SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN THE SOUTH WEST THE TEN YEAR PLAN

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TOWARDS 2015 Shaping Tomorrows Tourism
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Background ?

• Why have we undertaken this review?
• What did we do ?
• What did we find out?
• What did we conclude?
• Who should be involved?
• How will we know we have achieved our goal ?
•  

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Why?
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Why?

• Post Foot and Mouth, 11th September, SARs
• Changes in customers expectations, habits and
  trends
• Volatility in tourism
• Increasing competition
• Technology changes
• Public funding changes and challenges
• Increasing sustainability issues

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What did we do?
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Infrastructure issues
Segmentation Work
Community Attitudes
Employee Research
Economic Impact
Market Intelligence
National Research
Tourism Structures Audit
Analysis and Review Scenario Planning
Policy and Strategy Review
Competitor Analysis
Business Survey
Customer Survey
Regional Economic Strategy (RES)
Regional Cultural Strategy (CSW)
Regional Sustainability Strategy (SSW)
Regional Tourism Strategy
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What did we find out?
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ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

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• Total Visitor spend 8,294 million annually
• - Staying Visitors 4,523 million (55)
• - Day Visitors 3,771 million (45)
• Worth up to 10 of regional GDP
• Supports 307,000 actual jobs (225,000 FTEs)
• 1 in every 8 jobs in the South West
• (UK average 1 in 13)
• Major Issues of variable quality, seasonal and
  part-time employment

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Domestic Visitor Segmentation Satisfaction

• Initial Findings

TNS Travel Tourism
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Satisfaction TRIM Index (1)

• South West TRIM Index 78
• Visited last 12 months 85
• Visited gt last 12 months 73
• Never visited 55

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• Strengths
• A8 The quality of the accommodation
• A10 Overall welcome and friendliness
• A35 Interesting villages, towns, locations to
  visit
• A32 Beaches and coastline
• A26 Place for peace and quiet and relaxation
• A31 Unspoilt countryside
• A4 Choice of hotels, BBs, guesthouses etc
• A29 History and heritage
• A18 Facilities for walking rambling and cycling
• A33 Chance to see wildlife in natural habitats

Hygienics
Motivators
high
A8
A9
A21
A31
A10
A26
A32
A3
A4
A35
A1
A2
A13
A29
A22
A33
A15
A18
A30
Claimed Importance
A28
A6
A23
A14
A11
A20
A34
A25
A17
A27
A5
A16
A12
A7
A19
A24
Hidden
low
Savers
Opportunities
Real Importance
high
low
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South West

• Priorities
• A9 Standards of service
• A21 Quality restaurants and dining
• A23 Availability of tourism information
• Hidden Opportunities
• A6 Choice of self-catering accommodation
• A14 Range availability of local produce, arts
  and crafts and souvenirs
• A17 Range of water based activities, e.g.
  sailing, surfing, swimming
• A7 Choice of camping and caravanning facilities

Hygienics
Motivators
high
A8
A9
A21
A31
A10
A26
A32
A3
A4
A35
A1
A2
A13
A29
A22
A33
A15
A18
A30
Claimed Importance
A28
A6
A23
A14
A11
A20
A34
A25
A17
A27
A5
A16
A12
A7
A19
A24
Hidden
low
Savers
Opportunities
Real Importance
high
low
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South West

• Vast majority high satisfaction.
• Of some concern that loyalty levels are
  relatively low.

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Initial Conclusions

• Performance is Good - is that good enough?
• Compared to European benchmarks South West
  performance is average but not competing hard
• Promote the USPs of the region
• Two-thirds of domestic leisure trip takers prefer
  to go somewhere different on holiday every time
• Communicate the variety and diversity of the
  South West

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Initial Conclusions

• Trends come and go, fundamentals remain
• TRENDS
• Spas, beauty treatments, fitness, wellbeing -
  current hot topics in tourism, low real relevance
• FUNDAMENTALS
• Beaches, coastline and unspoilt countryside,
  quality of accommodation, quality of restaurants
  and dining - universal appeal

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Consumer's changing characteristics and needs

• Wealthier ( for now)
• Healthier
• Older and more active
• Multiple holiday taking
• Short breaks as a survival tool
• Increasingly experience driven breaks
• Changing lifestyles

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South WestSegments

• Traditional Markets
• Traditional Beach Holiday
• History Heritage
• Close to Nature
• Easy Preschool
• Emerging Growth Markets
• Sheer Indulgence
• Romance
• Chill Out
• Its Cool
• Its Adventure
• Discovery

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Experience Brand Cluster

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Market Intelligence Conclusions

• 10 Year growth projections
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• Domestic Trips UP 39 (spending UP 20)
• Overseas trips UP 32 (spending UP 19)
• Day Trips UP 20 (spending UP 20)
• Potential for increased overall value of 1,625
  million per year

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Market Intelligence

• Key growth areas
• Short Break Holidays UP 53
• Visits to Friends Relatives UP 24
• Overseas (overall) UP 19
• - North America UP 23
• - Non EU UP 19
• - EU UP 12
• Long Holidays None

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Destinations Research
South West
Devon
West Country
Cornwall
North Devon
Dorset
Cotswold
English Riviera
Exmoor
Bath
Somerset
Dartmoor
Forest of Dean
Plymouth
Exeter
Weymouth
Bournemouth
Gloucestershire
Wiltshire
Salisbury
Awareness
Cheltenham
Jurassic Coast
Purbeck
Bristol
South Hams
Swindon
Interest
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Sub-Regional Analysis

• 98 organisations employing 1000 staff
  volunteers
• Promoting at least 215 locations
• 54 of LAs have tourism strategies
• Primarily focussed on LA role
• Consistent focus on
• Increasing income and employment
• Better quality of life for local people
• Considered use of natural resources
• Quality visitor experiences to encourage repeat
  visits

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SW Community Views

• 97 consider tourism good for their Area
• 87 willing to engage with and help visitors
• 50 feel summer visitor levels right,
• 18 too many, 27 more.
• 43 feel levels right at other times,
• 3 too many, 47 more.

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SW Community Views

• Positive community benefits identified
• Support for local businesses
• Better choice of facilities
• Local product development
• Support for local culture
• Heritage / environment maintenance
• Negatives
• Traffic congestion and parking problems
• Poorly paid and seasonal / part-time jobs

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What did we conclude?
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Conclusions

• Changing consumer needs and desires
• We must change the perceptions of non visitors
• Increases will be in the short break markets
• Must maintain long holiday market
• Quality will be the competitive advantage across
  the range
• Must engage tourism businesses at all levels

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Conclusions

• Sustainability is a must not an optional extra
• Separate, but integrated approach needed for
  Business Tourism and the development of Overseas
  markets
• Competitiveness, productivity improvements
  essential
• Simplification of support arrangements to match
  the new challenges

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How should we go forward?
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How should we go forward?

• Need a professional approach to customers whether
  they are either Destination or Experience driven
• Varying degrees of specialisation needed at
  business and destination level
• Need to have clear strategies and actions for
  repeat and new/lapsed customers
• Support organisations need to make it easier and
  simpler for customers
• New team approach needed re destinations and
  regional support

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Repeat Customers

• Businesses increased use of direct marketing
• Local product guides
• Data capture and data warehousing
• Customer relationship marketing
  introduced/improved
• Email marketing

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• New Lapsed Customers
• Complex issues but to deliver simple solution for
  visitors and businesses

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Bath Bournemouth Bristol Cotswold Cornwall
Where shall we go ?
Devon English Riviera, Plymouth Dorset Gloucester
Forest of Dean Salisbury Stonehenge Somerset

Destination Driven
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What shall we do?

• Traditional Beach Holiday
• History Heritage
• Close to Nature
• Easy Preschool

Experience Driven

• Sheer Indulgence
• Romance
• Chill Out
• Its Cool
• Its Adventure
• Discovery

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Destination Driven
Experience Driven
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Key Issues for the South West The Changing
Priorities for Tourism

• Value not Volume
• Quality of Employment not Quantity
• Impact on the Environment
• Impact on Host Communities

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VISION
By 2015, the South West of England will be
internationally recognised as a model tourism
destination, achieving a unique balance between
its environment, communities, industry and
visitor satisfaction, achieving long-term
economic and social benefit for the region.
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STRATEGIC AIMS

• Driving Up Quality
• Delivering Truly Sustainable Tourism
• Effective Regional and Destination
• Management

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DRIVING UP QUALITY Priorities for Action

• Experience Brand Clusters Development
• Improve marketing and promotion
• Quality Development, accommodation, attractions,
  public
• realm, facilities, food and drink etc
• Productivity and competitiveness, benchmarking
• Business Support 3 tier system

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DRIVING UP QUALITY Priorities for Action

• Skills and Labour, vocational, customer service,
• flexible work based, expansion of Tourism
  Skills
• Network
• Tourist Information Easy Booking, DMS systems,
• Englandnet
• Market Intelligence, data, trends forecasts
• Regional Profile Building

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SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Priorities for Action

• Embedding sustainability principles in regional
  development and destination management
• Effective evaluation appraisal tools
• Industry adoption of sustainable practices and
  promotion
• Understanding and managing visitor impact on
  communities and the environment

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DESTINATION MANAGEMENT Priorities for action

• Regional Leadership and Direction
• Engaging the Industry Clusters and destinations
• Buy-in and commitment Destinations and businesses
• 10 Destination Management Partnerships (DMPs)
• DMP Strategies and Action Plans, revised planning
  guidance

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DESTINATION MANAGEMENT Priorities for action

• Devon ( Dartmoor,North/rural, English Riviera,
  Plymouth)
• Dorset (Weymouth Poole)
• Gloucester Forest of Dean
• Salisbury Stonehenge area ( rural Wiltshire)
• Somerset ( Weston and Exmoor)

• Bath
• Bournemouth
• Bristol
• Cotswold Cheltenham
• Cornwall (Newquay I.o.S)

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Who should be involved?
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Everyone

• Tourism Businesses
• Regional and Local Planners
• Local Authorities
• South West Regional Development Agency
• South West Tourism
• Government Office
• Business Links
• Learning and Skills Councils
• Banks and Intermediaries

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How will we know we have achieved our goal?
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Target Areas

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• Radically less seasonal, with an increase of 40
  in the value of tourism generated in off-peak and
  off-season
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• Of higher quality - more competitive businesses
  with higher productivity than any similar region
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• With over 85 visitor satisfaction rates and high
  levels of repeat business
• Able to command a 15 premium price over relevant
  competition

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Targets

• More accepted by the host communities with over
  90 accepting and supporting tourism in the
  region
• A key driver in protecting and enhancing the
  environment,  
• A better employer with 75 of staff employed
  satisfied with their conditions of employment,
  training and if appropriate, career development
• Supported by effective tourism management
  arrangement at regional and destination level
  with no duplication or waste of resources.  

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Targets

• Create a further 5 growth in employment
• Enhance at least 30 of existing jobs
• Generate at least a further 1.25B per year into
  the regional economy.

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NEXT STEPS

• Consultation process throughout March/April
• Consultation Events
• Regional Business Plan development
• Brand Cluster marketing and product development
  plans
• Destination Management Plans

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• Today's Event

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Today's Event

• We want everyone to have the chance to be
  involved
• 15 topic areas, discussions, red dots and
• post-it notes
• Investment decisions exercise
• On going opportunities to comment on Towards 2015
• www.towards2015.co.uk

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