers and professional bodies who will lead the way in implementing new Apprenticeships in key areas for growth. They will ensure that employers are involved in their design and are delivered in a way that works.The first eight Trailblazer projects are now working to develop new standards and approaches to assessment for reformed Apprenticeships. I am keen that the Tourism industry becomes part of this in the next phase. Vocational education is all about making sure people are ready for work. For too long Further Education was separated by a vast bureaucracy from the needs of employers, with a complex web of littleunderstood qualifications. We are vastly reducing the number of qualifications, insisting employers sign off on them before we recognise them. With Tech levels and the TechBacc, we are establishing a clear route for progression in vocational education. Every reform is based on this idea: giving every young person, no matter where they live or what their parents do, a highquality, rigorous, rounded education. We are reforming both academic and vocational education; making the curriculum and qualifications more
Issue 157 Spring 2014
rigorous, strengthening accountability and improving the quality of teaching in both schools and colleges. There are some fantastic opportunities in tourism. An apprentice can become a chef in a top hotel, jet off around the world as a holiday rep, as aircraft cabin crew or even begin a career working in some of the most iconic venues in the world. An Apprenticeship in the tourism sector could lead someone into any of these careers and more. Of course, not everyone works as a tour guide or surfing instructor.There are many less glamorous but equally vital roles: travel agents who arrange people’s holidays, leisure centre managers, baggage handlers, customer service assistants and so on. 2014 will be another exciting year for skills and Apprenticeships. I am committed to continuing our hard work to reform the skills system so it meets the needs of both learners and employers. I want to see high quality vocational educational and apprenticeships deliver for the economy, for employers and for learners and apprentices themselves. We are building a highly skilled workforce across a range of industry sectors including Leisure,Travel and Tourism.This will help grow the UK economy and allow us to compete successfully in the global race.
journal@tourismsociety.org
4 and 5
11/2/14
16:08
Page 2
Case Studies Marriott In October 2012, Marriott International, a global hospitality company with over 3,800 hotels worldwide, launched the Marriott Culinary Apprenticeship Academy, a new initiative in the UK to take on chef apprentices. Sean Kelly, Senior Executive Chef Europe, explains the decision: “We wanted to create an Apprenticeship to really attract the right people, who are passionate and want a career in this industry.” The Academy employs 12 apprentices on Intermediate Apprenticeships in Hospitality and Catering, and all are guaranteed jobs as commis chefs once they complete the course. The apprentices gain a Level 2 NVQ and undergo a wealth of specialist training including butchery and fishmongery masterclasses. Sean is in no doubt about the benefits the apprentices will bring to Marriott. “You’re only as good as your weakest chef, and the important thing about good food is being consistent,” he explains. “If people come in from a different company with different ideas, it can affect your consistency. “Whereas with our apprentices, if we train them properly from the bottom level to treat food with respect, use ingredients well and produce excellent dishes, they get the best possible start.You then have the perfect kitchen because your chefs only know what you teach them.” Sean believes that the effort Marriott is putting into its apprentices, including a buddy system whereby experienced chefs act as mentors, will pay off. “We want to train and treat our associates right, and if you look after your people they’ll look after your customers.” The Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House in London began offering Apprenticeships in backstage production and technical departments in 2007. “Through Apprenticeships we want to raise awareness of backstage careers,” explains Bendy Ashfield, Apprenticeships Manager. The organisation currently employs twelve apprentices. On offer are a variety of Intermediate and Advanced Apprenticeships in areas from Education Events & Tours to Technical Theatre, encompassing all aspects of support for Royal Opera House productions. Bendy works with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to deliver these specialised Apprenticeships. “NAS have been really proactive in helping us locate the right training providers. We also use their Apprenticeship vacancies website to advertise positions.” The Royal Opera House’s apprentices gain specialist qualifications such as Level 2 or 3 NVQs in their chosen field, and have
www.tourismsociety.org
Two apprentice chefs work in a Marriott Hotel kitchen
The Royal Opera House has offered Apprenticeships since 2007 enabled the organisation to develop a look to when we do recruitment.” workforce with exactly the required skills. Apprenticeships have also had the effect “When we train an apprentice, they of increasing diversity among the understand the way we work and the company’s staff. processes and equipment we use,” “Not many people think of these careers, explains Bendy. so with Apprenticeships we can offer “Our apprentices are trained in the skills young people a decent wage and training, needed in our niche, specialist areas, and and give different people the opportunity provide us with a pool of people we can to come into the industry,” says Bendy. Matthew Hancock MP l Minister for Skills and Enterprise Issue 157 Spring 2014
5
11/2/14
16:09
Page 1
The Economy
Tourism and the recovery
Picture Credit: © b.neeser – Fotolia.com
06
The latest figures for the Office for National Statistics (to November 2013) indicate that unemployment has fallen to 7.1% and that the economy grew by 1.9% in 2013, indicating the economy is finally on the road to recovery. However, this good news predicates the question – where did the UK’s economic growth coming from? Obviously the economy is massively complex and there is no single straightforward answer. However, I would like to make the case that even if tourism did not single-handedly pull the UK out of recession, it has played a very significant and demonstrable part of the recovery through having a range of attributes that ideally position it to provide growth during times of economic downturn. To start with, it was already one of the largest sectors of the UK economy. But more importantly, even in good times, it operates significantly below capacity – hotel occupancy rates in the UK are around the 70% mark.This means that tourism businesses can quickly respond to increased tourism flows without the need for the large capital investment programmes that other industries need. Aligned with being a large industry with spare capacity, the UK tourism industry has a very important, though largely
6
Kurt Janson MTS Policy Director, Tourism Alliance
unrecognised, attribute – it is largely counter-cyclical. When the UK economy is doing well, the pound rises in value and people can more easily afford to take overseas trips. At the same time, the high value of the pound acts as a deterrent to overseas visitors coming to the UK. In the seven years leading up to the financial crisis, domestic tourism decreased by an average of 2% per annum. Conversely, outbound tourism grew at a compound rate of 5.5% over this period. And while inbound tourism still grew by an average of 3%, this has to be viewed against the UK’s long term average growth rate of 6% and the global growth rate of 4.5% over this period. The net result of this was that between 2000 and 2007 the UK’s tourism deficit ballooned by almost 50%, from £14.0bn per annum to £20.5bn.Yet, just three years later, it had fallen by 35% to £13.4bn. The recession had a number of impacts. The supply of cheap credit ended, people switched from spending to saving and the UK’s exchange rate plummeted. At the start of 2008, the pound was trading at 2.0 USD and 1.34 Euro. A year later, it was trading at 1.45 US dollars and 1.04 Euro, making the UK 27.5% cheaper to US visitors and 22% cheaper for visitors from the Eurozone. Conversely, overseas
destinations became that much more expensive to UK residents at a time when they were trying to save money. This had two main consequences. First, in the four years from 2009 to 2012, UK residents made 13m fewer overseas trips each year, saving the UK around £23bn. Secondly, a significant proportion of this money was redirected into the UK economy. Although the Day Visitor Survey figures are not available for 2008 and 2009, the GBTS and Day Visitor data shows that at least £15bn of the £23bn was redirected into the UK economy – ie not put into savings or used to pay down loans. At the same time, the drop in the exchange rate provided another significant boost to inbound tourism. As a result, net inbound tourism growth from 2009 to 2012 has been almost £5bn. Overall, therefore, tourism provided the UK economy with a boost of at least £20bn in the four years from 2009 to 2012 – during a time when the UK GDP fell from £393bn to £376.5bn.That’s the equivalent of the entire budget of both DEFRA and the FCO over this period. According to the ONS, it was also responsible for a third of all new jobs created in the UK. And that is the importance of tourism – it performs best when the economy performs poorly.
l Issue 157 Spring 2014
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:10
Page 1
Event report
Prospects for 2014 Companies that do not listen to their customers will not survive.This will not be news to most people, but what is new is how closely we all now need to be listening and how quickly we need to be responding. At the Tourism Society’s ‘Prospects for 2014’ meeting in London in mid-January the speakers all touched on the idea of the importance of the uniqueness of a company’s product. While this can be developed by the board sitting around their table in formal discussion, it is the users of the product – the customers – who are now the ones driving the decisions on what the experience will consist of, whether it is had at a hotel, an attraction, in a caravan park or elsewhere. To remain truly competitive, the challenge now is to work out how to give the client what they want, when they want it and how they want it.This might seem a tall order, and some businesses might think that they still know better than their customers how they would best enjoy their particular experience. But every customer is different, and as expectations continue to rise, flexibility and willingness to adapt will bring rewards. Speaking at the event this year were Tim Sander (Head of Hotel Brand Monitoring Services, BDRC Continental), David Edwards FTS (Head of Research and Forecasting,VisitBritain),Tony Hall MTS (Marketing Director,The Caravan Club) and David Bridgford (Strategy Director, Merlin Entertainments). David Edwards provided a promising forecast of the visitor and spend numbers for 2014, with healthy increases in both, and all the panel members were optimistic about performance over the next 12 months. Edwards did flag up a note of caution, though, in connection with the Chinese market. At some unspecified point in the next few years, he said, China will
Picture Credit: © Creativa - Fotolia.com
07
Optimism returns experience a correction as it handles its own debt crisis brought about by recent economic expansion; the message being, don’t rely too much on one market. Looking at the more immediate future, the FIFA World Cup will cause a drop in visitor numbers from Brazil. David Bridgford believes that London has a couple more years as a growth hotspot before Rio takes over following its own hosting of the Olympics, at which point Britain will have to work harder to maintain its position as a destination. Until that point, concentrating on raising service standards should be the main area to focus on. Both he and Tim Sander had some comments on the activities of different generations, and it was interesting to hear the mismatch between marketing activity and spending power. While a lot of attention is given to attracting and holding onto Generation Y with appropriately lively campaigns on a wide range of media platforms, they are not the biggest spenders.
‘The underlying message from all the speakers was that ‘empathy’ would be the watchword in the year ahead – understand your customers, listen to what they want and work out how to provide it.’
www.tourismsociety.org
Generation X would be a better place to concentrate, or the tail-end of the Baby Boomers; 80% of the UK’s wealth rests with the over 50s, but only 10% of marketing spend is directed at them.This active section of the population, far from being over the hill, is engaging in new activities and investing plenty of money in hobbies and holidays. And as Tony Hall pointed out, the industry can sometimes get wrapped up in the complexity of what it is offering. A simpler product, marketed in a more straightforward way, can be more effective. Questions to the panel covered a wide range of topics, from planning policy and railway links to Tourist Information Centres, late booking patterns and which markets to appeal to with new attractions. The underlying message from all the speakers was that ‘empathy’ would be the watchword in the year ahead – understand your customers, listen to what they want and work out how to provide it.This event was streamed live over the internet and was the inaugural event of the new Tourism Society Westcountry chapter. Over sixty industry professionals and students convened at Plymouth University and following the presentations from London they broke off for their own Q&A session with a local panel of experts. Gregory Yeoman MTS l Executive Director, Tourism Society
Issue 157 Spring 2014
7
11/2/14
16:10
Page 1
Tourism in Canada
The situation post (?) recession Canadian tourism has, not surprisingly, evolved over the past few years, especially since the global recession unleashed in 2008. Charter airlines folded (e.g. Globespan and Zoom), travel firms consolidated, hotels tightened their belts, and governments poured money into bailouts for big industry. But wait a minute, isn’t tourism a big industry? Ah yes, and in Canada it represents approximately 2% of the country’s national GDP, directly employs 610,000 people across 5 key sectors, represents revenues over $80 billion Canadian, but is also essentially delivered through SME’s (estimated at 98% of tourism businesses in Canada). So the Recession; unlike many other countries, Canada did (has) weathered the global financial crisis fairly well, but this has also somewhat ironically challenged the tourism sector. Why? The answer, in part, lies in the relative value of the Canadian Dollar: a rising ‘Loonie’ simply made Canada more expensive.The impact on Canada’s traditional tourism markets has been noticeable.The US (at about 80% of international arrivals), followed by the UK, France, Germany and China have all been changing. When the Canadian Dollar rose to parity with the US ‘greenback’, not only was Canada 15% or so more expensive than ‘normal’, but it also meant the US was that much cheaper for Canadians to ‘head south’.The value of the Euro was also down, and the Pound was averaging 20% less purchasing power than had been the case for many years. So alongside new US passport regulations, a ‘perfect storm’ emerged and Canadian tourism suffered. To add some clarity, however, prior to the recession, US travel to Canada had already been in steady decline for many years and really only bottomed out in 2008/2009: down over 40%, dropping from 35.5 million arrivals in 2003, to 20.5 million arrivals in 2009. While international arrivals from all other countries combined increased by over 40% at the same time, this was from a much lower starting point of 3.4 million arrivals in 2003, rising to 4.8 million arrivals in 2008 where this essentially remains.Yet while this total volume is smaller, travel receipts from nonUS international visitors have grown steadily and represented 58% of Canada’s
8
Kerry B. Godfrey MTS l Professor and Associate Dean (Academic), College of Management and Economics, University of Guelph, Canada
Picture Credit: Banff Lake Louise Tourism/Paul Zizka
08 new
Gourmet fondue in the Canadian Rockies and take almost as long. While Canadians $17.4 Billion CDN total international do travel abroad (65.2 million trips in travel receipts in 2012, but from only 18% 2012), the vast majority (85%) of these of total visitor volume. Beyond the USA, have tended to be to the USA. UK visitors have been in steady decline (down about 25% between 2008 and So what does the future hold? Given a 2012), but with visitation from France, current ‘correction’ in exchange rates, Australia, India and China on the rise.Thus Canada is becoming a little cheaper again, while the US has been and will most likely and concomitantly, Canadian travel abroad remain most significant, other countries, increasing in price: domestic tourism will remain significant. and China in particular (up some 20% over 5 years), have become more As the Pound and Euro strengthen, significant. European markets will likely remain steady overall, but whether the UK will reverse Notwithstanding the international market, trend is hard to say: the heady days of however, domestic travel represents the $2.50: £1.00 at the turn of the Millennium lion’s share of tourism receipts in Canada, are long gone. representing over 80% of total tourism spending in 2012. Canadians made over Turning west (to the ‘Far East’), with 317 million domestic trips in 2011, of ‘approved destination status’ and a huge diaspora in Canada, China is in the which 92% were within their own ascendency, at least for now. Overall province.This should not be surprising, though, we look to our closest neighbour though, given Canada is some 40 times to the south and invite them north to play. larger than the UK, where domestic flights from Vancouver to Toronto can cost as All the data referred to in this article comes from www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/034.nsf /eng/00444.html much as a flight from Toronto to London,
Issue 157 Spring 2014
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:11
Page 1
Marketing and PR
The end is nigh for PR – Read all about it online If, as I suspect, you are reading this article in the printed version of Tourism, it would seem that some pundits’ predictions that communicating via magazines and newspapers is dead may be exaggerated. However, it cannot be denied that things have changed radically in the world of public relations and more changes are afoot. This notion was brought home to me in no uncertain terms recently when I was judging the PR category for an industry awards event. Despite the fact that the criteria clearly stated that social media activity should form part of the submission, very few entries included this information. And those that did, dropped it in as an afterthought. The tried and tested press release/media launch event driven PR programme was the preferred option for the majority of entries. In other words, the traditional PR approach rather than using digital strategies. Interestingly, the winning entry that gained consensus amongst the judges predominantly used digital PR techniques but also employed traditional methods of communication, all of which was underpinned with strong creativity. As the use of Google+,Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram by marketers and PR practitioners continues to grow at a phenomenal rate, the traditional PR modus operandi appears to be on the wane. Some claim that the days of writing a press release and distributing it in the hope of achieving coverage in print or broadcast media, are gone. Similarly, the standard PR agency model of an account team comprising a director, manager and executive working on a client’s business in a single location is becoming a thing of the past.
Communication is no longer a nine ‘til five business. For example, Lisa Minot, travel editor of The Sun newspaper, will often tweet out of office hours requesting urgent information for an article she is preparing. So who in the PR agency is checking the Twitter feed at 8pm and has the product knowledge and authority to respond? Most journalists can now be reached 24/7 via Twitter and other social media channels. And not just by PRs, by companies and consumers too. This new way of working has led to a shift in message control.The traditional route of issuing a news release and hoping for coverage as highlighted above means that the media decides how, when and where the message will appear, if at all. However, by putting the story out through digital channels, you are in control and can potentially reach millions of people at low cost, at a time that fits with the audiences and the message. Another area in which the traditional PR model is being challenged is the new rules that internet search engines are applying to attract quality content. The media is well aware of this move and is adapting the way it generates content to ensure a high ranking on Google and the
‘So is PR dead? Well, in the short term, no. Without doubt, digital PR will grab the high ground and ultimately overtake the traditional ways of communicating news. Meantime, the way to go is to harness both in harmony as per the successful award entry referred to earlier.’
www.tourismsociety.org
Issue 157 Spring 2014
Picture Credit: © jorgophotography – Fotolia.com
09
like.These new parameters have created a more level playing field. For example, the operator of a small blog with good technical search engine optimization knowledge, consistently producing quality content that attracts a high level of hits, could be competing for a high ranking slot with a major media title such as The Telegraph. So is PR dead? Well, in the short term, no. Without doubt, digital PR will grab the high ground and ultimately overtake the traditional ways of communicating news. Meantime, the way to go is to harness both in harmony as per the successful award entry referred to earlier. Longer term? I predict that we will see more PR agencies merging with digital marketing companies to offer clients a more integrated communications service with a truly demonstrable ROI. Mike Bugsgang FTS l Managing Director, Bugsgang & Associates Travel & Leisure PR
9
10 and 11
11/2/14
16:11
Page 1
Food Tourism
Food fairs, festivals and markets Few people would deny that food and drink are important. After all, they are essential for life. Interestingly they are one of the few things that we could see as important at every level within Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs (Maslow 1943). Now, regardless of whether we think that Maslow's model is justified, it does serve as a way of looking at the various areas of personal motivation. Food can be seen to supply basic physiological needs, safety needs, but also it can be central to the various aspects of our need for love, belonging, esteem and even selfactualisation/realising our potential as human beings. For many individuals in the UK food and drink seems to have developed into a cultural phenomenon. Of course food has always been culturally important, but the latter half of the 20th Century and into the 21st has seen this phenomenon develop to a new level, as described in the BBC television series and subsequent book Slice of Life by Christina Hardyment (1995).This charted the movement from post-World War II austerity through 1950s aspirations, 1960s and 70s internationalisation, 1980s and 90s green and lean cuisine and on to the modern era of the celebrity chef and wall-to-wall, multimedia foodie content. Some say that food and drink is the new rock 'n' roll and certainly we seem to have never talked so much about it, even if we cook so little. Individuals have reflected this cultural change within their leisure interests and when acting as tourists. In August 2013 VisitEngland commissioned an online survey to collect information with regard to interest and participation in food related activities whilst on holiday in England (VisitEngland 2013).This showed that during the last 12 months almost a third of the population had eaten in an establishment serving local food. Whilst just over 20% had bought food that was local to their destination. Around one in seven had visited a local produce or farmers’ market and almost one in 10 had visited a food festival. I must declare an interest here: I have been actively involved in promoting local food for over 30 years. This has involved establishing farmers’ markets, working with producers on food
10
Ludlow Food Festival marketing, establishing food halls at agricultural shows, doing cookery demonstrations (ably helped by family, friends and colleagues) and working specifically with one food fair in terms of the marketing and branding of their event. Fairs, festivals and markets have a long tradition in the social and economic lives of people in the UK.They were often given special status by the granting of a charter by the monarch. Certainly food and drink always played a role, and sometimes it was the focus of the event. For example, the historic Barnstable Fair in North Devon was famous for its Fairings (sweets) and poached pears (Wood 2001).These events were celebrations. With increased interest in food and drink we have seen widespread growth in the size and distribution of such events so that they, and the consumption of local food
Issue 157 Spring 2014
and drink, are increasingly seen as an important component of the tourist experience and important economic entities in their own right. The VisitEngland (2013) survey asked questions specifically to those undertaking holidays or short breaks. Of those interviewed 68% were interested (and 22% very interested) in buying food or produce local to their destination. 76% were interested in eating local food and drink when dining (32% very interested). 60% were interested (16% very interested) in visiting a local farmers’ or produce market, and 52% were interested (15% very interested) in going to a local food festival. Local, regional and national governments have taken a great deal of interest in these developments. So much so that in
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:11
Page 2
Picture Credit: © Abergavenny Food Festival / Tim Woodier
10 and 11
Market hall at the Abergavenny Food 2012/2013 the Welsh Government, for example, funded 32 separate food festivals.The overall cost of the festivals was £1.6 million, of which the Welsh Government contributed more than £300,000 (Miller 2013). It was estimated that 295,000 people attended the events which in total comprised 1886 stalls.The overall economic impact (direct and indirect) of food festivals across Wales in 2012/2013 was estimated at £22.7 million, with an impact of £5.1 million for producers and £16.0 million for the community and tourist industry.This was considered to represent 950 full-time equivalent jobs. Some of these events are quite famous such as the Abergavenny Food Festival and The Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival; others such as The Mumbles Oysters Fair and the Eating Green/Cider Palooza Festival possibly not so.There will always be debates about measuring economic impact relating to double counting and multiplier effects for example, and more work is needed here, but they would seem to be events that have the potential to benefit the economy and society. Notwithstanding the size of the economic benefit, exactly what the scope and nature of some of the broader benefits are is another area that needs reflection. When I have been doing cookery demonstrations
www.tourismsociety.org
Festival as part of a festival I have been quite clear in my own mind about my objectives. These were/are to promote local food in terms of product, culture and benefit to the environment and producers; to help people understand some of the ideas surrounding the injustices and benefits of the global food supply chain; to help develop cooking skills and knowledge with regard to healthy eating, and to help children and young people engage with the food and drink that they consume in a meaningful way. I think that these are valuable aspirations and I have an understanding about what they mean. However life is not that simple. Many food events are designed to celebrate ‘localness’, but would much of the food and drink offered be considered local if we were to examine the supply chain that brought it to the Festival or market? It is even more fun to try and get a group of people to agree on what the word ‘local’ actually means. And what of those ideas of food justice? A significant part of the drive that led to a renewed interest in local food in the late 80s and early 90s was fuelled by a desire to support farmers, particularly small farmers, who were going through very difficult economic times, and consumers that were increasingly concerned about the quality of the food that they were consuming.
It was hoped that this could be achieved through shortened supply chains. Does what we see actually live up to that, and does that matter? Or is it all just a middle class foodie indulgence in a country with a very short memory? We must not forget: ‘The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves.’ Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1825).
References Brillat-Savarin, J. (1825/2009). The Physiology of Taste, London: Everyman. First Published 1825. Hardyment, C., (1995). Slice of Life. The British way of eating since 1945, London: BBC books. Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96. Miller, (2013). Review of Welsh Food Festivals 2012/2013. Abergavenny: Miller Research Evaluation Consulting. Available from: http://bit.ly/1bhuvVk [Accessed 21/1/2014]. VisitEngland (2013). Domestic Trip Tracker Additional Food Questions – August 2013. Available at: http://bit.ly/LSruFj [Accessed 21/1/2014]. Wood, M., (2001). Us Be Goin’ to Barnstaple Fair, Bideford: Lazarus Press. Sean Beer l Senior Lecturer, Bournemouth University
Issue 157 Spring 2014
11
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
12 11/2/14 16:12 Page 1
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
Corporate Member
13 11/2/14 16:14 Page 1
14 and 15
11/2/14
16:15
Page 1
An interview with...
Barbara Thomas Southeastern’s network covers Kent and parts of East Sussex and handles approximately 170 million passenger journeys each year. As Passenger Services Director, Barbara Thomas MTS is responsible for ensuring that each of the passengers experiences the best possible level of service before and during their journey – not an easy task as expectations continue to rise. Gregory Yeoman spoke to Barbara about this and other aspects of railway operations. GY:What was your route into customer services?
can transform a transaction.
GY: How have you seen the approach to providing customer service change over the years? BT: Customer expectations are greater and businesses need to be more transparent. However, core customer service skills remain a necessity, as a smile
GY: At the Society’s Prospects event in January the speakers all stressed the need to be able to listen and respond to what customers want. Most rail passengers just want clean trains that run on time, and to get a seat. What other requests have people been making? BT:The main issue is information provision, whether it’s before travel, at stations or injourney.This is even more important at times of disruption as customers expect to be advised of how their journey may be affected and what we’re doing to help.
Picture Credit: © higherbound – Fotolia.com
BT: I joined British Rail in 1992 as a clerical officer working in ticket offices across Lanarkshire in Scotland.
GY: Is there someone you particularly admire in the sector? BT:Yes, Adrian Shooter was my managing director at Chiltern Railways. He recognised the need for expansion of the business by providing new services to customers but with an expectation that it was delivered to the highest quality. He gave me the opportunity to develop and grow into a confident customer services manager and provided me with a solid foundation for my future career.
Stop and listen to your customers, too
14
Issue 157 Spring 2014
GY:What, if anything, can rail transport learn from the airlines or passenger shipping? BT: All transport operators can learn from each other, particularly on marketing and ticket sales. Many train companies adopt similar approaches to airlines in terms of offering advance purchase tickets, for example.
GY:Taking that further, have you developed your use of social media to keep people up to date, and how to you get the messages out to passengers who are not permanently plugged in? BT: We are developing our use of social media, particularly how we communicate through Twitter. Recognising that many customers are not ‘plugged in’ we have provided BlackBerry devices to frontline staff, improved information infrastructure at stations and enhanced public address systems across the network. GY:The most recent National Passenger Survey figures (Spring 2013) show that 84% of Southeastern’s passengers are satisfied with the service.What areas are you concentrating on to pull in the other 16%? BT:The most recent survey results suggest that passengers want to see improvements to the on-train
journal@tourismsociety.org
14 and 15
11/2/14
16:15
Page 2
environment, overall journey experience and information provision during times of disruption. In 2012 I implemented a Customer Satisfaction Board within Southeastern to take a more strategic approach to meet the expectations of our customers.
work together to provide the Javelin service, in particular HS1, Network Rail and third party suppliers of additional staff. I provided the platform, support and leadership for the management teams to deliver our services prior to and during this once in a lifetime opportunity.
GY:What do you think is the best new customer service feature that Southeastern has introduced recently? BT:The introduction of a customer experience programme focusing on and developing frontline employees whether at stations or on trains has been the most recent initiative within Southeastern with regards to customer service training. All new entrants to the business take part in the programme during their induction to the company.
GY:With your high-speed route to London and the Continent already constructed, are you happy with the national network or would you like to see the extension of high-speed lines throughout the UK? BT: I believe that we are able to showcase the benefits of high speed after four years of operation and our passenger satisfaction score of 95% for this service demonstrates its value. In some cases vastly improved journey times have been life changing.
GY:To what extent does rail transport present an opportunity to help with regeneration of an area? BT: Rail can play a major role in supporting regeneration of areas, by providing mobility, connectivity and employment opportunities. It provides easy access for new businesses to migrate from London to Kent and vice versa.
GY:There is more to rail passengers than commuters. How are you working with local attractions, for example, to develop your leisure passenger base? BT: We engage with a number of local attractions across Kent and Sussex including Leeds Castle, Ashford retail outlet, Smugglers Adventure and, most recently, we have supported the Destination Management Plan for Thanet.
GY: HS1 is operated by Southeastern. Can you describe your involvement in setting up that service for the Olympics. BT: My involvement in the lead up to and during this critical time was to co-ordinate the various stakeholders who needed to
www.tourismsociety.org
GY: Southeastern works closely with Visit Kent, the DMO in your network’s area. How has your relationship brought benefits to both organisations?
Issue 157 Spring 2014
BT: Over a number of years our partnership marketing campaigns have promoted Kent as a destination for a weekend break and our 2 for 1 campaign has been a great success. We have had enhanced coverage of Southeastern campaigns on the Visit Kent website and via various social media platforms. We have access to training courses, invitations to networking sessions and we’ve supported press and trade visits to Kent by supplying rail tickets for the journey. For the last four years we have jointly sponsored the prestigious Kent Excellence in Business Awards. During the Olympics my teams were supported by the Kent Greeters across the Southeastern network, helping passengers during the journey to the Games. Southeastern was also the first rail company to speak about partnership working with DMOs at the Visit England destination management forum. GY: Can rail travel truly compete with flying as a way of travelling longer distances? BT: Rail is very competitive provided that journey times from city centre to city centre are no more than around 3 hours. This is demonstrated in the UK and across Europe. GY: Dr Beeching. Friend or foe? BT:The rail network in the UK now carries more passengers than it has ever carried before, despite the loss of many routes and stations instigated by Dr Beeching. We now need to replace some of the lost capacity.
15
16 and 17 new
11/2/14
16:15
Page 1
Case Study
Hull:The UK’s City of Culture 2017 We needed it, we wanted it and we demonstrated that we were ready to deliver: on 20th November 2013, Hull was announced as the UK’s City of Culture 2017 despite tough competition from three great cities. The news brought about widespread euphoria across Hull as people celebrated the magnificent victory we had achieved together. The support for Hull’s bid from the public and organisations across the city and the surrounding area was phenomenal and an integral part of its success.To have that energy and enthusiasm rewarded after almost a year of tireless work was a magnificent feeling. Developed from the ground up, our bid was created with input from a wide range of stakeholders and champions from Hull’s cultural sector, community organisations and businesses. Over 250 members of the public attended workshops and surgeries and contributed ideas for the 2017 programme.The process of bidding itself generated a tangible leap in aspiration, ambition, energy and commitment in the city. Private sector support for Hull’s bid was clearly demonstrated by the success of the 2017 Angels sponsorship initiative which had secured funding pledges totalling £340,000 to help deliver a spectacular programme of events for 2017 before the winner was even announced. Hull was further able to demonstrate it was ready to deliver a UK City of Culture thanks to the opening of significant cultural arenas in the city in recent years including Hull Truck Theatre, Albemarle Music Centre, Hull History Centre, Fruit and numerous independent cultural businesses. Our case was strengthened further with numerous cultural developments in the pipeline that are due for completion by 2017 including a new dance space, a major refurbishment of the University of Hull’s library and exhibition space, a refurbishment of Ferens Art Gallery plus private-sector plans for a new outdoor amphitheatre. A sophisticated multi-media campaign helped develop strong awareness and bring in further public backing for the bid.
16
Artist’s impression of part of proposed Hull 2017 programme Effective use of social media has resulted in thousands of people and organisations showing their support: over 5,800 people follow Hull UK City of Culture on Twitter @2017Hull, the Twitter campaign trended UK-wide six times during the process, and the official Hull City of Culture Facebook page has over 14,000 likes. A film – which was created to capture the hopes, aspirations and passion of the people of Hull as part of the bid team’s final presentation – became another powerful engagement tool when launched to the public. A viral success, it reached over 67,000 views in one week and has now been viewed online more than 106,000 times. Online engagement for Hull and its City of Culture status has now reached over 150 countries worldwide. The intensive and high-profile PR element
Issue 157 Spring 2014
of the campaign helped generate unprecedented levels of coverage for Hull. Significant media profile was achieved throughout the bidding process with hours of regional broadcast and countless local newspaper pages secured alongside national pieces including those in and on The i,The Guardian,The Observer, BBC Breakfast and Sky Sports. On announcement day, Hull and its cultural title win were headline national news. Locally, this helped raise awareness and generate support for the bid and beyond. Nationally, this has started the process of significantly repositioning Hull’s reputation.The PR campaign has generated positive coverage worth millions of pounds since the bidding process began in April last year. Our bid was a serious one aimed at
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:15
Page 2
Picture Credit: © Hull City Council
16 and 17 new
Hull puts on a party tackling the serious economic and social issues facing the city. It demonstrated the important role of culture in the city’s longer-term plans to create jobs and prosperity. Cultural regeneration is a key part of our 10-year City Plan and Hull’s ambition to capitalise on the arts and our fantastic heritage to grow tourism, create jobs, regenerate the city and enrich people’s lives. Bidding to be and being the UK City of Culture 2017 are key milestones on Hull’s cultural journey and the Council’s commitment to ensuring that we will deliver a long-term legacy for the city was a crucial component of Hull’s bid. The title also accelerates the pace of the journey to make Hull a top place to visit in the UK and will certainly increase the scale of our ambition. It is anticipated that more people will visit and spend money in Hull as a result, delivering an estimated £60 million boost to the local economy in 2017 alone.The result will be increased visitor numbers and a more vibrant, sustainable cultural sector. The quality of life and opportunities for local people will also be improved with a regenerated city plus increased opportunities to participate in culture, to gain experience as a volunteer and with access to jobs in the tourism and cultural
www.tourismsociety.org
sectors. Work is now in progress to put in place the partnerships and structures we will need to deliver a successful year of culture in 2017. It’s a marathon not a sprint and the foundations we lay now will determine the success not just of the year itself but also of the enduring benefits for the city and local people. Immediate priorities focus on capacity building and securing further funding from a variety of sources including grant-giving organisations, the private sector and philanthropic giving. Plans are in place to capitalise on Hull’s national and international links and enhance and develop important partnerships with leading cultural organisations such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Arts Council England and Rotterdam Culture and Festivals. Hull’s UK City of Culture year aims to deliver a programme that will entice people from all around the UK and beyond. It will build on our rich cultural heritage and though rooted in Hull, is global in outlook. In fact, the City of Culture judges praised our bid for combining “a strong sense of Hull’s character with some exciting national and international elements”. Inspired by Larkin's poem 'Days' the
ambition is for each day of Hull 2017 to make a difference to a life in the city, the UK and the world. Hull’s 2017 programme will follow a number of themes to celebrate the city including Roots and Routes, Made in Hull, Freedom and Quirky. Events include 15 national and international commissions, 12 artists’ residencies, 25 festivals, eight major community participation projects, a programme of conferences and major broadcasting events, plus programming activity across 365 days with an estimated 1,500 special events. Being the UK City of Culture will be a real game-changer for Hull. We are already seeing positive reputational benefits as we utilise this fantastic platform to tell the world about our great city and transform perceptions of Hull. Our ultimate ambition is to make Hull a world-class visitor destination recognised for its contribution to the UK.The time has come to tell the world about Hull – a city coming out of the shadows. For further details on Hull’s UK City of Culture programme and how to get involved people can visit www.hullcc.gov.uk/2017Hull, follow @2017Hull or like the Hull City of Culture Facebook page. Jon Pywell l City Lead, Hull UK City of Culture 2017
Issue 157 Spring 2014
17
18 and 19
11/2/14
16:16
Page 1
DMO Funding Models
Picture Credit: © Britain on View Daniel Bosworth.
Destinations: Dial M for …?
Different funding outlooks for different destinations What does the ‘M’ stand for in DMO? Management or marketing, or both? Does it needs spelling out, Destination Management and Marketing, just to be clear? Perhaps it is a concept rather than an organisation – stick with DM and drop the O. Pinning down that tricky ‘M’ is important in a discussion about funding because often where the money comes from determines its meaning. To get to the bottom of the question I have consulted some of my fellow destination managers in search of the ‘typical destination management organisation’. It hasn’t helped.There are so many determining factors: the size of the tourism industry it serves, the nature and maturity of the destination, the Political and political landscape, public structures, business networks; searching for a common thread is like searching for the
18
proverbial needle. So I am going with the Durham definition: a function that takes an objective 360 degree view of a place, assesses its product, identifies its markets and then facilitates, supports and cajoles a complex partnership towards attracting more customers and ensuring that when they visit they have a great time. Done well it can be hard to see and is often taken for granted. It is no surprise then that funding for it is precarious. In 2012,VisitEngland looked at future funding for destination management.They reported, “confusion, not only between local stakeholders but at different spatial levels”, and highlighted that this, “could result in a lack of focused activities or investment that can create growth in destinations”.
Issue 157 Spring 2014
A quick survey of the landscape in early 2014 reveals that clarity and focus is patchy. Across England there exists a mix of sizes, styles, types of destination management with vastly differing organisations involved in it, mirrored by vastly different levels of management and marketing activity going on. Take destination A, a large metropolitan area with multiple local authorities, a core of big businesses, one or more universities, good transport infrastructure and an established reputation.The DMO has a wide remit that includes festivals and events, place marketing, conferencing and inward investment. It finds funds for destination management in amongst a complex set of income streams, private and public, where a tangible return to the funder is not the only imperative and facilitation, supporting and cajoling
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:16
Page 2
functions are accepted as necessary to profitable businesses. Then there is destination B, a rural county with small towns, a micro-business base, strong local allegiances, often not to a destination that the consumer recognises, and two-tier local government. Here funds for destination management are hard to find.The public sector in each part of the county wants its name in lights, whether or not it will attract visitors to their locale, while the micro private sector has micro funds to contribute to (not pay for) tactical marketing, in a good year. In between there are all kinds; the seaside resort that has taken the M for management seriously and invested to reinvent itself; the county where the public purse is untroubled and the DMO focuses exclusively on M for marketing; the emerging destination where management is a concept pursued by a mature partnership working to a common agenda with each playing their part; and the destination that occupies a very specific geography where all communities of interest naturally bend their resources to manage its future effectively. How important is M for management? When in a quandary I always go back to the customer for a reality check. Ask the visitor for their priority and I doubt that ‘being marketed to’ will feature on the list. What will get mentioned is a warm welcome, good service, clean and attractive public spaces, good facilities, quality food, a good pint from a local brewery, new experiences, quality information; in other words all the things that M for management is concerned with. Many destination managers seem confident of sourcing future marketing money from their tourism industry.The mature, the large and the urban are most confident. Where money will come from for destination management is less clear. Tourism Business Improvement Districts have been a long time coming with one in existence and another on the way. Bed-tax is resurfacing as a discussion topic in some destinations and predictably produces a Marmite effect.There is no assurance that money from either will be ring-fenced to destination management or in fact increase a DMO’s budget. Membership remains a common approach. For some it provides the lifeblood of an organisation, for others a customer base for saleable services. It certainly soaks up resources. Commercialisation continues with mixed success.The size and nature of the destination and its DMO often determines whether trading produces enough profit
Picture Credit: © VisitBritain – Britain on
18 and 19
Castle Hill and tourist information centre, Lincoln to pay for destination management. For levering substantial funds at the local level. Interestingly it seems to be helping DMOs small, rural or institutionally dominated secure core funding from the public destinations trading is often a challenge. sector. Does this model hold out hope for And you can only make money out of the future of destination management? services that people want to pay for. Marketing, anyone? In this quick and by no means comprehensive tour of the funding The new European programme has raised landscape two points of interest suggest hopes but it is hard to get away from the themselves. First: whether or not the M in recurring theme that size matters. It can DMO means management is largely work for you if you are big enough to be determined by the interest or indifference able to spend millions of pounds to good of the public sector. It may be fairer to say purpose, have the resources to administer the ability to be interested; without money the programmes and have a stable to invest it is difficult to turn interest into footprint. So good news for the minority. action on the ground. Asking colleagues The rest have to make it worthwhile by what they think helps the public sector clubbing together across administrative, invest in a difficult financial climate and political and geographical boundaries that they say efficiency, good governance shift to fit the type of funding. models and leadership. From my Back in 2012 Local Enterprise Partnerships experience in Durham I would agree and looked likely, especially where DMOs add flexibility to that list. could convince that making a place Second if you are big, big and urban, big attractive to visit also makes it attractive and urban and do more than tourism, you for living and working. However, there is are more likely to define the M as no common approach. Some get the Management. If you are rural, small and visitor economy, others are disinterested, a micro you are going to struggle to stretch few are dismissive. it to mean more than marketing. More recently the regional growth fund You can’t do destination management grant secured by VisitEngland to grow without good people and good domestic tourism has been successful in partnerships but neither can you do it without money; not lots, but some. As ‘Many destination managers seem confident of sourcing traditional sources dry up it seems to be future marketing money from their tourism industry.The heading towards the endangered function list.Yet if we want our visitor economies mature, the large and the urban are most confident. Where to grow we need to listen to our money will come from for destination management is less customers, otherwise, for some, it won’t be just the function that disappears. clear.’
www.tourismsociety.org
Melanie Sensicle MTS MTMI l Chief Executive, Visit County Durham Issue 157 Spring 2014
19
11/2/14
16:16
Page 1
Destination Management
The value of destination intelligence Although the organisation and direction of Destination Management has changed dramatically over the last few years the basic principles needed to deliver good tourism services are still equally relevant. Effective performance management, monitoring and review are key elements of a successful tourism management operation irrespective of who is running the service. Tourism is no different from any other planning, management or decision-making activity in that it needs to be based on a knowledge and understanding of the facts and issues.You just can’t plan or manage something if you don’t really understand what it is or don’t measure it. Such measurement is critical to be able to demonstrate the value of tourism activity, help protect services and allow for the proper evaluation of funding packages. At its most basic level that means knowing about the visitor; how many turn up, where they come from, how they get there, how long they stay, where they stay, did they like the experience and would they come back, and about their impact on jobs and the community. Some knowledge of the destination infrastructure, such as accommodation stock, is also essential. Collection of the basic information can be time-consuming and challenging but the availability and quality of data and destination intelligence is improving. Thanks to the work of the English Tourism Intelligence Partnership (ETIP) and its continuation body far more robust information and data and is now available at the destination level.VisitEngland, through its Destination Intelligence Service, has provided a web-based source of data and the Tourism Intelligence Unit, at the Office for National Statistics, through its Guidance Notes and podcasts has given some rigour and credibility to data collection processes. Pre-dating all of this was the establishment, in England, of the National Tourism Best Value Group in 1999.This was, at its simplest, an attempt to standardise the type of information collected by those managing tourism services and provide a platform for that
20
Peter Lane FTS MTMI l Independent Consultant, Chair of British Destinations Executive, expert advisor (ETIS)
Picture Credit: © scaliger – Fotolia.com
20
ETIS will allow comparison of destinations in Europe changing needs of destination managers. In information to be shared and compared. 2013 it was adapted to incorporate the Since then British Destinations indicators being established as part of the (britishdestinations.net/destinationemerging European Tourism Indicator intelligence) has continued to review and System (ETIS) which is currently being update that process and still runs an developed and tested by the European annual Destination Intelligence survey for Commission to provide a common its members. It is the only comprehensive platform for measuring destination benchmarking service in England and performance and sustainability. Wales and it provides destinations with Once fully operational it will allow for the the opportunity to monitor their comparative benchmarking of destinations performance year by year and, equally across Europe.The indicators are currently importantly, to compare it with others. being tested by over 100 European The survey aims to capture the key destinations and a final test phase is due destination data which is considered to be carried out this year and all necessary to be able to understand, destinations are likely to be invited to monitor and manage performance and participate in it. evaluate sustainability. It is supplemented An extensive toolkit is provided as part of by information from VisitEngland’s the ETIS system to explain and identify Destination Intelligence System and every data sources and to provide survey participating destination is provided with a templates to help give some consistency detailed report on their performance. and comparability to data collection. To back up the survey, participants also Gradually the tools are being put in place have access to a library of advice sheets to help destinations plan and manage their developed by industry experts covering all tourism activity more effectively.The trick aspects of destination management. now is to persuade more destinations to gather the information they need and to The data intelligence survey has continued share it. to evolve over the years to meet the
Issue 157 Spring 2014
journal@tourismsociety.org
11/2/14
16:17
Page 1
Focus On… BDRC Continental
Getting less down and dirty with the data Do market researchers evaluate your organisation on a 5, 7 or 10 point scale, do you command a NPS score above or below +25, does consensus from a focus group of visitors earn you smiley or sad faces? Those working with market research may recognise a good evaluation as a basket of performance metrics, the importance of each woven intricately into whatever ‘key drivers’ or ‘structured equation’ analysis is current best practice. But at the end of the day how much difference does it actually make? Even directors at BDRC Continental can get inured to the notion some travel, tourism and leisure organisations appear to progress quite happily without the need for some form of market research evaluation prying into every corner of their business. Market research for the sake of market research rarely moves organisations forward or helps build better travel, tourism and leisure businesses.Yet that is exactly what good market research should be achieving in this sector. Technology has provided the ability for the tourism and leisure industry to be much more sophisticated in its approach to marketing and business development, to effectively build more personal and bespoke relationship with audience segments.This applies to both current and potential visitors. Consequently evidenced insight, revealing the sweet spots in a target segment’s relationship with products, brands and the world around them, and the best way these can be tickled to enhance client’s business operations, is what we look to achieve with the majority of assignments today. Consumers – tourists, travellers, leisure and cultural visitors - are not homogenous and insights vary from one segment to another. Moreover these segments are based increasingly on social behaviours and attitudes as much as demographics. Market sizing and segmentation has been a key focus at BDRC Continental for many years. A better understanding of how nuances in social and economic psychology impact on
www.tourismsociety.org
Picture Credit: © Mathias Rosenthal – Fotolia.com
21
human judgement and decision making in the tourism and leisure economy is crucial. It ensures clients can optimise the marketing and business development tools now at their disposal to cultivate these segments. At BDRC Continental we still like our data to be right and our processes to be robust and appropriate. Our clients still like to know whether they have bested that other lot up the road.Yet combining an understanding of behavioural economics with the technology to better exploit it opens up an array of opportunities for sector operators – better focused marketing communications, greater cultivation of membership, more income generation through upselling experiences / increasing secondary spend and triggering repeat visits. It also helps deepen audience engagement with both product and brand. Even at a process level a greater respect for behavioural economics is improving the way independent consultants like BDRC Continental structure market research. Greater awareness of the relevant heuristics sector operators are
trying to ‘work’ ensures we better cater for them in our questionnaire design or discussion guides. It helps improve interpretation of research findings, in turn providing an extra level of confidence to clients when deciding how to act on recommendations from their research. Despite optimistic New Year comments from the European Commission president that the Eurozone crisis might be over and a feeling that economically we are on the move again, consumer confidence remains fragile at best. Many surveys have highlighted the reluctance of consumers to cut back on leisure activities during the recession – their holidays and days out experiences – it’s just forced them to be a lot more discerning.That more discerning nature hasn’t disappeared and means sector operators must continue to inspire, continue to engage and continue to compete hard for their share of leisure time and wallet. Market research consultants should be better equipped than ever before to help provide clients competitive advantage in these times…… and might even improve some net promoter scores along the way. Max Clapham MTS l Client Services Director, BDRC Continental
Issue 157 Spring 2014
21
11/2/14
16:17
Page 1
Events Calendar March 2014 12th Tourism Question Time, Best of Britain & Ireland
April 2014 9th Tourism Society with greenearth.travel discussion forum, London
13th The Rise and Rise of Heritage Tourism, Best of Britain & Ireland
10th Tourism Society Yorkshire, Nature Tourism
13th Tourism Society Yorkshire, Pie and a Point! 27th Annual Dinner, House of Commons
May 2014 President’s Debate, London June 2014 2nd /3rd Tourism Society Annual Symposium, Liverpool
28th Fellows’ Day October Media Masterclass, London
Corporate Member
Watch out for our regular e-mails giving updates about events, venues and speakers. More information can be found on the Society’s website at www.tourismsociety.org/page/12/ tourism-society-events.htm
Tourism Society events are open to everyone – members and non-members – and take place around the UK, with the Society’s regional and national chapters and the professional sections (TMI and TCN) all adding to the calendar. For informed discussion, top speakers and networking opportunities they are hard to beat. Book online or by phone (0207 269 9693). Corporate Member
22
23
11/2/14
16:18
Page 1
Membership News Congratulations to Kevin Brown and Robert Louden on their upgrades to Fellow of the Tourism Society. Apologies to Robin Barker FTS and Anthony Ernest FTS who were listed in the new Membership Directory as MTS. Welcome to the following new Society Corporate members: Jon Young, BDRC Group; Saada Al-Harthi, Oman Ministry of Tourism; Nina Farrimond and Andrew Sharpe, South African Tourism; Stuart Render, Luke Galliana,Tony Henthorn and Simon Greenbury, Best of Britain & Ireland. Welcome to the following new Society members: Andreas Walmsley, Plymouth University;
Sam Bleakley, Falmouth University; Kate McMullen,Visit York; Sharon Price, Best Loved Hotels; Nathan Keeley, Carpenter Box LLP; Donald Pelekamoyo, Zambia Tourism Board; Samantha Kirton, Dart PR; James King, King’s College London; Rita Beckwith, UKinbound; Philip Niemand, Mawgan Porth Holiday Park Ltd; Alistair Handyside, Holiday Cottage Advice;
Email problems We have been having a few problems with sending e-mails recently. The result of this could be that you have not been receiving the weekly newsletter or some other updates from the office, which are send as bulk mailings, or some
individual emails. Please can you check in your spam folder to see if there are any messages from the Tourism Society, and also please select @tourismsociety.org as a safe domain in your email settings – this should ensure that emails arrive safely in future.
Tourism Society Annual Dinner Thursday March 27th 7.00pm – 10.30pm House of Commons, London There is still time to book a ticket for our Annual Dinner and drinks reception. This is always an entertaining and relaxed evening, and is a great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues. Tourism Society President Lord Thurso MP FTS will be our host and as well as recounting a story or two will be presenting the Tourism Society Award – this goes to an individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to the development of tourism in the UK, and the winning name is a secret until the presentation is made. To book, either contact Blanche Fitzgerald in the office on 0207 269 9693 or reserve your place directly through the website at http://ow.ly/t9WXt.
www.tourismsociety.org
Issue 157 Spring 2014
Joanna Zielinska, Plymouth University; Elin Blad, West London College; Huda Sufian, Plymouth University; Morgan Simons, Christiana-Liza Hadjivassiliou, Marcus Hansen, Danae Kondyli, Axel Brossat, Nor Adila Binti Adzhar, Jieqiong Zu, Georgios Stavrakellis, Akiyoshi Takahoshi,Vogiatzi Kyriaki, Anastasia Gklantzouni and Emily KnaggByrne, all Manchester Metropolitan University. Full business and contact details can be found on the Society’s website.
Come and meet us at the Best of Britain and Ireland Show On March 12th and 13th we will be exhibiting at the show and will also be organising two of the sessions on the main stage: March 12th – Tourism Question Time (11am – midday). Key industry figures from the UK and Ireland will take your questions, and this is your opportunity to find out what the national plans for tourism are. Chaired by Bernard Donoghue FTS, Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. March 13th – The Rise and Rise of Heritage Tourism (1.45 – 2.30). Join Tony Berry (The National Trust), Nancy Hudson (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust) and Andrew Daines MTS (Tourism Flanders) to hear about the significance to tourism of heritage across arts, buildings and landscapes, and battlefields and history. Both these events are free to attend.The Best of Britain and Ireland show is taking place in Hall 19 at the NEC Birmingham. For full details and to register for your visitor badge (also free), go to www.bobievent.com.
23
24 new
11/2/14
16:18
Page 1
The Back Page Chairman’s view with Sandra Matthews-Marsh FTS MTMI Tourism Singapore – working, with charm, for the Sing Dollar Society Members who attended January’s sell-out ‘Prospects 2014’ event in London tell me that it was a feisty debate, ably chaired by leading tourism figure Alison Rice and a stimulating kick-off to the new year. They have also forgiven me for not being there; I was kicking off my 2014 on a longplanned holiday to celebrate a BIG birthday – no, a bus pass was not involved!! Trying out new experiences and places in South-East Asia, the trip reminded me just how much Holidays Matter; to recharge the batteries, be exposed to new cultures and spend time with loved ones. I learnt a lot – not least that the currency in this pocket city state is harmoniously called the Sing Dollar. But most of all I was struck with the full force of what a vibrant tourism destination Singapore is. An impressive cultural offer, air and cruise port and a potent tourism master-plan. I want to tell you about: the great experiences in the Raffles Hotel sipping a Singapore Sling, seeing the largest collection of orchids in the world at the Botanical Gardens, hearing a world-class virtuoso violinist at the new Concert Hall, the zero queuing and excellent shopping at the new Airport and cruise terminal. Also being totally awed by one of THE most impressive new attractions in the world designed to embody the vision of ‘Singapore – the City in a Garden’ at the $1 billion plus Gardens by the Bay which opened in 2012 after an international competition won by British Architects. But, mostly I want to tell you about the hospitality workers of Singapore. From the hotel staff to the taxi drivers they spoke with pride about their jobs and their destination.Tourism is not Singapore’s top industry – that’s the financial sector, which is welded to Singapore’s strategic location and long-held place as an effective
‘Gardens by the Bay, Singapore’ intersection between East and West, its use of English and its stable and democratic government. Tourism may not be the top industrial sector but Singapore understands it’s all about image and business; tourism and residents appear totally interlinked. Since independence in 1959 the country has done well, with its citizens enjoying the third highest per capita income in the world. With some variations, Singapore is largely ruled by English common law; there are heavy fines for littering and vandalism, and the sale of chewing gum is banned (why can’t we do the latter in the UK?). This is a point of pride for the Singaporeans we met and, whilst not the whole story of Britain’s colonial grip on Asia, was a merry one for sure; it is quite clear that the foundations left by the British have proved a solid platform on which they have built a vibrant and ambitious place – a very confident place with global ambitions.
‘Tourism may not be the top industrial sector but Singapore understands it’s all about image and business; tourism and residents appear totally interlinked.’
It made me think about how as a country we could leverage Brand Britain so much more. One taxi driver had even heard of Magna Carta and was most interested to hear what Britain’s plans are to commemorate its 800th anniversary in 2015. At an excellent Tourism Alliance roundtable in January chaired by Michael Hirst, the Tourism Minister Helen Grant spoke about her personal interest in finding ways to improve the image of the sector and encouraging more youngsters to consider it as a serious career path. She is dead right, we simply don’t meet the same standards witnessed in Singapore. Why not? If you are interested in this do get in touch – I am keen for the Tourism Society to be involved in more discussion about this in 2014. Oh, and my final memory at the airport was a lovely young researcher from Singapore Tourism whose survey we completed calculating quickly how many Sing Dollars we had parted with. Our reward was a lovely smile and a goody bag with a china tea cup and Tiger Balm – the ancient herbal cure-all – leaving us with the feeling that Singapore was definitely our cup of tea!