PLATTELANDSTOERISME IN VLAANDEREN VZW RURAL TOURISM IN FLANDERS

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PLATTELANDSTOERISME IN VLAANDEREN VZWRURAL
TOURISM IN FLANDERS

• 3rd European Congress on Rural Tourism
• EGER - Hungary
• 26 - 28 September, 2007

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Content of presentation Plattelandstoerisme in
Vlaanderen VZW(Rural Tourism in Flanders
non-profit-making organization)

• Organisation
• Basic motivation of the organization
• Concrete objectives of the organization
• Budget
• Concrete marketing actions
• Facts and figures
• 7. Classification system
• 8. Evolution of Rural Tourism in Flanders
• 9. Conclusion
• 10. Questions

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How it began

• The Flemish Federation for Rural and Countryside
  Tourism (Vlaamse Federatie voor Hoeve- en
  Plattelandstoerisme) took the challenge and was
  created since 1989.
• 22 farmers started with their own guestrooms and
  holiday lets.

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• 1. ORGANIZATION
• VZW Plattelandstoerisme in Vlaanderen
• Established 30th June 2004 public private
  partnership
• Founding members
• The five Flemish provincial tourist
  organizations
• Toerisme Limburg vzw
• Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen vzw
• Toerisme Provincie Antwerpen vzw
• Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant vzw
• Westtoer apb
• Vlaamse Federatie voor Hoeve- en
  Plattelands-toerisme vzw (Flemish Federation for
  Farm and Rural Tourism) (patronized by the
  Boerenbond the Belgian Farmers Union)

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Management Bodies

• General Assembly
• - 15 managers of accommodations
• - 8 representatives of provincial tourist
  organizations
• - 2 representatives of the Boerenbond
• Board of Management
• - 13 managers of accommodations
• - 8 representatives of provincial organizations
• - 2 representatives of the Boerenbond
• Executive Committee
• - Stefaan Gheysen chairman
• - Christian Stivigny vice-chairman
• - Pierre Goffaux secretary-treasurer
• - Lieve De Cock vice-chairman
• - Marleen Vandenplas director of the VZW
  (non-profit-making organization)

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Staff of the organisation

• Marleen Vandenplas director
• Annemie Celis staff member
• Wim Verscuren staff member

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2. BASIC MOTIVATION OF THE ORGANIZATION

• The initiative to support and promote managers of
  small-scale accommodations on the Flemish
  countryside should be situated within the broader
  context of rural policies in Flanders.
• Given the declining power of the agricultural
  sector in Flanders, tourism is considered to be
  one element, among many others, to support and
  diversify the economic and social viability of
  the Flemish countryside.
• This is sustained by a strong growing demand for
  nearby, quality rural tourism, mainly from the
  Flemish market.

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3. CONCRETE OBJECTIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION

• 1. The overall coordination, organization and
  defence of the joint tourist interests of
  managers of small-scale accommodations with a
  rural character in Flanders.
• 2. To attribute quality categories and to
  exercise supervision on those categories.
• 3. To develop a marketing policy and to pursue
  joint marketing actions on behalf of the
  affiliated members.
• 4. To provide professional information, training
  and advice (direct or in collaboration with third
  parties) for the affiliated accommodation
  managers.

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4. BUDGET

• Annual budget 300.000
• Sources and fees
• Provincial tourist organizations 30 budget
• Farmers Union (Boerenbond) 5 budget
• Members 25 budget
• - Publicity sponsoring 30 budget

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5. CONCRETE MARKETING ACTIONS

• Brochure of accommodations
• Rural Tourism in Flanders
• 100.000 copies (Dutch)
• Distribution tourist offices, Aveve (garden
  centers), fairs, mailings, website,
• Website and e-marketing
• Website www.plattelandstoerisme.be since 1999.
• New website January 2007
• 4 languages
• new look, more information, more pictures
• new searchsystem
• members area
• system available periods

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5. CONCRETE MARKETING ACTIONS

• Fairs Brussels, Countryside Gent, BB expo
• Joint promotions
• Press
• Promotional actions with partners
• Giftvoucher
• salespoints secretary, tourist offices,
  Aveve,
• promotional actions
• vouchers from 25 and 50
• Publicity in life style magazines and media

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6. FACTS FIGURES

• Accommodations at farms and at the countryside
• Guestrooms (BB)
• Selfcatering accommodations
• Small hotels (lt 15 rooms)
• More than 300 members
• 321 selfcatering accommodations
• 606 guestrooms
• ? 3504 beds

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Total of accommodation in Flanders (2004)
678 ( 66 ) only guestrooms 317 ( 31 ) only
selfcatering 33 ( 3 ) both (guestrooms
selfcatering)
1.028 entrepeneurs
3.865 guestrooms (87 ) 568 selfcatering (13 )
4.433 guestrooms and selfcatering homes
9.044 in guestrooms (73 ) 3.414 in selfcatering
(27 )
12.458 beds
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• Occupancy rates
• Own system of occupancy measure since 2005.
• Results 2006
• Profile of clientship
• 87 Flemish and 13 Dutch (N 2667)
• Age between 30 and 60 years
• Length of stay
• Guestrooms 2 nights (41,5)
• Holiday lets 2 nights - weekends (30), 4 nights
  - midweeks (30)
• and 7 night - weeks (20)
• Occupancy
• Guestrooms between 20 and 60
• Selfcatering between 20 and 65
• Topperiod July and August (schoolholiday)

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Prices

• Free setting of prices.
• Depending quality (clovers) and (touristic)
  region
• Guestrooms
• BB between 25,00 and 40,00 per person per
  night
• Halfboard between 35,00 and 55,00 per person
  per night
• Self-catering
• Depending number of persons.
• Weekend between 120,00 and 400,00
• Midweek between 180,00 and 500,00
• Week between 300,00 and 800,00 (or more)

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Evolution members 1989 2004(Flemish Federation
Farm and Country Tourism)
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Evolution members 2005 2007(Rural Tourism in
Flanders)
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7. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

• System with clovers
• Visit accommodations with list of comfort
  elements.
• Depending comfort 1 ? 4 clovers
• Character and charme of the accommodations also
  influences the clover rating.
• Min. 1 clover necessary for promotion.

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8. EVOLUTION OF RURAL TOURISM IN FLANDERS AND THE
ORGANIZATION

• 1. At last a legislation for rural tourism and
  other small-scale accomodations
• 2. More possibilities concerning spatial planning
• 3. Upgrading of quality
• 4. Rural tourism ? small-scale tourism
• 5. Co-operation in marketing with governmental
  partners private partners

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9. CONCLUSION

• Small-scale tourism
• hot and growing

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10. QUESTIONS?

• VZW Plattelandstoerisme in Vlaanderen
• Diestsevest 40
• 3000 Leuven
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• info_at_plattelandstoerisme.be
• www.plattelandstoerisme.be