Tourism - Autumn 2016 - issue 166 by Tourism Society

Corporate Member

Editorial

Plan, and plan again

The votes have been counted and the result is in. Whether you are in the ‘advisory’ or the ‘binding’ camp, the government has clearly decided to move ahead with planning the UK’s exit from the European Union. What no-one can say for sure is when it will happen, never mind what it will look like. In the meantime, businesses must carry on and make their plans as best they can while trade associations put their cases to the government. On the following pages you will read industry leaders’ views on what the key areas are for tourism – both inbound and outbound – and a European view on this country’s decision. The value of sterling is a prominent feature, but as Sharon Orrell points out on page 9 there is more to the emerging trends than the exchange rate. The UK’s weather is even cited as a reason for a domestic holiday these days. Changes in the level of government intervention in tourism are highlighted in Kurt Janson’s article, and further afield in Macau new government restrictions have been linked to a decline in the hugely successful gambling industry – read more on page 25. For a complete contrast to the lights and buzz of Macau, head for the countryside and unplug at one of the growing number of glamping sites. There rural escapes are a perfect antidote to a busy life, although running them is no picnic. Our Case Study shows how Wriggly Tin’s Alex Evans got his business off the ground, and then tore up his business plan. As Kurt Janson says, the UK is on its second Tourism Plan now and could do with a third. Whatever the size of the business, or international union, re-assessing the plan is a constant activity. Gregory Yeoman FTS

Executive Director

gregory@tourismsociety.org

The Tourism Society

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Contents EU referendum: Industry reaction

4-5

Government and Tourism: We need a new strategy Kurt Janson MTS, Policy Director, Tourism Alliance

6-7

EU Referendum: A European view Eduardo Santander MTS, Executive Director, European Travel Commission

Domestic Tourism in 2016: Is it really all about Brexit? Sharon Orrell, Head of Research & Insight, VisitEngland

Cultural Destinations: Putting culture at the heart of the tourist economy Paul Bristow, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Arts Council England

10-11

Disaster Recovery: Using the media to restore confidence Jessica Goodfellow, Eden Tourism Manager

Hospitality: Barking up the right tree Peter Hancock FTS, Chief Executive, Pride of Britain Hotels

Hospitality: The birth of ‘glamping’ Sharon Earp MTS, Founder and Owner, The Dandelion Hideaway

Case Study: The story of Wriggly Tin Alex Evans, Owner, Wriggly Tin

Motorsport Tourism: An opportunity to strengthen the grid 16-17 Christopher Joseph, Founder & CEO, Chicane – Business Innovation Technology Sustainability Case Study: Lothian Buses – driving investment Richard Hall, Managing Director, Lothian Buses Not-So-Social Media?: Common pitfalls for employers and employees Luke Golding, Associate – Head of Employment, Travlaw LLP An Interview With… Christopher Rodrigues CBE FTS View from India: Government initiatives and natural appeal bode well Sandeep Jain MTS, Director, Special Holidays Travel Pvt. Ltd.

18-19 21 22-23 24

South-East Asia: Will Macau’s casino-based tourism 25 revenue bounce back? Aaron Yankholmes MTS, Visiting Assistant Professor, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau Polar Tourism: Safety and environmental sustainability must be top concerns Lynsey Devon, Chief Executive, Heaven Publicity Ltd

26-27

A Day in The Life… Gerry Lennon MTS, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast

Student View: The impact of TripAdvisor on consumer decisions Emma Cockerill, BSc Tourism Management, Sheffield Hallam University

Tourism Consultants Network: TCN members highlight some challenges and solutions from recent assignments Roger Goodacre FTS, Director, Roger Goodacre Associates and Tom Buncle FTS Managing Director, Yellow Railroad

Focus On… BDRC Group: The power of benchmarking the customer experience Steve Mills MTS, Director, BDRC Continental Discover England Fund: Successful applicants for year-one funding announced Gregory Yeoman FTS, Executive Director, Tourism Society

32-33

Membership News

The Back Page: Chairman’s View

Cover: Walking the newly opened Ullswater Way. Credit: Eden Tourism.

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Issue 166 Autumn 2016

EU referendum

Industry reaction While details of the timetable and process for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU are being worked on by the Government, sector bosses give their views on the impact of the decision and suggest key areas that need to be addressed. Will Hawkley, Head of Leisure and Hospitality, KPMG With mixed economic indicators and no timetable yet confirmed for leaving the EU, nobody is any the wiser as to what will happen three months after the vote. We do know that the fall in the value of the pound will, and is, having an impact already. Holidays and travel overseas are becoming more expensive – not just the base cost of the holiday, but also the goods and services whilst away. Thankfully, those who have purchased fully inclusive packages will be insulated from this for 2016 and early 2017. Based on conversations with clients across the sector, it is possible that prices for package holidays will increase by approximately five percent next year and 10 percent in 2018, the lower rise in 2017 due to the larger tour operators’ hedging strategies. The good news is that people often do not want to give up their main summer holiday, so we may well see an increase in staycations and inbound tourism to the UK due to the lower value of sterling. Geopolitical risk is having a much bigger impact on the sector with travellers preferring to stay in core Western European markets rather than North Africa and Turkey. Operators that can secure hotel stock in the right markets will be the winners, but again, this will impact prices as demand drives up room rates. John Kampfner, Chief Executive, Creative Industries Federation Culture is one of the UK’s biggest drivers for both international and domestic

tourism. The free admissions policy for our national museums and galleries has helped make them some of the most visited in the world; our West End shows are often a must-do holiday highlight; thousands are drawn to our stately homes and castles thanks to starring roles in films such as Harry Potter; and festivals such as Edinburgh International act as selfcontained mini-breaks. Withdrawal from the EU poses several risks to our sector and we are working hard to highlight these to Government so that the impact of the process is minimised. One risk is general economic instability, which may prompt a reduction in crucial public funding for our cultural venues. This could affect their ability to deliver groundbreaking shows like the National Theatre’s War Horse or giant exhibitions such as the V&A’s Alexander McQueen. Any restrictions placed on freedom of movement could shrink the European talent pool that is vital for our orchestras and dance companies; they may also make it harder for European stars to perform here. And while venues around the country such as the Birmingham Hippodrome and Liverpool Everyman have been transformed with EU funding, this infrastructure funding is now obviously at risk. More broadly, our reputation as an open-minded, welcoming country has been dented. We will need to re-build that. Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive, ABTA Following the vote to leave the EU on 23 June, ABTA’s immediate focus has been to ensure confidence is maintained amongst the travelling public. In addition, we are preparing to make the

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industry’s case as the Government begins negotiations towards an exit and a future UK-EU trading relationship. There are a number of travel related benefits that accrue from our membership of the EU such as EHIC cards, open skies agreements and capped mobile phone rates, but none of these will be affected until sometime after we formally trigger the process for the UK to leave. However, the immediate aftermath of the referendum saw falls in the value of Sterling against a number of leading global currencies, in particular the US Dollar and the Euro, which is a source of concern for the outbound industry and many of our Members. The latest figures from Market Research analysts GfK revealed a year on year increase in bookings in the month of July. This would seem to indicate that even with a weaker pound, consumers are still keen to travel overseas. However, longer term potential economic uncertainty and its impact on consumer confidence may well start to have an effect, and ABTA and our Members will be working hard to maintain and build that confidence. Deirdre Wells MTS, Chief Executive, UKinbound When UKinbound polled its 370 members earlier this year, 82% were in favour of remaining in the European Union – hardly surprising given that two-thirds of all inbound visitors to the UK come from the EU. Our industry is staffed by huge numbers of EU migrant workers – some 40% of our members’ employees are citizens of another Member State. Furthermore, the Single Market provides a common trading platform for our members – in terms of transport regulation, employment law, taxation etc. – something which is extremely important for many of our members who operate across EU borders.

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As an industry we are known for our resilience and our ability to adapt to external ‘shocks’ – be they ash-cloud, exchange rates, or politics. But we will need the Government’s support to ensure that our new relationship with the EU is founded on the guiding principles of our industry – that of welcome, collaboration and competitiveness. Derek Moore, Chairman, Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) There seems to be mixed views about the effect of Brexit on travel from the UK. Mainstream operators are reporting a drop in demand and they expect poor trading results as a result of consumer reluctance to travel. Niche operators seem to be more resilient, or perhaps their clients are, as although no-one is predicting a bumper summer, many such operators are more optimistic. Perhaps because their clients generally tend to have more disposable income and therefore are not quite so concerned about the increased costs in resort due to the weakening of the pound. Fears of surcharges as an immediate result of Brexit have seemed to recede as most operators have hedged their currency needs for at least the summer. Clearly costs will go up next year, however. A reluctance to travel currently may be due to perceived increases in costs or may be due to concerns about terrorism; both factors must play a part in the mix. So far Teresa May and her new government have said relatively little about travel; the topic is a long way down their agenda, as we already know. Simon Hughes, Vice Chair, Business Visits and Events Partnership To help examine the impact of the referendum in the context of the broader need for UK plc to be able to negotiate the very best trade terms as part of the EU exit process, the BVEP has undertaken an Events Industry Referendum Impact Survey

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amongst partnership members. The initial results identify some clear priorities. The first is the need to safeguard trade by reducing uncertainty and engaging with new markets – there is a positive sense of looking for new opportunities rather than mourning what might have been had the status quo been retained. Reviewing existing legislation follows hard on this, particularly the need to ensure that future business can be conducted efficiently. Building on work done by the Tourism Alliance, the events sector will also need to pay close attention to both Health and Safety and sustainability legislation to protect the world class expertise that we have developed in these areas. Finally the really challenging issue facing all of us in the sector is the free movement of workers, particularly in relation to the number of EU citizens currently employed. The challenges ahead lie in the complexity of the many issues that will need to be included in the final negotiations. Bernard Donoghue FTS, Director, ALVA There are significant consequences for the attractions sector beyond the economic. We depend on the hard work, enthusiasm and expertise of EU workers in every part of the tourism industry; front of house and hospitality roles, IT, HR, curatorial, visitor services and management. Clarification on their status and how we recruit their successors is vital. Our cultural organisations also value - and continue to be dependent on - EU cultural funds. These have paid for productions and tours as well as capital projects. It will be a challenge to find a replacement for these monies. Finally, the referendum result poses questions about disconnected communities. A survey by the Creative Industries Federation revealed that 97% of people working in the sector voted to remain, whilst a majority of our customers and visitors voted to leave. And commentators have drawn attention to the fact that in cities and areas where there has been significant and long-term investment in culture and heritage local communities voted remain, whereas areas which feel that they have ‘been left behind’ by central Government mostly

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voted leave. As we move forward we need to be critically honest about all the reasons behind the result and use heritage, culture and the arts to heal divisions and communities. Manon Antoniazzi MTS, Director, Culture, Sport & Tourism, Welsh Government We recognise that there are major challenges ahead as a result of the EU referendum. Wales’ economy has developed strongly over recent years and tourism has a key role to play in that growth. In 2015 Wales attracted a record 10.45 million overnight visits from GB residents while performance has also been excellent from overseas with overseas trips to Wales up 4% from 2014. The Welsh Government has a number of short-term measures to provide assurance and stability to businesses across Wales and we look forward to continuing to work with the tourism industry to reach our goal of growing the industry by 10% by 2020. Tourism has benefited significantly from EU Funds, including the recent Tourism Attractor Destination programme which will see investment in 10 sites across Wales and will benefit from £27.7 million EU funds. While arrangements for a Brexit are being made for the longer term, the Welsh Government is committed to delivering our EU funding programmes and projects, as citizens, communities, and businesses need this investment. The First Minister has called for a guarantee from the UK Government that Wales should not lose out from an EU withdrawal and that every penny of EU funds available to Wales is safe.

Credit lazyllama – fotolia.com

So now the decision to leave has been made – what are the concerns for our industry? First and foremost, our priority is to ensure that the UK continues to be seen as a welcoming destination – to EU visitors as well as those from around the globe. Secondly, ensuring that we continue to have access to the Single Market and a skilled and plentiful workforce will be crucial to our continued success as a destination.

Government and Tourism

We need a new strategy The tourism industry is used to change – we have had sixteen different Secretaries of State and Tourism Ministers in the last 10 years, all bringing their own views and priorities for the sector. However, what is truly different at the moment is that, since the start of 2015, we will have had two very different tourism policies – and we now need a third. First a recap. Under the previous Coalition government with John Penrose as Tourism Minister, the government produced a tourism strategy that displayed a high degree of market interventionist policy including helping Local Tourism Bodies, reforming the accommodation grading scheme, increasing consumer protection, driving product improvement and developing domestic packages. But most significantly, this strategy recognised that domestic tourism was a significant generator of tourism revenue and employment for the UK regions. It had understood that the regions were not just fighting between themselves for domestic holiday expenditure, but were competing with all the overseas destinations that were investing large sums on marketing in the UK to tempt people into taking overseas holidays. To address this issue, the Coalition government changed VisitEngland from being a unit within VisitBritain to being a quasi-autonomous body with a remit to grow domestic tourism by an average of 5% per annum over the next 10 years (which was a challenging target considering that over the previous 10 years domestic tourism revenues had declined by an average of 2% per annum). This strategy changed completely just over a year ago when the Conservative government, still a little surprised by their election victory, settled down to do all those things that they felt they had been prevented from doing during the last government as a result of having to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Their starting point was to be a true Conservative government pursuing a more

classic Conservative policy agenda. This policy agenda concentrated on establishing the right environment for businesses and then sitting back and letting them get on with creating growth. Creating the right environment meant cutting back on the public sector and regulation, creating a low tax environment for businesses and transferring powers from the central government to local powerbases including the new mayoral devolution deals with the West of England, East Anglia and Greater Lincolnshire as

Issue 166 Autumn 2016

well as additional mayoral devolution deals with Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region. This approach is inherent in the new tourism strategy – the 5-Point Plan for Tourism. While the previous tourism strategy included a wide range of market interventions, the new strategy narrowed government intervention down to just five items related to establishing the environment within which the industry would operate – the shape of government

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In this light, the merger of VisitEngland back into VisitBritain can be seen as a return to core Conservative tourism policy where inbound tourism is seen to be a benefit to the nation in terms of increasing export earnings and related employment but domestic tourism is seen purely as internal competition within the market. The traditional Conservative argument goes that competition between regions in the UK for domestic tourists provides no net benefit to the national economy. That is, on a national level, it doesn’t matter if a person spends £500 on a holiday in Cumbria or Kent as the government’s tax take is the same, the number of people employed is the same and the net benefit to GDP is the same. Under this scenario, the only beneficiaries of whether a person decides to holiday in Cumbria or Kent are the businesses in Cumbria and Kent. And, even if the domestic tourist, after weighing up the benefits of a holiday in Cumbria and Kent, decides to buy a 65-inch ultra-highdefinition television instead, that doesn’t matter either – at a national level there is no difference between a job in the tourism industry and a job in retail. As such, the 5-Point Plan takes the view that the destinations should fund any domestic marketing activity while the government concentrates on activities such as the GREAT campaign that add to the overall tourism economy. Between these moves and greater powers and funding to be allocated through LEPs, the message was clear: domestic tourism is the responsibility of local government, not national government. However, there is now a big question over whether a laissez-faire policy towards business is appropriate in a post-referendum environment where the prospect of the UK leaving the EU in early 2019 poses very serious problems to the EU economy.

The reason that the UK is highly dependent on visitors from the EU is not just because markets like France and Germany are close, but because thousands of civil servants in Brussels have spent the past 40 years doing everything they can to make travel between EU states as simple, efficient and quick as possible. The Tourism Alliance has undertaken an analysis of the regulations and agreements that benefit tourism from Europe to the UK and believe that there are at least 16 major EU tourism-related agreements and directives that need to be retained to ensure there is minimal disruption of travel between the EU and the UK. A second key reason why the UK tourism industry is dependent upon the EU is labour. That the UK, and London in particular, has surged in terms of overseas visitor numbers and in the World Economic Forum’s ranking of international competitiveness is due to the ability of UK tourism businesses to employ people from Europe with the skills and motivation needed to provide the customer service

Source ONS January 2016 / ABTA

The problems are particularly significant for the inbound tourism industry with

over 66% of all visitors to the UK (23m per annum) coming from EU destinations, contributing around £10bn to the UK economy each year (inclusive of taxes such as Air Passenger Duty and revenue to UK carriers) and providing around 185,000 FTE jobs in the UK.

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Issue 166 Autumn 2016

expected of one of the world’s prime tourism destinations.

Source DNS Travel Trends 2014 / ABTA

intervention, deregulation, transport infrastructure, border control, and the provision of training.

People 1st has calculated that the UK tourism industry will need an additional 32,500 workers per annum over the next 10 years to cope with expected growth. Without access to European workers, it is difficult to know where these workers will come from. The question is, therefore, with the potentially fundamental changes that the UK, and the tourism industry, will undergo as a result of the referendum, is it justifiable for government to maintain its current laissez-faire tourism policy which restricts intervention to a limited range of issues? The overall Government policy is for the UK to negotiate as good a deal with the EU as possible to maintain access to these markets while, at the same time, pivoting away from Europe in order to take advantage of new opportunities in other emerging markets. To achieve this without severe disruption to both UK businesses and the economy as a whole will require the government to work closely with a range of different industry sectors to identify and exploit opportunities. For the tourism industry, the new reality means that we need a new tourism strategy that goes far beyond the limited brief of the 5-Point Plan. And, more importantly, it means that we need the new strategy to be developed between the government and industry. In the past, tourism strategies have invariably been developed and imposed on the sector by civil servants with no experience or understanding of the tourism industry. A sector that employs some 3m people and generates £127bn a year for the economy needs a comprehensive strategy if it is to continue to provide growth during and after the UK’s departure from the European Union. Kurt Janson MTS l Policy Director, Tourism Alliance

EU Referendum

A European view As my father always says: “If problems don’t have a solution, don’t worry; if problems have a solution, don’t worry either, but start dealing with it (ocuparse in Spanish) instead of worrying about it (preocuparse).”

It’s been like a sudden loss of a member of your family or a friend. You know it can happen every day but you’re never prepared for that moment and you know you’ll need time to digest and understand it. The big difference is that whereas we’re capable of responding to a personal loss (through previous experiences and with the support from others), the consequences of the result of the referendum in the UK are still unknown and unexplained. I personally think that the decision by Britain to leave the EU is a mistake of epic proportions, based on thoroughly dishonest, non-evidence based dangerous and irresponsible invented narratives. And I’m not blaming the British people or any UK administration, politician or media outlet in particular for this, but our civil society all over Europe when it comes to spreading ideas and pushing for changes using fear as a vehicle instead of proper education based on ethical values and a common sense of community. As a citizen of the European Union, I feel among friends, and a fellow citizen of the most successful political projects of modern times. I feel anguish at the prospect of being anything else. I grew up in Spain, studied, worked and lived in Germany, Austria and Belgium; I felt at home in all of them. I also lived in the USA and, while that was a great experience, it felt different. The EU is special. No doubt it needs to reform, but it is an extraordinary achievement and deserves widespread public support. For this, it needs widespread explanation and understanding! This leads me to a second reflection. Tourism can be a force for good, peace,

Eduardo Santander MTS l Executive Director, European Travel Commission

education and understanding. I strongly believe in its power to break down barriers, promote mutual respect, and make the world a safer and better place. I’ve always seen my role, in the travel and tourism industry, as one which allowed me the chance to make a positive contribution, both to travellers and destinations. Despite the fact that the UK left ETC back in 2010 (our own ‘little Brexit’), ETC as an organisation remained strongly supportive of the idea that tourism should be a force for general benefit throughout Europe, the EU and its neighbouring states. We expect that trend to continue and I am sure that tourism organisations and people in the UK will continue to be engaged and international in outlook. The immediate consequences of the UK’s decision to leave the EU are limited. It is going to take a while for things to settle down and for the UK to ask for Article 50 to be activated. Even then it will be a long process. In the future, travellers might need visas, unless bilateral deals are

Issue 166 Autumn 2016

reached between countries (e.g. UK and France to use the Channel tunnel).

Credit artjazz – fotolia.com

I’ve received the UK referendum result surprised but somehow not shocked.

Visas are reciprocal, so if the UK requires them for visitors, it is likely they would be imposed on British citizens in return. Because the value of the pound has dropped, for the time being, travelling abroad is more expensive. If the trend continues we will see more people staying in the UK and exploring domestic destinations. The more restrictions airlines have the higher the cost of operations. Therefore, with airlines buying fuel in dollars and the pound weakening, flight prices could increase. Any European airline can operate between any airports regardless of where they are in the EU. But with new restrictions, there need to be new agreements, too. Ultimately, to destroy is much easier than to build. Let’s deal (ocuparnos) with it, working together, listening to each other’s concerns, and striving to build a better Europe instead of destroying and worrying (preocuparnos).

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Domestic Tourism in 2016 Is it really all about Brexit? Since the Referendum vote in June this year, many column inches have been devoted to unpicking the implications of the decision to leave the EU, including the implications for domestic tourism. The weaker pound has suddenly made overseas destinations more expensive for UK residents, just as we saw happening in 2008-9.

Credit drhfoto – fotolia.com

Back then, we saw domestic tourism grow by18% in England as overseas travel fell back significantly – and the ‘staycation’ came into being. So is the referendum really the trigger for a new staycation wave? As always, it’s not quite that straightforward. In contrast to the prerecession period, when domestic tourism volumes were falling, the EU referendum took place at a time when holidaying at home was already becoming more popular. In 2015, both the volume and value of domestic holidays in England grew by 7%. This trend continued into the first four months of 2016, when holiday trip numbers and spending reached record levels for the period. In other words, the domestic holiday was in good health before the vote, albeit with a somewhat different profile from the one pre-recession. Growth in recent years has been driven by less traditional holiday types and trip takers, including shorter breaks, city and countryside trips, and older and more affluent demographics. Interestingly though, growth in domestic holidays in the past year or so has happened alongside, not instead of, increasing overseas volumes. In fact, when domestic and overseas trips are added together, we see that last year Brits took more holiday trips of any type than at any point in the past 10 years. This coincided with growing consumer confidence about personal finances, which by the end of 2015 had climbed to its highest level since late 2007. So what has been happening in 2016? At the time of writing, all the indicators

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Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland This suggests that for the majority of point to a strong summer performance, and in our most recent Tourism Business people changing their behaviour this year, Monitor, optimism about the school the benefits of the UK break are more holiday period among accommodation motivating than any barriers to foreign providers was at a record high. travel. We recently carried out research to ask those consumers who were expecting to take more domestic breaks this year the reasons for this. This highlighted the fact that the EU referendum is not the only external factor influencing travel patterns in 2016. Among those people who said that they thought they would be taking more domestic holidays this year than last, security concerns (21%) and even this year’s better weather (18%) were selected somewhat more frequently as reasons for their decision than the weaker exchange rate (14%). Another important finding from these results is that positive motivations – reasons to actively choose a domestic break – are more important than negative ones. The top two answers chosen as a reason for taking more domestic trips this year were “I just like taking holidays/breaks in the UK” (40%) and in second place, the greater ease and convenience of domestic trips (36%).

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This is also something we found to be true even during the period of the recession, and is encouraging for the future, as it points to a trend that can be sustained regardless of external events. One key difference compared to the period of the recession is that wages have been growing ahead of inflation since late 2014, while unemployment has fallen back to levels last seen in early 2008. This is reflected in the fact that 16% of those taking more domestic trips this year say they are doing so because they feel better off than they were, an additional driver of this year’s trends. To conclude, consumer behaviour is complex, particularly when it comes to making destination decisions. Indeed, even in our short survey, consumers chose on average two reasons each to describe why they were taking more domestic trips this year. The indications are that 2016 will prove to have been a good year for domestic tourism – but the reasons for this are perhaps more complicated than they may first appear. Sharon Orrell l Head of Research and Insight, VisitEngland

Cultural Destinations

Putting culture at the heart of the tourist economy England’s arts and culture is world class. A key contribution of our cultural and creative sectors is the way in which they attract visitors to the UK, and help the vitality of our tourist industry.

Credit Derby Museum and Art Gallery

The value of culture to tourism is well evidenced. In 2011 research commissioned by the Arts Council estimated that the total spend by visitors to the UK that was motivated by arts and culture was £856million per annum, while the Heritage Lottery Fund estimated heritage based tourism (including museums) was worth £26.4billion to the UK economy. Culture is often the heart of a destination’s offer, providing the anchor around which a healthy visitor economy grows. In 2015 of the top 10 visited UK visitor attractions seven were museums or galleries1. Culture’s role in tourism is part of the economic success story that are our creative industries. Boosting this sector as a part of tourism helps drive local growth. Between 1997 and 2013 the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the creative industries increased by 5.8%, compared to 4.2% in the UK economy as a whole – growth which continued through the last recession. Between 2010 and 2013 the GVA of arts and culture alone rose by 35.8%. This is good growth. The creative industries have higher levels of productivity and higher wages than the UK economy as a whole. Growing tourism through culture is good for the whole economy. The challenge, though, is to maximise this impact, and to ensure that its benefit is felt across the country. To realise this the Arts Council launched the Cultural Destinations programme, enabling local innovation and strengthening local partnerships between the arts and tourist sectors. We wanted to support destinations who had ambition for culture. To find this out we developed a programme with VisitEngland that sought applications to a £3million fund. In 2013 we made awards to 10 successful applicants across the country, with a range of ambitions and ideas to take forward

Derby Museums’ Joseph Wright Gallery Group activity to use culture to drive growth in the visitor economy. n Liverpool – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic The funded partnerships come from a broad range of places – both rural n Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire – and urban, north and south – and Nottingham Contemporary what they are seeking to achieve offers n Sheffield – Sheffield Theatres Trust some pointers for how culture makes a These different places and partners difference to tourism. What they all share, have led to a diversity of ambition, though, is a commitment to leveraging the activity and innovation that would be potential of high quality arts and culture impossible to summarise here. Together and embedding that appropriately in local with VisitEngland, the Arts Council has destination offers. These projects are all commissioned a programme evaluation about good art and good places. that will be published in 2017, but ahead Cultural Destinations – location of this it is clear that Cultural Destinations of funded partnerships and lead is helping us understand what culture can partner contribute to destinations. n Bristol and Bath – Bristol Old Vic n Culture can make your offer stand out n Calderdale – Square Chapel Arts Trust from the competition. In Liverpool, the partnership is using Liverpool’s cultural n Cornwall – Cornwall 365 strengths to build competitive advantage n Cumbria – The Brewery Arts Centre, over other conference destinations, Kendal developing an offer to attract business n Essex – Focal Point Gallery tourists. n Kent – Turner Contemporary n Culture can increase the range and n

Lincoln – Lincoln Business Improvement

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diversity of your visitors. In Nottingham

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Arcadia’s Metamorphosis and Derbyshire, the local Destination Organisations have been working with galleries and museums, as well as Chatsworth House, bringing together the cultural and heritage offers, and using exciting new artistic commissions to develop shared itineraries and events. This brings a cross-over in audiences, making both tourism and culture more diverse and sustainable. Culture can increase the range of potential visitors and can help deal with the challenges of seasonality. Lakes Culture, led by Brewery Arts, is a partnership embracing the full range of the offer in the destination, bringing arts, culture and tourism bodies alongside the National Park and the Forestry Commission. New artistic commissions have raised the profile of the local cultural offer and helped change perceptions of what a visit to the Lakes can be about.

Culture can catalyse partners to come together to strengthen the offer. The Lincoln Cultural Destinations project has been a good catalyst for bringing together key cultural stakeholders within the city. Lincoln Cathedral and the Castle provide well known heritage venues but the project has really brought into play Lincoln University, Visit Lincoln, the Chamber of Commerce, the City Council as well as local arts organisations. This has proved a strong partnership looking to exploit the full range of local cultural assets, mostly around joined up marketing and developing others, such as the Frequency

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and Steampunk festivals. In 2015, when the city had large scale and highly publicised Magna Carta festivities, cultural itineraries were advertised at Kings Cross and Virgin Trains put on more direct London trains at certain key festival points. The resulting increase in footfall was well above predicted targets and has led to Virgin extending this relationship for another year. In all of these places, the tourism and cultural sectors are learning from each other about what makes for a successful cultural destination. Some initial lessons include: Partnership working takes considerable effort, time and patience. It’s key to build up trust, explore differing agendas, and understand the different timescales that the culture and tourism sectors operate on.

Focus on outcomes and impact rather than specific activity and outputs. Longer term goals and visions are much more likely to engage partners in successful collaborations, and will engage strategic leaders. This way, activity delivered is a by-product of the successful collaboration, rather than the end result. It will last longer and have a greater impact on the organisations, staff and audiences.

Everything takes longer than you think – relationships take time to build and develop, as does shared knowledge and experience. However, spending the time and learning together can pay significant dividends and is worth it.

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Leveraging the benefits of culture for tourism is about leveraging your local strengths, not bolting something on. Think about how culture relates to the destination and how the destination relates to culture. Great art and culture that is valued locally will be valued by visitors too.

Think about culture within the context of the overall destination offer. As well as the cultural offer which attracted them in the first place, visitors will also want somewhere good to stay, an interesting place to eat, a bar or pub to hang out in. Think about how the cultural attractions relate to other attractions, e.g. heritage, retail, countryside.

What do you need to change to fully exploit the potential of culture? What are the challenges, and which partners will you need to overcome them? For instance, if it’s transport, have you engaged providers?

Your cultural offer will only make a difference to your destination offer if it is the best it can be. Get to know your local arts organisations, take the time to look at other cultural destinations, talk to the Arts Council about how to broker partnerships across the cultural sector.

England has great arts and culture, and its contribution to the sustainable growth of tourism will only increase. With the cultural and tourism sectors learning from each other as part of the Cultural Destinations programme, we will fund a further round in 2017-20. 1. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/creativelocal-growth-fund

Paul Bristow l Director, Strategic Partnerships, Arts Council England

Disaster Recovery

Using the media to restore confidence Credit Cumbria CC / Charles Hedley Photography

Natural disasters present a huge challenge and the weather conditions in Cumbria in December 2015 were devastating, with some areas reliving the same colossal weather impact on three separate occasions. The Eden District in Cumbria was one of the worst hit areas in the county. The strength and resourcefulness of the local communities to overcome these immense challenges and rebuild their livelihoods is truly inspirational. As would be expected, there was considerable media coverage at the time, with film crews and journalists seeking to capture the most dramatic images and stories that portrayed the area in a desperate plight. Whilst this was initially an accurate account of the situation, the fast-moving clear up operation and the immense work undertaken by the affected businesses to redress the situation did not appear to be reflected in the ongoing reporting. It soon became apparent that these images were having a considerably negative impact on the area as a holiday destination and were causing fright and concern to both visitors who had already booked holidays and to those who were considering booking a break. The flooding caused by Storm Desmond over the weekend of 5th and 6th December 2015 was unprecedented in certain parts of the Eden District. The worst hit areas were around Lake Ullswater – Pooley Bridge at one end of the lake was left without its bridge as it collapsed into the river - and in the town of Appleby where the small town had become physically divided because of bridge closures, but understandably there was a massive impact throughout the whole area. There was fantastic support from many agencies to assist with immediate practical needs and longer term recovery work and resilience planning, which is still ongoing. In parallel to this work, what seemed an initially decimated visitor economy was working incredibly hard to send out ‘open for business’ messages in

The new Pooley Bridge, March 2016 was put in place. The local side of the anticipation of the Christmas holiday campaign centred on social media and season. Tourism partnerships in Eden are generally well-established and this adverts in local press. The regional disaster revealed an amazing consolidation aspect of the campaign was a mixture of partners who worked together to of newspaper adverts in press as well as present a unified marketing approach. The targeted social media posts to spread the Ullswater Association, Parish Councils, word that ‘Cumbria is open’ and the Lake local businesses and Eden Tourism (Eden District is #stilltheplacetobe. District Council) all worked together Following Christmas, a spring campaign to promote the Ullswater valley, with was put in place to push bookings and the Appleby Tourist Information centre encourage visitors in the first few months becoming the communication hub. Social of 2016. The third aspect of the campaign media provided an immediate platform for was joint marketing with the other parts marketing activity, and prior to Christmas of the North of England that had suffered an ‘I love Ullswater’ campaign was flooding and VisitEngland incorporated adopted. the #theplacetobe campaign into a wider As time progressed and the immediate northern campaign. aftermath passed, the marketing tack Throughout, the key focus for all changed to emphasise all the positive organisations was to push out positive aspects of visiting these destinations and messages with up-to-date information the Eden district and it was agreed that about what was on and things to do in the ‘open for business’ message now order to reassure visitors and encourage needed to change. Social media was the bookings. key promotional channel and photos We can’t monitor the full effectiveness of of the stunning area of Eden were the principal means of positive communication. our Eden social media campaign at this stage in the season, but we do know we Additional marketing activity is continuing reached 1.5m people, resulting in 4,000 and there has been a focus on new events click-throughs to www.visiteden.co.uk. with grant assistance from the Cumbria LEP. Anecdotal evidence from businesses and Tourist Information Centres suggests Cumbria Tourism, the county’s DMO, visitor confidence has resumed, but assumed the task of attempting to limit November/December could prove cancelled bookings particularly for the challenging. The Cumbria Tourism-funded Christmas and New Year period, and a campaign reached 34m people between short-term marketing campaign targeting December and March. locals and those within a 2-3 hour drive

Jessica Goodfellow l Eden Tourism Manager

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Hospitality Barking up the right tree I do not own a dog. I have never owned a dog and do not aspire to owning a dog. However, my wife and I are madly devoted to Ozzie, a stout and friendly cat without whose presence our cottage in Wiltshire would certainly feel less like home. I can therefore claim to understand the tie that binds people with their animals and their consequent expectations when travelling together. The plain assertion on a hotel’s web site that dogs are “welcome” can mean almost anything from lavish provision inside the very bosom of the establishment at one extreme, to an absence of fines for leaving the luckless hound in your car at the other. I do remember meeting a couple for whom the latter applied at a hotel near Bath, though they had the last laugh because all the vehicles in the car park were broken into during the night… except theirs! Getting the balance right is quite tricky for hotel operators because for every dog lover there will be plenty of guests who’d rather not see the blighters, let alone smell them. However, the commercial benefits of being more accommodating to our canine friends are clear – loads of couples will choose where to stay based on the warmth of welcome their dog might expect, much as others will do for their children. If done well, these special provisions can therefore bring a noticeable boost to profits. Eamonn Elliott, who runs Rockliffe Hall in County Durham, said: “We’ve been getting more and more requests from dog owners who want to bring their pets away with them – after all, we are at the heart of some glorious countryside – so have taken the decision to make a number of our rooms dog-friendly and have created designated areas throughout the resort for dogs so as not to compromise the high standards people have come to expect here”. He’s not alone. Lucknam Park provides

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5-star service for dogs a personalised welcome card with the dog’s name on it and a welcome hamper tailored to the size of the dog. They even had organic treats delivered by helicopter on one occasion. Bailiffscourt in Sussex has a “doggie room service menu” while The Nare in Cornwall goes even further with both Table d’Hôte and À la Carte menus for dogs. Four-legged guests at Bovey Castle in Devon can expect heated kennels and a dog sitting service if wanted, a facility shared with Stapleford Park in Leicestershire. Food for pets is cooked to order by the chef at The Arch London and walkers are on hand if for any reason you should be unavailable for the task yourself. At Eastwell Manor in Kent there are cottage rooms away from the main house that have their own gardens and so are ideal. Armathwaite Hall in the Lake District provides comfy dog beds and the mother of all adventure playgrounds right outside the door. And should your animal accompany you to The Grove at Narberth in Wales he or she can expect treats crafted by none other than Michele Roux.

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But my favourite example comes from The Mullion Cove in Cornwall, which I have never visited myself. Apparently their receptionist, Lorraine, greets every dog by rushing out from behind the desk on all fours and making strange noises. This is what we in the hotel trade call “going the extra mile”. Do not, however, assume that every hotel shares the same approach, the common exception of course being guide dogs on whose amazing skill and devotion so many blind people rely. Other pets seem to be rather less welcome, perhaps because of the greater risk of damage to furnishings or, worse still, escape. One of the team here took a call from a lady wanting to stay in The Cotswolds along with her ferrets. No hotel would accept the booking. Spare a thought, though, for the owner or general manager of any establishment where the public are catered for. Legislation creates many obstacles as we know, and the threat of bad online reviews adds to nervousness about letting animals into areas where a small child could be bitten, for example. The behaviour of two-legged guests is hard enough to predict, let alone that of our furry friends. Peter Hancock FTS l Chief Executive, Pride of Britain Hotels

Hospitality

The birth of ‘glamping’ During the 1920s, African safaris of the colonial era were widespread; early explorers carried with them brass chandeliers, old Indian campaign chests, rich leather and hardwood furniture. Temporary and transient in atmosphere, camps offered a perfect blend of comfort and adventure, connecting with nature and surrounded by wildlife. In 2005, this sophisticated adventure arrived in the UK from the Netherlands as Feather Down Farms. Luite Moral was a Dutchman with a huge personality, and with a firm handshake many a deal was sealed over a cup of English tea in a farmhouse kitchen. Luite began selling the vision, ‘signing up’ farmers, inviting them to share their land and lifestyle with holiday makers in luxurious tents. In 2006 there were five Feather Down Farms in the UK; now in 2016, 34. It was the introduction of the highly successful FDFD™ marketing campaign and glossy coffee-table brochure, in the era of online marketing, concentrating on London and the South East, that introduced glamping to the urban populace, making it a widespread dinner party conversation. In the last 10 years we have witnessed a proliferation of rural entrepreneurs and lifestyle farmers capitalising on the popularity of this burgeoning market. It’s not exclusive to these groups, though. Haven Holidays, a stalwart of the family holiday market, introduced glamping to their holiday parks in 2012, and Lanterns and Larks, part of Rural Retreats, have introduced sites across the UK. Why has glamping become so popular? Firstly, glamping is partly an experience, an atmosphere, the embracement of the immense beauty of the great outdoors, the countryside, the patchwork quilt of endless fields, the winding country lanes. It is fresh air, a simplicity of outdoor life

Sharon Earp MTS l Founder and Owner, The Dandelion Hideaway

Luxury bathing, glamping style and nature, being lulled to sleep by the sound of silence – the irresistible blend of tranquillity. Glamping has evolved to mean a type of experience and thinking, which is what differentiates it from a traditional holiday cottage or hotel; it continues to evolve and is not purely concentrated on the accommodation. Purists would say that glamping should include an element of canvas; however, the glossy marketers have cleverly conjured up evocative images which have broadened the mind to include an abundance of accommodation styles. Secondly, many holidays are becoming a blend of continued work and holiday. A report by Mintel in 2016 highlighted our inability to switch off, the addiction to social media and our constant need for connectivity, this damaging inability to unplug. Glamping provides a gently imposed unplugging, in the main due to the absence of wi-fi. The final piece of the jigsaw is the muchdebated ‘erosion of childhood’ partly due to modern technology and the recognised need to reconnect children with the natural world. The report ‘Natural Childhood’ commissioned by the National Trust is a fascinating read. Those perceptive glamping destinations have avoided the urban route of a constructed ‘playground’ with manufactured play equipment and have embraced what glamping represents, a discovery of the

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Credit The Dandelion Hideaway

Glamping is not a new phenomenon, but one influenced by the past.

natural world, where children engage their imagination, discover play and the natural world. The challenges looking forward… Glamping continues to evolve, and market newcomers need to research and establish their wow factor. Glamping has become not purely focused on the luxurious element of the accommodation but also the experience, and this needs to be reflected in the proposition. The moderately short season – just thirty weeks – needs to be considered, and for most the giddy-days of exceptionally high occupancy have calmed. Customer expectations are high, and it is problematic trying to be all things to all people – families, couples, celebrations. Your proposition will depend upon location, and customer catchment area; most guests will not travel more than two hours for a short break, and glamping remains a short break business. Price discounting has emerged, prominent in 2016, which can be an indicator of over-supply or a weaker proposition. VisitEngland’s new Glamping Accreditation Scheme is a welcome introduction and responds to the changing face of glamping. It’s an indicator of the confidence from the tourism industry in the future of this sector as well as recognition that quality-control is required. We end by returning to the proposition and the wow-factor.

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Case Study The story of Wriggly Tin After 30 years as a graphic designer, I wanted a new challenge and chose to open a ‘glamping’ site in the South Downs, providing accommodation in shepherd’s huts.

I wanted to rent a site, not buy, in case things went wrong. I needed a water supply and planning permission, and Winchester council advised me the site had to be completely screened and hidden. I eventually found five acres of grassland, but it was surrounded by protected ancient woodland, which made obtaining planning permission much harder. My application was so contentious that, after six months in the system, it was ‘called in’ by the South Downs National Park Authority. Surprisingly, this proved a godsend. They loved my plan, as it satisfied their remit to encourage visitors and develop sustainable tourist accommodation within the new national park. Two years after first having the idea, I had my site and my first two huts. For convenience, I went with an agency which brought me my first guests, in exchange for 25% commission. Four years later, I have five shepherd’s huts and I’m still with the agency, but now most bookings come via my own website, word of mouth and social media. I still don’t advertise, never discount and rarely give freebies. My shepherd’s huts are fully booked every weekend of my eightmonth season and most weekdays during holiday periods. I currently run Wriggly Tin on my own, with just the help of a very loyal cleaner on changeover days. It’s much harder work than I ever expected – and my business plan went out of the window on day one. I had assumed guests would stay for a

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Wriggly Tin’s Old Winchester Hut week, especially in summer. In fact, most bookings are for short breaks. Wriggly Tin is very rural but only 60 miles from London. Over two-thirds of guests come from the capital and most of the rest from the Home Counties. They can leave work on Friday and be sitting around a campfire by the evening. Or they’ll take a couple of days off during the week, often as a birthday treat. This all means many more changeovers than I anticipated, more laundry, more cleaning, more admin and higher overheads. What next? I either keep Wriggly Tin as it is, which I can just about cope with on my own, or I grow the business. It’s a big decision, as expansion will require more investment, staff and infrastructure, and perhaps even a business partner. In the end, Wriggly Tin is all about lifting my guests gently out of their comfort zone. No electricity, no phone signal or wi-fi, boiling water for washing and cooking on a fire. It’s amazing how people adapt to living life at a slower, simpler pace. Everything takes twice as long as at home, but so many guests tell me proudly about their sense of achievement when they’ve mastered the fire and cooked an amazing meal. Of course, some just go down to the pub.

Issue 166 Autumn 2016

Credit Alex Evans

These are much more expensive than tipis or yurts, but provide better protection against bad weather. And they would allow me to be more creative with the interior layout and design. All I needed was a field.

Glamping guidelines: 12 ways to be better than the rest n

it.

Pick a memorable name and trademark

You’re selling fantasy escapism, so give your accommodation the ‘wow’ factor.

Road-test the accommodation by staying in it.

Give guests more than they’re expecting, but make sure everything works.

Make living off-grid as easy as possible, eg provide good quality dry firewood.

If huts are clean and tidy on arrival, most guests will leave them clean and tidy.

Keep composting toilets spotless and paint the room white. The loos are what guests are most apprehensive about.

Be patient and helpful, even when guests ask stupid questions.

Don’t spring unexpected costs on guests.

Allow dogs. You’ll get more business. Dogs are less trouble and do less damage than children.

Use social media and post regularly. Keep it chatty and personal, with plenty of photos. Don’t boast or slag people off.

Provide extra options such as breakfast hampers and ready-to-cook suppers. Good for extra income.

Alex Evans l Owner, Wriggly Tin

Motorsport Tourism

2016 Isle of Man TT “Lights Out - Away We Go!” is the rallying call on every second Sunday at 2pm BST when Formula One, the pinnacle of World Motorsport, roars into life in front of 425 million television viewers and 200,000 spectators. Twenty-two of the world’s fastest drivers compete in the ultimate test of engineering excellence, business acumen and unadulterated use of the right foot on the only truly global sporting stage which comes to a town near you twenty one times a year. But when it does come to town are we making the most of it? Tourism and Motorsport have been inextricably linked in this country since the establishment of The Royal Automobile Club (RAC) International Tourist Trophy in 1905 (which is in fact the world’s oldest motor race) and The International Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) Race for motorcycles in 1907. Similarly the ‘Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo’ was established in 1911 by Prince

Credit iomtt.com

An opportunity to strengthen the grid

Albert to attract visitors away from nearby Nice in a format where competitors would set off from all four corners of Europe to literally ‘rally’ or meet in Monaco at the end of a unique event. In northern France the town of Dieppe “had bid the ACF (Automobile Club de France) quite a few thousand pounds to hold the GP (Grand Prix) there as they hoped for and got quite a flock of visitors for four or five days. The town’s hotels were full and the casino and cafes well frequented.” (Darling, 2006). Such events had, and still have, an economic impact on their host cities by generating employment opportunities and fan spending on travel, hotels, restaurants, merchandise and associated attractions. ‘Motorsport Tourism’ is not a term most of us are familiar with, in the same way that ‘Screen Tourism’ was an odd term in the pre-Hogwarts/Da Vinci Code/ Heartbeat era. Having been tasked to activate the UKTI/

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FCO GREAT Campaign in Formula One during the 2014 FIA World Championship season I believe it is important to place the notion of Motorsport Tourism in the context of the contribution that Motorsport makes to the UK economy. “The UK is the undisputed world leader in global motorsport. Dominant in Formula One, it is the home of Formula E and the leading international supplier to racing series from China to the USA. The cutting-edge technology developed in the UK’s Motorsport Valley® is increasingly finding applications in other industries. Organisations in sectors as varied as defence and healthcare are taking advantage of UK motorsport’s unique ability to find rapid solutions to complex challenges.” UKTI Motorsport Valley® in Numbers 8 out of the 11 Formula One teams are based in the UK 87% of UK motorsport businesses export overseas Over £9billion in worldwide sales turnover

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4,300 businesses employing 41,000 staff including 25,000 highly skilled engineers Over 30% of UK motorsport companies’ turnover is re-invested in R&D – almost 10 times higher than road-car manufacturers. Source: Ahead of The Curve UKTI in association with MIA (Motorsport Industry Association) Motorsport is all about ‘The Business of Technology’ and without doubt Formula One is the lead driver in this scenario. When it comes to Motorsport Tourism there are very few figures which isolate it from tourism in general, but numbers are recorded for visitors to the UK’s large International Major Motorsport Events, whether it be the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, Wales Rally GB or The Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed. However, non-resident visitors to the UK are just one aspect of Motorsport Tourism as Chris Aylett, CEO of The Motorsport Industry Association, points out: “…many Tourist Boards are keen to attract tourists from other areas of the UK into their tourism region and this model applies not only to the UK but all over the world. In particular, in the USA, Florida works hardest on attracting USA residents into Florida for Motorsport Events (e.g. Daytona 24 Hours and Daytona 500) and obviously they count for tourism. I am sure that, for example, the Northants Tourism Board will highly value the number of tourists from around the UK who come to the major events at Silverstone, and these do not have to be overseas residents. In this regard, motorsport is a strong draw for tourists, whether from overseas or UK.” Aylett sees many opportunities for growth in the sector, notwithstanding the various challenges it faces in terms of attracting new fans and engaging with the purchasing power of millennials. He continues: “I think the UK is known internationally as the centre of motorsport technology and it has created for itself a tremendous reputation. On this basis a great deal more could be done by the various Tourist Boards and the National Government Tourist Agency, to attract more motorsport tourism into the UK. I add to this the enormous strength of heritage motorsport in the UK. Any quick glance at the Old Timer Grand Prix attendance at the Nurburgring or the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, shows how attractive this has become to a tourist audience. Of all the countries in Europe, the UK stands in the best position to gain fully from this area.” There are many challenges to be faced in this area with the possibility for

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Goodwood Revival meeting Motorsport and Formula One in particular to act as catalyst in the Sports Tourism sector as Aylett explains: “I think the national tourism authorities in the UK could be approached by the commercial rights holders and the sporting authorities with a collective approach, to see what support could be given to attract overseas tourists to the UK. They are well aware of the power of sports tourism – it is little known that if you add Goodwood and Silverstone over those two weeks, well over 600,000 people attend a motorsport event in just 10 days. That is far in excess of the Wimbledon fortnight, for example. If only our sport’s governing body and perhaps the national tourism bodies could come together and create a campaign which would have some government support and in particular industry support from the promoters, then a great deal more could be done to attract tourists from overseas.” In fact it was Aylett’s MIA as long ago as 2004 in conjunction with Tourism South East and The South East RDA that found the following from an extensive study: “It is quite clear is that the tourism benefits which Motorsport events and activities could provide are being lost or are not being maximised because the linkages between the motorsport and tourism sectors are not well established. An apparent lack of integration and cohesiveness between motor sport venues and tourism businesses has been identified as one of the major impediments to the growth of motorsport tourism.” The study found few examples of joint

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working between motorsport and tourism businesses. When the two sectors do work together there is potential for Motorsports Tourism to capitalise on the three aspects of sports tourism: nostalgia sports tourism, active sport tourism and event sport tourism, but it has to be done correctly. As Dr Bruce Grant-Braham, Head of The Motorsports Research Group at Bournemouth University, points out: “This sector does need more examination. The circuit owners would like to learn more about this. The realities surround price in my mind. Hit the right ticket/flight/ accommodation combination and it will increase. With all, marketing the product has to be right. There is a hard core of fans who will pay and travel to races run globally.” There is no doubt that a coordinated approach is required and that Motorsport has a special allure waiting to be developed into a fully fledged Motorsport Tourism initiative. It is, as Grant-Braham reflects, not a new phenomenon and the key to the future as ever lies in the past: “Motorsports are a reflection of the basic human instinct to be competitive. As far back as 1902 the first automobile racing on British soil was part of a campaign to promote Bexhill-on-Sea as a fashionable new resort. The local hotels and boarding houses were packed with the curious who had come to witness the spectacle of motor cars racing at speeds in excess of 50mph when the speed limit of the day was a mere 12mph.” Christopher Joseph l Founder & CEO, Chicane – Business Innovation Technology Sustainability

Case Study

Edinburgh skyline Notwithstanding the international renown of Edinburgh’s buildings and streets, one of the most familiar sites around the Scottish capital is the iconic fleet of buses operated by Lothian Buses. Publicly-owned by the City of Edinburgh Council, it is the largest transport provider in the city and is widely celebrated in the industry, just recently picking up Public Transport Operator of the Year at this year’s Scottish Transport Awards. As well as ferrying millions of local and visiting passengers every year on its scheduled services between Edinburgh’s many iconic destinations, the firm has a major division operating open-top bus tours carrying over 500,000 sightseers annually. With the city’s tourist spend estimated at more than £1.3billion, Lothian Buses recognises the importance of connectivity to the local economy. Its new managing director, Richard Hall, joined the company earlier this year. We spoke to Richard to find out about the company’s vision for a greener and enhanced visitor experience, as well as the reason for his decision to relocate from his previous role in England.

Credit Snowshill – fotolia.com

Lothian Buses – driving investment

What drew you back to Scotland and attracted you to your new role at Lothian Buses? Lothian Buses is an industry leader in so many areas. It’s a business that enjoys an enviable reputation both in Edinburgh and across Scotland. I think the role I have now is really about taking the bedrock of all these great component parts and building on them, making sure we remain fit for the future. We also want to develop our offering further to stay at the top of our game across all aspects of the business, whilst adapting to new customer demands and expectations. I was also attracted by the quality of life which is hugely important, and absolutely key to this is getting a good work/life balance which in turn helps to make sure you perform at your highest level. How does Lothian Buses contribute to Edinburgh’s overarching reputation as a tourist destination? The part that public transport in general, and in our case buses, plays in Edinburgh as a tourist destination and the tourist

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economy is huge. Edinburgh has won the Top UK City category at the Guardian Travel Awards for the last thirteen consecutive years, among many other accolades. The tourist experience starts the minute a visitor arrives, and tourists come to Edinburgh from a huge variety of locations and via many different routes. One of the main ways into the city for a tourist is by Edinburgh Airport, which is growing its patronage numbers significantly year on year. We supply and connect Edinburgh Airport with the city via our bespoke Airlink service, offering high quality, frequent and comfortable travel with informative and friendly staff, which is absolutely key to that whole visitor experience. Once tourists get to the city our bus network can get them virtually anywhere at any time for great value. We also run five different open-top bus tours and together they are Scotland’s third most popular paid-for visitor attraction. It’s a totally amazing experience that gives tourists a view on every aspect of the city that you can only see by bus. Our live guides deliver personalised customer experience and satisfaction, which is why we have a five-star rating from

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VisitScotland. So, we really do contribute to Edinburgh as a tourist and city break destination. The impact of this is massive and unfortunately sometimes unrecognised in terms of how bus travel feeds the wider tourist economy including visitor attractions, restaurants and other venues around the city. Edinburgh Bus Tours recently launched new state-of-theart vehicles after a significant investment. How do these vehicles fit in with your vision for the future of public transport in Edinburgh? Creating a greener fleet is absolutely integral to our business vision. We also want to be aligned with wider aspirations from Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council and indeed the whole city. The investment of over £6.5m in the Edinburgh Bus Tours vehicles is a first for any bus company in the UK. The buses are absolutely unique with a range of features that are about enhancing and enriching the visitor experience. We also need to capture every single aspect a visitor needs. There’s increased accessibility, providing two wheelchair

spaces on board, subtitles on display screens and unique camera systems that actually beam live images of the tour into the vehicle saloon. So that really does enhance the existing five-star experience for all customers. On top of this the investment helps us to continue our commitment to cutting our carbon footprint and reducing harmful emissions. This in turn supports our overarching fleet strategy to become the cleanest bus operator in Scotland by 2020. How do you ensure that Edinburgh’s public transport offering remains compelling and meets passenger needs? Our vision for Edinburgh in terms of public transport can be encapsulated really simply. We aim to exceed our customers’ expectations at all times. In doing so, we have to challenge our own thinking to make sure we continue to go forward and don’t stand still. For the future, that means we need to focus even more on the customer experience. We have to stop calling people ‘passengers’ and start thinking about ‘customers’, as you would in a retail environment. We must take into account their views, their expectations. We need to focus on surveys, data and demand, and how we can use technology to do that. But above all we need to enhance the experience. The customer environment on the bus is becoming increasingly critical in maintaining a compelling offering and we’ve got some really exciting things going on. 25 new buses are coming later in the year and they will really change that customer offering and create an environment that’s totally different from what Lothian Buses has offered before. Digital strategies and technology will play an increasing part as we go forward – even more than they do now. This is a huge change as we move away from traditional printed material and digitise everything

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we do, making the most of innovative technology to reach out not only to existing markets, but new markets and new customers, too. Behind all of this we want to be held up as an example of best practice. If we win awards, that’s amazing as it’s great for our staff to get recognition. After all we are a people business and to have our achievements celebrated really puts the icing on the cake. What can we expect to see coming up next from Lothian Buses? We’ve got significant vehicle deliveries moving into the next stage of our business plan, and we’ve got to meet the challenges of growth across our network including at the airport. That’s absolutely key for us. Expansion into new markets will continue to ensure that our business model stays fresh and alive. We’re also looking at how we digitise and promote our marketing in the future, changing our website and ticketing options, and creating the ability to book tour vehicles or even basic bus travel as part of a complete package. Changing the point and method of sale is something we have to challenge ourselves to do and adapt our business model accordingly. On top of that there’s all the good work that staff throughout our organisation continue to do, which isn’t just delivering inclusive services day-in, day-out. We’re really active in offering support for charities and having our staff involved in community partnerships. It’s part of our culture to be embedded in the localities we serve and to build mutually-beneficial relationships with the business, tourism and other sectors. There are really exciting times ahead and we’ll be making sure everyone knows all about what our people and our buses do every day for the residents, workers, businesses and tourists in Edinburgh.

Corporate Member

Not-So-Social Media? Common pitfalls for employers and employees Social media can be a wonderful tool. In recent years its use in a professional and private context has simply exploded.

Part of social media’s appeal is the fact that you can reach large and diverse audiences, with comparatively little effort. However, this can also cause significant headaches for employers and employees alike. The Rogue Post One of the most common pitfalls that we have seen appear before the Employment Tribunal in recent years relates to the ‘rogue’ Twitter or Facebook post by an employee. Often, such posts are borne out of the fact that the individual in question simply hasn’t realised that there is a shrinking distinction between what can be considered to be a public or private remark. Take the case of Game Retail Ltd v Laws as an example of this. This concerned the Twitter account of Mr Laws. While Mr Laws’ account did not clearly link him with Game Retail, he did follow a number of stores and they followed him in return. After some time, concerns were raised that Mr Laws had sent several abusive tweets and he was subsequently dismissed for Gross Misconduct. Mr Laws launched a legal challenge and the case went to the Employment Appeal Tribunal who held that Game acted fairly when dismissing Mr Laws for posting obscene and offensive messages on Twitter. Over-ruling the decision of the original tribunal, the EAT held that the Tribunal judge had failed to fully take into account the public nature of Twitter and did not properly consider whether the employee’s supposedly ‘private’ use was indeed truly private. So, what can employers and employees take from this?

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Credit Rawpixel.com – fotolia.com

Businesses use it for everything from marketing to complaint resolution; individuals can go from engaging in keen political debate, to uploading photos of their food, in a matter of seconds.

Well, for employees, it would be wise to assume that every post you upload to Facebook or Twitter can and will be read by the wider public – and therefore may have consequences.

Recruitment v Ions, Hays alleged that an ex-employee had taken details of business contacts from the company’s confidential database and then uploaded those contacts to LinkedIn.

As for employers, the key message to take from this case is that it is vital that you engage properly both with the risks of social media and your employees’ use of social media.

While this was only a hearing to determine whether certain documents should be disclosed, the fact that the High Court found in favour of Hays suggests that the Court recognises that LinkedIn can be abused by ex-employees, who are looking to exploit their employer’s confidential information, and will take steps to prevent this.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating a social media policy that clearly sets out what the company’s approach is toward social media, what will and will not be considered acceptable and the potential consequences for breaching the policy. Who owns a LinkedIn account? Another aspect of social media that has come to the fore in recent years surrounds the extent to which employers can prevent employees from using LinkedIn accounts, after they have left the employer’s business. The cases that we have seen on this issue so far show that company confidential information will likely be protected, even where it forms part of an employee’s LinkedIn account. For instance, in the case of Hays Specialist

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What can we take from this? Well, employers would be well advised to ensure that any of its contacts are only ‘attached’ to a LinkedIn account that bears the company’s name, e-mail address and logo. As for employees, it is important to have a clear understanding about the approach that your company takes toward LinkedIn accounts and how closely your particular account is ‘embedded’ in the running of the company, before you make use of it for personal gain. Ultimately, social media can have enormous benefits; but to avoid finding yourself in a nasty Tribunal dispute it is important for employers and employees to engage together as to its appropriate use. Luke Golding l Associate – Head of Employment, Travlaw LLP

Interview with...

Christopher Rodrigues CBE FTS by 10 lengths! The real pleasure is when the teamwork comes together.

As Christopher Rodrigues CBE approaches the end of his 10-year tenure as Chairman of VisitBritain he can look back with satisfaction on this latest chapter in his business career.

Rowing is the quintessential team sport – there’s no room for prima donnas and you all have to give a bit to bring the crew together.

Hugely successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, increasing visitor numbers and increased recognition of tourism at the highest levels of government are some of the achievements he has overseen. Gregory Yeoman spoke to him about these, and some earlier formative experiences. GY: With parents working in theatre and your chairmanship of the Almeida Theatre, performing arts must be in your blood. Have you ever performed on stage in amateur dramatics, and was there a possibility that you might forge a career in that area? CR: It may be in my blood but it didn’t get anywhere else. My one and only performance on stage at the Royal Opera House was at the age of seven with the curtain down. I attempted to be Nureyev leaping across the stage. One of the old Covent

When the boat flies it is a magical feeling – you can hear the bubbles bursting down the side of the boat because you are so zoned in. Rodrigues (left) on race duty at Henley Royal Regatta Garden porters was in the wings ready to move some scenery, saw me and cried out “Oy, Julia, (my mother’s stage name was Julia Farron) get that sack of potatoes off the stage!” That was the end of a career in dance – but I think some of it came out in my slightly more illustrious career on the river. Where would you put your two Boat Race wins in your list of personal achievements? There is no greater pleasure for a Cambridge man than seeing Oxford recede into the distance – and experiencing that twice was a treat. Especially the second time, when we won

How long had it been between your last rowing outing and joining the crew in the royal barge ‘Gloriana’ for the Diamond Jubilee river pageant in 2012? Were the old skills still there? I own an 1895 skiff which I take to Henley most years and it is like cycling – you don’t forget. You are just not as fit 40 years on! The challenge with the Gloriana is that it is heavy and the oars are much longer and you are on fixed seats rather than sliding ones. So my skiff is good practise as that is fixed seat, too. The risk was that when we saluted the Queen by tossing the oars the momentum would carry the oar out of your hands and into the water. “Sorry Ma’am, could we stop the procession while I get my oar back?” was not in our plans – nor was Prince Phillip’s likely response of “Get on with it you incompetent tosser”! Do you ever miss the tour operating business?

Credit davidyoung11111 – fotolia.com

Not particularly!

Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds

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People outside the industry often think of tourism as a fun activity, but with your background in finance is it fair to say your approach is very much business first and then thinking of the itineraries and destinations that customers might enjoy? Travel is a supply-side industry that is coming to terms with being customer-led.

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Jubilee Pageant and poor food. All fixable!

What is your favourite British destination for your personal breaks, and why?

But we have had nearly 20 Secretaries of State and Ministers in my 10 years. So we are well practised. You turn your back on £25billion of foreign exchange earnings and a fantastic jobs engine at your peril.

My home in the Cotswolds overlooks the Evenlode valley. That’s pretty tough to beat – though the Yorkshire Moors and the Highlands come close. There has been recent financial support for coastal areas. Will we see a return to the heyday of seaside resorts in the UK? The British seaside deserves more accolades than it sometimes gets. And a weaker sterling makes staying at home attractive – so the omens are good. What is the best advice for SMEs wanting to attract foreign tourists? Build a great reputation at home and you’ll have something to sell abroad. What do you think is the biggest turn-off about holidays in Britain for foreign tourists? How is the situation changing overall? It has got a lot better, but the big turnoffs remain poor service, tired accommodation

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With a new Secretary of State at DCMS, how does the prospect of more government funding for tourism in the UK look? We have to make our case again.

More important still – with a weak pound you should be doubling up, not cutting back! How do you think the decision to leave the EU will affect UK tourism, in the short- and longterm? A weaker pound is good for the industry. Staycations have become more attractive and the strength of foreign currencies mean that a visit to Britain is becoming more appealing. If you are happy to admit it, what has been your worst ever mistake during your business career? Not understanding that outsourcing doesn’t absolve you of responsibility. I ran a marketing campaign for American Express which way outperformed expectations. But I had outsourced fulfilment and the

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Credit The Gloriana Trust

Gloriana and the Queen’s Diamond Fortunately our product has improved immensely in the last decade and we have some global leaders in our midst who are leading the way. We just can’t ever rest on our laurels in a highly competitive world. The key is developing a strong service ethic.

entity concerned couldn’t handle the volume. I went from hero to zero in a week and never forgot the lesson. After approaching 10 years as chairman of VisitBritain, what achievement in that role are you most proud of? I said to Tessa Jowell, my first Secretary of State, that success was about “heads in beds, bums on seats and feet through the turnstiles”. All those numbers are a lot higher now than they were in 2007 when I started. If we helped the industry to achieve that then we can say “we done good”. But I am also proud that government is a lot more serious about tourism than it was. It bodes well for the future. Will you have any spare time when you leave VisitBritain, and if so what do you plan to use it for? Not very likely. In May I was asked to chair the British Council – a billion-pound enterprise in 140 countries. I’m not hanging up my oar quite yet! Did you follow this year’s Olympic Games as avidly as four years ago? Who wouldn’t have? Team GB put on a stellar performance. I was lucky enough to be working in Rio during part of the Games and got to see the rowing finals – magic!

View from India

Government initiatives and natural appeal bode well India has attracted tourists of all ages who have fallen in love with its terrain, heritage, culture, traditions, customs, art and crafts, music and dance, architecture, history, cuisine, religious practices and festivals, its holistic healing traditions and diversity which has made them return to this mystic land. An enthralling past, a vibrant present and a promising future have always brought tourists flocking. From the Himalayas to the desert of Rajasthan, to the natural beauty of Kerala and the cultural intensity of Varanasi, India offers something for everyone. Tourism in India has shown a significant growth over the years, with each of its regions contributing something to its splendour and exuberance. Travel and tourism is India’s largest service industry, contributing 6.23% to GDP and accounting for 8.78% of the total employment in the country. The social impact that inbound tourism has contributed is well acknowledged. States otherwise languishing in many aspects have used tourism as a tool to uplift morale, showcase their art and culture, and create a friendly environment for foreign tourists, and they have immensely benefitted from the same.

Markha Valley, Indian Himalaya

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India has witnessed close to double-digit growth in terms of tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings. North America, UK and Europe continue to rule as major source markets with the largest percentage of travellers as far as visitors to India is concerned. This is followed by travellers

Sandeep Jain MTS l Director, Special Holidays Travel Pvt. Ltd.

On the Kerala backwaters from South, South East and East Asia. Robust global economic development, government initiatives and incentives to promote private investments have driven industry growth. The government introduced the E–Tourist Visa (e-TV) for the citizens of 150 countries at 16 airports with a reduced bank charge and revised fees, established on the principal of reciprocity. This initiative is a path-breaking measure by the government in easing entry formalities to the country and which in turn gave a required boost to tourism. Other particularly prominent ones are a multilingual tourist helpline, extensive publicity and promotional campaigns, the Swadesh Darshan scheme launched for the development of theme-based tourist circuits in a way that caters to both mass and niche tourism in a holistic manner. The safety and security of tourists, hassle-free immigration procedures, apps, issuing of welcome cards, infrastructure development and promotion of sustainable tourism are other such initiatives, along with recognising various source markets by organising roadshows and familiarisation. In India we are seeing a major shift in seasonality trends, with an extended summer and early bookers. Another interesting observation this season was the emergence of slow travel, with options of more relaxed, health and wellness packages. Growing demand for soft adventure/experiential travel with original and immersive experiences were high on the travel agenda.

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The growth of boutique hotels, interest in exploring new destinations or regions, innumerable adventure sports opportunities along the length of India’s coastline, the deserts, the wildlife and the beauty of the Himalayas are all supporting emerging travel segments like ad-hoc groups, common or special interest groups, and customized tours. Village boutique hotels, agri-tourism, gourmet experience, campsites… it’s all happening. India is ranked among the world’s top five medical tourism hotspots. This sector is set to grow to $6billion by 2018 on the back of skilled doctors, infrastructure and low costs. MICE is another buzzword where India occupies 35th position in the world. Among the neighbours, only China leads on the world stage whereas other Asian countries are within the competitive range in the MICE market. Air transport in India is still in the growth phase, and the rising demand and increasing buying power has made this sector very attractive. Cruise tourism is another new happening in India with the market all set to grow at an unbelievable pace. International traveller interest in India is on the rise, signalling good news for the country’s tourism industry. Despite impressive growth in tourist arrivals in recent years, I feel that India’s vast potential as one of the largest democracies in the world with a 5,000-year-old ancient civilisation is yet to be explored and tapped.

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South-East Asia Will Macau’s casino-based tourism revenue bounce back? Macau’s surge as the world’s biggest casino gaming hub in terms of revenue is without a doubt unprecedented.

However, since 2014 Macau’s gaming revenue has been declining, causing anxiety and distress for the government, industry practitioners and investors alike. Available statistics from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (2016) indicate that gross gaming revenue fell 10.5% in July to US$15.7 billion. This was the 26th consecutive monthly casino gaming revenue decline since September 2010. The precipitous decline has been attributed, in part, to the so-called anticorruption campaign on the mainland (which has affected VIP patronage), a raised entry threshold for gaming promoters, a government ban on phone betting and the continued slow growth of the global economy. These factors suggest the central government’s role in tourism management and promotion is as important as the external forces shaping global tourism. Parallel declines in tourism arrivals from some principal source markets have taken place even though these have not been documented in as much detail as the casino gaming revenue. The vast majority of visitors are from Greater China (i.e. Mainland China, Hong Kong) and Taiwan. Indeed visitors from Mainland China accounted for 66.5% of total arrivals in 2015. While arrivals from Greater China have been increasing over the years, some regional markets (Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand) and long haul markets from Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy) and North America (USA, Canada) have been declining in recent years.

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Will Macau’s future be bright? More importantly, the amount of time spent in the city by international visitors is relatively short. The average length of stay for all visitors is 1.9 days. Here, too, the reasons are not hard to find. It has been recognised for some time now that many international visitors seek out Macau as a stopover from Hong Kong (just an hour away by 24-hour ferry). This affects the number of activities pursued and intensity of consumption of the city’s product offerings. Currently, an increasing number of international visitors use the city’s international airport, which has in recent years become the preferred point of entry to the Pearl Delta Region. However, even though these visitors regard Macau as the main destination, they tend to spend some of their trip-nights in other destinations such as Zhuhai (Macau’s neighbouring mainland city served by two land borders) and Guangzhou (Capital of the Guangdong Province and a two-hour drive by bus). This tendency appears to be even more pronounced in a situation where gaming entertainment appears to be the main image of Macau in the minds of international visitors despite the fact that most marketing efforts concentrate on the infusion of the city’s Portuguese and Chinese heritage. This shared heritage has been retained and reflected in architecture, festivals, cuisine and general lifestyles.

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Credit SeanPavonePhoto – fotolia.com

From its humble beginnings as a fishing community, Macau has evolved into an international casino gaming success story, surpassing Las Vegas as the favourite casino gaming destination for Mainland Chinese visitors in 2006 and raking in US$7.19billion.

The city has also become famous for the annual Grand Prix. However, it appears visitors make a quick dash for gaming entertainment or visit attractions that can be consumed more easily and quickly. At the time of writing, a three-month public consultation on a 15-year tourism development master plan developed by the Macau Government Tourism Office has ended. The plan among other things seeks to position the city as a world centre of tourism and leisure by developing its tourism products, source markets and service quality. While commendable, this effort may come to nought if the idea is to control or predict tourism. For example, the goal to diversify source markets and target segments may not be achieved if the city’s marketing managers dwell so much on the origin of the visitors rather than the role of the destination. As the discussion presented here shows, Macau is perhaps one of several destinations visited by international tourists during an extended touring trip to Southern China. It may thus prove useful to package the city together with other places in the region such as Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Guangzhou as the only stopover where casino gaming is legal and East meets West. Aaron Yankholmes, PhD MTS l Visiting Assistant Professor, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau

Polar Tourism

Safety and environmental sustainability must be top concerns

In the early days of polar exploration, only a few well-funded explorers had the means to visit the world’s most northerly and southerly regions. By the turn of the twentieth century, organised tours were drawing more people to these spectacular areas, yet polar exploration typically remained the exclusive jurisdiction of the well-heeled.

Bill Davis is Director of Operations at Quark Expeditions, one of the many providers of adventures in the Polar Regions. He started with the company in 1993, when polar exploration was in its infancy, and has taken more than 200 trips to the Arctic and Antarctica. “My first year in Antarctica, I think there were only six ships in total. Now this segment of the tourism industry brings about 30,000 people a year to the region,” he said. Advances in transport and navigation, improved recreational equipment, weatherproof clothing, reductions in the amount of sea ice and a more reasonable climate in the polar seasons are some of the factors creating the increase. The ways in which people experience the Polar Regions have changed, as well. Shore visits to historic sites, prehistoric settlements and wildlife areas play a part in most expeditions. Organisations aim to protect and preserve the Polar Regions As in all areas of tourism, an increasing number of visits creates concerns regarding the protection of these vulnerable regions. Major tour operators recognised the issue in the infancy of polar tourist travel and in 1991, when fewer than 6,500 people were visiting Antarctica, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators

(IAATO) was formed. Its mission is to “advocate, promote and practise safe and environmentally friendly travel to Antarctica” and in the 2013-14 season, 37,000 people visited the region. Another critical organisation, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), came together in 2003 with the goal of “managing responsible, environmentally friendly and safe tourism in the Arctic and strive to set the highest possible operating standards.” Judging the number of visitors to the Arctic is more difficult, because there are many different regions and countries involved. For example, 25,000 tourists visited Greenland in 2008. A year prior, when the Northern Development Ministers Forum conducted a Canadian tourism study, they learned that over 329,000 foreign visitors had been to the Yukon, with another 63,500 visiting the Northwest Territories and between 13,000 and 18,000 travelling to Nunavut. IAATO and AECO create standards and best practices for tour operators to follow when visiting the Polar Regions, but also collect data across these disparate regions. The number of people visiting annually, their citizenship, the activities they participated in (and for how long),

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Credit – Quark Expeditions

Fewer than 100,000 people had visited the Polar Regions by the early 1990s, but that was about to change. Experiential tourism had begun to catch on, and there’s no experience quite like a trip to the Arctic or Antarctica.

and where they went are of particular interest. Through these organisations, we gain access to a more accurate and holistic snapshot of the tourism activities taking place in the Polar Regions. Minimising the impact of polar tourism These insights help drive the standards created by both organisations, which have a direct impact on planning trips to the Polar Regions. There are also numerous permits to be acquired before travel can take place. “There are dozens of permits operators have to apply for in Canada,” Davis explained. “Within each permit, there are several other permits... The same is true in Antarctica, where we must demonstrate that none of our activities will have any more than a minor transitory impact on the environment.” Minimising the impact of tourism on the environment is the primary focus, and permits regulate everything from the fuel tour boats can use to the separation of waste. In Antarctica for example, poultry waste must be kept separate; it can’t be incinerated or disposed of with regular

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“Before and after every landing, there is another biosecurity protocol we use,” Davis said. “That is disinfecting our boots and ski poles and tripods and anything else that we take ashore with Virkon (a multi-purpose disinfectant), so we’re not transporting any pathogens or bacteria from one site to the other.” The other key environmental issue centers around the travellers themselves and the impact they have on the environment. Mandatory guest briefings on every trip cover biosecurity and ensure passengers are aware of their direct and indirect environmental impact – operators don’t want someone putting their hands in a pocket with gloves on and accidentally dropping a tissue or gum wrapper from

a pocket, for example. A grocery bag flying into a penguin colony could cause injury or death to the birds. In addition to being careful not to take anything ashore, passengers are strictly prohibited from returning with souvenirs. Everything is protected. Passengers are refreshed on the rules before each shore visit. The cold does a great job of preserving significant archaeological or historic sites, but human interference can have devastating effects. Whaling stations, scientific outposts and ancient ruins dating back thousands of years each present specific challenges when moving people through and around them. “We make sure everybody is well educated about the site we are about to visit, including no-go zones, sensitive areas, where staff will be, and how passengers will be guided through the site,” Davis said. “Our industry has come a long way and many of the sites we visit now actually have site specific management plans,

which we are obliged to follow.”

Credit – Quark Expeditions

waste. Styrofoam packing pellets are forbidden, and strict biosecurity protocols require that all belongings and clothing worn ashore in Antarctica are vacuumed upon ship return, to prevent accidental environmental contamination.

Some of those plans regulate the time of year sites can be visited, the number of people that can go ashore at a given time, and the way in which they travel through the site. Tour operators police themselves and the sites; if it appears as though rules aren’t being followed, or sites are being adversely affected by tourists, it is reported immediately. “At one site, although it was very clear where we could and could not go, it looked like there was starting to be a path created. It was brought to the attention of our organisation and agreed by all that we would just stop visiting the site in the way that we had before,” Davis said. An opportunity to educate & create advocates Environmental protection aside, companies belonging to IAATO and AECO work hard to support scientists and researchers who work in the Polar Regions.

Northern Lights above Nuuk, Greenland

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Credit ambeon – fotolia.com

Many tour operators offer passage to scientists on their vessels, creating opportunities for research that might otherwise prove cost-prohibitive. This also enhances the passenger experience. Interacting with and learning from onboard experts helps convert passengers to polar ambassadors.

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“I think that most passengers have a genuine interest in these unique parts of the world, and a big component of our Scientists in Residence programme is the educational component. We are here to help educate people about the area we are in and sometimes it is quite enlightening,” Davis said. Continued growth seems to be the future for the Polar Regions. In the past, many vessels used for polar exploration were repurposed ferries, shipping or passenger vessels. Now, there are many more purpose-built expedition ships being constructed, so over the next few years we should expect an increase in the number plying the polar waters. Lynsey Devon l Chief Executive, Heaven Publicity Ltd

A Day in The Life…

Gerry Lennon MTS, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast Here in Northern Ireland, tourism is growing year on year, and Belfast is very much the engine room of the region, making it an exciting industry to be a part of. Having been Chief Executive of Visit Belfast for almost 16 years, I have been privileged to see huge changes in the tourism landscape.

In the last 15 years, overnight visitors to the city have grown from 1.5 million to 6.8 million. Air access has improved as well – with great links to international hubs like London and Amsterdam, Belfast is easier to get to than ever before. My day often starts in the office, although very rarely ends there. After spending some time catching up with my PA, I sit down with Visit Belfast’s senior management team, directors from all four of our departments: Marketing and Communications, Business Tourism, Visitor Servicing and Finance. All four of these departments work incredibly well to keep Visit Belfast growing and improving each year. Meeting with the senior team keeps me updated on the day-to-day running of Visit Belfast, which has a very broad remit. I am updated on our marketing campaigns, which are usually carried out in partnership with airlines, the tourism industry or Tourism Ireland (the organisation that markets the island of Ireland globally). Our latest campaign strapline is “Find Your Belfast” and features real residents of the city describing what they love about Belfast. The people of Belfast are known for being friendly, honest, funny and, most of all, welcoming to visitors, and this campaign will use that to inspire visitors to the city. I also hear about the Visit Belfast Welcome Centre, the city’s TIC, which is

Titanic Belfast operated by Visit Belfast. It is a busy centre, especially today with a large cruise ship (4,600 pax and crew) calling. Passengers can get a shuttle bus into the city centre, so on cruise ships days there is a great buzz of activity. Visit Belfast is a partnership organisation, funded through industry buy-in and funding from Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. As a result, much of my time is spent engaging with our key stakeholders – from our funders Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council, to industry stakeholders like Belfast City Centre Management, or industry partners like Titanic Belfast or Hastings Hotels. Today I am meeting with the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, an industry body that represents accommodation providers in NI. We discuss a number of issues, including the performance of Belfast’s hotels (in 2015, overall occupancy stood at around 78 per cent). We also talk about the future, which for the hotel sector, is very bright. By 2018, there will be an estimated additional 1,200 rooms in the city from a

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Credit – Visit Belfast

Peace in the region has brought prosperity to Belfast, to the tune of well over £1billion investment in hotels, visitor attractions like Titanic Belfast and conferencing facilities like the Belfast Waterfront.

combination of nine new developments, and extensions to existing hotels. Not every day ends with a big event, but this evening I am thrilled to be attending the Belfast Ambassador Awards. The Ambassador Programme at Visit Belfast is a valuable resource of key influencers who work with us to bring national and international conferences to Belfast. It has proven to be incredibly successful, bringing conferences in key sectors like cyber security, agri-food and nursing. Conferencing is a real growth area for us (just last year, we secured conferences that will be worth an estimated £45million to the local economy), and this annual awards ceremony recognises the role that Ambassadors play in the overall success of the Business Tourism team at Visit Belfast. Days are often long in Visit Belfast, but it is quite easy to get up early tomorrow and do it all again. That’s not to say that we don’t face challenges – currency fluctuations and government funding cuts can present problems, but with a dedicated team behind me, and an industry motivated to succeed, I can only see even better times on the horizon.

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Student View The impact of TripAdvisor on consumer decisions TripAdvisor is a popular and widely used review tool in the tourism and hospitality industry. After working in hotels since the age of 15, including a work placement year at Hazlewood Castle Hotel and Day Spa, near York, I found myself very interested in the influence TripAdvisor can have on consumers’ decision making processes. I therefore chose this as my dissertation topic in my final year at Sheffield Hallam University, studying BSc Tourism Management. From my experience working in the industry, hotels place a main focus on TripAdvisor reviews and what consumers are saying. Specifically, they concentrate on preventing negative reviews, and if such reviews do occur, managing and responding to them appropriately. Many of the purchase decision making models that I researched for the dissertation were dated, such as Matheison & Wall’s (1982) tourist decision making model and Moutinho’s (1987) vacation tourist behaviour model. Additionally, the majority of research conducted up to now has tended to focus on reviews posted rather than the images on TripAdvisor; this highlighted a gap in research. TripAdvisor provides both professional and consumer images. In some cases there may be a large difference between the hotel’s own images of its facilities, for example, and what the consumers’ images show. The main aim of the project was to gain an overall understanding of the importance of TripAdvisor in purchase decision making. This was achieved by meeting several objectives: To explore the effect of word of mouth (WOM) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in purchase decision making.

To explore how images on TripAdvisor contribute to consumers’ choice of destinations.

To critically discuss the credibility of TripAdvisor.

To discover, through primary research,

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the extent to which TripAdvisor influences the purchase decision making process. The research process included distributing a questionnaire via social media using the snowball sampling technique, where respondents were asked to ‘share’ or pass on the questionnaire. A target of 50 questionnaires was set, and within a short space of time 95 responses were collected, showing the power of social media! 48.4% of respondents were aged 18-24, a result of the distribution mainly being via Facebook, a social media platform very popular with that age range. The main findings were broken down thematically. Firstly, the use of TripAdvisor, with the most common use being to read reviews. It could be generalised that not many consumers were aware of certain features such as booking flights or hotels as these scored very low in the results. Trust and credibility was the second theme; the findings indicated that TripAdvisor is more trusted than professional print. Thirdly, with regards to the effect of positive/negative reviews, it was found that 84.2% of respondents would not discard a holiday choice based on one negative review. Finally, the use of images within TripAdvisor provided interesting findings. Key themes were that images provide evidence, show clear differences compared with professional images, and provide visual reinforcement/aid decision making

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(confirmed by 36.8% of respondents). Credibility was a key focal point of the project, as consumers seek to find the truth. Respondents identified that images allow for self-judgement and clarification of elements of reviews, thus suggesting a review with an image is more substantial and effective that just a written review. This specific theme, along with credibility, provides implications for TripAdvisor and travel organisations to consider. If consumer images have more of an effect than professional print, should they be encouraged and/or used to advertise? The recommendations for future research included a more in-depth study into the effect of images and how organisations should use these effectively for marketing. Additionally, mechanisms for improving credibility and trustworthiness for TripAdvisor could be researched further to aid the company with its management. I very much enjoyed the dissertation process, and learnt a great deal about TripAdvisor. If I were to carry out the research again, I would aim to get a wider sample as half of the respondents were aged 18-34. It is clear that TripAdvisor plays an integral role in consumers’ purchase decision making and can alter perceptions of destinations and facilities in a short space of time. Emma Cockerill l BSc Tourism Management, Sheffield Hallam University

Tourism Consultants Network TCN members highlight some challenges and solutions from recent assignments The Challenges of Obscurity Moldova is one of those places that you think you’ve heard of but can’t quite place on the map. Didn’t Tintin have one of his adventures there? I had the pleasure of discovering its hidden attractions in late July, on a USAID-funded assignment to make a situation assessment, identify the key issues and draft the ToR for a tourism master plan. Once part of the Roman province of Dacia, it’s sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine (and has direct flights from Stansted). One of the first pleasant surprises is that it’s one of the world’s big wine producers: visits to the remarkable 100km-long underground storage tunnels, and extensive wine tasting, are a highlight of every itinerary. Moldova faces daunting challenges. It’s small, about the size of Belgium, with a shrinking population (c3m), the poorest country in Europe with a GDP of US$6.4BN – my charming multi-lingual companion from the National Tourist Agency earned about US$1800 a year, the average government salary – heavily reliant on donor aid and subject to regional geopolitical tensions. Part of the country, Transnistria, is a selfdeclared but unrecognised autonomous region, living under a Communist regime, that makes for a fascinating if bizarre visit. Moldova’s main export market Russia put an embargo on trade in 2006, meaning that it quickly had to find new markets. As a tourist destination, Moldova suffers heavily from its lack of a distinctive image, never having had the resources to promote itself in its key markets. Its visitor numbers are at the bottom of the UNWTO scale, though it’s unable to measure them accurately; about 1M foreign nationals cross its borders every year, but only 15,500 are staying tourists. At present, tourism marketing is limited to attending the major trade fairs. There is no national Destination Management Organisation. The

Roger Goodacre in Moldova tourism product is essentially cultural and experiential in nature. The rolling countryside is dotted with onion-domed churches and ancient cave monasteries; rural traditions are preserved in immaculate homesteads, small museums and agro-tourism farms; high-quality opera, ballet and music can be enjoyed in Chisinau at US$5 for the best seat; and great pride is taken in local food, homemade wine and fruit-based eaux-de-vie. Spa clinics are popular with older local people but are outdated. Many attractions and assets have potential but are in need of upgrading or unexploited. Increasing tourist revenue is vital. Future growth markets are likely to be among older culturally-curious visitors from western Europe, the US and Asia, sometimes combining Romania and Moldova. The first challenge is to draft a master plan that will unlock the funding for a DMO and sustained marketing and image promotion. Naroc as they say! Roger Goodacre FTS Anatomy of an Asian Icon: How ‘Cuteness’ Drives Tourism Understanding your customers is the perennial first principle of marketing. Peter Rabbit demonstrated the potential of fantasy animals to fire the Japanese imagination and inspire ‘cute pilgrimage tourism’ (cutourism?!) to the Lake District. The story of Kumamon, while almost incomprehensible to western observers, illustrates this principle emphatically.

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I met Kumamon recently at a conference in Beijing, where he stole the show. Kumamon is a cuddly bear mascot and officially appointed ‘Minister of Happiness’ for Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. In spite of there being no wild bears in the Kumamoto region, this cutesy character has generated publicity for Kumamoto far beyond the wildest dreams of most western DMOs. In addition to thousands of ‘Kumamon-hunting’ visitors to Kumamoto, merchandising has taken on a life of its own: there are 385 stores devoted to Kumamon; over 1,000 products have secured a licence to use Kumamon; Kumamon products are sold in almost 1,500 shops in China alone – from flasks to fridge magnets, key rings to cuddly bears, and 996 other bear-branded goods you never knew you needed. Korea and Indonesia are following suit. The Bank of Japan estimates that, in the two years prior to 2014, Kumamon generated ¥123.2 billion (c. £912 million) in revenue! So why did Kumamoto choose this approach to branding their prefecture? Quite simply because the Japanese kanji characters that spell ‘kuma’ mean ‘bear’; and, secondly, because the astute marketers in Kumamoto understood the ‘power of cute’ to capture the Asian imagination… horses for courses, or bears for business. Eat yer heart out, PokemonGo! Tom Buncle FTS Managing Director, Yellow Railroad

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Focus On… BDRC Group The power of benchmarking the customer experience In challenging economic times it’s often spend on understanding customer needs and experiences that’s sacrificed first, just at the time when this insight is needed the most to help make well informed decisions on effective marketing and customer experience investment decisions. How can we get the biggest bang for our buck… well, dime at least? But if we are cute and work with our peers, or even competitors, then we can not only retain this insight at lower cost but enhance it by developing benchmarks on key dimensions which help to set our own performance against others within the sector. Indeed, one of the most frequently cited barriers to decision making within organisations is a lack of understanding about whether or not their own customer experience ratings are good, bad or indifferent. Without contextual sector benchmarks, it’s almost impossible to tell. At BDRC, we have seen considerable uptake of the benchmarking services that we operate across the hotels, hospitality and visitor attractions sectors. Our Venue Verdict service, which benchmarks the experience of business meetings bookers throughout the customer journey across a wide variety of UK venues now has c.350 venues participating. Our Hotel Guest Survey service which benchmarks brand perceptions and experiences is now conducted in 35 countries worldwide. Within the visitor attractions sector, we operate two major visitor experience benchmarking schemes; the ALVA Visitor Experience Benchmarking Survey aimed at benchmarking attractions with over 100,000 visitors per annum and its low cost sister service VisitorVerdict, aimed at attractions with fewer than 100,000 visitors per annum. The ALVA survey has grown from around 40 leading attractions in 2012 to more than 80 today and VisitorVerdict, a relatively new service developed, has a current membership of around 50. Each of these benchmarking services

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seeks to understand four aspects about customers: ■

Who are our customers?

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What are their motivations and needs?

What do they do when they are with you?

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What do they think about their experience?

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To illustrate the power that benchmarking can have, we can look at Pat Dunlop, Commercial Manager of the Roman Baths, Fashion Museum and Victoria Art Gallery (managed by Bath and North East Somerset Council), who has used the ALVA Visitor Experience Benchmarking Survey. Understanding an individual’s underlying motivations for visiting an attraction uncovers a whole host of opportunities. Firstly, it provides insight which can be used to inform the visit experience itself. Pat has used this insight to good effect on the ground, having introduced the ALVA Motivation Segments to the museums’ staff two years ago. Illustrated by the chart above, these motivation segments summarise and benchmark the main reasons for visiting the three Bath sites. Pat fed back that “they made intuitive sense to us and were picked up immediately by the team. There was a huge difference in visitor motivations between our three sites, which really helped us to focus our thinking. The Fashion Museum had always assumed they

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were catering for visitors with a particular passion for fashion, but the ALVA Visitor Experience Benchmarking showed that a high proportion of visitors came wanting to ‘Broaden Horizons’. It has been a real revelation and gave the team confidence that they should think big and tell the History of Fashion in 100 Objects.” Of course, collaborating through benchmarking schemes also helps to uncover trends and insights at a sector level, which benefits the industry overall. The explosion in the influence of peer reviews in the visitor attraction decision process is one such example. Just two years ago, word of mouth influenced 18% of attraction visits. This has now increased to 27%, illustrating the importance of harnessing the power of peer reviews – whether face-to-face or via social media. So if you are considering reducing your customer insight resource or have done so already, then perhaps consider the benefits of working with your peers to share the insights and spread the burden. Afraid of sharing insights about your own customers? Well, according to participants in the ALVA benchmarking survey, the greatest step forward for the service came in 2012, when the decision was taken to share results on a non-anonymised basis, allowing attractions to identify examples of best practice. BDRC Continental is a Corporate Member of the Tourism Society. Steve Mills MTS l Director, BDRC Continental

Discover England Fund

Successful applicants for year-one funding announced

The three-year £40million Discover England fund, announced by government last year, will ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing global tourism industry, by offering world-class English tourism products to the right customers at the right time.

The fund will tackle the challenges of promoting new destinations and meeting new expectations, improving transport connections, and being on top of digital developments and opportunities.

The Discover England Fund successfully attracted an exceptional number of high quality bids, far outweighing the allocated funding available for year one, but after a rigorous process involving VisitBritain/ VisitEngland senior management, external industry representatives and expertise appropriate to the Fund’s objectives, the VisitEngland Advisory Board and subsequently, the British Tourist Authority Board, the first phase of the successful applicants to receive year one funding have been announced. Targeting visitors from a wide-range of both established and growth international markets, these seven bids, described below, collectively cover the length and breadth of the regions of England. They also demonstrate partnership working across a range of tourism businesses, destinations, transport providers, cultural, historic and coastal organisations, as well as the wider private sector. 1. Golf Tourism England Golf Tourism England was set up in 2014 to represent the interests of English golf clubs and support the education

Credit Peter Edwards

In year one (round one) the fund is focusing on smaller-scale, quick delivery projects and pilots that meet customer demand and test new product or new ways of joining up and distributing existing product as well as research to build understanding of customers, markets and product gaps and where appropriate, seed funding to build bids for years two and three (round two).

The Rumps, South West Coast Path 2. Telling the Stories of England: and infrastructure of wider tourism Developing Cultural Tourism stakeholders; it has developed new Products across England for the product strands and unlocked new trade US Alumni and Affinity Tours partnerships, providing a clear pathway to increased inbound visitor volumes. Led by the tour operator, UK Countryside The organisation will work with a range of stakeholders to develop an online platform that brings together England’s golf-related businesses for the Asia, Europe and North America markets. This initiative capitalises on the untapped potential of England’s golf tourism sector and responds to demand from international tour operators who are keen to have better access to England’s wide-range of golf experiences. Yorkshire born Masters’ Champion Danny Willett was quick to praise the government’s commitment: “It is a champagne era for golf in England and I think it is a great move from the government to invest in positioning the country in the minds of international golfers. There is an abundance of great courses … that together create a match for the very best golf destinations in the world.”

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Tours (UKCT), this bid will see the creation of geographic and thematic historical, cultural and countryside tours for the US alumni and affinity (special interest) markets. To develop these tours across England, they will be working in partnership with one of Britain’s most successful and award-winning tour operators, Jac Travel, and UKinbound, as well as with cultural and historic specialists in, for example, Medieval or Georgian England, natural history or art, such as Chatsworth House, the Wildlife Trusts, Historic Houses Association and the Country Land and Business Association.

UKCT Director Jim Dixon said: “Clearly, this is a great honour and a big confidence boost to our new and fast-growing business, to have the backing of national tourism agencies VisitEngland and VisitBritain, and to feature so prominently

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in the PM’s major announcement on tourism. So too, this is also a great responsibility and I look forward to working with some fantastic travel, tourism and countryside partners in the coming months to turn the aspirations of this project into reality.” 3. Gardens and Gourmet

The project was inspired by the fundamental role that both England’s gardens and produce, and the communities that nourish them, have had to play in shaping the nation’s identity. Each partner area will develop its own ‘pilot cluster’ of gardens and gourmet experiences, building on existing industry partnerships to include key attractions, recommendations for places to stay and to eat, and personal recommendations and fresh perspectives on each location from locals. Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE, Chief Executive of Visit Kent, commented: “England has more than 3,600 historic parks and gardens, and delicious local produce, and our goal is to inspire international visitors to go out and explore these regions by arming them with information that only locals would know.” 4. South West Coast Path – Amazing Experiences and Making Memories A whole range of bookable experiences along the South West Coast Path will be brought together using new digital resources, promotion on regional tourism and VisitEngland web sites as well as a public relations campaign, attendance

Chapel Down Winery, Kent at trade shows and online/social media advertising. The holidays will feature active, historical and cultural breaks, including those at locations of the World Heritage sites in Dorset and East Devon and West Cornwall. There will be particular themes such as film and TV, local cuisine and a celebration of the region’s literary and artistic wealth. Target markets are Germany and the Netherlands, as well as other international tourists and domestic visitors. This project will aim to reduce the seasonality of visits. The South West Coast Path Association will work in collaboration with destination management organisations in the South West, to showcase a world-class walking experience listed as one of the world’s greatest walks by Lonely Planet. 5. England’s Seafood Coast Inspired by local chef Mitch Tonks and his celebration of local seafood, this bid from the English Riviera Tourism Company will see them working with DEFRA and local partners to transform the Riviera’s status as an international seafood destination in Western Europe as well as to scope the development of a new national product, England’s Seafood Coast, to attract international visitors.

Incentive England will be operated to a proven model tested in the North of England earlier this year; the programme will see a number of phases of activity delivered concurrently to ensure the provision of ‘bookable’ incentive tourism products across the length and breadth of the English regions. Leopold Marketing MD Leo Platt said: “Through working with established stakeholders, the wider industry and the Fund we will deliver a programme of innovative activity to firmly put the English regions on the incentive tourism map and drive high-quality business to tourism organisations right across the country.” 7. Self-guided activity app Compass Holidays’ current mobile app uses a mapping system to guide tourists. This project will enable them to upgrade their product to provide visitors with rich content on the local area and enable them to make bookings easily – and without a data connection. Local businesses will have free listings/interactive features, driving footfall to attractions, towns and public transport routes.

To grow the volume and value of the incentive travel market in England from China, North America and the Middle East, Leopold Marketing will develop allencompassing incentive itineraries, coach tourism businesses on how to service this valuable sector and engage not only with UK-based Destination Management Companies (DMCs) but also incentive houses overseas to raise awareness and encourage bookings.

Steve Short, Managing Director at Compass Holidays, said: “It has always been really important that we work with local businesses, and that the tourism we generate is of benefit to local economies; we use local suppliers, recommend local places to eat and drink, book independent hotels and B&Bs and encourage our clients to explore the attractions as well as the natural beauty of the area. The funding is incredibly important and will allow us to deliver the service free-of-charge to local businesses; we are then match funding the grant and see it as our way of giving back to the businesses that have supported us for the last 25 years.”

All products, video itineraries and business training resources will also feature on a cloud-based product database.

For more information on the Discover England Fund go to https://www.visitbritain. org/discover-england-fund-overview.

6. Incentive England

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Credit Visit Kent

Visit Kent, working with the destination teams in Cheshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and the Peak District, will package each region’s outstanding gardens and gourmet offer as bookable products, to give international visitors a new high-quality and sensory experience of rural England.

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Gregory Yeoman FTS l Executive Director, Tourism Society

Membership News Welcome to the following new Society Members: Andrew Dalip MTS, Dalmart (Sales & Services) Limited; Richard Mulford MTS, RHS Garden Rosemoor; Jennifer Yard MTS, Visit Kent; Jackie Westlake OBE MTS, Visit Kent; Dr Victoria Waligo MTS, Middlesex University;

Graeme Ambrose MTS, Visit Inverness Loch Ness Ltd; Charlotte Greenwood MTS, Howard’s House Hotel; Dr Sheena Carlisle MTS, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Emma Cockerill, Sheffield Hallam University; Hollie Coffey MTS, Visit Kent; Michela Petruzzo MTS; Louise Wilks MTS, London & Partners; Jonathan

Neame MTS, Visit Kent; Alannah Crouch MTS, Visit Kent; Anne-Maria Makela MTS, Tourism Consultant; John Bridge MTS, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London; Helen Peters MTS, Shakespeare’s England. n Full business and contact details can be found on the Tourism Society’s website.

Events calendar 2016/17

September 15th – TCN and Fellows’ Lunch with Christopher Rodrigues CBE, London

15th – How to grow your business: Smart Social Media Strategies for Tourism Consultants, London October 18th - Media Masterclass, London

27th – Tourism Society Scotland Trends event

November 8th – TCN session at World Travel Market 9th – How tourism can change the world – Tourism Society seminar at World Travel Market, London

December Date tbc – Tourism Society Scotland Christmas Dinner Date tbc – Tourism Society Wales Christmas Lunch Date tbc – President’s Debate January 2017 Date tbc – Prospects for 2017

Media Masterclass

18th October Crowne Plaza London – The City

Hear from our panel of journalists on how to develop the best working relationship to ensure that your stories don’t get spiked. If you work in tourism PR, don’t miss this key event. Speakers Andrew Dent – Chief Executive, Family Traveller Jane Anderson – Editor, Family Traveller Sue Bryant – Freelance / Sunday Times / Family Traveller / Journeys magazine Susan Ward Davies – Travel and Lifestyle Editor, Elle Mariella Frostrup – Journalist and television presenter Full details and tickets on www.tourismsociety.org Just £35 for Society members, including refreshments In association with

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Venue sponsor

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The Back Page Chairman’s View with Hayley Beer-Gamage FTS MTMI

The past few months have certainly seen a flurry of mixed emotions when it comes to our nation. It started with post-Brexit shock and uncertainty, all of which is still to be worked out and will inevitably take some time to do so; more recently, though, the feeling has been one of the sheer pride we all have in Team GB for bringing home 67 medals! Go Team GB! What both these events have done is put Britain on the global radar, albeit for different reasons, but one thing is for sure and that’s that the world has been watching us! This represents a great opportunity for us to capitalise on by upping our game here in the tourism sector. Inevitably with the fluctuating value of the pound after the referendum vote outbound travel may be more of a challenge for the Brits, but on the other side of the coin this can potentially be good news for both inbound and domestic tourism. We are now more affordable to visit from the other side of the pond whilst also being more accessible and more affordable to the domestic market – surely a tourism boom is inevitable?! Well, we can’t look into our crystal ball to the future on what is a fast changing landscape but what we can do is work to the now. Despite the fact that the majority

Photos – Andy Ryan / Team GB

Chasing pots of gold!

Mo Farah of the sector has a consensus that it is underfunded (and sometimes undervalued) by government, what we are now seeing is focus, profile and even money being invested in the sector. VisitBritain and VisitEngland have the £40million Discover England Fund and have invested in the Event Support Programme, and Arts Council England have invested £3million in a second round of Cultural Destinations funding. There is also other money out there through various LEP programmes and

British Olympic women’s hockey gold medallists

initiatives. This also comes at the same time that the Tourism Action Plan was published with support from the new Prime Minister, who states in the introduction: “This is a beautiful country, offering so much to see and do throughout, and we must do everything we can to make sure that visitors are encouraged to explore beyond the capital”. What this has all meant for the sector has been months of bid writing and campaign planning to ensure that we can be part of this with more to come. However, the challenge for many organisations, particularly DMOs, is ensuring we are successful in securing and leveraging the money when there is so much competition for these funds. Collaboration and innovation is the key. Clearly the process is timely and not everyone will be successful, but it is much like the Olympics in many ways in that you are training to get better at it! Even when a bid isn’t successful financially what can happen is new partnerships (teams) are formed and they continue the training to deliver the project and get the money (gold) elsewhere. Even if it may be bronze or silver amounts rather than gold on occasions, they are still ‘wins’. Inevitably the more opportunities that are invested in and developed the more success will be born over time. If you look at the recently announced list of successful recipients in the first round of Discover England Fund proposals, they are strong teams that have trained hard to make it to the semi-finals. However, the finals await and many more will be bidding for round two, where the money is of higher value, the road longer and projects of more impact – and we all need to get training to ensure success. Enough of my Olympic-isms! However, what I hope you will be hearing from me is that there is real opportunity at the minute and we need to grasp it. We know our country, industry and destinations are GREAT – so let’s spread the word and get more visitors enjoying and experiencing what we have to offer. See you at the finish line!