Horsham District Council's Visitor Economy Strategy 2018-2023 Appendices

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 APPENDICES FOR HORSHAM DISTRICT

October 2017 This project is part funded by The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.

A. STRATEGIC CONTEXT The important role the visitor economy plays in job creation and supporting local urban and rural economies and communities is recognised and prioritised in the economic development strategies produced by the C2C LEP, Gatwick Diamond Initiative, the Rural West Sussex Strategy, Central Sussex LEADER, West Sussex County Council and Horsham District Council as well as the South Downs National Park Authority Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2015-2020.

The C2C LEP Strategic Economic Plan identifies food and tourism as a sector with competitive advantage and highlights the importance of the rural economy and supporting rural tourism. The food and drink sector is also a focus for the Gatwick Diamond Initiative.

The Horsham Growth Agenda vision for the economy in the Horsham District Planning Framework is to be: ‘A vibrant economy that recognises both the wider context of the South Downs National Park and the Gatwick Diamond, building upon the established transport connections, and the niche market offer within Horsham’. Sustainable development is central to forward development strategies, as 85% of the district is rural, and plans seek to capitalise on the opportunities for growth while maintaining the uniqueness of Horsham and its District and protecting the quality of the area’s environmental, landscape and heritage character, which is central to ensuring the district is a desirable place to visit. In addition the HDC’s Climate Change Strategy aims to promote a low carbon economy.

The Rural West Sussex economic partnership prioritises five sectors that all link with developing the rural visitor economy: land management and land based industries; food and drink; tourism; and digital and creative industries.

The development of the visitor economy is one of the five priorities of the Horsham District Economic Strategy 2013-23:

The development of a sustainable visitor economy is one of the Central Sussex LEADER Programme’s objectives together with strengthening the role of the food and drink sector in the visitor economy. During 2018, rural tourism and grants are available for relevant tourism schemes including marketing and website development.

The priority is to develop, strengthen and promote the visitor economy. We need to focus on all elements of the District offer, including our built, natural and cultural assets to provide the best possible experience for all visitors to Horsham.

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

Priority 5: Promoting the District Offer

What we will do: • Provide additional support, networking and skills workshops for tourism businesses • Work with tourism partners to develop a new destination management plan for the District • Work with the Council’s Planning Department to bring forward site allocations for new hotel and larger scale visitor accommodation development • Engage with pub landlords and tenants and restaurant owners to make them aware of the potential for them to provide accommodation • Promote accommodation to service active tourism • Develop a programme of campaigns to promote the District offer • Develop a year round programme of events that supports a year round visitor offer • Work with partners to increase their confidence and capacity to put on quality events • Position Horsham District as a convenient and desirable business tourism destination • Encourage the development of major visitor attractions through engagement and support for their strategic plans.

• Build on and support our local arts, culture and heritage sectors to maximise their positive cultural, social and economic contribution • Raise the profile of Arts and Heritage in the District and put the District on the regional map, securing long term benefits from an economic, cultural and community perspective

WSCC promotes the visitor economy from the economic development perspective and in recent years has focused on the Beautiful Outdoors marketing campaign, promoting West Sussex as an active outdoors destination, particularly for walking and cycling and aiming at the 25-45 year old market from London and the south east. It has been encouraging walker and cyclist friendly accommodation and in 2016 has also been promoting days out and weekend breaks, together with food and drink and coastal activities.

The current priority is packaging short break trips and attracting younger visitors.

The priorities for tourism that have been highlighted in strategies relating to the district are to: • • • • •

Unify promotion of District Increase local pride Increase ‘pay & stay’ visitors Strengthen rural businesses Food & drink

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY 1. Key features and assets The district has a varied landscape within a small area; the woodland in the north contrasts with the southern Downland where historic houses nestle in the foot of the Downs, and the central pasture and farmland is crossed by the Arun and Adur rivers. It is accessible countryside with a good network of public rights of way that is easy for walkers, cyclists and horse riders to enjoy.

The variety of architecture and settlements offered by the market towns of Horsham, the administrative capital, Billingshurst, Henfield, Pulborough, Steyning and Storrington, and its villages and hamlets provide an attractive, historic setting with interesting stories, convenient facilities and independent shops.

(Two) Michelin star restaurants, gastropubs, weekly food markets and a well established annual food and drink festival in Horsham town combined with and artisan micro businesses including micro-breweries have created a strong gastronomic offer for residents and visitors.

It is considered a good place to live with a traditional, safe environment with a well-educated local population earning higher than the country average. However the cost of living is high, with high house prices making it difficult for people on lower incomes to buy property or find well-paid jobs locally.

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Many of Horsham’s strongest assets for attracting visitors are in the surrounding area; the South Downs National Park, the south coast, Brighton, Chichester, Gatwick and London.

2. Tourism facilities and services 2.1

Destination audit

The aim of the destination audit for this study was to build a database of tourism businesses to facilitate HDC’s engagement with the visitor economy sector. It is a working document that will need continuous updating as businesses constantly change.

2.2 Accommodation 2.2.1 Data sources To create the database of accommodation businesses for HDC, the findings from the Hotel and Visitor Accommodation Study 2016 were updated and supplemented by further Internet and desk research during March and April 2017.

The original research for the Hotel and Visitor Accommodation Study was undertaken in 2015-16 and although it has been updated, due to the number of small and informal businesses in the sector there is constant change in the number and type of businesses. The figures used in this study should therefore be considered as indicative and will need continuous updating to remain accurate.

Type

No.

Hotel

22

B&B

34

Agency

Total Proportion 22

12%

35

18%

5

5

3%

Inn

12

12

6%

Self catering

38

93

49%

Campsite

16

16

8%

Caravan park

2

2

1%

Glamping

1

4

2%

University campus

1

1

1%

190

100%

Farmhouse

Total

131

1

55

3

59

Figure 2: Accommodation in Horsham District

At the time the research was undertaken there were a total of 131 accommodation providers in the district that promote themselves direct to the public and their postcodes could be verified as being within Horsham District; of these 124 had their own business websites. In addition, 59 businesses were identified that market themselves via letting agencies; 55 of which were self-catering properties, 3 were glamping sites and one was a B&B. The majority of these properties were marketed through self-catering cottage agencies, with most active being Amberley House Cottages who promoted 17 properties in the district. There were 19 properties that were listed on Airbnb. It was not possible to identify the postcodes for these properties to verify that they are all within the district boundary. In addition, it is possible that some also market themselves directly as well as through letting agencies.

Serviced and non-serviced accomodation

39% 61%

Serviced Non-serviced accomodation

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED 2.2 Accommodation continued 2.2.2 Serviced accommodation – hotels There are 22 hotels in the district. The majority are mid range 3 or 4 star hotels charging in the region of £80 – £135 per room per night. One hotel has 5 star grading and two hotels charge £200 or more per night. Six hotels (29%) were not graded. The average TripAdvisor rating of 20 of the hotels was 4.3 (June 2017).

Nearly half (10) hotels are clustered in the south of the district with 8 either in, or on, the boundary of the South Downs National Park.

The others are located in the northern half of the district with a small cluster (4) in Horsham town.

Hotel Grade 2 star

2

9%

3 star

7

32%

4 star

6

27%

5 star

1

5%

Ungraded

6

27%

22

100%

Total 04

No. Proportion

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Figure 3: Location of hotels

2.2.3 Serviced accommodation: bed and breakfast, farmhouses and inns There were 34 B&Bs and 5 farmhouses, almost of which charge between £50 to £100. The quality is considered good and although most properties are not officially graded, 30 of the 39 properties were rated on TripAdvisor and overall the average rating was 4.5.

As with the hotels, a relatively high proportion of properties (10) were located in or on the boundary of the South Downs National Park.

Twelve inns (pubs with rooms) were identified, however there may be more as not all pubs have websites or promote their rooms on the Internet. These inns were spread more evenly across the district with three located in the South Downs National Park.

Figure 4: Location of B&B and farmhouse accommodation

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED 2.2 Accommodation continued 2.2.4 Non-serviced accommodation: Self-catering, camp sites, glamping sites, caravan parks Non-serviced accommodation, including self-catering properties, camping and glamping sites and caravan parks account for around two thirds (61%) of the accommodation available to visitors in the district. This includes the properties that are promoted through online letting agencies, including Airbnb, which make up half of this type of accommodation.

Engaging directly with these businesses is difficult as many don’t have their own websites and don’t promote their direct contact details.

The self-catering properties are spread fairly evenly across the district with six of the campsites located in the southern part of the district, in or close to the South Downs National Park.

Figure 5: Self-catering and campsites – excluding online agency properties

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2.2.5 Importance of SDNP to Horsham District

2.3

The proportion of accommodation located in or close to the South Downs National Park highlights the importance of the Park as a visitor attraction within the district.

There are more than 50 businesses and organisations across the district that offer a wide variety of attractions and activities for visitors:

2.2.6 Occupancy rates

• Adventure park and paintballing (2) • Craft activity (1) • Cultural Heritage: Castles, galleries, historic houses, museums (10) • Gardens, vineyards and breweries that are open to the public (9) • Indoor leisure: bowling & laser quest (1) • Outdoor leisure: country parks and train rides (4) • Sports activities: leisure centres, golf, fishing, archery, climbing (16) • Theatre, cinema, arts centre (1) • Wildlife and animals (4)

No regularly data is collected on occupancy rates across the district. This makes it difficult to accurately assess which types of accommodation are doing well and which have spare capacity and when. However the Hotel and Accommodation Study surveyed accommodation establishments and, based on the 2015 business data, concluded that there was a demand for more visitor accommodation in the district, particularly in Horsham town.

Overall occupancy rates were in line with national trends, however there are seasonal variations with capacity from November to March. From April to October the majority of accommodation establishments are busy and at times there are capacity issues.

Visitor attractions and activities

There are no attractions that receive more than 100,000 visitors. Six attractions report their annual visitor numbers and based on VisitEngland’s most recent data (for 2015) the two that received more than 50,000 visitor were Horsham Museum and Art Gallery (91,312) which is free to enter and increased it numbers by 6.2% compared to 2014, and RSPB Pulborough Brooks which charges an entry fee and received 82,266 visitors, 3.5% less than 2014.

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED Visitor attractions and activities continued

While these visitor numbers stand up well against similar attractions across the country, they are low compared to visitor numbers to National Trust properties such as Petworth House (163,339) in neighbouring Chichester District or Wakehurst Place (251,949) in Mid Sussex.

Visitors

% change 2014/15

Charge

Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre

42,000E

20

Paid

2,253

1.5

Free

Horsham Museum and Art Gallery

91,312

6.2

Free

RSPB Pulborough Brooks

82,266

-3.5

Paid

South Downs Light Railway

16,778

-4.1

Paid

20,000E

0

Paid

Henfield Museum

Some of the district’s cultural heritage attractions are privately owned and have restricted opening hours. The same is true of some of the vineyards and artisan breweries that don’t offer regular tours to visitors. This contributes to the likelihood of visitors looking outside the district for some of their activities.

Sussex Prairies Garden

Source: VisitEngland Attractions Survey, 2015; E = Estimated

2

6

Figure 6: Visitor Attractions in Horsham District by Type and Number

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VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

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Visitor attractions

Attraction2

Ar

2.3

2.4

Walking and cycling trails

The district is well served for walkers with an extensive network of public rights of way including eight promoted walking trails.

• • • • • • • •

Centurion Way Railway Path Downs Link High Weald Landscape Trail Riverside Walk South Downs Way Sussex Ouse Valley Way West Sussex Literary Trail Whey South Path

There are no cycle hire shops in the district, the closest is Southwater Cycles at Loxwood, Billingshurst RH14 0RS in Chichester District.

2.5

Food and drink

There are a large number of restaurants, cafes, pubs and other food and drink outlets across the district and it was beyond the remit of this study to do a full audit of every business. The main criteria for inclusion in the visitor economy database was whether the food and beverage outlet had some type of distinctiveness that was likely to be of interest to visitors, and where possible independent businesses were selected rather than chains. The selection has therefore

involved an element of subjectivity. In addition there may be other businesses such as small rural cafés that do not have websites and could not be identified through desk research.

There is an extensive and good quality town and rural pub offer across the district, many of which use local produce and promote themselves based on their food credentials.

Around 76 pubs were identified, including those with rooms, and 95% of these had been reviewed on TripAdvisor, attaining an average rating across all the pubs of 4.7 out of 5.

Around 25 cafes were identified with around three quarters of them located in Horsham town. However it is likely there are several others in the rural areas and market towns.

A similar number of restaurants were recorded (24), with a focus on independent restaurants. There is one Michelin star restaurant and another expected to be awarded in the near future. These restaurants were spread across the district, however it is expected that there are higher numbers of chain restaurants, particularly in Horsham town that could be added. Planning permission has been granted for up to ten more chain restaurants and bars in Piries Place and Swan Walk in Horsham Town Centre.

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED 2.6

Local producers

HDC has a good reputation for supporting local food producers and has run the Horsham Food and Drink Festival since 2002, which takes place throughout September. The success of the festival, the Big Nibble and the Little Nibble, have spawned local food and drink festivals in Steyning and, for the first time in 2016, the HenFood in Henfield.

Each Thursday and Saturday in Horsham town centre there are weekly food markets showcasing local produce, street food, pop up bars as well as boutique shopping and live music.

The district has well respected food producers, with 30% of the Sussex Food and Drink Awards being won by producers from the district. Two of the three Sussex Street Food Award 2016 finalists, including the overall winner, also came from the district.

3. Performance of the visitor economy Nationally Britain’s visitor economy is predicted to grow by 3.8% per annum, generating nearly 10% of GDP and 11% of jobs by 20253.

In Horsham the visitor economy supports 6.1% of jobs and although the district’s visitor economy experienced some growth in 2015, it was marginal compared to the national average.

The number and value of day visitors to the district in 2015 performed well compared to the southeast and England, although the increase was less than 1% in terms of percentage growth.

Local producers include meat producers, cheese and diary producers, artisan breweries, vineyards and a cider producer. There are also chocolate makers and an artisan baker. Not all these businesses are open to the public and they will need guidance on how to develop suitable ‘food experiences’ to attract the affluent market that’s interested in learning about food.

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Source: www.visitbritain.org/visitor-economy-facts

Performance indicator

2014

2015

Varience %

£177,036,000

£178,390,000

0.8%

2,850,000

2,870,000

0.7%

£88,350,000

£88,970,000

0.7%

£31.00

£31.00

0.0%

Staying trips

250,397

255,819

2.2%

Staying nights

884,724

888,149

0.4%

44,338,618

44,604,000

0.6%

3.53

3.47

-1.7%

£50.12

£50.22

0.2%

2,224

2,241

0.8%

Total visitor spend Day visitors Day visitor spend Average spend per day visitor

Staying trips spend Average stay (nights) Average spend per night FTE jobs Figure 7: Horsham District’s visitor economy 2014 – 2015

Day trips % change 2015 v 2014 England

1 -3

South East

-12 -5

Horsham District Spend

0.7 0.7 Trips

Domestic overnight trips % change 2015 v 2014 England

8 10 10

South East

5 4 5

Horsham District

0.4 0.2 1.9

Spend

Nights

Trips

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED Overseas overnight trips % change 2015 v 2014 England

3. Performance of the visitor economy continued

2 4

However, the actual average spend per trip is the lowest in the surrounding area at £88 (apart from Reigate and Banstead) compared to the average of £195 per trip and £235 per trip in Wealden.

7 South East

4 8 11

Horsham District

1.1 0.8 4

Spend

Nights

Trips

Horsham is not capitalising on the growth of both domestic and international staying visitors. The southeast is attracting increased numbers of international visitors, however they are not finding their way to the Horsham district. These are higher spending visitors than day visitors and those international visitors staying in serviced accommodation were spending on average £122 per night.

Growth in the hospitality sector is hampered by staff recruitment, exacerbated by high housing costs in the district and poor accessibility at night. In addition, current economic uncertainty is making it difficult for developers to secure leisure sector tenants.

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Figure 8: Overnight leisure trips in the catchment area, 2014

Source: VisitEngland 2016

Local authority

Total trips (leisure)

Total nights (leisure)

Average length of stay (nights)

Total spend (£ million)

Average spend per trip (£)

Brighton & Hove

401,000

972,000

2.4

100

249.38

Chichester

248,000

928,000

3.7

57

229.84

Arun

240,000

921,000

3.8

52

216.67

Rother

226,000

911,000

4.0

41

181.42

Eastbourne

176,000

583,000

3.3

34

193.18

Crawley

171,000

243,000

1.4

30

175.44

Hastings

127,000

429,000

3.4

23

181.10

Tunbridge Wells

55,000

112,000

2.0

6

109.09

Wealden

51,000

233,000

4.6

12

235.29

Sevenoaks

47,000

76,000

1.6

7

148.94

Horsham

45,000

123,000

2.7

4

88.89

Lewes (Unitary Authority)

44,000

109,000

2.5

7

159.09

Mid Susssex

43,000

80,000

1.9

8

186.05

Reigate & Banstead

41,000

24,000

0.6

1

24.39

Tonbridge & Malling

34,000

79,000

2.3

6

176.47

Mole Valley

31,000

73,000

2.4

3

96.77

Worthing

26,000

70,000

2.7

3

115.38

East Hampshire

24,000

29,000

1.2

5

208.33

Tandridge

22,000

28,000

1.7

2

90.91

Waverley

18,000

36,000

2.0

4

222.22

2,070,000

6,069,000

2.9

405

195.65

Total

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B. THE DISTRICT’S VISITOR ECONOMY CONTINUED 4. Current visitors There is no data to provide an accurate profile of the visitors to the District. However, anecdotally they are reported as being predominantly middle aged, middle income, couples and walkers. Domestic visitors come on business or to visit friends and relatives rather than for a holiday, or they come for weddings. There is an international conference and holiday market although this is relatively small.

In August 2017, a pilot visitor number monitoring scheme is being trailed in six locations in Horsham Town Centre as part of a wider scheme being trialled by WSCC. If successful HDC Economic Development will support the case for continuation beyond summer 2018 in Horsham Town Centre and for it to be established in the market towns.

5. Tourism organisation and delivery The Planning, Economic Development & Property Directorate leads the tourism-related function within HDC and although the visitor economy is a priority in the Economic Strategy there hasn’t been a tourism strategy or destination management plan for many years. Several different people undertake tourism related activities depending on whether they relate to the town centre, rural areas, tourist information or events and festivals.

In the rural market towns the community partnerships and Parish Councils undertake a variety of local tourismrelated projects.

Marketing and Information • Official directory and visitor guide is produced by the Visitor Information Centre which is located in Horsham Museum • www.horshamvisitor.co.uk • HDC’s inward investment website is www.thinkhorsham.co.uk • Local produce and the Food and Drink Festival is promoted on www.horshamlocalproduce.co.uk and @horshamfoodies A full audit of the district’s online marketing presence is presented in Appendix D.

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C. NATIONAL TOURISM TRENDS 1. General visitor trends in the UK market Research conducted by ABTA in 2016 found that holidaying at home, or taking a staycation, is on the rise once again with 30% of respondents saying they planned to only holiday in the UK during 2016, compared with 23% in 2015. Average number of trips in the UK also rose to 2 trips per year, up from 1.7 trips in the previous year.

Typically, the domestic holidaymaker is concentrated in the 35-74 age range and biased towards the ABC1 socioeconomic groups and higher earning households. They are highly educated, well travelled and discerning and within the broad base there are a number of key demographic groups: • Those aged 50-70, who have more free time and money, are empty-nesters either in, or moving into retirement.

They are usually experienced travellers that enjoy rural quiet environments and look for new experiences. They want good value for money and are willing to pay more for authentic experiences. Usually they seek higher standards of comfort, but sustainability and eco-credentials are also important to them.

• Family travel is a large and growing segment. Often referred to as intergenerational travel, a large family group includes several generations travelling together from grandparents, parents and children. They are quality and price conscious, but also want good facilities packaged with memorable experiences, fun, educational and safe activities.

• Solo travel is emerging as an important trend; the opportunity to be able to do what I want was a factor for 79% of those who chose to travel alone. Key groups are 45-54 year olds taking time out, and the idea of visiting new destinations was particularly appealing to 51% of women travelling alone.

Countryside breaks continue to be popular with almost one quarter (24%) of respondents and are the third most popular option behind city breaks and beach holidays.

Mintel reported in 2015 that expenditure on domestic trips rose 22% between 2010 and 2015 and has further forecast that the value of domestic trips should rise steadily to 2020.

Bearing in mind the current low value of the pound against the euro and the dollar, and the uncertainties faced by UK residents over the next few years as Brexit comes in to being, it is highly likely that domestic tourism will benefit as uncertainty over finances will result in more people deciding to spend time at home.

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

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C. NATIONAL TOURISM TRENDS CONTINUED 2. Rural tourism trends There are major trends emerging in the rural tourism accommodation market that enable tourism providers pursue exciting opportunities to explore and develop. Increasingly, staycationers are looking for more interesting places to stay and are prepared to pay more for an experience. Some of the key trends are: • Social media: Not only do visitors want to do something a bit different but they want to be seen to do something different by their peers. This is a direct consequence of the importance of social media as a method of communication today and the need to share experiences through a variety of platforms. A search on Instagram in July 2017 found 718,686 posts for #glamping and 598,597 posts for #treehouse, two of the most popular self-catering accommodation options today.

• Contemporisation: Old-fashioned décor and basic mismatched facilities are increasingly being replaced by contemporary and modern architecture, with sleek lines and bold colours, scandi-living and design-led ideals. Contemporisation spans all establishment types and budgets from country house hotels and luxury selfcatering to eco-pods and treehouses.

• Gastronomisation: Food has become an important element of any holiday (95% of holiday makers seek out a gastronomic or authentic food experience whilst on 16

VISITOR ECONOMY STRATEGY 2018 – 2023 | APPENDICES

holiday) and any culinary activity that is offered on site will add value such a farm shop supplying local produce, cooking classes and/or demonstrations, and tastings.

• Socialisation: In line with the trend of intergenerational travel and other large groups holidaying together, establishments or sites that can accommodate large groups are an increasing presence. Boutique Bunkhouses, where several people can share a room have become a new accommodation option and are particularly popular with the sociable Millennials who look for experiences, value and innovation. Often there are several establishments on one site and the entire property may be rented out to one party.

• Year-round occupancy: Weather-proofing of rural sites and particularly campsites helps to ensure maximum occupancy all year round and has become a key objective for rural tourism providers. The provision of Camping Pods (insulated wooden huts providing basic accommodation) and suitable hard standing are simple requirements, but the addition of suitable leisure facilities on site such as bars, hot tubs and spas increases potential for occupancy during the shoulder and low seasons. Holiday eco-lodges often provide hot tubs for each lodge on their site. The South Downs National Park is one of two designated Dark Skies reserves in the UK and providing telescopes for stargazing would be a unique opportunity for tourism providers located in the Park.

• Quirkiness: In recent years, more unusual self-catering accommodation choices have entered the market, the development of which is limited only by imagination.

Examples include: - Treehouses – one of the most popular and innovative accommodation developments, treehouses tend to be a luxury choice commanding the highest prices.

However, they have become increasingly common in rural UK. - Shepherd’s huts and gypsy caravans – are typically small, for two people and modelled on old-fashioned huts or caravans, but to a high specification.

- Converted helicopters – one of the more unusual developments, there are a handful on the market.

- Buses/Airstreams/Train carriages – great, innovative ways of maximising small spaces for good value and unusual self-catering options.

- Safari tents and yurts – architects of the original glamping holidays, these tents offer a home-fromhome experience in a tent that includes all facilities.

Today, the term glamping is often used to refer to other quirky types of self-catering accommodation, particularly eco-pods and geo domes.

- Geo dome – relatively unusual, geo domes are space age eco-lodges in insulated geodesic domes.

Geo Domes are usually a more expensive form of self-catering.

- Converted buildings – such as water towers, lighthouses, barns, churches, follies, train stations and so on. Whilst outside the scope of this research, these numerous conversions are often converted to a very high specification and are significant competition in the luxury self-catering market.

- Eco-pods – small, wood-clad, well-insulated pods that are either basically furnished or to a higher specification. Largely positioned at the lower end of the self-catering market.

- Tree camping – relatively unusual, purpose built tents in trees that are less permanent than treehouses.

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C. NATIONAL TOURISM TRENDS CONTINUED 3. Relevant national trends for Horsham The main national tourism trends that are most relevant to Horsham District are: • The continued growth in demand for domestic short breaks from the empty nester, family and millennials (20-40 year olds) • The growth in leisure trips linked to visits to friends and relatives • The increasing interest in experiences, activity holidays and breaks and spa breaks • The growth in intergenerational family holidays and breaks • The trend for families and friends to get together for celebration weekends, reunions and weekends away • The growing market requirement for high quality, distinctive and contemporary accommodation • Increasing interest in gastronomy tourism and local food and drink • The potential for growth for wine tourism • The increasing importance of online marketing and booking channels and social media for short break decision making and planning.

4. Growth markets for Horsham • Demand for leisure breaks from empty nesters and Millennials • International visitors (inbound tourism to UK is increasing) from Dutch, German, Swiss, French • Wedding parties • Visiting friends and relatives • Accommodation trends4: - Corporate demand for hotel accommodation in Horsham town - High quality destination hotels to attract residential conference business from London - Contract demand for budget-priced accommodation - Destination accommodation: high quality distinctive, contemporary visitor accommodation with good quality food, spa and leisure facilities

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Source: Horsham District Hotel & Visitor Accommodation Study, 2016

D. ONLINE MARKETING AUDIT (June 2017) Dedicated visitor sites www.horshamvisitor.co.uk | Official directory and visitor guide produced by the Visitor Information Centre, located in Horsham Museum www.visithorsham.co.uk | Visitor website for Horsham Town Centre www.experiencewestsussex.com | WSCC portal-site with recommendations, itineraries and ideas for the visitor www.lovesussex.com | Visitor information site pooling information from all the DMOs across Sussex.

Provides visitor info and listings for Horsham, and offers a link to www.thinkhorsham.co.uk http://enjoysussex.info Intriguing name (and features well on search) but only covers Lewes and Wealden www.visitsoutheastengland.com/places-to-visit/sussex | Tourism South East destination and listing pages for Sussex and destinations within Horsham District www.visitengland.com/things-to-do/west-sussex | Visit England destination page and listings for West Sussex and destinations within Horsham District https://placestovisitsussex.co.uk | Destination portal for places in Sussex, features Horsham content but no dedicated destination information www.westsussex.info | Private portal for information and listings on the whole of West Sussex www.sussextopattractions.co.uk | Listings for key visitor attractions within Sussex – includes several Horsham based attractions www.stay-in-sussex.co.uk | Destination portal with Horsham specific information www.britainexpress.com | Heritage visits throughout the UK with specific information on various sites within Horsham District www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/south-east-and-london/west-sussex | Landing page for West Sussex with Horsham listings www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g186404-West_Sussex_England-Vacations.html

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D. ONLINE MARKETING AUDIT (June 2017) CONTINUED Other sites with VE related content www.horshamblog.co.uk | “your essential guide to all things Horsham” www.horsham.gov.uk/tourismpages/tourism/places-to-visit | Leisure and tourism pages on HDC site www.horsham.gov.uk/leisurepages/Leisure/sports/outdoor-sports/walking | HDC walking pages including links for promoted walks www.steyningsouthdowns.co.uk/visit | Visitor section of the Steyning website www.henfieldhub.com/visit-henfield | Visitor section of the Henfield website www.pulborough.org | Community website for Pulborough with some visitor elated information www.storrington.org.uk/attractions/places-to-visit | Visitor section of the Storrington website http://billingshurst.community/local/TIC.html | Local visitor information for Billingshurst www.southwater-pc.gov.uk/default.aspx | Includes some leisure information for Southwater http://ashingtonvillage.uk | Local info on Ashington www.horsham.community/riverside-walk-map-info | Includes local walks info around Horsham riverside www.horshamlocalproduce.co.uk | Promotes local produce www.thinkhorsham.co.uk | HDC’s inward investment website www.southdowns.gov.uk | South Downs National Park website www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community | Official WSCC site includes section for visitors and leisure activities across the county (n.b. funnels largely to www.experiencewestsussex.com) www.hdcf.org.uk | Horsham District Cycling Forum www.sussexlife.co.uk | Web portal for Sussex lifestyle magazine, often with visitor and leisure content http://whatsoneventssussex.com | Event portal for Sussex www.westsussex.gov.uk/media/2203/downs_link_6_stage_route_2010.pdf | Downslink Guide http://horsham.westsussexwellbeing.org.uk | Aimed at encouraging local residents to be active but includes useful information for visitors www.thebestof.co.uk/local/horsham/community-hub/blog | Aimed at local community but also some relevant information www.aahorsham.co.uk | Aimed at local community but also some relevant information

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Social media – relevant Twitter accounts @SussexInfo @HorshamBlog @HorshamFoodies @Horsham_WSussex @VisitHorsham @horshammarkets @HelloHorsham

@horshampubguide @HorshamWildlife @HorshamRocks @YourSteyning @CycleForumHorsh @VSussex @DevourSussex

@southdownsvg @SussexForKids @sdnpa @HorshamLiving1 @HorshamTWS @HorshamDC @VisitSouthDowns

@AshingtonV @pu1borough @Pulborough @YourStorrington @TasteWestSussex

Pinterest boards curating Horsham & District https://uk.pinterest.com/adamswaine/places-to-visit/ https://uk.pinterest.com/weirdmarketing/horshamwest-sussex-england/ https://uk.pinterest.com/theroybot13/holler-horsham/ https://uk.pinterest.com/Redkiwi52/cowfold/ https://uk.pinterest.com/local2horsham17/horsham/

https://uk.pinterest.com/CocktailBear/places-i-love-in-sussex/ https://uk.pinterest.com/TimeTraveller79/old-sussex/ https://uk.pinterest.com/weirdmarketing/great-horshambusinesses-horsham-west-sussex/ https://uk.pinterest.com/humeking/horsham/ https://uk.pinterest.com/salisburykimlou/horsham-is-home/

Search terms used • • • • • •

Visit Things to do in…

Places to go in…

Tourist information…

Days out…

Places to stay…

These terms were used for each of: • • • • • • • •

Horsham District West Sussex Sussex Horsham Steyning Storrington Billingshurst Pulborough

On Twitter the search starting with a term like “Horsham District” and then used the “similar to” tool and investigated the chains.

On Pinterest we looked for people who curated boards specifically on the district.

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E. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths and opportunities

Challenges

Location • Between London – Coast; Northern Europe – London • Surrounded by significant attractors and affluent markets: SDNP, High Weald, Surrey Hills protected landscapes: coast, Brighton, Crawley, Guildford, London • Attractive and accessible from London • Potential development less restricted than surrounding landscape • Become the ‘place to stay’ for visitors to surrounding attractions • Build partnerships and links with surrounding attractors (SDNPA, WSCC, AONBs, Brighton, Chichester, Gatwick, Goodwood etc)

Not distinctive – lack of vision • Places of interest locally but not primary attractors • Not easy to find places of interest, need to be discovered, pointed out • Storytelling needed • Not using strong surrounding attractors • Seen as an administrative area not a cohesive place

Accessible • Good main road network from outside district • Station at Horsham, plus other rural stations Landscape • SDNP, High Weald AONB, St. Leonard’s Forest • Wildlife • PROW network + long distance walking routes Built environment • Variety of settlements: market towns, villages and hamlets • Picturesque Visitor accommodation • Variety of serviced and non-serviced accommodation • Strong occupancy rates Activities and Events • Outdoor: Walking, cycling, horse riding • Heritage: Local museums, churches, villages, rich local heritage with stories to be told • Gastronomy: food markets, festivals, wide choice of chain restaurants in Horsham town, rural independent restaurants

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Lack of awareness; not capitalising on high value visitors • Externally – not known • Internally – residents not aware of local offer • Lack of co-ordinated marketing and event planning – creates duplication • Limited digital presence • Limited resources to support www.horshamvisitor.co.uk • Domestic and international overnight visitors below national and regional average • Lack of market research and analysis of sector to direct destination management • Visitors expect experiences to be quick and easy yet high quality and reasonably priced Lack of sector champion • No existing district wide tourism sector network • Current tourism activity in rural areas mostly undertaken by volunteers • Disconnection between Horsham town and rural areas • Low business engagement with Council • Low take up of business support • No high level LA champion

Strengths and opportunities

Challenges

Capitalise on national growth trends • Corporate: residential conferences, budget accommodation • Destination accommodation: quirky, distinctive, interesting food, spa • International visitors: Dutch, French, German, Swiss • Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) and high value residents • Wedding parties • Distinctive food and drink offers • Short breaks from London • Experiential breaks for Millennials (21-35) and Empty Nesters (55+)

Competition • Stronger attractors outside the area • Better organised destinations in neighbouring districts • High house prices and higher paid jobs in London drives commuting and loss of younger residents

Product Development – availability of business support • A variety of local produce businesses are located in the district • HDC already provides range of business support • Train local food producers in needs of hospitality sector • Develop local distribution network for local produce • Shared facilities, kitchens etc for small local producers • Create packages, in-depth experiences • Interpret to tell local stories Build on large number of existing activities and proactive network of local partnerships • Expand strong events and festivals across district • Work collectively to reach target audiences, increase impact and reduce duplication

Lack of visitor accommodation and event space • Most accommodation close to capacity from April – Oct • Lack of regular occupancy data to identify major gaps • Visitors with disposable income want quality/ value at all price levels • Offer mostly mid-range, lack of contemporary accommodation • Only one 5* hotel • Lack of venues to capitalise on conference and events market Micro and SMEs dominate sector – have limited resources • Businesses struggle to get staff • Low margins restrict investment needed to meet visitor expectations • ‘Subsistence’ businesses not prioritising marketing • Lack of digital marketing skills Not seen as cultural … Limited evening economy • Lack of music, arts venues, independent restaurants • Limited visitor access to some attractions eg, St Mary’s Bramber, Wiston, • Securing leisure sector tenants challenging for developers due to current economic uncertainty Access around district / transport • Not easy to travel around the district • Difficult for low paid hospitality staff to get to / from work • Lack of evening / night buses • Disjointed bus routes • Cycle infrastructure fragmented • Rural roads dangerous, limited cycle tracks outside urban areas

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F. ENGAGEMENT PROCESS The engagement process for the study that took from April to June 2017 involved: • Group meetings with the Community Partnerships and Parish Council representatives of the six market towns: - Billingshurst - Henfield - Horsham - Pulborough - Steyning - Storrington and Sullington • 1-to-1 consultations with one or more representatives of: - Amberley Castle - Capital Theatre - Hepworth Breweries - Horsham District Council – Economic Development; Community & Culture; Town Centres & Events; Museum & Heritage - Horsham District Cycling Forum - Knepp Estate - Nyetimber Vineyard - Parham House - RSPB Pulborough Brooks - SDNPA 24

- South Lodge Hotel - Southwater Country Park/Warnham Nature Reserve - Sullington Manor Farm - Sumners Pond - Sussex Food & Drink Network - Sussex Produce - The Artisan Bakehouse - Wiston House - WSCC • Two workshops for all interested stakeholders which included representatives from: - Billingshurst Community Partnership - bn5 Magazine - Bramber Parish Council - Henfield Community Partnership - Henfield Parish Council - Horsham Denne Neighbourhood Council - Horsham District Council - Horsham District Cycling Club - Horsham Forest Neighbourhood Council - Horsham Town Community Partnership - Horsham Town Neighbourhood Council

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- Pulborough Parish Council - Pulborough Community Partnership - RSPB - SDNP - Steyning & District Community Partnership - Storrington Business Breakfast Club - Sussex Food Network - University of Chichester Business School - VHC Hotels - West Sussex Holiday Cottages - West Grinstead Parish Council - WSCC • Two on-line surveys, one sent to more than 200 businesses in the visitor economy sector and one for residents.

The response from the business survey was very low, with only 19 responses. The residents survey generated 60 responses.

ABBREVIATIONS C2C EAFRD ED HDC KPI LEP RSPB SDNP SDNPA WSCC VEP VES VFR

Coast to Capital European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development Economic Development Horsham District Council Key Performance Indicators Local Economic Partnership Royal Society for the Protection of Birds South Downs National Park South Downs National Park Authority West Sussex County Council Visitor Economy Partnership Visitor Economy Strategy Visiting Friends and Relatives

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