Tourism - Spring 2015 - issue 161

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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 E tb@scriptmedia.co.uk W www.scriptmedia.co.uk

Š Copyright 2015 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.

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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 1,800 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.

Tourism Society Company Members

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Contents Editorial Collaborate to make tourists vote with their feet

General Election 2015:Tourism – the Conservative Party view Helen Grant MP, Minister for Tourism

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General Election 2015:Tourism - Labour Party view Clive Efford MP, Shadow Minister for Sport

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General Election 2015:Tourism – the Liberal Democrat Party view John Leech MP,Tourism spokesman, Liberal Democrat Party

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General Election 2015:Tourism - the UKIP view William Cash,Tourism and Heritage spokesman, UKIP

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General Election 2015: Restoring the UK’s competitiveness Kurt Janson MTS, Policy Director,Tourism Alliance

Spring is nearly upon us. Up and down the country, seasonal attractions, venues and destinations are opening their doors and flipping their signs round to ‘Open’, keen to welcome this year’s visitors.

Many places of course operate year-round and will already be able to gauge how business is shaping up.

Following on from our Prospects event held in January, for this edition I asked a number of key industry figures for their views of how the summer season will look.

Important factors such as exchange rates and the weather remain outside their immediate control but there is a mood of guarded optimism – continued developments in the tourism offering and also in what the travelling public wants to experience will ensure that nobody stands still.

To maximise the development potential, destination management organisations are keen to forge partnerships. In our international article it is interesting to read about ASEAN, the very broad partnership of 10 countries of South-East Asia who are all collaborating to encourage the raising of standards of service and professionalism in tourism.

These countries recognise that by pooling experience and resources they can achieve more collectively than independently, and that by working together to present a view of their whole region as a safe and enjoyable destination they will all benefit – and the results speak for themselves, with visitor numbers continuing to rise despite potential setbacks.

‘With the UK’s general election only 88 days away at the time of writing, this is just one area of legislation that will be watched by tourism operators; others are described by various contributors in the following pages, and each of the main parties has also given their view of the importance of tourism.’

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General Election 2015:What have the politicians already got in store for us?

Martin Couchman OBE MTS, Deputy Chief Executive, British Hospitality Association

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New Businesses:The sharing economy Noel Josephides FTS, Chairman, ABTA

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Tourism and Manifestos: Past promises and future wishes Andy Cooper, Owens Cooper Consulting

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Summer Prospects:What the pundits are saying

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International Outlook: South-East Asia – a market with outbound and inbound appeal Laurence Logan MTS, Malaysian Tourist Board

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Heritage Railways: Putting tourism on track Mark Smith MTS,Vice-chairman, Heritage Railway Association

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Family Holiday Association: Celebrating 40 years Alison Rice MTS, travel journalist and broadcaster, and chair of the trustees of the Family Holiday Association

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Women in Travel: If not now…when?

Alessandra Alonso MTS, Consultant, mentor, blogger and trainer

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Digital Tourism: Blogging or blagging?

Mike Bugsgang FTS, Managing Director, Bugsgang & Associates

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Effective Networking: Simple tips to help develop your business Kristina Wallen, Managing Director, HARPwallen Executive Recruitment & Search

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An interview with… Alex Williamson, CEO, Goodwood

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Case Study – Away Resorts: It’s a family affair Carl Castledine, Managing Director, Away Resorts

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Focus on… Best of Britain & Ireland Simon Greenbury MTS, Event Director, Best of Britain and Ireland

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UK Airports: Challenges and opportunities Darren Caplan, Chief Executive, Airport Operators Association

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Cruise: UK ports welcome the world’s cruise ships Nigel Lingard, Cruise and Travel Industry Management Consultant

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Tourism Consultants Network: Simplifying public sector procurement – signs of progress!

Chris Evans FTS, Director,The Tourism Company

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Higher Education: Does Politics matter to Tourism education?

Brandon Crimes FTS, Senior Lecturer Tourism Management, University of Hertfordshire

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Town Centres:Tourism, pubs and the high street Brigid Simmonds OBE FTS, Chief Executive, British Beer & Pub Association

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Membership News and Survey Results The Back Page Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE FTS MTMI, Chairman,Tourism Society

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Front cover: Goodwood Revival Meeting

Sharing information and expertise is one thing.The sharing economy is another (apart from anything, it’s a bit of a misnomer as you still need to pay for the taxi ride or bed), and as Noel Josephides hints in his article it is only a matter of time before regulators catch up with the peer-to-peer businesses.

With the UK’s general election only 88 days away at the time of writing, this is just one area of legislation that will be watched by tourism operators; others are described by various contributors in the following pages, and each of the main parties has also given their view of the importance of tourism.

If you want to question the parties directly, the Best of Britain and Ireland Question Time session on March 11th is the perfect opportunity. Details are on page 25.

Gregory Yeoman FTS Executive Director gregory@tourismsociety.org

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General Election 2015

Tourism – the Conservative Party view

Conservatives recognise that the tourism industry has a vital role to play in securing jobs and delivering a better and brighter future for Britain.

Tourism is a lifeline to towns, cities and communities across the UK and we have been working hard to encourage more people to visit the UK and holiday here as part of our long-term economic plan.

In 2013 alone, tourism was worth £127 billion to the UK economy, with the sector supporting 3.1 million jobs. Indeed job growth in the tourism industry is now one of the fastest of any sector of the economy, both in terms of full-time and part-time employment, with the number of people employed increasing by over five per cent between 2009 and 2013.

This compares to growth of 2.8 per cent for other industries and sectors.

At the same time, the number of visits to the UK from abroad increased by just over two million between 2011 and 2013, up from 30.7 million to 32.8 million.

Spending by overseas tourists also increased from just under £18billion in 2011 to just over £21billion in 2013.

Both of these figures broke the previous UK records. And it looks like 2014 will beat these figures again.

But this hasn’t happened by accident.

Without doubt the London Olympics put

Britain on the map, showcasing what this country has to offer to a global audience.

Legacy was at the heart of the plan for London 2012 and increasing the number of tourists coming to the UK was a major objective, with the aim of an additional 4.7 million visits to the UK by 2015 and extra spending of £2.3 billion.

Thanks to our efforts we are well on track to meeting these targets.

Alongside the Olympics we also launched the GREAT campaign, which works to promote the UK around the globe as a top destination to invest, do business and visit. £165million has been invested by the government in this campaign to market our great holiday destinations.

This focuses on showing the huge variety of activities and attractions Britain has to offer to visitors.

We’ve also worked to make it easier for people from overseas to actually get to the UK. For example, we have streamlined the visa process and cut the amount of Air Passenger Duty travellers from the new emerging economies of China, India and Brazil amongst others have to pay to visit the UK. In addition, from May 2016 under-16s will be exempt from the duty making it cheaper for families to travel to the UK.

‘Making sure the tourism industry continues to grow and create new jobs and opportunities and encouraging more people to visit and holiday in this country key priorities for the next parliament for the Conservatives.’

We have also focussed on encouraging more British people to holiday in this country.

Through VisitEngland’s ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign, holidays available in the UK are advertised through a dedicated website and high-profile TV adverts have showcased different parts of the UK and what is on offer to tourists there.

These campaigns have helped to increase spending by domestic tourists, with figures increasing by five per cent in England every year since this government came to office, up from £56.7billion in 2010 to £64.7billion in 2013.

This has given a huge boost to small businesses across the country and has created an additional 42,000 jobs in the tourism sector since 2010.

But while we have made good progress since 2010 we recognise there is a lot more to do.

We want to do more to exploit the potential tourism has for creating jobs and giving people greater financial security.

That is why we have set up a tourism industry council that will work to help the sector grow, improve the skills, qualifications and opportunities the industry provides and get more young people to see the industry as a viable, long-term career option.

In addition, we are currently developing a new strategy to support visitors who travel for business and the commercial events sector, so that more is done to attract some of the world’s leading events to the UK. Making sure the tourism industry continues to grow and create new jobs and opportunities and encouraging more people to visit and holiday in this country are key priorities for the next parliament for the Conservatives.

Helen Grant MP l Minister for Tourism

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General Election 2015

Tourism – the Labour Party view The next Labour government will give tourism the recognition it deserves.

The tourism sector contributed nine per cent of GDP in 2013 according to a report by Deloitte, with ABTA estimating the outbound sector alone contributes £22.1bn.

Deloitte also estimated that the industry has the potential to grow to 9.9 percent of GDP by 2025 creating up to 650,000 jobs in the process.

One third of the jobs created in the UK between 2010 and 2012 were in the tourism sector.

One third of the workforce is under 25 years-of-age and there is a high proportion of women at every level compared to other sectors.

Women are also better represented than in most other sectors among managers, directors and senior officials where they make up 41% of the work force.

The UK economy average is 32%.

This makes the industry an obvious partner for a Labour government determined to create opportunities for people to enter apprenticeships and find the skills that will enable them to become employed.

This is as true for young people seeking their first experience of employment as it is for people returning to work.

In return the government has its role to play.

The industry wants young people to have the basic skills to enable them to take the

jobs the industry has to offer.

I would like to build links between sixthform colleges and our FE sector to ensure that the skills they are teaching in tourism and hospitality match those needed by the industry.

Tourism has the potential to generate economic activity away from London and the south-east, particularly in rural and coastal communities.

In many places where tourism has gone into decline, the large boarding houses are now home to job seekers who can only afford bedsits.

The knock-on effect of large numbers of unemployed people in and around former tourist areas makes sustaining a vibrant tourist industry almost impossible.

There is no quick fix for this problem but we will work with the industry and local communities to find innovative ways to address this cycle of decline.

According to the ‘Reconomics’ report, published by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, walking tourism generated up to £2.76bn for the English economy in 2013 and supported up to 245,500 full time equivalent jobs.

According to the same report, around our coast and along our rivers and canals,

‘We will make sure that the visa system operates efficiently and minimises delays for those people who want to visit the UK and for whom there is no justifiable reason for delaying entry to the country.’ www.tourismsociety.org

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boating tourism contributed £3.7bn to the UK economy.

There is more that we can do to make more of the links between sport and tourism.

This makes a strong case for government and stakeholders to work together to develop localised plans to stimulate the tourist economy and foster links between tourist centres such as seaside towns and adjacent rural communities to make the most of one of our greatest assets: our beautiful countryside.

An excellent example of where this has worked recently is Visit Yorkshire’s success with the Grand Départ at the start of the Tour de France.

The ‘Three Inspirational Days’ Report concluded that this generated £128m for the host regions of which £33m came from overseas visitors, and including £102m for Yorkshire.

Over half a million people who watched the event visited again in the three months after the race.

The success was so great that the owners of the Tour de France and Visit Yorkshire have now set up an annual Tour of Yorkshire cycling event.

If we are to make the most of our inbound tourism then people who come to visit the UK must feel welcome.

Sadly the visa system does not do this. We will make sure that the visa system operates efficiently and minimises delays for those people who want to visit the UK and for whom there is no justifiable reason for delaying entry to the country.

We will hold the industry back in the competition for visitors from countries such as China, India and Brazil if we do not get this right.

Tourism has an important role in providing jobs and growth in the future.

A Labour Government will work with the industry to achieve this.

Clive Efford MP l MP for Eltham and Shadow Minister for Sport and Tourism

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General Election 2015

Tourism – the Liberal Democrat Party view As a Manchester MP, I am well aware of the importance of tourism to both the local and national economy.

Across the UK, tourism is our fifth largest industry.

Nationally, it supports three million jobs, some 9.6% of total UK jobs, over 200,000 small and medium sized enterprises, and contributes £127bn to the UK’s GDP each year.

A large chunk of this comes from overseas visitors and is a valuable source of foreign exchange.

Tourism is growing and is predicted to carry on growing. Last year the UK received nearly 33 million visits from overseas, up 6% from 2012, and these visitors spent £21bn, up 13%.

Inbound tourism generated £6.7bn for the Exchequer in tax revenue.

And, unlike many industries which are heavily concentrated in particular areas, tourism benefits the whole of Britain.

But for too long tourism has failed to get the prominence within DCMS that is deserves.

That is why the Liberal Democrats will rename the department to include Tourism and ensure that its importance is recognised.

The Liberal Democrats will reform the current Tourism Council to make it more effective, more representative of the industry and have more responsibility.

The current Council doesn’t represent the diversity of the sector.

The new Tourism Council would be jointly chaired by the Business and Culture Secretaries, and would be set up along the model of the Creative Industries Council (itself a Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment in 2010), to coordinate government efforts to boost and support the tourist industry.

Its remit would be to continue to work to make sure the British tourism industry is able to compete with other major world destinations and be a key generator of growth in the UK economy.

It will focus on areas where there are barriers to growth facing the sector.

The coalition has been a strong supporter of the tourism industry.

Since 2011, we have invested £125m in international promotion for the UK including through the high profile GREAT campaign.This is estimated to have driven

‘I would like to see a narrowing of the north-south divide when it comes to Tourism spend. Currently, only about 10% of the spending of foreign visitors is in the north, and the north accounts for just over 12% of the trips.’

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John Leech MP l Tourism spokesman, Liberal Democrat Party

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an additional £200m visitor spending in the UK. We have also worked with VisitEngland and the tourism boards of the devolved nations to promote the ‘staycation’, through the ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign.

Tourism is a devolved policy area – although many visitors are attracted to the UK as a whole, there is, and should be, a very high level of coordination between Whitehall and devolved administrations.

As a Manchester MP, you would expect me to want to focus on Tourism outside the south.

There is growth in the number of tourists across the country, but nowhere is replicating the growth in London and the south.

I would like to see a narrowing of the north-south divide when it comes to Tourism spend.

Currently, only about 10% of the spending of foreign visitors is in the north, and the north accounts for just over 12% of the trips.

Manchester is a standout contemporary European city, but more needs to be done to sell it to foreign tourists as part of a package of the north.

Last week in Manchester Tourism leaders from the north met to decide their priorities, and to decide how to spend the £10million announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in November.

They decided that the best way to close the north-south divide in the short term is to target European, US and Chinese travellers with a ‘northern package'.

They also flagged up some east/west transport connectivity issues.

With Manchester Airport and our motorway network, getting to Manchester is easy, but getting to onwards destinations is much more difficult.

I want to see these debates amongst tourism leaders replicated in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, and in the other regions of the UK. Liberal Democrats believe it is the government’s job to make that happen, and to listen to what they say.

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Tourism – the UKIP view Under the Coalition, heritage and tourism have been increasingly marginalised. UKIP wishes to reverse this trend and support tourism as a key driver of regional growth.

Despite tourism being the country’s fifth largest sector, supporting three million jobs, the heritage and tourism industry has nobody at the ‘top table’ standing up for their interests. We should create a new Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and remove Tourism from being demoted to being under the ‘Ministry for Sports and Equalities’.

The truth is that the Coalition ministers and Whitehall have largely taken tourism for granted and regard our historic towns and villages, green countryside and unique heritage assets ('built environment') as a stumbling block to the progression of infrastructure projects (such as HS2) and target areas for housing and building growth.

The HS2 route runs through one of the last remaining parts of Shakespeare's Forest of Arden in North Warwickshire (the seat for which I am standing on May 7th) that has drawn visitors to the Heart of England since the Victorian age.That the government wants to run HS2 through the old heart of Warwickshire tells you everything you need to know about government priorities.Yet it is our historic English countryside that makes our tourism the envy of the world.

Too much tourism is geared around London, cities like Oxford and coach tours to huge stately homes like Blenheim which have become the modern equivalent of the old Victorian seaside resorts.There is so much more to UK tourism and the government should be supporting the long-term economic interests of cathedral cities, market towns and scenic villages in the regions, especially their heritage and tourism interests that are so critical for regional jobs and growth. I was glad to see from recent VisitEngland figures that Coventry (home of Lady Godiva) is the fastest-growing holiday destination in the West Midlands, with visitor numbers rising by 37.2 per cent in the last five years.

Our planning and tax policies should support – not discriminate against – the rich heritage of our built inheritance and the efforts of those in the tourism and

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hospitality sectors who enjoy sharing its custody with others, including inbound tourists as well as domestic visitors.

Our National Heritage List includes over 500,000 buildings which tell the very story of Britain.They range from Ludlow castle to 'hidden gem' county jewels like Astley church in Warwickshire which was once the size of a cathedral. Elizabethan travellers and religious monks were guided to the beautiful church from within the darkness of the Forest of Arden by a flame torch that was fixed to the towering spire.The church is close to Astley Castle – now an award-winning holiday property managed by the Landmark Trust – which was once the home to two English Queens.

The tourism sector alone contributes £126billion to the UK economy and supporting its growth will be a priority for UKIP. To achieve this I would like to: 1. Create a new Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to champion tourism and bring heritage to the forefront of national policy.

2. Abolish the punitive 20% tax rate on VAT repairs and maintenance on listed

Issue 161 Spring 2015

buildings and introduce a 5% rate.

3. Make brown tourist signs available only for genuine visitor attractions, including Bed and Breakfasts. We would install brown signs for unique heritage attractions to support local tourism.

4.Tighten and enforce existing statutory heritage and landscape planning protections; in so doing we would protect the built and natural environment and support the economic viability of historic estates.

5. Support the Great British Seaside Town by reversing long-term decline. We would expand the Coastal Communities Fund to support economic and tourism development of coastal communities.

6. Introduce ‘Rural Conservation Areas’ to protect the countryside and stop subsidies for wind farms and solar parks that blight tourism areas; we would prevent developments which threaten tourist sites of national importance.

7. Cut red tape that is harming heritage tourism and the hospitality industry; we would impose widespread deregulation of the tourism and hospitality industries.

William Cash l Tourism and Heritage spokesman, UKIP

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General Election 2015

It is fair to say that tourism has never featured prominently in election manifestos – although this year the Tourism Alliance has been active in trying to remedy this situation and there are hopes that the parties will include policies that support the UK tourism industry.

One of the reasons for these hopes is that the country has derived plenty of benefit from tourism during the recession. Over the last four years the industry has generated around £13bn pa in additional revenue for the UK economy and created a third of all additional jobs.

However, another more pressing reason is that this boost in growth and employment is now starting to run out of steam.

Receipts from inbound tourism for 2014 are up just 3% over 2013 – a marked slowing down on the 13% growth experienced the previous year – while domestic tourism revenue looks set to be down by around 5% in 2014.

This slowdown has a range of causes, from the continuing squeeze on discretionary expenditure in the UK to renewed recession in Europe and the strengthening of the pound against the Euro. None of which the Government can do much about. However, what these factors do is highlight areas were the UK tourism industry is at a competitive disadvantage compared with its European counterparts.

Therefore, the Tourism Alliance is approaching the election advocating a series of measures that will help reestablish the UK’s international competitiveness.

The UK receives approx. £24bn in export earnings for the tourism industry.This makes tourism the UK’s fifth largest export industry. However, to boost the UK’s export earning we need to address three key barriers that face overseas visitors.

Thriving coastal resort increasing aviation capacity in the southeast so that inbound tourism can continue to grow.

With over 70% of inbound visitors arriving into the UK by air, the Aviation Commission’s work on determining how best to supply the additional runway needed by 2030 is critically important to the tourism industry. As such, all political parties must respect the process that the Commission is undertaking, and the Government must rapidly make a decision after the election as any further delay to the development of much-needed additional aviation capacity will damage the UK’s tourism industry.

Aviation capacity London is a vital global brand to attract visitors to the UK and is the gateway for around 55% of all overseas visitors. We need to build upon this success by

Air Passenger Duty Air Passenger Duty has increased significantly since it was introduced in 1997. It has now reached the stage where it is the highest aviation tax in the world

1. Boost Export Earnings

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Restoring the UK’s competitiveness

Issue 161 Spring 2015

and constitutes over 20% of many airfares to the UK. At this level it has reached the point where it is having a detrimental impact on inbound tourism.

There have been two reforms of Air Passenger Duty in the past year – the forthcoming abolition of bands C and D and the exemption of APD for children.

While these reforms are welcome and show that the Government recognises APD’s detrimental impact, they reduce APD payments by just 10%. As such, there needs to be a thorough review of APD charges so that the total revenue to the Exchequer from inbound tourism is maximised.

Visas The UK being outside the Schengen area represents an ongoing barrier to generating growth from visa-national

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countries including the important growth markets of China, India and Russia. Again, there have been some improvements in visa processing but these need to be continued and enhanced; competitor destinations are also making continued improvements and the UK’s share of markets such as China continues to decline – indeed, 2014 visitor numbers from China are expected to decline by 5%.

Initiatives to improve visa processing include retaining biometric data so that it does not have to be collected for each application, reducing the cost of long-term visitor visas and sharing biometric collection centres with European partners to facilitate a ‘one-stop shop’ for UK and Schengen visas.

2. Boosting Domestic Tourism While having a strong inbound tourism industry is important, it must be remembered that 80% of tourism revenue and employment is derived from the domestic market.Therefore, there need to be concerted efforts to improve its competitiveness.

Build a strong sub-national tourism network Most large tourism destinations around the world are spending increasing amounts to attract UK visitors.To match this competition there needs to be a strong, functioning network of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) that are adequately resourced to drive regional tourism growth.

However, the abolition of the RDAs in 2010, which saw around £65m pa removed from tourism development and promotion in regional economies, combined with a 30% reduction of tourism-related funding by local authorities, means that DMOs cannot compete with overseas tourist boards.

The sub-national tourism network in England is effectively broken and this will increasingly affect regional tourism economies.

To resolve this, there needs to be an urgent review of sub-national tourism that results in the establishment of an environment whereby local authorities remain engaged in tourism development and, together with DMOs, are able to deliver regional growth effectively. Such a structure would link local authorities and DMOs to both LEPs and the VisitEngland Strategic Framework.

Linked to this is the outcome of the VisitEngland and VisitBritain Triennial Review. Both these bodies need to be provided with the funding and remit necessary to be able to provide leadership and co-ordination in the industry.

3. Reduce Red Tape Initiatives such as the Red-Tape Challenge

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have failed to significantly reduce the level of regulatory burden faced by tourism businesses, 80% of which are SMEs. One of the main reasons is that the vast majority of the legislation that impacts on the industry is outside DCMS’s responsibility.

Therefore, to advance the removal of regulatory burden, and to prevent any unnecessary burdens associated with forthcoming legislation, the newly formed Tourism Industry Council (which brings together ministers from DCMS and BIS) should be made a permanent body with its role and membership expanded to address regulatory burdens that impact of tourism businesses.

This Council should also assess and make recommendations on the use of investment incentives and capital allowances to boost regional tourism growth.

4. Helping destinations help themselves Many traditional destinations are in need of regeneration.To achieve this requires a co-ordinated approach that provides local authorities with the tools to effect real change. For example, the Coastal Communities Fund which comprises £32m from the Crown Estate’s marine assets aims to support the economic development of coastal communities by promoting sustainable economic growth

and jobs.

However, there is a scatter-gun approach to the allocation of the funds with a large number of locations getting a small amount of funding.This approach is not going to resolve the regeneration problems affecting many large coastal destinations.To make the most of this Fund, we would like to see it used as part of a holistic Government programme to regenerate key coastal towns.The funding would be allocated as part of a package that includes enhanced capabilities for councils to tackle housing and social issues so that real progress can be made on regeneration.

5. Reduce VAT Finally, it’s a big ask but the potential rewards are great.The UK has the highest VAT rate of any major European destination.This encourages UK residents to holiday overseas and is a barrier to inbound tourism as well. Since the challenge was made to the industry to prove its case, significant research has been undertaken that does just that.The final ask of the incoming Government is therefore to respect this research and undertake to lower VAT on tourism accommodation and attractions.

The facts show that over the last five years tourism has helped rebuild the UK economy; the overriding ask for the next Government is, therefore, to enable this to continue.

Kurt Janson MTS l Policy Director, Tourism Alliance

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General Election 2015

What have the politicians already got in store for us?

There may be a lot of election-generated uncertainty about how government and business will interact over the coming years.

But much of the groundwork is already laid for new laws which will affect hospitality and tourism businesses, even if some of the detail still has to be argued.

An obvious example is Zero Hours Contracts, where the employer doesn’t have to offer work and the employee doesn’t have to accept it. It’s a negative term for an industry where, as Ministers admit, flexibility is of mutual advantage.

There is already legislation coming to ban exclusivity clauses, which forbid workers from working for any other employer.

We’ve not found this approach among our members, so the impact will be limited – but the Labour Party has further proposals to bring in if it’s elected, including that, after say six months of regular hours, workers would have a right to switch to fixed minimum hours.

If you ask many MPs what piece of EU legislation they would scrap as part of a renegotiation of our position in Europe, I’m sure the Working Time Directive would be at the top of the list.The European Commission has just launched another review and inevitably the 48-hour opt out is at the centre of the debate. But I’d be very surprised if any substantial change came out of this review.

The so-called ‘Sharing Economy’ has brought forth a growing number of properties let for short breaks – illegal lettings in London because of legislation which Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is trying to scrap despite strong public and local Council and hospitality industry opposition, and, wherever they happen, lettings in breach of fire and other regulations. Overlapping this is the recent Wosskow review of sharing economy legislation, which called for proportionate regulation, but any changes will depend on who is in power after May. The politicians have done their bit on Shared Parental Leave, which comes in on the fifth of April.The concept is simple: couples can now share what has always been Maternity Leave and the related pay for the mother. Family friendly, yes, but a

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Martin Couchman OBE MTS l Deputy Chief Executive, British Hospitality Association

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potential problem for hospitality businesses where couples work together.

If you can see smoke rising in hospitality, it’s from hoteliers beset by Online Travel Agent commissions and rate parity clauses.

The UK Office of Fair Trading’s involvement in allowing OTAs and hotels to offer discounts on headline rates to regular customers was overturned on appeal. In Germany, a ban on rate parity has just been confirmed on appeal. In three other EU countries, the governments are assessing an offer by Booking.com to abandon rate parity conditions which affect the pricing of sales by other OTAs. If this is allowed to go through, hotels would still have to abide by rate parity on their own direct sales.

Will the European Commission get hold of this issue? This could be the critical year.

The annual recommendations from the Low Pay Commission on National Minimum Wage rates are always important, especially this year with preelection political pressure on the wages issue. Labour has made it clear that it

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wants an £8 adult rate by 2020 and the Prime Minister has implied a similar number.This suggests a consistent annual 3.5 per cent rise.

The European Union’s involvement in hotel fire safety dates back to a Statutory Recommendation in 1986.The possibility of new and more direct EU laws was raised in a Commission Green Paper during 2014. We surveyed BHA members, of whom two-thirds with hotels just in the UK were opposed to EU rules if they had an impact on the UK, but there was general support for EU-wide standards from hotel companies with establishments both here and elsewhere.

Also at European level, there is the continuing revision of the Package Travel Directive, where the UK industry wants domestic packages involving just accommodation and, say, a round of golf, to be outside the scope of the legislation.

So, there’s plenty to keep the industry’s representatives busy in lobbying over the next Parliament – and plenty of changes already ‘in the bag’.

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New Businesses

The sharing economy I attend all 11 ABTA regional meetings twice a year – there is simply no better barometer as to how members are trading and how they are thinking.

Since I have become interested in the rapid growth of the sharing economy, I have generally asked those attending the meetings whether the expression 'The Sharing Economy' means anything to them. Awareness in the spring of last year was almost zero but, by the autumn, the travel industry was much more aware that this new trend existed and that it could perhaps prove to be a threat.

There has always been a sharing economy.

In the old days, the platforms were the local post office or the newsagent. If you wanted to let a room in your house you would pin up a notice in the shop and pay the shopkeeper a small fee. For years people have been swapping homes, thus benefiting from free accommodation and being provided with the opportunity to see the world at no cost, as long as you could arrange a swap with someone in a country you wanted to visit - but home swapping has never been mainstream.

The web has accelerated and has thus enhanced the ability to market absolutely anything online. In August 2014, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP noted that "The 'sharing economy' uses digital platforms to allow consumers to have access to, rather than ownership of, tangible and intangible assets.This economises on scarce resources and often involves deeper social interactions than traditional market transactions.”

The figures quoted are quite staggering.

PWC goes on to say that the five key sharing sectors – being P2P (peer to peer) finance, online staffing, P2P accommodation, car sharing and music/video streaming – have the potential to increase their global revenues from around $15 billion now to around $335 billion by 2025. Will this be a new revenue stream, or will traditional businesses shrink in order to make way for the new order?

Personally, I do not believe that this will all be new business. One other thing is certain – that the Government tax-take will diminish, since it is estimated that 70% of those involved in the sharing market pay no tax.

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There will also be serious regulatory and fiscal barriers to contend with.Traditional businesses will react to the fact that the sharing sector thinks that, as a new business model, its activities should somehow be exempt from the regulatory and fiscal policies that regulate traditional business models.

Already, the sharing economy has attracted big business. Airbnb, which is generally perceived to be a homely startup, is valued at $13bn. Zipcars is owned

by Avis, and Parkatmyhouse.com is owned

by BMW.These companies are getting rich on the back of the sharing model. I would argue, in fact, that they are exploiting the consumer who believes he/she is embarking on something entrepreneurial by letting out his/her room, car or anything else he/she may own as there is a cost for the services of the facilitating platform.

Is there really any difference between what a tour operator does and what Airbnb does except for the fact that Airbnb is not regulated by laws like the Package Travel Directive and ATOL? Once

the regulators have – eventually and belatedly – caught up with what these peer-to-peer companies are facilitating, they too will be subject to the same laws as established traditional businesses and the magic will go out of their growth patterns.

Already, UBER, which has recently run foul of regulators in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, says it is developing new technology tools that will improve safety and undertake background checks on drivers, also improving communication with local officials and law enforcers.

It now says it wants to partner closely with the tax authorities to improve its transportation providers' compliance and overall tax revenue for cities and countries across Europe. However, once its transportation providers comply with regulations and controls, will it still be cheaper to use an UBER driver?

So, it is clear that the sharing economy will have an enormous impact on traditional travel businesses; we must remain alert to the threat.

Noel Josephides FTS l Chairman, ABTA

www.tourismsociety.org

Issue 161 Spring 2015

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Tourism and manifestos

Past promises and future wishes At the top level, politicians seem to have a problem understanding tourism.They might see the benefits of tourism within their own constituencies, but there is little real recognition of its overall impacts on the UK economy, whether that is domestic, inbound or outbound tourism.

Despite directly contributing more than 3.5% of GDP, and indirectly three times that amount (WTTC figures), we are still not regarded as a coherent single sector.

Politicians would love us to have a single, clear set of messages, but as tourism impacts so much of the economy this is almost impossible to achieve.

However, we still have an opportunity to contribute to the political agenda after the 2015 general election. Despite the election date having been known for five years, the manifestos of the main parties are not finalised until the last few months before the elections.

Are any aspects of tourism likely to feature in any of the parties’ manifestos?

And even if tourism does feature, will any promises be implemented after the election? Equally importantly, can we as tourism professionals influence those policies and promises?

A good starting point is to look back to 2010, and how tourism was considered by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, and whether any commitments were incorporated into policy in the five years since the election.

Unusually, we can look at a single document to see what this government committed to do – the Coalition Agreement. Whilst tourism receives only passing reference, and there is no dedicated part of the agreement focussed on this topic, matters directly affecting our

We will refuse permission for additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.

We will replace Air Passenger Duty with a per-flight duty.

sector are scattered throughout the publication.

We will take steps to improve the competitiveness of the UK tourism industry, recognising the important part it plays in our national economy.

We will scrap the ID card scheme, the National Identity register and the ContactPoint database, and halt the next generation of biometric passports.

We will maintain free entry to national museums and galleries, and give national museums greater freedoms.

We will cancel the third runway at Heathrow.

‘As the election approaches, we need to grab every chance we can to speak to politicians, and to attempt to influence their manifestos.

Tourism clearly contributes to jobs and growth, and as such is relevant to all politicians.’

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Andy Cooper l Owens Cooper Consulting www.owenscooper.co.uk

Issue 161 Spring 2015

We support E-borders and will reintroduce exit checks.

The only one of these that is purely related to tourism is the initial commitment to improve the competitiveness of our industry. In practice, it is difficult to see any outputs from that commitment – we still have one of the most expensive visa regimes in the world, as well as a crippling tax burden for arriving tourists through APD. Perhaps surprisingly, we can see that most of these commitments have actually been implemented – although it is questionable if any of them has benefited tourism. It may be argued that the most important initial achievement of the coalition was not contained in the Agreement, but was the decision to appoint a Minister who had tourism in his title, and had a clear and positive interest in tourism as a sector.

John Penrose, in his two years in office, gave clear focus to tourism and added significant value to our sector. Government seemed to say “Job done” after the 2012 Olympics and abolished the dedicated Tourism Minister role. While Helen Grant is still nominally Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Tourism, tourism is only fifth on a list of five items on her functional priorities on the DCMS website.

As the election approaches, we need to grab every chance we can to speak to politicians, and to attempt to influence their manifestos.

Tourism clearly contributes to jobs and growth, and as such is relevant to all politicians.

While we may have different interests, we should be able to agree that addressing visa availability and cost, as well as APD rates should be priorities, and we should shout these demands from the rooftops.

Equally importantly, but more divisively, the outcomes of the Davies Commission in relation to airport capacity will radically impact on tourism, and we need to urge implementation of any proposed solutions.

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Looking Ahead‌

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Issue 161 Spring 2015

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Corporate Member

Corporate Member

Corporate Member

Corporate Member

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International Outlook

South-East Asia – a market with outbound and inbound appeal Despite recent setbacks, South-East Asia is definitely a region to watch in 2015.

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Forum – held in Myanmar for the first time in its 34 years – took place in the last week of January and within the theme of ‘Tourism Towards Peace, Prosperity and Partnership’ discussions focussed on the two aims of making ASEAN both a sustainable and safe destination for tourists and raising the standards of tourism across member countries.

A Tourist Destination The ten jewels of the sub-region of Asia (Burma, Laos,Thailand,Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines) together form ASEAN and represent the third largest market after China and India with a combined population of over 633 million.

Tourism in South-East Asia has undergone major shocks and disasters in recent years, from tsunami to missing aircraft. However, the region has recovered and visitor numbers picked up quickly and have continue to grow. ASEAN remained an attractive destination for both regional and international tourists with the total number of tourists visiting in 2013 at 99.2 million, an increase of 11.73% from 2012.

“By 2025, ASEAN will be a quality tourism destination offering a unique, diverse ASEAN experience, and will be committed to responsible, sustainable and inclusive tourism development, so as to contribute significantly to the socioeconomic well-being of ASEAN people” ASEAN Strategic Tourism Vision 2016 – 2025.

Travelling through ASEAN nations offers unlimited variety in terms of culture, landscape, people, flora and fauna, food, handicrafts, entertainment, shopping, recreation and excitement.There are many magical and memorable tourist attractions within South-East Asia and here are some important factors why one should visit ASEAN this year: i. Air Passenger Duty – ASEAN cities are in Band C & D, and from April 1st

2015 onwards this cost will be reduced when flying from the UK. Apart from straightforward savings, this new arrangement will encourage family travel as it will also eliminate APD for children below the age of 12 this year and 16 next year. ii. British Airways – On May 27th this year British Airways will resume its flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, with a daily service adding 219 seats. iii. Low Cost Carriers – The established Low Cost Carriers in the ASEAN region encourage many to fly into one ASEAN city and then hop on to another city, as the network of connections is very well-developed. So it is no longer about visiting a country – it’s about travelling within and between ASEAN cities, from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta etc. iv. Events and Festivals – Special events this year include the Philippines’ Visit Year and Malaysia’s Year of Festivals.

Many top music artists will be performing in the region e.g. Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran and Lenny Kravitz, making it an affordable entertainment hub in Asia.

A Tourists’ Source Market This region has been of major importance

to the world economy and has become increasingly integrated with the economies of Europe and North America.Tracking outbound tourism is tricky, however, although according to Travel Business Analyst (TBA), ASEAN’s outbound visitor numbers are estimated at between 45-55 million with a 5.0% growth in 2014.To illustrate why this region is proving to be a good source of tourists to the UK, here are a couple of examples: i. English Premier League – A population of young, increasingly affluent and connected ASEAN fans are following the Premier League ever more now. Cashrich brands from this region are pouring millions of sponsorship dollars into Premier League clubs, which proves the massive fan base back home. ii. Education – The greatest British export, appealing to many affluent families who are cash-rich through businesses or Government development projects, and who are ready now to send their children abroad for studies.

All the above provide strong reasons why we should look at ASEAN in 2015, whether to visit the destination with its new hotels and attractions or entice a pool of affluent travellers to the UK for shopping and sports.

Laurence Logan Lechumanan MTS l Tourism Malaysia

www.tourismsociety.org

Issue 161 Spring 2015

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Heritage Railways

Putting tourism on track

Steaming through north Wales on the Ffestiniog Railway The UK is running out of people who remember when our railways were powered by steam.

Almost two-thirds of our population – those under the age of 50 – were born after the last steam-hauled passenger train ran in 1968.

So what, in 2011, drew more than 10 million people to our heritage railways?

Nostalgia? The romance of steam?

Fascination with machinery? That absorption with railways so often known as trainspotting?

The heritage railway sector has its roots in preservation projects like those for the Talyllyn and Ffestiniog railways in North Wales, begun in the 1950s.

But since then the sector has not only grown dramatically in size, it’s grown up, too.

Today, a good heritage railway centre can rival any theme park in its understanding of how to draw and engage visitors, how to shape a rewarding and memorable experience, and how to keep people coming back for more.

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That learning is driven by two forces. First, running even a small railway is a big and complicated business. Without visitor revenue, it can’t run.

Second, there are more than 100 heritage railways in the UK. Which means it’s an actively competitive marketplace.

Every operator has to be at the top of its game, in terms of marketing and the ability to provide value.The outcome? A vibrant and significant contribution to UK tourism.

Heritage railways will always have steam at their heart. One of the great mysteries of steam power is its ability to fascinate young and old.

You don’t have to have been a fare-paying rail passenger in 1956 to be transfixed by the sight, today, of a steam-hauled passenger train ploughing a furrow of white through a deep green valley.

You don’t have to be an engineer to be awe-struck by a nearby locomotive as its wheels begin to turn.

And you don’t have to be a romantic to sense the living nature, the poetry in

Issue 161 Spring 2015

motion, of connecting rods and pistons, copper, iron, steel and brass, oil, steam and coal smoke. Steam just fascinates.

Of course, there’s more to railways than steam. Historic diesel locomotives nowadays can draw as much interest and enthusiasm as their steam predecessors.

And as Thomas the Tank Engine proves, generation after generation, there’s just something about a railway, something about a train, whatever hauls it, that everybody loves.

Is a heritage railway likely to be an amateur venture, fuelled by enthusiasm rather than expertise, for the enjoyment of aficionados?

Far from it.The heritage rail business is a big business – a smart business, and a key player in the UK’s tourism portfolio.

These days, visitors to heritage railways present a broad mix of ages and genders, who come in family clusters and in large parties.

And they come not just from within the UK, but from overseas, too.

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In 2011, more than ten million people visited a heritage railway in the UK. The railways themselves had earnings a little short of £100 million. In 2013, Westminster’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail calculated that heritage rail was worth £250 million a year to UK tourism.

What’s the attraction?

Steam, yes. Railways, yes. Of course. But the people behind heritage railways don’t just focus on a rare locomotive, or an interesting guard’s van.

As well as providing the sheer fun of train rides, they make it part of their mission to place railways in a social, economic and historic context.

Britain’s railways had a profound impact on the nation. Such an agent of change has a huge story to tell, and paints a picture across the broadest of historical canvasses.

And in their indoor displays, talks, exhibits and events – some modest, some spectacular – the heritage railways deliver those words and pictures.

They combine education, information and entertainment in a unique environment, where participation is all part of the fun.

The role of our railways is woven into our social, industrial and economic history.

Heritage railway centres facilitate the discovery of those histories.

They’re living locations that even the best museums or classrooms can’t match.

Those ten million visitors – domestic and foreign, from every age group – are proof.

You’re never far from a heritage railway Across the UK, there are more than 500 miles of heritage railway routes, more than 400 stations.

Wherever they live in England or Wales, visitors are within easy reach of a heritage railway centre.

Paying a visit can be spontaneous, as well as planned. Heritage railways are often located in coastal or rural areas, so their setting and wider environment is itself attractive and enjoyable.

In such locations, tourism is often part of the local economy, where the presence of a heritage railway is well-known, and easily appreciated.

The Dartmouth Steam Railway is a fine example, transporting holidaymakers through three picturesque towns.

A doorstep railway, so closely integrated with popular holiday destinations, has

Waiting to board, West Somerset Railway obvious benefits, and the synergies Working for the railways, at home between a holiday location and a and abroad compelling attraction are obvious.

The Heritage Railways Association is the body that represents and furthers the That a heritage railway can be a powerful interests of heritage railways in the UK. stimulus to the local economy is beyond doubt.Visitor spend on retail, catering, By providing a forum for its members, and accommodation all add up. by serving (amongst a myriad other things) as an ideas exchange, it’s doing When severe flooding caused one great work in contributing to the continual heritage railway to suspend operation for eight months, 12 local business closed, and improvement in the quality and variety of the visitor experience, and in facilitating retailers cut down their opening hours. the networking that promotes Heritage railways are increasingly collaboration. complementing neighbouring attractions, Heritage railways aren’t uniquely British. and being promoted alongside them.

There are more than 800 across the They’re becoming part of the wider world, and in each of more than 40 promotions of places, and becoming nations they’re recognised for their embedded in the cluster of attractions for contribution to tourism. which locations are known.

The niche occupied by the transport Travel and tour operators, ranging from enthusiast is now truly global.

UK coach travel operators, to travel companies acting for overseas interest The Heritage Railways Association works groups, are all including UK heritage with peer bodies on every continent, railways on their itineraries. sharing advice and experience, and raising awareness of the UK’s rich railways In turn, the heritage railways are doing inheritance across the globe. their part to provide extended access and more value. Summer late openings and The Heritage Railways Association works evening events like concerts extend the also to raise the profile of its members, operating day. and to raise awareness of the value they individually and collectively deliver to UK Christmas and Easter specials extend the season.Valentine’s Day events, folk festivals, tourism. wartime re-enactments and pageants build Unlike major attractions run on a national additional attendance among non-core corporate scale, heritage railways are by groups. And serving as film locations not nature smaller, independent operations. only adds vital income, but raises the They don’t have the big marketing profile both of the railway itself and the budgets of major corporate-style host community. attractions, and their comparable contribution is quietly, more modestly delivered.

The advent of Britain’s railways and affordable travel launched a new kind of tourism.

Our heritage railways now serve tourism in a different, but still significant way, and it is part of the Association’s mission to ensure that contribution is understood and acknowledged.

‘Unlike major attractions run on a national corporate scale, heritage railways are by nature smaller, independent operations.They don’t have the big marketing budgets of major corporatestyle attractions, and their comparable contribution is quietly, more modestly delivered.’

www.tourismsociety.org

Mark Smith MTS l Vice-chairman, Heritage Railway Association Issue 161 Spring 2015

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Family Holiday Association

Celebrating 40 years Forty years ago Joan and Pat Laurance were unemployed with a young ill child, living in a single room and grieving for a dead baby daughter.

A friend offered them a week in a flat on the Essex coast in return for cat-sitting.

They fed the cat.They walked on the beach.They laughed and paddled and ate ice creams.

And guess what? After a few days of bracing fun they came home rejuvenated, with a newfound strength to face whatever life might throw at them.

The Laurances determined that other struggling families should also reap the benefits of a simple break away. So Pat asked ten friends each for £50 and the Family Holiday Association charity was born.

It has not been easy. Joan says “I remember being terribly frustrated at the number of people who had plenty of money but didn’t help us. Families who went away every year couldn’t imagine what it was like not to have a holiday.

“This only made us more determined, and soon we were carol singing, sitting outside Sainsbury’s with a paddling pool collecting money and running stalls at local fundraising fairs.”

Fundraising plans are rather grander these days and ambitions for this 40th anniversary year are high. In 2014 the charity helped 2,872 families.

The current plan, as befits the Laurances’ steely determination, is to raise enough money in 2015 to help 4,000 families enjoy a much-needed break in 2016.

As well as a golf day, sailing regatta, places for running and biking marathons, the charity is organising Seaside Walk Week – sponsored walks throughout Spring Bank Holiday week 23-31 May. And especially for those of us in the travel and tourism world, the Family Holiday Association is echoing Pat’s initial fundraising scheme but this time asking for 500 companies in our industry to pledge £500 each so that an additional 500 struggling families can enjoy their first ever holiday together.

The average cost of sending a family of

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Alison Rice MTS l Travel journalist and broadcaster, and chair of the trustees of the Family Holiday Association

four on a modest seven-night holiday in a caravan by the British seaside is £500.

The families are referred to the charity by healthcare professionals and other charities like Barnardo’s and Shelter.

Pat Laurance’s special wish was that the travel industry became central to the organisation and it is a great joy to Joan that this remains the case.

The charity’s president is Tui’s chief executive Peter Long.Tui’s aviation chief Chris Browne is a patron and Family Holiday ambassadors include Derek Jones (Kuoni), Sandra Matthews-Marsh (Visit Kent CEO and Tourism Society chair), Noel Josephides (Sunvil and Abta chair), Lisa McAuley (Avis), Simon Allan (Canvas Holidays), Roger Allard (All Leisure Group), Giles Hawke (MSC Cruises), Alison Cryer (Representation Plus and Tourism Society board member) and Allan Lambert (Blue Chip Holidays).

At the World Travel Market last November the charity launched Holidays Matter, a movement committed to ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from breaks away from home – to banish for ever the words “I’ve never been on holiday”.

The aim is to build a network of

Issue 161 Spring2015

businesses, voluntary sector groups, and tourism bodies with an interest in providing equitable access to breaks for people who would otherwise be excluded.

When so many of us take holidays for granted – a right, not a luxury – it’s hard to realise that more than 2 million children in the UK today live in families who can’t afford even a day-trip to the seaside.

No paddling for them. No dripping ice creams, and a great big blank in the What I Did in My Holidays school essay.

We all deserve some quality leisure time bonding with people we love; precious distance from worries and grinding routine; and the chance to bring home a suitcase full of joyful memories that can last a lifetime.

The aim of the Laurances and the Family Holiday Association has always been to offer all these long-term benefits to those who need them most: families struggling with chronic illness, bereavement or poverty.

These are the children and families for whom a break is not a luxury but a lifeline.

You can find more information at www.FamilyHolidayAssociation.org.uk.

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Women in Travel

If not now…when?

Last November, World Travel Market introduced a Women in Travel programme.

It was a resounding success although helping to set it up was a daunting challenge.

“OMG – how will I fill a 100+ capacity room, with so many other events at WTM this year?” I had excellent speakers, but… a hard task to master, I feared! And yet I needn’t have worried as the newly launched Women in Travel panel sessions were eventually filled to the brim.

My panellists demonstrated knowledge, ideas and a warmth of heart that few would have wanted to miss. More poignantly, women in travel seldom have occasions to come together on an international platform to discuss business issues, hence many jumped at the chance.

The question is: Do we honestly need to talk about women in tourism employment now, in progressive 2015?

To which I answer…if not now, when? 1 Women in tourism have made progress over the last decade. When advocates – including myself – began to question why women did not have a more prominent role in the industry in the early Noughties we felt slightly overwhelmed by the magnitude of our task. Nowadays, there are enough articles in the press, networking events and powerful female figures to reassure us that women in this industry are climbing the ladder, gaining recognition and winning awards.Yet, this is only part of the story, often linked to (ahem) ‘tough luck’… meaning, geography, nationality, background and culture.

Let me give you some statistics, quite randomly assembled from a handful of recent studies on the subject (as an aside, the very fact that there is a proliferation of studies on the subject strengthens my belief that the issue is here to stay for a while longer): A UK survey of 78 companies across four key sectors of the tourism industry found that only 15.8% of all board members are women. 2 According to a study by the ILO, for every one euro a Portuguese man earns in the restaurant sector, a woman earns just 79 cents. 3

www.tourismsociety.org

© Rido – Fotolia.com

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According to research “[In the Swiss travel and tourism industry] women are extremely under-represented in higher positions. In key managerial positions […] women tend to earn 20–30 per cent less than men.” 4 Employment in the Jordanian hotel sector is 14,931; only 7.3% are women.

There are also about 888 tour guides, of whom only 44 are females. 5 So what now? Are we just going to sit here moaning over women’s misfortunes?

Far from it; women in the sector are keen to get up and get going.

At WTM14 buddying entrepreneurs, startups bosses and female impresarios from Argentina to Zambia eagerly discussed success, work/life balance and resilience strategies and impressed us with their enthusiasm, commercial acumen and passion. If the Tourism Society’s journal is anything to go by6 the appetite for entrepreneurship in Britain is only growing amongst the younger female generation.

By 2025, women in the UK are expected to own 60% of all personal wealth.

Issue 161 Spring 2015

Meanwhile in the US female entrepreneurship has grown at a rate of 68% since 1997.

So all in all, while the picture could be rosier, there are perhaps ‘50 shades of pink’ tinted spectacles through which to observe female employment in tourism.

I will settle for a ‘pale pink’ as we have yet some work to do, which is why WTM and I have started to plan the next Women in Travel programme for 2015…and if not now, when?

1. For the sake of transparency, this motto is originally the title of a book by internationally renowned Italian author Primo Levi, adopted in recent years by one of the country’s pro-women movement.

2. Equality in Tourism ‘Sun sand and ceilings’ July 2013.

3. M. Chicha: Promoting equity: Gender-neutral job evaluation for equal pay: A step-by-step guide (Geneva, International Labour Office, 2008).

4. M. Duc; C. Pluess: Spotlight: Switzerland in gender and tourism: Women's employment and participation in tourism, (London, UNED–UK, 2002), p2.

5. Presentation by H.E.Dr Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Jordanian Minister for Tourism and Antiquities, ITB Berlin 2011.

6. ‘Tourism’ issue 160, ‘Entrepreneurship: Spotting an opportunity’ Ayisat Banjoko.

Alessandra Alonso MTS l Consultant, mentor, blogger and trainer

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Digital Tourism

Blogging or blagging A ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on vlogging (video blogging) must have sent shock waves through certain sectors of the blogging and advertising/PR communities.

It stated that vloggers must clearly show on their posts when they have been paid to promote a product or service.

The ASA explained the ramifications of its ruling in a website post: “It is perfectly legitimate for vloggers (or bloggers, tweeters) to enter into a commercial relationship and be paid to promote a product, service or brand.

But when that commercial relationship is in place then the onus is on the advertiser, and by extension the vlogger, to be upfront about it and clearly disclose the fact that they’re advertising.”

This ruling will be of particular interest to tourism marketers.

For example,Thailand’s tourist authority produced a video blog entitled “I Hate Thailand” that featured a young British tourist who had ‘supposedly’ had his wallet stolen whilst holidaying in the country.

After initially raging about Thailand, he gradually comes round to praising it as a result of the kindness and support he receives from the local people.

The video went viral and attracted over one million views on YouTube. However, it was not made clear that the video was a promotional vehicle and financed by Thailand’s tourism agency.

But the picture is far from clear on this whole issue judging by a Q&A area of the ASA’s website that includes a tourism specific example: Q: If a brand pays for the travel and accommodation costs of visiting a specific destination, and I am commissioned to write them a piece for their website, but I also write a piece for my own site that wasn’t required by my deal with the travel

company, do I need to disclose?

A: If an advertiser pays for you to visit and review one of their destinations and you replicate the content and post it on your website then it’s likely the ASA will consider it advertising which would need to be labelled. If you choose to write a new article on your own site and the advertiser has no control over the content, then the article is unlikely to be considered advertising.

One thing is certain, when tackling some bloggers on the subject of ‘freebies’ (payment and or products/service gratis), you are likely to get a feisty response.

They will argue that considerable time, money and effort is invested in their blogging activities and therefore, it is quite acceptable for them to receive a financial return, whether it be monetary or goods/services in kind.

The established PR tactic of arranging press trips for journalists to write articles on travel products could be brought into question within this debate as such trips are now increasingly being offered to travel bloggers.

For the traditional journalist-generated

‘One thing is certain, when tackling some bloggers on the subject of ‘freebies’ (payment and or products/service gratis), you are likely to get a feisty response.’

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Mike Bugsgang FTS l Managing Director, Bugsgang & Associates

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article, some newspapers and websites make it clear that the trip featured was funded by the travel principal by stating in the accompanying fact box that the journalist who wrote the piece “was a guest of the operator.”

However, there are many who do not include this information. Editors of these publications would of course contend that the article written was impartial and could have included negative as well as positive comments.

However, if a travel blogger has been paid to write the content, it throws a different complexion on the matter.

A recent article in The Times covering food trends for 2015 carried an interesting observation: “The food blogger is dead.

You amateur food critics and commentators with your prattling, foreverscrolling text laced with pointless, selfregarding opinion – you thought you were the vanguard of the digital age, ushering in democracy as you cast aside established newspaper critics with your man/womanin-the-street real people’s creds.

“Well, the tech that made you will destroy you. Because your nifty little blogs that pandered to our shortening attention spans have paved the way for Instagram.

It’s just pictures the world wants now, not your words.”

Could this tirade also apply to travel bloggers in the future? Let’s hope not as I believe there is still an important role for blogging within the tourism industry.

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Effective Networking

Simple tips to help develop your business

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“A networker”: someone who uses professional or social contacts to further their career.

So now we know what it is, we can all go forth and merrily network to our heart’s content and consider ourselves brilliantly successful. Only it isn’t quite that easy…

Networking in business is something that most of us have to do on a daily basis, face-to-face and/or electronically.There are similar principles that we can apply to both and thus avoid the wasteland lurking between networking and not working.

Networking needn’t be arduous. It can be great fun but if you don’t approach it in the right way, it can be mentally hard work and demoralising.

BUT I don’t believe it has to be planned like a military operation – arguably the more natural a networker you become, the better the results.

A lot of this is common sense but if the thought of launching headlong into a room of strangers armed with a stack of business cards and your most amenable smile alarms you, then hopefully a few simple guidelines will help enormously.

Each event will get easier as you start to get results. Who knows, you may even start to enjoy it.

Plan your networking and have in mind what you want to achieve. Ask the event organiser for a delegates’ list in advance if possible, to identify who you would like to meet or be introduced to. Keep an open mind with networking.

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Often the new business leads come from individuals you least expect so don’t be prescriptive in your quest.

If you are a shy or inexperienced networker arrange to meet a friend or colleague who will also be attending the meeting so you can arrive and work the room together.

Once you are in conversation find some common ground and be ready to describe yourself/your business in a succinct and interesting way. It is important not to try and sell your business or yourself immediately.

Remember to be on ‘receive’ as well as ‘transmit’.

Bring others into your discussions.This will naturally extend the group and conversation, and give you the opportunity to introduce people to each other.This will be reciprocated and is the most efficient way of growing your network.

One of the hardest things is breaking away from someone without appearing rude. If it’s just the two of you suggest you move on together to circulate.This gives them the opportunity to move on too.

Do the follow-up! After a successful networking session, it’s surprising how often there is no follow-up.

Don’t overload your new contact with documents, though. A simple, short email with your contact details and some thoughts on the event or perhaps, if appropriate, when to meet again is ideal.

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Or drop them a message via LinkedIn. A lot of the same principles apply in social networking, particularly LinkedIn. Pre- or post-event look up the people you have identified.This gives you a greater insight into their background and provides you with topics for conversations.The same applies to Twitter if you or they are active tweeters.

Basic tips: Don’t ‘scattergun’ your LinkedIn requests. Send requests to individuals who are relevant and who will know that you are relevant.

When you do send a LinkedIn request make sure you personalise it – not just the standard “I’d like to add you …”. A little voice inside my head always asks “Why? - can’t you even be bothered to explain why you want to be linked with me?”

Make sure you always have an up-todate LinkedIn profile. Review and update it regularly – this includes the photograph.

I think LinkedIn and Twitter (Instagram too for certain sectors) are the best for professional contacts. Facebook should be reserved for your personal life in my view.

You should have a company page on Facebook but don’t confuse the two.

Basic common sense FACT: don’t put anything on any social media that you might one day regret. Be warned, as a head-hunter I always review candidates’ social media profiles. Go forth and Network – you’re worth it!

Kristina Wallen l Managing Director, HARPwallen Executive Recruitment & Search

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An interview with...

Alex Williamson, Chief Executive, Goodwood Goodwood sits on the South Downs and was established over three hundred years ago by the first Duke of Richmond.

Successive developments by his descendants have resulted in one of the UK’s foremost sporting, leisure and entertainment centres, visited by around one million people each year.

The person responsible for ensuring that they each go home with perfect memories of their visit is Alex Williamson, Chief Executive.

Gregory Yeoman spoke to him.

GY:What was your route to becoming Chief Executive of Goodwood?

I trained as an accountant with EY in London before taking a series of increasingly senior finance roles in music,

radio and then with Tui Travel.

I joined Goodwood as CFO in 2008, became Group MD in 2010 and finally CEO in 2012.

GY:What particular changes have you introduced since taking on the role?

In summary, the focus has been on creating a well organised, happy, dynamic and resilient business that is modern, ambitious and fast paced whilst being unswervingly committed to being a real, emotionally engaging and authentic experience for our customers. We work on this every day.

GY: How do you approach a job that involves running 26 very different businesses?

With a big smile! Where else in the world does anyone get the chance to talk about Jenson Button, the largest deal in British Horseracing, organic pigs and the way we serve a coffee in the space of a few minutes?

We are all focused on getting every part of the Estate operating at its best every day, no one part is more important than another. It is the combination of things that we do that makes us interesting.

GY: Lord March is known for his uncompromising approach to standards. Is it tough for the staff to match up to his expectations or is it inspiring?

Lord March does set the bar high, though I would say that the best people I have worked for – Peter Long for example – always have.The key to success at

Goodwood House

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Goodwood is to never be satisfied and to always be willing to look to get better.

Our biggest risk is standing still.

GY: Goodwood is an excellent example of a successfully managed historic estate.What have been the secrets to achieving this?

Enormous belief in what we have to offer, a willingness to invest in things because they make sense for the long-term and a commitment to remaining true to our history – all delivered in the most modern ways. A small amount of anxiety also helps.

GY:The Festival of Speed and The Goodwood Revival quickly established themselves as important social events; is that simply a result of who makes up the motor-racing fraternity, or was there another key marketing approach involved?

The incredible loyalty and interest car owners, drivers and our partners have shown to Goodwood has played a significant part in our success.

That said, the atmosphere is more down to a combination of a stunningly beautiful setting, being imaginatively used for what it was originally intended and filled full of people who seem to feel a connection with Goodwood that they don’t experience elsewhere.

There were no subtle marketing tricks, it was just us laying ourselves and our passions out bare.

GY: Events at Goodwood seem to have an atmosphere of well-heeled fun without the stuffiness of aristocratic formality.Was that a conscious decision or just a natural reflection of the Duke’s outlook, and how has it informed the development of the overall Goodwood brand?

The Duke and Duchess certainly set an inspiring tone for Goodwood which we all feed off.

As important, we try to do things for the sheer love of it and because we love them, we hope our customers will love them too.There is nothing more powerful than a shared passion for something.

GY: Goodwood has emerged from the recession in a healthy condition.

With the motor racing circuit and aerodrome, horse racing track and golf course all fully restored and operational, along with the cricket pitch and hotel, what are the plans for the next five years? Is there room for further development on the estate?

The Estate, all 12000 acres of it, is always hungry for investment and we will

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Alex Williamson on the Goodwood farm continue to channel all our profits into its fabric. 2015 will see us open two new buildings.

The first, Hound Lodge at the Kennels, will be a beautiful 10 bedroom exclusive use sporting lodge with butler, chef and housekeeper.The second is a dramatic new Aero Club on our Battle of Britain airfield. Beyond that there are dozens of investments either in plan or in our thoughts including a new dairy and wonderful improvements to our golf courses.

GY: ‘Partnership’ is the key word among destination management and marketing organisations at the moment. Do you work proactively with groups and companies in Sussex and the south-east to promote the wider area?

Our economic impact on the region is somewhere in the region of £150m per year. We bring c. 1m people to Goodwood each year and that has a huge residual benefit on the wider community.

Rolls Royce is on the Estate and our combined work forces are in the region of 2,000. We use hundreds of local firms right across the Estate and have many, many relationships that span decades if not centuries. In addition, we generate approximately £0.5m for local charities every year and have in excess of 4,000 local school kids using the Estate as a learning base.

GY: Do you consider Goodwood to be an attraction, a venue, or something else? And how do you view the people who come to Goodwood – as tourists, visitors, guests, customers…?

Goodwood is a working Estate that uses its assets and history as imaginatively as possible in order that it can maintain itself and ultimately grow.Those who choose to visit Goodwood are seen as individuals; people who I hope believe we are doing things exclusively for them.

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GY: How do you balance the high visitor numbers (100,000 for Glorious Goodwood, 150,000 for The Goodwood Revival, 205,000 for Festival of Speed) with the maintenance of the physical fabric of the estate?

It is a delicate balance.The larger events are vital to the economic health of the Estate and allow us to invest considerably in its long term sustainability.The family have been at Goodwood for over 300 years and I am confident that the Estate is close to its best, though we worry constantly about it.

GY: Is Goodwood primarily a destination for day-trippers with people making a specific journey to visit the house or an event, or do people tend to build their visit into a longer stay in the area? And has this changed or stayed the same over recent years?

Whether it is at our refurbished hotel or all the other accommodation in the region it is extraordinary how our events and activities create a whole sub-culture of activity away from Goodwood that lasts for many days. Outside of the events we have lots of people who use us every day at our health club, golf club, aerodrome and the like. We have 18,000 members.

GY:What other emerging trends have you noticed among your visitors?

The two I am really excited about are the increasing numbers of visitors we have from overseas throughout the year and the growing passion they have for consuming our content digitally. Both are very important elements of our longer term plans.

GY:What is your view on how the summer season will pan out for you and for UK tourism?

Ideally it will be hot, dry and spectacular.

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Case Study – Away Resorts

It’s a family affair The holiday parks business is in the blood of the Castledine family.

During the 70s, my grandfather ran what was, when it opened back in 1905, Britain’s first holiday camp at Caister, near Great Yarmouth.

Then my father followed suit by managing a number of holiday parks around the UK. It therefore seemed inevitable that I should maintain the family tradition by entering this vibrant market sector worth over £3 billion per annum.

Following managerial posts at the likes of Haven and Park Resorts, in 2007 I linked up with two of my holiday parks colleagues, Greg Lashley and Neil Ryder, to form Away Resorts.

Our timing was far from great.The economic downturn had started to bite and the demand for holidays, both overseas and at home, had fallen sharply.

However, this scenario presented an opportunity for our new company, and between 2008 and 2010 we were able to acquire three holiday parks for £19.4 million, a very good price given the size of them.

Bearing in mind that the parks (Whitecliff Bay on the Isle of Wight, Mill Rythe, Hayling Island and Tattershall Lakes, Lincolnshire) were losing money – in fact two were in administration – this represented a considerable risk on our part. In 2013, we added Barmouth Bay in Wales to the portfolio and are constantly on the lookout for more sites.

From the outset, our vision was to differentiate Away Resorts from the traditional perception of the holiday ‘camp’ offering. We introduced a variety of new activities for guests under the banners ‘Play’ for children and ‘My Active’ for teens and adults.

These were a departure from the norm and we have continued with this strategy of injecting new concepts year on year. For example, in 2015, at Whitecliff and Mill Rythe, we have ‘Meet the Dinosaurs’ days, an interactive fun-learning experience to get up close and personal to Jurassic giants.

An important part of our strategy has been to create partnerships with

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Carl Castledine l Managing Director, Away Resorts

Festival atmosphere in the Canvas Village appropriate local businesses near the parks to broaden the guest experience during their stay. ‘Animal Encounter’ involves local zoos bringing animals to the parks for guests to learn about the creatures and engage with their keepers.

Evening entertainment remains a cornerstone of the holiday parks business, and here again we have tried to break the formulaic approach adopted by the sector.

We employ West End musical directors and choreographers to develop shows of the highest standards. One such show,The Vera Lynn Story, has had a run in London’s Theatreland and is touring UK provincial theatres.

Like any holiday business, pricing strategy is critical, especially with consumers’ widespread use of the internet. Everyone compares prices but we do not want to compromise on quality.

Our solution has been to offer unique experiences such as our canvas cottage with a hot tub. We have also tried to provide options to meet all budgets from booking a pitch for a tent or motorhome to a luxury lodge that sells at £2000 per week.

Festival culture is an interesting trend in

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the holidays market that we have been monitoring and responding to. Our Canvas Villages and outdoor stages for gigs by visiting bands is a growth area of the business and we have launched our own mini ‘Rock the Bay’ and ‘Rock the Lakes’ festivals at Whitecliff and Tattershall respectively.

Keeping pace with ever-changing consumer trends and refining our offering accordingly is an essential part of our strategy. My fellow directors and I are all holiday park enthusiasts and spend a portion of the year travelling around the UK reviewing the competition.

Last year I spent nine days in my motorhome seeing what else was out there.You have to keep improving your various products all the time to stay ahead.

The business model we have developed for Away Resorts has provided a solid foundation for growth with a turnover of around £20 million in 2014.

In addition, we have attracted a loyal customer following that we have nurtured through a dedicated programme of digital marketing and social media communications.

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Focus on…

Best of Britain & Ireland Best of Britain & Ireland has established itself as the UK’s premier annual trade show for domestic tourism.

With new owners – Diversified Communications, one of the UK’s fastest growing exhibition organisers – the show has recognised the clear links between the domestic tourism and events sectors.

To many the events and the domestic tourism industry are not considered natural bedfellows. Why this should be makes no sense. £127 billion! That’s the value of the UK’s tourism industry according to VisitBritain – a staggering 9% of the UK’s GDP; and the events industry according to research by Business Visits and Events Partnership in 2014, is worth over £39 billion.

The UK’s event industry, like the domestic tourism industry, is a broad church. It takes in conferences and meetings (£19.1 billion), exhibitions and trade fairs (£11b), sporting events (£2.3b), music events (£1.3b), incentive travel and performance improvement (£1.2b), corporate hospitality and corporate events (£1.2b), outdoor events (£1.1b) and festivals and cultural events (£1.1b).

These individual sectors do not run in isolation of domestic tourism. Both industries survive and thrive, not in spite of, but because of, each other.

There has not yet been an industry event that fully recognises this link between the two sectors. After all, aren’t visitors to events tourists as well?

Event planners want to offer their clients the best venue choices and often to plan pre- or post-event itineraries through visits to regional and local destinations, attractions, hotels, restaurants, bars and retail outlets, thereby impacting directly on local economies.

Where can those buyers and planners turn to when they want to source new venues, destinations and attractions in the UK and Ireland?

There is no doubt that those looking to find international venues are well served with exhibitions both at home and abroad.

But the industry is poorly served when looking for a wide range of venues exclusively covering the UK and Ireland.

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Credit:Wembley Stadium and Getty Images

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Venues/events/tourism – all closely linked This is why Best of Britain & Ireland, historically known as a purely domestic tourism show, is set to become a mustattend for event buyers and planners.

Why? Because it brings together the largest number of UK and Irish venues, attractions and destinations in one place at one time, many with existing facilities perfect to meet the needs of the events sector.

An excellent example of a crossover between the two sectors is Resorts World Birmingham who will be giving buyers and planners at the show an exclusive look at the new £150million integrated leisure complex opening in the spring comprising a 178 room four-star hotel, a 50 unit outlet shopping centre, 11 screen cinema, 24 hour casino, and banqueting and conference facilities.

Another highlight of this year’s show will be a special Political Question Time, run

by The Tourism Society, to mark the forthcoming May 2015 general election.

The leading political parties will be informing the industry as to how they will champion the tourism and events sectors.

At the time of writing, Helen Grant MP,

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Minister for Sport & Tourism, has confirmed her involvement as has Liberal Democrat peer Lord Lee and William Cash, UKIP’s Tourism and Heritage spokesman.

Additionally, seminars moderated by the show’s media partners will tackle issues that directly impact on the businesses of both exhibitors and visitors.

Topics to be discussed include ‘Domestic tourism: past its peak or on the road to new highs?’, ‘Big versus small – Getting noticed by GTOs and tour planners’ and ‘Are venues in the driving seat?’

It is an exciting time for the domestic tourism and events industry.There is truly no better time for the two sectors to work together to highlight and promote the best Britain & Ireland have to offer.

Best of Britain & Ireland takes place at NEC Birmingham on Wednesday 11th March - Thursday 12th March.To register FREE and for more information on the show visit www.bobievent.com.

Best of Britain and Ireland is a Corporate Member of the Tourism Society.

Simon Greenbury MTS l Event Director, Best of Britain and Ireland

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UK Airports

Challenges and opportunities During the recession the UK’s airports went through some tough times and a tiny handful were driven to close, but as we start 2015 the mood is generally one of optimism.

Passenger numbers continue to rise at most airports, in some cases very significantly.

In 2013 UK airports handled over 231 million passengers (up 3.4% on 2012) and when the 2014 numbers are in we expect that will have increased again to around 240 million passengers (a rise of more than 4% on 2013).

Within these totals we have seen some big rises at some airports outside London and the South East, with Birmingham and Manchester both up nearly 6% year-onyear, Edinburgh up well over 5% and Aberdeen up nearly 8%.

Set against that, a handful of smaller airports, notably Manston and Plymouth, were hard-hit by the recession and ceased commercial flights.

Strong and well-connected airports are crucial elements for the success of local economies. Aberdeen provides 2,000 jobs on site and supports a further 4,000 Scottish jobs. Bristol employs 3,000 people on site and every overseas visitor using the airport is worth over £400 to the economy of South West England.

Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, with over 2,000 people working on or near the site, is a significant driver of prosperity in the Liverpool city region, contributing £170 million to the local economy.

Newcastle Airport plays a vital economic role in North East England, contributing 3,200 jobs on site and supporting 8,000 in the region, to which it makes a £650

million economic contribution, with each incoming visitor spending on average £720 in the region.

These figures are clearly both good news for the airports themselves and important for the economies of the nations and regions that they serve.

More than in the past, we see a wider recognition of the positive contribution to the economy that UK aviation makes – supporting over a million jobs, contributing £52 billion to the economy every year and paying £8 billion in taxes.

What sets airports and aviation apart from other sectors is their ability to facilitate wider economic activities, which boost overall economic performance.

Regions with better air connections tend

‘We are particularly concerned about the impact on high-spending tourists from China, where the UK’s share of the market has decreased by 45% since 2007.There are some simple steps that the Government could take to improve this situation.’

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to benefit from more tourism, increased trade, higher investment and better productivity.The more air connectivity a region has, the more prosperous it is likely to be.

Tourism plays a significant role in many UK regions. In the UK as a whole tourismrelated employment accounts for over 3 million jobs (that is almost 10% of the entire UK workforce) and £125 billion in GDP – and nearly three quarters of international tourists to the UK arrive by air and spend more in the UK than those arriving by other means.

The activities generated by tourism, such as hotels, bars, restaurants and entertainment are relatively labourintensive and offer diverse opportunities for workers, helping to ensure that the impact of tourism on local communities is widespread. However, we think that there is still scope for tourism in the regions to grow and we believe that government policies that encourage airports to grow could be an important factor in achieving this.

When I recently gave evidence to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee inquiry into tourism, I noted that, while the Prime Minister had said that he wanted the UK to be a top

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five tourism destination, in fact we have slipped to eighth.

The numbers are going in the right direction, but not as fast as our competitors.

Part of the answer is for the Government to adopt policies that would help airports to grow.

Take visas for example.There have been some welcome recent changes to the UK visa regime, but there is still a way to go before the UK’s tourism industry will be on a level playing field with its competitors from elsewhere in Europe, notably those countries that are part of the Schengen area. While a UK short-stay visa costs £83, for only £50 tourists can acquire a Schengen visa which gives them access to 25 European countries.

The UK’s share of outbound travel from China, Russia and India is 40% lower than it was in 2007.

We are particularly concerned about the impact on high-spending tourists from China, where the UK’s share of the market has decreased by 45% since 2007.There are some simple steps that the Government could take to improve this situation.

As an example, a one-stop shop for UK and Schengen collection of biometric data would make it much more likely that tourists planning to visit Europe would apply for both visas, instead of just a Schengen visa.

Then there are regulatory burdens and the costs that they impose on all airports.

We recognise that regulation of things like airport security, fire and rescue and air traffic control is essential, but such regulation needs to be proportionate.

Regulation and red tape are a concern for all of the AOA’s members, but for smaller airports they can mean the difference between survival and closure and they have a crucial impact on the viability of all airports.

We welcome the increased focus on this issue by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

However, we believe that more could be done, particularly in the area of planning, where there is evidence that some local authorities have paid little attention to the Government’s position in support of aviation growth.

In general, airport expansion proposals in the UK should be supported, providing that criteria in the National Planning Policy Framework are met, and that local authorities should be guided by a presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Another policy area which we think would benefit from greater Government attention is surface access to airports.

This is important for tourists who, when they arrive, want help to get to their hotels easily and expect decent connections on the ground.

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Good connections are good for business So we have urged the Department for Transport to assess the level of public infrastructure connecting the UK’s airports and to identify where there are gaps in demand.

It could also play a role in encouraging Network Rail, the Highways Agency and local authorities and local enterprise partnerships to focus on the issue.

Last, but not least, there is Air Passenger Duty (APD). Before I recently gave evidence to a House of Commons Transport Committee inquiry into smaller airports, I asked our members to name the biggest single issue facing them.

They all said APD. Without question, the biggest thing that could help UK airports would be further reductions in APD. We know of several examples where airlines have decided not to route to UK regional airports, or are flying less frequently, because APD is too high.

So we will continue to seek to persuade the Treasury that cutting APD further would be in the national interest and we also want to ensure that Ministers understand the need for fair treatment for all of the UK’s airports.

The Scottish Government will soon be given the power to decide on APD levels in Scotland and is considering a 50% reduction.

We are pleased that they have acknowledged that APD is a damaging tax but, in the interests of fair completion, we are saying to the UK Government that if there is a cut in APD anywhere, it must be matched immediately everywhere in the UK. In summary, we are convinced that strong airports are vital for UK tourism and that, with more help from Government, they could play an even more significant role in boosting tourism across every part of the country.

Darren Caplan l Chief Executive, Airport Operators Association

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Cruise

UK ports welcome the world’s cruise ships

Stromness, Orkney – a new port of call for Silversea As recently as the late 1980s almost the only sighting of a cruise ship in British waters would be off the south coast as one sailed to or from Southampton.

The Cunard passenger liners and the P&O fleet had long since made the sheltered Hampshire port their home, whilst just a few smaller cruise vessels would sail from the Tilbury passenger terminal on the northern side of the Thames estuary.

From the early 1990s the cruise industry entered a rapid growth phase which has only just settled to a more moderate level.

What had primarily been a Caribbeandominated business expanded globally, with the availability of second-hand ships from Miami suddenly creating new opportunities for start-up operators.

The UK was the first beneficiary of this growth trend, with P&O ordering the first ever newly-built cruise ship to be dedicated to the domestic market, whilst Cunard also extended their operations to leisure cruising in addition to their historical transatlantic liner services.These

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two companies, now both subsidiaries of the world’s largest cruise operator, Carnival Corporation, have stuck with Southampton as their home port. Joint venture investments with Associated British Ports have created four new cruise terminals allowing several giant ships to be alongside at once.

Smaller cruise operators began to seek alternative home ports in order to differentiate themselves, with the first key contract being signed by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines with the port of Dover in 1992.The deal enabled work to begin on a dedicated cruise terminal created from the historic train ferry buildings. Since then a second terminal has kept Dover in a strong second place amongst UK home ports.

Tour operator Saga Holidays entered the cruise business, joining Olsens in the well located Dover facility.

Other tour operators such as Cotswold Travel and Page & Moy began cruise ship charter programmes, and helped to develop more home ports such as

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Plymouth, set right amidst the retirement market, or Newcastle, well placed for trips to Norway.

A further boost to UK ports came their way when US-based operators decided to base ships in Europe for their summer seasons. Royal Caribbean chose Harwich, with the Essex port offering manageable coach transfer times from Heathrow for incoming American clients plus minimum sailing distances to Baltic destinations.

Boosted by substantial cruise line marketing campaigns, and a demographic trend to an ageing yet affluent clientele, cruising direct from the UK is enjoying a remarkable boom. Over a million people per annum now embark on a cruise from a UK port, and the economic benefits are widespread.

Fred. Olsen’s fleet of four ships now operates from Avonmouth, Belfast, Dover, Greenock, Harwich, Liverpool, Newcastle, Rosyth, Southampton and Tilbury.These ten ports put any UK consumer within easy driving distance of a local embarkation opportunity.

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NewcastleGateshead Much effort has gone into ensuring that the harbours’ service standards live up to consumer expectations.

Rachael Jackson, Head of Corporate Communications at Fred. Olsen, observes that “Ports are an integral part of the overall holiday experience offered to cruise guests”. With particular reference to home ports, she adds: “By having a speedy, well-organised embarkation experience, guests start their holiday in a positive frame of mind. At the end of the cruise, providing a speedy, trouble-free disembarkation process means that guests return home having enjoyed a good experience and are likely to give their friends a favourable account of their entire holiday”.

Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ fleet of four ships includes 2015 departures from Avonmouth, Dundee, Hull, Leith, Newcastle, Rosyth and Tilbury. Other UKbased operators include Saga Cruises, the All Leisure Group whose Discovery and Swan Hellenic brands have also used Portsmouth for departures, plus adventure specialist Noble Caledonia.

The US operators still tend to stick with the major ports offering well-resourced infrastructure and London airports access - Southampton, Dover and Harwich. A more unusual embarkation point this year for luxury line Silversea will be London’s Tower Bridge moorings. Jeremy Dickinson, CEO of leading cruise retailer Reader Offers, notes that “many customers are attracted by the idea of sailing from such an iconic setting”.

Further downstream, on the Greenwich riverside near O2, a new cruise terminal is in its development stages. Kate O’Hara,

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formerly with Dover port, has been appointed Chief Executive of what will be known as London City Cruise Port.

This all adds up to some 15 ports around Britain now sharing in the booming cruise ship turn-round business. Alongside this, however, there has also been a surge in the number of cruise ship day visits, with an increasing number of itineraries including UK calls. During 2013 a record 871,000 visiting passengers called at UK ports.

All the locally-based cruise lines operate at least one or two ‘Round Britain’ sailings annually, typically calling at about 6 or 7 destinations during a 10-day programme.

Some will be tied to themes, from birdwatching to sports activities such as golf, whilst some will be timed to coincide with events such the Edinburgh Tattoo or a Tall Ships day.

American tourists are of course a major source of UK visitors, and operators like Princess Cruises have developed substantial programmes of UK calls backed up by pre- and post-cruise land stays.

Cruises from European ports are also making ever more visits to these shores, led by the buoyant German market with Aida, Hapag Lloyd,TUI and Phoenix Seereisen all heading our way.

Particular success has been enjoyed by the ports which can offer a sufficiently wide choice of excursions, appealing to a variety of tastes as different ships carry different passenger demographics.

The fact that the British Isles offer such a diverse range of scenery, historic sites and cultural attractions has helped to spread cruise visits all around the country, with over 40 destinations already benefiting.

The most recent Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) figures show a guest spend of around 100 Euros per visit ashore.

Of course, some small village harbours will be happy to settle for the 48 passenger Hebridean Princess bringing a few guests to the local inn, but for a port with sufficient space to welcome the 3,560 passenger Royal Princess there are real dividends to be reaped!

Success in attracting cruise ship calls has not come easily, with those who have made pro-active marketing and PR efforts clearly benefiting most. Co-operative promotions via port associations have played a significant role in spreading costs, particularly for attendance at key planning events such as the industry’s annual Miami Cruise Convention.

The Cruise Britain organisation, chaired by Darren Taylor, operates from CLIA’s London offices, and has close contacts with the leading cruise line itinerary planning executives.

Over 20 of the UK’s ports also belong to the Cruise Europe association, whose 110 members help cruise lines to plan northwestern European routings.

Their annual conference (this year in Santander in April, and chaired by the author) puts ports and cruise lines together to discuss topical issues including environmental and regulatory matters.

With the shipyard order-book for new vessels already extending to 2020, cruise ships look set to be an increasingly frequent sight around Britain’s coastline, and more regional communities should be welcoming guests ashore.

Nigel Lingard l Cruise and Travel Industry Management Consultant

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Tourism Consultants Network

Simplifying public sector procurement – signs of progress The increasing burden of public sector procurement on tourism consultants has been a matter of long-standing concern amongst TCN members.

(For a review of the issues concerned, see this author’s article in the spring 2013 issue of ‘Tourism’.)

TCN is therefore keen to influence procurement agencies to adopt processes that are proportionate to the scale of projects, effective in generating good quality proposals and fair and transparent in final selection procedure. At last, we are seeing some movement.

Our approach has been two-fold: to target public agencies that directly commission tourism work and/or have influence over others procuring tourism services and, second, to look to work with other parties that are confronted by the same problems.

Given the scale and nature of tourism consultancy work, we feel the latter approach is key.

Under the first initiative, we are looking to target the national destination organisations in the UK and the larger DMOs, along with international agencies including UNWTO and the EU. We are still in the process of discussion with these agencies, making them aware of the issues and seeking their endorsement of the ‘Guidelines for Appointing a Consultant’ prepared by TCN. We have had positive responses from both UNWTO and VisitEngland but it is proving hard to get the attention of some other agencies.

The second initiative looks like it will bear more fruit. A great deal of effort has, and is, being expended on this subject, involving a number of agencies including the Federation of Small Businesses, amongst others in this country and in Europe. We have tried to piggy-back two

major initiatives of recent months.

The first is Lord Young’s report on SMEs, ‘Growing Your Business’, which addresses public procurement issues, and has been accepted by Government.The second is the publication of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament of February 2014 on public procurement1.

In these two documents, a large proportion of consultants’ concerns are addressed. (TCN made strong representations to the Cabinet Office a couple of years ago when Lord Young was preparing his report and we would like to think this had a bearing on the positive outcome in his report!)

New legislation has emerged (the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill) and is currently going through Parliament under the guidance of the Business Department and the Cabinet Office.

This covers most of our key concerns.

However, we are aware that a few issues

‘It might be some time before we see results on the ground but there does appear to be some significant movement at this higher level.’

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Chris Evans FTS l Director, The Tourism Company

Issue 161 Spring 2015

are not included and as the draft Public Contract Regulations were open to consultation, we made representations on the important omissions, notably: 1.The need to be transparent on budgets.

2.The need for training on brief preparation and related procedures to be included in the proposed Training Package.

3.The desirability of allowing independent communication between tenderers and clients during the tender process.

4.The introduction of an insurance scheme to replace the necessity for completion bonds as Lord Young recommended.

We also had a meeting with Vince Cable MP, the Secretary of State for Business, to raise these issues and impress upon him the importance of change in this area.

We expressed our concern that the legislation might not be enacted before the election; Dr Cable was confident it would pass through in time. With regard to the omitted points, Dr Cable agreed to contact the responsible parties on our behalf.

We are pleased to report that both Francis Maude from the Cabinet Office and Matthew Hancock, one of the Ministers in BIS, have replied to confirm acknowledgement of our points and that the consultations are being analysed.

Clearly, it remains to be seen whether our points are adopted by Government and, more crucially, whether the regulations come into force – and are acted upon.

It might be some time before we see results on the ground but there does appear to be some significant movement at this higher level.

At a more direct level, we will continue to push our Guidelines on tourism consultancy procuring agencies at home and abroad.

We need the national agencies to adopt them and encourage their local partners to use them.

1 . You can find these documents at https://www.gov.uk/transposing-euprocurement-directives

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Higher Education

Does Politics matter to Tourism education?

As we are rapidly approaching the general election, I was discussing with our students the importance of keeping abreast of the various issues that each of the main political parties is positioning themselves on, and asked them to identify the issues in the manifestos that impact on tourism, society and themselves.

I outlined what the main points of these manifestos were, and commented that I have even read UKIP’s manifesto – it only mentions medical tourism.

Then I realised that the all-too-familiar glazed look was descending like a dark cloud over the faces in the room. In the past when students have asked directly “What has politics got to do with tourism?” I have walked out in disbelief.

In these days of student fees and expectations, I am still aghast as to why so often in academia we have almost failed to engage students with the topical debates of the day that impact not just on the values as a society we all have, but also at the extent to which they feel so detached from politics, politicians and the establishment.

“And it’s dangerous to forget that in a democracy, college isn’t just about making better engineers but about making better citizens, ones whose eyes have been opened to the sweep of history and the spectrum of civilizations.”1 Often students express the view “What is the point, nothing will change?”, saying they are all the same at the end of the day.

The reported fact that many young people, and students in particular, do not register to vote has got the main political parties identifying this as a possible critical segment of the population to capture.

But is this sudden effort to increase the turnout a little too late for a current generation who are feeling somewhat disappointed with its future prospects, in particular employment opportunities, affordable housing and increased debt (even if it does equate to one expensive cup of coffee a day for the next five years, should they secure employment above £21,000)?

For the tourism sector, the outcome may be some significant challenges in retaining

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Brandon Crimes FTS l Senior Lecturer Tourism Management, University of Hertfordshire

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Student engagement is critical at all levels the wider benefits of Higher Education. Is talent. While it has always been an it now becoming just about providing attractive and relatively easy sector in employees with a ready-made graduate which to gain employment (and between worker, to fulfil roles that are increasingly 2010 and 2013 one third of all additional administrative and at times being replaced new jobs in the UK were in the tourism by technology? Surely a graduate must sector), is the next generation of develop those skills that reward society as graduates going to be able to afford to remain employed within a sector that they well as the individual? have developed excellent knowledge, skills In an attempt to engage students, we and understanding of and where they can actively encourage them to join the really add value to any organisation? All Tourism Society, take advantage of the too often they do not see the tourism huge expertise and knowledge, as well as sector as providing a long-term career. network with a wide range of industry stakeholders.To this end, we will be The main reasons cited for this are low supporting the annual Tourism Society salaries and inadequate career progression dinner again, which provides not just a compared with other sectors. All these I window on the world of Westminster but suggested to our students are real political also an opportunity to hear from this issues - they must lobby from within the year’s guest speaker, Peter Long of Tui, a sector to bring about change. true inspiration to any graduate seeking a But they won’t get to that point without career in the tourism industry. first having fully engaged with the process, 1, Frank Bruni, College’s Priceless Value – examined where the Party priorities lie Higher Education, Liberal Arts and and followed the connections to their Shakespeare; New York Times, Feb. 11, chosen industry.

2015 These discussions also made us reflect on

Issue 161 Spring 2015

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Town Centres

Tourism, pubs and the high street Tourism in Britain could not function without our network of 48,000 pubs.

Not just a home-from-home for British pubgoers, they are a vital tourist attraction in their own right, with overseas visitors making millions of visits to Britain’s pubs, every year.

Pubs contribute to positive perceptions of Britain among tourists – an attraction quite unique to the UK. But pubs are of course part of a much bigger picture. Away from the archetypical and picturesque rural tourist settings, they depend heavily on a complex web of interdependent relationships with other businesses.This is why, for thriving pubs, we need sustainable and attractive high streets, as pubs in our town centres are also a vital port-of-call for tourist visitors.

I sit on the Government's Future High Streets Forum and last year I was a judge in the Great British High Streets Competition. Some 135 entries under seven categories were received, which were whittled down to a shortlist of 21, or three finalists in each of seven categories.The categories included cities, coastal, local, market town, village, town centre and London.

I visited three very different entries in three different categories; Brighton (London Road), Colwyn Bay in Wales and Bishops Waltham in Hampshire. I found huge enthusiasm, strong partnership working, and innovation in the regeneration of the high street.

Despite being in a major tourist town, London Road is an often-forgotten area of Brighton.There is significant social deprivation and without doubt there were too many struggling retail outlets and nogo areas with social issues and crime.

When I visited in the early afternoon, I found great vitality.The appointment of a town centre manager had been crucial; someone to work with individual retailers, to coordinate and act as a focus for the partnership, and to acknowledge when an area has too much retail and needs some conversion to residential.

A former Co-operative store is now being converted to student accommodation. A nearby covered market has been revitalised and sells produce at one level

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with small craft shops and outlets above.

Parks used by drug dealers and street drinkers have been re-developed. Local graffiti artists have been invited to decorate buildings and earn so much respect that they are not defaced.

Colwyn Bay presented a different set of challenges. It is a resort town that has suffered a decline in the tourist numbers, but is now fighting back.There are 27 listed buildings, many of them designed by Sidney Colwyn Foulkes in the 1920s. A new beach, as part of coastal defences, is attracting the tourists once more, but the town centre is also attracting visitors.

There are new social enterprises and a shop which offers space for three or four local crafts to sell their wares, with good occupancy and cooperation with all retailers.

Finally, to the market town of Bishops Waltham near Southampton. Local authorities, societies, traders and Chamber of Commerce have come together to protect local shops including a butcher, baker, greengrocer and restaurants.They use IT, with an electronic newsletter and

Issue 161 Spring 2015

QR codes around the town giving the history of this medieval settlement, local maps and leaflets, reasonably priced parking and events which encourage local schools to bring their parents into town.

There is training for shopkeepers – how to encourage customer spending by attractive displays and 'hot spots'.

Partnership is the key word everywhere.

This is not only between the public and private sectors, but also between local authorities realising that they simply do not have the funding to work alone and must pool resources with others.

Where do we go from here? The high streets competition for 2015 was launched in January by Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister at DCLG.There are some real opportunities for tourism and DMOs to engage in the competition and with local partnerships on the high street.The private sector is looking to see how some of our largest high street brands can offer more involvement; both financial and through leadership.Tourism Society members could benefit by looking at what is happening locally and seeing how they can engage.

Brigid Simmonds OBE FTS l Chief Executive, British Beer & Pub Association

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Membership News Autumn survey results As part of the development of our new communications strategy we undertook a survey of the Society’s members last autumn.The response rate was an excellent 25% and I would like to thank all those members who took the trouble to complete the survey and let us know what they think of the Society (including Tourism Management Institute and the Tourism Consultants Network) and its activities.

The survey covered the following main areas: Reasons for joining the Society Benefits of membership Events Journal and Directory Website Regional activities In response to the first question (‘What was your primary reason for joining the Society?) the word which cropped up repeatedly was ‘networking’ – 45% of respondents listed this as their main reason for joining. It also featured in the answers to question two, which asked how people would describe the role and purpose of the Society.

The other main responses here were: To promote the industry To promote professionalism To link the various industry sectors These comments were reflected in a later question which asked ‘What do feel is the most important benefit you get from membership of the Society?’ Again, ‘networking’ in one form or another appeared most frequently, followed by keeping up to date and the feeling that the

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Society offers a sense of belonging, whether to the industry or to a group of seriously-minded professionals.

From this it is quite clear why members get involved in the Society and what they want to get out of it. Our events and communications are how we provide the networking opportunities and information updates, and the next sections of the survey considered these.

While the majority of respondents felt that the Society and its sections held the right number of events, 57% said that there were not enough taking place in their area. With location and travelling time listed as important reasons for not attending events this makes developing regional activities more important, whether directly with Chapters organising events with local speakers and subjects or through streaming events nationally as was done with Prospects in January this year.

A large part of the UK is already covered

Issue 161 Spring 2015

by our Chapters, but there are gaps such as in the East and West Midlands – if you would be interested in establishing a new group please do get in touch by email or phone.

It was interesting to see the low value placed on membership benefits such as discounts on accommodation, subscriptions, transport etc., with typically 40% and upwards stating that these were ‘unimportant’.This is valuable feedback as it takes time to establish and maintain these discounts so we can consider where this time can be more usefully spent on other activities here in the office.

76% felt that the Society’s journal was either an ‘important’ or ‘very important’ membership benefit, and 64% recorded the same response for the weekly newsletter.

These are two very important communications channels for us, and I would encourage you to use the newsletter if you have information that you want other members to know about such as developments in your business or job vacancies and other opportunities.

Finally, we asked if you would recommend joining the Society to others. 96% said ‘Yes’ to which I would add that if you would like any information to help you approach your prospects, such as extra copies of the journal or other Society materials – or if you would like us to speak to them directly – please get in touch and we will be very happy to help out.

You can see the full results from the survey on the Tourism Society website.

Log in and then go to My Account/Society records.

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Membership News Congratulations to Sandie Dawe FTS on being awarded a CBE in the 2015 New Year Honours list.

Welcome to the following new Company Corporate and Group Members: Richard Dean MTS and Mark Anderson MTS, Southeastern;Viv Harrison MTS,The Caravan Club; Deborah Heather MTS, G4S Assessment Services; Marta Alonso MTS, Oman Ministry of Tourism; Robin Searle MTS, travelGBI at Travel Weekly Group; Sinead Hanna MTS and Raluca Brebeanu MTS,Visit Kent; Rich Reasons MTS, Cara Frank MTS, Ryan George MTS, Greg Evans MTS and Kevin

Bate MTS, Simpleview.

Welcome to the following new Society members: Benedetta Cordaro MTS, Euromonitor International plc; David Pike MTS Lloyds Banking Group; Enrico Soresini MTS International Rail Limited; Linda Furniss MTS, Keswick Tourism Association; John Robert Bowers MTS, TCN, JRB Consult; Ann Hartl MTS Sense of Tourism; Shannon Chu MTS, Marketing Birmingham; Paulo Caldeira MTS, Eskilo –

Events March 2015 10th – Tourism Consultants Network: Master planning (with British Expertise), and presentation

by Silvia Barbone, London 11th – Tourism Question Time, Best of Britain and Ireland, Birmingham 18th – Tourism Society Yorkshire: Destination Marketing – Practice and Paradigms

Casa Criativa; I Made Adithya Prasetya Resik, Huan Song, Kamila Verbova,Vidhi Anil Kapoor, Elisa-Maud Tersou, Greta Francesca Iori and Annette Green, King’s College London; John De Vial MTS, ABTA; Susan Russell MTS, Festivals Edinburgh; Peter Hensman MTS, Lake District Estates Co. Ltd; Maisha Riechmann, University of Derby Buxton.

Full business and contact details can be found on the Society’s website.

Online developments You can now renew your membership subscription directly on the Society website.

Your renewal invoice, together with your membership card, will be posted to you, and all you then need to do is log in, select My Account>Renew Membership and follow the instructions.

Once the process has been completed successfully you will receive a

receipt by email.

Online renewal also recognises the Early Payment Discount, which applies to renewals made in the month before your actual renewal date.

Please take a minute to familiarise yourself with this new function, and also do browse around the rest of the website – there is plenty of useful information there!

23rd – Event in association with Oxford Brookes University, Oxford 26th – Annual Dinner, House of Commons 27th – Fellows' Day, London 31st – Tourism Society Wales: What the Heritage bill means to you, Cardiff April 23rd – Tourism Society Yorkshire: New Place and Cultural Research – Spaces and People of Yorkshire June 1st and 2nd – Tourism Symposium, Kent. Early-bird rates end 1st May October Date tbc – Media Masterclass, London Date tbc – Domestic Tourism & Staycation trends, London November 4th – World Travel Market seminar, London 23rd and 24th – TMI Annual Convention, City of London December Date tbc – President’s Debate and Christmas reception

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The Back Page Chairman’s view with Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE FTS MTMI Holidays Matter – spread the word Amongst the many great joys of being Tourism Society Chairman is the opportunity to glimpse in advance the articles from our many talented members who write for the journal.

Those I work with know that I often ask “so what’s the bottom line?” as a short cut to getting straight to the meat of the problem, opportunity or idea. In reviewing this batch of articles the bottom line is that the election is dominating all our thinking for the coming few months and in turn how the policy makers will act to affect the health of both inbound and outbound visitor economy.

So whilst, at the Society’s Staycation event last Autumn, we all agreed that the tourism industry is largely led and driven by the ambitions of business and not politicians, we cannot ignore the vitally important impact that an appropriately supportive government can have on business and in turn healthy and prosperous communities.

So it remains a disappointment that whilst some progress has been made the ambitions outlined fall a little short.That said we remain undaunted in our endeavours to ensure that those in power next have all the facts at hand and are pressed to respond to really practical suggestions that the industry leaders have presented – many of them spelt out in this very journal.

This issue contains articles about two more of my favourite subjects with the excellent articles about the progress of women in tourism and the importance of the Holiday’s Matter movement spearheaded by the Family Holiday Association.

The FHA has achieved so much in its 40 years to provide breaks and holidays to those who, for many reasons, simply cannot get a break. In Kent our ‘Big Weekend’ that takes place during English Tourism Week includes a pilot to target those in need of a day-trip and will add to the cause just a little by providing over 2000 days out thanks to the generosity of our business partners in Kent.

It shows that through small actions DMOs can be active drivers of this agenda and make things happen at low cost with enormous impact. We hope that more

Photo – FHA

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Don’t underestimate the value of a family break DMOs will get involved next year and that Government will take an interest.

The matter of holidays, and the impacts beyond the economic, is a campaign raised by colleagues in the South West, showing that governments can be fundamental to the future.

The ‘Gove effect’ has been debated with regard to various policies and statements made by the former Secretary of State in relation to our industry, for example the careless dismissal of vocational qualifications as “soft” and the approach to taking children out of school for holidays during term time. Chair of Tourism Society West Country, Robin Barker, describes this well and we hope to collaborate in coming months to debate the proposition that “A day out of school can benefit the child, the family and the economy”.

The social and societal benefits of tourism is a story we need to tell better.

Aside from these weighty issues, 2015 is set to be a really great year with

important domestic events and anniversaries to commemorate such as the 50th anniversary of the death of Winston Churchill, Magna Carta 800, Waterloo 200, the Rugby World Cup. Also relevant is the release of more films and dramas that have global reach and will bring visitors to Great Britain, including James Bond, Downton Abbey and even Paddington Bear where, during my visit to China at the end of last year, the impact is tangible.

More about my China visit in the next issue.

Speaking of what’s ahead, we are really looking forward to some forthcoming Society events, in particular the glittering Annual Dinner at the House of Commons on the 26th March and the Tourism Symposium on the 1st/2nd June.

Key dates to network and debate all the issues, both pre-election and post-election, on what the coming year has in store for us!