Tourism - Winter 2014 - issue 160 by Tourism Society

Contents

Editorial Tourism: the carrot and candlestick approach If like me you enjoy words for their own sake and appreciate the use of words not commonly heard, you will enjoy the appearance in three separate articles in this edition of Tourism of the word ‘nimble.’ The contributors have used it to describe how the tourism industry, both domestic and outbound sectors, should react with quickness and agility to developing trends in customer behaviour as they continuously evolve against a shifting economic background. Of course, you need to know what the trends are.Talking to your customers is the best way to find out what they think about your product and how likely they are to return and, crucially, recommend you to others.This will give you the opportunity to vary the offering to match what is being searched for. But it is also important to see how you fit into the wider picture of visitor behaviour. VisitBritain,VisitEngland, the International Passenger Survey and the Anholt Gfk Nation Brands Index Survey all provide valuable information that companies should be using to see how their plans fit the context of current and predicted trends. One accepted trend is the increasing significance of accessible tourism, not just here in the UK but globally. Ageing populations, multi-generational holidays and a much greater awareness and understanding of the needs of disabled people have all helped promote the development of this market. Both the UNWTO and the EU have increased their activities to enable businesses to be better trained and provide better information to staff and customers. As Eduardo Santander notes on page 14, the European share of global tourism is expected to fall in the near future; as well as developing the cultural reasons for people to visit it is also

Government:VisitBritain and VisitEngland Triennial Review Ken Robinson CBE FTS, Chair,Tourism Society Think Tank

4-5

Scotland: Life after the referendum 6-7 Helen Adams MTS, Chair,Tourism Society Scotland, Dr Violet V. Cuffy MTS and Dr Paula Danby MTS, Queen Margaret University Research: Spreading the benefits of inbound tourism across Britain David Edwards FTS, Head of Research and Forecasting,VisitBritain Youth Travel: A growing market Emma English, Executive Director, British Educational Travel Association (BETA)

8-9

10-11

Entrepreneurship: Spotting an opportunity Ayisat Banjoko, Director, Gateway Guardians

Accessible Tourism: Access for All Ross Calladine, Head of Business Support,VisitEngland

Marketing Europe in a Global Setting: Status quo European tourism Eduardo Santander (PhD) MTS, Executive Director, European Travel Commission

Tourism and Climate Change: Out of sight and out of mind? Neil Warren MTS, Centre for Business and Climate Solutions, and Tim Coles MTS, University of Exeter Business School

16-17

Focus on… Quality in Tourism Victoria Rowan MTS, Business Support Manager, Quality in Tourism

Customer Complaints: No-one to turn to Alison Rice MTS,Travel journalist and broadcaster

An interview with… Peter Long, Chief Executive Officer,TUI Travel plc

20-21

Project Management: New methodologies within a European perspective Silvia Barbone, Director, Jlag

Tourism Consultants Network: 25 years – and going stronger than ever Roger Goodacre FTS, Chairman,Tourism Consultants Network

Marketing and PR: A change in the balance – PR now wins hands down Paul Chibeba, Director of Business Development, A Marr & Associates

Tourism Society Autumn Events: Staycation and World Travel Market Gregory Yeoman FTS, Executive Director,The Tourism Society

Membership News

The Back Page Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE FTS, Chairman,The Tourism Society

Cover photo: Credit: © hywards – fotolia.com

important to consider the physical facilities that enable them to visit. By paying attention to accessibility, businesses will maximise their options for attracting guests and should see an increase in visitor numbers. Responding to information like this, revising business plans and developing new models – and doing it quickly – sets the nimble apart and gives them the advantage in a crowded industry. Gregory Yeoman FTS Executive Director gregory@tourismsociety.org

Tourism Society Company Members

To view our website scan here

The Tourism Society Queens House, 55-56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BH T 0207 269 9693 F 0207 404 2465 E journal@tourismsociety.org W www.tourismsociety.org Registered in England No. 01366846. ISSN: 02613700 Designed and produced by Script Media Group Contact Tony Barry 47 Church Street Barnsley S70 2AS T 01226 734333

www.tourismsociety.org

E tb@scriptmedia.co.uk W www.scriptmedia.co.uk © Copyright 2014 The Tourism Society Tourism is the journal of the Tourism Society. The views expressed in Tourism are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of the Tourism Society. Whilst unsolicited material is welcomed, neither transparencies nor unpublished articles can be returned. The Tourism Society cannot be held

Issue 160 Winter 2014

responsible for any services offered by advertisers in Tourism. All correspondence must be addressed to the Editor. Tourism is only available to members of the Tourism Society and on subscription, it is distributed quarterly to 1800 professionals working in national and regional tourist boards, local government, travel agencies, and tour operators, visitor attractions, accommodation and catering, entertainment, information services, guiding, consultancies and education and training.

Government

VisitBritain and VisitEngland Triennial Review In 2012, as part of post-banking crisis economies, the Government abolished 220 non-departmental government bodies (NDPBs, popularly referred to as Quangos). They also began a process of Triennial Reviews of NDPBs, as part of the ongoing drive to “Government efficiency, transparency and accountability”. In July 2014, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a triennial review of VisitBritain and VisitEngland, the twin purposes of which would be “to ensure that the agencies are still needed and are complying with principles of good corporate governance”. The two stages of the VB and VE Review are defined as: Stage One: to examine whether there is a continuing public need for all functions performed by VisitBritain and VisitEngland and if so, to determine if they should deliver them or if there is an alternative delivery model. Stage Two: to look at the control and governance of each organisation to make sure they are complying with recognised governance principles and delivering their functions effectively and efficiently. The Triennial Reviews are led by a senior Civil Servant who is not normally involved with the selected NDPB, in this case by Mark Fisher CBE, a Director of Social Justice at the Department for Work and Pensions, and the findings are expected to be published by the end of 2014. The Terms of Reference of the Review were published, and submissions were invited.The Tourism Society Board agreed that the Society should respond. Ken Robinson CBE, chair of the Society ‘Think Tank’, consulted with members and circulated a draft to members of the Board, which after amendment was approved. It’s important to note that several members wished that the consultation had a wider remit, as there are elements of Government policy and the economy-driven changes of recent years that have impacted negatively on tourism structures and businesses, including the difficulties faced by DMOs in England. However, it was made clear by the Review Team that this Triennial Review has a focused purpose, on the existence of VB and VE, so our concise responses

were directed to the questions posed. The Review questions (italicised) and TS responses: Whether delivery of the functions continue to contribute to wider Government policy (including economic growth) The delivery by VisitBritain and VisitEngland of their respective functions (as defined in the Development of Tourism Act and as prescribed by Government) is essential to the effective competitive performance of the inbound and domestic tourism industry, including the resultant growth. Whether providing the functions is a justifiable use of grant-in-aid and GREAT funding, and whether they provide value for money The functions of VisitBritain and VisitEngland cannot be achieved without most of the funding being provided through grant-in-aid, and cannot be replaced from private sector beneficiaries of their services although such partnership funding must be maximised.The ‘value for money’ direct return to HM Treasury and the wider economy throughout the UK has been repeatedly proven.There is widespread agreement that both VB and VE are underfunded, with substantial loss to the Treasury and the wider economy. The demand for the functions and services, in the light of the changing local tourism delivery chain and developing local economic growth structures in England VisitBritain: in the competitive international marketplace the activities of VisitBritain are essential to establish the UK’s destination brand and work with the nations and some major Destinations in targeted

Issue 160 Winter 2014

marketing. VisitEngland:The evolution from Regional Tourism Boards and Regional Development Agency-related organisational infrastructure is severely hampered by Local Authority-funding cutbacks and industry fragmentation.The effectiveness of Destination Management Organisations is patchy. Whilst the best are very good, many are economically fragile. Most tourism businesses in England are not participants in DMO programmes and many localities do not have a DMO. The role of VE is essential to provide: The identification and spreading of best practice The improvement and encouragement of quality The evolution of consumer-driven, industry-backed standards Encouragement of innovation Measuring and advocating the benefits of collective action The production and sharing of accurate data, research and insights Identifying gaps in education, skills and training and encouraging provision Coordination around common interests to create economies of scale on a multidestination basis A system for effective collective communication There are real problems with the lack of a ‘functioning network’ of tourism organisations in England, now reliant on the evolution and permanence of DMOs. Whilst not the specific purpose of this Triennial Review, ensuring future improvements in the funding, viability and effectiveness of sub-national tourism

journal@tourismsociety.org

entities is crucial to achieving future sustainable growth, and to optimise the economic, social and cultural benefits of tourism, for all communities. The growth opportunities presented by domestic and mature international markets as well as emerging international growth markets There is a wealth of available data to demonstrate that global tourism demand is growing exponentially, whilst the UK has been losing market share and suffered decreases of visits from major established markets. Due to generational change, there is no such thing as “a mature international market”.There is potential for growth from all source markets. Domestic tourism growth is achieved by better products and improved value, leading to more trips and greater economic benefit. Improving tourism products and services for domestic customers also benefits inbound tourism. The extent and effectiveness of the engagement with all related tourism and non-tourism bodies and whether this is appropriate VB’s and VE’s engagement with all tourism and non-tourism bodies is limited, due to their very constrained resources, the very large number of entities involved without a ‘functioning network’ and the fact that many aspects of Government policy impact tourism without the needs of tourism being taken adequately into account.VB has a particularly difficult and sensitive task in supporting and collaborating with the national Boards and London. Whether commercial opportunities are being maximised Both VB and VE have worked hard to maximise commercial opportunities and

www.tourismsociety.org

have been successful within the limits of working with an industry that primarily comprises SMEs. Whether the governance and management arrangements are sufficiently robust and transparent The governance and management arrangements of VB and VE are reasonably robust and transparent, given the direction of functions by Government, and the limited resources available to each Board. The ‘counterfactual’ – that is, the cost and effects of not delivering the functions; It is not possible empirically to determine the costs and effects of not delivering the functions, but the cost benefit ratio of continuance is so great, and the relative cost to Government is so small, that discontinuance would cause an immediate and permanent loss of revenue to HM Treasury, particularly from lost potential inbound business. Efficiency with which both organisations operate and extent to which further backoffice administrative cost reductions are possible Both VB and VE have suffered cuts to their operations budgets over recent years. The result has been the loss of skilled expertise (in VB’s case, especially in source markets) and severe limitations on the ability of VE to effectively liaise with and support DMOs and tourism businesses – at a time when their involvement is increasingly essential. Following devolution of tourism responsibility to the home nations and to London,VB has found it increasingly difficult to optimise their services, due to limited co-operation from their partners. This does not diminish the need for VB’s role. The roles of VB and VE are complementary but almost entirely different.VB and VE cannot therefore be

fully integrated.The colocation of their offices and the sharing of ‘back-office’ systems and some other support functions is managerially and economically practical and desirable. The recommendation related to the core objective set out for the Triennial Review, viz: “…..specifically whether there should be one or two separate organisations to deliver the functions” is that they must be separate, but can beneficially be colocated, utilising efficient common services. The accountability, governance and sponsorship arrangements as appropriate following recommendations at Stage1 VB and VE should be separately established, each with their own Accounting Officer. Governance should be improved, and, in the case of VisitBritain, be more regularly publically accountable to encourage and better demonstrate the effectiveness of co-operation between VB, the national Boards, London and the industry. Sponsorship of VB and VE should be by whichever Department will give appropriate prominence and support to the potential of Tourism to the national economies. DCMS is logical as it has responsibility for the Museums, Heritage, the Arts etc. that are core resources for Tourism. Only if another Department will provide substantially greater support and effective cross-Government representation should tourism be re-located. The Minister for Sport and Tourism will have oversight of the Review. Both Cabinet Office and DCMS Ministers will be asked to agree the report and recommendations for VisitEngland and for VisitBritain before publication. A review team has been set up that is independent of both VB and VE. A Challenge Group has been established to work alongside the review team and to provide challenge to the methodology and conclusions of the review.

Ken Robinson CBE FTS l Chair, Tourism Society Think Tank Issue 160 Winter 2014

Scotland

This was a big year for tourism in Scotland with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and the small matter of the referendum on 18th September. The latter required a big decision on the part of the voting population and tourism professionals (like professionals in all sectors) voted for what they thought was right for both their professional and personal lives. Key considerations for tourism, both for and against independence, were eloquently outlined by Kenneth Wardrop MTS and Beppo Buchanan-Smith in an earlier edition of Tourism. While Kenneth wanted to see an independent Scotland abolishing Air Passenger Duty and reducing VAT, Beppo countered that tourism and hospitality thrive on stability and that Scotland benefits from support from the rest of the UK. After all, the Scottish industry relies heavily on visitors from England. The vote was close: 55% voted No and 45% Yes and since 18th September the discussion continues as Scotland seeks to find its way forward. Dr Violet Cuffy MTS and Dr Paula Danby MTS at Queen Margaret University took the initiative and conducted an opinion poll on behalf of Tourism Society Scotland to solicit members’ views on the impact of the referendum on the Scottish tourism industry. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate.Tourism Society Scotland will endeavour to take on board members’ views and support the industry accordingly. Helen Adams MTS

Elected Chair of Tourism Society Scotland

Tourism Society Scotland – Members’Views, PostReferendum Interestingly the post-referendum opinion poll results are reflective of the final referendum outcome with the majority holding the view that the No vote was the

Life after the referendum

best option for the future of the sector. Nevertheless, the results also indicate that there are still a number of unanswered questions and much concern among industry stakeholders about the future of the Scottish tourism product. Generally, members had mixed opinions about the positive impacts on Scotland’s tourism brand, with a relative number opining that in terms of destination management things will more or less remain within the current status quo. Moreover, it was largely felt that the referendum would do very little to change the level of tourism collaboration between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. In relation to tourism, do you think that the Scottish tourism industry will benefit from Scotland continuing to be part of the UK? Comments here reflected on the benefits of continued unity with England, Scotland’s key tourism market and the importance of not alienating Scotland.The No vote is seen as having removed uncertainty for Scottish tourism’s future.

Issue 160 Winter 2014

Others countered with views on the need for full control of fiscal powers and taxation in Scotland, including Air Passenger Duty and VAT.Visa control was another concern raised. Another participant answered: “No. My business offers a holiday planning service to clients from overseas. As a result, the sales trends that we see are several months ahead of the visitor trends and we have noted a drop off in enquiries for 2015 post the referendum result. The UK's exceptionally high Air Passenger Duties are the biggest problem for us. The high taxes inhibit the development of direct flights to Scotland and they make travel to Scotland more expensive for overseas visitors who have to route through London airports. The lack of direct flights means that our clients cut a day off each end of their possible vacation time in Scotland so that they can travel to / from London.” In relation to tourism development please list any advantages of Scotland being united with other parts of the UK. Working closely with the other UK

journal@tourismsociety.org

tourist boards Increased transport connection Shared currency More ‘joined up’ visitor experience Easier to talk to near neighbours No border problems Better chance of attracting European funding However, not everyone subscribes to the benefits listed above and concerns were raised about the UK’s future as part of the EU and Scotland’s standing within that. In relation to tourism development please list any disadvantages of Scotland being united with other parts of the UK.

Scotland does not control the revenue raising or spending powers it needs in order to fully invest in tourism Disproportionate level of investment by UK Government in the South East of England UK Border Control Policies One participant illustrated their point with an example of how their business is affected: “We often find that our US Clients are combining a visit to Scotland with a visit to Eire. They invariably allow more time for Eire at the expense of time spent in Scotland. When we ask them why they do this, their reason is usually that Eire is a country whereas they perceive Scotland as a region in the same way that they consider the Cotswolds to be a region.” In your opinion what is the impact of the referendum on future foreign investment in Scotland's tourism? Opinions here varied and ranged from there being no impact as investors value the continued stability of Scotland’s place within the UK, to our having had a ‘wobble’ in 2014 around the referendum itself. Some feel there is potential for positive impact with Scotland’s profile having been raised significantly across 2014. More cautionary responses included: “On the one hand, the outcome has settled uncertainty amongst investors; on the other, it's raised the spectre of potential future uncertainty as well.” “Negative! A great opportunity has been missed for Scotland to raise its profile in international markets.” How do you think the brand of Scotland has been impacted by the political implication of the referendum results? Positive impacts listed included the demonstration of Scotland’s passion in the referendum, and its high level of democracy. It is felt that the No vote strengthened Scotland’s brand as part of

www.tourismsociety.org

the UK. Some felt Scotland’s ‘brand’ featuring castles, lochs, glens, whisky etc remains unchanged by politics. Others are more down-hearted and feel opportunities have been missed with the No vote, and that the coverage afforded by the referendum raised awareness without particular understanding of what Scotland is. How do you think the referendum results will impact on the confidence of small tourism businesses? There was a mixture of responses here – some feel confidence will be restored with uncertainty having been removed with a No vote. Others feel there still remains much uncertainty with the 2015 UK general election still ahead of us. One respondent commented the number of enquiries made to their business fell around the referendum and has worryingly not yet got ‘back on track’. How will increased devolution favour Scotland's tourism? Once again, opinions varied.There remains much uncertainty ahead as Scotland finds its way forward. Others are hopeful that devolution will give Scotland greater fiscal control over taxation and the opportunity to make its own decisions regarding visas.

perceptions still linger on. Some have argued that it is much too early to make clear judgments on the mid-term to long term impact. Furthermore, the referendum has created another significant challenge for the UK in terms of cultural diversity, social policy and political direction.The impacts of these remain to be seen. We cannot predict the future, however we hope for and will strive to achieve a robust, united industry which will collaborate effectively and provide support to one another in order to provide a quality tourism and hospitality offer within the UK’s destinations to achieve a more successful and sustainable industry. One thing is certain though, now that the process is over it is time to refocus on our priority as a destination and pool our efforts into moving ‘brand Scotland’ forward in 2015 and beyond. The Daily Mail recently highlighted the increased interest in Scotland from the rest of the UK since the referendum acknowledging that searches for accommodation on travel website Trivago had risen by 33% for Inverness, 27% Edinburgh and 10% for Aberdeen. This will no doubt have a positive impact for small tourism businesses within Scotland. Dr Violet V. Cuffy MTS

In Conclusion As shown in the above, the opinions of Scottish tourism stakeholders on the overall impact of the referendum on Scotland’s tourism are as diverse as the issues themselves and much difference in

Issue 160 Winter 2014

Queen Margaret University & Tourism Society Scotland Dr Paula Danby MTS

Queen Margaret University & Tourism Society Scotland

Research

Spreading the benefits of inbound tourism across Britain

Queens View, Loch Tummel Imagine that you are in your early twenties – I realise this may be a bit of an ‘ask’ for some readers – and that you are off on your first big solo international adventure to Australia. There’s lots you’d like to see and do, but one thing is for sure, you have to take a selfie by the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Just as Sydney is a ‘must see’ for anyone going to Australia for the very first time, so too is London for visitors to Britain. Be in no doubt that London is an asset for Britain’s inbound tourism sector – its iconic landmarks are known around the world and it is a fabulously well connected destination by air and rail. But 54% of all spending by visitors from overseas in 2013 accrued in London, with 47% of visits including no nights outside London. Of those who did stay in London for at least one night only 9% also spent nights

elsewhere in Britain during their stay. Arguably what matters more than the proportion of spending that is in one place or another is that Britain competes successfully in the ‘global race’ for economic growth. For our inbound tourism cake to grow, London must continue to play a pivotal role in attracting international visitors – it is much easier to entice a visitor to spend time elsewhere in Britain if they are enjoying all that London has to offer than if they chose Paris, Rome or Barcelona as their destination. The ambition should be to encourage visitors who are coming to London to stay in Britain longer, and to enjoy a richer and deeper experience of what else Britain can offer, thereby helping to grow our inbound visitor economy, support economic growth and crucially to create employment opportunities within a sector that already underpins 3.1 million jobs.

Issue 160 Winter 2014

Over the past two years VisitBritain has undertaken major studies aimed at helping us better understand why it is that many visitors fail to venture beyond the capital, and what the sector can do differently or better in order to address this. As a backdrop a separate study undertaken by VisitBritain explored the behaviours, attitudes and characteristics of 1,000 international travellers in each of two-dozen countries. We looked at what it is folks want from an international holiday in order to ensure it is an experience that they will personally enjoy, alongside those considerations that were foremost in their mind when choosing where to go. More than forty attributes were examined revealing how persuasive emotional needs are in leading travellers to choose a destination - the desire for ‘relaxation’, ‘fun and laughter’ and a ‘warm and friendly welcome’ topping the table. A very practical need managed to pip all the

journal@tourismsociety.org

Pulteney Bridge, Bath other attributes to the post, namely the prospect of a destination that would offer ‘good value for money’. Another theme that emerged among attributes seen to be vital was a hankering for destinations that offer the opportunity to ‘enjoy the beauty of the landscape’. We asked the extent to which Britain and competitor destinations were considered as the ‘best place’ to deliver on each attribute and it was clear that while Britain performs well on certain attributes, on many of those most closely aligned with motivating international holidays we face strong competition from France, Italy, USA and Australia. That perhaps paints a ‘glass half empty’ picture which would seem to be confirmed by findings from the Anholt GfK Nations Brand Index Survey in which Britain is currently rated 20th out of fifty nations for being ‘rich in scenic natural beauty’. But herein lies the evidence that the glass is in fact half full. Brits are one of the twenty panel nationalities included in the survey and we rate our country 3rd for being ‘rich in scenic natural beauty’. It is clear that with first-hand knowledge of how diverse and tantalising our hills, valleys, woodlands, and coastline are, there is a huge appreciation of it. The world sees Britain through a Londonlens thanks to its role in many global events, its iconic landmarks and skyline so frequently a feature in movies.This is why we are rated 4th in the NBI survey for ‘vibrant city life’ and 5th for being rich in ‘historical buildings’. Surely if only the world knew the richness of our offer outside London many more visitors would invest time (and Euros, Dollars…) exploring more of Britain? Yes and no. Our research into why many visitors fail to stay longer and discover more of what Britain has to offer certainly

www.tourismsociety.org

provided evidence of a huge knowledge gap. Potential visitors in countries such as France recognised that they ‘could’ holiday in different parts of Britain, but were uncertain what sort of ‘experience’ they would have there, whereas in markets in the Middle East and Brazil there was little concept that it would be possible to holiday anywhere in Britain other than London – those in Brazil offering gems that you get in qualitative research such as ‘they have sheep don’t they?’ While inspirational and appropriately targeted marketing can help in building awareness of what Britain has to offer our research unearthed a plethora of other important issues. Even if there is knowledge of what lies beyond London that doesn’t mean potential visitors know how to access it. Two factors come into play here; firstly there is huge nervousness about ‘driving on the wrong side of the road’. Respondents felt that you could ‘do’ London on public transport but once you introduce the idea of holidaying in other parts of the country there was a feeling that a car was essential. A New Yorker thought there was ‘one train a day from London to Edinburgh’. Lack of knowledge of how easy it is to get places by train is a real opportunity that can be grasped; indeed in India and Brazil there was an excitement about the possibility of using a rail network that would be superior to that in their home countries – plus it was thought to offer a more relaxing alternative to driving in an unfamiliar country. Time is always too short when on holiday and our research revealed a threshold for how long visitors are willing to spend travelling from their arrival point to their holiday base, this being about three hours. It is important to understand where lies within a three-hour radius of points of

access, particularly when the focus is short-haul markets typified by a short trip duration. Windermere is just an hour and a half from Manchester Airport by train, Bath two hours from Heathrow and the Malvern Hills a mere ninety minutes from Birmingham International Airport. Other practical concerns raised when exploring the idea of holidaying in less well known parts of Britain included worries about whether culturally sensitive food would be available (Middle East visitors), whether food would be served late in the evening (European visitors) and whether there would be things to do if it rained (London was seen as weatherproof). In addition to tackling perceived practical barriers we should focus on conveying experiential and value for money messages as these things matter when choosing a destination. You can show just about anything with statistics by being selective about the time period or metric used, but if we look at inbound visits between 1999-2003 and 2009-2013 then the city witnessing the fastest growth is not London (25%) but Liverpool (159%), followed by Aberdeen (101%), and Leeds (84%). There is still plenty of headroom to grow inbound tourism across Britain further and VisitBritain will shortly launch our Countryside is GREAT campaign. There is good news too in terms of connectivity, with it recently confirmed that American Airlines is to fly from New York to Edinburgh and Birmingham and United to fly from Newark to Newcastle. With a hugely successful hosting of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in Yorkshire and Ryder Cup in Scotland we can eagerly await the 2014 figures which look set to show favourable growth across many parts of Britain.

David Edwards FTS l Head of Research and Forecasting,VisitBritain Issue 160 Winter 2014

Youth, Student & Educational Travel

Our bright future

Ask any young person what their interests are and travel is likely to be high up on the list. Indeed 1 in 5 international travellers is a young person. They travel for education, for work, for new experiences, for different cultures and to broaden their horizons. As well as contributing to these individuals’ personal development, these experiences contribute directly to the global economy with conservative forecasts valuing the sector at $320 billion by the year 2020. From a UK perspective, the sector contributes over £20 billion per annum to the economy. Young travellers account for: 34% of all inbound tourists 41% of all bed nights 36% of all spend Youth travellers also stay longer and spend more. Recent figures from International Passenger Survey show that as compared to a regular inbound tourist to the UK, youth travellers spend almost double (£1149 vs. £640). Most importantly, their

spend goes deeper into the economy than a regular tourist as they have a greater tendency to stay in local communities and support local businesses. The above were all little known facts a decade ago.Youth travel was a niche market, a sub-sector of the travel and tourism industry, fragmented and without voice or visibility, with small pockets of operators working independently on their chosen segments such as school groups, EFL, au-pairs, homestay, backpacking etc. The current picture is now wildly different. Youth travel is the focus of many drives and initiatives; indeed for many years now youth travel has been the fastest-growing travel segment as governments and others realise the benefits that travel from a young age can bring. According to UNWTO over 60% of the word’s tourist authorities have identified youth and student travel as being “important” or “very important” to the future of their industry. After all, these young travellers are the future business and leisure travellers.

Issue 160 Winter 2014

The marketplace itself has been populated with many new business startups, outstanding accommodation offerings, and a wealth of product and opportunities for young travellers to explore - it is no longer a niche market.The businesses within it continue to develop and innovate in order to attract young travellers to their product, with technology and social media leading the way. Youth mobility and immigration has for a long time been the focus of many political arguments and related policies have been an enormous barrier to growth for the sector. BETA (the British Educational Travel Association) and industry stakeholders continue to urge the government to relax these policies, to remove students from the net migration figures and to recognise the value of study abroad and the fantastic opportunity that the UK has in attracting the brightest and best international young people to our shores. As part of this ongoing initiative BETA has been building on its industry data and recently published a study into the consumer trends of youth travellers,

journal@tourismsociety.org

entitled ‘Great Britain, at the Heart of Global Youth Travel’.The objective was to uncover the trends, influences, attitudes and behaviors of our young audience that are choosing the UK to work, learn, or study. Our findings cemented the view that youth, student and educational travel is no longer a niche. It is a fast-growing, resilient and dynamic industry.Youth travellers are informed, mobile and adventurous.They are the early adopters, brand-loyal and are creating bright futures not only for themselves but also for the businesses that serve them. The UK’s role as a global youth travel destination has never been more important. In the eyes of young people around the world the UK is an exciting, trend-setting place to visit and many come here to experience a culture that is fastpaced yet also steeped in history. We surveyed over 4,000 youth travellers aged between 11-35 years – yes, 35 years! The age range of youth travellers has been pushed for the past decade and in this profile there are several sub groups: the junior traveller (11-17) here typically for two weeks with an organised group for cultural tours and language learning the student traveller (18-24) here typically for 1-3 years for higher education and studies the backpacker (18-24) here typically for two months to get a taste of the UK’s culture and lifestyle the working traveller (25-35) here typically for 1-3 years, a young professional, earning and immersing themselves in UK living. Some of our key findings from the report were: The UK is a Girl Magnet: a rising trend with over 75% of young visitors to the UK being female Youth travel supports VFR and other travel sectors: half of all young visitors welcome between two and four visitors from abroad during their stay in the UK Excellent referral rates: 95% said that they would recommend the UK to friends and family Repeat visitors: 70% said that they planned to return to the UK within the next 5 years Dispersal: whilst 83% visited London, the top five destinations outside London were Edinburgh, Oxford, Manchester, Cambridge and Bath Academic accolades: 80% said that education in the UK is equal to or better than that in their home country. Travel motivations change throughout the age sub-sectors. However, all were heavily motivated initially by the referrals of friends and family, followed by online advertising and social media.

www.tourismsociety.org

Creating successful travel experiences for young travellers gives value to a destination over a lifetime.They are brandloyal and will return repeatedly throughout their own life cycle, to earn, learn and tour. But what about young Brits abroad? The UK attracts record numbers of international students here for study and education; however, these figures are not matched with young Brits studying overseas, something that the UK government plans to address. Far fewer young Brits choose to study abroad and this was highlighted in recent research from the CBI which found that a third of employers are dissatisfied with graduates’ international cultural awareness and around half are dissatisfied with graduates’ foreign language skills.This data informs a new initiative to encourage young Brits to choose study overseas, to gain further skills to make them stand out to future employers. For example, over 31% of all businesses surveyed said that Mandarin would be useful to their business, and almost a quarter said they wanted employees with

Issue 160 Winter 2014

Arabic skills. So language skills and global citizenship are all high up on the government and future employees’ radars as the UK pushes to rebalance to a tradeand investment-led economy. …and so it’s clear: travel from a young age provides experiences, forms opinions and allows greater cultural understanding and tolerance of other cultures and nationalities and a clearer knowledge of the world, giving value to a destination over a lifetime. These experiences contribute directly to the UK economy and the overall competitiveness of Britain. Through its members, including language and summer schools, activity holiday providers, au-pairs and internship organisations, cultural exchange, youth accommodation providers, tour operators and education professionals, BETA unlock a powerful army of young ambassadors that are travelling the world and sharing their travel experiences frequently. We aim to ensure that this sector continues to thrive and receives the recognition it deserves. Emma English l Executive Director, British Educational Travel Association

Entrepreneurship

Fresh faced and tired from smiling at the many cameras/phones my family had brought with them, taking off my graduation gown, I remember a good friend of mine asking me the question “Ayisat, what next?”. To which I confidently replied: “Law school.” Well, to wrongly paraphrase the famous Dinah Washington song, what a difference two years make. My journey into student tourism and the world of entrepreneurship in general is very much the opposite of what many including the younger me ever expected. Unlike most entrepreneurs, I did not own any businesses at a young age or ever imagine actually running a business at any time. At university, my many sleepless nights were spent on the ultimate goal of attaining an LLB, though (in the interests of full disclosure) a fair few were also sacrificed to some amazing nights out (as is occasionally necessary).To find myself a happily active stakeholder in UK student tourism is therefore a testament to the wonderful opportunities the sector offers. Apologies to my degree certificate but it looks like a few more years of gathering dust still await thee. I first noticed an opportunity in the market through a family member who worked as a host family. Seeing first-hand how they cared for and helped their student guests understand and appreciate the English language and UK culture, I realised it was a mutually positive cultural experience for both the family and the visiting students. More so, the students seemed to enjoy the idea of applying their language skills in a real world setting. I fell in love with the idea of experiencing such a positive exchange of culture myself and a few weeks later after much research decided to start my own student homestay company. I had observed a gap in the market and recognised a huge demand by agents for homestay accommodation in locations that were close to central London. From my research, I understood what a highly competitive industry the student travel sector was, particularly in London. However, rather than be discouraged by

Ayisat Banjoko l Director, Gateway Guardians

Spotting an opportunity

this it actually allowed me to focus on setting my company apart. I asked myself the question, “Why would anyone want to work with us rather than any of the other companies out there?” and I found the answer to be quite simple: if we were better. That answer has now become the sole aim of my company in everything we do. I figured that if we became the company offering better service, better families, better ideas, we were bound to find people happy to work with us and also recommend us. Also, by striving to be better we hope to encourage our competitors to improve the quality of their offering as well, ultimately raising the level of service the visiting students receive right across the sector whether it be from us or our competitors. Of course, it was also important to remember that this was a business and

Issue 160 Winter 2014

this pursuit of being better needed to be balanced with financial discipline.There is after all no point being the better business if your company is in the red. This constant pursuit of balancing the quality of our services and keeping the company profitable is why I find myself up at 3am, tired and in front of a computer screen or out in the late night rain in my trusted wellies and raincoat waiting on a coach of students and yet in both cases with a big smile on my face. I know this is what I love and wouldn’t have it any other way. My little bit of advice to any young entrepreneur or fresh faced recent graduate like the old me might therefore sound clichéd: do what you love and always strive to be better. My sincere belief is that once that’s done, everything else will find a way to work itself out. After all, what fun is being an entrepreneur if you don’t have to worry?

journal@tourismsociety.org

Accessible Tourism

Access for all

Business opportunity Advocates of the accessible tourism market have struggled to present the economic business case due to a lack of tourism-specific statistics and have instead pointed to general disability spend statistics.VisitEngland has sought to address this and now for the first time the total volume and value of accessible tourism in England is understood and presented to the industry in a clear infographic. The latest research shows that the overnight accessible tourism market is now worth £3billion to England’s economy, with day visits bringing the figure up to £12.4billion. What is particularly striking is the growth of this market over the past 4 years. Overnight domestic trips by disabled Britons and their companions have increased by 19%. Spend too has increased - by 33%, three times more than that of all trips. VisitEngland’s recent Trends research underlines that with an ageing society and retired baby boomers prioritising leisure time, meeting the accessibility needs of tourists is going to be increasingly important. The national media has also shown increasing interest in England’s accessible tourism offering. BBC Breakfast and BBC news ran a headline story on Accessible Tourism on Saturday 16th August. International commitment The European Commission (EC) has recently completed studies on economic impact and training needs in addition to funding two Preparatory Actions on accessible tourism.VisitEngland has secured 125,000 Euros in co-funding from the EC under the ‘Tourism Accessibility for All’ action to run the ‘Access for All’ project. The project will support seven destinations around the country to develop and promote their destination for

www.tourismsociety.org

After many years in the shadows of sustainable tourism, the accessible tourism movement is gaining momentum, thanks to a combination of changing demographics and notable initiatives.

visitors with access needs. Informative visitor guides will be created for each destination and 56 businesses will receive direct support in improving their accessibility.The grant will also provide for the delivery of a national marketing campaign to showcase the great accessible experiences on offer and encourage more people to take a short break in England. The project will run from October 2014 until March 2016 and expand on VisitEngland’s pilot Access for All Paralympic legacy project, which supported 4 destinations and included the first ever national marketing campaign in England aimed at disabled people during March 2014. Following a series of Resolutions on accessible tourism, UNWTO is also increasing its activities through the development of guidelines, indicators, benchmarking and training.The 1st UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe took place in San Marino this November. A feeling of momentum was present at the Destinations for All World Summit, held in Montreal in October.Thirty countries attended the four-day conference to share best practice and adopt the ‘One World for Everyone’ Declaration. An additional outcome is likely to be the advent of a World Association for Accessible Tourism. This activity certainly suggests that accessible tourism is now firmly on the international

Issue 160 Winter 2014

agenda. Simple messages The needs of disabled people and others with access needs can seem daunting to some businesses. It is therefore important that easy-to-follow guidance is made available. The topic is made more comprehendible by focusing on what VisitEngland terms as the ‘three pillars of accessible tourism’, namely, Customer service & disability awareness, Information & promotion and Physical facilities.VisitEngland provides a suite of guidance, tools and case studies at www.visitengland.org/access. Carrot or stick? We may well be entering a time when the carrot for businesses to improve access for all is larger than the stick. Increasing numbers of tourism businesses are realising that good accessibility benefits all visitors, whether they are young, old, have learning difficulties or temporary health conditions, use a wheelchair or have an assistance dog or pushchair. For businesses that are yet to recognise the accessibility needs of their customers, there is an increasing risk of losing market share and reputation. Tourism businesses and destinations who embrace this burgeoning market can reap the rewards of loyal customers and help develop England as a world-class tourism

Ross Calladine l Head of Business Support, VisitEngland

Marketing Europe in a Global Setting Status quo European tourism It is widely acknowledged that Europe is the world’s Number One tourist destination. With 563 million international tourist arrivals in 2013, Europe holds a market share of 52%, representing a positive increase of 5.4% – well above the region’s long-term trend. It is also worth noting that long-haul markets in particular (mainly the USA, China and Russia) contributed significantly to this growth, as reported by the European Travel Commission’s (ETC) latest quarterly report. Furthermore, the future of the tourism sector appears prosperous as international tourist arrivals to Europe are believed to accumulate to 745 million by 2030. However, the European tourism industry is facing increasing global competition from emerging destinations. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) forecasts that especially destinations in Asia and the Pacific will benefit from the expansion of intraregional travel and will gain most of the new arrivals in 2030. Consequently, North-East Asia will replace Southern and Mediterranean Europe as the most visited sub-region in 2030. Concerned about this issue, ETC firmly believes that the most important factors to successfully promote 'Destination Europe’ in long-haul markets, to stop losing market share and to support the sustainable growth of the European tourism sector are: 1.The strengthening of the collaboration among the National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) under the umbrella of a common European brand; 2.The uncovering of themes fostering the development of pan-European products through market research; 3.The deep cooperation between public and private stakeholders on continental, national, and regional levels; 4.The establishment of a reputation for specialised products that appeal to and fulfil the needs of different traveller segments; 5.The creation of advantages through targeted advocacy to solve major travel

Eduardo Santander (PhD) MTS Executive Director, European Travel Commission

Wishing for a successful future at Rome’s Trevi Fountain barriers (visas, interconnectivity, taxation benefits the recognition of Europe’s unique cultural and natural heritage. and consumer protection) establishing a Tourism can also assist local communities forum with a common voice from the in developing a cultural and/or natural tourism industry (both public and private tourism product that opens new sources sectors). of revenue and employment. As a result of the fast developing economies outside of Europe, world tourism patterns are beginning to stray from tradition. Europe must respond to these shifting patterns and capitalise on the potential of tomorrow’s outbound travel markets including China, India, Brazil and Russia. Why should we safeguard the industry? Economic impact of tourism The figures presented before clearly indicate that tourism has proved to be one of the few resilient sectors in the fragile economies of Europe and the loss of Europe’s market share in the long-term should not be taken lightly. The tourism sector’s total contribution represented 9% of EU GDP in 2013, generating a total of 22 million jobs; that is 10% of total employment, proving the sector’s ability to serve as a driving economic force in the European region, even during periods of financial crisis. Furthermore, two significant facts should be taken into consideration: First of all, tourism not only contributes to the region’s economy through the influx of revenues from touristic services, but also produces a spill-over effect that

Secondly, the World Travel & Tourism Council also emphasises that the tourism sector creates advantageous job opportunities in peripheral areas and among specific groups, employing a higher proportion of women and young people than is represented in the workforce as a whole.

Change of patterns: Raising awareness and satisfaction among long-haul travellers Based on the extensive research, we have found that potential visitors to Europe seek inspiration and are drawn to the old continent by the number of experiences they can have rather than the number of countries they can visit. Pan-European themes that stand out in this context are products such as cultural routes, gastronomy, shopping, active and adventure tourism, health and wellness, education, religious tourism, etc. However, while Europe is also admired for its good quality infrastructure and safety, legal and perceptual barriers (visa requirements) inhibit tourism flows.This is particularly significant. In order to remain competitive and foster sustainable growth, Europe must tackle these challenges and leverage delights.

l Issue 160 Winter 2014

journal@tourismsociety.org

Corporate Member

Tourism and Climate Change

ÂŠ LianeM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fotolia.com

Out of sight and out of mind?

It may come as a surprise that it is eight years since the Stern Report was launched.This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change restated the need for urgent, significant and sustained action. Perhaps less eye-catching but nevertheless important, it reminded us that buildings are major anthropogenic sources of emissions. For the past five years, we have been working with small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises in the south-west of England on their responses to climate change. Most recently, the Centre for Business and Climate Solutions (CBCS) at the University of Exeter has offered intensive one-to-one support to regional businesses.This has been designed to increase their future competitiveness and commercial resilience while reducing the carbon footprint and environmental resource use of their premises. Nearly 50 tourism businesses have taken

up CBCS support which is backed by the European Regional Development Fund. In total, over 450 businesses have participated in our work.Taking a retrospective view, the sector stands at a cross-roads in its response to climate change. Many of the issues we first encountered in 2010 are still evident today. In the interim further challenges have emerged. Energy is perhaps the clearest manifestation of this. Over the years we have regularly come across simplistic understandings of energy and its role in climate change. More recently though, we have found that the emphasis on proenvironmental action in climate change policy has severed the crucial link between energy generation and climate change. In particular, within tourism businesses there has been very little interest in how emissions relate to fuel mix and energy generation. The standard rationale is that

Issue 160 Winter 2014

implementation of individual actions will result in a net reduction in consumption, costs and emissions. In principle, this all sounds very appealing. A win-win for all parties.To this end, cost reduction has been used as the main hook to capture business interest. In practice the situation is somewhat different.Too frequently, action has not resulted in a net reduction in consumption (or, for that matter, emissions). In our 2010 sample, 99% of over 400 businesses had taken some form of mitigation-related action, with an average of 8.2 measures per business. Of course, many of these actions were modest. However, only 14% of businesses anticipated lower energy consumption in the following year. Action is clearly more welcome than inaction but, on its own, the introduction of apparently pro-environmental initiatives is no guarantee of reduced emissions. Instead, there has to be a shift of emphasis to encourage far greater measurement,

journal@tourismsociety.org

Neil Warren in consultation with a tourism property owner, Exeter monitoring and management of energy use. It is only through a more informed approach to energy demand that genuine progress will be made on emissions reduction.Yet, measurement and monitoring have been the exception rather than the norm. In 2010 11% of businesses never monitored energy while a further 42% were only interested in energy when their bills arrived. Our recent work inside businesses has confirmed that bills are routinely reviewed for total cost, only exceptionally for total consumption.This is in stark contrast to how intensively revenue and the performance of different marketing channels are scrutinised. Standardised energy-related measures and indices are revealing.There was no statistically significant difference in the environmental performance (i.e. CO2 emissions per m2) between green-certified and non-certified accommodation providers. In fact, around a half of the tourism businesses working with CBCS have current (or had recently participated in) certification. While it may have been expected that these businesses would outperform non-participants, this was not the case. This raises two questions.The first is whether it is really appropriate for the numbers and levels of action to be a success criteria for the environmental accreditation of tourism businesses? And second, should consumers expect accredited businesses to generate pro rata fewer emissions than their non-accredited counterparts? The energy input (kWh) to each guest

www.tourismsociety.org

night ranged from 4 kWh to 108 kWh. As a cost of production, energy per guest night varied from £0.50 to £6.25. What such data begins to show is that, despite taking action, some tourism businesses are still far less energy efficient than others. The absence of effective monitoring also means that most businesses are unaware of whether they are performing above or below par, or indeed what par is. Each business working with CBCS has been given the opportunity to review and discuss its data. For some, their more positive performance has been a pleasant surprise. Others have had to confront the uncomfortable truth that they have not been performing as strongly as they perceived or desired. Their reviews revealed a range of possible measures for improvement. Often these were relatively simple things like improved use of heating controls (and resetting customer adjustments). Others faced more significant issues such as correcting the under-performance or mis-specification of systems. In several cases, the ambition to reduce total energy consumption had been scuppered by increased guest-nights and greater personal demand from guests. Interestingly, correlations of age of the original building with energy and emissions intensity were both inconclusive and not statistically significant. While ‘traditional properties’ (pre-1919) constitute around 20% of England’s housing stock, they comprise 70% of tourism properties in South West England. In some cases, businesses using older housing stock far out-performed those in younger premises.

Issue 160 Winter 2014

This is a counterpoint to the popular perception that such properties act as a constraint to pro-environmental performance. It is also a welcome surprise in so far as so many traditional properties punctuate rural, heritage and coastal destinations in the region.Yet, it highlights that climate change guidance is mostly designed for purpose-built, modern premises, not older, converted buildings that are widely used in the sector. There are many aspects of older buildings that demand a different approach to balance comfort, character and efficiency. Traditional properties were not designed for the temperatures now expected by guests, or for the humidity levels generated by showers and commercial kitchens. Modern approaches to, and materials for, insulating, ventilating and heating properties may at best be irrelevant, at worse damaging if implemented in older premises. Climate change may no longer be as high profile an issue as it once was. It has not, though, gone away. If further progress is to be made, there needs to be less reliance on cajoling tourism businesses to ‘go green’ and more on equipping them to measure, monitor and manage energy effectively. A key aspect of this is to understand their properties. Success should be judged less by the uptake of actions and initiatives, and more by energy and carbon savings. Taking the same approach in the future as in the past is not going to cut it, and the challenge is to progress the response, not let it stagnate.

Neil Warren MTS l Centre for Business and Climate Solutions Tim Coles MTS l University of Exeter Business School

Focus on…

Quality in Tourism In recent decades, the face of our industry has shifted and the customer acquisition process has changed immeasurably. The dawn of the internet, online bookings, TripAdvisor, third party booking management systems, last minute offers, Groupon and any number of other things have shifted the onus of choosing accommodation more onto the customer, giving them numerous elements on which to base a decision. Confusing isn’t it? The question is, how to reliably stand out in such a saturated market? Businesses can of course throw money at it and ensure they are listed on every possible site, encouraging customers to spend time reviewing them positively one hundred and one times, and potentially even paying a company to manage their reputation and promote them more widely; but is it really worth the spend? At what point will it actually benefit the bottom line, instead of simply costing more than it generates? Of course the other option is to do little or nothing and hope that the sheer number of links, referring sites and connectivity will mean people will come, just because. It’s no longer about being in the right location, or at the right price and instead is about added value, recommendation and somehow becoming all things to all people! Apparently! In fact, the delineation of the customer journey by the useful, but infant, service we call the World Wide Web, has pushed relationships and people even more front and centre. Sure, there was a short while when everyone purchased based on TripAdvisor reviews, but then stories emerged of corporate ‘sabotage’ and it became once more just another search consideration. This has prompted a new trend, one where the web is taking a back seat and is shifting from a decision maker to a decision facilitator. Once more trust is being placed in impartial services and personal recommendations which are corroborated by platforms, not on the free-for-all

Victoria Rowan MTS l Business Support Manager, Quality in Tourism

reviews of the noughties. It’s exactly the reason the Michelin Guide is still being bought in large quantities and is not only surviving, but thriving online. So what should you be doing? Well, you can be taking TripAdvisor, AirBnB and hotel.com at face value. Where appropriate, they are useful mechanisms and platforms on which to showcase your establishment, but they should not be dictators of the success or failure of your business. Instead, you should be looking offline, establishing and executing a plan which will ensure you are the best and recognised as such, before you get online. Here at Quality in Tourism (QiT) we provide good, traditional assessment that is impartial and conducted by qualified assessors, not because we haven’t moved on, but because it is exactly what the market is demanding and consuming; our assessments are built on consistent and constant assessment criteria that remove the subjectivity of experience. It is also the reason that QiT deliver assessments that ensure the benchmark is attainable, but built on something worthwhile, that actually has meaning, rather than the reviews of millions of individuals who subconsciously compare apples with eggs.

Issue 160 Winter 2014

Businesses should look back at traditional mediums which have generated custom in the past and work to translate them to the modern platforms that simply generate more exposure. Special offers and loyalty schemes that work through Twitter and Facebook rather than paper vouchers is one example. Attaining high quality, recognised awards, but then blogging about them, adding them to your website, and putting them onto third party booking systems is another. They each help create a recognisable and individual identity that delivers on expectation. Adding an impartial assessment that has heritage and gravitas is also key, and reflects your commitment to being the best you possibly can. Businesses that don’t focus on their own development are the ones that risk being left behind. Customers may not understand star rating systems and what makes one establishment a three-star and another four, but they do still understand that they are based on a professional opinion and provide a meaningful benchmark to facilitate choice. Quality in Tourism is a Corporate Member of the Tourism Society

journal@tourismsociety.org

Customer Complaints

No-one to turn to As radio producers know well, if you want a busy, angry phone-in, ask the listeners for their holiday complaints. In television, BBC’s Rip-Off Britain team receives enough holiday horror stories to produce its own travel series. When I filmed consumer travel advice for the next series, most of the stories I was given to investigate involved a foreign holiday. Why are there fewer complaints about holidays at home? Obviously there is less to go wrong when airports, airlines, foreign language and cultures are not involved. And perhaps we invest holidays at home with fewer ambitious hopes and dreams than our foreign forays. But listen to those angry phone-in listeners and you soon know that not every domestic holidaymaker comes home happy. But what then? Who do they turn to for redress? Decades ago the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) set themselves up as the police force for the wary holidaymaker. Although strictly a trade members association, ABTA carefully and wisely became the household acronym for a route to redress for unhappy travellers. How many times over the years have holiday reps heard the threat “I know my rights. I’ll have ABTA on to you”? Even today when, thanks to the complications of dynamic packaging, not every possible booking can be offered financial protection by ABTA, their logo is seen as our consumer protection shield if things go wrong abroad. No official route to redress So where’s our obvious route to redress when we suffer shoddy service at the British seaside and under-delivered promises at the country house hotel? Twitter of course. And TripAdvisor, and every other social media site we can point our unhappy fingers at. Why not our tourism bodies? The honourable aim of quality accreditation schemes for accommodation and attractions in the UK was to raise standards. A job well done. But do our national tourist boards’ accreditation schemes offer help and resolution for disgruntled customers in accredited

www.tourismsociety.org

Rip-Off Britain: Offering an outlet for complaints accommodation and attractions? VisitEngland tells me that a few customer complaints do find their way to their offices and the assessment service has an obligation to investigate but customers “need to take responsibility and research before they book.” I take that as a no. Hitting the hashtag In the absence of accountable tourist boards, unhappy customers hit the hashtag to vent their spleen. Social media is now the tool of choice when customers need to galvanise customer services into action. Transport companies in the UK know this. Virgin Atlantic, for example, responded immediately when a customer resorted to twitter after spending £180 on phone calls to Virgin’s customer services and waiting 41 days for an email reply. Major train operators now man their twitter feeds 24/7. And did you know Manchester City Football Club’s customer services have now all migrated to @mcfchelp? We may not all be tech-savvy

Issue 160 Winter 2014

but, like it or not, customers are becoming tech-reliant. And I’ve even heard of hotels and attractions focusing on righting the cause of the complaint, not just fobbing off genuine complaints with a voucher or two. But is this enough? Wouldn’t it help the UK’s reputation as a destination if holidaymakers stopped having to rely on Twitter and the media to have their wrongs righted? If there was one reliable body to turn to when things go wrong? Like the chancers who believe an exaggerated complaint will get them a full refund, I am, of course, living in Dreamland.There is no budget and maybe little inclination from our national tourism bodies to want to redress, let alone resolve, customer complaints. So unhappy consumers carry on honing their hashtag know-how and spreading the word about damagingly poor experiences. The reputation of our UK tourism industry carries on being only as good as its weakest link. And media producers and consumer journos smile as our ratings for holiday nightmares shoot up. Alison Rice MTS l Travel journalist and broadcaster

An interview with...

Peter Long FTS As Chief Executive of TUI Travel plc Peter Long is one of the most well-known and recognisable figures in the UK travel industry. Since arriving at First Choice in 1996 and becoming Chief Executive in 1999 he has steered the company through an impressive series of acquisitions and with the merger with TUI Tourism in 2007 created one of the world’s largest leisure travel companies, with 21 major source markets employing 54,000 people worldwide. In October 2013 he was appointed President of the Family Holiday Association, and in September 2014 he was awarded an honourary Fellowship of the Tourism Society. Gregory Yeoman spoke to him about his motivations, and where he goes on holiday. GY – How did you get into the travel industry? PL – I originally trained as an accountant and worked in finance in both manufacturing and construction before moving into the travel industry, and soon discovered that is where my real passion and interest lies. Holidays are something that everyone looks forward to throughout the year, a product that customers really dream about and that’s something you can feel when you work in the industry. GY – Who has inspired you? PL – I have always been inspired by Steve Jobs. He was an innovator and an entrepreneur – never afraid to challenge the status quo and one of a few rare leaders who deserves the respect he commanded worldwide. GY – Compared with the rate and scale of developments since you joined TUI, it was quite a while before you set up Iberotravel in 1991? Did the plan have a long gestation or did you have a flash of inspiration one day? PL – My time with ILG taught me a lot and when I left there this was an important period in my career – not just

continuously looking at how we can better our business for our customers and employees. In order to grow, as a company we have to be nimble and respond to the changing customer trends and we have to ensure every holiday experience is unique.

Peter Long receiving his honourary Tourism Society Fellowship from Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE running a business but also being an owner. In 1991, when we set up Iberotravel, the UK travel-based company operated with three main brand names: Sunworld, Neilson and Skybargain.The focus during that time was to build brand recognition and run a business with three distinct offerings. A big achievement was the fact that we took Sunworld to fifth place in the UK tour operator league table before selling it to the Thomas Cook group in 1996. GY – TUI emerged from the recession in a healthy condition. What was your strategy for dealing with the downturn and the reduction in British holidaymakers travelling overseas? PL – People have continued to prioritise their annual holiday in their discretionary spend and the continued growth of the industry pays testament to that. Our strategy is one which prioritises the customer, putting it at the heart of everything we do. We give these customers unique holiday experiences, providing the technology platforms to ensure they have a great time throughout the holiday journey. We leverage our scale to get the best possible deals and are

Issue 160 Winter 2014

GY – How do you think the government views outbound operators such as TUI Travel? Are they part of the tourism industry, or do they come into their own category as their main role is to send people overseas? PL – Travel and tourism is the UK’s fifth largest industry, accounting for 9% of GDP (£127bn) and supporting 3.12 million jobs, and TUI Travel’s role within that is important – we employ 18,000 people here in the UK alone. Domestic and international travel are two parts of the same coin, we need each other to help support transport, infrastructure and UK businesses to prosper so that more people are able to enjoy holidays. GY – The setting up of the Tourism Council in June this year was wellreceived by the industry but is seen as a first step rather than a final position. How would you like to see it develop? PL – The Tourism Council is an important forum for travel leaders to meet and work closely with Government and this is really important. As an industry I don’t believe we have been as good as other sectors at getting our message out about what we bring to the UK economy.The Council’s business leaders are working with Government providing valuable insight and advice so that together we can promote travel and tourism as an industry in the widest sense, as a career and as something to help reinvigorate economies.The council’s role will continue to evolve and to be an advocate of positive change. GY – Where do you see the next technological advances happening in holiday sales and marketing? PL – Technology provides us with the opportunity to better the customer

journal@tourismsociety.org

Sensimar Royal Blue Resort, Crete experience throughout their journey, from browsing potential holidays through to being away. Our TUI digital assistant (TDA) is a way for our customers to interact with us throughout that end-to-end experience and sales patterns will change as customers get used to booking something as important as a holiday through an app. This happened when online bookings first started – it was slow at first – and look where we are now.

PL – Harriet has done a very good job in bringing the company back from an extremely difficult place. As far as we are concerned, we welcome competition because it’s healthy for the market place – it encourages us to stay at the top of our game and something that we will never do is get complacent.

GY – TUI’s acquisitiveness is wellknown. Are you happy with the size that the group has reached or have you identified further sectors that you would like to move into? PL – Our focus is on long-term sustainable growth.The merger with TUI AG will create the world’s number one integrated leisure tourism business. Following the completion of the merger we will have a simplified business with two areas, Mainstream and Non-Mainstream. Mainstream will be by far the largest area and as a combined Group we will have access to greater content – with TUI AG’s hotels and cruise ships – and will combine this with our 30 million customers, our distribution capability and the power of our strong brands. We have a really strong portfolio of specialist businesses while in online accommodation we are the market leader in wholesale accommodation. Under the current structure that value has been somewhat over-shadowed. In the new Group they will be managed for growth and value creation.

GY – First Choice decided quite recently to sell only all-inclusive holidays.What approach does the company adopt to make sure the holidays and destinations score highly on measures of responsible tourism? PL – We are committed to responsible tourism. In 2012,TUI Travel launched its ‘Sustainable Holidays Plan’, a three-year strategy with four ambitious goals, underpinned by 20 commitments.These include the delivery of 10 million ‘greener and fairer’ holidays, to operate Europe’s most fuel-efficient airlines, and to engage colleagues and customers in sustainability. Our airlines have reduced per-passenger carbon emissions by 9.3% over the past five years and have been ranked some of the most climate-efficient airlines in the world. We have also offset an additional 1.2 million tonnes of carbon through investing in clean energy projects over the last five years. Over 1,200 of our hotel suppliers were awarded independent sustainability certifications in 2013 alone. Behaving responsibly is not just about speaking about it, it’s about acting on it.TUI Travel is leading the industry in sustainability and we are determined to remain there.

GY – How do you view Thomas Cook’s recovery since Harriet Green took over and to what extent do you think it is important for the industry to offer a wide choice of operators to the customers?

GY – Harriet Green apparently gets up at three in the morning to start her working day. Do you have such an ‘up and at ‘em’ approach? PL – You have to be committed in this business.That being said, I wouldn’t choose to wake up at 3am if I didn’t have to!

www.tourismsociety.org

Issue 160 Winter 2014

GY – With recent announcements about your role in the soon-tomerge TUI Travel and TUI AG it looks as though there are no retirement plans on the horizon. Will you just keep on working? PL – I will continue to work alongside TUI AG’s head, Friedrich Joussen, until February 2016 when he will become sole Chief Executive and I will move to the role of Chairman. It will be different from what I do now but it will not change my commitment to the Group. GY – TUI Travel has been a supporter of the Family Holiday Association for many years and in autumn 2013 you were appointed as the organisation’s President.Why do you think the work of the FHA is so important and what will you be able to do as their President to improve their success? PL – The Family Holiday Association is close to my heart and an organisation I have worked with since I joined First Choice in 1996. It’s a lifeline to hardworking families that can’t afford a break. People underestimate the healing power of a holiday or break, and the Family Holiday Association brings that relief to the families that need it the most. The fact is that there are over 5 million parents and children who cannot afford even one day out in the UK. We at the Family Holiday Association are committed to not only reducing that number but making sure that Government does so as well. GY – Since holidays are your business, how do you switch off when you go on holiday? PL – I love spending time in Majorca – I have a holiday home there and I love it. My family help me to relax – I enjoy spending time with my wife, three sons and four grandchildren.That’s how I switch off and I can forget about everything else.

Corporate Member

Project Management

New methodologies within a European perspective “To let tourism and culture grow, it is not what you have but what you do with what you have.” With this statement Taleb Rifai (Director General, UNWTO) opened his speech at the European Tourism Forum 2014, held in Naples last October. For the tourism sector it is also interesting to ask the question of “how” you do what with what you have.Too often, funding for delivering tourism and cultural projects is spent without achieving any substantial results or growth. The reasons behind this failure are, most of the time, related to the following project characteristics: Lack of a solid needs analysis Poor planning and project design Top-down approach Vague definition of objectives Unclear roles and responsibilities Bad stakeholder involvement Inadequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms No planning for delivering benefits Insufficient timescale Scarce awareness of available tools and resources. With regards to the general shift away from small towards large supra-national projects financed by the public and private sector, the above shortcomings need to be overcome (e.g. European Commission, UN bodies, World Bank, etc.).This has both positive and challenging aspects. Projects are becoming more holistic but at the same time the challenges for implementers are growing. This means that project managers need to show certified management skills and demonstrate that their projects are innovative and sustainable in order to succeed. In the report “Were ERDF co-financed tourism projects effective?” (March 2011) the European Court of Auditors recommends, “Managing authorities should ensure that tourism projects are set up with suitable objectives, targets and indicators and the Commission should encourage this practice”. Within this context there are two project

www.tourismsociety.org

management tools, which are new and very useful: 1)The Project Management for Sustainable Development in Tourism (PM4SD®) methodology and 2)The EU guidebook “Sustainable Tourism for Development”. 1) PM4SD® is a methodology and qualification for designing and managing tourism projects with sustainability. It is based on PRINCE2® - Projects In Controlled Environments – a structured method for effective project management and the standard broadly used by the UK Government and widely recognized by the public and private sector, worldwide. PM4SD® has been developed by the Foundation for European Sustainable Tourism (FEST) in partnership with JLag, Leeds Metropolitan University, the Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism (NECSTouR), as well as with a group of international experts. This methodology provides a guarantee for actors from the public, private and NGO sector that the project will be transformed into concrete actions with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and deliver real benefits for all involved stakeholders. It helps governments and companies to plan their projects in a transparent way. It is especially relevant for project managers, policy makers, tourism organisations and associations, governments, construction managers, universities, training organisations, NGOs, researchers, students involved in small,

Issue 160 Winter 2014

medium and large tourism projects and initiatives. So far almost 200 professionals, from 15 countries (including the UK, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Lebanon, Jordan and Caribbean nations) have participated in the training for PM4SD®. The two qualification levels (Foundation & Practitioner) are covered on courses lasting three to five days. 2) The ‘Sustainable Tourism for Development’ guidebook has been published by the UNWTO and financed by the European Commission’s DG for Development and Cooperation (DG DevCo).The Guidebook takes a comprehensive approach to tourism, covering a wide range of topics relating to planning, development, management and impact in tourism. The Guidebook aims at: Enhancing understanding and commitment to sustainable tourism Providing guidance to assess the tourism sector’s importance, identifying opportunities for sustainable tourism development, planning actions, and enhancing sustainability of projects. Delivering a ‘Sustainable Tourism for Development Study’ enabling the EU and other development institutions to include sustainable tourism development in their programmed cycles. Applying standard management techniques, and having a recognised qualification for tourism project managers, will help the sector grow with a cooperative and sustainable approach. Silvia Barbone l Director, JLag

Tourism Consultants Network

25 years – and going stronger than ever 2014 has been a significant year for many reasons. Besides the centenary of the outbreak of WW1, it has marked the 25th anniversary not only of the invention of the World Wide Web, which has fundamentally changed the way we communicate and do business, but also the creation of the Tourism Society Consultants Group (now the Tourism Consultants Network). The fact that we’re still active, indeed thriving, is testimony both to TCN’s inherent usefulness and to the volunteer committee members over the years who’ve given generously of their time. In 1989 the TSCG brought together 122 members, which coincidentally is almost exactly the number we have today – as such, the biggest collective source of tourism consultancy skills in Europe, offering an unrivalled range of expertise and experience. This year it’s gratifying to report that TCN has achieved some real momentum, in every key area of activity. Communication Members are now sent email alerts every 2-3 weeks on average, as well as our bimonthly newsletter that has expanded to 8 pages, thanks to the selfless editorial work of Gerry Carver. A LinkedIn forum (for members only) and Twitter account have been opened, enabling us to communicate instantly with subscribers. Market Intelligence Our website (see www.tourismsociety.org >Professional Sections) has also expanded significantly this year, and now stores valuable reference material, as well as an archive of newsletters, committee meeting minutes, members’ surveys etc. Project sourcing The website has also added some 25 online project portals, offering access to project opportunities both in the UK and international markets.Very soon, thanks to the assistance of new member Sophie Maulévrier, we plan to circulate twicemonthly email alerts of project

Roger Goodacre FTS l Chairman,Tourism Consultants Network

Chris Evans FTS and Oliver Bennett FTS meeting Vince Cable MP opportunities, drawn from all leading UK and international project portals. Client facilitation Clients in search of specific tourism skills can now find no better starting-point than our Find a Consultant search engine, for convenient scanning of members’ skills and profiles.Thanks principally to Chris Evans, our Guidelines to Employing a Consultant have been extensively revised and give detailed advice on every aspect of identifying and appointing a suitable consultant; they are now referenced on the websites of VisitEngland and other DMOs. Procurement An increasingly serious constraint in recent years for all self-employed consultants and small practices has been the insidious growth of regulations, many originating in Brussels, covering public sector procurement. Not to mention the related rise in importance of the procurement officer, resulting in the allocation of projects on the basis of box-ticking rather than suitability for the assignment. TCN has made a number of written representations to government on this particularly vexatious problem, and in late October Chris Evans and Oliver Bennett met Dr Vince Cable MP, Minister of State at the Department of Business, Skills and Enterprise, to draw his attention to four specific issues that affect consultants. It’s a rare delight therefore to be able to report

Issue 160 Winter 2014

the sighting of a break in the clouds, with the issuing of recommendations by Lord Young for significant modification of regulations that affect SMEs, and the written support of Dr Cable in addressing our specific concerns. Networking events We’ve devoted much energy this year to organising interesting events, and it’s been encouraging to see many members appear for the first time, some travelling from far afield: Awards to high achievers – at three special receptions organised by TCN, honorary Fellowships of the Society were awarded to Clive Jacobs (founder of Holiday Autos), Peter Long (CEO of TUI Travel) and the travel writer/broadcaster Simon Calder. All three entertained us with some interesting insights into their varied activities. Brussels visit – 17 members undertook a highly successful two-day educational to the heart of Europe, where we met representatives of EU institutions responsible for funding tourism initiatives. We plan to repeat the exercise next year. WTM debate – a third successive event organised by TCN drew a good international audience to listen to five speakers and debate the pitfalls and priorities of consultancy. For 2015 our wish is that if you’re a member please show us your support; if you’re a consultant but not a member, do come and join us.

journal@tourismsociety.org

Marketing and PR

A change in the balance – PR now wins hands down Public relations can sometimes be viewed by CEOs as secondary to other promotional activities; nice to have, but perhaps not essential… However, in today’s digital age, rather than being overlooked as a marketing side-line PR should be seen as the most important promotional function for any business or destination. PR has changed dramatically. It’s no longer about sending press releases to journalists. It’s about creating a range of compelling content that can inspire debate, trigger media coverage and be shared by opinion formers. In a PR sense, our traditional ‘publics’ are more wide-ranging than ever before, extending far beyond the simple publicistjournalist relationship. A PR professional – whether in-house or an external agency – can unlock new ways to influence vast networks of opinion formers through blogs, social media, collaborations and third-party endorsements, ultimately increasing brand visibility and sales. Nowhere is this more evident than in the sphere of destination PR. Today, a well-rounded PR strategy is arguably the most lucrative promotional force for successful business. A company or destination with a confident brand will engage potential and existing customers as well as stakeholders and media. For the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, a three-year programme of media relations and social media engagement has established an impressive roster of opinion formers through Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest and an e-newsletter. Local businesses share ideas and contribute news through a Facebook group, empowering their PR agency to connect them directly into the programme. It is this direct online conversation that enabled the destination to host 75 press trips, subsequently resulting in more than 500 articles and features. Building relationships through traditional and social media does take time.The pay off, though, is clear. If there were a way to put a monetary figure on the value of those online conversations, magazine articles and shared photo galleries, the AVE (advertising value equivalent) would be huge.

www.tourismsociety.org

On the top end of the scale, Australia has similarly embraced modern PR, with opinion formers quick to share news of their ‘Best Job in the World’ (Tourism Queensland campaign) and gained success in attracting Oprah Winfrey for her ‘Ultimate Australian Adventure’. Both initiatives were shared extensively through traditional media and social media. These tourism bodies recognise that compelling PR involves an integrated marketing communications approach.Their tourism visitor figures increase as a result, bringing those benefits back to the local economies. Further proof of sales inextricably linked to a smart PR strategy is certainly evident for Bamboo Bicycle Club.The small startup engaged a PR agency to create awareness of their build-your-own bicycle workshops and found that 90% of bookings could be traced back to PR customers who had read articles or wordof-mouth recommendations through an intense social media strategy. Receiving great coverage in a magazine instills confidence. It’s a show of confidence in the destination or product with a writer having become an

Issue 160 Winter 2014

ambassador for you in that moment.Their sphere of influence is now your new market. PR can help smaller businesses compete with larger operators who have large marketing budgets. When planning holidays, customers are turning to Internet searches where credible media articles and social media platforms are ranking prominently.Today’s consumers pay even more attention to recommendations by friends and family, something that only PR can nurture. To maximise effectiveness of PR, destinations can consider how content partnerships can be developed around food trails, festivals, walking routes, anniversaries, etc. Local businesses can share their relevant news and products, forming packages and themed itineraries. The destination’s PR function can adapt this content for different platforms and pitches, and use their networks of opinion formers to get word out. For a large company, PR should now sit at the heart of the boardroom. As directors plan sales priorities, PR should top the list, receiving respectable budgets to have the right PR professionals on board. Paul Chibeba l Director of Business Development, A Marr & Associates

Tourism Society Autumn Events

The Society held two key centrallyorganised events this autumn which dealt with major domestic and international aspects of travel and tourism. In September, ‘Staycation – What’s next?’ considered how trends for domestic holidays are changing. Sharon Orrell, Head of Research and Insights at VisitEngland, opened with a presentation of the current statistics and highlighted important developments such as the increasing household spend on recreation and culture since 2008. Allowing for the caveat that this increase would not necessarily all be holiday related, it shows an increase in the importance of leisure over recent years. A more significant number was the 68% of people questioned who said they had changed their holiday behaviour in some way since 2008; the industry needs to be nimble and continually match what it offers to what the public is looking for. The discussion that followed the opening presentation was chaired by Ian Taylor, Executive Editor of Travel Weekly. Once the panellists had moved past the issue of the validity of the word ‘staycation’, the discussion broadened to look at the motivations behind domestic holidays and what the key trends are. It seems that the improving quality of what is on offer has been important in promoting a rise in domestic trips and will be an area that needs constant attention to keep the customers coming back. With people actively choosing to take their holidays here rather than being forced to because of cost issues, investment in products and staff is essential. For mid-range hotels and guesthouses this might not be that easy; budget and luxury businesses would do better, and once visitors have had their say on the online review sites there is nowhere to hide. Looking further afield to the international industry, in November we organised a seminar at World Travel Market entitled ‘Tourism’s role in post-conflict and postdisaster regions’. An impressive panel took to the stage to discuss this meaty topic, with Richard King of Concordis in the chair. With no individual presentations

Gregory Yeoman FTS Executive Director, Tourism Society

Staycation and World Travel Market

Sharon Orrell, VisitEngland, speaking at Staycation – What’s next? there was maximum time for discussion, and both the audience and the chair posed searching questions. A point made early in the discussion was that nearly all the countries that would traditionally be associated with conflict, for example Afghanistan, Iraq or Palestine, each had a tourism ministry occupied by a senior minister who recognised the importance of their cultural heritage and the importance of embracing it to promote sustained economic development. In the period of recovery after conflict one of the first things that should be done is to make this theme a key pillar of any redevelopment plans. Rwanda was cited as an outstanding example of a country which has embraced tourism as a driving force of its resurgence, and this is because from the outset the government put its weight behind a carefully defined strategy with the tourism industry at its heart. Local guides, too, play an important role especially as they are the ones fielding tourists’ questions and they will have insights into how the stories can be presented.

Stability and adequate levels of security are paramount before tourists can return, particularly on organised itineraries. Responsible operators, liaising with government departments and local security forces, can gauge the situation accurately and help increase the number of visitors. These tourists serve two purposes: firstly having seen the life behind the media headlines they can report it once back home, and secondly they help restore the destination’s damaged reputation and build confidence in it again.This leads to increased investment. If the beneficiaries of a successfully re-established tourism industry can include those on the margins of society who are often the ones most affected by the conflicts, then the effects should be long-lasting. With thanks to our sponsors Travel Weekly, Maxxton,The Camping and Caravanning Club, City of London/Guildhall Library, and Visit Belfast. Tourism Society members can read reviews for all our events, including chapter and section events, by logging into the website and selecting My Account/Event Reviews.

l Issue 160 Winter 2014

journal@tourismsociety.org

Membership News Congratulations to Peter Long (CEO,TUI) and Simon Calder (The Independent) on being awarded honourary Fellowship of the Society, and to Carole Sherlock and Julian Zarb on their upgrade to FTS. Welcome to the following new Company and Corporate Members: Tom Day MTS, Alex Fong MTS, Chris Gottlieb MTS,Tracy Halliwell MTS, Louise Maher MTS, Sandra Rogat MTS – all London & Partners; Ian Baxter MTS, Anita Beresford Webb MTS, Geraint Coles MTS, Laura Locke MTS, Sarah Harris MTS – all University Campus Suffolk; Joanne Dyson MTS, Rachel Johnston MTS, Denise Foster MTS, Robin Lewis MTS, Helen Shute MTS, Brona Moffett MTS – all The National Trust; Stuart Devlin MTS, Eddie Bent MTS, Dean Breyley MTS, Paul Rose MTS, Sarah Howard MTS – all e-strategy. Welcome to the following new Society members: Frank Marr MTS, A Marr & Associates Ltd; Adrian Barsby MTS MTMI TCN, Barsby Associates Ltd; Olumide Olusola Metilelu, Bournemouth University; Shelley Doyle MTS, British History Breaks; Mathew Bradley MTS MTMI, Canal & River Trust; Juliana Delaney FTS, Continuum Group; Nicholas Rudge MTS, Simon Law MTS, Cottages4You by Wyndham Vacation Rentals; Charles Purdue-Pulido, LJMU; Brianna Wyatt, Edinburgh Napier University; Mike Ashton MTS, Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce;Tamsin

Leigh MTS, National Trust; Dr Hazel Andrews MTS, LJMU; Prof. Donald MacRae MTS, Lloyds Banking Group Scotland; Deborah Matthews MTS ATMI, Love Weston; Nicholas Agg-Manning MTS, OAC Ltd (Outside Adventure Consultants); Jordan Lowe, Oxford Brookes University; Dick Wood MTS, South Devon Railway Trust; Nigel Edwards MTS, SRP Risk & Finance LLP; Anoek Petit MTS, Sunvil Traveller; Chris Newey MTS The Caravan Club; Jo Andrews MTS MTMI,The Marketing Collective; Clare Mitchell MTS, travelGBI at Travel Weekly Group; Stanislava Velikova, University of Exeter; Dr James Kennell FTS, University of Greenwich; Maja Jovic, University of Westminster; Gerry Lennon MTS,Visit Belfast; Gabriela, Peycheva MTS,Visit Kent; Chris Greenwood MTS, VisitScotland; Xin Lan, Joel Aminu, Gabrielle Amos, Clare Denison,Yan Wang, Samuel Hollis, Chloe Sykes, Matthew Ward, Ribe Bianka Sau, Ewa Krakowiak, Kinga Szatkowska, Brittany Van Graan, Helen Stringer, Simren Bhogal, Magdalini Karavella, Jade Cocker, Federica Di Bella, Monika Liberadzka, Rhianna Coote, Harriet Davy, Ivan Ivanov, Millie Clarke, Jessica Grocott, Hannah Freeman, Rachel Cousen, Alice Dowling, Wei Wei, Charlotte Evans, Rachel Derrig-Vanzie,

Harry Baum Harry Baum, a member of the Tourism Society from its earliest days, died in September aged 86. Described as a founding father of the British meetings industry, Harry was also a Director of London Tourist Board and coined the phrase ‘Destination Management Company’. Corporate Member

Events

Daria Czapp, Sue Cofield, Sonja Liebethal, Jiaxin Zhu, Rebecca Wilkinson, Jade McDermott, Bethany Soanes, Jessica Talbot, Sophie Robinson, Abigail Tomlinson, Gabrielle Sykes, Nathan Stafford, Adriana Popescu, Adrianna Lis, Nora Yahya – all Sheffield Hallam University; Carolina Velasquez, Aboubakr Serag, Prescilla Mankulu, Ruguiato Balde, Eva Eduardo, Ana Zacarias, Dexter Achi, Christian Marseglia, Glodie Malonda, Daniel Onise, Brigitte Arteaga, Iara Manuel, Luz Myriam Olarte Millan, Sonya Markova, Andre Da Silva, Francesco Mazzeo, Jimena Garcia, Cinzia Salinardi, Alycia Guinet, Fabrizio Grillo, Michele Indino, Lynthon Musamadya MTS – all Westminster Kingsway College; Full business and contact details can be found on the Society’s website.

January 2015 20th – Prospects for 2015, London (and Cumbria,Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales and West Country via streaming) February 23rd – Event with Oxford Brookes University March 11th – Tourism Question Time, BoBI, Birmingham 26th – Annual Dinner, House of Commons 27th – Fellows’ Day June 1st/2nd – Tourism Symposium, Kent – with TMI and TCN October Staycation trends Media Masterclass, London November 4th – World Travel Market seminar December President’s Debate, London

www.tourismsociety.org

Issue 160 Winter 2014

The Back Page Chairman’s view with Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE FTS MTMI Connecting to the Future

Ullswater What will 2015 bring for you? How are you planning to make it a great year and how much can we control what happens next? Well, if you don’t know the answer to these questions yet, don’t worry – you are not alone. So to help you make the most from the Tourism Society this coming year the Board and our partners have been working hard to make sure that the Society is a point of constancy and inspiration in challenging times. The Society’s Communications Group, led by Vice Chairman Hayley Beer, has just undertaken a membership survey. Over a quarter of the membership replied and the results will be appearing in the next issue of the Journal with the headlines available on the website in early 2015.This work will help inform the Society’s new business plan and some really interesting things are starting to emerge. One of the early headlines has been how much our members appreciate high quality events, which prompted an early start to planning for the 2015 Tourism Symposium taking place in Ashford, Kent on the 1st/2nd June 2015 – save the date now! The theme of the event is ‘Connecting to the Future’ and the event will feature fantastic speakers and thought leaders inspiring us to make the best use of resources, maximise digital advances and

explore new markets and create new standards.Top tips on strategies to remain nimble and sharp thinking will underscore the Symposium programme – do make sure you join us. We are also pleased to be piloting live streaming of our events so that more members can enjoy them – the Prospects event on the 20th January is the first ‘all points UK’ live streamed event. I’ve been on my travels to visit members all over the UK recently. At the Eden Tourism Summit with the Cumbria Chapter I saw the breath-taking Ullswater and heard at first-hand about the authentic and superbly tailored outdoor visitor experience on offer alongside great food and quality. I spoke at the inaugural meeting of one of our newest chapters, the Greenwich University Tourism Society, inspired by Member Dr Jithu Kokkranikal. A sea of bright eyes reminded me just what a rewarding career awaits the 60 undergraduates preparing to take their places as the next generation of tourism leaders, many from overseas taking back to their home countries the UK’s world class tourism teaching. Another new Chapter is Robin Barker’s TS West Country, and the Scotland and Wales Chapters are going from strength to strength alongside Yorkshire, Europa, Kent and the Consultants Network. Several highly successful Consultants and

Fellows events have taken place and two very special tourism leaders – Simon Calder and Peter Long – have been included on the exclusive ‘Honorary Fellows’ roll call. Over the last months I have also been inspired by the Family Holiday Association’s Holidays Matter campaign, whose stated aim is to make a significant impact on the appalling statistic that over 7 million people in Britain, the 7th richest country in the world, have never had a break, with over 25% of those never experiencing a day out. It is up to all of us in a position to do so, to think about how we can help. For my own part, I have had a very busy autumn, and as I write this I am packing my bags for China to take part in a VisitBritain sales mission as in Kent we embark on the start of a three-year plan to develop the Chinese market as it grows exponentially before our eyes. More of that in my next Back Page. So what can we do to be prepared? In every Back Page I refer to the top tourism ingredient, ‘sustainable partnerships’. The Society is committed to keeping on building links and in the next issue of the Journal we will be announcing even more partners for 2015. So to end, if you are feeling unsettled think of the Tourism Society as part of your survival toolkit in an uncertain world – it works for me!