Tourism Society Issue 149 Spring 2012

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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 E tb@whpl.net W www. whpl.net Š Copyright 2012 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 Whilst unsolicited material is welcomed, neither transparencies nor unpublished articles can be returned.

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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.

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Contents

Editorial Make sure you are stimulated and have fun

Looking Forward:The one billionth passenger: A cause for concern or celebration?

Christy Hehir MTS, Sales and Marketing Executive,Tourism Society

We are lucky to be involved in one of the most vibrant, interesting and multi-faceted industries on the planet.The export trade for chemicals and finance may beat us on size but tourism is much more exciting.

This edition is edited by the Tourism Consultants Network. We’ve aimed for articles that reflect our industry and some of its many facets. We are looking forward and we have looked back, and although there is no overall theme, three words come to mind: sustainability, speed and success.

Sustainability - whatever our business we must all ensure that everything we do is sustainable and benefits other people and the planet. And no ‘greenwashing’ as Fiona Jeffery says.Tourism is perhaps the only industry that can destroy what it sets out to create. If we don’t build sustainability into everything we do, in fifty years’ time we could end up without an industry. Are you, for example, ‘binge flying’?

Speed - of change, which seems to be getting faster. Was it only the other day that we hailed this great new thing called the internet? Are we now seeing the beginning of its death throes? Adapt and adopt to survive.

Success - despite an insatiable penchant for organising, re-organising and re-organising again the structure of tourism in this country we have achieved a great deal, as David Philips points out. Several other contributors are optimistic that there is more success to come. But please let us spend what money we have on improving our offering to all customers (hello accessibility) and telling them about it, rather than pontificating about which part of the country goes with another for administrative purposes. Follow the customer!

To these three words I would add one more: stimulating. Whatever your role, whatever your vision in this great industry, make sure you are stimulated by what you are doing, find it enjoyable and most importantly have fun doing it.

Chris Wikeley FTS Chairman,Tourism Consultants Network

The Olympics: Hype, reality… and opportunity Ken Robinson CBE FTS, Chair, Policy and Advocacy Group,The Tourism Society

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How the Future Looks...

4-5 ...for Events: Fiona Jeffery OBE FTS, Chairman,World Travel Market & Just a Drop ...for Attractions: Bernard Donoghue FTS, Director, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions ...for Hospitality: Philippe Rossiter FTS, Chief Executive, Institute of Hospitality ...for Destinations: Andrew Bateman MTS,Tourism Manager, Hampshire County Council Economic Development and Town Planning: Riding high? Making the local case for tourism investment 6-7 Frances Young MTS, Senior Planner and Ciaran Gunne-Jones, Associate Director, Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Destination Planning: Making community consultation work for you Alison Caffyn MTS,Tourism Consultant

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Social Media and Tourism Marketing:The new internet?

Roger Carter MBE FTS, Managing Director,TEAM Tourism Consulting

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Sustainable Destinations: Responsible Skiing shows the way Veronica Tonge MTS,V R I T Associates Ltd / Responsible Skiing Sponsorship: Building bridges with ‘proper’ industries Robin Barker MTS, Director, Services for Tourism Tourism Consultants Network: Membership Listing Public Sector Procurement:Times, they are a-changing Stephen Allott, Crown Representative for SMEs, Cabinet Office Attracting Visitors: Domestic tourists and overseas visitors: different markets, different expectations Elizabeth Federighi MTS, Managing Director, LinguaConnect Ltd

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The Value of Consultants...

20-21 ...to Hospitality: Philippe Rossiter FTS, Chief Executive, Institute of Hospitality ...to Destinations: Andrew Bateman MTS,Tourism Manager, Hampshire County Council ...to Events: Fiona Jeffery OBE FTS, Chairman,World Travel Market & Just a Drop ...to Attractions: Bernard Donoghue FTS, Director, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Looking Back: Forty years on ... the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

David Phillips MBE FTS, National Coordinator, British Destinations Conference Report: ENTER 2012 Gilbert Archdale FTS, ASW Consulting Membership News

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From the President’s Desk One of my jobs as Chair of the House of Commons Finance Committee is to scrutinise expenditure on, amongst many other things, overseas visits by select committees.

Therefore, as the author of austerity in this area, I tend not to travel much. However, I made an exception to this in early February when I joined the visit by the Treasury Select Committee to China.

Our main purpose was to meet with Chinese officials, economists, and central bankers to discuss trade imbalances and also to generally make the case for doing business with the UK. We visited both Shanghai and Beijing.

In both we met with senior

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representatives of our consulate and embassy respectively as well as the senior representatives of UKTI. At both I asked about Chinese tourism to the UK and was equally disappointed by the answers.

Tourism is not viewed as an export. It is seen as a relatively minor contributor that is run

by VisitBritain from a separate office and therefore in the minds of the BIS and FCO officials is all taken care of without any further effort required from them.

The trip was a great eye opener. Having seen at first hand the extent and pace of development it is clear that it is a much more complex and layered economy that the rather simplistic assertions of

our somewhat Sino phobic press.They are not very interested in bunging money at Europe to clear a mess that they, rightly, view as having been conceived and executed in Europe. However, Europe is a key market and they want to ensure the return of growth.

They also need to continue to develop.There is therefore a real opportunity to supply what they want in a fair exchange.Tourism to the UK should be part of that. But that needs DCMS to be part of UKTI.

Lord Thurso MP FTS | President,Tourism Society

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Looking Forward

The one billionth passenger: A cause for concern or celebration?

2012 is set to see the one billionth passenger – and whilst this is a cause for celebration and success in the travel sector, should it also not come with a warning?

We face a dilemma. How can we align a desire to visit other cultures and far away shores with a conscience that calls for the reduction in our everyday carbon emissions? Should we slow down and take staycations, or continue binge flying to all corners of the world because we can?

In a fast-paced world of low-cost airlines, tourism has fast become, for many, a race to tick off trophy experiences and become an avid continent collector. We stamp the passport, buy the t-shirt, take the digital photos and then move on to the next ‘once in a lifetime’ sight.

Am I one of these people? Yes! At 25 I have already visited all seven continents and set foot on both the Polar regions – yet it is exactly these experiences that have opened my eyes to the pace of development.

In a world of demand, it seems destinations no longer have time to evolve.

Could the world’s last frontiers be about to follow the Western way and spin into a place of purpose-built hotel compounds?

Imagine you are writing a postcard home from your holiday in Antarctica in 2020. A quota exists for the number of tourists that can visit in any one season, and trips to Antarctica are now very expensive and exclusive.

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behavioural transformation.Today, carbon guilt is setting in and we no longer feel entirely comfortable boasting about our longhaul holidays. Add to this the increasing costs of flying (be it due to tax, fuel or emissions trading) and the industry has an opening for change.

Yet to achieve behavioural change on a wider scale, the future of tourism needs a purpose, with not only our own desires in mind, but also those of the destination.

We already seek out authenticity – real experiences rather than fake culture packaged up for tourists – but future travel will, I think, go further, getting under the skin of a place.

Now imagine your postcard if mass tourism is allowed and Antarctica becomes a large cruise ship capital, with luxury hotels and airports. Compare the two and think how influential we, the travel sector, can be on the development and character of destinations.

Travel will be about rediscovering the exotic, the tastes and smells of spices in India rather than the Taj Mahal, and locally the appreciation will be in the idiosyncrasies and the detail, the unique selling points that make a destination special.

My first book ‘Arctic to Action’ (to be published in April 2012) is based on my MSc research into how travelling to the Polar regions can act as an agent of

The shift will be consumer-led.There will be further growth in online user-generated peer-to-peer reviews that will spark a 'democratisation' of travel.Travellers and

Christy Hehir MTS | Sales and Marketing Executive,Tourism Society

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locals alike will gradually be more empowered to speak on behalf of a diversity of new and interesting places, threatening the current monopoly of the mega must-see wonders of the world.

Smart destinations will no longer just pursue more tourists per se. Instead, they will focus more on the types of tourists they need and matching these to the most suitable areas and communities. It is happening – Rwanda has already set a $500 gorilla tax and as a result, its economic benefits will be maximised, while social and environmental costs are kept to a minimum.

I am optimistic that the future of tourism can overcome its hedonistic tradition and become both sustainable and responsible.

With a focus on preserving identities and cultures, celebrating the unique, and conserving what is locally distinctive, destinations can create meaningful and lasting relationships with their tourists, enhancing their attitudes and actions towards the benefits of travel.

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The Olympics

Hype, reality ... and opportunity The Olympics are the main talking-point for Tourism in 2012, but one with the least certain outcome.

Even before we won the bid in 2005, the Tourism Society organised seminars and began to investigate the true tourism impact of past Olympics. Facts were thin; the Host Cities Organising Committees always disband immediately after each Games, and Governments have no wish accurately to analyse the costs and benefits of hosting the world’s greatest organised event.

The IOC only knows about ticket sales, not about spectators as tourists – their patterns of origin, activity, attendance, spend and stay.

Our evaluation concluded that the Olympic Games have the potential to be the most beneficial factor in UK Tourism for a generation…but actual Olympicsrelated tourism in Games year is likely to produce little or no net benefit.

Many leisure visitors will stay away, many locals will go away.The potential for gain is longer term, if adequate promotional funds are invested to capitalise on the international media focus the Games will bring.The inbound boost to UK tourism could be substantial;VisitLondon expects £1.5billion extra business over 10 years. I do not disagree.

Official hype and exaggerated expectations flowed from statements such as “the Olympics will bring 1 million extra visitors in 2012”, without registering that most Olympic visits are ‘instead of ’ regular tourism, not ‘in addition’. Well over 90% of tickets will be sold to UK residents, and most live within day trip distance from the relevant Olympic venues.

This day trip activity will be instead of other leisure spending, and during the Games much other leisure activity will be on hold.

The Torch Relay route now passes within 10 miles of 95% of the UK population, so it is hard to see how any net tourism benefit will be derived.

And the public sector Cultural Olympiad will be providing mutually competitive subsidised events all around the country.

It is unwelcome competition for the private sector and no stimulus for net tourism growth.

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Our analysis of past Games has however enabled us to be the first host nation to plan activities to counter the displacement and deterrence effects of the Games. ETOA has reported the massive drop in regular tour group inbound bookings around Games time.

The UK is now so costly with APD,Visa charges and much higher VAT than our competitor destinations, that once dropped from a tour itinerary it could be difficult to reinstate. DCMS are now realising that extra efforts must be made to bolster UK demand.

Despite cutting the Tourist Boards funding and repeatedly saying “there is no more money”, they have found £3million for a ‘stay at home’TV campaign by VisitEngland and VisitBritain is being allowed to use much of the Government’s international image-building ‘Great’ campaign, for tourism messages.

Before the Games we have the Diamond Jubilee to divert us, while gearing up to the Olympic excitement.

We must anticipate more hype, and keep

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our fingers crossed that the massive security, organisational and administrative preparations will perform to gold medal standard.

We will be exemplary tourism hosts, because most of industry is professional, but inevitably the greedy actions of a few and minor shortcomings will fuel exaggerated media criticism.

London hotels will probably have a bumper year but elsewhere the net impact of the Olympic Games on the volume and value of tourism will be negative. For the future, there is all to play for.The nation will demand Legacy, the Government will belatedly provide more funds to build on the UK’s raised profile.

In future the IOC needs to treat the host nation’s Tourism Board and industry as partners, not as competitors, so the host nation can better ensure the guests’ experiences, and so that the potential tourism industry benefits can be optimised.

Meanwhile, focus on the day job; the Games will be over in a flash.

Ken Robinson CBE FTS | Chair, Policy and Advocacy Group, The Tourism Society

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How the Future Looks...

Bernard Donoghue

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Fiona Jeffery

... for Events – Genuine sustainability please, no greenwash My wish for the next five years is a simple one, but crucial. It’s that we continue to increase the number of companies and destinations prepared to actively embrace the challenges of the future.

Responsible tourism which, in a modest way, World Travel Market has helped to pioneer over the past 18 years, is absolutely essential in my view, for the sustainability of the planet – and the industry.

The industry’s stock in trade are the great wonders of the world. But we have to take collective responsibility for ensuring that they are protected and conserved; that we play our part in a more sustainable world, reducing carbon footprint, saving water, energy and lives; and helping communities to benefit from the power of travel and tourism.

It’s the United Nations’ ‘Rio plus 20’ Summit this summer and it’s important that we also take stock. Is the industry really contributing or merely paying lip service because it’s good for some aspects of business, appealing to the younger generation and is currently in vogue?

I know from experience there is much good work out there, but I cannot help wondering to what extent this is just socalled ‘greenwashing’.

Having spoken about my passion and belief, I am now free to let my mind wonder about what the next 50 years will bring.

When you talk about space travel to most industry-wearied executives, an inscrutable glaze passes across their face.

They’ve heard it all before; and they don’t believe it. But wind back 50 years to the early 60s and there would have been a similar response from the great and the good then about the net, instant bookings and super-charged connectivity.

Undoubtedly space travel has always fascinated mankind and the time is

approaching when the industry can make money out of this hunger for exploration, danger and new frontiers.

The real challenge, though, will be to offer passengers cheap space travel.

... for Attractions – Quality, quality, quality Even in a time of austerity ‘Leonardo’ at the National Gallery was sold out, with queues snaking around the block.

‘Hockney’ at the Royal Academy looks like it will be a similarly huge hit and we can confidently predict that ‘Damian Hirst’ at The Tate this summer will draw record audiences.

The blockbuster exhibition flies in the face of austerity because quality will out and people will pay and queue for the ‘must see’ in the same way that they save for the ‘must visit’ destination.

And now that the world’s best museums and galleries are sharing their treasures more readily and more often - with UK museums and galleries being a principal destination for much of this inbound arts

tourism - we can confidently predict that the ‘blockbuster’ will be a permanent and very successful part of the attractions scene.

Brilliant technology: the high quality audio/video/app guide will become the norm.

The same technology will provide a highly personalised guide around an attraction or destination which fits to the visitor’s interest.

A family will tour the Houses of Parliament, for example, with the child having the Palace brought alive by the ‘Horrible Histories’ team, another member of the family listening to an explanation of the architecture of Barry and Pugin, another listening to the recollections of an MP about their favourite rooms, memories and stories.

But more excitingly, augmented reality technology will enable you to place yourself in rooms, landscapes, in historical recreations of events as though you were a participant, not a visitor.

The future, as well as the current, visitor wants to experience an attraction not gaze on it, reverently. Attractions will be more innovative and creative in presenting their collections and breaking down the ‘hands-off ’ mentality.

The importance of retail and catering will increase and the quality, authenticity and, in the case of food and drink, localism of the offer will improve.

Picture: Chris Willan & The Travel Foundation

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Issue 149 Spring 2012

Fiona Jeffery OBE FTS | Chairman,World Travel Market & Just a Drop

Bernard Donoghue FTS | Director, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions

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How the Future Looks...

Philippe Rossiter Andrew Bateman

... for Hospitality – Look east and west and loosen the reins Major economic and demographic changes are underway with far-reaching consequences for tourism and hospitality.

In 2014 emerging markets will overtake developed economies in terms of their share of total GDP, according to Ernst & Young’s Tracking Global Trends report (2011).

While none of the BRIC countries currently feature in the UK’s top ten inbound sources, visitor numbers are steadily growing – and the size of the cake is vast.

China and India, both with over a billion citizens, account for over a third of the world’s population, and all four BRICs are pivotal in the creation of a new global middle class.

Critics argue the UK has already lost ground to France and Germany in attracting these new travellers, partly due to Government policies that have put the UK at a competitive disadvantage.

In a few months, the Olympics will put London and Britain into the living rooms of millions globally. For the growing numbers of well-off citizens in the world’s most populous countries, it may push a visit to Britain further up their wish lists.

Politicians need to recognise now that a more accessible visa application process will do much to facilitate the desired long-term legacy of the Games: to convert aspirations into holidays in the UK. Looking further into the future, demo-

graphic change will pose challenges for governments and businesses.The working-age population of Western economies will decline and skills shortages will be exacerbated.

That’s why the Institute of Hospitality has been raising awareness of the benefits of greater age diversity in the workplace and has fully supported the publication of a knowledge pack on this subject.

The case for recruiting and retaining older workers: a business imperative for the Hospitality sector, produced by Capita Consulting on behalf of the

Department for Work and Pensions, will be of interest to students, lecturers, and HR departments.The knowledge pack can be used to update ageing workforce issues on-line and in reports, policy, guides, and training materials.To receive a copy, email: library@instituteofhospitality.org

... for Destinations – Cooperate and compete Over the next five years we are likely to see an even greater reliance on partnerships between the public and private sector.

Pressures on public finances are not likely to diminish, with the Chancellor extending his four years of austerity to six years in the Autumn budget statement.

This will mean that the industry will have to contribute more if investment is to be maintained.

We would also anticipate that at least one destination may well have made an attempt to develop a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) or a BID that had a very strong tourism flavour to it.

The shift to digital and on-line is also likely

to continue to have a dramatic impact with many more visitors making use of hand-held mobile devices and increasingly using these to navigate themselves around destinations once they’ve arrived, finding places to visit, eat and drink, meet one another etc.

This will increasingly question the role that TICs and other fixed information points have to play, as well as the traditional printed visitor guide.

Competition is also likely to be more fierce, with customers increasingly looking for value and being able to use new media to find it.

However, hopefully the economy will be trending upwards by then and we’ll all feel better about things!

In fifty years’ time, we will hopefully see tourism playing a much greater role in our

national economy than it currently does.

This country is a wonderful place to holiday and it would not surprise us if the rest of the world recognises this more and more.

We are an incredibly compact country with a huge variety of destinations and experiences on tap, from stunning historic cities and countryside to top-flight culture and sport.

These will be particularly attractive to the developing nations in Asia and South America, who will increasingly be looking for rich and authentic offerings that the UK can provide in spades.

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Philippe Rossiter FTS | Chief Executive, Institute of Hospitality

Andrew Bateman FTS | Tourism Manager, Hampshire County Council

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Economic Development and Town Planning Frances Young MTS Ciaran Gunne-Jones

Riding high? Making the local case for tourism investment The tourism sector is a significant contributor to the UK economy. It represents the UK’s third highest export earner after chemicals and financial services, and regularly features within the top six largest sectors of the economy, behind manufacturing and retail but ahead of construction.

It generates £90bn of direct business for the economy each year, contributes £115bn to GDP directly and through supply chains – and provides 1.36 million jobs (4.4% of total employment).

Although tourism is already an important part of our economy, it also has significant untapped potential.VisitBritain forecast that the UK visitor economy will be one of the best performing sectors up to 2020, with above average growth of 3.5% Gross Value Added per year (after finance, business services and construction). It therefore offers one of the best opportunities to deliver rapid economic growth in areas with tourism potential.

Competitive challenges The Government’s Tourism Policy, published in March 2011, highlights the sector needing to become more competitive if it is to deliver upon this growth.

The pressures facing the sector will be familiar: the increasing and lower-cost overseas competition; the impact of the global recession; and the seasonality of the UK industry.

The wider trend is that the traditional model of tourism has evolved considerably over recent years. Consumer expectations have increased dramatically due to technology, income and lifestyle choices.

The once-a-year, two-week holiday (domestic or overseas) continues to be augmented by new concepts such as eco-tourism, spa breaks, weekend City breaks and fractional ownership, and the increasing proportion of UK residents

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who choose to ‘staycation’ in the UK. The Tourism Policy highlights that: “It will be impossible to maintain or improve Britain’s ranking as an attractive destination for people to visit if our tourism industry is becoming less capable of providing the right kinds of facilities and services.”

Many operators already recognise the need to diversify and modernise their facilities to meet the changing expectations of users and site neighbours, to retain higher-spending visitors and develop all-year-round attractions.

But local authorities that depend on tourism employment will also be considering how well they are positioned to capture future growth and expand into new markets, thereby protecting and enhancing the benefits of tourism for their areas.

Going local: reforms to planning The Government’s Tourism Policy specifically identifies the difficulty of obtaining

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planning permission as one of the most frequently-cited restrictions on the UK visitor economy.

It suggests that the planning system is too complex, slow, expensive and hard to predict, making business investments harder and creating a drag on national economic performance.

Partly this reflects the unique planning constraints facing tourism developments.

Visitor attractions are often in attractive rural areas, possibly within designated areas with inherent restrictions on development. Some are poorly served by public transport, with a high reliance on the private car. Others may be at risk of flooding or coastal erosion, or located within a sensitive heritage asset or conservation area.

However, significant pro-growth changes to how the planning system operates in England are now emerging.

Current protections still apply, but there is now a clear expectation from Government that planning reforms should allow development to come for-

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ward quickly, unlock investment and help restore economic growth.

Key changes include: 1. Introduction of a National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for England – intended to simplify and streamline the current system of planning policy guidance into a single overarching national document.

From April 2012 or sooner, this will replace national leisure development and tourism policies currently included in PPS4 (Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth) and PPS7 (Sustainable Development in Rural Areas), and introduce a new ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’; 2. Revocation of Regional Strategies – some contain policies on tourism, but these will no longer apply as regional planning is abolished with powers returned to the local level.This provides greater scope (and responsibility) for local authorities working with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to shape strategies for tourism; 3. Introduction of Neighbourhood Plans – the Localism Act 2011 encourages local communities and businesses to create neighbourhood forums and devise a vision of how their local area should develop.Tourism operators wanting to develop can take the lead in devising neighbourhood plans, or at least ensure that their proposals are consistent with a new plan; 4. Pre-application consultation – it becomes an automatic requirement after April 2012 on major schemes – developers embracing consultation, co-operation and collaboration with the local community will have a stronger platform for securing planning permission. Operators will need to work more closely with local communities, perhaps from an even earlier stage; 5. Local financial considerations – local authorities now have to take account of “any local financial considerations, so far as material to the application”.This might include relevant s106 contributions and the Community Infrastructure Levy payments that would accrue from a proposed development.

The answer to development should be ‘yes’ What does this new regime mean for those promoting tourism development or formulating tourism strategies? The Government’s planning reforms herald significant opportunities for development in the right locations, where environmental, economic and social benefits are demonstrated. Ministers say that there is a clear expectation that ‘the answer to

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Credit: Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners.

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development and growth should wherever possible be ‘yes’’.

Given this pro-growth policy imperative, tourism operators will need to assess the associated economic and social benefits of the sector and any specific proposals they are promoting.This will include job creation, income generation and local expenditure – all typically recognised as planning considerations. But benefits might also include contributions to the local community, investment in infrastructure and public services at a time of austerity, sustaining the long term viability of the tourism sector, and supporting wider economic competitiveness.These considerations will also be important for local authorities when developing tourism strategies for their areas, for example considering what types of development can help widen and diversify market appeal, attract higher-spending visitors and extend the traditional holiday season.

These are complex issues but a simple way of unpacking them for decision-makers is required.The analytical framework shown provides an example of how this might be achieved.

Alongside this, the Localism Act means that tourism operators will need to work more closely with local communities.

Those promoting new developments will

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need an engagement strategy at a very early stage to explain the rationale for the new investment and build support, often based on the economic value the facility will deliver for the local area.

These impacts need to be presented carefully to councils and communities alike, showing how they will benefit local people, perhaps through employment and sustaining local businesses, but also through providing a critical mass of facilities accessible to the wider community, or helping to fund vital new infrastructure, public realm or services.

Game-changing?

Planning for tourism development has often been difficult. But the system is undergoing major change, designed to support economic growth after the recession. Although the harsh economic climate presents real challenges for the tourism sector, the new planning regime and drive for job creation generates opportunities too.

Many locations should look afresh at what tourism has to offer their economy.

Policy-makers and tourism operators should come together to shape and implement strategies that identify and capture the growth potential the sector can deliver.

Frances Young MTS | Senior Planner and Ciaran Gunne-Jones | Associate Director Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners

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Destination Planning

Making community consultation work for you Community consultation is an essential element in preparing many tourism plans and strategies. Often the client destination needs to be seen to be taking on board community views. Sometimes it is a requirement from funders. But even if it’s not a requirement there are many reasons why it’s a good idea to consult widely and speak to people in the local community.

Local knowledge is invaluable. Ensuring a plan reflects local views and aspirations will make it far more likely to be accepted and successful. Understanding the local context and concerns will make a plan more realistic, usable and sustainable.

At its best community consultation becomes more of an engagement process through a bottom up approach.

The plan becomes the community’s own and they help implement it.

However, how often have you heard that the local community has ‘consultation fatigue’ or has ‘been consulted to death’?

Some local authorities have gone into consultation overdrive and local people may be fed up with attending workshops and meetings and ‘having their say’.

For the consultant it’s difficult to balance these two factors – it’s essential that you consult but it’s also essential you don’t overdo it and annoy or even alienate the community. Also consultation takes time and money. So what tips can be offered?

An independent consultant is in a good position.They have no axe to grind, no political message, a fresh perspective and experience from elsewhere. A good consultant can help tease out local issues and try to address sensitive topics.

Consultees The most important question is ‘Who is the community you need to consult?’ It will depend on what the plan or strategy is and what area it covers. When working in rural areas it may be important to involve as many people in the local community as possible; the vicar, landowner, publican, youth group; everyone. In more populous destinations that’s never going to be possible but it’s important to try to

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Alison Caffyn MTS | Tourism Consultant, specialising in sustainable rural destinations

Get the local view of the plans involve representatives of key groupings and organisations - public, private and voluntary. It’s better to work with the local civic society or residents’ association and find out their concerns early on, than have them shouting from the sidelines after the event. Most important is to have a good cross-section of tourism related businesses involved.

Methods Getting a good response depends on many factors – most importantly the consultation methods you choose.

Options include one to one meetings with key individuals, workshops, drop-in sessions, planning exercises, online or written surveys and interactive online forums.Things to check include other recent consultations – acknowledge these and supplement, don’t duplicate.Think about timing – how long a period is required for a survey or what time of day suits tourism businesses for a workshop?

(Answer: there’s no best time of day – you may have to hold more than one).

Also locations – is it best to go out to a

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number of local places or ask people to come to one central event to share views? (Answer: it depends.)

It’s then important to promote the consultation. Make sure people can’t say they didn’t know. Put details in local papers, enewsletters, parish magazines, business groups and maybe offer incentives – lunch after a workshop, bolt a consultation exercise onto another event or prizes for responding to a survey.

On the day prepare for contentious issues, but don’t suppress dissent; often it’s more effective to let the audience put the counter arguments for you. Have a few techniques to ‘park’ less relevant issues.

Whatever the consultation method, use simple and direct language, avoid ‘consultant speak’ and jargon and try to capture something of the personality of the people and place. Afterwards make sure there’s some follow up – and sight of the draft plan. Show how input has been taken on board and list participants.

It’ll never work perfectly but consultation is a powerful tool when done well.

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Social Media and Tourism Marketing The new internet?

The explosion of engagement in social media over the past five or six years has been truly extraordinary, with huge implications for the ways in which people interrelate and organise their social lives; and the ways in which businesses and organisations interrelate with existing and potential customers, staff and stakeholders - potentially requiring a substantial change in corporate culture.

Anyone involved in the marketing of tourism destinations and businesses now faces the question of how to handle this phenomenon.

The situation is similar to the time 15-17 years ago, when use of the Internet was increasing exponentially. Clearly it was of huge potential significance for tourism marketing, but there was little understanding of the medium and how it could be used cost-effectively.

Then, as now with social media, innovative technology and applications appeared almost daily.

It was difficult to keep up with it all, so for many it was easier to ignore it all and hope it would go away.

Like the Internet, social media will evolve rapidly, but they will not go away, so tourism marketers will need to develop a real understanding of the dramatic new landscape of multiple digital channels and devices, and how it can be of value.

Starting with the latter point first, social media (SM) can potentially help various aspects of your promotions, performance and service: Your brand: SM can drive conversations that reference your brand, product, or service.

The online experience you offer: Content such as online video, podcasts, mapping and mash-ups of your content and user-generated content offer you the opportunity to enhance the online experience.

Your reach: RSS and sharing increase your media reach without spending huge budgets.

Your search rankings: Intricately connected and keyword-rich social media can help raise your visibility.Votes, book-

marks, tags, references, links make your content appear more authoritative in search engines.

Your product: Monitoring what is said may result in valuable insights and ideas for product development or service improvement.

Your market intelligence: SM allow you to collect (free) information, that may help you better target your messages and paid media.

Your acquisition costs: SM offer a combination of large reach, precise targeting and high levels of engagement.

Your traffic and sales: SM allow you to communicate with consumers at all stages of the ‘customer journey’.

Relating to the final bullet, there are many different types of social media, some much more important than others for influencing or assisting people at different stages in the ‘customer journey’, as the above chart from PhoCusWright (relating to the US) shows.

Reviews by fellow travellers were clearly the most influential type of social medium, followed by traveller generated photography.Two key points to note here: Reviews on online travel agency (OTA) sites are now more influential than those on traveller review sites (notably

TripAdvisor) - perhaps because the OTA sites are closer to the point of booking Reviews and photographs by fellow travellers are more influential than those by professionals.

Comments by “people in my online social network, such as Facebook or Twitter” were markedly less influential, perhaps not surprising, as such media are not focused on the needs of travellers.

Company information/promotions on social networks were the least influential of all, suggesting that companies are not yet good at using these media or that social networkers have a low level of trust in company sites.

However, paradoxically, referrals (clickthroughs) from Facebook have a much higher conversion rate to a booking than referrals from traveller reviews sites.

Where should travel marketers look for inspiration in the use of new media? Try VisitBritain,Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Ireland, Switzerland Tourism, TripAdvisor, Gidsy and Hilton.

Note: My thanks are due to PhoCusWright for permission to use the chart and my colleague, Karin Elgin Nijhuis, a real expert in social media, who originated the list of ways in which SM can help travel marketers.

Roger Carter MBE FTS | Managing Director, TEAM Tourism Consulting

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Sustainable Destinations

Responsible Skiing shows the way Once again, we are experiencing some strange winter weather.The media are constantly reminding us that it is the ‘coldest since...’, ‘wettest since...’ and so it goes on.

As scientists and politicians wrangle over the statistics and semantics – safe to say we need to plan for erratic seasons and weather patterns in future.

Nowhere is this more pertinent than in the ski industry.There really isn’t another area of tourism 100% dependent on climate, temperature and weather.

Climate gives the overall trend with potential impacts such as rising snowlines, temperature governs snowfall – both natural and artificial – and weather can affect day-to-day operations.

But what does it actually mean in practice – to plan for erratic seasons and weather?

Well, it’s all about creating balance. Put simply, it’s not putting all your eggs in one basket, whether this is the product offering, income streams, customer segment or season.

Ski tourism makes a really good example.

On the face of it, it could be the ultimate example of putting all your eggs in one basket – ie, skiers, snow and one short season.

Add to that the assumption that many people have that skiing is a fairly negative, energy intensive, high-impact form of tourism and you would think it was doomed.

However, it's important to remember that skiing is critical to many mountain communities that rely on it completely, both for the income and their very sur-

Pristine Austrian mountains vival. Many places were suffering emigration or were left with only older people or becoming commuter villages. Skiing can help that local school to stay open and enables young people to remain in the place they were brought up, with aspirations for the future and viable work opportunities.

Responsible Skiing takes the principles of Responsible Tourism and makes them relevant to ski resorts and skiers.

It sets about addressing how to make mountain communities and their tourism economy commercially sustainable for the long term – no matter the weather or climate or conditions – through minimising the negative impacts and maximising the benefits.

‘Responsible Skiing is about engaging with the mountain destination, enjoying a range of winter activities in beautiful surroundings, and having a fun and memorable stay, but not at the cost of the environment or the local population. And we all want that.’

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Also, Responsible Skiing considers the skier and their needs since, without them, there is no tourism.

As with any business, it is important to understand your customer and skiers are a unique kind of tourist for two reasons: They are ‘skilled consumers’ meaning that every time they return to the slopes they want to master new skills or take on more challenge – this can create tremendous pressure on resorts to get bigger.

They get addicted to skiing! Skiers love the escape, the exhilaration, the fresh air and natural landscape and having a shared experience with friends and family.

This is increasingly the converse of our daily lives and if resorts over-manage or over-mechanise, for example, that escapism is lost.

This is already being exemplified by larger numbers of people leaving the confines of a resort to go ski-touring and off-piste skiing.

So here are some reasons why it makes good business sense for resorts to

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engage in Responsible Skiing and start ensuring those eggs are not in the one basket!

Managing activities carefully, using less energy and reducing resource use, whether in snowmaking or accommodations, can give rise to significant cost savings. Even if the motivation is only the bottom line – research has proven that the benefits can be great.

No matter whether high winds have closed all the lifts or conditions are poor, if skiers always have a choice of activities they will leave happy and forget the fact that they didn’t downhill ski every day – in fact they tried something new!

If a village stays beautiful and unique with a wide variety of activities – both sporting and cultural – the destination can appeal to the much larger and increasing winter holiday market and not just skiers.

Snow can hide a lot – it is in summer when you really see the impact of skiing.

Ensuring that ski operations are designed and managed to protect the environment will keep the mountains pristine for summer, offering more tourism opportunities and less seasonality.

If a resort only competes on price and has nothing unique or local, then customers can substitute a destination easily when something else becomes cheaper.

Resorts need to celebrate local culture to keep holidays memorable and distinctive.

When people select their ski destination, second only to the ski features are the reputation of the resort and the beauty of the scenery and village.

We have seen in many other industries how a company’s approach to looking after the environment and local people can positively enhance people’s views of the company thus promoting customer loyalty.

Finally climate change - all tourist activity needs to look to reduce its own impact. It’s not in the interest of the ski industry to contribute to the thing that threatens it most.

So, getting back to what all this means in practice; these can be addressed through energy policies, planning, transport, architecture, shops, activities, crafts, cultural attractions - equally applicable to all tourist destinations.

However, continuing our skiing example, let’s talk about pistes.These are areas where the snow has been groomed to create a flat surface for skiing where people learn to ski and where the majority of skiers will stay.

When a piste is created, sometimes the machine grading / bulldozing can irrevocably damage the vegetation and reseed-

www.tourismsociety.org

Low impact jumps, Avoriaz, France ing is often unsuccessful or creates a different less diverse habitat.

Trees are often felled and pistes can change drainage patterns causing excess run-off and pollution of watercourses.

This doesn’t sound good but it doesn’t have to be this way. All new pistes (or lifts) should undergo a thorough environmental impact assessment and if a piste is given permission, the ‘soil push’ method should be used. Instead of just bulldozing the land, the ‘turf ’ is lifted, the machinegrading done underneath and then the ‘turf ’ re-laid - keeping the biodiversity intact (also useful for burying the pipes for artificial snow, too).

A seed-mix local to the specific area should be prepared for any reseeding requirements. I have seen pistes created this way and I was unable to identify them in summer since they looked so natural.

But consider this – will another piste make the resort distinctive or memorable? Remember our skiers are skilled consumers wanting more challenge.

Itinerary runs or freeride areas are routes that are avalanche protected but where nothing else is done – no piste preparation or grooming. Conditions are always different and good skiers love the challenge, but they are much lower impact.

Issue 149 Spring 2012

Let’s be innovative too. Wooden jumps and rails in a thinned out piece of forest can amuse people for hours, as can speed-guns and slalom tracks – great ways to give challenge without carving up more mountain.

And what do these solutions address?

The mountains are kept beautiful for summer walking, skiers are kept happy, the resort creates both competitive advantage and distinctiveness and the overall environmental impact of skiing is reduced. Win-win-win-win.

Often, tourism businesses and resorts see the environment and sustainability as separate to the commercial business of tourism planning, not appreciating how they are intertwined.

Ski tourism, like any, can have negative impacts – but this example has shown how they can be mitigated and, importantly, how innovation and sound business planning can result in a better, more sustainable tourism offering.

By catering for a number of customer segments with a wide product-mix and by keeping destinations distinctive with vibrant communities in a beautiful environment, we can create better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.

And that is the ultimate win-win.

Veronica Tonge MTS | V R I T Associates Ltd / Responsible Skiing

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Sponsorship

Building bridges with ‘proper’ industries Around 15 years ago a hotelier from Cornwall stood up at an industry meeting with a Yellow Pages and challenged anyone to find a business listed that didn’t benefit from tourism.

There probably were some, but not many, and it was a great illustration of how the ‘visitor pound’ impacted on other sectors – financial, professional, retail, construction, trades, services, etc.

That was in an era when the regional dailies were full of letters slagging off those tourists who ‘clogged up our roads and beaches’.

In many ways we’ve since moved on. Not only have I not opened a Yellow Pages for years, but those angry letters have disappeared and with the exception of those politicians who still don’t get it, our tourism industry is appreciated for its economic impact as well as export earnings and cultural diversity.

It has come about through an industry that has communicated better, in which operators have linked more closely with their local community, through local purchasing initiatives and the whole sustainable tourism movement.

But tourism links with other industries have not yet developed nearly as far as they can and should.

Many former tourist boards were making inroads, but the RDA interlude held links back, often distorting the market and creating dependencies on a public purse that is now spent.

Now, more than ever, is the time for tourism to build those bridges with other sectors and create commercial and mutually beneficial arrangements that will benefit us all.

‘Sponsorship is the key’ I hear some say.

Well be careful! A public sector client recently ‘told me off ’ for seeking the views of a sponsor, pointing out that they were the client and the sponsor was ‘only a sponsor’! I would suggest they are both clients, and in a marketplace in which

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Robin Barker MTS | Director, Services for Tourism

Line your sponsors up. multiple stakeholders are often required to achieve viability, the needs of all must be taken into account.This is especially true in an environment where sponsorship budgets have been slashed, and investment decisions are made following a detailed evaluation of likely return.

A challenge, and one that is not always met, is to do this in a manner that doesn’t compromise the integrity of the core project. My business works with destinations across the UK and further afield, but our public sector income is small and we instead enjoy working with numerous commercial enterprises.These include banks, accountants, solicitors, transport companies, design companies, food suppliers – you name it!

They all recognise the importance of tourism to their own business, but their motivation is wide ranging, including: Media coverage.

Direct client contact.

Access to new prospects.

Association with a project.

Access to expertise.

The creation of new partnerships or business initiatives.

Issue 149 Spring 2012

Influence (tread carefully here, especially if public policy is involved).

Corporate Social Responsibility / CSR. A good night out (but beware of the new Bribery Act!).

This list bears little resemblance to the simple ‘Sponsorship’ package, but the reality is that it includes a range of benefits that commercial sponsors will seek in return for their investment, and each will often have to be individually negotiated.

My ‘top tip’ is that sponsors are no longer ‘cash cows’, but clients, and need to be regarded as such, meaning that they require client management and service in tune with anyone who is investing their money with you. As with any client, their needs must be anticipated, understood, and met, otherwise they won’t be back.

So make sure of your own investment in client management skills and resources.

The forthcoming 2012 games have secured major investments from international and domestic sponsors, keen to be associated with sport and the associated tourism benefits.

I just hope their expectations are realistic, that the integrity of the health and sport messages are maintained, and they are being looked after as clients. As an industry, we’d like them back!

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THE TOURISM SOCIETY

TOURISM CONSULTANTS NETWORK When you commission a consultancy project, it is vital to find a consultant or team of consultants with the appropriate knowledge, skills and expertise – one that can deliver a high quality, creative and cost effective service to meet your needs.

Using a member of the Tourism Consultants Network can help to ensure that your commission is undertaken by one or more consultants with directly relevant knowledge and a commitment to delivering an excellent, professional service to clients.

The Tourism Consultants Network includes consultants with extensive experience of undertaking successful projects in all sectors of the tourism industry including those related to culture/heritage, hospitality, leisure, entertainment, sport, travel and tourism.

Many consultants have expertise in one or more of a wide range of specialisms including: Business development Design e-commerce Feasibility studies Human resources Interpretation Marketing and sales Market research Operations Policy development Public relations Quality Assurance Strategic Planning

Tourism vision and development Training.

Members of the Network undertake commissions for both public and private sector organisations both in the UK and throughout the world, truly meeting our statement of having Worldwide experience and World-class expertise.

In the next three pages are listed the members of the Tourism Consultants Network. For any of your projects and programmes you can chose with confidence from this list as all are experts in their field and have agreed to abide by the Declaration of Good Practice.

You may also find more details about the individuals listed by looking on the database of members which can be found at www.tourismsociety.org/consultants.

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Stan Abbott MTS Gravity Consulting Ltd stan@gravity-consulting.com 0191 383 2838 www.gravity-consulting.com

Oliver Bennett FTS Independent Consultant odbennett@hotmail.com 0208 944 2870 www.oliverbennetttourism.com

Tom Buncle FTS Yellow Railroad tom@yellowrailroad.com 0131 447 1721 www.yellowrailroad.com

David Andrews FTS Andrews Associates david@andrewsassociates.co.uk 01904 466 974 www.andrewsassociates.co.uk

Peter Birnie FTS Hotel and Restaurant View peter@peterbirnie.com www.peterbirnie.com

Alison Burgh MTS Acorn Tourism Consulting Ltd alison@acorntourism.co.uk 01580 879 978 www.acorntourism.co.uk

Judith Annett MTS Countryside Consultancy countryside.consultancy@ btinternet.com 028 4176 3262

Tom Burnham MTS CTB Associates tom@ctbglobal.co.uk 01896 848 159 www.ctbglobal.co.uk

Gilbert Archdale FTS ASW Consulting gilbert.archdale@gmail.com 01747 853 459

David Bloy MTS The Tourism Company dbloy@thetourismcompany.com 01531 635 451 www.thetourismcompany.com

Alison Caffyn MTS alison.caffyn@gmail.com 01568 611 575 www.alisoncaffyn.co.uk

Linda Astbury FTS Linda Astbury Associates linda@astburyassociates.co.uk 01564 795 521 www.astburyassociates.com

Nick Booker MTS Attract Marketing Ltd nick@attractmarketing.co.uk 01926 864 900 www.attractmarketing.co.uk

Benjamin Carey FTS Dunira Strategy benjamin@dunira.com 0845 370 8076 www.dunira.com

Robert Bailey MTS Five Lines Consulting rob.bailey@fivelinesconsulting.co.uk www.fivelinesconsulting.co.uk

Nicola Bowen Rees MTS Sulis Projects Ltd nbowenrees@aol.com 07590 030 258 www.sulisprojects.com

Roger Carter MBE FTS TEAM Tourism Consulting rogercarter@team-tourism.com 0131 552 2548 www.team-tourism.com

Catherine Bowie FTS c.bowie@blueyonder.co.uk 0131 657 4161 www.catherinebowietraining services.com

Gerry Carver FTS L & R International gc@lrinternational.co.uk 01903 779 933 www.lrinternational.co.uk

Jill Britton MTS Britton McGrath Associates jill@brittonmcgrath.co.uk 0203 416 5012 www.brittonmcgrath.co.uk

Padraig Cleary MTS MayDay Management Consultants padraig@maydaymanagement.ie +353 87 258 3325

Robin Barker MTS Services for Tourism rbarker@services4tourism.co.uk 07870 397 438 www.services4tourism.co.uk Tony Barnfield FTS Hotel, Restaurant and Wine Consultant personal@tonybarnfield.co.uk 01366 385 350 Jennifer Barrow MTS JVB Global Consulting jbarrow@jvbglobalconsulting.com +246 420 3413 www.jvbglobalconsulting.com Tim Bartlett FTS Tourism, Hotels and Translations S.L. timcbartlett@hotmail.com +34 91 636 84 97 Richard Batchelor FTS TMC batchelor@easynet.co.uk 0207 226 8982 Peter Beasley MTS Tourism Research Solutions tourismsolutions@tiscali.co.uk www.tourismsolutions.net

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Moira Birtwistle MTS Scottish Agricultural College moira.birtwistle@sac.ac.uk 01292 886 184 www.sac.ac.uk

Chris Brown FTS Turpin Smale Foodservice Consultancy chris.brown@turpinsmale.co.uk 0207 620 0011 www.turpinsmale.com Kevin Brown MTS Planning Solutions Consulting Ltd. kevin@pslplan.co.uk 02392 481 999 www.pslplan.co.uk Robert Brown FTS Robert Brown Associates robertgbrown@gmail.com 01323 735 666

Lionel Becherel FTS International Tourism Consultancy lbecherel@msn.com

Paul Buchanan FTS Hall Aitken paul.buchanan@hallaitken.co.uk 0141 225 5517 www.hallaitken.co.uk

Steve Beioley FTS The Tourism Company sbeioley@thetourismcompany.com 0203 328 3580 www.thetourismcompany.com

Kathryn Bullock MTS Face Marketing kathrynbullock@btinternet.com 0207 274 6302 www.face-marketing.com

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Phil Coates MTS Wales Tour Guides Ltd phil@walestg.com 01633 774 796 www.walestourguides.com Jay Commins MTS Footprint Impression Management Limited jay@fim.org.uk 0113 2515 698 www.fim.org.uk Malcolm Connor MTS Connor & Co connorandco@btinternet.com 01926 642 157 www.connorandco.co.uk Ann Crome MTS Revenue Solutions ann.crome@druryhouse.plus.com www.openallhours.info Chris Cross FTS CVC Associates tcmcross@aol.com 01993 709 820

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Susan Cross MTS TellTale susan@telltale.co.uk 01298 70376 Stuart Crouch FTS stuart@stuartcrouch.com 0207 610 6991 Alison Cryer FTS Representation Plus alison@representationplus.co.uk 0208 877 4507 www.representationplus.co.uk Carolyn Custerson MTS Close Focus Tourism Consultancy carolyn.custerson@btinternet.com 07968 261 845 www.carolyncusterson.co.uk Michael Dean FTS TourismIdeas mike@tourismideas.co.uk 01729 840 839 Philip Deighton FTS Deighton International info@deighton-international.com 01489 570 289 www.deighton-international.com Richard Denman FTS The Tourism Company rdenman@thetourismcompany.com 01531 635 451 Crispian Emberson MTS Heritage Destination Consulting Ltd hd.consulting@btinternet.com 0871 218 0817 www.heritagedestination.com Chris Evans FTS The Tourism Company cevans@thetourismcompany.com 0203 328 3580 www.thetourismcompany.com Martin Evans FTS The Tourism Business martin@thetourismbusiness.com 01904 438 100 Elizabeth Federighi MTS LinguaConnect Ltd efederighiuk@aol.com Jim Fletcher FTS Fletcher Associates, Int.Tourism Dev. Consultants jim.fletcher@btinternet.com 0208 940 9837 John Gallery FTS Great Potential johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk 01904 607 530 www.greatpotential.co.uk Max Gaunt FTS RGA Consulting max.gaunt@rgaconsulting.co.uk 0131 434 1115

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Malcolm George FTS Scott Wilson m.a.george@btinternet.com 01235 849 710 www.scottwilson.com Christopher Gledhill MTS Future Directions chris@futuredirections.org.uk 01874 638 979 www.futuredirections.org.uk Michael Glen FTS Touchstone Heritage Management Consultants glentigstane@aol.com

Arwel Jones MTS Arwel Jones Associates arwel@celtic.co.uk 01248 722 632 Kevin Kaley FTS Tourism UK Ltd kevin@tourismukltd.com 08456 806 837 www.tourismukltd.com Andrew Keeling MTS ACK Tourism ack.tourism@btinternet.com 01522 789 702

Roger Goodacre FTS Roger Goodacre Associates rgamarketing@sky.com 0208 785 7211

Steve Kitt MTS KMP Digitata sk@stevekitt.com 0161 429 1497 www.kmp.co.uk

Michele Grant MTS Blue Sail michele.grant@bluesail.com 01829 752 997 www.bluesail.com

Mandy Lane FTS LiveTourism mandy.lane@live-tourism.co.uk 01628 624 948 www.live-tourism.co.uk

Brian Gurnett FTS Eco International Ltd bgurnett@netlab.co.uk 01442 245 457

Jonathan Langston FTS TRI Hospitality Consulting jonathan.langston@trihc.com 0207 892 2201 www.trihospitality.com

Cathy Guthrie FTS cathy-guthrie@o2.co.uk 01467 620 769

Polly Larner FTS Polly Larner Promotions pollylarner@btinternet.com 01787 469 809 www.plp.uk.com

Habeeb Habash FTS Yamamah Consulting hfhabash@yahoo.com Eleanor Harris MTS I-Xperience Ltd eleanor.harris@i-xperience.co.uk 0207 585 0800

Andrew Lloyd Hughes MTS TruTourism.com andrew@trutourism.com www.trutourism.com

Roger Heape FTS Insight Consultancy rogerheape@lineone.net 01962 680 202

Alan Love FTS BDRC Continental alan.love@bdrc.co.uk 0207 400 0380 www.bdrc-continental.com

Ray Heath MTS Ray Heath Associates Ltd enquiries@rayheathassoc.co.uk 01335 360 554 www.rayheathassoc.co.uk

Mary Lynch FTS Mary Lynch Associates mary@lynchassociates.co.uk 0207 100 7730 www.lynchassociates.co.uk

Ian Henderson FTS TTC International henderson@ttcinternational.com 028 9147 4080 www.ttcinternational.com

Marc Mallam FTS Mallam & Co. marc@mallam-co.com 01254 878 416 www.mallam-co.com

David Howell FTS DHA Consultancy dhasocltd@aol.com 01237 421 347 www.dhaconsultancy.co.uk

Alexandra Marr MTS Alexandra Marr & Associates amarr@alexandramarr.com 07815 737 130

Daniel Humphreys MTS Daniel Humphreys djmhumphreys@gmail.com 07818 067 022

Michael McCormick MTS Azure Global m.mccormick@azureglobal.net www.azureglobal.net Nancy McGrath MTS Britton McGrath Associates nancy@brittonmcgrath.co.uk 0203 416 5012 www.brittonmcgrath.co.uk

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Jennifer Medcalf MTS Tall Poppies Scotland Ltd jen@tallpoppies-scotland.co.uk 0131 449 7377 www.tallpoppies-scotland.co.uk Andrew Meredith MTS A Meredith Associates ameredithassociates@tiscali.co.uk 01684 575 842 Kevin Millington MTS Acorn Tourism Consulting Ltd kevin@acorntourism.co.uk 01580 879 970 www.acorntourism.co.uk Sean Morgan MTS Lynn Jones Research Ltd sean@ljresearch.co.uk 0131 623 6238 www.ljresearch.co.uk Jasmijn Muller MTS Whitebridge Hospitality jasmijn.muller@whitebridgeh.com 0207 195 1480 www.whitebridgeh.com Aylin Orbasli MTS aorbasli@aol.com 0208 431 4454 www.aylinorbasli.com Andrew Palmer MTS Palmer Squared andrew@palmersquared.co.uk www.palmersquared.co.uk Susan Parker Johnston MTS Vinous Development (previously Business Development Associates) susanpj@webmail.co.za 01285 770 596 Geoff Parkinson FTS Hospitality Consulting International gsp@parkinson1.co.uk Roger Platt FTS Joanne Platt Associates roger.platt@tameside.gov.uk 0161 342 2181 Paul Ridoutt FTS Eurofield International Management Consultants paulridoutt@compuserve.com +64 (0)21 190 7398 Wyn Roberts MTS Marchnata AQUA Marketing Ltd wyn@aqua-marketing.co.uk 0845 812 7181 www.aqua-marketing.co.uk John Robinson MTS pd@johnrobinson.co.uk +971 509 962 854 www.johnrobinson.co.uk Peter Robinson MTS LPR Associates enquiries@leisureandtourism.co.uk www.leisureandtourism.co.uk

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Ken Robinson CBE FTS krobinsonlrt@aol.com 02380 898 980 Stephen Sambrook MTS Genua Madrigal Ltd travel@mailstrom.org.uk 0208 286 6589 www.gemextra.co.uk Mark Sandberg MTS Sandberg Consulting mark@sandberg-consulting.com 01622 808 785 www.sandberg-consulting.com Amy Scarth MTS Big Beyond amy@bigbeyond.org 01803 712 155 Lynn Scrivener FTS LSM – Lynn Scrivener Marketing lynscriv@btclick.com 0208 579 5381 Amanda Shepherd MTS Blue Sail amanda.shepherd@bluesail.com 01273 382 168 www.bluesail.com Carole Sherlock MTS C S Consultancy carolesherlock@csconsultancy.net 01355 529 340 W Iain Skewis FTS wiskewis@online.rednet.co.uk 01686 668 276 Colin Smith MTS The Glamis Consultancy colin@theglamisconsultancy.com 01307 840 343 www.glamisconsultancy.com Nikki Smith MTS Flamingo Marketing Ltd nikki@flamingo-marketing.co.uk 01872 510 489 www.flamingo-marketing.co.uk Bogda Smreczak MTS IDWales bogda_smreczak@hotmail.com 07540 952 613 idwales.com Hugh Somerville FTS somervillehugh@aol.com 01628 850 694 Alistair Somerville Ford FTS Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) asf@icm.ac.uk 01202 490 555 www.icm.ac.uk Sandy Steven FTS Tourism Resources Company Ltd sandy@tourism-resources.co.uk 0141 353 1143 www.tourism-resources.co.uk

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Alastair Stevenson FTS Marketing Planning Associates alastairstevenson@mpaconsulting.co.uk 01989 780 699 www.mpaconsultimg.co.uk Michael Stickland FTS Planning Solutions Ltd info@pslplan.co.uk 023 9248 1999 www.pslplan.co.uk Martin Taylor MTS Humberts Leisure Consulting martin.taylor@gva.co.uk 01383 820 998 Lynn Thomason MTS Tourism Solutions lynnthomason@tourismsolutions.co.uk 01522 811 255 Veronica Tonge MTS V R I T Associates Ltd veronica@vritassociates.com www.vritassociates.com Helene von Magius Mogelhoj FTS vonmagic@rocketmail.com 01424 424 511 John Walsh-Heron FTS Tourism Quality Services Ltd jwalshheron@btconnect.com 02920 755 974 Graham Wason FTS All Being Well/Tourism Respect rgwason@tourismrespect.com www.allbeingwell.com Ian Watson MTS CMF Consulting iwatson@cmfconsulting.co.uk 01968 675 269 Chris Wikeley FTS Quality Counts Consultancy chriswikeley@qualitycounts.f9.co.uk 01264 335 188 Fiona Wilton FTS Travel Training Services fionawilton@btopenworld.com 01600 860 341 www.traveltrainingservices.com Simon Woodward FTS Leeds Metropolitan University s.c.woodward@leedsmet.ac.uk 0113 812 8516 www.icrtourism.org Zheng Xie MTS London Metropolitan University z.xie@londonmet.ac.uk 0207 133 3812 Gregory Yeoman MTS The Tourism Society gregory@tourismsociety.org 0207 269 9693 Frances Young MTS Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners fyoung@nlpplanning.com 0207 837 4477 www.nlpplanning.com

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Public Sector Procurement

Times, they are a-changing A year ago Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, announced a broad package of reforms designed significantly to open-up the public sector marketplace to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

These announcements highlighted the Government’s commitment to driving growth in the economy, and removing unnecessary obstacles that make government procurement difficult for small businesses.

Stephen Allott is the Crown Representative for SMEs. ‘He has been appointed to build a more strategic dialogue between Government and smaller suppliers – giving those suppliers a strong voice at the top table’ – Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office. Stephen has two key roles, understanding the concerns of SME suppliers and opening up government procurement to SMEs. Understanding the concerns of SMEs Mystery Shopper - If you’re from an SME and would like to give us feedback about your experiences (good or bad) with a specific public sector procurement exercise you can act as a Mystery Shopper through our Supplier Feedback Service.

Mystery Shopper is for you to tell us about tenders that you don’t understand or instances of what you believe to be poor procurement practice. We will investigate all your submissions and publish the results.To contact the Mystery Shopper team please email supplierfeedbackservice@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk Through Mystery Shopper, we have investigated 150 cases of poor procurement practice. In 80% of cases a live procurement has been impacted or there has been an agreed commitment to change future practice.

Opening up the government market Contracts Finder – this is a single source of information on all new procurement opportunities, tender documents and contracts for central government over £10,000. Contracts Finder receives

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90,000 viewings per week.

Of 5,768 contracts that have been posted, 2,025 have been awarded to SMEs.To find opportunities on Contracts Finder, please see www.businesslink.gov.uk/contractsfinder Dynamic Marketplace - this has been established for procurements below £100,000 and where the complexity is low.

It gives Government organisations immediate, online access to a simple Request for Quote tool and preregistered suppliers.

By registering on the Dynamic Marketplace, suppliers will be able to bid for opportunities that fit with their capability and their delivery locations.

Once registered, suppliers can respond electronically to invitations to quote and process any successful bids through order to invoice. Registration to the Dynamic Marketplace is free, please register at https://buyers.procserveonline.com/otis/pr eregistration/splash_page.html Product Surgeries - Product Surgeries are designed to enable selected SMEs to 'pitch' innovative products and services to a panel of senior decision makers in government departments.

The surgeries are not usually linked to specific procurements but are intended to improve government awareness of innovative SME offerings that could deliver better value for money. So far, five surgeries have been held in government departments. We have also removed bureaucratic pre-qualification questionnaires in 15 out of 17 government departments for procurements for goods and services below £100,000. It is now only used when security is an issue.

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SMEs are winning in government In November 2011, an SME called Redfern Travel was successful in winning the civil service domestic travel contract.

This was a result of the Government Procurement Service breaking a large requirement down to enable Redfern to compete by offering their innovative service model.This will lead to £20m being saved from the Civil Service travel bill over the next four years.

Maxxim Consulting, a company with 27 employees, beat larger rivals to win a Cabinet Office contract through the Dynamic Marketplace process.The Government Procurement Service ‘G Cloud’ IT procurement has attracted interest from over 500 companies, 40% are SMEs. To find out more about Stephen Allott and the work of the Crown Representative for SMEs, please see his web page – http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/cr own-representative-smes-stephen-allott Stephen Allott | Crown Representative for SMEs, Cabinet Office

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Attracting Visitors

Domestic tourists and overseas visitors: different markets, different expectations As people in most countries around the world still struggle to recover from the post-2008 economic downturn, the question ‘what future for tourism?’ springs naturally to the mind of anyone involved in the tourism sector.

Going on holiday can hardly be seen as a ‘necessity’ (after all, until a few decades ago it was a privilege enjoyed by only the very wealthy) so we could be tempted to conclude that the prospects for this business sector are very bleak indeed, at least in the short and medium-term.

The return of the ‘staycation’ However, if we take a closer look, we come to realise that not all is gloom and doom: in fact the squeeze on household budgets could even have a positive effect on domestic tourism in countries such as the UK. For a start, if we are to believe the results of polls and interviews carried out by popular newspapers and magazines in this country, taking at least one holiday a year is now considered by most people part and parcel of their normal lifestyle, on a par with dining out or going to the cinema.

In other words, travelling somewhere to have a break is no longer seen as a special treat but as an integral part of one’s life.

This psychological shift has important practical consequences. If going away on holiday is perceived almost as a ‘right’ even in straitened times, we can safely assume that money is still being set aside

for this purpose in most household budgets.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that many household budgets have also been hard hit by the economic downturn – although (reassuringly!) the majority of people will not give up on their holiday(s), they are unlikely to be willing (and able) to ‘splash out’ on expensive trips and exotic destinations.

In this context, could the ‘staycation’ become an enduringly appealing alternative? Yes, we are all familiar with those images of holidaymakers huddled together under their umbrellas on a rain-swept Brighton beach in August, but we also all know that the traditional ‘bucket and spade’, ‘sun and sea’ holiday is but one of the many options available on a staycation.

I believe there is scope for domestic tourism to capitalise on some key trends emerging in society at large.

An obvious example is the increasing awareness among the population of the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle; well-being and activity tourism (such as health farms, horse-riding and cycling holidays) can plug straight into this drive for health and fitness, with the Olympics providing a timely marketing platform.

Undoubtedly, the cost of accommodation can be a major deterrent when it comes to taking a holiday in the UK. Hotels are expensive here in comparison to mainland Europe but self-catering provides a cheap alternative and is arguably a more convenient option for families with

‘In the specific case of the UK, the irony is that many (if not most) foreign visitors consider visiting London as virtually equivalent to visiting the UK while in fact London is arguably the least ‘English’ (let alone British) destination in this country!’

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children and for tourists choosing rural settings (as it is likely to be the case for activity tourism).

Past the ‘London barrier’ The situation is rather different (and arguably more complex) when it comes to attracting those high-spending overseas visitors past the ‘London barrier’. I am sure everybody would agree that travelling for leisure outside one’s own country requires a considerable investment of time, money and effort - and this is particularly true for independent and/or long-haul travellers.

Therefore it is hardly surprising that most international tourists are mainly attracted to high-profile places with a perceived unique selling proposition, be that a capital city with a wealth of history, culture and ethnic mix like London or a spectacular natural setting like the Niagara Falls or a heritage landmark like the Egyptian pyramids.

In the specific case of the UK, the irony is that many (if not most) foreign visitors consider visiting London as virtually equivalent to visiting the UK while in fact London is arguably the least ‘English’ (let alone British) destination in this country!

So how can these visitors be enticed to venture further afield and experience more authentic aspects of English and British life?

A stronger emphasis on heritage tourism is one of the possible answers. ‘Typical’ heritage tourist attractions such as stately homes are truly unique and have the added advantage of being located in idyllic countryside settings.

Lack of easy accessibility by public transport – the most serious downside of this type of attraction – is not normally a big obstacle for international tourists, as they travel mostly in hired coaches (if they are groups) or are happy to go sightseeing in

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Credit: Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Industrial heritage at Ironbridge

‘Why shouldn’t industrial heritage be considered part of the heritage tourism product and be promoted as such? The UK is the birthplace of the industrial revolution, without which our modern world simply wouldn’t exist.’ hired cars (if they travel independently).

In fact tourist itineraries could be designed to make a visit to a stately home in the countryside the highlight of a ‘trail’ that includes partaking in some British traditions such as having afternoon tea in a tea room or staying overnight in a B&B. The attraction of the ‘dark satanic mills’ At the same time, identifying ‘heritage’ with just a few buildings of historical and architectural significance or with cultural beacons such as Oxford, Cambridge and Stratford-upon-Avon is far too restrictive.

In my opinion heritage tourism has the potential to significantly increase its contribution to both domestic and international tourism but the concept of ‘heritage’ needs to be widened to include more unconventional attractions.

Just to mention an obvious example, why shouldn’t industrial heritage be considered part of the heritage tourism product and be promoted as such? The UK is the birthplace of the industrial revolution, without which our modern world simply wouldn’t exist.

Surely there is no shortage of ‘dark satanic mills’ that could (if they haven’t already) be turned into tourist attractions, prefer-

ably including an active and interactive dimension along the lines of the Jorvik Viking Centre.

This type of multi-faceted tourism product offers several advantages: it is unique, appeals to a wide range of age groups and is of interest both to domestic tourists (giving them the opportunity of learning more about their own heritage) and to international tourists.

Last but not least, it can be enjoyed indoors (quite a strong selling point, given the notoriously whimsical British weather).

Building and maintaining this type of complex and technologically-demanding tourism product certainly doesn’t come cheap. However, if the potential long-term benefits are taken into account, the investment needed to turn disused factories into tourist attractions wouldn’t be too arduous to justify.

Old industrial buildings are often located in areas of social deprivation with high unemployment and a general climate of hopelessness; turning them into tourist attractions would help give these areas a new lease of life and offer new job opportunities to the local population.

Entrance fees could be set at the higher end of the spectrum for this type of attraction.

Price is not normally an issue if a product is targeted at the right market.

We are all prepared to pay more for something with a special appeal: perceived value for money (rather than simply good value) is what wins consumers’ hearts and minds… and makes them reach for their wallets!

Credit: English Heritage

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Wrest Park – a great attraction outside London

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Elizabeth Federighi MTS | Managing Director, LinguaConnect Ltd

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The Value of Consultants...

Philippe Rossiter

Andrew Bateman

... to Hospitality – See the wood and the trees Robert Townsend’s 1970 book ‘Up the Organisation’ described management consultants as: “People who borrow your watch to tell you what time it is and then walk off with it”. As the businessman credited with transforming Avis into a car rental giant,Townsend clearly had no time for consultants.

It is a cliché that consultants are expensive and do not actually do much. Rather like music producers, to the outsider their role may seem mysterious.The musicians play the songs and the engineer records them, so what exactly does the producer do? As little as identifying the best take of a song, or as much as creating an entire sound for the music. In either case, the producer’s role is crucial to the quality of the finished product.

As well as providing objectivity, consultants also bring experience and can highlight details that might not have occurred to us.The following example comes to mind.The plans for a well-known hotel chain’s new hotel included a number of rooms with disabled access, but an important detail had been omitted. The consultant working on the project pointed out that it is usual for a disabled person to travel with a friend or a carer, but they do not necessarily want to share a ... to Destinations – Design AND Deliver Consultants play an important part in helping destination managers do what they do.

Having staff on the pay-roll is expensive and as most destination tourism services are small-scale there is rarely an opportunity for more than a generalist head of service and a small marketing team.

It can therefore be extremely cost-effective to get external expertise in to help provide short bursts of input in areas that may well stretch the capabilities of the in-house team.

Many tourism consultants are ‘old hands’ that have developed a considerable amount of expertise in local authorities and tourist boards, and are able easily to understand what might be required of the client and provide timely and costeffective solutions.

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room.Therefore, the best solution is for them to occupy two adjacent rooms which have an internal, connecting door.

The consultant was able to point this out.

Sometimes people are too wrapped up in their business to have the emotional ability to improve it. Much like the record producer, the consultant comes to the table without history and baggage. He can provide objectivity, experience, analytical skills and give his attention to the business free from other distractions.

Consultants are widely used to help develop tourism strategies and policy documents, but also marketing strategies and on development projects.

Large scale funding bids often require substantial effort over a short space of time and a particular language to be used, which often lend themselves to external experts.

And there are regularly occasions where consultants can provide a ‘hand-holding’ role when a re-organization or re-structure is required and an external and impartial view is required.

The role of the external tourism expert can also be important in winning planning appeals, especially when a development isn’t particularly welcomed by a host community.

However, whilst consultants have traditionally been used for strategy development, we may well be seeing more of a

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Does this all come at a price? Of course, but a consultant is only going to be considered expensive if used unwisely.

Selecting a consultant appropriate to your business is therefore vital if you wish to maximize the value of the investment.

Philippe Rossiter FTS | Chief Executive, Institute of Hospitality

shift from not only just advising but also delivering – so a ‘design - build’ approach that is common in the construction industry.

Local authorities, for example, are being encouraged to ‘commission’ more and more of their services.

This can be achieved by either creating new public private tourism bodies (eg DMOs) or potentially contracting the design and delivery of various bits of their tourism service out to consultants, whilst retaining a smaller in-house ‘commissioning’ team.

The latter could well provide more opportunities for enterprising consultants over time.

Andrew Bateman FTS | Tourism Manager, Hampshire County Council

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The Value of Consultants...

Bernard Donoghue Fiona Jeffery

... to Attractions – The interested outsider, an invaluable asset ALVA’s members are some of the most important, popular and iconic museums, galleries, palaces, castles, cathedrals, heritage sites, houses, gardens, zoos and leisure attractions in the UK. They are unique, a number are UNESCO listed, the majority comprise Grade I and II listed buildings and, collectively, their offering is cited by overseas visitors as the number one reason to visit the UK. Quite apart from the commonly shared experiences of curatorial work, presentation of collections, maintenance of the fabric of institutions and buildings are the shared experiences of managing more than 1 million visitors per year and the continued requirement to refine the marketing message and improve the visitor experience.This is where consultants are an invaluable asset.

The attractions sector is good at networking, good at promoting dialogue between attractions and within the sector and, for the large part, good at sharing experiences and insights. But whilst the attractions sector is characterised by innovation and creativity (new audio guides, embracing new technology, new retail products, new catering offers, new ways of exhibiting, presenting and interpreting stories and collections etc.) it is often slow to learn from outwith the sector and, indeed, from outside tourism and hospitality.The greatest competitor to a museum, gallery or historic house for the

Competition for your local museum? disposable leisure pound is not the nearest museum but the nearest out-of-town shopping centre. It’s not the nearest theme park but the nearest B&Q; not another attraction, but IKEA. There is so much for the attractions sector to learn from the successful retail sector; how to develop and use a CRM system that Boden would be proud of; to perfect a welcome that John Lewis implements, and signposting and visitor management that IKEA gets right.This is

... to Events – Off the wall not off the peg You know the sort of thing…we’ve all been there! A consultant stands before you, oozing charm, fulsome with impossible promises and offering an engaging, enigmatic smile.

An unfair caricature, you might think and yes, you are probably right. Consultants at varying levels and with differing years of experience offer a huge range of specialist skills and knowledge but it’s a perception that justifiably crops up, especially in these straitened times, when every pound spent must yield a healthy return.

I guess it’s generally because of one ‘bad apple’.That one time when you were either completely taken in or left bewildered by the proposal - and delivery or should I say, failure to deliver.

World Travel Market has used a number of consultants very successfully over the years. It’s a complex multi-layered event and it makes sense to bring in people to focus on specific areas.

Consultants in, for example, research, public relations and various travel and tourism sectors have been able to bring a fresh dimension, contacts and new ideas to an event which is constantly changing to mirror the moods and immense challenges of the industry.

In fact I would say it can be essential, not only in providing extra resource at a time when a team may be over stretched, but also giving an independent outside view with a mind that’s not been constricted by internal pressures.

But you must be prepared to put in as much as you take out of such a relation-

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where consultants can add particular value, shining a mirror to the attraction which reveals strengths and flaws, opportunities for improvement and growth and translatable examples and experiences from beyond tourism.

Bernard Donoghue FTS | Director, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions

ship. Comprehensive briefing, measurable targets and good chemistry help give the consultant a head start.

Crucially, the injection of outside thinking can often stimulate the internal team in unexpected ways, bringing other benefits.

Consultants are keenly aware that if they are to protect their fees, they need to demonstrate value.

Promises are not enough. Criteria for success needs to be agreed up front, taking into account both long and short term objectives.

Fiona Jeffery OBE FTS | Chairman,World Travel Market & Just a Drop

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Looking Back

Forty years on ...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

After a career of some 42 years in tourism I have been asked by your esteemed Society to pen my thoughts on what I feel has been achieved and what remains a source of regret in our industry since I joined BTA as a graduate trainee in 1970.

In doing so, I can grind my axes from a variety of perspectives, having worked at tourist boards, corporate communications consultancies, the charity Holiday Care, and currently British Destinations.

So, dear reader, I have the luxury of indulging in a brief, unstructured and I should state strictly personal tour d’horizon, aware that space constraints mean I will no doubt be guilty of some glaring omissions. So in brief the good, the bad and the ugly of British tourism…

Despite a fairly desperate economic climate at present, our industry is I feel in fundamentally good shape. Britain remains a top-flight, international visitor destination, comprising a multi-faceted and enduring product range.

Fashions may come and go but we can offer a winning combination of stunning scenery, vibrant cities, culture, history, pomp and pageantry, sporting events and activities that few can match.

That the quality of our accommodation, attractions and cuisine has improved over 40 years is indubitable and there have been considerable advances in terms of accessibility for disabled travellers.

But contrary to the oft-expressed mantra, market forces have not forced out the tat. And tourism’s private sector is bedevilled with far more intrusive regulations than was the case in the closing

Leeds Castle, Kent decades of the last century.

But if the product is overall in good shape, what about the means to promote it? Having worked abroad for the BTA in the 70s, I was able to see first hand just how effective their overseas operations were, particularly in liaising with the media and the trade.

It has therefore pained me to see the erosion of VisitBritain’s overseas office network and indeed the drastic ongoing cuts to its budget on the spurious grounds that the Internet can replicate many of its functions.

Just because one particular tourism minister was able to buy opera tickets in Florence online hardly invalidates the vital

‘Fashions may come and go but we can offer a winning combination of stunning scenery, vibrant cities, culture, history, pomp and pageantry, sporting events and activities that few can match.’

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contribution of VB’s overseas staff!

I fully acknowledge that social media marketing can influence decision-taking and that the World Wide Web is a highly efficient means of disseminating information, but I do not subscribe to the view that the Internet is effective in creating the initial interest – a potential traveller must be motivated to visit a destination’s website in the first place.

You only have to consider the size and potency of weekend newspaper travel supplements to appreciate the ongoing role of the press in image building.

And what of domestic marketing? I make no comment here about the role and efficacy of the tourist board functions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – they do an excellent job albeit with fairly chunky budgets – but over the last 25 years or so the inconsistency of approach with regard to the validity of marketing England to the British has been quite remarkable.

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Do I think it’s necessary – is the Pope a Catholic? Post-Christmas, British residents need an annual reminder of all the positives about holiday-taking in their own country – the image job if you like – and this then needs to be followed up in subsequent months with more specific promotion of products/brands.

And yet in a masterpiece of post-hoc rationalisation to justify cuts, one former tourism minister opined ‘British people know all they need to know about holidaying in England’.Yes, Minister! In the 70s the old ETB had proper budgets and produced some heavyweight, innovative campaigns but VisitEngland’s current budget – despite the likely and welcome boost from the Regional Growth Fund – is frankly pretty derisory.

Politicians have always paid lip service to tourism’s positive economic impact but apart arguably from the 70s they have never backed their words with the level of financial support that the tourist boards merit.

Would it be too much to ask for the Government to grant say £100million annually to VisitBritain and £30million to VisitEngland – a combined investment to boost the economy and create jobs which in 2012 would represent 0.12 per cent of projected expenditure on welfare, 0.57 per cent on transport or if you prefer 0.02 per cent of total public spending!

But then as one Secretary of State said in an unguarded moment ‘The problem with tourism is there are no votes in it’.

None of these comments in any way decry the ability and industry of current tourist board staff – some of the current

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‘Politicians have always paid lip service to tourism’s positive economic impact but apart arguably from the 70s they have never backed their words with the level of financial support that the tourist boards merit.’ research output for example is outstanding – but they work in constrained times and deserve better.

What of tourism structures? Well, England once had a coherent network of regional tourist boards, providing cohesion for their sub-regional and local partners and acting as a valued conduit to the national boards.

Now we’ve got a fragmented patchwork based on one or two regional boards and an assortment of destination management organisations, which may or may not manage tourism in their area and may or may not promote it.

Small wonder that many parts of the country feel left out in the cold. Worse than that, there is a risk that some LAs might disengage from tourism altogether, in the belief that DMOs – or indeed the loomingly seductive TBIDs – can do it for them. And, of course, tourism has always been a soft target for cash-strapped LAs! Let’s consider transport. On the plus side we have a fast rail link from the Tunnel and from London to Heathrow, we can travel in high(er)-speed trains, we’ve got more motorways (can you imagine travelling round London now without the M25, despite its being dubbed the largest car park in Europe?) and of course visitors can fly in on budget airlines (despite iniquitous rates of APD). But do we have a

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coherent transport policy? Do we ever!

More/larger regional airports, a new London Airport on the Thames estuary or perhaps an additional runway at Heathrow or Gatwick; a fast rail link to Birmingham and possibly further north; toll roads – take your pick.

And God help any visitor to our shores trying to unpick the labyrinthine fare structures on our railways – at certain times it’s cheaper to travel first-class from London to Newcastle than it is to buy a return on the Heathrow Express, which costs a staggering £34.

But overall, despite the gripes, I believe we’re well placed to develop our tourism industry and build on our status as a world-leading destination, particularly if we get the Government support we need in terms of funding, the reduction of red tape and a more enlightened view about visa controls and APD. And let’s face it tourism is one of the few sectors that offers real growth prospects for our ailing economy.

Finally, as I look back on my career for the most part with considerable pleasure, I’m mindful of the words of one BTA guru who many years ago remarked ‘Remember that above all tourism is a fun business’.

And so it is, so if you work in it, be thankful!

David Phillips MBE FTS | National Coordinator, British Destinations

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Conference Report: ENTER 2012 Tourism moves ahead with new platforms Helsingborg – the historic port on Sweden’s south west coast which lies a mere 4km from Hamlet’s Castle in Denmark – was this year’s host city in January for nearly 300 delegates from 34 countries at what is now the world’s leading Tourism and IT conference – ENTER. First held in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1994, ENTER performs a unique function by bringing attendees from academia, industry, government and suppliers together in a highly congenial forum to discuss, share and challenge state-of-the-art research and real applications of advanced information and communications technologies relating to travel and tourism – now universally referred to as eTourism.

The 2012 conference theme was “eTourism - Present and Future Services and Applications”. As one who was a speaker in the inaugural 1994 event, I can honestly say that the Internet was not even mentioned!

How times have changed, for the focus this year, rather than on the Internet itself, was almost entirely on social media developments and ever-more sophisticated mobile applications.

One exception was the German National Tourist Board’s new website www.germany.travel which seeks to be a comprehensive single platform for all German travel and tourism-related information.

Described as state of the art by one delegate and undeniably technologically impressive, your correspondent suspects such all things to all men platforms may well be a bridge too far.

According to Justin Reid, the former Head of Digital at VisitBritain, the statistical evidence generally is that visitors to brand websites across all sectors are declining whilst social media continues to rise. It is also obvious to all of us that ownership and usage of smart mobiles and tablets is increasing exponentially.

In line with this, social media and mobile applications effectively ruled the roost at ENTER 2012, not only in the

Destinations and Industry tracks but also in the extensive Research Tracks with some dozen papers on each subject.

The explosion of social media, of which Facebook is only just one example, has however not been matched by the development of usable metrics by which the effectiveness of industry or tourist office social media initiatives can be measured.

Round table discussion in an interesting session on how academia and the industry could work more closely together highlighted the differing timescales that applied to academic and commercial research – the one frustratingly slow and the latter sometimes too rapid for its own good! Key issues include interoperability of mobile platforms and the emergence of so-called Near Field Communications (NFC), a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimetres. NFC is likely to be the ‘next big thing’ with present and anticipated applications including contactless transactions and data exchange.

National Tourist Office inventiveness was

however comprehensively showcased by Nick Hall of the European Travel Commission whose entertaining and informative presentation demonstrated some innovative online campaigns by the Swiss and Icelandic NTOs, inter alia.

The parent body of the ENTER conferences is IFITT, the International Federation of Information Technology in Tourism (www.ifitt.org). UK members have always had a prominent role within both IFITT itself and the ENTER conferences themselves.This year was no exception with not only the irrepressible Dimitrios Buhalis leading the ceremonies as IFITT President and ENTER Conference Co-Chairman but also as head of social arrangements (excellent as always).

Kevin May of TNooz was not only a prominent platform performer but also generously hosted pre-dinner drinks for the Gala Night which featured extremely high quality modern Swedish cuisine.

For 2013 ENTER celebrates its 20th anniversary and the conference is returning to its spiritual home, Innsbruck in the Austrian Tirol - where it all started thanks to the Tirol Tourist Board. For full details see www.ifitt.org.

Gilbert Archdale FTS | ASW Consulting

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Membership News Discussion between the panel and audience at January’s Prospects 2012 event was lively and naturally homed in on the Olympics.

At the end of March we will be holding an event looking specifically at the effect on businesses that holding the Games in London will have – do join us in person or via the live webinar. On Thursday 26th April we will be at the House of Commons for our annual dinner; to book

a place, or reserve a table of 10, please contact Christy on 0207 269 9693 or christy@tourismsociety.org. Information about all our events is at http://bit.ly/wI8K0b.

I am pleased to welcome Nicole Bobb to the Secretariat team. Nicole brings plenty of marketing experience after three years at Dubai Tourism and joins us as Events and Administration Assistant, providing support for Christy on events and also

managing the membership.

The Society has settled into life in central London following the move from Sutton last December and we have already had members dropping in.

If you are in the area do come and say hello.

Gregory Yeoman MTS | Executive Director gregory@tourismsociety.org

From the Executive Committee Our Society comprises individuals who have a professional approach to tourism, and who care enough to join to share in the expertise of others.

Tourism being international, we have become used to gaining new friends and colleagues, and inevitably, with the passing of time, to losing colleagues whom we respect greatly.

We were all shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of our Vice Chairman, Dave Hughes, just before Christmas.

Dave had done so much to bring professionals together, and as TMI President to help steer the integration of the TMI membership into the Tourism Society.

Now, early in the New Year, we have learned that our Chairwoman, Aviva Pearson, has decided that she must resign her position as she is moving to a new job that will require her to be out of the UK for much of the time.

It has lately been announced by TMI that Andrew Bateman, their Vice President, who would have assumed the President’s role at the end of Dave Hughes’ term, will take on the Presidency with immediate effect.

Accordingly he joins the Executive Committee of the Tourism Society, to help guide our progress.

The other members of the Society’s Executive Committee are Alison Cryer, David Curtis-Brignell, and Ken Robinson (all past Chairs) and Mike Jones, our Honorary Treasurer.

The Executive Committee met in January to decide what action to take in respect of the loss of our Chair and Vice Chair.

The appointment of Chairman is the responsibility of the Board.

We concluded, however, that for the interim period from now until our AGM in mid year, we would recommend to the Board that the Executive Committee

should ‘hold the fort’, with each of us being available all the time for Greg to refer to if needed, and that we would meet formally each month to review progress and future plans.

In due course we will as usual be calling for members to stand for election to the Board to help the Tourism Society better serve our members and to help broaden our influence in all areas of tourism and the benefits it can bring.

Wherever you are and whatever your role, please do all you can to play your part in our team.

Andrew Bateman FTS Alison Cryer FTS David Curtis-Brignell FTS Ken Robinson CBE FTS and Mike Jones FTS

Calendar of Events 2012 MARCH 14th Minister’s Question Time, Best of Britain and Ireland, NEC Birmingham 15th Cutting the Legal Red Tape, Best of Britain and Ireland, NEC Birmingham 15th TBIDs: Your questions answered, Best of Britain and Ireland, NEC Birmingham 26th Business Law and Tourism:The legal essentials, London

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28th T.H.E. Careers Day, University of Surrey, Guildford 28th The current impact of the Olympics on trade, Strand Palace Hotel, London APRIL 12th Does recession mean the end of responsibility in tourism?, London 26th Tourism Society Annual Dinner, House of Commons, London

MAY 10th MICE & Business Travel: the UK v. emerging markets, Strand Palace Hotel, London 17th Will there be high street agents in five years’ time?, London 22nd The Green Economy – Is Tourism maximizing its potential?, UCLAN, Whitehaven, Cumbria

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29th UK Crisis Management: How to prepare and react, London JUNE 21st Are all-inclusives good or bad?, London 27th Tourism,Technology and Social Media, London JULY 12th Tourism Society AGM, London

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Membership News Congratulations to ... Fiona Jeffery,Tom Nutley, Mary Rance and Andrew Bateman who have been upgraded to Fellow of the Tourism Society (FTS), and to Jonathan Jones FTS, Director,Tourism and Marketing,Welsh Government on his CBE and Fiona Jeffery FTS, Chair,World Travel Market and Just a Drop on her OBE in the New Year Honours List.

Welcome New Members Avital Biran MTS Ben-Gurion University of the Negev +972 (0)8 6472 776 birana@som.bgu.ac.il www.cs.bgu.ac.il Eleri Jones MTS Cardiff Metropolitan University 02910 416 937 ejones@cardiffmet.ac.uk www3.uwic.ac.

Sue Chater MTS Lilfords Nexus Ltd 0845 190 2147 sue.chtr@blueyonder.co.uk www.lilfords.co.uk

Christopher Njoke Tangwing MTS Heritage Tours Cameroon, Inc. +237 331 90123 gciei2@yahoo.com www.heritagetourscameroon.net Ginny Lancaster MTS Millennium and Copthorne 0207 872 2444 ginny.lancaster@millenniumhotels.co.uk www.millenniumhotels.com Paul Follows MTS Red Carpet Concepts Ltd. 01892 661 532 paul.follows@btinternet.com

Maria Boundy MTS Rosebery School 01372 720 439 mboundy@rosebery.surrey.sc h.uk www.roseberyschool.co.uk David Webb MTS Stratford on Avon District Council 01789 260 900 dave.webb@stratforddc.gov.uk www.stratford.gov.uk Nancy Singleton MTS Stratford-on-Avon District Council 01789 260 803 nancy.singleton@stratforddc.gov.uk www.stratford.gov.uk Saheed Adeniyi Sanusi MTS Streams International Services Limited +234 803 573 1397 streamsinternational@gmail. com

Adrian Greason-Walker MTS Wales Tourism Alliance 01597 823 951 greasoa@ic24.net www.wta.org.

Welcome New Students Joanne Smith Scottish Agricultural College joanne.smith@students.sac.ac. uk www.sac.ac.uk Michelle Cruz Rosa Univeristy of Greenwich michellerosa@hotmail.co.uk www2.gre.ac.uk Pamela Grant London Metropolitan University acquia1963@yahoo.co.uk www.londonmet.ac.uk John Atsu University of Hertfordshire john.atsu@gmail.com www.herts.ac.uk

Katy Hack MTS The National Trust 01793 817 400 katy.hack@nationaltrust. org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk Cat Weaver MTS The National Trust 01793 817 400 catherine.weaver@national trust.org.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk Claire Dinan MTS University of Exeter 01392 722 574 c.dinan@exeter.co.uk www.businessschool.exeter.ac.uk

Michelle Gorman MTS Visit County Durham 03000 261221 michelle.gorman@visitcountydurham.org

Ila Wrightson University of Northampton ila.wrightson1@o2.co.uk www.northampton.ac.uk Johannes Sreter University of Surrey j.sreter@hotmail.de www.surrey.ac.uk Julia Sadok University of Westminster julia.sadok@gmail.com www.westminster.ac.uk

Joanne Connell MTS University of Exeter 01392 722 754 j.j.connell@exeter.co.uk www.businessschool.exeter.ac.uk

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