Month: October 2016
English Destinations Forum 21 November 2016
I am not entirely sure whether all senior/chief officers of English Destination Management Organisations have received the following invitation or, that if they have, whether they have realized the potential importance of attendance at the first of the expanded new style forum meetings. None of my business really but if you fall into either the not contacted, or contacted but wavering about attendance category and now want to attend then do consider contacting Anna (email address below) to discuss it:
31 October 2016
Dear colleague
I would like to invite you to join our second Destinations Forum on 21 November 2016, which will be attended by Tracey Crouch MP, Tourism Minister and Andrew Percy MP, Minister for LEPs.
The meeting will be held at a Westminster venue to be confirmed shortly. The forum will commence at 12pm, and you are welcome to join us from the beginning, or for the LEP part of the day, which begins at 4.20pm and ends with networking drinks from 6-7pm. A detailed agenda will be circulated shortly.
The forum is an opportunity for destination organisations from across England to exchange information on strategic national and local issues related to the visitor economy and to share best practice in partnership working and destination management.
At the forthcoming meeting, we will also explore how destination organisations and LEPs can work together for the benefit of the visitor economy.
We hope you are able to join us – please confirm your attendance by replying to Anna Adrien (anna.adrien@visitengland.org).
Kind regards
Sally Balcombe
Chief Executive, VisitBritain/VisitEngland
New question posted on the British Destination forum
Can you help colleagues with questions about the merits and procurement of touch screen tourism information points?
See the latest question in the drop down menu from the Forum: ask questions get answers tab on BritishDestinations.net or go direct to the question at:
https://britishdestinations.net/need-an-answer/touch-screen-tourist-information-points/
New job vacancy avaialble on British Destinations.net
Head of tourism York c£50k closing 2 November. Details available from the drop down menu under the job vacancies menu tab or go direct to the page at:
Please note the Head of Visit Lincoln offered at c£35k , promoted her on 4 October is still open until 16 Nov. The details available in the drop down menu or go direct to:
https://britishdestinations.net/jobs-vacancies/head-of-visit-lincoln-c35-to-40k-closing-4-nov-16/
More national level research available to members
1. We have added three new reports to the extensive British Destinations’ research and statistics library (as two items). All three have some wider UK utility and can be accessed at:
Trains – The gateway to beyond London? (2016).
2. We have also added the VisitBritain Quarterly trends update (August 2016) and a number of Foresight reports to the VisitBritain page within the protected member’s area. These had been missed due to the VB/VE reorganization late last year and a change to the frequency that the reports are produced and the manner in which they are now promoted. (which we now understand).
3. Foresight is no longer a monthly publication and the simple comprehensive listing of all the past reports within the VB website was lost in a redesign. However, you can still access Foresight edition 120 October 2013 through to the most recently published edition 146, How the world view Britain’s food at:
https://britishdestinations.net/members-area/content/visitbritain-November-2013-latest-edition-of-foresights-and-vb-trend-updates/ . Members email me if you have forgotten the login.
4. Also newly added: edition 145 (Jan 16) Leveraging our culture Brazil, China and Italy, 144 (Dec 15) Britain’s welcome to overseas visitors and 143 (Nov 15) How the world views Britain – 2015.
Agenda Joint Board and Executive Meeting 27 October
An member wishing to access the agenda for the joint Board and Executive meeting being held on 27 October may do so at the meber’s protected page: https://britishdestinations.net/members-area/content/board-and-executive-meetings/
Any member wishing to have items discussed or make comment on those covered in the agenda should email the detail to me.
Airport expansion in South Eastern England
Recent UK Government comment on, and the forthcoming announcements to be made next week regarding airport expansion in the South East of England has already reignited national interest in the issues around UK airport expansion and doubtless local interest may have or will follow, especial in areas potentially impacted by possible developments. Should anyone need some of the more recent and relevant reports and statistics these can be found in the British Destinations research and statistics library at:
Airport Commission’s report: https://britishdestinations.net/1194-2/content/2015-airport-commission-final-report/
Tourism aviation report: https://britishdestinations.net/1194-2/content/tourism-and-aviation-report-2015/
Benefits from air transport report: https://britishdestinations.net/1194-2/content/economic-benefits-from-air-transport-in-the-uk-2014/
The two statistical reports are produced by tourism and specifically aviation industry interests. Other report giving alternative views may be available elsewhere. Differing cases for the two shortlisted and other alternative expansion sites have also been published. If you need these and you can’t locate them yourselves please ask and we will attempt to source them centrally for you.
Free tickets for a tourism event at the NEC
British Destination have been asked to promote the availability of free tickets for an event at the NEC 9th/10th November that destination managers and, in particular, your local partners with Holiday Parks, Visitor Attractions, Camp Sites, and other leisure and tourism ventures might find very useful.
The Holiday Park & Resort Show and Farm Business Innovation is at the NEC offers more than 200 free business seminars and involves 400 suppliers with everything from glamping pods to kite surfing cars to booking systems and website specialists.
I think some of our members and/or your local stakeholders might find real value in attending the show. They can register for free tickets using our unique identifying URL by following link: http://bit.ly/2deNqaT . If it is not too late please consider promoting the event to your own partners.
More on the event:
Holiday Park Innovation (Birmingham NEC, November 9th & 10th) is an award winning expo (Trade Show of the Year, EN Awards 2016), which is the UK’s most targeted show dedicated to the leisure & holiday park industry, whereby site/attraction owners attend for guidance, suppliers and inspiration to really differentiate themselves, grow their business and increase their revenue – and it’s FREE to attend! We are expecting over 3500 visitors this year.
Running alongside is Farm & Country House Business Innovation – attended by farm & country estate owners who have diversified into leisure and tourism ventures including farm park/family attractions, B&Bs and glamping sites, self-catering accommodation, heritage attractions and country house hotels/wedding venues.
With both shows we are expecting over 8500 visitors.
There are 200 seminars and workshops to choose from, all designed to help run a leisure & tourism destination more effectively – Some of our great speakers include Google – ‘Reach New Customers Online’; Bernard Donoghue – CEO of ALVA (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions); A live Panel discussion about ‘Online Reviews’ featuring AirBnB, Booking.com and many more.
There is a huge benefit to tourism businesses of all types to attend as there is so much education at the show to help them be successful!
Please register for your free tickets here!
Changes to senior tourism personnel at DCMS
I am sure colleague will wish to hear the news and then to join with me in congratulating Lise-Anne Boissiere, Head of Tourism, Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy DCMS on her new appointment to lead on Housing Strategy at Department for Communities and Local Government, her old department, which she will re-join in early November.
In her two and a half year’s heading the team at DCMS Lisa-Anne has been instrumental in driving through many major changes within GB/UK and English tourism and also in securing programme funding for both VisitBritain and VisitEngland. The tourism industry has much to thank her for; tourism’s loss is of course DCLG and housing’s gain.
It is to be hoped that Lisa-Anne in her new role will try to take time to engage in resolving some of her former tourism colleagues housing related issues including: social and affordable housing for relatively poorly paid service sector workers in what are usually relatively expensive tourism hot spots, the thorny issues of balancing second and holiday home ownership against local tourism and other worker’s needs in rural and other honey pot tourist locations, addressing some of the difficult, unintended housing impacts of the burgeoning sharing economy, especially within major towns and Cities and looking once more at the implementation of adequate control measures for the very poorest quality Housing in Multiple Occupancy which still manages to blight key areas of some popular coastal resort towns.
Giles Smith currently the Deputy Director responsible for Cyber Security will take over as Head of Tourism, Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy in mid-November. We look forward to developing a strong and mutually beneficial working relationship with him and hopefully to sharing some of our joint experience of and expertise in destination management, tourism and the visitor economy.
Meanwhile on behalf of all the British Destination membership I will write to Lisa-Anne to wish her a fond farewell and all the best of good fortune in her new role.
New report on DMOs added to the research and statistics library
An excellent report entitled The tourism landscape – DMO 2016 has been added to the British Destinations research and statistics library.
The study conducted by TEAM Tourism Consulting compares and contrasts the information provided by 39 DMOs who voluntarily completed a detailed online survey. It contains some really useful facts and figure for anyone thinking about the national DMO’s architecture or pondering issues around individual DMO structures and performance (including their own?).
The summary at pages 1 to 4 is worth reading regardless of your direct interest in the subject whilst there are lots of really useful detail elsewhere in the reports for those who have a more direct interest in how differing DMOs operate and perform in different circumstances. At only 19 page in total it not a difficult or overly time consuming read:
https://britishdestinations.net/1194-2/content/the-state-of-tourism-dmo-2016-2016/
Or see it and the full library of 100 plus reports at:
New question posted on the member’s forum.
A colleague is seeking recommendations for translation services for tourism materials. Can you help with recommendations and contacts?
More under the, “Forum: ask questions get answers”, main menu tab or go direct to the question page at:
https://britishdestinations.net/need-an-answer/translation-services/
British Destinations