Tourism - Spring 2005 - issue 123 by Tourism Society

The

TOURISM SOCIETY

TOU R I S M

People in all the right places

T h e J o u r n a l f o r t h e To u r i s m I n d u s t r y

Quarter II 2005 Issue 123

Shine Awards 2005 Full report page 19

IN THIS ISSUE: I IN FOCUS The Effects of War on Tourism Destinations Roger Wild Sanda Corak Roger Withers I Inbound Tourism John Crummie I Outbound Tourism Kevin Millington I Tourism Trendspotter Kevin Millington I The Tourism Satellite Account Calvin Jones & David James

The Berners Hotel The Berners Hotel situated in the heart of the West End of London is a perfect retreat in the centre of bustling London, where your can enjoy the epitome of comfort, convivial hospitality and distinctive dining all in exquisitely elegant surroundings. The diversity of accommodation at the hotel is beneficial to your clients offering standard, superior, executive, club rooms and suites. All rooms are comfortably decorated with satellite TV, direct dial telephone, ISDN lines, hairdryer, personal toiletries, bathrobe, trouser press, writing desk and complimentary tea and coffee making facilities. Mini Bars are present in all Superior, Executive and Club Floor rooms and airconditioning is also available in Club Rooms. The Club floor also offers other complimentary benefits including a Boardroom seating up to

I The SHINE Awards Alessandra Alonso

8 pax, shower suite and lounge where tea and coffee can be taken at leisure.

AND

Despite the traditional ambience of the hotel, the Berners offers the latest in technology. Allowing your guests and clients to communicate at any time, anywhere in the world. High Speed Wireless Internet access is available in all public areas and conference rooms providing you with a wireless broadband connection that is up to 50 times faster than standard dial-up Internet access.

Members News Meeting Reports Network News

STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS •

GDS Access Code: UI Amadaeus LONBER, Galileo 03867, Sabre 31473, Worldspan COBER.

The Tourism Society's Annual Conference 2005 will focus on tourism and regeneration. Expert speakers will cover recent regeneration projects as varied as those in Barcelona, Brighton, Margate, Newcastle and the South Wales HERIAN project. There will also be a session on the London 2012 Olympic bid. Sir Bob Scott, Chair of the Greenwich Peninsula Partnership, will chair the Conference on 17th June 2005 at the University of Greenwich, London. A study tour around Greenwich and the World Heritage Sites, a reception on the Cutty Sark, a networking dinner and the Society AGMs will take place on the previous day, Thursday 16th June.

The official charity of the Tourism Society for 2005

Delegates are welcome from all sectors of the tourism industry.

The Berners Hotel, Berners Street, London W1A 3BE, England, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7666 2000, Fax: +44 (0)20 7666 2001, E-Mail: berners@jjwhotels.com, www.jjwhotels.com

e - m a i l : a d m i n @ t o u r i s m s o c i e t y. o r g • w e b s i t e : w w w . t o u r i s m s o c i e t y. o r g

E D I TO R I A L EDITORIAL Professors have been lecturing students on the fragility of the tourism industry for decades. Surely nobody was prepared however, for the devastation to life, infrastructure and economy wrought by the Boxing Day tsunami. The shock caused by the sheer scale of this disaster continues to reverberate around the world, matched only by the outpouring of practical assistance and financial aid. Several months on, the regions affected continue to plead for the return of tourists, who bring much needed hard currency as well as hope that the industry will recover to previous levels. Much has been spoken and written about opportunities to start anew, correct old mistakes and rebuild with sustainable tourism in mind – we can only hope that this eventuates wherever possible, without any adverse effects on the communities involved. The first Tourism Society event of the year, ‘Prospects’ was altered to include a special briefing about the implications of the Tsunami on the tourism industry: see page 24 for the meeting write-up. The attempts of the Indian Ocean tsunami-affected regions to recover their tourism industries sparked the theme of this issue’s ‘in-focus’ section; ‘the effects of war on tourism destinations’. How long does it take a destination to recover? Vietnam, Croatia and Iraq were the areas chosen to look at the effects of war in the past, recent past or present. See pages 7-9 for the full articles. As we all know however, it’s rarely all doom and gloom in the tourism industry! John Crummie MTS reports that 2005 tourism inbound volume is forecast to grow by 3% on 2004 figures (page 5) and Kevin Millington MTS discusses the growth of outbound tourism on page 6, reporting a massive 42% increase in the independent market from 1999-2004. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted the Tourism For All logo on the front cover of this issue of Tourism. We are pleased to announce that Tourism for All is the Society’s nominated charity for 2005. The charity provides information to people with disabilities; expertise and support to the tourism and hospitality sector to provide accessible services for all and a network for organisations and individuals who wish to support their objectives. We encourage all Society members to support Tourism For All throughout the year and hope that you will enjoy reading their newsletter, which will be sent to all members in due course. On a final note, please take a look at the last page of this issue for information about this year’s Tourism Society Conference. The 2005 event will focus on ‘Regeneration: Realising the Power of Tourism’. It will take place in Greenwich and includes a cocktail reception on the Cutty Sark – this could be one of the last times the public will be allowed on the historic attraction before its well-publicised refurbishment! Speakers from a wide range of regeneration projects and a lunch cruise on the River Thames ensure that this year’s conference will be quite an event – miss it at your peril! As always, the Secretariat is pleased to hear from members on any subject. Please feel free to submit feedback on Tourism, letters to the Editor or any other message to us at admin@tourismsociety.org

Carrie England MTS Guest Editor

CONTENTS

The

Chairman’s Page 2005 Calendar of Events Inbound: Funding is the Key to Growth Outbound: All-inclusive Holidays

3 4 5 6

Infocus: The Effects of War on Tourist Destinations – Vietnam – Croatia – Iraq

7 8 9

Tourism Trendspotter

Special Feature The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA): A Vision, Challenge and Reality

Special Feature The End of the Beginning

Special Feature The First SHINE Awards Celebrate the Achievement of Women in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

Special Feature TICs in Cumbria – “The State of the Union”

Special Feature Northern Ireland in Retrospect

Special Feature Sustainable Development, Food and Tourism in Rural Norfolk: A Queen’s Awards Golden Jubilee Research Fellowship Project

Meeting Reports Prospects for 2005 Regional Food and Drink: A British Tourism Asset A London ICC: to be or not to be? that is the question.

Tourism Society Conference 2005

24 26

Network’s News

Book Reviews

Member’s News

The Tourism Society Queen Victoria Terrace, Sovereign Court, London E1W 3HA Tel: 0207488 2789 Fax: 020 7488 9148 Email: admin@tourismsociety.org Website:www.tourismsociety.org Registered in England No.01366846 ISSN: 02613700 © Copyright 2005 The Tourism Society. Tourism is the journal of The Tourism Society. The views expressed in Tourism are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of The Tourism Society. Whilst unsolicited material is welcomed, neither transparencies nor unpublished articles can be returned. The Tourism Society cannot be held responsible for any services offered by advertisers in Tourism. All correspondence must be addressed to The Editor. Tourism is only available to members of The Tourism Society and on subscription, it is distributed quarterly to 1500 professionals working in national and regional tourist boards, local government, travel agencies, and tour operators, visitor attractions, accommodation and catering, entertainment, information services, guiding, consultancies and education and training.

Designed and Printed at The Lavenham Press, 47 Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk, England CO10 9RN. Tel: 01787 247 436.

People in all the right places

Regeneration: Realising the Power of Tourism

Photos courtesy of Greenwich Council

TOURISM SOCIETY

16-17th June 2005 University of Greenwich London

Day 1 – Thursday

Day 2 – Friday

Study tour around Greenwich & World Heritage Sites Tourism Society AGMs Cocktail Reception on the Cutty Sark Dinner

One-day conference Line up of expert speakers Regeneration case studies: N London 2012 Olympic Bid N Barcelona N Newcastle/Gateshead N Brighton & Margate N HERIAN N Leith Port, Edinburgh

For more info contact Flo Powell: flo@tourismsociety.org

Chairman’s Thoughts David Curtis-Brignell FTS

During the planning of the calendar of events for 2005 we did not overlook the fact that by now, election fever would be starting to take a grip. Our annual Question Time at BTTF (3rd March) quizzed politicians from England, Scotland and Wales on their views and plans relating to the tourism industry. Broadcaster Alistair Stewart ensured that the panel did not escape without full answers to questions submitted by Society members.

mmediately we realised the impact of the tsunami on the industry in Asia (and beyond) we acted quickly to arrange an additional element to the planned “Prospects” meeting on 10th January. I would like to thank Ken Robinson FTS for arranging for Geoffrey Lipman FTS (WTO) and Ian Reynolds FTS (ABTA) to provide a very informative and measured briefing. This received significant press coverage and helped to balance some of the concerns raised as a result of media coverage elsewhere. On a happier note the year started with Honours for Victor Middleton, Anthony Climpson and Eddie Friel all of whom now prefix FTS with O.B.E. More recently I was delighted to attend, and present an award at the Shine Award ceremony where honours were bestowed on Sunny Crouch FTS (Woman of the Year) and Sandie Dawe FTS (Public Sector Woman of the Year). Rosa d’Alessandro MTS was runner-up to Sandie. Congratulations to all. It is very pleasing to see tourism professionals (and more especially Tourism Society members) being recognised in this way. Tourism is still seriously under-rated on so many levels and for this reason we are launching a theme to highlight the issue. Undervalued Tourism UK will not just

There could be no excuse for their not being briefed. We have recently issued “The Tourism Society’s Top Ten Points for Tourism” to all the major political parties in the UK highlighting the areas we believe need to be included in their own manifestos for the coming election, The headings are as follows and the full document can be downloaded from the Tourism Society website:

Finally I would like to draw your attention to two key dates this year that I personally hope you will support. Our annual conference (including AGM) will take place in London on 16th and 17th June with the theme REGENERATION - REALISING THE POWER OF TOURISM. Secondly our annual dinner will this year be on Tuesday 15th November. The venue will be different and outstanding. Both events not to be missed – I look forward to seeing you at these or one of the many activities across the UK during the year.

CHAIRMAN’S PAGE

focus on central and local government issues but also on education, career choice and local communities.

Don’t miss the next issue of Tourism! Along with all the regular articles there will be special features on

Funding for Tourism is an investment for Britain

Tourism: effective co-ordination and cohesion

Cultural Tourism and Tourism as a Catalyst

Statistics

Sub-Regional Tourism

Local Authorities – Tourism Policy

Effecting Quality standards

Skills

VAT

Make ICT work effectively

10.

Government must take Tourism seriously

for Regeneration. The Meeting Reports will include Tourism Question Time at BTTF, Weathering the Storm and the Annual Careers Event.

2005 Calendar of Events

EVENTS

APRIL 13th Weathering the Storm: Disaster Response in Tourism Kensington Close Hotel, London MAY 9th Women in Business: Tourism & Hospitality Joint with HCIMA The Berners Hotel, London 9th Striving for Quality within the Tourism Industry Tourism Society Cumbria The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal 11th Domestic Tourism Prospects Tourism Society Yorkshire/Tourism Society Cumbria Holiday Cottages Group, Embsay, Skipton 26th TSS AGM, followed by a seminar on Distribution in the 21st century Tourism Society Scotland , Aberdeen

SEPTEMBER 7th The Cruise Market Tourism Society Yorkshire York Boat, York Date tbc Review of current themes in Scottish tourism Tourism Society Scotland Edinburgh OCTOBER

JUNE 16-17th Annual Conference Regeneration: Realising the Power of Tourism Greenwich, London JULY 7th Tourism in Yorkshire Tourism Society Yorkshire Venue tbc

For more information: www.tourismsociety.org or contact Flo Powell on 020 7488 2789 or email: flo@tourismsociety.org 4

6th Guild of Travel & Tourism Annual Lunch Royal Air Force Club, London Date tbc Conference on foreign language skills and labour s hortages in Scottish tourism Tourism Society Scotland in association with GCU Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow NOVEMBER 10th The Hotel Sector Tourism Society Yorkshire/HCIMA York Marriott, York (tbc) 15th Annual Dinner Venue tbc, London

I n b o u n d : F u n d i n g i s t h e Key fo r G ro w t h . Jo h n C ru m m i e M T S

ongratulations are in order to the VisitBritain team: 2004 saw a growth for the inbound international market of +3% with overall volume around 26 million guests breaking the 1998 record of 25.7 million. Growth was helped by the proliferation of European Low Cost Airlines, greater access to online information and booking channels, the strengthening Euro, energetic sales by carrier & tour operator partners and ‘reaping the fruits’ of labour from the ‘new’ VisitBritain team. However, trade partners want to see sustained inbound growth with the UK increasing its share of international inbound markets. This requires:

1. 2.

Improved targeting of key market and customer segments Timely planning processes and execution of adequately funded marketing campaigns Stronger more focused working relationships with key carrier and tour operating partners Sharper creative focus selling UK areas served by major air and sea ports

On many fronts the VisitBritain team is doing a good job and in some cases, is in the vanguard on innovation and creativity supported by committed trade partners.

Another concerning weakness involves the timing and supply of supporting information from some regional and local tourist offices which does not complement the promotional trust from the VisitBritain work. We are in March and still some local tourism regions do not have their new 2005 Accommodation Guides launched despite getting requests! In 2005 inbound volume is forecast to grow by 3%. This could be blighted by some unplanned geo-political problem, continuing high oil prices or volatile property prices and fluctuating currencies. However, it would be a pity to look back in future years and say growth was not realised due to poor timing in terms of funding agreements and executional detail – internal controllables! The 2005 fundamentals are mainly in place, including a strong thematic proposition with SeaBritain 2005 which features over 300 great events. There is also a recognition by Visit Britain that they need to replicate with sea carriers improved campaigns that mirror their increasingly close and singular partnership with Low Cost Airlines and major city breaks partners. Passenger shipping companies have the potential to boost touring and coach business year round bringing higher yielding business to many relatively ignored parts of coastal and rural Britain, benefiting especially the self catering and heritage sectors. In 2003 members of the Passenger Shipping Association saw a record breaking one million guests cruising with over 44 million trips taken across the total UK ferry network with many

passengers enjoying the inbound UK tourism experience. Ferry companies operate year round routes from Scandinavia, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and Ireland and have invested heavily in modernising their tonnage with relaxing passenger accommodation and leisure facilities. Today’s consumers increasingly demand quality travel experiences – as well as great destinations – passenger shipping provides an unrivalled range of opportunities, aspirational cruising, relaxing and stress free travelling on overnight cruise ferries, the speed and ambient surroundings of short sea travel on fast catamarans, state of the art Ro-Pax vessels or the simple pleasure of travelling the convenient network of domestic ferries.

INBOUND

However, my concern is the fundamental issue of timing. Too often funding is advised too late in partners’ planning cycles and the level of funding on occasions reflects the worst excesses of a ‘stop-go’ approach by Government towards tourism. Growing the UK’s share of voice and improving commercial returns for tourism partners requires a more timely planning approach.

So are we – and the VisitBritain team doing enough to encourage new inbound customers by sea (and air)? The answer is we must do more building on the good work already done and exploiting opportunities linked to investment in holiday accommodation and transportation infrastructure. We need to get the communication mix right between destination - led messages and spelling out the benefits of different modes of travel to access the UK. Get it right and the 2005 target of 27.1 million inbound guests should be achieved. We await a May General Election – let’s hope the winner recognises the strategic importance of dramatically increasing the level of funding to build awareness of the UK tourism brand overseas and being sensitive to the advantages of doing this in a timely and optimally executed fashion. Otherwise, the full potential of the UK as a year round – easy to access destination will not be fully realised. A massive missed opportunity! John Crummie MTS is the Managing Director of DFDS Seaways Ltd

O u t b o u n d : A l l - i n c l u s i ve H o l i d ay s Kevin Millington MTS

those who want one!) and travel insurance. However, an all-inclusive holiday in Spain with First Choice is more likely to include drinks “subject to time restrictions” and limited sporting activities.

OUTBOUND

f the 44 million outbound holidays taken by British residents in 2004, 1.8 million (4%) were on an all-inclusive trip. All-inclusive holidays have been around for some time – the overseas allinclusive was largely pioneered by Club Med after the Second World War, however a number of other operators embraced the concept in the early 1980s. Whilst package holidays have only grown by 11% over the last five years, sales of all-inclusive holidays have risen by an impressive 38%.

Despite this, consumers show a remarkably high satisfaction or perception rating for all-inclusive holidays. According to a recent survey by Mintel, one-quarter of British consumers have been on an all-inclusive holiday and would consider going on another.

Independent (m)

Package (m)

All-Inclusive (m)

1999

15.9

17.8

1.3

2004

22.5

19.7

1.8

Growth (%)

The market is difficult to define, as no two all-inclusive holidays are the same. They vary from the luxury resorts in the Caribbean operated by Sandals and SuperClubs, through the mid-range resorts run by Mark Warner and Club Med, to the (usually) more modest allinclusives retailed by the main tour operators such as Thomson and First Choice. The general rule is: the more you pay for, the more you get. At Sandals, virtually everything is included – not just accommodation, meals, snacks, drinks, and a wide range of sports facilities, but also weddings (for 6

The potential market is also significant with 20% of all respondents having never been on an all-inclusive holiday, but would consider going on one. And significantly, only 3% have taken an allinclusive holiday but would not go again.

Base = 1,958 Adults 15+

I have not been and are unlikely to go on one

I have been and would go again

I have not been but would seriously consider going in the 20 future I have been but would not go again

They are good value for money 39 Prefer to have a choice of restaurants rather than one in the hotel

Too restricting being tied to one hotel/location

Good idea for a short break

You only get cheap/local drinks

Source: NOP/Mintel

Source: International Passenger Survey / Mintel An all-inclusive holiday can be defined as a trip on which most goods and services required by the holidaymaker are included in one prepaid price. Similar to a package holiday, an allinclusive holiday consists of individual holiday components (such as accommodation and transport) bundled together and sold as a single product. However, an all-inclusive holiday usually includes additional elements such as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, some form of evening entertainment, and a selection of sports facilities and other daytime activities.

Base = 1,958 Adults 15+

Source: NOP/Mintel The survey also indicates that 39% of respondents believe that all-inclusive holidays are good value for money. Nevertheless, consumers also appear to be concerned about the restrictiveness of all-inclusive holidays, stating that they prefer to have a choice of restaurants and

don’t like being tied to one hotel. These issues are recognised and tackled by some of the more luxurious resorts, which provide a range of restaurants to dine at, and even allow movement from one resort to another to provide a varied environment. However, another way to address this problem is through the short break. Consumers are becoming increasingly attracted to all-inclusive short break holidays. Not only do these address the problems of feeling restricted – the holiday is not long enough for the traveller to become bored with the environment – but they also fit the general trend of shorter but more regular holidays. In much the same way as easyCruise is attempting to address demand for short and flexible length cruises, all-inclusive resorts offering flexible short-break packages are likely to flourish in the future. Mintel estimate that 1.9 million allinclusive holidays will be taken abroad in 2005. The all-inclusive market is one that is likely to continue expanding in the short to medium term, as long as operators offer a product that is perceived to be value for money, and they continue to exploit niche markets that lend themselves to the all-inclusive concept, such as health, fitness and spa holidays. Kevin Millington MTS is a Director for ACORN Consulting Partnership Ltd.

IN FOCUS: The Effects of War on Tourist Destinations - Vietnam R e v d . R o g e r Wi l d F T S now available. If we have time and money, there is nothing to stop us. Certain groups of people were and still are, keen to go and see.

American journalist, Robert Shaplen, writing at the time of the war, said, “The war has not only done much to destroy Vietnamese society; it has divided and embittered American society more than any other war we have fought since the Civil War”. So why do people want to go to Vietnam? One theory I have is that we have come to live in a world of virtual reality and television pictures; it is often difficult to separate reality from fantasy. What is it that we are shown on our screens? Whose selective view are we receiving? History is constantly being rewritten. Let us go and see for ourselves. The means of getting there is

What is it that attracts the back packer to Vietnam? For any new tourist destination the back packer is always the pioneer. At the present time Vietnam has passed the first stage of tourism development which means that French and American veterans have returned to see the place of their engagement; business men and investors have come to trade their wares. Another factor is that other neighbouring destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have been well visited and are no longer new to tourists. Vietnam provides the opportunity of going somewhere new. It is also a possible gateway to Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. Clean, inexpensive accommodation is readily available, food of all nationalities is there, and a simple haircut comes at a fraction of the UK price, along with a massage should you want it! Cheap tours are readily available. Because it is an independent country with its own culture, language, history and heritage there is much to be seen. Shaplen, again writing at the height of the war, wrote, “ With all the misery

IN FOCUS

hen I first read that Vietnam was being opened up as a tourist destination I was surprised. Vietnam meant war, conflict between north and south, napalm, deforestation, violence. Who would want to go there for a holiday? Surely there would still be running sores. In his book, ‘In Retrospect’, whose pirated version is readily on sale in Ho Chi Minh City, Robert McNamara the then Secretary of Defense for the USA writes, “We of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations who participated in the decisions on Vietnam acted according to what we thought were the principles and traditions of this nation. We made those decisions in the light of those values. Yet we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why”.

What is this country that is part of Indo-China? Or as the French with a more exotic sounding title call it, Indochine. Sandwiched between the giants of India and China it is a meeting place of cultures, languages, religions and peoples. My impression is that the Vietnamese, made up of fifty-four ethnic groups, are fiercely nationalistic and independent. Twice in their history they have thrown out the Chinese and then the French and finally the Americans. What is it in their character that gives them the strength and tenacity to do that? There is still some mystery left in their national psyche and much natural beauty to be seen.

and destruction the war has caused, Vietnam remains a land of transcendent beauty, and no part of it is more beautiful than the central coastal area reaching from Phu Yen Province up to Quang Nam province… many of the heroes of the nation’s historic antiChinese and anti-French struggles were born here”. For those from the west interested in the postcolonial world and the development of nationhood there is much of interest. There is a distinctiveness about Vietnamese culture. If one’s interest is less academic, there is art, architecture and food of every kind. Sadly, just as war is part of human culture and ‘civilization’ so are its effects and aftermath. Having been once to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hue I would be happy to return. If you ask how has the country recovered from war, there are probably as many views as there are people. In my view the country is working for unity but with a lingering legacy of pain and hurt. Thanks to the open-door policy of the government since 1986 which was a turning point, new opportunities have been created for investors and tourists to come to Vietnam. Before that date Vietnam received a lot of support from the Soviet Union but with its collapse so the support came to an end. Singapore with its dynamic economy, along with other countries, made trade agreements with Vietnam so began the movement of personnel, families and friends and the development of the travel package. The last flight from Saigon to America was on April 24th 1975, carrying a load of fleeing Americans. Recently a plane flew for the first time from San Fransisco to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): it opened a new route between the two countries, signalling changing relations. It carried businesspeople, tourists and returning Vietnamese. Revd. Roger Wild FTS is a lecturer for the Trinity Theological College

IN FOCUS: The Effects of War on Tourist Destinations - Croatia D r. S a n d a C o ra k

IN FOCUS

roatia is a Mediterranean tourism destination and a country with a long tourism tradition. Although Croatia started to develop its tourism at the end of the last century, intensive tourism development belongs to the period after the World War II, when the phenomenon of mass tourism made a substantial contribution to the economies of all Mediterranean countries. Every Mediterranean country has its own specific characteristics coupled with its respective economic and tourism development. Croatian tourism was affected mostly by two factors: the demand of the inhabitants of Western and Northern Europe for a stay in the sun and at the clean sea, and the country’s proximity to the main generating markets. The interest of tourist consumers in the Croatian Adriatic coast has had a direct impact on the construction of tourist facilities on the coast and islands, which between them account for approximately 95 percent of all tourist overnights in Croatia. The life cycle of the Croatian tourism product is characterised by intensive growth, which was followed by stagnation of the tourism flows in the late eighties. Croatia failed to keep up with the growing demands and the change of tourists’ preferences and started to lose its market share. All the tourist flows in Croatia practically came to a halt in the 90’s due to the War of Independence and now Croatia is once again back to the tourist market. This time, the main goal is qualitative growth oriented towards emphasizing its tourist identity – Central European and Mediterranean cultural heritage and lifestyle.

Crisis and recovery At the beginning of the ‘90s, the conflict in Croatia started, and the War stopped not only tourism development, but also directly or indirectly destroyed a lot of existing facilities, primarily hotels. The first free elections in Croatia after World War II meant not only establishing democracy but also introducing changes in the economic system – from so called planned economy to the market

economy. The transition process started and took place during the War in the worst possible conditions. Tourism, compared with the other industries, suffered probably the most from the war – direct and indirect losses in tourism are estimated around 20 billion US$. The privatisation process that started during the War did not bring the expected new quality and necessary changes in tourism. During the War, there were almost no tourism activities in many destinations. As tourism flows stopped for 5 years and more, particularly in Dalmatia, local people spent their savings and had to start a renewal of old economic activities they had abandoned before, like agriculture, vineyards (especially in Istria), orchards and fishing. Fortunately, that brought a new view on the complexity of tourism development for the local population. They realized that monocultural development brings insecurity to their (economic) life and that there are possibilities for the development of complementary activities to tourism with the ability to attract new tourist segments. Due to the Kosovo crisis the number of arrivals and overnights are showing that the recovery of Croatian tourism is faster from 1997 with a decline in 1999. It can be concluded that the real recovery of Croatian tourism started in 1997 when the tourism industry achieved about half of the total number of overnights (more than 4 million). In the period 1997-2002 arrivals of foreign tourists were growing with a rate of 10.7 percent. Such figures show a definite improvement on the deflated number of arrivals seen during the war years of 1991-95. For example, there were only 1,271,000 foreign tourist arrivals in 1992. In 2004, about 8.6 million tourists visited Croatia and they accounted for about 46.8 million overnights according to the Croatian Central Bureau of Statistics. There is no doubt that the major strengths of the tourism product stem from natural and geographical

characteristics (Adriatic sea, landscape, climate and proximity). The slow down of the last decades’ tourism development helped in the preservation of the environment. While many destinations are attempting to diversify their product Croatia is still known only as a country with a beautiful and clean sea. But that is no longer a sufficient attractiveness factor for a client who increasingly seeks varied and active leisure. Even a new promotional slogan for Croatian tourism “Croatia – Mediterranean as it once was” emphasises the unspoilt natural beauties of the Adriatic coast. It can be suggested that the main tourism product is the ‘sun, sand and sea’ product accounting for about 80% of all overnights in the country. Second, the most developed summer product is nautical tourism and it accounts for about 10% of overnights. The indications are that nautical tourism will continue its growth trend. Conferences and rural tourism are two products that are gaining bigger shares every year. Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Opatija are setting the standard when it comes to investing and organizing various conferences, conventions and seminars. Istria the most developed tourist region is successfully developing rural tourism. The majority of the recent studies and papers on Croatian tourism conclude that the main advantages tourism can bring are not fully appreciated. Climate in combination with natural attractions (and national parks in the hinterland of the coast) and then rich cultural heritage are considered among the main tourism resources. Recent national survey results show that tourists visiting Croatia participate in many activities; today they are more satisfied with the quality of the tourism product than a few years ago and they also spend more (average daily expenditures per person is 49 euros, according to the Institute for Tourism, 2005). It seems that a real success story of Croatian tourism has already started. Dr. Sanda Corak is the Director of the Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia.

IN FOCUS: The Effects of War on Tourist Destinations - Iraq R o g e r Wi t h e rs F T S

Iraq was always a specialist destination for a limited number of Western tourists, most incoming tourists came from other Arab countries, and neighbours such as Iran. Since the Iran/Iraq war Iranians may not have returned but Arab tourists came right up to the invasion by American forces, and Arab pilgrims have already started to return for religious festivals.

Country, and Kerbala was thronged with pilgrims for Eid.

Tourism, as with all Iraqi industries, has had many years of central control, which limited innovation and the development of modern serviceorientated enterprises. All Arab states Nevertheless, countries can put the are traditionally welcoming, and most dreadful events behind them and tourism is an industry that has the returned to mainstream tourism. potential to do well, given the Unfortunately, opportunity. If Iraq is going to benefit Unfortunately, Iraq there is no simple from a flourishing tourism sector is not the only formula. Research . . . Since the Iran/Iraq country to have sooner rather than later, then the new has shown that war Iranians may not Government must recognise that a suffered because of each destination more open approach is needed. They the Middle East have returned but Arab finds a different must allow the commercial sector troubles. Israel has way back, and tourists came right up to seen a flourishing freedom to meet both Arab and foreign each country has the invasion by American tourism industry market needs without hindrance, and to create its own forces . . . to be innovative in the way it develops brought to its path and timescale new tourism services. The global knees, while in to recovery. industry that Iraqi tourism will be reSyria Western entering is very tourists deserted in large numbers. Yet, There is no logic to the way tourists different, and presents a much more Syria has been able to replace its lost view a particular destination. Ten competitive environment, than they Western tourists with increased years after a globally reported famine, encountered before. A new approach numbers of Arab tourists who, in turn, Ethiopia was still battling against an is needed that does not over-regulate abandoned European and American image of a country filled with starving the sector, and government must trips because they feel unwelcome. children, while just a few months after recognise tourism tourists to the Yemen had been as a market-led Iraq’s tourism massacred by terrorists, UK tour industry. There is recovery will come operators were being asked by their . . . and Arab pilgrims a great deal of not from the West, customers to re-open tours to that have already started foreign goodwill, but from country. but the tourist will neighbouring Arab to return for religious choose to come states and the Gulf. Sometimes the best response requires festivals. . . back to Iraq or Major attractions lateral thinking. Egypt suffered from not, depending on for these tourists major terrorist activities in the early what is on offer. may not be historic 90’s, and suffers today by its proximity The Iraqi tourism industry and the sites, but will always include the to Palestine. However, one of the most Government will need to look outside religious shrines for the faithful, the popular places for winter sun for 2005 of Iraq for the latest ideas and for shorturban attractions of Baghdad such as is Egypt’s Red Sea coast. The difference term help, because acceptance of its souks and entertainment, and the is that Sharm el Sheik and Hurgurda professional support will speed up the cooler riverside towns where Gulf are being promoted as “the Red Sea re-development of a sector that can, in Arabs can get away from their Riviera”, and Egypt is often not turn, smooth the progress of Iraq back blistering summer heat. Of course, mentioned in the promotion. into the world community. business tourism will return as the economy recovers, and Iraq can build When Montserrat lost most of its on its central location to re-establish island, and nearly all of its tourist Roger Withers FTS is a Senior Partner at itself as a regional meetings host. It accommodation, to an erupting The Tourism Partnership. Roger was also the goes without saying that for any real volcano, a new tourism industry arose principal author of the UNCTAD report tourism recovery, security must be based on incoming day excursions, “The impact of natural and man-made assured and damaged infrastructure with new customers being found disasters on tourism development”. restored. But already visiting friends amongst those staying on neighbouring and relatives are appearing around the islands such as Antigua.

IN FOCUS

he eventual recovery of Iraq frequently seems to be unachievable. Day after day the papers and TV are full of bloody images, and any potential for resurrecting a viable tourism industry appears to be beyond their reach.

TOURISM TRENDSPOTTER

S a u d i A ra b i a – B i g M a rke t , B i g P ro s p e c t s Ke v i n M i l l i n g t o n M T S

espite the political unrest in the Middle East over recent years, the World Tourism Organization predicts that tourist arrivals in the region will grow faster than anywhere else on the planet over the next 15 years.

Whilst this might seem an unlikely forecast, it appears to be reasonably accurate. WTO’s 2020 Vision study predicted that inbound tourists to the Middle East would grow at an average annual rate of 7.1% between 1995 and 2020. This is a full three percentage points above the predicted world growth rate of 4.1%. It could be argued that this growth will come from a relatively small base - around 29 million tourists visited the Middle East in 2003, compared with 399 million in Europe – and is therefore easier to achieve. However, despite the troubles in many countries across the region, tourism to the Middle East is on the up. Statistics show that 2003 was a poor year for world tourism. The outbreak of the Iraq war and the spread of SARS in South East Asia led to tourist arrivals falling globally by 1.7%, and in some regions, such as East Asia/Pacific (-9%), the drop in tourist arrivals was much greater. However, amidst all of this, the Middle East turned in an impressive growth rate of 3.4%, largely buoyed by a large increase in arrivals to Egypt and Lebanon. The strong representation of countries from the Arabian Peninsula at international trade exhibitions, such as WTM and ITB in recent years demonstrates their undimmed enthusiasm for tourism promotion in spite of the region’s current image problems. Not only do all offer sun, warm seas, antiquity and a refreshing cultural change from the increasing sameness of “western” societies, but also a welcome bolt-hole from the greyness that is winter in much of nearby Europe. In many cases they also need and welcome the tourism industry’s money to help their own balance of payments. However, Saudi Arabia, a country four times the size of France and sitting on one quarter of the earth’s known oil reserves, has other objectives. One of the principal drivers for developing the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia is to generate jobs. With a current population of around 25 million and a growth rate that will see this rise to around 40 million by 2020, employment is a key issue. Against this background, the Supreme Commission for Tourism in Saudi Arabia was established in 2001. Headed up by the energetic and effective Prince Sultan bin Salman – the first Arab to travel into space, by 2003 Saudi Arabia had participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) for the first time, and had launched a range of marketing materials including a web site and comprehensive brochure-information pack.

But it is not just inbound tourism to Saudi Arabia that is set to change in the coming years. Saudis travelling abroad have long been attractive consumers due to their relatively high spend. The characteristics of this market and the destinations they travel to

changed considerably after the events of September 11th, when suddenly, countries that were once popular with Saudis, such as the USA, almost disappeared from the tourist map.

Inbound Facts and Figures Around 7.3 million tourists visited Saudi Arabia in 2003, spending an estimated £3.3 billion. Growth in arrivals over recent years has mainly been driven by a sharp increase in travel from the Middle East and South Asia – with Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman and Iran exhibiting the sharpest growth rates. Just over one-third of all arrivalstravelled to Saudi Arabia for religious purposes – essentially to perform Hajj or Umrah (often called the ‘lesser Hajj’, which, like the Hajj, involves a pilgrimage to Mecca). A further third travelled for business purposes, with the remainder split roughly 15% visiting friends and relatives, 5% leisure, and 10% other purposes. The average length of stay was approximately one week. At present, nationals from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries – that is Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and UAE – do not require a visa to enter Saudi Arabia. All other nationals need an invitation from a “sponsor” to enter the country. Consequently, leisure tourism is restricted to those who can obtain the necessary invitation to travel. Muslims, on the other hand, have the option of applying for an Umrah visa, which does not require an invitation. Prior to 2000, holders of an Umrah visa could not spend more than 15 days in the country and were not permitted to travel outside of the Jeddah-Mecca-Madina corridor. These restrictions have now been lifted and it is possible for pilgrims to travel throughout the Kingdom for 30 days. This has given rise to the “Umrah Plus” market concept, which seeks to attract highincome Muslims who wish to perform Umrah, and then stay on in the country either to visit friends and relatives or for other leisure purposes. In another new initiative, the Supreme Commission for Tourism aims to issue visit visas for leisure travellers in the next few years. This should open up the inbound market, in particular for the non-Muslim market, although it is likely to be restricted to group travel initially.

Outbound Facts and Figure With nearly one-half of its population in the upper socioeconomic strata, Saudi Arabia is a wealthy nation with the largest GDP in the Middle East. In 2003, Saudi residents took 4.1 million tourist trips abroad, spending an estimated £2.3 billion. This makes Saudi Arabia the Middle East’s largest tourist generating country by some margin. Over one-third of these 4.1 million trips were taken during July and August when Saudi residents traditionally escape the heat of the Arabian Peninsular and travel overseas. The majority (67%) of all trips were for leisure, with the remainder being split in a roughly equal proportion between business tourists and those visiting friends and relatives. The average length of stay is relatively high – at just over two weeks (15 nights). The most popular destinations for Saudis in 2003 were the UAE, Egypt and Syria, all recording over 600,000 visits. Whilst the UK used to receive over 100,000 Saudis in the late 1990s, since 2001 the figure has dropped and in 2003 it was estimated at around 45,000.

Inbound Forecasts and Indicators I

The Supreme Commission for Tourism estimates that tourist arrivals to Saudi Arabia will almost double over the period to 2020, reaching around 13 million. This estimate is relatively conservative, and is likely to be exceeded. Umrah performers are expected to increase significantly over the next 10 years as Saudi Arabia promotes itself to the Muslim market – in particular in industrialised countries. Umrah is spread over a longer period of time (approximately 11 months) compared to Hajj (only a few days), and hence is not so restricted by capacity constraints in Mecca. Increasing, but still small, numbers of niche market tourists from Europe (and to a lesser extent, North America) will start visiting Saudi Arabia to visit sites of historical and natural importance. These will include the Hejaz Railway (of Lawrence of Arabia fame), and Madain Saleh, which will increasingly be linked with Petra in Jordan as a two-centre trip. Whilst the holy cities of Mecca and Madina are offlimits for non-Muslims, both Jeddah and Riyadh offer sites of architectural and historical interest.

Outbound Forecasts and Indicators I

Outbound tourism from Saudi Arabia is predicted to grow at over 5% per annum over the period to 2010, generating at least 6 million tourists by the end of the decade. Following the events of September 11th, regional tourism authorities in the Middle East increased cooperation with each other to promote travel within the region, in an attempt to offset the impact of the reduction of tourists from Europe and elsewhere. This trend will continue with increased investment in tourist facilities in Middle Eastern countries ensuring that these destinations are more attractive than ever before. Consequently, intra-regional travel will compete strongly with long haul destinations, in particular those in Europe. Destinations in Asia, in particular Malaysia, but also Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent Australia and New Zealand will continue to grow in popularity at the expense of the more traditional holiday destinations in Europe such as the UK and Switzerland. Other countries will join in the fight for the Saudi tourist, including the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Seychelles. India and Sri Lanka also have strong pulling potential. Against this growth in outbound travel, the Supreme Commission for Tourism will increasingly promote domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia. If this is successful it could lead to significant growth in domestic holidays over time, and this in turn is likely to adversely affect outbound traffic as tourists decide to stay at home.

TOURISM TRENDSPOTTER

Forecasts

Opportunities Inbound Opportunities I

The attraction of Saudi Arabia as a destination for Muslims is immense, and consequently there is considerable scope for travel agencies and tour operators to establish up-market packages for middle and upper income travellers to visit Mecca and Madina to perform Umrah. In addition to this, there are opportunities to offer “add on” packages for further travel within the country. Difference is an increasingly attractive commodity in a world where societies increasingly resemble one another. As a tourist destination Saudi Arabia has that difference, as it resembles one of the few countries left in the world that has not been overpopulated with tourists. As it opens up to tourism, it offers many products - these include world class diving in the Red Sea, the world heritage site of Madain Saleh – which matches Petra in Jordan, and a quarter of a million square miles of desert in the Empty Quarter.

Air access is important, with 50% of all outbound trips being by plane. British Airways’ recent decision to withdraw from Saudi Arabia at the end of March will leave Saudi Arabian Airlines offering the only direct link to the UK, which is expected to adversely affect travel between the two countries. Destinations without a direct link could look at promoting themselves as a twin destination with a country that does – offering connecting flights between the two.

Countries that have invested in a physical presence in the Saudi market have in turn benefited through increased arrivals of Saudis; this helps build rapport with the travel trade and also better understand the Saudi consumer. Saudi tourists tend to travel in large family groups, and therefore prefer hotels with adjoining rooms, or apartments that provide additional privacy. Location is important to them, in particular good access to restaurants and entertainment centres.

Outbound Opportunities I

Saudis prefer city holidays rather than touring and countryside locations. Those tourists who do tour, or visit leisure parks and other activities tend to do so from a city base. Shopping is a major activity during the vacation. Marketing to the Saudi consumer should focus on these characteristics.

Kevin Millington is a Director of Acorn Consulting Ltd, specialising in tourism development, economic impact and forecasting. (www.acorntourism.co.uk)

Th e To u ri s m S a t e l l i t e A c c o u n t ( T S A ) : A Vi s i o n , C h a l l e n g e a n d R e a l i t y

SPECIAL FEATURE

C a l v i n Jo n e s & D av i d Ja m e s F T S Acknowledgement: This paper is more complete due to the generosity of the World Tourism Organisation in allowing extracts of the work of many of its published papers to be freely drawn upon.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to share with a wider audience a fuller perspective of the Tourism Satellite Account. The TSA is currently in various stages of development in nearly sixty countries. It is a new and powerful tourism statistical tool. It shares the same definitions, accounting procedures and methodologies as Systems of National Accounts approved by the United Nations (SNA 93). The challenge is to ensure that the system of tourism statistics and professional partnerships are sufficiently robust to create a worthy mirror to wider SNAs, hence the title of this paper.

The Technical Workshop on the Implementation of National and SubNational Tourism Satellite Accounts, held in Glasgow, 10th and 11th February 2003, brought together the prime UK National and Regional Government departments, Government agencies and Tourist Boards, along with the World Tourism Organisation, and the Canadian Tourism Authority. This meeting provided the catalyst which has allowed the commissioning of a series of TSA development projects for UK, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, both North and South. These projects are now reporting, and work continues.

BACKGROUND

The following are the opening paragraphs of the introduction by Francesco Frangialli, SecretaryGeneral, World Tourism Organisation (WTO), to the “General Guidelines for National Tourism Administrations

(NTAs) relative to the development of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)”, Madrid, February 2002. “The methodological design of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), proposed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), was approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) at its thirty-first session (29 February – 3 March 2000). This endorsement marked the conclusion of a long period of work initiated in 1995, in which a broad-based group of international organizations in addition to the aforementioned bodies, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the International Hotel and Restaurant Organization (IH&RA), etc. and over forty countries contributed their experiences and viewpoints, finally enabling us to come up with a universally accepted international standard.”

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The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) provides us with a means of separating and examining both tourism supply and tourism demand within the general framework of the System of National Accounts.

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We are, therefore, dealing with a radical change of focus, which consequently alters our information requirements insofar as the data we now need to obtain differs from that currently available in the vast majority of countries. This is perhaps best illustrated by considering the variety of information that can be obtained from the TSA, concerning:

from a measurement standpoint is associating their purchases to the total supply of these goods and services within a country.

The TSA: I

Tourism is a unique phenomenon as it is defined by the consumer or the visitor. Visitors buy goods and services both tourism and non-tourism alike. The key

provides credible data on the impact of tourism and the associated employment is a standard framework for organizing statistical data on tourism is a new international standard endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission is a powerful instrument for designing economic policies related to tourism development provides data on tourism’s impact on a nation’s balance of payments provides information on tourism human resource characteristics.

Why do you need a TSA? Development of a Tourism Satellite Account framework has been fuelled by the recognition that its implementation will serve to: I

SO, WHAT IS A TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNT (TSA)?

A Satellite Account is a term developed by the United Nations to measure the size of economic activities that are not defined either as industries in national accounts or a cluster of them. Tourism, for example, impacts heavily on industries such as transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment and travel agencies.

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increase and improve knowledge of tourism’s importance relative to overall economic activity in a given country; provide an instrument for designing more efficient policies relating to tourism and its employment aspects; and create awareness among the various players directly and indirectly involved with tourism of the economic importance of this activity; and by extension its role in all the industries involved in the production of goods and services demanded by visitors.

So what does it all mean? … Well, we will be able to measure: I

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tourism’s contribution to Gross Value Added (GVA; or Gross Domestic Product. GDP) tourism’s ranking compared to other economic sectors the number of jobs created by tourism in an economy the amount of tourism investment (albeit at later stages of development) tax revenues generated by

tourism industries tourism consumption tourism’s impact on a nation’s balance of payments characteristics of tourism human resources.

Key dates relevant to the creation of the TSA 1983 WTO presents “Determination of the importance of tourism as an economic activity within the framework of the National Accounting System” 1991 WTO International Conference on Travel and Tourism Statistics in Ottawa 1992 OECD developed its Tourism Economic Accounts 1993 Adoption of the System of National Accounts (SNA) 1994 Adoption of the WTO/UN Recommendations on Tourism Statistics 1995 Canada’s initial national Tourism Satellite Account is announced - OECD issues first guidelines for a TSA 1995 Adoption of a legal framework for an integrated system of basic statistical information on tourism supply and demand developed by Eurostat 1999 Enzo Paci World Conference on the Measurement of the Economic Impact of Tourism in Nice 1999 Creation of the WTO-OECEEurostat Inter-Secretariat Working Group 2000 Adoption by UN of the TSA methodology 2001 CTC Conference on Tourism Satellite Accounts in Vancouver. 2003 Technical Workshop on the Implementation of National and Sub-National Tourism Satellite Accounts, Glasgow 2003 Second Technical Workshop on the Implementation of National and Sub-National Tourism Satellite Accounts, Cardiff 2003 UK TSA Advisory Group established by DCMS 2004 UK TSA First Steps Project Report published by DCMS

SPECIAL FEATURE

tourism’s contribution to the economy of a given country and its ranking relative to other sectors and in comparison with other countries. By evaluating and using this information, both public bodies and tourism enterprises will increase their capacity to influence decisionmaking at all levels of the Administration. industries that benefit from tourism, and to what extent, particularly industries that are not traditionally associated with tourism. For example, certain enterprises will be able to determine how tourism influences their business performance and subsequently use this information to enhance their business strategies and thus competitiveness. the amount of tax generated as a result of tourism activity, which is an important factor in terms of convincing public authorities to design incentives for boosting tourism investments. data relative to visitor demand and the extent to which it is matched by domestic supply. improvement of knowledge concerning jobs generated by tourism and their characteristics, without which the creation of really useful employee training programmes in more characteristic tourism activities can prove to be a haphazard exercise.

Who can benefit from it and how? The TSA provides decision-makers with a tool for:

SPECIAL FEATURE

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policy making reliable data on the impact of tourism on the economy and on employment measuring domestic and nonresident tourism and the associated employment comparisons with other economic sectors and in the future, international comparisons.

It is a partnership involving: I I

I I I I

World Tourism Organization (WTO) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) United Nations (UN) Eurostat Government Statistical Agencies National Tourism Administrations Central Banks.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIP IN DEVELOPING TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNTS

Background The development of a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) requires a diverse knowledge base consisting of those individuals who understand the statistical nature of the information to those who know the requirements of the tourism businesses and organizations who will use the information. Therefore, a multidisciplinary team that can partner and share the resources and required skill set is needed in order to develop a country’s TSA. The nature of the principal actors in the national arena varies considerably since they have different purposes and requirements related to the TSA.

In a broad sense, the key players required in the development of a TSA include: Agencies that produce statistics and supply basic tourism information such as: I National Statistical Offices I National Tourism Administrations 14

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Central Banks Associations of national tourism enterprises.

Information producing units such as tourism businesses and establishments, and other public departments, including: I Transportation Departments I Customs and Excise I Immigration

and others, contributions to the preparation of a TSA. I National Tourism Administrations would be able to meet many of the long-standing demands of the sector for information on the performance of inbound visitor expenditure in terms of main source markets, destinations and tourism products consumed; and

Potential users of the tourism information that is produced including: I Tourism industries I National Tourism Administrations I National Statistical Offices I Central Banks I Tourism Industry Associations I Academics. There is no doubt that the extensive TSA database provides more robust information and enhances the decisions taken by the various stakeholders in the tourism sector. For example: I

they would be able to develop new indicators for monitoring tourism trends in relation to total expenditure incurred in the country – per person and per trip, the amount corresponding to package tours and a long list of etceteras, all of which would contribute to enriching and increasing existing knowledge of tourism activity. I

understanding how the various forms of tourism (inbound, outbound and domestic) interact in the national economy the ability to gauge both the weight of the tourism expenditure incurred by the various visitor categories (international and national visitors, tourists and same-day visitors) the weight of tourism activity in terms of outputs for tourismrelated industries

they would be able to compare the data generated by these two sources, with the additional advantage of gaining access to estimates of expenditure associated with different categories of travellers (tourists and sameday visitors) and the corresponding countries of residence.

Structure and Relationships In every country there will be many stakeholders who will contribute to, and benefit from, the launching of a TSA. National Tourism Administrations (NTAs), the National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Central Banks (CBs) and a variety of other government departments all have a vested interest in obtaining the type of information that can be derived from a TSA, albeit for different reasons. It is, therefore, vital that an effective working group is established to create a proactive and synergistic platform wherein all stakeholders can consider their own,

Central Bank would obtain an alternative source of information other than bank records, which are used in practically all countries, for estimating the “travel” item of the Balance of Payments; and

National Statistical Offices would be able to determine the structure of expenditure in terms of purpose of trip, identifying business trips, with a view to calculating how much of this expenditure really corresponds to visitor consumption (e.g. in the case of tourism analyses) or to the intermediate consumption of tourism industries (as per National Accounts requirements); and

they would be able to estimate a value attributed to second homes owned mainly for tourism purposes.

TSA Working Group Leadership It would be reasonable to assume that the technical chief of the TSA project should be a statistical expert in the field of National Accounts, which, barring certain exceptions, is the department best qualified to implement the TSA. Personal experience in the field of National Accounts (as a framework for integrating the entire General System of Statistics) can prove to be highly valuable when it comes to delimiting the statistical tasks required to develop the TSA. Guidelines for Consideration I The launching of a TSA must be underpinned by data on tourism expenditure generated by surveys I The task of setting up these surveys would be the most important technical contribution that a NTA could make, from the perspective of meeting its stated aims in the field of policy design, developing the system of tourism statistics and preparing the TSA I WTO recommends the creation of an Inter-institutional Platform (e.g. a committee or commission) I Where appropriate, such a Platform should be headed by the NTA in the person of its most senior qualified officer I The members of this Platform should at least include the NSO, the CB, other public agencies that are important administrative

Rationalising Required Resources Once the Platform has been created and the corresponding technical team formed, steps may be taken to begin the process of developing the TSA, to which end – and this is highly recommended – a realistic schedule should be established together with the inputs that are required in each phase of this process as per the specific requirements of the NTA. Broadly speaking, this schedule will be determined by two basic considerations: I

The information that is already available. For example, if no surveys on tourism expenditure exist (associated with inbound tourism at least), it will be materially impossible to develop the TSA. Additionally, the existence of an input-output table will condition the actual scope of the project.

The assignation of the technical team, which should at the very least be made up of experts in the field of Balance of Payments, National Accounts – ideally the project chief – and tourism statistics (either the NSO and/or the NTA).

The preparation of the TSA, which is conceived as a permanent and ongoing process, will hinge on developing the country’s System of Tourism Statistics (STS). The STS can be identified as a set of statistical elements, essentially drawn from the different statistical operations (surveys, censuses, administrative records of special interest, statistical publications, databases, etc.) and consisting of methodological

references (prevailing concepts, definitions and classifications), and of the actual data and results obtained from these statistical operations.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Developing the Tourism Satellite Account: a strategic objective for National Tourism Administrations Stakeholder Commitment Clearly, it falls to the countries that decide to set up a TSA to create the conditions that are conducive to generating widespread acceptance of this tool by all the stakeholders in tourism. This will enhance the credibility of the tourism sector, hence the insistence of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) on the need to create an Inter-Institutional Platform and to develop the TSA project along the lines described earlier on in this document.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Beyond the common interests these institutions may have in obtaining this data, it should also be noted that in the case of the NSO, satellite accounts (tourism, education, health, etc.) represent an extremely valuable tool when it comes to coordinating statistics linked with a vast amount of dispersed data relative to horizontal and crosscutting activities. The NSO itself can turn this type of exercise to good account, both with a view to enhancing its estimates of some of the National Account headings and strengthening coordination in the field of the General System of Statistics.

sources for the TSA project, and private sector representatives This Platform should specify the exact nature of the corresponding institutional responsibilities and establish an annual work schedule The Platform should be assisted by a technical back-up team made up of experts appointed by each of the member bodies, and who will be put in charge of preparing the TSA.

System of National Accounts The term “satellite” applied to the TSA implies sharing a whole series of concepts, definitions, classifications and tables with the System of National Accounts, which is why the results obtained must be consistent with the estimates made by national accountants. This will be a difficult target to meet if the body responsible for the National Accounts is not involved in developing the TSA (either as project chief or as an active participant in the project). Stakeholder Endorsement The participation of National Statistical Offices (NSOs) should not merely consist of drawing on the experience and technical training of its staff, both in the field of basic statistics and National Accounts. It is the NSO’s involvement that will provide the exercise with the endorsement it requires. The approval of the methodological design of the TSA by the United Nations’ most authoritative statistical body doubtless represents a milestone; the NSO, on the other hand, is the only body qualified to ensure that the work that needs to be carried out will receive the required stamp of legitimacy. 15

SPECIAL FEATURE

TSA CREDIBILITY

The task of guaranteeing the credibility of the results obtained, on the other hand, is the responsibility of the NTA in its capacity as the principle user of the TSA results, and as the natural platform for exchanges between the various stakeholders in the tourism sector. This will be a difficult undertaking if the NTA is not involved in developing the project from the outset. In other words, if the TSA has been conceived as a statistical tool and if statistics are supposed to serve a purpose, the NTA must use the TSA as an instrument for illustrating powerfully the issues relevant to tourism and economic policy. Stakeholder Co-operation and Communication As stressed earlier on, this mutual cooperation is indispensable. Generally speaking, national accountants and specialists in the field of tourism are not familiar with the characteristics and requirements of each other’s fields of work. To reduce the risk of misunderstanding, an open-ended channel of communication should be established between National Accounts specialists and tourism experts, which is another of the aims that should be met by creating a suitable Inter-institutional Platform. Cooperation between the NTA and the NSO should not be exclusive but should also engage other bodies (the Central Bank, the various traffic regulation bodies, immigration authorities, private-sector representatives, etc.) both with a view to strengthening the credibility of the TSA and guaranteeing its viability.

7. A UK PERSPECTIVE – THE DATA ISSUES AND REALITIES Historically, there have been many ways of assessing the contribution of tourism to a national (or regional) economy. For various reasons, these methods, either based on gross visitor expenditures or upon employment in ‘tourism sectors’, have been incomplete or misleading. Recently, 16

the World Tourism Organisation, European Union and others have agreed upon the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) as the most appropriate method to value tourism’s economic contribution. A pilot study was undertaken during 2004 on TSA construction for the UK, and also underway is work for the English Regions. Scotland and Wales already have pilot TSAs that are in their second iteration. A TSA essentially equates the supply of tourism goods and services with the demand for those services in an economy, and places the results within a wider system of economic accounting (usually Input Output Tables). This means that TSAs have several benefits over more established measures of tourism’s economic impact. For example, tourism can be directly compared with other industries in a nation, and to some extent internationally. Important variables, including the value added due to tourism, the dependence of certain industries on tourism, and tourismdependent employment, can be derived. However, there are ‘cons’ as well as ‘pros’. TSAs are very data hungry, needing good quality data on expenditure and on the business practices of tourism industries and providers. The complexity of TSA construction means that the account is usually several years ‘out of date’ on publication. Importantly, the creation of a robust TSA requires the ongoing collaboration of different government departments, tourism experts and, ideally, the tourism industry itself. As the following section shows, in the UK these ‘building blocks’ are far from being properly placed. The Data: Who Collects What Responsibility for the collection of published tourism statistics in the UK is diverse, encompassing central and local governments, tourism boards, other public agencies and latterly the English Regional Development Agencies (who are regionally responsible for the strategic management of tourism). However, there is no single agency or jointly sponsored unit with overarching responsibility. A different mix and

number of agencies are responsible for different surveys. Table 1 shows the agencies who sponsor or are responsible for the three main surveys in Britain which contain expenditure data and thus are of central importance in TSA development. The large number of organisations which sponsor these surveys (with no single organisation involved in all three) has combined with the lack of a strong central government role on the collection of this data to seriously weaken the surveys’ quality. Moreover, there is no overall strategy to determine the relative importance of the target groups to the economy (and hence guide relative resource levels); to ensure continuous and comparable data is collected; or to seek any synergies between surveys. The lack of significant involvement by the central statistical agency (in this case ONS) in tourism and TSA-related data collection ‘across the board’ is a serious weakness. A TSA developed by ONS would benefit from access to statisticians’ expertise, from a UK–government ‘seal of approval’ and from established quality control measures. Combine this lack of central government interest with a public sector that continues to experience institutional change and underresourcing, and it is difficult to envisage that a reliable TSA for the UK is an imminent possibility without a significant re-engineering of, and improvement in, tourism data. Some Data Problems There are a number of current data problems which hinder the construction of a reliable UK TSA; some are resource-related and some are ‘structural’ in nature. For example, resource restrictions mean that the fine level of detail on expenditure required for TSA construction is not available reliably (or sometimes in a timely fashion) from existing surveys. For example, even the International Passenger Survey does not have data any more recent than 1997 on the pattern of international visitors’ spending in the UK. Meanwhile, there was no survey of leisure day visitors undertaken in the UK/GB between

Meanwhile, the structure of some reported data does not help the TSA cause. The UK National Accounts report hotels, restaurants and bars as a single sector, but the TSA must report these (very distinct) sectors separately. Similar aggregation problems arise in transportation (where travel agents’ activities are not reported distinctly) and recreation. Furthermore, one must assume that businesses serving (primarily) tourists will behave in the same way as those serving local residents; that the seafront restaurant behaves similarly (in terms of labour and raw material use) to a branch of McDonalds or KFC. Conclusions

As the above indicates, the quality of tourism economic statistics in the UK is currently poor. Some improvement may be gained through an incremental increase in levels of resourcing. Full TSA reliability (and hence policy usefulness) will probably require the wholesale re-engineering of surveys and data collection, either through the inauguration of a new (distinct) consumption survey, or perhaps, in part, via the inclusion of tourismrelated expenditure questions in ONS household and other surveys. The immediate prospects are uncertain. There is no likelihood that the GB Day Visitors Survey will be repeated in its current form, let alone be extended to include the expenditure of business travellers (who are properly tourists under WTO definitions). Meanwhile, the re-contracting of the UKTS from 2006 will need to address both methodology and resource issues if it is to be of any greater use in TSA construction. The continuing low level of involvement of ONS, which as so far taken a ‘watching brief’ on TSA development, probably limits likely development.

development in the UK. The UKTS must be re-contracted from 2006 with (at the very least) a significant increase in resourcing. The proposed 2006 expenditure trailer to the International Passenger Survey must reflect the needs of TSA construction, ideally at regional as well as national level, and there must be a repeated and consistent survey of the spending of day visitors on tourism trips. Without these improvements, a repeat of the 2004 UK TSA Pilot Study may well occur at a later date, but it will be of only academic interest. For an economic activity worth (as best we can currently judge) well over £30bn in direct value added to the UK economy, and upon which 1? million jobs, or 5% of the UK workforce, are directly dependent, this is a regrettable situation.

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1998 and 2002/3, meaning we have little information on related spending patterns during this critical time for tourism in the UK. As hinted earlier, data problems within surveys are exacerbated by differences between surveys, with varying geographic coverage, reference dates, methodologies and expenditure categories, all of which makes it extremely difficult to synthesise expenditure data within a TSA framework.

Calvin Jones works for the Welsh Economy Research Unit at the Cardiff Business School & David James TD.FTS is a Managing Director for Global Tourism Solutions (UK) Ltd

We are at a key stage for potential TSA

Table 1: Tourism Expenditure Data in the GB and UK Survey

Coverage

Geography

Sponsors

United Kingdom Tourist Statistics (UKTS)

Overnighting tourists who are UK residents

UK (& some data on Channel Isles & IOM)

VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Wales Tourist Board

GB Leisure Day Visits Survey (GBDVS)

Day visitors (inc. general leisure trips)

Great Britain (excludes Northern Ireland

International Passenger Survey (IPS)

International Arrivals & departures

Countryside Agency, Countryside Council for Wales, British Waterways, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitBritain, VisitScotland and Wales Tourist Board

Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Th e E n d o f t h e B e g i n n i n g Mary Lynch FTS

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Maintaining Cooperation

t is a few weeks since those awful images of dead bodies penetrated our post Christmas torpor. The story of the Tsunami grew slowly and then became the only news item for the next ten days. Now that the searchlight of media attention has moved on, the countries affected are starting the process of rebuilding the fabric of their countries. Tourism is critical to the economic performance of many of these countries and the industry in the UK has debated how best it can help. As the focus shifts from emergency relief to long-term recovery, this article sets out a few thoughts on the issues and challenges of the next 12 months. The Tsunami hit many countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Those that are featured here are those that have a substantial tourism industry with the UK as a big source market – primarily Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Tourism makes a major contribution to these economies; in Sri Lanka it is the fourth biggest industry and in the Maldives tourism contributes 80% of GDP. All 4 countries were in high season and all were hit. In Malaysia the impact was greatest in Penang and in the Maldives 19 of the 87 resort islands were affected but ‘only’ 3 tourists died. Thailand and Sri Lanka had thousands of dead bodies to cope with as well as major damage to infrastructure. The pattern of recovery is likely to be different for each country but there are already some common themes emerging.

The travel industry can be proud of the way it has reacted to this tragedy. ABTA responded quickly and professionally to the situation and the major tour operators worked together to ensure that their customers – and the many people they had no responsibility for – were looked after and repatriated. They have been flexible about booking conditions and more generous than they needed to be in relation to refunds. PATA has done an excellent job in providing first class information to the media and the industry and has demonstrated leadership in a difficult situation. All of this goodwill will be severely tested in the next few months as commercial pressures force operators to take action to win back business. Already there are debates in the industry about the ethics of renegotiating contracts and the wisdom of discounting. Discounts are already in the marketplace and they will be an important short-term marketing tool. As a more typical competitive environment reappears it will be more difficult for operators to work together. Operators will also need to start enforcing booking conditions as the situation stabilises and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice changes. This may lead to some bad press, as tearful customers explain to the media why they don’t want their honeymoon to happen in a place where so many people died. There is a role here for an industry association to work with all the players to keep focus on the big picture. The only issue is that no association seems to be stepping forward to take on this role.

PR Coverage One of the constant challenges of PR in these situations is to read the ‘mood’ of the media coverage and manage or respond to it. The first generation of stories will always be hard news (how many/where/how long/how much) followed by human-interest stories. We are just beginning to see a rash of documentaries that address the question of how and why in more detail. There is also evidence of

‘aftershocks’. This where a story which is unrelated to the main story receives significant media coverage. An example is the coverage given to the boating tragedy in Thailand at the end of January. This would always have attracted media attention, but the level of coverage is greater than normal and it reinforces a subliminal message that Thailand is a dangerous place for a holiday. There is also some evidence of ‘blame’ stories. This is where the coverage turns from sympathetic to critical; for example the criticism being heard over the length of time taken to identify bodies in Thailand. Each country will need to develop a PR strategy that has its main focus on reestablishing the destination, but an essential element of PR management is to anticipate and prepare for these ‘news management’ issues.

Marketing Challenges At the emergency debate organised by the Tourism Society, Ian Reynolds FTS of ABTA summed up the situation in January by saying that customers were sending their money east in donations but they were travelling west to the Caribbean. Occupancy levels in January were 30-50%, even in unaffected areas, but many brave predictions were being made about the speed of recovery. There is every chance of a quick recovery (within a year) in Malaysia and the Maldives but Thailand and Sri Lanka face a much bigger task. To date the response from Sri Lanka has been impressive and the announcement of a US$320m ‘Bounce Back Sri Lanka’ campaign will keep the momentum going. The challenge is the immediate one of keeping people in employment through the next twelve months. The stated desire of Sri Lanka is to highlight the fact that there is more to the country than beaches and to focus on the cultural attractions. This is going to be a difficult message to sell in the UK market and is only likely to work if it there are other value added offers as part of the marketing proposition. Thailand restarts its marketing in February and has big plans for familiarisation visits for the trade

Long Term Aspirations Most countries that experience a crisis look for ways to achieve a legacy some long-term benefit that may compensate for the suffering endured. The Maldives was already very aware of the importance of development that was sensitive to the environment and this experience has increased their commitment to strict planning controls. Sri Lanka recognises that its tourism

industry developed in the 60’s and some of the product was in need of updating. They are committed to taking this opportunity to review their policies about coastal development and are bringing in master planners to help them achieve sensitive development. Thailand has stated that it plans to use the rebuilding of Phuket as a model of sustainable development. There is much that the travel industry in the UK can do to support this. The Travel Foundation has developed a scheme that tour operators can use to allow customers to make a financial contribution to sustainable development. The industry could play a role in educating the public and adopt some principles about the type of product they contract and sell. The government has also just established a cross Whitehall Sustainable Tourism

Working Group and the FCO runs a Global Opportunities Fund which can support sustainable tourism projects. My sense is that the Tsunami tapped underlying concerns amongst the public about what we are doing to our world. It would be a pity if the travel industry could not find a way to rise to this challenge. At a Foreign Office meeting, Sir Crispin Ticknell described sustainable development as ‘treating the earth as if we were planning to stay’. That seems a good mantra for the travel industry in the 21st century. Mary Lynch FTS is the Principal of Mary Lynch Associates

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and press. In some ways it has an easier proposition than Sri Lanka, in that 90% of the country was unaffected by the Tsunami, but at present it appears to be more likely to get negative media coverage which may hold back its efforts.The consensus among operators is that the autumn 2005 booking period will see the start of real recovery and it will take at least 18 months.

The First SHINE Awards Celebrate the Achievment of Women in Travel Tourism and Hospitality Alessandra Alonso MTS

n February 10th the first edition of SHINE Awards for women’s achievement in travel, tourism and hospitality kicked off in true style at the Red Room / Waterstone, Piccadilly. Key figures from travel tourism and hospitality, including Bob Cotton FTS Chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, David Curtis-Brignall FTS Chairman of the Tourism Society, Litsa Constatinou MD of STA Travel, Nishma Patel MD of Teletext TV, Sandra Elliott deputy CEO of Visit London and many others gathered to celebrate the achievements of women in the industry.

backbone of the industry, but many feel hindered by the lack of support and personal/professional development opportunities available to achieve a fulfilling career. Moreover, the fact that most women have family and other priorities to deal with as well as a career makes it harder for them to achieve public recognition even when highly successful. Therefore the SHINE Awards were launched last September to recognise and celebrate talented and successful women in the sector.

The awards were launched by SHINE Mdc ltd, the coach/mentoring company, with the support of industry sponsors Travel Trade Gazette, Harp Wallen, KPMG, LDA, AWTE and of course the Tourism Society.

Anita Thornberry MTS, Head of Tourism at the London Development Agency and keynote speaker, said that, whilst not everyone can be CEO – man or woman – everyone deserves an Sunny Crouch MTS recieving her SHINE Woman of the equal shot at going for it and be Year Award. judged on their merit and not their Alessandra Alonso MTS of SHINE that women, representing between 60% sex, and to feel confident that such an Mdc Ltd, and board member of the and 70% of the workforce across travel, opportunity would pay them equally. Tourism Society, opened the event. tourism and hospitality are the Addressing all those present, she stated 19

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She added: ‘We should all be treated equally and my sincere hope is that one day these awards are for both sexes because we are standing on a level playing field.’ She also pointed out that too many people in tourism - including her – do not follow a formal career path and therefore mentoring can be very useful to support one’s personal and professional development in this industry. Anita also praised the work of SHINE who provide much-needed coach / mentoring and personal / professional development opportunity. The importance of personal / professional development was a key message throughout the event, as in the industry where people are acknowledged to be the core asset and where many employers are competing for a decreasing pool of talents, prosperity depends on retaining and developing a diverse workforce. Gaby Marcon MTS, co-founder of SHINE together with Alessandra Alonso MTS, summarised this by saying that these awards wish to achieve 3 key objectives: I Raising awareness on women’s contribution to the industry, I Providing role models and inspiration for other women and furthermore, I Helping more businesses appreciate that personal and professional development is key to the retention of talented professional and the long-term prosperity of the industry. Finalist and winners were chosen through a strict selection process, combining on-line and mailed applications and two rounds of screening. A pool of 7 judges was chosen amongst well-respected and senior personalities in the industries. They were: Clemencia Cardozo Wiese, MD Axis Communication, Bob Cotton FTS CEO British Hospitality Association, Carrie England MTS, CEO The Tourism Society, Karen Gill Director & Founder Everywoman, Glen Dodds Head of Travel Barclays Bank PLC and Teresa Brain Chair AWTE; they were chaired by Ian Reynolds FTS of ABTA.

The six category winners were praised by the judges with the following statements: BUSINESS WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD Chris Browne, MD First Choice Airways

‘The winner of this award is a truly remarkable woman and an excellent leader highly respected in the industry. She was the first woman, the first nonSpaniard and the youngest person ever to hold the role of GM at Iberia. When she was at Carlson Worldchoice she had responsibility for 3,000 staff - there she also managed the integration with Thomas Cook. She is currently the MD of First Choice Airways, the largest and most profitable charter airlines in the industry, where she delivered an enhanced customer experience while improving revenue and profit’. BUSINESS OWNER OF THE YEAR AWARD Doreen McKenzie, Proprietor Knock Travel, Belfast

‘The award goes to a woman that has shown an enormous amount of energy and innovation to sustain her business. Having started out with 4 members of staff and a turnover of 1M, the Company now ranks amongst the top 6 corporate firms in Northern Ireland. Throughout this time she has faced many challenges head on, always ensuring to be ahead of the game, particularly when it comes to technology’. PUBLIC SECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD Sandie Dawe MTS, Communication Director Visit Britain

‘The winner of this award is a well known face of inbound tourism. From her early days at the BBC World Service to the then English Tourist board and London Tourist Board, to her present position of Strategy and Communication Director of Visit Britain, she has been a champion of professionalism nationwide’. BUSINESS EXPERT OF THE YEAR AWARD Heidi Truman MTS, Manager KPMG Hospitality and Leisure Division

‘The winner of this award is an extremely well respected professional who has been involved with a variety of clients both in the public and private

sectors in the UK and Europe. In addition to her industry expertise she has considerable experience in change management and organisational restructuring project, predominantly in association with a number of systems transformation programmes with large blue chip clients. Over recent months she has provided regular assistance to the leading authorities in the tourism sector in London and she is praised by UK and international clients as a world-class professional’. YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR AWARD Gillian Chapple, Proprietor Bedsearcher

‘The winner of this award is an inspiration to all of us, the young and not so young. On leaving university in 2002, she started Bedsearcher, an internet booking service. Since then she has driven the Company though industry slumps, dot com depression and financial insecurity and worked sometimes 120 hours a week, to achieve great success. The Company now enables online booking of nearly 8,000 UK hotels and is on target to generate booking revenues in excess of 1.5M and is planning an expansion into Europe.’ SHINE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD Sunny Crouch MTS, The World Trade Centre, London

“The winner of this award has been described as the Doris Day of feminism. From Portsmouth to London, she has moved into groundbreaking areas driven by dedication and determination. Her incredible career and a lifetime of achievements include overseeing one of the biggest redevelopment schemes in the country, The Docklands - an area that has become a thriving focal point for both business and tourism”. Feedback to the awards has been extremely positive and the organisers are certain this will become a regular appointment in the industry calendar. The organisers thank the Tourism Society for its participation and look forward to its continued support! Alessandra Alonso MTS is the Director of SHINE Mdc Ltd

TICs in Cumbria – “The State of the Union“ C h a rl e s Th o rn t o n M T S whose main aim is to educate and promote further knowledge of its work, would want to rid itself of a network of centres whose primary purpose is just those things. It is highly probable that financial issues have played a large contributory factor…….but to announce this publicly all out of the blue in the way it was done makes you wonder what other key organisational issues were at stake?

The year began positively with the publication of Cumbria Tourist Board’s TIC Best Practice Report. The report The jury is still out with the National highlighted the Park – a number of meetings are importance TICs scheduled by National Park knowledge of its work, have within the management in February after which However, on the local economy would want to rid itself back of this TICs we should know more details. To what (new research has of a network of centres have always been extent will the regions tourism put the economic industry’s views be listened to in the working with the whose primary purpose value of Cumbria weeks ahead remains to be seen but is just those things. . . . ongoing TICs in excess of the implications of any final decision uncertainty of £42 million) and to cut back on information centres will funding. It is an reinforced the undoubtedly have far reaching issue which never many examples of implications for local communities and strays far from people’s minds good work they are doing to bring visitors to the area. especially within local government local communities and visitors closer circles where the need to constantly together. Naturally, tourism operators are review finances often stops at the feet nervous. Should the National Park of tourism. If you work in such One such example of local community carry out its intentions it is uncertain environments having a thick skin and involvement is the growth of combined how other TIC sheer will power TICs / local community information fund holders will are prerequisites for centres which aim to provide a “ one react. Let us hope survival. stop shop “ service. These initiatives . . . It is highly probable that they will be are seen by many local authority fund that financial issues restrained and not But yet, even this holders as an important way of hastily rush out to approach is not have played a large improving access to services and join the crowd in ultimately fail safe. contributory factor . . . “order provide an imaginative way of to keep up So it was with some safeguarding TIC services for the future. with the Jones’ “. shock that just before Christmas Following the report’s publication It is puzzling that threats like this exist the Lake District National Park Cumbria Tourist Board has provided a when publicly the vast majority of Authority announced a raft of series of workshops for TIC Managers tourism fund holders applaud the role sweeping changes to its main to help begin to constructively address TICs play in welcoming and advising corporate strategy. Amongst these, some key areas such as Retail the many millions of visitors who come which included the scrapping of its Development. These workshops have to Cumbria . We are told time and annual event programme which to date been to date very successful and have again that TICs are an integral part of the has received much coverage in local involved the work of professional tourism product , providing the vital and national media, was the proposal consultants. expert knowledge which people need to to withdraw and disinvest from its help them get the most out of an area’s Information Centre service. The There has also been a positive response resources. service consists of 9 centres serving to the introduction of Cumbria’s some of Cumbria’s key tourism Destination Management System 2005 is going to be an interesting year. locations such as Keswick, Hawkshead within TICs across the county. Many and Ullswater. It is hard to centres now have access to the system Charles Thornton MTS the TIC Network comprehend why the National Park, either through using the internet or via

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a stand alone computer database. For TICs, the introduction of this technology has enhanced the service they can provide visitors especially in the field of accommodation bookings. Currently, Cumbria Tourist Board are funding the installation of . . . It is hard to kiosks at key TICs comprehend why the which can only National Park, whose improve on the main aim is to educate services centres provide and promote further

umbria’s network of 34 Tourist Information Centres has witnessed a somewhat rollercoaster ride of highs and lows over the last 12 months.

Manager at Eden District Council, Cumbria.

N o r t h e rn I re l a n d i n R e t ro s p e c t I a n H e n d e rs o n O B E M S c ( E c o n )

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received no financial assistance from Government – city hotels are all now entirely private investments. Cruise tourism is another sector that provides visible success to the city and surrounding areas. Belfast followed Derry into this market and rapidly overtook it. It is said that every luxury tour coach in Northern Ireland was commandeered to cater for the last Princess mega ship to call! Clearly there are limits to cruise growth but the feel good factor of big ships in port should not be underestimated.

are now well established with Madrid and Rome to follow. It is believed that the Fund has now reached its limit and it is intriguing to see that both North West and North East England are to follow the same approach to attract new services. The long term stability of such routes may be a subject for study in years to come. With the growth of so many new air routes especially across the Irish Sea one sector under strain has been the ferry routes. It is widely believed that the pioneer of fast ferries from Belfast – Seacat is about to abandon its service to Troon following its abandonment of Heysham – Belfast. Seacat could not carry freight and many of its traditional car and foot passengers find it cheaper and more convenient to fly by LCA and hire a car. Stena and P&O will be left to slug out a private battle!

The growth of international air routes he most striking thing about the into Northern Ireland hit a set back tourist industry in Northern with post 9/11 rationalisation. Since Ireland now is the confidence ‘peace’ in the mid 90’s Aer Lingus had that has developed at all levels, the begun a New York expansion of the service via Shannon hotel base and the growth of low and Sabena cost carrier air provided a good The growth of international routes to One of the ironies of life that has Brussels network. air routes into Northern Continental boosted some Northern Ireland tourism Both abandoned Ireland hit a set back with Europe. business is the no smoking legislation Belfast in the post post 9/11 rationalisation. in Irish pubs and hotels. While popular 9/11 while the This is of course for many it is annoying to some and biggest blow of all coupled with a the wedding business in Northern was the British new national Ireland hotels near the border is Airways tourism agency for international enjoying tremendous growth because abandonment of its key Heathrow – promotion –Tourism Ireland – which of the new ‘smokers’ business from Belfast route. Low cost carriers quickly took over both Bord Failte and NITB’s down South! moved to fill the network of offices. NITB has vacuum with easyJet reinvented itself with a more Recent political in the van and flyBe One of the ironies of life that developmental role and Failte Ireland developments and reinventing itself as has now grown from Bord Failte has boosted some Northern a spectacular an LCA. Almost through a merger with CERT the old Ireland tourism business is the bank robbery every UK airport training authority for tourism. Tourism no smoking legislation in Irish have once again now has or is about Ireland has had to differentiate itself pubs and hotels. cast a shadow on to have a link either from its predecessors and must keep progress in to Belfast two ‘parent’ Government Departments Northern Ireland. International or satisfied – one can be trouble enough! Tourism has enjoyed an unparalleled Belfast City Airports. Incidentally both period of growth in the past decade airports are now Spanish owned but by The hotel sector notably in Belfast and and particularly in the past few years. different ompanies! Londonderry has provided the most Everyone in the tourism industry and obvious examples of new investment beyond will be praying that stability Despite the growth of domestic routes with the Malmaison opening in late and common sense will allow this NITB and Government felt the lack of 2004 following the arrival of Radisson growth to continue to the benefit of routes to Continental Europe and North SAS shortly before. Ramada, Days Inn everyone. America. Following the Scottish model & Holiday Inn now grace the hotel an Air Route Development Fund was guides following where Jurys’ Inn and Ian Henderson OBE MSc(Econ) FTS was Chief established. The Fund has succeeded Hilton first led in the mid 90’s. Most Executive of the Northern Ireland Tourist and routes to Barcelona, Paris and Nice significantly recent developments have Board until I January 2000.

Sustainable Development, Food and Tourism in Rural Norfolk: A Queen’s Awards Golden Jubilee Research Fellowship Project Diane O’Sullivan MTS

The county of Norfolk and the East of England region in general, has a rich historical past closely linked to food production, enterprise and trade. However a survey of perceptions of local food suggested a decline in the recognition of local speciality foods (directly linked to the age of respondents) and mixed levels of understanding about what constitutes ‘local’, ‘regional’ and ‘traditional’

If food is to be effectively linked to tourism those links must be more than just a marketing exercise. Norfolk has a rich and authentic food production heritage making it a prime candidate to link its historic past with its contemporary role as an area with the potential for food tourism. Observational research undertaken for this project has found that food producers are already recognising the links between farmers’ markets,

tourism suppliers and the sociocultural value of markets for visitors. Exposing young people to regional and local food and the issues surrounding it will be vital if it is to become an authentic part of our culture. The young are both the tourists and hosts of the future. Modern techniques and equipment can be used to engage interest and the focus does not have to be exclusively heritage based.

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n 2001 the UK tourism and agriculture sectors experienced a period of deep crisis. It was in this same year that Greenbanks Country Hotel and Restaurant was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. In the latter part of 2002 its proprietor Jenny Lock, working with friend and colleague of Ann Butlin, gained approval from the Queen’s Awards Golden Jubilee Research Fellowship to investigate aspects of tourism and its potential for sustainable local development. This exploratory project, undertaken with the assistance from the Welsh Enterprise Institute at the University of Glamorgan, investigated links between food and sustainable development in the Norfolk region. Sustainable development practitioners turned research volunteers Jenny Lock and Ann Butlin began their work in January 2003. The final report was completed in December 2004.

foods. However, the researchers discovered that children (aged 10-18) appeared to be genuinely fascinated by all aspects of food and its production. Pupils, teachers, students and tutors co-operated with the researchers enthusiastically contributing to the production of tourism/food product materials such as the ‘Tasty Trip Around Norfolk’ leaflet/cd rom. The project established cooperative works on food and locality between the researchers, politicians, education authorities and children in the Norfolk region. Hospitality students at local Colleges of Further Education held a ‘Taste of East Anglia’ evening and catered for the regional Coeliac Society’s Annual Gala Dinner. Local businesses engaged positively with the project, for example, on a new tourism and food approach to the Swaffham Tourist Association brochure. The project was responsible for the creation of a contemporary recipe booklet, ‘A Taste of Norfolk for Today’ which takes a modern approach to linking landscape, local producers and consumers, and more widely visitors and residents. Finally, the project worked with crosssector partners to hold an event which brought together local food producers and tourism principals in a ‘Taster Day’. The research team evaluated the event and found that over 70% of respondents to their questionnaire intended to try to use more local produce in their businesses.

Suppliers and producers have much in common and a culture of support and networking, especially important in dispersed rural communities, is vital in raising awareness of the synergistic opportunities for prosperity across economic sectors. Such links, the researchers believe, will encourage a vibrant and innovative food culture and a vibrant and innovative tourism industry. This project was undertaken on a voluntary basis by sustainable development enthusiasts and practitioners who wished to contribute to their locality, and others, by investigating the potential for sustainable development in linking food and tourism. It concludes with a five - step guide for others seeking to investigate links between food and sustainable tourism in their own areas. If you would like more information on food and tourism then please turn to our meeting report, Regional food and drink, on page 26. Diane O’Sullivan MTS is a lecturer at the University of Glamorgan, Wales.

P ro s p e c t s fo r 2 0 0 5

MEETING REPORTS

1 0 t h Ja nu a ry 2 0 0 5 Sofitel, St James’ Hotel, London Ylva French FTS When the Tourism Society held its first meeting of the year, it was in the wake of a major world catastrophe, which had impacted directly on tourism. It was therefore appropriate that the first part of the meeting dealt with the Tsunami – the Indian Ocean earthquake and its aftermath. Ken Robinson FTS introduced Geoffrey Lipman FTS, Special Adviser to the Secretary General of WTO and Ian Reynolds FTS, Chief Executive of ABTA. They both provided succinct overviews of the current situation and provided some thoughts about the likely impact on tourism in the longer term. Geoffrey Lipman FTS explained how this disaster differed from a whole host of others in the last decade including 9/11 and SARS. This event was instant, massive, complex and with widespread impact in 12 different countries, each with different economies and abilities to deal with the immediate humanitarian impact of the disaster. The final death toll may well exceed 150,000 and the dead, in addition to the nationals of their own country, included tourists from 23 different countries. This perhaps explains the incredible worldwide response to the disaster, which was echoed in the questions from the audience later – what can we do practically to help (other than giving money)? Geoffrey outlined how various industry initiatives had already got under way. WTO is now part of the UN and will provide an objective assessment of the situation and advise on the rebuilding of the industry. PATA had set up a taskforce in the wake of SARS, which had already got together with a January meeting planned in Phuket. In Europe there will be a Leadership Forum at ITB. 24

Many lessons would be learnt from this event, which could lead to a national crisis system, a global alert system, media focus networks and more public education. Geoffrey added that this was an opportunity to reconstruct tourism facilities in a sustainable way. He stressed the importance of the UK joining WTO so that it could play a fuller role in these matters. Ian Reynolds FTS provided a short timetable of events and an account of how the UK tourist industry had responded. The same day, 26 December, ABTA was alerted by the first press calls early in the morning. Once the seriousness of the situation had been grasped, ABTA held a conference call with FCO, the Federation of Tour Operators and others. The same day, 3 charter flights departed to collect the first returning holiday makers. There was continuous demand from the press for interviews and information. ABTA established that approximately 10,000 UK holidaymakers may have been in the areas affected (not 100,000 as suggested early on by the media). Of these 6,500 were on package holidays and could be more easily identified. Working with the Foreign Office, a call centre was set up for enquiries, which was quickly inundated with calls. Initially the Maldives was the most badly affected with a Foreign Office notice not to travel issued immediately. There was also a risk to health etc for travelers to the coast in Sri Lanka and Thailand, and Phuket was initially closed. Charter airlines and tour operators have been very flexible, bringing back independent travelers as well as their own clients, providing clothes and cash, and looking at ways to compensate holidaymakers whose

holidays were cut short. Natural disasters are otherwise excluded from most insurance policies. Tour operators allowed those who had booked holidays to the affected countries to change their holidays or cancel altogether. Ian reported that in terms of the immediate impact, people were still travelling to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand – the main tourism countries affected. However, it will take another three to four months for a clearer picture to emerge. Altogether holidays to these countries represent only 2% of the holiday market. Those in the industry most affected will be the smaller independent and specialist tour operators. In the long run tourism will bounce back, hopefully with improved and sustainable facilities. Ian closed by referring to the Travel Foundation a registered charity. Created by the outbound industry, designed to encourage the development of sustainable tourism. Questions at the end of the next session referring to the Tsunami concentrated on what we, in the industry, could do. At this stage it would be difficult to get involved practically but the Travel Foundation mentioned earlier provided a way of helping (www.travelfoundation.org.uk). Questions were also raised about the sustainability aspect, as it was clear that many individual owners of bars etc were going ahead and rebuilding in just the same way. Some of this was unavoidable. However, at the ITB meeting this would be discussed and a tourism strategy developed with individual countries. Plans for reconstructions will follow led by UN. Bill Maxwell MTS, Trade Relations Director, Wallace Arnold Holidays, introduced the participants in the

Prospects session which followed. They included John Donnelly FTS, Managing Director, Harvey World Travel, Stephen Dowd FTS, Chief Executive, UK Inbound and Michael Hirst FTS, Chairman, Business Tourism Partnership.

Travel agents had to respond by creating a more exciting retail outlet – out with those white cards in the window! And by entering into new areas including selling cars, houses and finance, in each case working with a main provider but collecting a substantial commission. His own business had proved that this can work. Stephen Dowd FTS examined the inbound visitor statistics for the past year and based on the IPS figures so far available visits to the UK would reach 26.7m for 2004, a record figure and an increase of 5.9 per cent on the year before. However, he expressed concern about the way the statistics were collected, and if compared with

The inbound market would continue to be affected by the weak dollar, strong euro and low consumer confidence in some markets. He predicted some growth from Western Europe and also from the new markets in China and Japan. He made the point that high prices in the UK exasperated by taxes make the UK a high price destination. Michael Hirst FTS spoke about Business Tourism, which for 2005 would be booming as a result of major political meetings including G8 at Gleneagles in July followed by the UK presidency of the EU in the second half of 2005 which would bring further meetings. The Olympic team would be in London in February creating more business, followed by an election most likely in May (and therefore many associated meetings). The sound economy is good for corporate events but the discretionary business travel and meetings sector is very competitive. Business travel now represents 20 per cent of all tourism in the UK. The conference market has recovered from 2001 and is back to its four year booking cycle. There are changes in patterns with attendances at most conferences up, stimulated by electronic marketing and value added incentives. The largest conference this

year will probably be the World Baptist conference in Birmingham at the end of July when 15,000 people will come from all over the world. Consumer exhibitions are doing well but trade exhibitions are facing declining visitor numbers. Currently the large international conferences are being won by Edinburgh with 38 per cent of all association events. £10 billion is being invested in facilities by others to catch up with the Scots. The new casinos will also provide additional conference facilities. In the question session, Nick Cust FTS of Superbreak Holidays said UK breaks were thriving but there is upward pressure on hotel rates. Bill Maxwell FTS felt that generally RDA’s around the country are getting to grips with tourism and investing in marketing and facilities. The UK visitor statistics may not be perfect but as long as they were collected in the same way they were reliable in terms of trends. Stephen Dowd FTS repeated his plea to the government to remove unfair taxes on tourism. And Michael Hirst FTS took a positive view of the UK economy, which stimulated a range of businesses who in turn ensured that business travel, conferences and meetings were thriving.

MEETING REPORTS

John Donnelly FTS outlined the continuing challenge faced by independent travel agents. He projected that the major tour operators would continue to close down multiples in the face of competition from the internet. Travel agents’ future was also threatened by the post office and others, who may enter the travel field.

2000 (before 9/11) visits to the UK were still down.

Ylva French FTS is the Director of Ylva French Consultancy

MEETING REPORTS

R e g i o n a l Fo o d a n d D ri n k : A B ri t i s h To u ri s m A s s e t 2 7 t h Ja nu a ry 2 0 0 5 Th e B o n n i n g t o n i n B l o o m s bu ry H o t e l , L o n d o n D i a n n e O ’ S u l l i va n M T S

ood and drink is important to tourists. Those of us assembled at the Regional Food and Drink: A British Tourism Asset meeting learned that on-line responses from visitors to the Tourism Society website revealed that 43% of respondents thought food and drink were ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to overseas visitors. Unsurprisingly 36% thought not enough was being done to promote it. Adrian Bevan MTS, Visit Britain’s Product Development Manager for Food and Drink, mused that if tourism is the most fragmented sector, food and drink must come a close second. Adrian believes that even when fine local or regional food and drink is being offered many providers still forget to tell visitors about it. Visit Britain takes an integrated approach to including food and drink into their activities, offering links to web sites such as Food From Britain, and giving access to quality food and drink images. Adrian argued that when repeat visitors return it is most often because they want to interact with local people, to understand the local story and to feel the passion of place. Staying with the strategic level Wynfford James, the outgoing Welsh Development Agency (WDA) Agri-Food Director, explained how food and drink has been actively linked to tourism promotion in Wales. In 1999 the WDA took responsibility for building a partnership with the private agri-food sector to work towards a mutually agreed agenda. Food producers, and the vital value-adding food processing sector, were targeted. The public-private (40-60) partnership agreed to a strategic focus on red meat, organic and dairy foods. Brand unification was not easy for such a diverse partnership and research revealed that in Europe Wales’ dragon was perceived to be Chinese!

However, the concept of ‘real food that tastes how it was meant to’, the ‘True Taste’ concept, was born. The WDA created a mobile bistro to tour exhibitions, trade shows and food festivals in Britain and overseas. They established three food-science centres across Wales to working to develop new food products. The Wales Taste Awards, which, despite DEFRA’s investigation prompted by issues of state aid restrictions, sought to raise awareness and reward enterprise in the food and drink sector. The agriculture and hospitality sectors comprise 13% of Welsh employment and the WDA claim that despite a 52% fall in the food and drink sector across Britain between 1998 and 2001, Wales has seen 1.7% growth. The publication of a Wales Tourist Board ‘Sense of Place’ toolkit for food and drink is immanent and Wynfford James believes that, six years on, links between food, drink and tourism are now firmly established in Wales. This year’s St David’s Day celebrations linking food and drink, art and culture, will extend as far as a food festival in Dubai. Festivals were the theme of the next two speakers signalling a change in pace and strategic focus for the meeting. John Fleming is Director of the Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival and a keen advocate of the Slow Food movement. Prompted by economic decline in the retail sector and conscious of the fact that there were six local butchers operating within a population of ten thousand people, several intrepid local volunteers launched a unique food and drink festival over three days in midSeptember 1995. From the start the watchword of the festival was ‘quality’. Featuring sausage trails, ale trails, festival loaves, and cooking demonstrations, large numbers of visitors from across Britain who could not do everything in three days soon

realised they would have to come back the following year. Visitors were able to interact with locals as over two hundred volunteered creating an early example of ‘bottom up’ economic development. Despite mistakes in planning and management, and problems with transport, the event was about local people searching for local solutions. The Council and Chamber of Trade’s small fund to protect against loss was never needed. As interest in the festival and the area grew enterprising chefs moved to Ludlow followed by journalists who reported to their readers on where to find the best food outside London. John happily noted that in recent years the WDA have given grants to develop the involvement of Welsh borders producers at the Festival. Annual surplus is reinvested in making the event better year on year giving regular visitors something new to interest them. John insists that quality is still the watchword of the now oversubscribed festival but that, even in the early days, they were not afraid to turn poor quality involvement away. With an estimated 17,000 visitors over three days, effective park and ride schemes, sustained local involvement and its focus on quality, the festival continues to thrive. Formal evaluation has been undertaken with the results due soon. John concluded his presentation with three thoughts. Firstly, that marketing ‘phoney’ links can never be a recipe for success, a mature visitor market will not be fooled; secondly, that food festival chefs must be empowered and trusted to deliver; and, finally, that we should vigorously pursue not only slow food, but also the slow life. Tourism specialist Jackie Denman is involved the micro producers and processors of apples and pears, in rural Hertfordshire. The Big Apple Association holds a Blossomtime in Putley celebration covering seven tiny

such as napkins, coasters and carrier bags. Promoting local food is nothing new in the area but this initiative helped local producers see that they were part of the tourist experience too. Despite problems of scheme criteria, defining what is local, issues of quality and brand misuse, the initiative has signed up 279 members in two years. Mary hopes that with further funding support the scheme can be sustainable with future plans including a ‘mystery shopper’ scheme and a lifestyle magazine. Chris White of Denbies Wine Estate described the growth of his family’s small farm in the South East of England into a tourist attraction in its own right.

The final session of the day featured a double act of Gloucestershire Chef Rob Rees and Gloucester Tourism’s Chris Dee. Rob became the ‘Food Hero for Gloucestershire’ after agreeing to host a lunch party for visiting food journalists at his restaurant. The group had so much fun they stayed for six hours. Gloucester has sought to develop food and tourism for many years and now has twenty five farmers markets. Rob’s involvement identified the factors which inhibit development of the food sector as being a lack of awareness of quality local produce in the hospitality sector and distribution weaknesses on the part of small food producers (no van available to deliver the produce to hotels and restaurants). Rob Rees argues that promotion is all well and good but that quality standards and a business focus have to be dealt with as a priority.

MEETING REPORTS

parishes over two days in May. Interest shown by tourists over the past fifteen years has helped local people see their, sometimes tiny, orchards as viable and valuable. Cider and perry trials result in awards and winners elected by their peers. The average three hundred visitors per day get to talk to local producers and see, close up, the muddy, dirty, messy processes that fascinate them as well as, of course, taste and buy the produce. Jackie explained how the visitors’ interest has inspired and motivated local people to develop and grow their businesses and even to start new ones. The simple honesty of this slow, micro-tourism development with its links to society, culture, economy and environment was inspiring.

The meeting illustrated that food, drink and tourism, with all their many challenges, can make fine bedfellows. The speakers ably and generously shared their experiences of exploiting the links between the sectors. Whether at the macro level, the micro level or somewhere in between, the speakers argued that quality (of produce and tourist experience) is the key to success. Each speaker, whether from the public, (L-R) Adrian Bevan MTS, VisitBritain; Flo Powell MTS, Tourism Society; Wynfford James, WDA and private or voluntary sector, Jane Wakeling, Food From Britain. agreed that ‘local’ or ‘regional’ does not automatically mean ‘quality’. However, Apart from the wine tours the estate After a very good regional food and opportunities for tourism development offers two restaurants, an art gallery, drink lunch menu, the afternoon through food and drink in Britain conference centre, seven bed B&B chairman Charles Campion, restaurant clearly exist and have the clear accommodation, performing arts critic and food author, passed the potential to benefit the country, and library and recently a garden centre baton to Mary Powell Tourism Officer the industry, as a whole. specialising in fruit trees and herbs. for Lincolnshire and initiator of the Seeking to move away from selling ‘Taste of Lincolnshire’ project. Mary their wine through supermarkets the explained how this rural, sparsely estate now selling 70% through local populated county has, with EU Dianne O’Sullivan MTS is a lecturer at shops, conference centres, weddings Objective 2 funding support, worked the University of Glamorgan, Wales. and to its own visitors. Good access, a to develop food tourism. Few people focus on quality standards and a keen are aware that Lincolnshire produces eye on visitor trends have helped the around 20% of Britain’s food. Local estate thrive and the wines now food outlets join the scheme, use its compete world-wide, with some logo and benefit from radio promotions success. and a variety of marketing materials 27

A L O N D O N I C C : TO B E O R N OT TO B E ? T H AT I S T H E QU E S T I O N . MEETING REPORTS

8 t h Fe b ru a ry 2 0 0 5 Th e B e rn e rs H o t e l , L o n d o n W 1 R o b D av i d s o n F T S rently a glut of conference centres in the US, where a number of ‘secondtier’ cities have conference centres under construction. Jeremy pointed out that this is good news for buyers – but raised the question of whether there was a limit to the number of conference centres we can operate in the UK. Overseas offices of VisitBritain say that the greatest challenge in selling London as a conference destination is the perceived lack of value-for-money. Nevertheless, the image of London is positive and even the perception of transport in London is satisfactory.

his debate on London’s meetings industry was chaired by Gerry Acher, Chairman of the Mayoral Commission which has been established in order to assess the feasibility of developing an International Convention Centre in the Capital. The Panel included an impressive array of luminaries from the UK’s business tourism sector: Jeremy Brinkworth, Head of Business Tourism, VisitBritain; Vanessa Cotton, MD for Conferences & Events, at the ExCeL centre; Nick Waight, Divisional Director of the ICC Birmingham; and Tony Travers, Director of the Greater London Group at the London School of Economics Jeremy Brinkworth MTS began by describing the general market context, noting that the UK does well in the international league tables of top conference destinations, but has been losing its market share over the years, due in part to growing competition from other destinations, including Central Europe. Many planners of international events will only consider London, if they consider the UK as a potential destination. Therefore a London ICC could attract more new business to the UK. However, Newcastle, Cardiff and Liverpool are also planning to build new conference centres. There is cur28

Vanessa Cotton pointed out that many businesses were doing well in the meetings industry, but added that it was important not to focus exclusively on the international association market. Corporate meetings were less visible, but the corporate sector can afford London prices. Because so many international organisations have their HQs in London, this should lead to opportunities for local sponsorship/support for their conferences. Vanessa expressed the opinion that London has a lot to offer, but added that: Data collection needs improving, to provide reliable data to support the argument for choosing London as a destination - for example, is it true that London-based meetings are more successful in attracting delegates? Subsidy is important, but so is civic hospitality and the general welcome that conferences receive. We need to work more in partnership with hoteliers, concentrating on those hotels that fully understand the conference business. Nick Waight reminded us that the UK has a number of ICCs, including Birmingham, which makes an operating profit. Yes, London does need a purpose-built ICC, and Birmingham feels positive about this potential development. But there are challenges

ahead: a strategic, nationally-coordinated, approach to bidding for international events is required. UK cities are increasingly requiring their conference centres to make an operating profit, but many European cities rent out their conference centres at relatively low rates, concentrating on reaping the economic impacts that large events bring to the destination. Tony Travers acknowledged that an ICC is the kind of facility that a global city such as London should have. But he pointed out that there is no inevitability about building one in the capital, as not all such cities have one (New York, for example, doesn’t). A few questions arose for consideration. How would a new ICC affect other London facilities ? Would an ICC represent the best use of London’s resources (capital and land)? When the debate was opened to the floor for discussion, Ken Robinson FTS asked: as an ICC would represent a substantial risk as a capital project, what did the panel think about the issue of ongoing public subsidy? Gerry Acher replied that a London ICC would have to make an operating profit. But he qualified this by pointing out that no conference centre can exist without public support. For the private sector, Vanessa Cotton remarked that as ExCeL is privately owned it must therefore make an operating profit. Some business is lost to other destinations such as Vienna and Madrid that have policies of long-term subsidy. She noted that since business is being pitched for 2012 and beyond, conference centres need a clear indication of whether subsidy is going to be available. Gerry Acher added that we must be careful with subsidy, and look not only at putting cash in the hands of meetings planners, but also providing other attractive elements such as hospitality, the presence of Ministers, etc. However, Nick Waight was more categorical, stating that on the international

level, subsidy was indeed required, with long-term commitment, in order to bring business to the UK. Furthermore, if there was to be an subsidy ‘pot’, then VisitBritain should control it. Tony Travers added a note of dissent, claiming that economists would say that if London needs to provide ongoing subsidy to its ICC, then the market is trying to tell us something, namely: is this the best use of the city’s resources? Gerry Acher noted that although London is 10% more expensive than Paris, we are still successful in winning conferences. He was of the opinion that we should look to the industry to provide subsidy, rather than the government, since ongoing subsidy rarely meets with approval in the UK’s free market economy environment. Michael Hirst FTS expressed the belief that an ICC could act as a catalyst for positive change in London, by stimulating more business tourism. This would be a most welcome development, given that the pattern of visitation is changing. There followed a discussion of how large an ICC would be, and where it should be built. Gerry Acher stated that if London gets an ICC, it would have to be on a world scale – 2000 – 5000 seats, about 60 000m2, with sufficient exhibition space to support it. But Nick Waight disagreed, saying that a 5000seat conference centre would be a mistake, as there are now very few conferences that require a plenary session of that magnitude.

On the issue of location, Ylva French FTS asked: is it now too late to find the ideal location for an ICC ? She was of the opinion that many ‘dream sites’ had already been snapped up for other projects - The Dome, Kings Cross, Wembley. She also felt that it was vital to identify a location that offered sufficient space for hotel development. Tony Travers believed that locating an ICC far away from theatres, restaurants, etc would be inadvisable. According to him, a downtown location was most definitely required, in order to play to the strengths of London. But, inevitably perhaps, Vanessa Cotton riposted by claiming that London was changing at an exponential rate, with the centre of balance moving eastwards, in the direction of Canary Wharf and ExCeL. There was ample space for development in East London. Gerry Acher claimed that there was no doubt that a conference centre would work - either in the centre of London or in fringe areas. But if it is set in the latter type of location, it would be a very different conference centre. The Commission must calculate whether or not the economic impacts of a suburban conference centre would balance out the disadvantages of such a location. However, he intimated that the Commission was tending towards the city-centre option. Harry Baum FTS offered a ready-made solution from the floor: the Methodist Central Hall in the heart of Westminster. He claimed that with the Central Hall’s proximity to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and

MEETING REPORTS

L-R) Jeremy Brinkworth MTS, VisitBritain; Nick Waight, ICC Birmingham; Gerry Acher, ICC Commission; Vanessa Cotton, ExCel Centre; Tony Travers, London School of Economics.

Church House, the three venues could form a central ‘conference campus’ – assuming that the issue of Central Hall’s Grade 2 status and its licensing problem could be overcome. For her part, Sunny Crouch FTS suggested Stratford as the ICC’s ideal location – quickly accessible from central London. According to Sunny, there was currently pressure to create some legacies from the process of bidding for the 2012 Olympic Games, so that we have something to show for the effort, even if London is unsuccessful in its bid. If we do win the Olympics, the ICC could be used as the Games’ Press Centre, during the first year of its existence, then available for conferences thereafter. Finally, not to be outdone, Patrick Doff suggested Newport as the location, claiming that the ‘Full’ sign was up, in London. He expressed the strong belief that, wherever it is located, we need an ICC with bedrooms included, since bedrooms are a revenue source that would make subsidy unnecessary. The evening ended with a straw poll of the audience, returning to the question: A London ICC: To be or not to be? Result ? Unanimous support for a London ICC. Eat your heart out, Hamlet. Rob Davidson FTS is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster, London

To u ri s m S o c i e t y Au s t ra l i a John Alwyn-Jones FTS

NETWORK NEWS

’day from Australia to Tourism Society colleagues and here’s to a healthy, happy, prosperous and peaceful 2005! As I sit here zapping this Aussie update into my laptop at 7:00am and about 30C, I still find it difficult to deal with the totally opposite climate life that have here in Australia; which has dramatically affected agriculture and entailed farmers turning to tourism. What is also hard to accept is the number of levels of Government in a country of only 20 million people spread over an area the size of the USA. These levels extend through town, regional or city councils, State Governments and Federal Government. For example, I am told that there are over 170 local councils in New South Wales alone! In tourism terms in New South Wales and some other states an additional level has been inserted, generally called Regional Tourism Organisations which are partly funded by the States and then have to secure their funding from each of the town, city or regional

councils, in addition to commercial partners. It will come as no surprise to hear that this creates a great deal of political debate and in general these organisations are drastically under funded. What also appears to be emerging through industry gossip as a disturbing trend is the apparent politicisation of the tourism in Australia in some States and at Federal level. The reorganisation of the Australian Tourism Commission into Tourism Australia appears to have gone well, but confidence was rocked when the incumbent MD/CEO Ken Boundy, apparently well liked and respected by the industry and the leader who took the inbound industry through every crisis thrown at it during recent, years did not secure the role of MD/CEO of the new organisation.

rightful recognition of the industry at all levels of Government In closing the Tsunami across large parts of Asia has had a significant impact on tourism in the region, one extremely dependant on tourism for its lifeblood and a comparatively short haul destination for Australians. In terms of Australian domestic tourism, in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami, domestic and Pacific Island tourism boomed, but the appeals for tourists to begin to revisit the locations worst hit, are working and the business is beginning to recover. I am sure we all hope for a year free of disasters, disease, wars, political or other intervention and that 2005 can be a year when tourism globally can continue its exponential growth on a truly sustainable basis.

The real test will be in increasing visitor numbers and income from tourism, securing the allocation of the appropriate levels of funding to do the job well and achieving the

To u ri s m S o c i e t y S c o t l a n d N e w s Kenneth Wardrop MTS

he new national strategy for the industry - Tourism Network Scotland (TNS) was announced in March 2004. The restructuring is currently being rolled out to address the strategic needs of Scotland’s largest industry, worth over £4 billion; with a business strategy to grow tourism revenue by 50% over the next 10 years.

earlier than others, there is an equal recognition that developments can only be introduced at a pace acceptable to industry stakeholders.

VisitScotland is growing from an organization of around 250 staff to one of around 1200 and major organizational, business and strategic plans are in place to facilitate these changes.

A number of key themes emerged from the feedback. One was the need to maintain a local point of contact providing specialist advice, another was the wish to purchase marketing opportunities which cater to specific needs and mean that a full range of marketing opportunities – national and local – are required to inform decision making. Such feedback has been comprehensively integrated into the development of certain new products and services.

Area Tourist Boards will become part of the new national tourism network and, in one of the more high profile changes, will become VisitScotland Area Offices, linked to the new wider and closely integrated network. The full effects will take time to deliver, and whilst there is widespread recognition that some improvements will become visible

In planning for TNS, VisitScotland consulted widely, taking the views of frontline tourism businesses then designing new products and services around their expectations.

During the planning stages serious consideration was also given to the need for effective deployment of public sector funds to leverage quality and innovation in local

marketing. In response the first phase of the VisitScotland Challenge fund was announced in November 2004. The fund, targeted at assisting group marketing projects, is a £250,000 £300,000 project for campaigns which complement VisitScotland’s existing marketing activity. The first application round closes on 28th February this year and the second round closes on 30th June 2005. The new network will “go live” in May this year and, in a separate development, VisitScotland’s corporate head quarters in Edinburgh will move from Edinburgh’s West End to the vibrant commercial centre of Leith, in the North of the city. With a clear strategic vision and a new enhanced tourism network in place, Scotland can look to the future, confident that a robust and integrated strategy is in place to enable us to compete and engage fully in the fiercely competitive global market.

Book Reviews Title: Effective Tourism Sector Marketing Credit(s): Roger Doswell FTS Publisher: ICM (the Institute of Commercial Management) ISBN: 190326004-3 Number of pages: 185 Price: £Unknown

It provides the readers with a comprehensive introduction to the tourism sector and to the concept of marketing. Key elements of the marketing function are explored and applied to the tourism sector. While the publication provides an introductory text it does dwell on advanced aspects of marketing such as “pricing strategy and yield management” and “positioning and strategy” with draft marketing plans contained in the latter part of the book. The range of areas reviewed within the book is extensive and makes the publication ideally suited to students studying on tourism related programmes. In addition, it is suited to individuals engaged within the tourism sector who are embarking on a marketing exercise. It is well organised, structured and is user friendly to the reader. Noel O’Connor MTS Dublin Institute of Technology Title: Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism Credit(s): Ed. R. Buckley Publisher: CABI Publishing, 2004 ISBN: 0851-998100 Number of pages: 386 Price: £60 This is the second volume in the Ecotourism Book Series, edited by David Weaver. The series aims to provide material for a broad spectrum of stakeholders involved in protected areas management through detailed studies of nature-based tourism. This latest book addresses the impacts of a broad range of nature tourism activities, including the effects of off-road driving, travel to ecotourism destinations, and tourism-related inmigration. There are some good studies of generally under-researched areas, such as domestic nature tourism in developing countries (with a case study of Brazil), and the effectiveness of environmental interpretation in reducing tourism’s impacts. Also included are useful reviews of tourism’s

Xavier Font MTS Leeds Metropolitan University Title: Improving Tourism and Hospitality Services Credit(s): Professor Eric Laws Publisher: CABI Publishing, October 2004 ISBN: 0851999956, Number of pages: 224 Price: £22.50 Improving Tourism and Hospitality Services is a welcome addition to the literature exploring the challenges of managing tourism and hospitality businesses to produce maximum customer satisfaction. As consumers are increasingly spoiled for choice, consumer satisfaction is a key issue for all tourism and hospitality professionals. The book covers a number of areas, namely Service Quality in Tourism and Hospitality ; Tourism and Hospitality Service Quality Research ; Analysing Service Experiences in Tourism and Hospitality ; Tourism and Hospitality Service Delivery Systems ; Service Quality and Tourist Satisfaction ; Marketing Tourism and Hospitality Services ; Improving Tourism and Hospitality Services ;The Management of Tourism and Hospitality Organizations. Improving Tourism and Hospitality Services uses the service delivery systems as a framework for analysis and for exploring how tourism and hospitality services marketing can improve quality. It incorporates a multitude of case studies and outlines the various frameworks available for the study of tourist satisfaction. A number of examples from organisations that have succeeded in providing profitable services with high levels of customer loyalty is complemented by examples of customer dissatisfaction. The book can be useful to both students and practitioners in the tourism hospitality and leisure industries. Dimitrios Buhalis FTS Programme Leader, University of Surrey

TITLE: Tourism and Postcolonialism Credits(s): Ed. C. Michael Hall & Hazel Tucker Publisher: Routledge, 2004 ISBN: 0-415-33102-1 Number of pages: 189 Price: £68.00 This is a timely publication. Although postcolonialism is not a new concept in tourism studies, the authors provide an arguably unprecedented level of critical engagement with the theme. A strong theoretical framework is supported by illustrative case studies. The authors argue that tourism studies can inform debates about postcolonialism (rather than the other way round, which has heretofore often been the case). They are critical of postcolonial tourism with its Western, Eurocentric and hegemonic influences and values. In this sense, the book is not ground-breaking. However, the subtle contradictions inherent in tourism’s concomitantly exploitative and beneficial role in global development and economic development are explored in some depth.

BOOK REVIEWS

This latest publication by Roger Doswell FTS builds on previous publications in the areas of management and tourism. This publication complements these previous editions by focussing on effective tourism marketing.

impacts on important habitats (polar and freshwater) and groups of animals (birds and cetaceans), and of the effects of specific activities (off-road driving, horse-riding, recreational power-boating, hiking and camping). Most of the case studies are drawn from Australia and North America. There are however some gaps in coverage, for example on the impacts of dive tourism, ski tourism, or of tourism in tropical habitats, and it is to be hoped that future volumes in the series will cover these omissions. In the meantime, this book should prove very useful for protected areas planners, managers and researchers.

Numerous themes are discussed, such as those relating to identity, place (re)making, representation, and interpretation. Tourism is viewed as a considerable force in reshaping the world. It can help to articulate cultures, both in terms of the history of a place, and the contemporary lives of its people, therefore its role is both political and symbolic. It is nevertheless fraught with tensions and contradictions. Elite discourses still pervade tourism promotion, therefore the colonial past is often romanticised or sanitised. Histories and traditions may be commodified or fossilised to correspond to tourist expectations of a particular location (e.g. remote or primitive African landscapes or romantic, ‘paradisical’ Caribbean islands). In other destinations, tourism may be playing a key role in the re-creation of identities (e.g. South Africa, Hong Kong). In some cases, questions need to be asked about how colonial history should be interpreted and represented in relation to the present, for example, the (re)use and meanings of colonial buildings. The book is densely written in places and may not be accessible to a wide student readership. However, it is far less impenetrable than much of the postcolonial studies literature currently available, therefore its contribution to both tourism studies and other fields should be significant. Melanie Smith, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Tourism Management University of Greenwich

MEMBER’S NEWS M&IT Awards

MEMBER’S NEWS

N e w Ye a r s H o n o u r ’s The Society would like to congratulate the following on receiving New Year Honours from the Queen in recognition to their continued support and effort to tourism.

Anthony Climpson FTS received an OBE

Eddie Friel FTS received an OBE On 14th February at the 2005 Meetings & Incentive Travel Industry Awards Rob Davidson FTS was awarded with the M&IT Industry Personality of the Year Award in recognition of his services to the national and international business tourism industry, in particular his success in establishing conference management as an element of tourism education at university level, at home and abroad.

Victor Middleton FTS received an OBE

Obituary The Society would like to pass on it’s sincere condolences to the family of Alan Jefferson, a former member of the Society, who passed away in December. It was in 1972 that Alan ventured into the tourism industry, joining the Scottish Tourist Board. Before long he had moved to the British Tourist Authority, where he worked tirelessly for 18 years as International Director of Marketing and Deputy Chief Executive. He had a profound effect upon the development of the BTA and indeed his presence is still undoubtedly felt today. VisitBritain has defined the brand values and strengths of the destination Britain as being depth, heart and vitality. Alan Jefferson personified all three of those qualities and in everything he did he encouraged their culture and growth throughout the organisation

Alan was equally successful in written expression. He formed an amazingly powerful partnership with Len Lickorish at BTA and their splendid teamwork resulted in the production of those two classic books for international tourism - Marketing tourism and Developing Tourism Destinations. All in all a magnificent lifetime achievement which richly deserved the OBE which Alan was awarded for his services to tourism in the 1994 New Year’s Honours list. Everyone who knew him will sorely miss him, there is a great depth of sorrow at having to say goodbye to Alan, but with all our heart we give thanks for the vitality of a man who made such a difference to the lives he touched. With thanks to David Hamilton

NEW MEMBERS

Stan Abbott MTS, Managing Consultant, Gravity Consulting Ltd, Office 15, IMEX Business Center, Abbey Road, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5JZ Tel: 0191 383 2838 Fax: 0191 384 6580 E-mail: stan@gravity-consulting.com www.gravity-consulting.com

Sandy Duncan MTS, Head of Business Development, Northumbria Larder, Ground Floor, Beaufront Park, Anick Road, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4TU Tel: 0845 456 2340 Fax: 0845 456 2341 E-mail: enquiries@northumbria-larder.co.uk www.northumbria-larder.co.uk

Marjahan Begum MTS, Research Secretary, Christel De Haan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, Nottingham University Business School, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG8 1BB Tel: 0115 8466606 Fax: 0115 8466667 E-mail: m.begum@nottingham.ac.uk

Sophie Eke MTS, Marketing Manager, Career Concepts Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP Tel: 0207 697 9900 Fax: 0207 697 8048 E-mail: sophie.eke@btconnect.com

Mike Williamson has recently changed his e-mail address. It is now: mike@mwagolfconsult.com

Geoff Booth MTS, Director of the School of Hospitality, Westminster Kingsway College, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PD Tel: 0207 802 8389 Fax: 0207 556 8003 E-mail: geoff.booth@westking.ac.uk www.westking.ac.uk David Browne MTS, Freelance Journalist, 8 Greenfield Road, London N15 5EP Tel: 020 8802 4937 Mobile: 07754 176 596 Fax: 020 8800 5547 E-mail: david.browne@virgin.net www.eturbonews.com Jonathan Bryant MTS, Head of Customer Services, British Waterways, Willow Grange, Church Road, Watford WD17 4QA Tel: 07717 581 221 E-mail: jonathan.bryant@britishwaterways.co.uk Dr Janet Cochrane MTS, Senior Research Fellow, Leeds Metropolitan University, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Calverley Street, Leeds LS1 3HE Tel: 0113 283 2600 ext 5609 Fax: 0113 283 3111 E-mail: j.cochrane@leedsmet.ac.uk www.leedsmet.ac.uk Ann Harrison Crome MTS, Head of Revenue Development, Moat House Hotels, Queens Court, 9/17 Eastern Road, Romford RM1 3NG Tel: 01708 730 522 Mobile: 07876 038 658 Fax: 01708 710 711 E-mail: ann.crome@queensmoat.co.uk

Ola Fagbohun MTS, Director/Editor, Diverse Traveller, Unit 67-95 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1BZ Tel: 0870 446 0047 Fax: 0870 446 0019 E-mail: info@diversetraveller.com www.diversetraveller.com Kevin Fields MTS, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS Tel: 0207 911 5000 ext. 3419 Fax: 0207 911 5058 E-mail: k.fields@wmin.ac.uk www.wmin.ac.uk Anita Gardiner MTS, Project Officer, Cross River Partnership, 4th Floor Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London SW9 9SP Tel: 020 7926 0081 Fax: 020 7926 6201 E-mail: agardiner@lambeth.gov.uk www.crossriverpartnership.org Anthony Gay MTS, Vice President International Relations, ACP / ACP Rail International, Sutton House, 158 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5LB Tel: 0207 834 4713 Fax: 0207 821 6667 E-mail: anthonygay@acprail.com Photios Georgiou FTS, Hotelier M.D., Photo Georgiou Hotels Ltd, 24-28 Nikodemou Mylona Street, Paphos 8101, P.O. Box 60215 Cyprus Tel: 00 357 26 933 926 Fax: 00 357 26 935 308

Patrick Goff MTS, Hoteldesigns.co.uk Ltd, 5 Bayards, Warlingham, Surrey CR6 9BP Tel: 01383 371 722 E-mail: office@hoteldesigns.co.uk www.hoteldesigns.net Daniel Heuman MTS, Economist, Colin Buchanan, Newcombe House, 45 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3PB Tel: 020 7643 5644 Fax: 020 7309 0906 E-mail: daniel.heuman@cbuchanan.co.uk www.cbuchanan.co.uk Michala Holm MTS, Associate Director – Advisory Services, HLL Humberts Leisure, 12 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BD Tel: 0207 629 6700 Fax: 0207 409 0475 E-mail: michala.holm@humberts-leisure.com www.humberts-leisure.com

MEMBER’S NEWS

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Joanna Dixon MTS, Senior Officer – Cycle Tourism, Sustrans, National Cycle Network Centre, 2 Cathedral Square, College Green, Bristol BS1 5DD Tel: 01179 150 107 E-mail: joannad@sustrans.org.uk www.sustrans.org.uk

MEMBERS UPDATE

Melanie Hoskin MTS, Tourism Marketing Manager, Surrey County Council, Room 404, County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 2DY Tel: 020 8541 8092 Fax: 020 8541 9172 E-mail: melanie.hoskin@surreycc.gov.uk www.visitsurrey.com Jim Johnston MTS, Tourism & Leisure Cluster Manager, Advantage West Midlands, 3 Priestley Wharf, Holt Street, Aston Science Park, Birmingham B7 4BN Tel: 0121 503 3299 E-mail: jimjohnston@advantagewm.co.uk www.advantagewm.co.uk David Eiflon Jones-Williams MTS, Quality & Business Support Advisor, Wales Tourist Board, Ty Glywdwr, Macmywlleth, Powys SY20 8WW Tel: 01654 702 584 E-mail: eiflon.williams@tourism-wales. gov.uk Steve Keeling MTS, Teacher, Stockton 6th Form College, Bishopton Road West, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland TS19 0QD Tel: 01642 612 611 E-mail: s.keeling@stocktonsfc.ac.uk Darren Leftwich MTS, Head of Travel & Tourism, Enfield College, 73 Hertford Road, Enfield, Middlesex EN3 5HA Tel: 0208 443 3434 ext. 6539 Fax: 020 8372 7651 E-mail: leftwich@enfield.ac.uk Gang Li MTS, Lecturer in Economics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: g.li@surrey.ac.uk

MEMBER’S NEWS

David Lowe MTS, Partner, Wragge & Co LLP, 3 Waterhouse Square, 142 Holborn, London EC1N 2SW Tel: 020 7664 0322 Fax: 020 7664 0340 E-mail: david_lowe@wragge.com www.wragge.com Jane Malcolm Davies MTS, Lecturer in Leisure Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: j.davies@surrey.ac.uk Graham Miller MTS, Lecturer in Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: g.miller@surrey.ac.uk Stephen Mills MTS, Research Director, MEW Research, 5th Floor, Kingsbourne House, 229-231 High Holborn, London WC1V 7DA Tel: 020 7400 0381 Fax: 020 7405 4778 E-mail: steve.mills@mewresearch.com www.mewresearch.com Rob North MTS, Online Marketing Executive, VisitBritain, Thames Tower, Blacks Road, Hammersmith W6 9EL Tel: 020 8563 3329 E-mail: robert.north@visitbritain.org Edward Owen-Davies MTS, People Development Manager, Tourism Partnership North Wales, 25 St. Asaph Business Park, St Asaph, Denbighshire LL17 0LJ Tel: 01745 589 021 Fax: 01745 589 028 E-mail: edwardowen-davies@ttfw.org.uk www.tpnw.org George Papageorgiou MTS, Lecturer in Tourism, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: g.papageorgiou@surrey.ac.uk Steve Plummer MTS, Commercial Director, Elastic Creative, 12 Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh EH12 5EG Tel: 0131 467 7734 Mobile: 07810 711 884 E-mail: steve@elasticcreative.co.uk www.elasticcreative.co.uk David Powell MTS, Marketing Consultant, 129 Kenilworth Court, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 1HB Tel: 020 8780 1718 Fax: 020 8780 1718 E-mail: davpowell@hotmail.com Paul Richer MTS, Senior Partner, Genesys – The Travel Technology Consultancy, Clarendon House, 125 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 1AG Tel: 0870 704 0870 Fax: 0870 705 0870 E-mail: paul.richer@genesys.net

Raul Rios MTS, Director of Projects, Grant Leisure Group Ltd, 17 St. George Street, Hanover Square, London W15 1FJ Tel: 020 7279 4470 Fax: 020 7279 4471 E-mail: r-rios@grant-leisure.com www.grant-leisure.com Deborah Roil MTS, Director, Leisure and Gaming Consultancy Ltd, 10 Darlaston Road, London SW19 4LG Tel: 0208 947 5812 E-mail: droil2003@yahoo.co.uk Ellie Rose MTS, Tourism Researcher, Seaspace (SEEDA) & Tourism South East, Floor 5, Queensbury House, Havelock Road, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 1BP Tel: 01424 781 272 Fax: 01424 781 490 E-mail: ellierose@seeda.co.uk www.seaspace.org.uk Lisa Ryan MTS, Travel and Tourism Associate, Prana Associates Ltd, 36-40 Cross Hayes, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9BG Tel: 01666 826 196 Fax: 01666 826 196 E-mail: lryan@prana.uk.com www.prana.uk.com Stephen Sambrook MTS, Director, Genua Madridgal Ltd, 9 Gillian Park Road, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9JT Tel: 020 8286 6589 Fax: 020 8286 6589 E-mail: info@geuamadrigal.co.uk www.gemextra.co.uk,

Chris Wales MTS, Chief Executive, Coach Tourism Council, Lombard House, 12/17 Upper Bridge Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2NF Tel: 01227 762 200 E-mail:Chrislwales@hotmail.com Carol Weir MTS, Conferences & Events Sales Manager, The Kensington Close Hotel & Health Spa, Wrights Lane, London W8 5SP Tel: 020 7368 4058 Fax: 020 7368 4063 E-mail: carol.weir@kensingtonclosehotel.com www.kensingtonclosehotel.com John Whaling MTS, Economic Development Manager, St. Helens Council, Urban Regeneration & Housing, Town Hall, Victoria Square, St. Helens WA10 1HP Tel: 01744 456 047 Fax: 01744 456 047 E-mail: johnwhaling@sthelens.gov.uk www.visitsthelens.com Kevin Williamson MTS, Head of Tourism Division, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH Tel: 0207 211 6324 Fax: 0207 211 6319 E-mail: kevin.williamson@culture.gsi.gov.uk STUDENTS

Adrian Sanders, MP MTS MP for Torbay, Liberal Democrats, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Tel: 020 7219 2390 Fax: 020 7219 1128 E-mail: sandersa@parliament.uk www.adriansanders.org David Sims MTS, Business Development Manager, RAC Hotels, 1 Forest Road, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 7RR Tel: 01934 418 636 Fax: 01934 418 636 E-mail: djsims@rac.co.uk www.rac.co.uk Michael Spinelli FTS, Tourism Consultant, Mike Spinelli International, Division of Merrimac Travel Service, 6 Lakewood Road, Windham, NH 03087 USA Tel: +1 603 894 6660 Fax: +1 603 894 6616 E-mail: maspinelli@aol.com www.mikespinelli.com Edith Szivas MTS, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: e.szivas@surrey.ac.uk John Tribe MTS, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH E-mail: j.tribe@surrey.ac.uk

Heidi Truman MTS, Executive Advisor, KPMG, 1 Puddle Dock, London EC4V 3PD Tel: 020 7311 2431 Fax: 020 7311 3318 E-mail: heidi.truman@kpmg.co.uk

Birmingham College of Food & Technology, Tourism & Creative Studies Nicola-Jayne Ambrose Bournemouth University Victoria Larmour Rebecca Clist Erica Davies Kylie Gilbert Paul Harris Marie Hill Samantha Hill Christopher Hubbard Nikki Kelly Laura Norman Elizabeth Prat Göteborg University Olumide Euba University of Hertfordshire Gavin de Luca Murdoch University Gemma Nowell University of Oxford Murray Simpson University of Surrey Matthew Brown University of Westminster Maria Boznakova

Carrie England MTS Guest Editor

CONTENTS

The

Chairman’s Page 2005 Calendar of Events Inbound: Funding is the Key to Growth Outbound: All-inclusive Holidays

3 4 5 6

Infocus: The Effects of War on Tourist Destinations – Vietnam – Croatia – Iraq

7 8 9

Tourism Trendspotter

Special Feature The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA): A Vision, Challenge and Reality

Special Feature The End of the Beginning

Special Feature The First SHINE Awards Celebrate the Achievement of Women in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

Special Feature TICs in Cumbria – “The State of the Union”

Special Feature Northern Ireland in Retrospect

Special Feature Sustainable Development, Food and Tourism in Rural Norfolk: A Queen’s Awards Golden Jubilee Research Fellowship Project

Meeting Reports Prospects for 2005 Regional Food and Drink: A British Tourism Asset A London ICC: to be or not to be? that is the question.

Tourism Society Conference 2005

24 26

Network’s News

Book Reviews

Member’s News

Designed and Printed at The Lavenham Press, 47 Water Street, Lavenham, Suffolk, England CO10 9RN. Tel: 01787 247 436.

People in all the right places

Regeneration: Realising the Power of Tourism

Photos courtesy of Greenwich Council

TOURISM SOCIETY

16-17th June 2005 University of Greenwich London

Day 1 – Thursday

Day 2 – Friday

Study tour around Greenwich & World Heritage Sites Tourism Society AGMs Cocktail Reception on the Cutty Sark Dinner

One-day conference Line up of expert speakers Regeneration case studies: N London 2012 Olympic Bid N Barcelona N Newcastle/Gateshead N Brighton & Margate N HERIAN N Leith Port, Edinburgh

For more info contact Flo Powell: flo@tourismsociety.org

The

TOURISM SOCIETY

TOU R I S M

People in all the right places

T h e J o u r n a l f o r t h e To u r i s m I n d u s t r y

Quarter II 2005 Issue 123

Shine Awards 2005 Full report page 19

I The SHINE Awards Alessandra Alonso

8 pax, shower suite and lounge where tea and coffee can be taken at leisure.

AND

Members News Meeting Reports Network News

STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS • STOP PRESS •

GDS Access Code: UI Amadaeus LONBER, Galileo 03867, Sabre 31473, Worldspan COBER.

The official charity of the Tourism Society for 2005

Delegates are welcome from all sectors of the tourism industry.

The Berners Hotel, Berners Street, London W1A 3BE, England, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7666 2000, Fax: +44 (0)20 7666 2001, E-Mail: berners@jjwhotels.com, www.jjwhotels.com

e - m a i l : a d m i n @ t o u r i s m s o c i e t y. o r g • w e b s i t e : w w w . t o u r i s m s o c i e t y. o r g