The Image and Identity of Valkenburg

Transcription

1 The Image and Identity of Valkenburg Bart Stevens International Tourism Management & Consultancy NHTV, University of Applied Sciences Breda 13 December

2 The image and identity of Valkenburg Author: Bart (Jan Willem) Stevens Student code: Student at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences ITMC International Tourism Management and Consultancy bachelor degree program Breda I hereby declare that this thesis is wholly the work of Bart Stevens. Any other contributors or sources have either been referenced in the prescribed manner or are listed in the acknowledgements together with the nature and the scope of their contribution.... 2

3 Acknowledgements This thesis is the end result of my study International Tourism Management & Consultancy. I always had an interest in travelling around the world, getting familiar with other people and cultures, as well as nature. This naturally resulted in a study that complemented this desire to explore. During my studies I have learned a great deal about the world, although there is of course endless more to discover! After my ITMC program I decided to take part in the minor entrepreneurship, since my other dream is to start up my own business in the future. For this minor I and my companion came up with a concept related to a combination of an active life style and a burgundian lifestyle. Our company would have been ideally located in Valkenburg; this resulted in my interest for the city. It has a great name in the Netherlands, and is known among all generations. After careful consideration I decided to conduct an identity and image research of Valkenburg, in order to learn more about the tourism industry, and to see how it is perceived by others. During the research I have had help from different people in order to make it a success. First of all I would like to thank my supervisor from the NHTV, Geurt Drost, who helped me by guiding me through the thesis and giving advice on how to improve my research setup. Furthermore I would like to thank Albert van Schendel who helped me get familiar with the theories and practice of image an identity, as well as conducting primary research and of course his own experience with research in Valkenburg. Secondly I would like to thank John Wauben, from the municipality of Valkenburg, who helped me by providing data and reports about the city s industry, marketing and future plans. He also helped me by distributing the questionnaires among the residents, which saved me a lot of time and hassle. Furthermore I would like to thank all the interviewees, Tanya Reinards from Landal Green Parks, Bart Kurris from Holland Casino, Nicole Schurgers from the VVV Zuid-Limburg, Ilja Castermans-Godfried from the province of Limburg and Goof Lukken from the NHTV. Lastly I would of course like to thank all the people that have filled in (and distributed) my questionnaires, both residents and tourists. Without them this research could not have taken place, and I am grateful for the time they took to help me. This also counts for the people that I have spoken to in Valkenburg itself, to find out more about the city and its image, this includes entrepreneurs, residents and tourists that I came across while visiting the city. I hope you will enjoy reading this report. Yours sincerely, Bart Stevens Terheijden, December

4 Executive summary Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality in the south of Limburg. It has had a long history with tourism and had its high times about years ago. It is a phenomenon in the Netherlands. However the city seems to be in decline over the past years, due to a lack of developments and innovation. As we speak developments are taking place in order to restructure and renovate the city centre, however this is not enough in order to bring the destination back to the top. An image and identity study could be of great importance in order to create a stronger competitive identity and brand for the city. This report comprehends this research on the image and identity of Valkenburg. Research goal To gain a clear and detailed insight into how the Dutch tourists, residents and stakeholders of Valkenburg perceive the city as a tourism destination and a place to live in, in order to give recommendations to the municipality of Valkenburg on how optimize their Competitive Identity. Research questions What are the identity and image of the city of Valkenburg? 1. What is place branding? 2. What are image, identity and gaps, and why are those important for tourism development? 3. What is Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 4. What is the (actual/ desired) identity of the city (municipality)? 5. How do stakeholders see Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 6. How do Dutch tourists see Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 7. How do locals see Valkenburg as a place to live? 8. How do these images complement/ conflict with each other, where are the gaps? 9. What recommendations can be made to improve the city s Competitive Identity? Methodology The research has been conducted via primary and secondary research. The secondary research comprises the literature reviewed as well as the destination analysis. The theories used in order to illustrate the outcomes are the Gap-analysis from Jaap van der Grinten (2010), which divides the identity in the desired identity pursued, the actual identity perceived and the physical identity displayed, these are the perspectives of the municipality and the stakeholders of the city. After that the image is researched from two other perspectives, namely the residents and Dutch tourists. The model from Jaap van der Grinten takes the identity and the image, and reveals the gaps in between. These gaps are used in order to come up with the recommendations for the municipality and other stakeholders. They are illustrated by means of the Competitive Identity Hexagon of Simon Anholt (2002). This model divides the Competitive identity in six different areas, namely tourism, brands, policy, investment, culture and people. This primary research has been conducted both quantitative and qualitative, namely self-completion questionnaires and semi-structured interviews respectively. The original research method (conducting questionnaires in the city itself) had to be complemented with an online questionnaire, due to time 4

5 limitations and the low number of respondents in the city itself (the research has been conducted in the fall of 2012). The quantitative research provides the opportunity to base recommendations on the statistics derived from the research, the qualitative research complements this due to its nature which allows for deeper research that reveals underlying motivations, ideas and perceptions. The primary research has been processed by means of SPSS, a program which processes and analyzes statistical data. Conclusions and recommendations The overall image of Valkenburg as perceived by the Dutch tourists and residents is relatively good, the tourists grading the city with a 7.4 on average, while the residents graded the city with a 7.5 on average. However the research has shown that there are gaps between the desired identity, actual identity, physical identity and image. It is important for the municipality and stakeholders of Valkenburg to align the various visions in order to strengthen the identity. Valkenburg at the moment is stagnating and in need for renewal, as acknowledged by stakeholders, residents and tourists. The recommendations made by the author were based on the primary and secondary research conducted. It is illustrated by means of the CI Hexagon, which incorporates the six different channels through which a strong identity is formed. The most important recommendations can be found below. - The key throughout all recommendations made is good communication, between stakeholders, between municipality and its residents and of course the promotion towards tourists. It is vital for the city to create a healthy atmosphere where there is a sense of belonging and unity among all parties. In this way higher goals can be achieved, and the identity will be strengthened. Communication should be clear, detailed and aligned with the desired identity. - Active residency should be encouraged and the municipality should listen to the needs and opinions of its residents. Of course not everything can be taken into account, but residents are the true ambassadors of the city, and should feel comfortable with the vision of the municipality. Furthermore it is important to offer possibilities for the residents during events, in order to minimize the problems. - It is important to align the various channels of promotion in order not to create confusion among stakeholders, tourists and residents. It is important that they understand what is happening, why this is, and how they could benefit from this. - The new Wellness theme and its sub areas, culinary, sports, culture and Christmas should be the red line for the promotion, investment, development and the cityscape in the near future. It should all be aligned. - Nature is regarded a top priority (marl caves being the unique selling point of Valkenburg) and should be well managed and maintained. This should also be used in the promotion. Furthermore the city centre is much appreciated by both tourist and resident. - It is important for the city to incorporate the surroundings and other villages in the municipality in order to stimulate that sense of unity, and to have those areas profit from the 5

6 tourism industry as well. Furthermore developments should also take place in those areas, not only in the city centre. - Parking is a major issue in the city, mainly during events. A large parking place outside the urban area could provide a solution to this problem. Furthermore it might be interesting to offer parking passes to residents that are having visitors over. - Investment, innovation and young talent should be encouraged and stimulated in order to create a healthy business environment and creative atmosphere in the city. Loosening legislation and bureaucracy could be an option in order to minimize the difficulties. - Road safety should be up to standards for the elderly and children in particular. Crossovers at school areas, and special cycling free zones could be options in order to improve the safety. - Young people and children should be stimulated by offering activities and possibilities for them to enjoy the city, in order to keep them from migrating elsewhere. - A good price/ quality ratio should be cherished after the current developments. Valkenburg should still be affordable for the average Joe, since those tourists have always been and probably will be the main tourism market. - The RECRON campaign is an interesting modern day look at tourism markets. A research for Valkenburg in particular might be interesting for future marketing purposes, use of promotion channels and better product-market combinations. 6

7 Table of Contents Acknowledgements... 3 Executive summary... 4 Introduction The Research Proposal Background analysis Valkenburg Place branding Why? The set-up Research problem Research goal Research questions Methodology Research design, strategy and methods Sampling Limitations and boundaries Relevance Structure Literature Review Image Place branding Competitive identity The Hexagon of competitive identity (CI) The Gap analysis The Identity The Image

8 2.5.3 The Gap analysis How to measure the image? The stakeholders of Valkenburg The residents of Valkenburg The tourists of Valkenburg Conclusions Valkenburg, the destination The History Tourism Demand The overnight stays The markets Length of stay Expenditure Tourism Supply Destination mix SWOT Analysis The Broad Context Model (Weaver) Tourism Impact Studies Economic impacts Socio-cultural impacts Environmental impacts Tourism Planning & Development The Stakeholders Destination life cycle Future development The Primary Research The Identity

9 4.1.1 The desired identity (or desired image) The actual identity The physical identity The Image The tourists The residents The gaps Desired identity Actual identity Desired identity Physical identity Desired identity Image Recommendations Tourism Brands Policy Investment Culture People Bibliography Appendices Notes from the interviews Questionnaires Questionnaire residents Valkenburg Questionnaire tourists Valkenburg Map of Valkenburg Inhabitants of Valkenburg aan de Geul Tourism demand Valkenburg Broad Context Model

10 7.7 Tourism impacts on the local economy of Valkenburg Destination Life Cycle model SPSS Output Questionnaires The tourists The residents

11 Introduction This thesis has been an initiative of the author himself. The municipality has been consulted whether they would be interested in such a research, and they were. This thesis is therefore written in order to be of assistance to the municipality and other stakeholders of Valkenburg. It appeared that no such a research has been done for Valkenburg in particular and therefore it could be of importance for the city in order to improve its competitive identity, or place brand. The report researches the identity and image of Valkenburg aan de Geul in the south of Limburg. Several perspectives are used in order to create a better overview and provide recommendations to the city to improve itself. 1. The municipality and other stakeholders 2. The Dutch tourists 3. The residents of Valkenburg The main research goal is: To gain a clear and detailed insight into how the Dutch tourists, residents and stakeholders of Valkenburg perceive the city as a tourism destination and a place to live in, in order to give recommendations to the municipality of Valkenburg on how optimize their Competitive Identity. The report starts with a review of the literature that has been written on the matter, in order to lay the foundation for further research. After that the destination of Valkenburg has been analyzed (secondary research) in order to create an overview of its tourism industry. The report continues with the primary research conducted, which is divided in the desired identity, the actual identity as it is now, the physical identity displayed and the image. The gaps that appeared between the desired identity and the others are the foundation for the recommendations made. The primary research has been done via interviews and questionnaires among stakeholders, residents and Dutch tourists. The research is limited to Dutch tourists, which have visited the city and therefore know what it is like. Furthermore due to the width of the research, it does not go that deep into one perspective. It does provide a good overview on the three different perspectives. Future research might want to focus on one perspective in order to reveal more detailed information and statistics. In the appendices one will find the numbers and figures that contribute to the report. 11

12 1. The Research Proposal 1.1 Background analysis Valkenburg Valkenburg is the cycling capital of the Netherlands and famous for its races, routes, nature and history. It has always been a popular tourist destination. It is popular among cyclists and other tourists that enjoy the scenery and activities/ events that take place in and around the city. Even in the winter season it is popular thanks to the Christmas markets and the relatively new Red Bull Crashed Ice event. Valkenburg has a lot to offer, it is located in a unique area of the Netherlands, where it is not as flat as in the rest of the country. It is a very quiet and green area and therefore offers nature, rest and beautiful landscapes. Furthermore the city offers a lively food & beverage sector which is especially popular in the spring and summer seasons, when the weather is relatively good. Valkenburg also has a lot of historical buildings and caves, which are exploited for tourism and leisure purposes as well, for example the cave mountain biking and visits to the old castle (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). The city is promoted mainly by means of its cycling events, the nature, history and cosy city centre. Since Valkenburg has been a very popular destination in the Netherlands for a very long time, the city seems to have an old image, referring to elderly people or families. But is this really true? So far no specific research has been done on the image and identity of Valkenburg. Nowadays the importance for cities to brand themselves is increasing. This in order to attract people to live there, to visit the city and of course people and companies to invest in the city. It is a relatively new study called place branding, and is getting more popular especially in bigger cities in the world. Below one will find a description of the concept of place branding Place branding To understand the term place branding (or destination branding) one must first go back to the roots of this new field, the brand. What is a brand? The following description has been given by Kapferer (1997): A brand is an impression perceived in a client s mind of a product or a service. It is the sum of all tangible and intangible elements, which makes the selection unique. A brand is not only a symbol that separates one product from others, but it is all the attributes that come to the consumer s mind when he or she thinks about the brand. Such attributes are the tangible, intangible, psychological and sociological features related to the product. (Kapferer, 1997 How to brand Nations, Cities and Destinations, p6) A brand is not created but exists in the consumer s mind. Furthermore there are three important concepts related to a brand; identity, image and communication. The identity of the brand is created by the sender (the company/ destination), the image is constructed by the receiver (consumers). The difference between the two is that the sender has an identity that he or she wishes to pursue, while the image as perceived by the receiver is the reality of how the brand is seen. Therefore it is essential for the sender to communicate the right values and messages in order to reach its desired identity 12

13 (Moilanen and Rainisto, 2009). In addition to organizations, places can also be brands. Simon Anholt defines place branding in his book Competitive Identity (2007): Place branding is the management of place image through strategic innovation and coordinated economic, commercial, social, cultural and government policy. Competitive identity (CI) is the term to describe the synthesis of brand management with public diplomacy and with trade, investments, tourism and export promotion. Due to the globalisation, competition between places has gone global. People can travel the world fairly easier than before and therefore it is important for places to create strong identities and brands. A strong place brand/ identity could be of great benefits for a city or country since it influences many sectors. The competition between places is not merely for tourists, it also entails residents, workforce, investors and business. Research has shown that a strong brand/ identity backed up with a professional campaign attracts more business, investments, a skilful workforce, inhabitants and visitors to the area (Moilanen and Rainisto, 2009). Due to the fierce competition it is important to promote the uniqueness of the place, to attract others by means of culture, environment, social development, the atmosphere and image related to the place. As Moilanen and Rainisto (2009) point out it is essential to have coordination, integration and cooperation of all factors and stakeholders. It is vital to build strong private-public partnerships, ensure a strong identity and use it, ensure financial resources for the future and connect with the interest groups (tourists, residents, stakeholders). Hankinson (2007) proposes that for destinations to succeed they need to demonstrate strong visionary and effective leadership; a brand-orientated organizational culture where the brand is built internally from senior management down and is embedded across the organization; effective internal coordination; consistent communication; and strong compatible partnership structures (Morgan, Pritchard and Pride, 2011). It is vital for the destination to align the various aspects of place branding and all stakeholders should share the identity pursued. The key to success is cooperation and alignment. A strong destination brand should: - Attract business and investments - Promote the goals of the tourism industry - Promote public diplomacy - Support the interest of exporting industries - Strengthen the identity and increase self-respect (Moilanen and Rainisto, 2009) Why? Why is an image research of importance for Valkenburg? According to the author s information, so far no recent research has been done on the identity and image of Valkenburg and this is therefore a perfect opportunity to do so, and hopefully create a better understanding of the destination and see how to improve and optimize their policies, developments and marketing efforts. Image and identity is increasing in popularity among customers but also investors, therefore a clear 13

14 and detailed report could increase the interest of investors and tourists that are interested in Valkenburg. Furthermore it is important for the city to know and understand its image in order to develop a matching strategy which will result in better outcomes for the future. It is a long term commitment and process which could improve the image and financial benefits for the city. It is important to understand and monitor the image and know what affects it. Furthermore through collaboration between the civilians, private sector and municipality better strategies, complementing the desired identity, could be developed. Lastly the government can ensure that the city keeps on providing and developing new products, services, policies and initiatives to maintain the image and prove the public that they earn that image. After all, a city with a good image will find everything going smoothly. However a city with a bad image will have to work twice as hard in order to gain the same results. (Simon Anholt, 2010) The positive place identity could be a sustainable competitive advantage. It is generally based on either core competencies or unique resources that are difficult to imitate by others. This could involve the local nature or culture, the physical assets, history or other expressions (e.g. art, design). On the other hand a competitive advantage could be gained from the competencies such as the capabilities of the host community, services, organization of the civil life, education, work ethic or knowledge within the community (Robert Govers & Frank Co, 2009). For Valkenburg this could mean the popular events that are taking place, particular traditions of the area or the cycling-culture. Lastly, as becomes clear in the text above, the residents of Valkenburg play an important role in the forming of the identity of the city. It is therefore of importance that the residents share the identity that the city wishes to have, as well as support it. Therefore this research will also include the level of satisfaction that residents have on Valkenburg, as a place to live. After all, they are the ambassadors of the city who could make or break the image. 14

15 1.2 The set-up Research problem After the previous analysis and having talked with the municipality it became clear that there is a need for an image and identity research of Valkenburg. The municipality will start working on its new city marketing plan in the end of 2012, and an image and identity research could be of great importance for their decisions in the future. No such research has been done recently for Valkenburg in particular, only for the south of Limburg in general. Due to the large differences between the places within the south of Limburg, a specific research on Valkenburg could lead to more useful and promising outcomes than the previous mentioned research on the south of Limburg Research goal To gain a clear and detailed insight into how the Dutch tourists, residents and stakeholders of Valkenburg perceive the city as a tourism destination and a place to live in, in order to give recommendations to the municipality of Valkenburg on how optimize their Competitive Identity Research questions What are the identity and image of the city of Valkenburg? 1. What is place branding? 2. What are image, identity and gaps, and why are those important for tourism development? 3. What is Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 4. What is the (actual/ desired) identity of the city (municipality)? 5. How do stakeholders see Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 6. How do Dutch tourists see Valkenburg as a tourism destination? 7. How do locals see Valkenburg as a place to live? 8. How do these images complement/ conflict with each other, where are the gaps? 9. What recommendations can be made to improve the city s Competitive Identity? Methodology Secondary research The study of image and identity is relatively new and therefore there are many authors still debating and discussing the various elements. There are various opinions on what the definition is and what elements and aspects should be included or excluded. It is important to review all the literature and find common ground in order to lay a solid foundation for the primary research. The chapter Literature Review will discuss this, and will provide a basis for the primary research. Furthermore secondary research has been done on the destination of Valkenburg itself. In this way the author could write a destination analysis which is of great importance to understand and comprehend the current and past situation of the city, as well as the future developments. It also entails the marketing efforts, stakeholders and tourism markets. The numbers and figures provide a clearer picture of the tourism industry. 15

16 Primary research The primary research will be divided in three different parts. The first part of the primary research is the semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders of Valkenburg, as defined by the municipality. The main stakeholders will be interviewed in order to understand the cooperation between those stakeholders, and to understand their beliefs and drive to succeed as a destination. Secondly a questionnaire will be conducted among the Dutch tourists to research the image they have of the city as a tourism destination. In addition to this, several tourists will be interviewed (semistructured) in order to reveal the underlying motives and create a better understanding of their view. Thirdly a questionnaire will be conducted among the residents of Valkenburg, to research the image they have of the city as a place to live. Again, several residents will be interviewed (semi-structured) in order to create a better understanding of their view, and reveal underlying motives. A more detailed description and explanation of how these interviews and questionnaires will be conducted can be found in the subchapter How to Measure? Research design, strategy and methods The research design of the thesis is a cross-sectional one, which implies that the research is conducted on more than one case at a single point in time. The quantitative data allows making connections between variables and detecting patterns of association between the variables. In order to reach the best result possible a mixed methods research strategy is used. This means that a quantitative research will be conducted as well as a qualitative research. The quantitative research will be held among the tourists and residents of Valkenburg, since large numbers of respondents are desired in order to have a better representation of the total population. In addition to this quantitative research, qualitative research will be held among tourists and residents as well, in order to back up the information gathered from the quantitative data and to go deeper into the motives and experiences of the answers. On the other hand the qualitative research will be done among the stakeholders of Valkenburg, in order to establish their views on Valkenburg and the identity they wish to pursue. The method used for quantitative research is a self-completion questionnaire. This type of questionnaire allows for larger number of respondents and the possibility to find patterns and links between certain factors and answers. The questionnaire will be distributed in person, in the city of Valkenburg. Furthermore the questionnaire will be distributed and offered on the internet, on the website of Thesis Tools. This will increase the number of respondents and allows for more respondents to take part in the research. The questionnaire will consist of closed questions and a horizontal format has been chosen in order not to create the disillusion of a longer questionnaire than it really is. The horizontal format will be done via the Likert Scale. This format mentions a statement to which respondents can answer varying from for example Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1). The Likert scale and use of closed questions provide the advantage of pre-coding the data. The number 5 stands for Strongly Agree, while number 1 stands for Strongly Disagree. Residents will be asked to write down in words what they find good or bad in the city, while on the other hand tourists 16

17 will be asked what they first think of when hearing the name Valkenburg, before starting the questionnaire. The method used for qualitative research is a semi-structured interview. A semi-structured interview allows for two-way communication between the interviewee and interviewer. It is more open-minded and could generate more and better outcomes for the interviewer in order to obtain relevant and important information. (Social Research Methods, 2008) In order to find the underlying motives and experiences of the residents and tourists, interviews will be held among them. This will generate more valuable information and could reveal several elements that are not possible to reveal with a questionnaire. Since the stakeholders will be interviewed about their views of the identity of Valkenburg, it is important not to guide them too much into a specific direction. Therefore a semi-structured interview is a great method of obtaining the answers needed for this research. Open questions will be asked in order not to set any borders and/ or limitations for the interviewee Sampling For this thesis a random sampling method will be used. This type of non-probability sampling does not provide a very representative way of doing research; however it does generate large amounts of respondents and is used commonly in research nowadays. Since it is difficult to have a representative probability sampling due to time limitations, a random sampling is favoured for this thesis. The sample size has been calculated according to the survey software of Creative Research Systems (Surveysystem.com, 2012). To determine the sample size there are several factors to bear in mind. The confidence interval (also called margin of error) is the plus-or-minus figure usually reported in newspaper or television opinion poll results. For example, if you use a confidence interval of 4 and 47% percent of your sample picks an answer you can be "sure" that if you had asked the question of the entire relevant population between 43% (47-4) and 51% (47+4) would have picked that answer. The confidence level tells you how sure you can be. It is expressed as a percentage and represents how often the true percentage of the population who would pick an answer lies within the confidence interval. The 95% confidence level means you can be 95% certain; the 99% confidence level means you can be 99% certain. Most researchers use the 95% confidence level. When you put the confidence level and the confidence interval together, you can say that you are 95% sure that the true percentage of the population is between 43% and 51%. The wider the confidence interval you are willing to accept, the more certain you can be that the whole population answers would be within that range. For example, if you asked a sample of 1000 people in a city which brand of cola they preferred, and 60% said Brand A, you can be very certain that between 40 and 80% of all the people in the city actually do prefer that brand, but you cannot be so sure that between 59 and 61% of the people in the city prefer the brand. (Creative Research Systems, 2012) For the image research of Valkenburg the confidence interval has been set at 95%. 17

18 According to the Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS), the population of Valkenburg in 2012 is , comprising of people under 20 years, people between 20 and 65 years and above 65 years. This means that the sample size for the questionnaire among the residents would be as follow: Population: Confidence level: 95% Confidence interval: 6.64 Sample size: 215 According to the municipality of Valkenburg, the total amounts of nights spent there in 2011 are roughly nights. The sample size for the tourists of Valkenburg would be as follow: Population: Confidence level: 95% Confidence interval: 8.84 Sample size: 123 In addition to the questionnaires, tourists and residents will be interviewed in order to give substance to the questionnaires, and reveal underlying motives and better understanding of their images Limitations and boundaries The research has some limitations due to the method of research. The questionnaires and interviews with the tourists will be held in the city, as well as online via an online questionnaire. The tourists asked are Dutch tourists that visited or are visiting Valkenburg and therefore know the city. This does not include tourists that have never been to Valkenburg. This research will therefore reveal the image of tourists that have visited Valkenburg. This does not mean that it is not important but it does limit the outcomes of the research. A future research could include these other target markets in order to get a better understanding and see whether there are differences. The residents of Valkenburg are reached by means of via the municipality of Valkenburg, as well as an online questionnaire. Furthermore the author has reached respondents by visiting Valkenburg and asking people on the street or at their house. The sampling method is not the most representative one, but nevertheless will provide important outcomes. The research will give an insight in the image that tourists and residents have of Valkenburg. Due to the large size of the research, the analysis goes not that deep if one would focus on one market, however it does provide a good overview and insight in the perceptions. Furthermore the research will be held at a single point in time, which will not show the differences between certain periods of time (or seasons). A future research could investigate whether there are differences. The research will consist mainly of quantitative research (questionnaires), with qualitative (interviews) research to back this up. A future research might want to focus on qualitative research in order to create a deeper understanding of the image. However this quantitative research could be of great importance since patterns and conclusions could be found in the quantitative data. 18

19 Lastly it might be interesting to research the foreign tourist markets, in order to see what attracts them to Valkenburg, and how they perceive the city Relevance The need for a strong identity is vital for the city in order to succeed in the future. A good cooperation and clear direction for all stakeholders will improve their efforts and provides a guideline for their operations. According to the author s information, so far no such research has been done for the city of Valkenburg, merely for the entire south of Limburg, which also includes for example Maastricht, which is completely different than Valkenburg as a destination. Secondly the municipality will start working on their new city marketing plan in the end of 2012, and they could certainly use an image and identity research to form the basis of their new marketing plan. This research could confirm or disprove some of their ideas and beliefs for their vision in the near future. If needed, they could still adjust the plan and efforts in order to succeed in achieving their desired identity. Of course the research will also provide an insight in how the tourist and residents see Valkenburg as a tourism destination, and a place to live. The municipality could then take actions in order to change this, if necessary. On the other hand they also know what is appreciated, and what they should definitely continue to do Structure 19

20 2. Literature Review In this chapter various theories and frameworks related to the concept of image, identity and place branding will be reviewed in order to lay a foundation for the further research. 2.1 Image Images are formed by each individual, and each individual absorbs its own influences in order to form that image. These influences all affect the formation of the image and will result in different images for every individual (Kim and Morrison, 2005). These differences relate to the elements that compose the image (Gartner, 1993). - Cognitive (internally accepted picture of the destination) awareness, familiarity, associations - Affective (motives what is to be obtained from the destination) feelings, emotions - Conative (actions and behaviour after cognitive and affective evaluations) tendency of certain behaviour The image concept assumes that if an individual has adequate knowledge of a destination together with positive emotions and judgements towards it, he, or she is willing to choose it (as well as related products) from others. (Florek and Zyminkowski, 2002 Mega Event = Mega Impact?, p203) This could result in repeat visits, a stronger attachment to the destination and positive word-of-mouth promotion to the outside world. It is therefore vital for a destination to obtain a positive and strong identity/ image. The formation of the image changes over time and is influenced by several actors. There are three major steps in how the image is formed (Gunn, 1972); - Organic image; formed by independent information delivered by non tourist sources such as the media and word-of-mouth. - Induced image; formed by promoted information such as campaigns, advertisements, travel agencies etc. - Modified-induced image; formed by the personal experience of the destination. The attempt to modify or change the image is referred to as place branding, which will be elaborated on in the subchapter below. This thesis will focus on tourists that are visiting or visited Valkenburg and the thesis is therefore limited due to the exclusion of potential and non visitors. 2.2 Place branding First of all it is important to compare the branding of corporations and cities or nations. Could this be done in the same way? Or are there so many differences that make it a totally different field of work? 20

21 It is a topic widely discussed in the research world and some even say that it might not be ready yet to state a universally accepted theory on the matter (Ashworth and Kavaratzis, 2010). Place branding should not be seen as corporate branding, but it is definitely based on corporate branding. Branding corporations certainly entails several common elements and lessons to learn when it comes to place branding. However, places should not be seen as corporations. The complexity of cities or nations is way more difficult to pin down since many factors are present, which are not in case of a corporation (Anholt, 2002). One could think of the many stakeholders involved, including residents and investors. Furthermore cities have to take into account that they have a social responsibility, they have to ensure good facilities, education, healthcare, business opportunities etc. Also the fact that there are so many stakeholders to bear in mind, it is difficult to create a single and clear identity for all of them (Ashworth, 2006). Kavaratzis (2008) stated two relevant arguments: First, that place branding is not about telling the world that our place is good; instead it is about making our place good and letting the world know that we are trying. Secondly, that place branding does help improve a place s image but this improvement is always based on wide interventions that call the brand to mind rather on promotion alone. (Kavaratzis, Towards Effective Place Brand Management, p38) Thus it is important to understand that place branding is not just about communications to the outer world. Simon Anholt (2008) also stated that it is not about communications but about policy change. It is about actions rather than words. Everything should be done according to the strategy and desired identity of the city. It is important to link the different stakeholders and build strong partnerships and thrust in the desired identity and strategy of the city. This also counts for communications, since these have to be consistent and aligned with the identity that the city wishes to pursue. The product offering, as well as the planning and design interventions or infrastructure development should all reflect the identity (Ashworth and Kavaratzis, 2004). This is exactly what makes place branding different from corporate branding. It asks for a different approach. Ashworth and Kavaratzis have extensively researched the various frameworks and models of corporate branding and reviewed them in order to find common elements. First of all it is important to know the reasons for this relatively new study. Hulberg (2006) summarized these three main reasons. - Differentiation; separating oneself from others in an environment where consumers might be confused about the differences in product offering - Transparency; the external audience can see who s behind the brand, what their beliefs and values are, what they stand for and what policy they have - Cost reduction; having one corporate brand would reduce costs since the corporation does not have to promote several single brands There are many more models that were reviewed by the previous mentioned authors, but for this report the author will introduce one more recent concept, to illustrate the idea of what the principles of corporate branding are. 21

22 The 6 C s of Corporate Marketing (Balmer and Greyser, 2006) - Character; tangible and intangible assets, markets, philosophy, what we are - Culture; collective feeling (internal), beliefs and assumptions, what we feel we are - Communication; Channels of communication with customers and others, word-of-mouth, media, what we say we are - Conceptualisations; perception of the brand as seen by customers and stakeholders, what we are seen to be - Constituencies; meeting the wants and demands of the various stakeholders, customers, whom we seek to serve - Covenant; the promise made by the corporate brand, which leads to expectations, what is promised by us and expected from us Below one will find an example of a framework for place branding. There are several others which have been reviewed but in the author s opinion the following place branding toolkit entails important elements which will come back later. Place Branding Toolkit (Trueman and Cornelius, 2006) The 5 P s - Presence; iconic symbols, ordered and multi-layered identity (that caters for the various stakeholders), visibility (visual presence) - Purpose; distinct boundaries, brand ownership (civic pride), multi-cultural society (for regeneration and new ideas), clear communication channels (reinforcement of cohesion of the messages sent) - Pace; public-private partnerships (unity, balance and releases tensions) - Personality; the emotional landscape (the feeling) - Power; social purpose and empowerment (reinforcement of brand presence and thrust) The place branding frameworks have been compared to the lessons learned from the corporate branding frameworks in order to find common ground and come up with a comprehensive place branding framework (Kavaratzis, 2010). - Vision and Strategy; the city needs a vision for the future, and a clear strategy in order to realise that vision - Internal Culture; the need for unity within the city and its employees. There needs to be feedback, understanding and support - External Culture; the activation of local communities (residents, entrepreneurs, interest groups) by means of listening to their needs and involve them in the strategy and brand delivery 22

23 - Partnerships; to find common ground between stakeholders within the city and outside of the city - Infrastructure; for the city to function as a place to live, work, visit and invest in - Alignment; alignment of the brand to the natural and built environment (cityscape, gateways) - Opportunities; for people (employment, education, services, leisure, lifestyle etc.) / for companies (tax incentives, labour conditions etc.) - Communication; creative and effective brand communications which are consistent The elements mentioned above should be seen as substantial, strategically informed, symbolic actions (Anholt, 2008). It are the actions of the city that need to prove that they are the identity that they pursue, or are at least trying to be. Lastly it is important to understand that corporate branding and place branding are not the same. However they are linked to each other and place brand managers could learn valuable lessons for their own frameworks. There are several common elements as can be seen above, but place branding is much more complex, which makes it more difficult to pin down. The key to success is unity and partnerships which are aligned with the desired identity. The idea behind place branding is to make a place better for its residents and its visitors (Hildreth, 2010). 2.3 Competitive identity Nowadays the images of corporations and cities or nations are becoming more popular and important in order to create a better understanding and connection with the stakeholders/ residents/ tourists. The relationships between each other are more important and valued highly. Therefore it would be a very useful report for both the municipality and investors. It will provide a good overview of the image, the identity and the potential for the future. To know and understand the image and identity of the city is of importance in order to improve one s image by means of place branding, or as Simon Anholt prefers to call it competitive identity. Place branding is not just about logos and slogans, it is more than just marketing and promoting (Simon Anholt, 2010). It is important to understand that place branding is more than just communicating to your stakeholders and tourists, one has to live up to the identity that one wishes to have. The strategy and policies of the municipality have to be altered to this image. The notion of brand purpose is critical: the idea that uniting groups of people around a common strategic vision can create a powerful dynamic progress, and that brand management is first and foremost an internal project. (Simon Anholt, 2010 Places, p12) The detailed description and analysis of the image and identity of a city will be vital for the municipality, the civil society and the tourists. If one understands the image and the strategy, one is more likely to put more effort into it, and come up with better ideas to sustain this image. Policies can be adjusted to the image/ identity, for example economic investments, developments and campaigns. On the other hand, tourists can relate to the image and might be attracted to it. 23

24 It is important to understand that the process of improving an image is a long one, and that a better image cannot be constructed or invented, it can only be earned (Simon Anholt, 2010). By means of collaboration between the civilians, the municipality and the private sector within the city, one could follow a certain strategy that fits the image of the city. This strategy would then include new developments, projects and investments which could lead to an improved image. In this way the city earns its image by displaying the values and aspects that it wishes to pursue. This process or strategy is a long term one rather than for example the short term marketing campaigns (e.g. a tourism campaign) for the city. Marketing efforts will probably increase the financial income for that particular sector but will have little or no effect at all on the image of the city (Simon Anholt, 2010). 2.4 The Hexagon of competitive identity (CI) Simon Anholt created the hexagon of CI in 2002 and nowadays it is a widely accepted model that shows the different channels that form the images of destinations (Morgan; Pritchard; Pride; Hildreth, 2011). Below one will find the explanation of the model: 1. Tourism promotion activity, as well as the people s first-hand experience of visiting the country as tourists or business travellers. Often the loudest voices in branding the region or nation, as tourist boards usually have the biggest budgets and the most competent marketers. 2. Exported products and services, which act as powerful ambassadors for each country and region, but only where their place of origin is explicit. 3. Policy decisions of the region s government, both foreign and domestic, which affects us or gets reported in the media. There is an increasing closeness between the policy-makers and the international media. 4. Business audiences, the way the region or country solicits inward investment, recruitment of foreign talent, and expansion into the country or region by foreign companies. 5. Cultural exchange and activities and exports: world tour by a national opera company, the works of a famous author, and the national sports team. 6. The people themselves: the high-profile leaders and media and sport stars, as well as the population in general; how they behave when abroad and how they treat visitors to their countries or regions. (Simon Anholt, 2002) 24

25 The model shows the six different channels of communication that form the competitive identity of the destination. Once again it becomes clear that there should be harmony and professional coordination between the channels in order to create a strong identity to the outside world. The identity is formed by various channels that should all work together to find a common goal or achieve a common vision. It is important to cooperate together and coordinate the communications to the outside world in order to be successful. The importance of a strong identity is strengthened by the globalization of the world. People have do not have the time to investigate and experience every destination themselves and are often confined to the stereotype stories and word-of-mouth promotion of a particular city or nation. Therefore it is vital for a destination to build on a strong identity, to ensure that life is good at the destination, and that tourists will talk about it in their home environment. Whatever destinations try to pull in (investors, tourists, business etc.) or push out (products, services, culture etc.) is done with a discount if the destination s image is weak or negative, and at a premium if it is strong and positive (Simon Anholt, 2011). A destination should prove its worth by implementing policies, investments and establish partnerships all consistent with the CI they wish to pursue. Since not every stakeholder could control all of the channels of the hexagon, it is important to cooperate and communicate as a whole. The key is not about telling the people what you are, but showing them. According to Simon Anholt (2011), a strong and positive identity also results in a clear direction for the future, an innovative environment, a healthy climate which has effective methods of investment, tourism and business. This will also result in a better profile in the media, and increasing export. Furthermore the cooperation with outside regions, associations and bodies will be simpler due to the acceptation and recognition of the destination. Lastly there will be a more productive cultural relation with other regions. 2.5 The Gap analysis Jaap van der Grinten has published a step by step plan in order to research the image and identity, resulting in an overview that displays the gaps between the former two (Mind the gap, 2010). This gap-analysis has been used in several other research projects already and has been proved more than useful for an image research and the potential image problem. The need for image and identity research comes forth out of several changes that have occurred in the past years. The new working field of corporate communication comes forth out of this need for strategic thinking around image and identity and the following changes have stimulated this: - Market changes (free trade, privatising, deregulations) - Service industry - Competition - Corporate Responsibility - Information Society - Battle for top talent - Fading line between internal/ external activities 25

26 Due to the market changes the organizations could broaden their perspectives and product offer which leads to a relatively vague image, especially when expanding to other countries or cities. It is important to build up a strong image and identity where people can relate to. Secondly the competition is getting fiercer every day and it is therefore of importance to stand out in the eyes of the public. A strong identity and brand could ensure a better market position and therefore also a better chance of survival. Thirdly due to the service industry the society has a need for confirmation of quality and service. Since almost 80% of the Dutch economy is based on services, which are not tangible, it is important for organizations to express the values they stand for, a competitive identity that the people thrust. The corporate responsibility is also of extreme importance nowadays. Organizations need to give back to the community by engaging in economical, socio-cultural or environmental issues in the world. This could be done in several ways, which also contributes to the image of the organization. The rapid developments around internet have created an information society that has quick access to several sources of information. Especially the social media and blogs have a strong influence on what the word of the day is. Organizations need to be transparent, authentic and fair to the customers, since the internet shows every move that goes on. Therefore good communication is vital and should again also reflect the values the organization stands for. From the perspective of the organization it is also important to have a strong identity and image, since the battle for talented employees is becoming fiercer due to the strong competition and many options available. Organizations with strong identities which are respected and recognizable all account for a better chance of attracting the employees/ investors necessary for the future developments. Lastly the fading line between internal and external activities is also of importance for a thought through identity policy. Due to co operations between companies and co-creation with customers, the existing identities fade away, while new ones emerge. It is important to monitor this and be aware if this occurs. In other words the corporate communication focuses on the strategic identity of the organization. It is the management of the image and identity, comprising of both the actual and desired identities and images, linked to the organizational goals and strategy. Corporate communication is het geintegreerd management van alle communicatie-uitingen van een organisatie, zowel intern als extern, gericht op het realiseren van een gewenst organisatie-imago vanuit de organisatie-doelen en de organisatie-identiteit. (Jaap van der Grinten, 2010 Mind the Gap, p27) In English, corporate communication is the integrated management of all communication-expressions of an organization, both internally as well as externally, focused on realising a specific desired image based on the organizational goals and identity. The communication of the organization supports the values and goals and this results in a hopefully strong identity and favourable image for the organization in question. The identity is therefore linked to the goals and objectives of the organization. Therefore the image and identity are not goals on itself, but tools that could contribute to obtaining the organizational goals. 26

27 2.5.1 The Identity This term will and has been used often in this report but what is it exactly? The identity of an organization is an answer to the questions of Who are we?, Where are we good at? and What do we want to accomplish?. This is then related to the question towards the customer What do they want? The identity therefore displays what is unique and authentic about this particular organization. The following definition (in Dutch) of Birkigt, Stadler and Funck (1998) shows the linkage between identity, image and strategy: Organisatie-identiteit is de strategisch geplande en operationeel ingezette zelfpresentatie en het gedrag van een onderneming naar binnen en buiten toe op basis van een vastgelegde ondernemingsfilosofie, een langetermijnondernemingsdoelstelling en een bepaald gewenst imago, met de wil alle handelingsinstrumenten van een ondernemning als een eenheid naar binnen en buiten toe tot uiting te laten komen. (Birkigt, Stadler and Funck, 1998 Mind the Gap, p22-23) In English, the organizational identity is the strategically planned and operationally deployed selfpresentation combined with the organizational behaviour internally and externally based on a fixed organizational philosophy, a long-term organizational goal and a particular desired image, with the will to use all organizational instruments as one unity both internally as well as to the outer world. While a corporate identity used to be expressed mainly physically by means of logos and style, nowadays it is much more complex and diverse. The whole organization should live and breathe the same values and this is expressed in communication, interaction between employee and customer, products, environment as well as the physical assets. Lastly the term corporate communication has several synonyms, such as corporate identity management, corporate reputation management, corporate branding or corporate level marketing. To go even deeper in to the aspect of identity, one also speaks of actual and desired identity, which will be elaborated on later The Image Organizations strive for a strong identity in order to gain a favourable image in the eyes of the public. The organizational image, also called the corporate image, has been defined by Jaap van der Grinten as below: Het organisatie-imago is het beeld dat belangengroepen op een bepaald moment van een organisatie hebben. (Jaap van der Grinten, 2010 Mind the Gap, p25) In English, the organizational image is the image that the consumers have of the organization, at a certain point in time. Of course every individual has a different image and different associations with a certain brand or city. Fortunately there are also many similarities for managers to draw conclusions on. As with the identity, the image also consists of the actual and the desired image. The difference will be explained later. 27

28 2.5.3 The Gap analysis The Gap-Analysis consists of five different steps which eventually show the gaps between image and identity and the possibility to draw conclusions and take further actions based on those. The different steps are explained below. Step 1 - The desired identity (desired image) The desired identity is often based on the following aspects of an organization: - The vision - The mission - The core competencies - The values To distinguish the difference between the vision and mission, here is a definition by Abrahams: A vision is something to be pursued, while a mission is something to be accomplished. (Abrahams, 1995 Mind the Gap, p40) The vision reflects the higher goal that the organization wants to achieve, in most cases the vision is something which is not achievable, but a goal to be strived for. The mission on the other hand is a goal that should/ could be achieved in more or less 5 years. A mission should be achievable and also reflect the values of the organization for it to be a success. Core competencies are the aspects where the organization is good at. It is the very foundation of the organization s success. It is also used to distinguish from others, and be unique. Lastly the values of the organization; these are ideals which are strived for. Values can be seen on three different level namely towards the customers, internally and societal values. Examples are a good quality and service to the customer, an open and cooperative environment internally and a responsible and transparent way of doing business. When the previous mentioned aspects of identity are studied closely, one could derive certain core values of them. These core values are vital in order to do an image and identity research. They are words that capture the very essence of the organization. The internal goal is to create a connection between the employees and the core values of the organization, externally, one wishes to realise the desired image as seen by the consumers and create associations with the core values. Step 2 The actual identity The actual identity is how the stakeholders perceive the destination. The stakeholders are the ones that communicate the identity to the outside world and should therefore reflect the same desired identity as the city. It is important to incorporate the stakeholders in the process, so that they could relate to the identity and values behind it. The stakeholders also form the physical identity and communications to the outside world. If this is not consistent with the desired identity, confusion could trouble the vision which will result in a blurry mixture of identities, values and images among both stakeholders and tourists. A strong identity cannot be build without the support of the stakeholders of the city. 28

29 Step 3 The physical identity These are the tangible aspects of the identity. The following definition on the physical identity captures what it entails: Corporate identity is concerned with four major areas of activity: - Products/ Services What you make or sell; - Environments Where you make or sell it the place of physical context; - Information How you describe and publicize what you do; - Behaviour How people within the organization behave to each other and outsiders; All of these communicate ideas about the company. But in fact the entire corporation communicates in everything it does all the time. (Wally Olins, 1989 Mind the Gap, p60) In terms of a city this would mean the city itself, its events and attractions, the way it is marketed to the outside world and how the municipality and locals behave/ communicate towards the outside world. (Model translated from Dutch, Mind the Gap, 2010) Jaap van der Grinten adds a fifth category in his literature, symbolism. This entails the aspects such as the logo and the style of the organization. Step 4 The image The image is what the consumers think of the organization or city at a certain point in time. It is not a manageable aspect but nevertheless important to monitor in order to adapt one s strategy and policies. The image is comprised of the influences from the physical identity and on the other hand of the external influences such as the media, other individuals, country/ region of origin, image of the tourism industry and the role of groups (in for example child labour). Due to certain actions, demonstrations or protests an image of a certain destination or organization could be altered. 29

30 Step 5 The Gap-analysis The last step, the gap-analysis, gathers all the information received from the steps above and shows gaps between the three different levels. (Model translated from Dutch, Mind the Gap, 2010) The potential gaps exist at three different levels. The first gap is between the desired identity (the core values) and the actual identity. Are there any differences between the two? Could one adapt the strategy or communication in order to eliminate this gap? The second gap is between the desired identity (the core values) and the physical identity. Is the physical identity in line with the core values of the organization? Does it reflect the same values and does it communicates these correctly? The third gap is between the desired identity (the core values) and the image as perceived by the consumers. Are there differences and if so, could these be eliminated by adapting the strategy, communication, policies, investments etc? How could one reach the desired image? In the end, the gaps could be tackled in three different ways: 1. Changing the desires of the management/ the policy; 2. Changing the insights of employees; 3. Changing the aspects of the physical identity. 2.6 How to measure the image? An image research is a complex process which is difficult to measure. However, many authors have tried and discussed several methods of measuring the image of a destination. Jones (1997) concludes that mixing qualitative and quantitative methods could result in a strengthened outcome. The qualitative semi-structured interviews will strengthen the quantitative outcome of the research (Jayaratne, 1993). The quantitative research will reveal possible patterns and trends while the qualitative research will go more into depth of the motives, experiences and perceptions behind it (Cave, 2003). When conducting an image research it is important to set some standards where one can compare the results and eventually draw conclusions from. In order for such a research to be fruitful, one needs to be able to find patterns and see how to improve certain aspects of the outcomes. This thesis will be done via three different primary research methods. 30

31 2.6.1 The stakeholders of Valkenburg This will be done via semi-structured interviews. The stakeholders of the city have an influence on the policy-making and development of Valkenburg. Based on the literature review, it became clear that the stakeholders of the city should cooperate with each other, and communicate consistently as a whole. The stakeholders should all support the desired identity pursued by the city. Therefore an interview should also tackle these issues and see whether the individual stakeholder also shares the same beliefs, values and ideas. These interviews will be the foundation to establish the actual identity of Valkenburg as perceived by the stakeholders. The interviews with the stakeholders will ask various questions about their views on Valkenburg and its identity. Firstly they will be asked what is typical for Valkenburg (values and aspects) and what they think is the desired identity for the future. This is followed by how they perceive the identity of today. Furthermore they will be asked about the SWOT of Valkenburg (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). The second part will go more into depth when it comes to cooperation with other stakeholders and the government, what their influence is on the decisions to be made and whether they are incorporated in the future plans for the city. As a closure questions they will be asked whether they are proud of Valkenburg, and to describe Valkenburg in one or two sentences, to find out their image of the city; what is Valkenburg? (questions are based on the literature of van der Grinten and Hildreth). Additional questions might pop up during the interview if necessary. The notes from the interviews can be found in appendix The residents of Valkenburg This will be done via questionnaires containing closed questions (Likert-scale). The questionnaires will be distributed in the city itself, and via contacts of the municipality, to get a quick response. First a few demographic questions will be asked in order to pin down the demographics of the person, which allows for the detection of patterns and links. The questionnaire will consist of two different perspectives; what the resident expects from the city (as a place to live), and how the resident perceives the city to be (as a place to live). The differences in the two different perspectives will show the points of improvement. These questionnaires will result into the image of Valkenburg as a place to live in, as perceived by the residents. (Insch and Florek, 2010) The model above shows the linkage between the different elements. The expectations combined with the perception of the reality results in the value and eventually in the place satisfaction. The higher 31

32 the place satisfaction, the more attached the residents feel to the destination. The fewer gaps between the expectations and perceptions thus result in a stronger attachment and pride of their city. In addition to the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews will be held with residents, in order to reveal some of the underlying motives and experiences. This qualitative research also supports the outcomes of the quantitative research. The questionnaire will consist of two parts. The first part will be about the demographics such as sex, age, education, length of stay in Valkenburg (as a resident) and whether they are working in the tourism industry or not. After that they will be asked to rate a series of aspects of the city (as a place to live) and rate their expectations of the city on these aspects, according to the Likert scale (their expectation). After this they will get the same list and they have to rate how high they perceive it to be in reality (their perception). This list will consist of several elements which are of importance to the residents in order to find the right balance between the tourism industry and the living area. The list includes aspects such as safety, parking, nature, culture, sports facilities, atmosphere, accessibility, public transport and the balance between place of residence and tourism industry. Furthermore they will be asked to rate their level of agreement to several statements (based on the city s aspects). These statements include aspects such as pride, happiness, future developments and balance in tourism/ events/ living area. As a closure question they will be asked to grade Valkenburg as a place to live (on a scale from 1-10). The questions are based on the research and model of Insch and Florek. The questionnaire can be found in appendix The interviews will go more into depth but still ask similar questions as in the questionnaire. After the questions on their background they will be asked to tell the strengths and points of improvement for the city as a place to live (and expectations/ perceptions). After that they will be asked what they think is typical Valkenburg, and what is not, as well as the top attractions according to them. Lastly they will be asked whether they are proud to be living in Valkenburg, as well as happy to be living there. Other questions could pop up during the interview, when the answer asks for a better explanation The tourists of Valkenburg This will be done via questionnaires containing closed questions (Likert-scale). The questionnaires will be distributed in the city itself and online via Thesistools.com, to generate quick response and to reach the target group of people visiting Valkenburg. Several demographic questions will be asked in order to establish the demographics of the person and to be able to detect patterns and links. The closed questions will be asked via a Likert-scale, which allows the person to establish the level of agreement/ familiarity with a certain aspect of the city. These questionnaires will result into the image of Valkenburg as a tourism destination, as perceived by the tourists. In addition to the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews will be held with tourists, in order to reveal some of the underlying motives and experiences. This qualitative research also supports the outcomes of the quantitative research. The questionnaire will consist of various questions. People will be asked about their sex, age, education and where they live. Furthermore they will be asked whether they have visited Valkenburg before and if they are day visitors or overnight tourists. They questions are vital in order to discover patterns with the image of Valkenburg and the person s background. 32

33 The second part will consist of a list of 10 words where the person has to choose three words that represent Valkenburg the best, in his/ her opinion, followed by a list of statements which the person has to rate according to the Likert scale. They will be asked to rate their level of agreement to the statements, which include aspects such as the residents, the atmosphere, parking possibilities, activities and events. Furthermore values such as being active, romance, wellness and relaxation are included. They will also be asked whether they think the tourism industry is arranged well in Valkenburg, and whether they think Valkenburg is in need of renewal or not. As a closure question they will be asked to grade Valkenburg as a tourism destination (on a scale from 1-10). The questions are based on the literature of van der Grinten and Hildreth. The questionnaire can be found in appendix The interviews will go deeper into the matter but still ask the similar questions as above. The questions will be open and therefore generate a spontaneous reaction. After the demographic questions they will be asked what their expectations were beforehand, and how they experience it to be now they are here. After that they will be asked about the most important aspects according to them. They will also be asked what values they relate to Valkenburg, how they relate to Valkenburg themselves, what they think relate to the name Valkenburg. During the interview there is room for other questions which could pop up. 2.7 Conclusions This literature review shows the complexity and diversity of the study to image and identity. Many authors have discussed and are still discussing how this relatively new study should be approached. Since it is an intangible subject it is difficult to research and therefore it provides food for thought. After reading various articles and literature on the matter, it becomes clear that there are many factors that influence the identity and image. The key to success is to cooperate and work and communicate as a whole. Not only the municipality and tourism board should reflect the desired identity, it is also vital to have the support of the local entrepreneurs, associations and of course the ambassadors of the city, the residents. The unity that should be formed by these stakeholders will provide a solid foundation and create a balanced environment, which is a great foundation in order to achieve the desired identity. The city should not only communicate that it is good and worth visiting/ investing in, it should also prove its worth! It is important to align the policies, investments and communications with each other in order to create that place worth living in, worth investing in and of course worth visiting. All stakeholders should be proud of working and living there, supporting the efforts of the city to achieve higher goals and show the world that they are indeed what they say they are. This thesis will research whether Valkenburg is up to the task and is cooperating together as a whole. Are all stakeholders familiar with the desired identity, and do they support this? Do they have influence in the decision making and plans for the future? On the other hand, is the tourism business not affecting the city as a place of residence, are the residents still happy to live there? And are they proud of their city? Do they share the vision and do they welcome their visitors or do they rather see it otherwise? Lastly, do the tourists appreciate what the city is doing and do they recognize the identity of Valkenburg? All of these questions will lead to the grand question, does Valkenburg has a positive identity and image? Or are there gaps in between, and is there a need for improvement? 33

34 The research and its outcomes will be outlined in the Gap-analysis of Jaap van der Grinten. Since this analysis is based on organizations, one cannot simply copy the same format. Therefore the author will adjust it and use it as a guideline. The identity of the city and its municipality will be formed by having interviews and observing the city and its developments. Furthermore the values that the city strives for could be derived from analyzing the interviews, marketing plans and developments that are taking place. Furthermore the destination analysis will provide information on what the strengths and weaknesses of the city are. Both tourists and residents will be questioned on their perspective on the city in order to create an overview of their image. After this it is possible to draw conclusions based on the gaps that appear (or not) between the identity and the image of the city. Since the Gap-analysis is from an organizational point of view, it is important to take into account the other frameworks on image, identity and place branding. The formation of a place its image comes forth out of several elements, as Gunn (1972) stated. Therefore research will focus on the decisions and future plans from the government, as well as the marketing and promotion of the city. Furthermore tourists will be asked what their personal experience with the city was, and why they visit the city. On the contrary, residents will also be asked how they perceive their city as a place to live, and whether they have confidence in its management. As Moilanen and Rainisto (2009) stated, the destination brand is a combination of various elements. This is also found in the CI Hexagon of Simon Anholt (2002), which will be used in order to illustrate the recommendations made for the future. As the various frameworks show, it is important to align the different channels and aspects that form the destination, in order to succeed in creating a strong identity for the city. 34

35 3. Valkenburg, the destination 3.1 The History Valkenburg aan de Geul is a community in the south of Limburg, in the far south of the Netherlands. Coat of arms, flag and logo of the municipality Valkenburg aan de Geul (Gemeente Valkenburg) Above one can see the coat of arms, flag and logo of the municipality Valkenburg aan de Geul. The municipality consists of several centres namely: Berg, Broekhem, Geulhem, Houthem, Oud- Valkenburg, Schin op Geul, Schoonbron, Sibbe, Sint Gerlach, Strabeek, Strucht, Terblijt, Valkenburg, Vilt, Walem and Ijzeren. Throughout this report the author will make use of the name Valkenburg to address the municipality (see appendix 7.3 for a map of Valkenburg). In January 2012, Valkenburg has inhabitants (see appendix 7.4) and a total surface of hectares. The group of under 20 years old consists of people, which is around 18% of the total. The group between 20 and 65 years old consist of people, which is around 57%. The group above 65 years old consists of people, which is around 24% (StatLine, CBS, 2012). The division between men and women in 2010 was 49% and 51% respectively (Gemeente op Maat, CBS, 2011). The total length of the roads is 106km. The city is well connected and close to the larger city of Maastricht, also famous for its tourism industry. Valkenburg has a train station (the oldest still functioning one in the Netherlands) with connections to Maastricht, Heerlen, Kerkrade and Aken in Germany (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). Valkenburg has had a rich history and communal life dates back to the Roman times. Several artefacts and constructions confirm this. The first written use of the name Valkenburg dates back to The German king Hendrik III offered his cousin four villages, one of them was Valkenburg. Historians believe that the current village of Oud-Valkenburg is the one that they are referring to in the documents. Many attacks on the city have destroyed many of the buildings of the old days, including the famous castle of Valkenburg, which is not more than a ruin, yet still a top tourist attraction these days. There 35

36 are just a few city walls and gates left nowadays. Valkenburg is no longer a fortress, but remains important in administrative terms. Around mid-nineteenth century a new source of income arises: tourism. Day visitors and overnight tourists discover the wealth of unique and pristine nature in the Valkenburg area and decide to start spending a day of short holiday here. The number of hotels in Valkenburg quickly rises, at that time there were only three yet. The new rail track Valkenburg-Aken in 1853 was a huge development in terms of infrastructure. The city was not yet easily accessible in those times and therefore this was a huge step forward for the destination of today. Valkenburg has grown to become one of the top destinations in the region, with over a million overnight stays a year, and a large number of day visitors (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). Another sign of the importance of Valkenburg s tourism industry is the Vereniging voor Vreemdelingen Verkeer or in short the VVV. This is the local tourism office of Valkenburg and it is the first known tourism office in the Netherlands and even in Europe. The VVV Valkenburg, or as it was then called VVV Het Geuldal was established in 1885 (Amsterdam Toerisme & Congres Bureau, 2012). Nowadays the VVV is still of great importance and works closely with the municipality and other stakeholders to ensure that the tourism industry in Valkenburg will prevail, after all it covers 80% of the local economy (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). The castle ruin of Valkenburg (Source: ) 36

37 The destination analysis will provide an overview of the tourism industry in Valkenburg. It gives an insight in how the city industry functions at the moment, as well as the developments that will occur in the future. Furthermore the various stakeholders are described, as well as their inter linkages. The analysis will be a foundation for the primary research, in order to draw conclusions and make recommendations for the future. 3.2 Tourism Demand Valkenburg has been a tourism destination for a very long period of time. However the last couple of years the city is stagnating, partially due to the financial crisis but also because of the lack of development in the last years. The city used to be a very popular destination in the 70 s/ 80 s/ 90 s. Many Dutch tourists have visited the city at least once. It was (and still is) a mass tourism holiday destination in the summer since it is in the Netherlands, and therefore cheaper than a holiday abroad. Valkenburg used to be and still gets flooded with tourists during the summer season. However this image has changed, the city wanted to spread the tourists over the year and wanted to get rid of the typical image of an eating and drinking holiday destination. This has had an effect on the tourism industry in various ways; the tourists are indeed better spread over the year, with great sports events and of course the Christmas period. Due to a lack of the necessary developments and ageing buildings, the city still displays the image of the years in the past. The municipality is actively trying to reshape the city by upgrading buildings, infrastructure and hotels, but there is still a long way to go The overnight stays To give an insight in the development over the years below one will find the numbers and figures (in appendix 7.5) of Valkenburg s tourism industry. In 1994 there were overnight stays throughout the year. From there on the industry went into decline which is shown in the figure of appendix 7.5. Here one can clearly see that the industry went into decline from It took untill 2005 before the industry recovered again, and finally untill 2011, where it almost reached back the point of 1994, with overnight stays that year. One could say that Valkenburg is in stagnation at the moment. And if there will not be any changes the industry will be back into decline in the near future. The second figure in appendix 7.5 shows the overnight stays divided by type of accommodation. Hotels have traditionally been the biggest contributor. The differences can be found in the decline in use of camping sites, since the city is trying to minimize this and replace the sites with other accommodation such as apartments and bungalows. Since 2004 there is a big increase of usage of bungalows and apartments, mainly due to the Landal Green Parks, which is settled on top of the Cauberg. It is a popular type of accommodation in Valkenburg due to the privacy and rest, which are also elements of the city s pull factors. The last figure in appendix 7.5 shows the overnight stays spread over the year. It compares the differences of the years 1996 and One can easily see that the tourists are better spread over the year now, with a large decrease in the summer season and large increase in the Christmas/ New Year s period. The intensity of the summer season has decreased which allows tourism and food/ beverage 37

38 companies to function better throughout the year, rather than having to earn all during the few months in the summer. Valkenburg has also been a popular destination in the summer, due to its natural environment and of course the attractive city centre with lots of activities, bars and restaurants to visit. Another important period of the year is around Christmas and New Years, when the Christmas markets attract numerous visitors from the Netherlands as well as from foreign countries such as Germany and Belgium. Over the year the city has made a name with its Christmas theme. Besides these two peak season there are also numerous events taking place in Valkenburg throughout the year, such as the World Cup cycling and Red Bull Crashed Ice, which attract lots of people as well. In this way the city ensures a more stabile flow of tourists throughout the year. There is still room for improvement but the city has made an enormous step already The markets Although there are no specific details on the markets that visit Valkenburg, there are indications given by the major stakeholders of the city, as well as the municipality. The vast majority of the tourists are Dutch (roughly 90%). This market is however decreasing over the past years. The other 10% is made up of mainly Belgian and German tourists, due to the proximity of Valkenburg in relation to Belgium and Germany (Municipality of Valkenburg/ Landal Green Parks/ VVV Zuid Limburg/ Provincie Limburg, 2012). Around 5% of the other tourists are from Belgium, while around 3% is German. The other 2% comprises English tourists and tourists from other countries. There is still great potential in the neighbouring countries of Belgium and Germany, due to this proximity with Valkenburg. However, Valkenburg is not yet that known outside of the Netherlands, for this reason the VVV Zuid-Limburg started a campaign in Germany, to generate more interest and knowledge on the area (VVV Zuid- Limburg, 2012). The majority of the Dutch tourists comes from the North West (Randstad area) where there is little nature and rest in comparison to the area of Valkenburg. Valkenburg is aiming for 55+ tourists, couples, as well as families with children. However there are also various other markets like sport clubs or groups of friends that visit the city. Due to the many events that take place in Valkenburg, it is also a great place for them to visit (Municipality Valkenburg/ Landal Green Parks, 2012). The 55+ market is looking for relaxation and fun activities to participate in while going on a short holiday. They have relatively more disposable income and leisure time than younger markets and are therefore a great market to have. Due to the ageing population in the Netherlands it is also a growing market and therefore interesting to target. Based on research conducted by Tourism Ireland in 2004, the expected growth of the 55+ market in the Netherlands is 53% in the period This growing market comes with certain demands and needs in order to cater for them. Important factors are the need for good health facilities on the spot, as well as fitness and wellness facilities, due to the desire to stay fit and vibrant. Furthermore it will become important to offer easily accessible attractions and other facilities such as restaurants, accommodations, public transport and so on. Routes should be well signed and information readily available for the tourist, on the spot. (Tourism Ireland, 2004) 38

39 The other markets such as couples and families with children enjoy the vibrant city centre of Valkenburg and the many activities that come with it. Furthermore Valkenburg has a beautiful landscape surrounding where people can relax, hike or cycle. The city has also been a popular destination for groups who are visiting for the weekend, enjoying the nightlife and activities in and outside the city. Valkenburg is also a popular sports destination, with great events such as the World Cup Cycling and Amstel Gold Race Experience, which attract lots of tourists from the Netherlands as well as foreigners. Furthermore Valkenburg is known for its Christmas markets, not only by Dutch tourists but also Germans and Belgians living close to the border. RECRON Another way of looking for the markets is developed by RECRON. It classifies markets based on their lifestyles, rather than age/ income/ education etc. RECRON is the association of Recreation entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, striving for a better entrepreneurial working climate in the tourism and leisure sector (RECRON, 2012). It segmented five different experience worlds, where every world has its own characteristics and demands. Valkenburg is mostly in the Abundant Yellow and Cosy Lime group. The Province of Limburg is already working together with RECRON, in order to identify the markets within the province. This allows for better marketing activities and strategies as well as better market-product combinations for the future. The south of Limburg also identifies the Yellow and Lime group as the two largest groups, with respectively 25% and 22%. Adventurous Purple comes right after that, with 20%. (Toeristische Trendrapportage Limburg , Provincie Limburg, 2012) Abundant Yellow This group is the spontaneous, cosy and social group. They are the real holiday makers. A holiday does not have to extreme, as long as it is active, sportive, cosy and surprising. Contact with others such as family, friends and relatives, is desired and fun. This group searches for camping sites and bungalow parks where facilities are relatively good and where there is enough to do for everyone. Abundant Yellow is a large group in the Netherlands! Cosy Lime This group is just as the yellow group interested in cosiness and sports, but it could all be a bit calmer, and it does not have to be that long. The family is important. Holidays for this group means being free, enjoying the moment and relaxation, away from the daily routine and doing fun things with the family; cycling, barbecuing or playing a game. A bungalow park or camping site in the Netherlands gives a true holiday feeling, but often the Cosy Lime group needs to watch their expenses. Adventurous Purple This group belongs to the people that wish to experience something new and discover new things during their holiday. Normal is not good enough for them. They are looking for special experiences. It may be a bit wild, like sleeping in a tree hut or survival tent. However it could also be the experience of luxury and exclusiveness. Adventurous Purple worry more about themselves than about others, individual activities and products are therefore more attractive to them than the group happening. (Translated from the website RECRON Innovatie Campagne, 2012) 39

40 3.2.3 Length of stay Traditionally tourists that visited Valkenburg would stay for a few weeks in the summer season. However these times have changed, not only due to the transformation of Valkenburg s desired identity but also due to the trend of taking shorter but more frequent holidays (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). Tourists tend to visit the city for a few days, midweek of weekend. Based on the numbers of Landal Green Parks the average tourist stays for 2-4 nights Expenditure Although the province of Limburg ranked 1 st in 2011 in terms of tourist expenditures, the expenditure per person a day has decreased (Toeristische trendrapportage , Provincie Limburg, 2012). This displays the total of the province, however it is also interesting in the case of Valkenburg. The city wishes to pursue a better quality and try to reach markets with more disposable income than the lower income markets that used to visit the city back in the days, during the summer season. The municipality strives for a higher expenditure per person. Specific numbers on expenditures for Valkenburg are not known but there are numbers on the South of Limburg. It shows that the total amount of holidays and overnight stays have increased with 15% ( ), while the expenditures per person per day have decreased with 8% ( ). It shows that there is a market but the expenditures need to be stimulated in order to reach the full potential of the growing tourism market. (Toeristische trendrapportage , Provincie Limburg, 2012) 40

41 3.3 Tourism Supply Destination mix Attractions Valkenburg has many attractions that have attracted tourists for decades. The city centre is probably one of the biggest pull factors, just as the Christmas markets and great sport events during the year. Below one will find a list of the main attractions of the city. - Holland Casino - Thermae Cauberg mountain - City centre - Chateau St Gerlach - Marl caves - Fun park De Valkenier - Charcoal mine - Christmas markets - Castle ruin - Roman catacombs - Sport events (Amstel Gold Race, Red Bull Crashed Ice, World Cup Cycling etc.) - Cable way - The open air theatre (VVV Zuid Limburg, 2012) These are the main attractions of the city, of course there are many more. Due to its rich history and tourism experience there are other things to do such as visiting a museum, areas of interest and the beautiful landscapes surrounding Valkenburg. A great pull factor for Valkenburg is also its city centre, which is filled with tourists and residents whenever the weather is good. Also during the Christmas period is provides a perfect setting with its many restaurants and bars. Natural attractions Due to its natural setting Valkenburg has a unique selling point in comparison to other cities in the Netherlands. Its landscape and surroundings are astonishing and create the feeling of being abroad. Of course the Cauberg is another landmark of the city, with the Thermae 2000, Holland Casino and Landal Green Parks located there. Also during the events the Cauberg is often incorporated. Furthermore Valkenburg has the marl caves, where there are tours and activities to participate in. These caves are another unique selling point for the city, which is well used by the government and entrepreneurs. With its unique location, Valkenburg is considered a very green city, especially for Dutch standards. Activity-Based attractions Valkenburg is famous for cycling and therefore also attracts lots of people that are training or just want to go out for a day. Due to the Cauberg it provides a perfect area to cycle. Furthermore there are 41

42 tours in the caves by mountain bike, the fun park De Valkenier and many hiking possibilities for whoever wants to go out. Tourists can also go up with the cable way, to enjoy sledding on the Rodelbaan. Cultural attractions Due to its rich history the city has a lot to offer. There are the Roman catacombs, the castles, the ruins, mills, monasteries and churches, as well as the city centre and the open air theatre. There is something for everyone (VVV Zuid-Limburg, 2012). Facilities Accommodation Valkenburg has 90 hotels and another 100 pensions or other accommodation providers. For a small city as it is it caters for a lot of tourists. Especially due to the high tides back in the days, the accommodation sector expanded rapidly. One will find the following accommodation throughout the city, with a high density in the city centre. (Toekomstvisie 2030; Een verkenning, Municipality Valkenburg, 2007) - Hotels - Camping sites - Apartments - Bungalows - Pensions - Bed & Breakfast Food & Beverage Due to the mass tourism destination that Valkenburg became decades ago, the food & beverage sector expanded rapidly as well. The city offers around 40 restaurants, 35 cafeterias and 60 cafes or bars. Especially during the summer season and holidays (including the Christmas period), the city centre is packed with tourists and locals enjoying the many possibilities that are there. It is a great pull factor of Valkenburg and is well appreciated by tourists. It provides a cosy, romantic setting with a burgundian lifestyle; it is where the city became famous with within the Netherlands. (Toekomstvisie 2030; Een verkenning, Municipality Valkenburg, 2007) Supporting Facilities Due to its large tourism industry, Valkenburg has a lot of supporting facilities. This includes many souvenir shops, markets and clothing shops for the tourists to enjoy. One of the bigger markets of Valkenburg is the Bokkemarkt, which attracts thousands of people. Infrastructure Valkenburg s infrastructure is relatively good but there is room for improvement. At the moment the city s government is actively restructuring the city centre and with that improving the sewer system and routing. Due to the high volume of tourists visiting the city (which only has around residents) the infrastructure is put to the test. If tourism would be excluded the infrastructure would be more than sufficient, however during the peak seasons and during events, it becomes a problem. 42

43 Especially traffic and parking are two major problems that occur whenever there is a flood of tourists coming in. The city tries to resolve these issues by tackling the problems in the city centre, which will change the routing and offer extra parking possibilities. It is difficult since the city does not have the budget for a place catering for so many tourists. Only the time will tell whether the new city centre plan is sufficient for the incoming tourists. The city centre plan will be elaborated upon in the chapter Tourism Planning & Development. Next to the parking and traffic problems there is also an outdated city centre in terms of buildings, pipelines and power supply. The municipality is actively stimulating people and entrepreneurs to develop further in order to not get behind, as well as preserve the authentic feeling of the city. Luckily there are no major issues with regards to the sewer system, power or water supply. Health care is readily available in the area, as well as private clinics and other facilities for special care and treatments. For both tourists and residents this is important in case something happens. Valkenburg is also regarded a safe city. The most issues regarding safety are in the weekend and on other festive evenings, when people are drinking and the risks of fights and other types of disorder increase. Transportation Transportation in Valkenburg is well arranged. There is a train station (the oldest, still functioning train station in the Netherlands), and a bus station which caters for the needs of the tourists and residents. It is well connected to Maastricht and Heerlen, as well as routes to Germany and Belgium. It has a good connection to the highway and also offers many possibilities for hikers and cyclists. Of course there are also taxis who can take one anywhere one would like. However, the city centre of Valkenburg is relatively small and thus walking is preferred by many. Especially in the city centre it is easy to get around on foot, especially after the developments of the new centre plan, where routing will be improved for the convenience of both tourist and resident. During the bigger events the city gets so crowded that often the traffic is jammed, and trains or busses are full. The city tries to resolve these problems by offering parking possibilities outside of the city, for example at the MECC in Maastricht. From there on shuttle busses will take the people to the centre of Valkenburg, however this method is not ideal and not preferred by many. The government is actively trying the resolve these issues during events. (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) Hospitality The hospitality and tourism industry is vital for Valkenburg s economy and it is therefore of great importance for the government and the city s stakeholders to keep on developing their city and its facilities. New strategies and developments all contribute to the desire of a higher expenditure per person per day. In general the tourists are quite fond of the locals of Valkenburg, who are open and friendly and welcome the tourists in their city. They understand the importance of the industry. The locals are of course the ambassadors of the city and therefore of great importance for the tourism industry. Nowadays it is important to find the connection between the entrepreneurs, the municipality and the 43

44 residents, who all have an interest in the city on a different level. To find the balance between these groups is the key to success, and the foundation for a healthy and pleasant atmosphere SWOT Analysis Strengths Famous tourism destination Long history and affiliation with the tourism industry Unique natural setting (Cauberg, caves, landscape) Hospitable, friendly locals Diversity in activities, attractions and facilities History of the city Cosy city centre A sense of being abroad Host of great events such as Amstel Gold Race and World Cup Cycling Cycling capital of the Netherlands The Christmas city of the Netherlands Weaknesses Outdated (buildings, attractions) Old image of party-destination New Image of dull destination, for the elderly Major parking and traffic problems during events Opportunities Ageing population in the Netherlands (growing market 55+) Known tourism destination, everybody knows Valkenburg Wellness theme Sports industry and events Proximity and good connection to Belgium/ Germany Threats Affiliation with old image of party destination No major new developments to keep up with modern day trends Conclusions Valkenburg is a famous tourism destination that is known and visited by many people in the Netherlands. It is not only famous due to its rapid growth a few decades ago but also regarding its great events and cycling culture. Of course it is also located in a unique natural setting which is one of their great pull factors. Valkenburg should focus on its strengths including their affiliation with sports and cycling in particular. Furthermore they are known for the Christmas markets and the marl caves. These combined are the unique selling points of Valkenburg, together with the cosy city centre filled 44

45 with many restaurants, bars and friendly locals. This great diversity of the city provides a perfect decor for a quality tourism destination. By combining the right products with the right markets, there is great potential for the future. The new wellness theme complements the assets of the city and also targets a growing market of 55+ people, that are interested in being healthy and enjoying life. It is important to have a clear and detailed vision for this theme, in order to compete with others and to set out a defined path for the future, this is important for the city as well as its entrepreneurs and residents. The city is outdated and needs to be further developed in the near future. The new centre plan from the municipality will tackle traffic and parking problems as well as develop other projects such as a shopping mall. This will improve the quality of the infrastructure, the routing and of course the image of the city. It is important to also upgrade accommodations and restaurants/ bars, in order to preserve the authenticity of the city and to not let it pauperize. The city needs to make good use of their status as a tourism destination. They are well known within the Netherlands and this should be seen as an advantage. Being a mass tourism destination, Valkenburg has catered for many tourists in the past, and could also do so in the future. This does not mean that it has to stick to its old image of party destination, but they could improve the quality and product offering, and so create a different experience while still enjoying the numerous amounts of tourists that visit the city. This is also one of the factors why the city centre is appreciated by many, since its crowdedness creates a pleasant and cosy atmosphere. Lastly the proximity with Germany and Belgium provides an opportunity for potential markets to target in the future. Marketing campaigns have been set up in Germany already, but no significant numbers are coming to Valkenburg yet. The brand Valkenburg should be well communicated to these markets abroad in order to attract them to the city The Broad Context Model (Weaver) SMT Sustainable Mass Tourism (see appendix 7.6 for the model) Valkenburg is a mass tourism destination. The city has grown rapidly in the past, and therefore developments have occurred accordingly. Back in those days the regulations and restrictions were not yet there and so developments were done wherever the entrepreneur found suitable. Over the years they have learned that their uniqueness and natural surroundings are of great importance for the city and its tourism industry. Therefore it is will maintained and controlled in terms of new projects and developments. It is important to keep the authenticity and create that nature experience that many come to seek. Therefore one has to bear in mind that this experience is not undermined if a certain building, parking area or activities are taking place there. Even a quad biking trail could already disrupt the tourists experience if they come to hike in a peaceful environment (Province Limburg, 2012). It is therefore vital to find the balance in new development and natural surroundings. Lastly the city will need to find solutions to the problems during events, since there is serious pressure on aspects such as parking, public space, natural environment and the convenience of the residents. 45

46 3.4 Tourism Impact Studies Economic impacts The tourism industry is an enormous contributor to the local economy of Valkenburg. It is the largest sector in the region, taking account for 80% of the total local economy s value. It therefore has an enormous impact on the city, the employment and of course the economy (Interview John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). To demonstrate the importance of the tourism industry in terms of jobs, in appendix 7.7 one will see a figure displaying the employment in the tourism sector and the other sectors. One can see that in 2011 the tourism industry provides a bit more than 3000 jobs, about half of the total. This of course has an enormous impact on the economy and therefore the industry needs to be developed and well managed in order not to risk those jobs (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). Thanks to the many tourists coming into the city, the parking revenue is also substantial. It is therefore also of great importance that there are enough parking possibilities, which are well maintained. In appendix 7.7 one can see that the parking revenue in 2011 was, despite the decrease over the past years, more than euro. The tourist tax revenue is also of great importance for the city to generate income. The last figure in appendix 7.7 shows that there has been steady revenue over the years, being more than euro in Socio-cultural impacts Valkenburg is tourism, and therefore the residents know how important the industry is. It affects all of their lives. Most of the residents live in Valkenburg because of its vibrant tourism industry. Especially during the peak seasons and holidays the centre is packed with tourists. Normally it is not a problem, solely during the bigger events, where parking becomes an issue and residents cannot do their normal grocery shopping any longer. It is a big issue and there are many complaints about the fact that the city gets too crowded. On the other hand the residents know that this is reality in Valkenburg, and the events are only a couple of days throughout the year. Because of the size of the tourism industry, there is friction between the residents and tourists on occasion. This is mainly caused by the parking problem as well as that some residents cannot just go out for a coffee in the centre since only eaters are desired by the cafe/ restaurant (Author s own interactions with residents, 2012) Environmental impacts Tourism of course has an impact on the natural environment of Valkenburg. It therefore needs to well managed and regulated in order not to neglect the nature. There are several landmarks of the city which are naturally there, such as the famous Cauberg and the river the Geul. Furthermore there are the hills and green areas which attract many tourists and sportspeople throughout the year. So far no major issues have occurred but it is important to maintain the area, and not let new developments and projects take in its place. It provides a pristine area of rest and beauty, pull factors of the city, especially for city people. The municipality of Valkenburg as well as the province of Limburg realizes 46

47 that these areas should be cherished. Therefore decisions relating those areas are well researched and discussed. In the past the developments occurred on a natural basis, with no specific guidelines, and therefore no extra care was taken with regards to the natural environment. Nowadays the knowledge has improved and better communication allows for better strategies and developments regarding the city and its environment. 3.5 Tourism Planning & Development Valkenburg has different stakeholders, all having their own role and influence on the tourism industry. Below one will find the most important ones, what they do and how they are linked together The Stakeholders Province of Limburg The province of Limburg of course has more sectors to control other than the tourism industry. However for this report the tourism industry is important to understand the connection between the stakeholders. The province of Limburg operates as a stimulator for the industry. It guides the local tourism associations (the VVV s) so that they can promote the area for tourism purposes. The province of Limburg also researches the industry and publishes a yearly report ( Toeristische Trendrapportage Limburg ), which includes numbers and figures as well as the goals which were set in order to improve the industry. For now the province of Limbug has set goals for 2015, where they want to increase the expenditures and increase the market share of the province within the Netherlands. It monitors these goals in order to evaluate them and adjust where needed. They cooperate closely with the local tourism associations within the province, as well as the municipalities. Furthermore they stimulate entrepreneurs and help them by providing workshops and subsidize innovative ideas. The province has a function to stimulate the industry, connect parties and stakeholders with each other and provide subsidies for entrepreneurs to develop themselves. (Interview Ilja Castermans- Godfried, Province of Limburg, 2012/ Toeristische Trendrapportage Limburg , Province of Limburg, 2012) VVV Zuid-Limburg The VVV Zuid-Limburg is the local tourism association for the south of Limburg. They are responsible for developing and promoting the tourism industry within their region. This includes the promotion of the south of Limburg in total, as well as the areas within that region. Valkenburg belongs to the south of Limburg and is the only city that is specifically mentioned and sort of stands on itself due to the notoriety it has. Maastricht has a separate tourism association and is therefore not included. The tourism associations from different regions in the province also cooperate together in order to develop the industry inter-regionally. They have created the marketing campaign Liefde voor het leven (Love for life), which promotes the province of Limburg. This campaign has been set up by the cooperation of the tourism associations in Limburg, the Samenwerkende VVV s Limburg. The VVV Zuid-Limburg also created a Smartphone app where information is given on the tourism industry of 47

48 the region. In this way tourists can easily find locations, information, activities and things to do while visiting. The VVV Zuid-Limburg is a non profit organization, with the government owning 20% of the shares, while the other 80% comes from entrepreneurs and guests. Profits are used to optimize the marketing activities and information. Their vision is to be the striving force and the centre of tourism and recreation in the south of Limburg. They wish to create a solid foundation and market for the tourism industry. The VVV Zuid-Limburg is part of the VVV Nederland, which is the tourism association of the Netherlands. The association has three different markets to serve which are the municipalities, the entrepreneurs and of course the residents and (potential) guests of the cities. The department of marketing & events are actively trying to put the region on the map. They are working on product-market combinations and communication development in order to sell and promote the region to tourists and residents. They wish to strengthen the image of the region by means of promotion and campaigns. The department information & reservations provides information on the tourism and recreation industry and also provides the opportunity to make reservations for accommodation or activities. The association also has several branches in the region to supply information and promotional brochures. Furthermore there are several Limburg Shops, which offer local specialities and promote the products from the region. The board of the association is made up of members of the municipalities and entrepreneurs from the region, in order to have influence on what is going on. Furthermore the board consists of a neutral chairman and financial expert. The association works closely together with entrepreneurs and the municipality. They provide information and expertise on the tourism industry in order to develop new ideas. The expertise of the VVV is also important for the city marketing of Valkenburg s municipality. Furthermore they provide information to the tourist and customers. They also cooperate with German partners in order to stimulate the German market to come and visit Valkenburg. This campaign will hopefully attract new markets. (Interview Nicole Schurgers, VVV Zuid- Limburg, 2012/ Marketing-activiteitenplan, VVV Zuid-Limburg, 2012) Municipality Valkenburg The municipality Valkenburg is the local government of the city. It is the decision maker in the process, and is involved with all parties in order to develop and manage the city. It cooperates with the province, the VVV, the entrepreneurs and of course the residents. By stimulating and setting up new projects they wish to develop the city and find the right balance between all parties involved in order to create a healthy environment to live, work and visit. It stimulates entrepreneurs by having one-on-one meetings to find solutions and ideas to develop, as well as provide subsidies for innovative ideas. Furthermore they manage and develop the infrastructure, which is under pressure due to the large sized events throughout the year; this also counts for the parking possibilities. The municipality also stimulates different parties to work together in order to create a sense of belonging and better cooperation. Some examples are the VOC (which will be elaborated upon below), the association for the Christmas period and the association for Events. 48

49 It is difficult for the municipality to keep up with the tourism market, due to the financial possibilities. The municipality hosts around residents and does therefore not have the financial means to invest in a tourism destination that welcomes significantly higher numbers of tourists. For this reason they also started cooperation with other cities such as Maastricht. In this way they can develop projects which would otherwise not be possible. The municipality is also in charge of handing out licenses and permits, collecting taxes and attracting new companies for the city. They strive for a higher quality offer in terms of shops, restaurants, hotels and speciality stores. They also organize meetings with the different suburbs of the city, to listen to their needs and provide information on the development going on. Lastly they are also responsible of the city marketing and events, and cooperate with the other stakeholders in order to find the right path and desired identity for the future. (Interview John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) VOC (Valkenburg Ondernemers Collectief) The VOC is the Valkenburg Entrepreneurs Collective, the largest association of entrepreneurs in Valkenburg. This association is a cooperation of the various entrepreneurs in Valkenburg, who discuss and evaluate new ideas and decisions. Their cooperation also increases their influence and creates opportunities for them to invest in. The Christmas period is just an example of how the cooperation between entrepreneurs and government becomes a great success. The Christmas markets and activities at the end of the year attract thousands of people from the Netherlands and other countries. It is a fruitful event for the entrepreneurs and therefore interesting to invest in. Furthermore the association allows them to develop ideas, show their sense of belonging and have a say in the decision making process of the municipality. Next to the VOC there are also specific associations regarding specific Events during the year. (Interview John Wauben, municipality Valkenburg, 2012/ Valkenburg Ondernemers Collectief, 2012) Local enterprises (eg. Holland Casino, Landal Green Parks, Thermae2000) The local enterprises, in specific the Holland Casino, Landal Green Parks and Thermae 2000, which are the bigger ones in Valkenburg, have an influence on the city s development as well. The previous mentioned work closely together with the municipality, province and other organizations in order to develop the tourism industry and to see where the opportunities lie for them to invest in. Especially during events these stakeholders support the municipality and invest in the events to take place. They are vital for the city s tourism industry and also provide lots of job opportunities. Since they are big employers, they do have a significant influence on the developments. The municipality takes them serious and listens to what they have to say. They also support the future plans and try to cooperate together. The Holland Casino and Thermae 2000 for example, work together on new packages related to the new Wellness theme. The smaller enterprises and entrepreneurs in the city of course also have a say and have regular meetings with the municipality. However there are some concerns since some of the smaller entrepreneurs do not want to cooperate and have the idea that the revenue will remain (they rely on their times when the city was booming). This forms problems in terms of developments as well as sponsorships for the bigger events such as the Christmas period, where financial means are necessary 49

50 in order to make it a success. (Interview John Wauben, municipality Valkenburg, 2012/ Interview Bart Kurris, Holland Casino, 2012/ Interview Tanya Reinards, Landal Green Parks, 2012) Residents To quote the municipality Valkenburg; the residents are top ambassadors of the city. They are the ones that create the experience on the spot, they need to feel home in their own city and should welcome the tourists with open arms. Nowadays it is more important to include the residents in the decision making process, and ensure that there is a good balance between the tourism industry and the living area. As stated before, the municipality has meetings with the suburbs of the city, to ensure that the residents are heard. They are entitled to express their opinions but in the end many residents have the feeling that the local government still sticks to its own path. (Interview John Wauben, municipality Valkenburg, 2012/ Author s own interactions with residents, Valkenburg, 2012) Destination life cycle Valkenburg has rich history in tourism and therefore it is also not strange that they are currently in the stagnation/ decline phase (see appendix 7.8 for the model). They have had their peak times around 20 years ago, when the city was booming and the destination became a top favourite among the Dutch tourists. Due to the lack of developments and the desire to change their image, the city is currently in desperate need for rejuvenation. In the next subchapter Future Development one will read about some of the developments that will take place in order to rejuvenate. The numbers on the tourism industry mentioned earlier, show that the incoming tourists are stagnating/ declining are therefore development is needed. The city s government is aware of this and is actively trying to stimulate those developments. If they succeed the city still has great potential, in the author s opinion. Due to the proximity with Germany and Belgium there are still new markets to explore and target. Furthermore the new Wellness theme will attract a different type of tourist to the city. After upgrading the infrastructure, parking, buildings and accommodations, the city will have a fresher look. Due to its unique location and natural assets they are able to restructure the tourism business and develop the city further Future development As stated before in this report, Valkenburg is in desperate need for renewal and development. The municipality and other stakeholders acknowledge this. The various parties are therefore actively thinking of new ideas and developments that could bring Valkenburg back to the top. It is important to know that Valkenburg has had an enormous growth about years ago, where developments were rapidly taking place with little supervision and control. Due to those financially good years, the entrepreneurs did not see the necessity to upgrade and invest in new developments and ideas, since tourists were coming in anyway. Nowadays the city still displays the image of the old times, and is therefore outdated and in need for renewal. The municipality has made several plans with other parties involved and are trying to restructure and upgrade the city in order to have a better level of quality and restore the authentic atmosphere of the city. First of all there is the plan to tackle the problems in the city centre. In Dutch it is called the Centrum Plan Valkenburg (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). This new plan is already taking place, and is expected to be finished in about 2 to 3 years from now. The centre plan focuses on the unique selling 50

51 points of the city of Valkenburg, and wishes to optimize those in order to distinguish itself from the competition. It focuses on three different points, each with their own specific developments. - Valkenburg as a historic fortified city, with the only hilltop castle in the Netherlands - The experience of the Geul island, and the connection with the green wings (nature) - The expansion of Valkenburg as a shopping destination The focus of the plan will create and stimulate an attractive city centre which will be an impulse for the tourism industry, the residents, the food & beverage sector as well as the job employment within the city. The plan is expected to generate around 170 million euro in investments. This will be beneficial for the whole municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul. The centre plan is part of the municipality s vision on the future. They realize that Valkenburg needs to be further developed in order not to be left behind and therefore needs to make decisions. They also cooperate with the province Limburg, which contributed 7.5 million euro to be invested in this plan. The three focus areas all have their own set of developments. First of all the city s historic buildings and monuments will be restored in their glory in order to create a better quality level. The facades of the old buildings in the city centre will be restored in cooperation with the owners, in order to create that authentic feeling. This also counts for the use of the terraces, sunshades and other objects that contribute to the total experience and feeling when walking through the centre. Furthermore the city centre will be developed in a way that creates a more romantic, cosy feeling. Wide bridges will become narrow, routing will be improved and better connections will be established with the natural surroundings of the city. They wish to make better use of their natural setting and create an experience if one is visiting. Lastly there is the development of the city as a shopping destination. There are plans for a new shopping mall with an underground parking garage, which will create more possibilities to shop as well as more parking places. The city wishes to attract speciality stores and relatively higher quality shops to the city centre, again to create that romantic, cosy feeling. Also regional products and recipes will be offered in order to stimulate the local economy and interest. Furthermore there will be new pavements, streetlights, plants and other things to improve the image of the streets. Traffic will be directed otherwise in other to make it a pedestrian friendly area, as well as accessible for the physically disabled, which will be a trendsetting development for the municipality. More information the centre plan can be found on the website of Centrum Plan Valkenburg. (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012/ Centrum Plan Valkenburg, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) Valkenburg also strives to position itself as the city of Wellness. Wellness should be seen in a broad context, with various sub directions. Valkenburg takes the concept of Wellness and adds several other concepts under that Wellness umbrella. It wishes to promote itself as a sports destination, the Christmas city, the arts and culture city, the culinary city, the shopping city and a place with many attractions. 51

52 Global Wellness is the future theme where Valkenburg will focus on. Below one can find the logo that comes with it. ( The logo displays a W of Wellness, and in that W is the letter V, which stands for Valkenburg. The logo is designed according the following associations; - Chic - Organic forms - Internationally recognizable - Trans-boundary - Streaming - Water - Balance - Harmony - Flower form - A source that flourishes The current and future developments will be made according to the plans made for the future. Wellness stands for enjoying and relaxing oneself. Valkenburg therefore strives to create an overall experience by upgrading buildings and bars, hotels and restaurants. Furthermore the city centre will be renovated and routing will be improved. The city strives to attract shops and specialty stores with a higher quality offer in order to complement the experience. Other developments are the new shopping mall and the Wellness Boulevard that will be established. By means of upgrading the city the municipality also strives to increase the tourist expenditures in the future. The municipality Valkenburg knows its financial limitations and the need for regional cooperation in order to achieve success, and therefore has several co operations with other parties. An example is the cooperation with Maastricht, to link the cities of Maastricht and Valkenburg in order to stimulate investments and the tourism industry. Maastricht of course has a good reputation, also abroad, while Valkenburg is mostly famous within the Netherlands. The two cities complement each other and each has their own unique assets. The big city of Maastricht is also famous for its business tourism, while Valkenburg is known for the nature, activities and the peaceful environment. They wish to link the two cities by means of cycle or hike routings, as well as new projects such as the Leeuw brewery, the 52

53 stimulation and promotion of regional products and better use of the river the Geul, which is the natural guide between the cities. The idea is to develop a City Park in the area between the two cities, which will cater for the wellness theme, the business tourism and slow food. It will be the link between Maastricht and Valkenburg. The cooperation is called GOMV (Gebiedsontwikkeling Maastricht-Valkenburg), which stands for Area development Maastricht-Valkenburg. They wish to create one green, salutary area in order to develop the tourism industry. It is a cooperation between the municipalities as well as the province Limburg. More information on GOMV can be found on their website. (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012/ GOMV, Maastricht/ Valkenburg; twee steden, een gebied, 2008) 53

54 4. The Primary Research This chapter is based on the primary research conducted by the author of this report. It is a mixture of different research methods in order to understand the tourism industry, the image and the identity of the city of Valkenburg. Several interviews were conducted among stakeholders and governmental organizations, as well as questionnaires among residents and tourists (complemented by qualitative research). It is important to note that this report is written from a tourism perspective. The outcomes and conclusions of the research are meant to improve the tourism industry and maintain a respectable balance between tourists and residents. The chapter makes use of several theories as discussed in the literature review, the red line being the Gap-analysis of Jaap van der Grinten. The outcomes of the research are not representative for a whole population (residents or tourists). However the research will provide a good insight in how tourists and residents see Valkenburg. This research could be a starting point from where further and deeper research could be conducted on specific matters. The width of the research allows for a relatively good overview on the identity and image of Valkenburg, comprehending three different perspectives, namely from the municipality and stakeholders, the residents and the tourists. 4.1 The Identity This first subchapter will cover the identity of Valkenburg. The Gap-analysis of Jaap van der Grinten divides the identity in three different areas. Firstly the desired identity (or image) followed by the actual identity as it is, lastly the physical identity displayed by the city The desired identity (or desired image) The author had several interviews with stakeholders of Valkenburg, in order to research the identity. The municipality wishes to shift the image of the city and create a higher quality destination overall. Due to the old image of Valkenburg being a party destination, it is difficult and time consuming to change this entirely. The municipality is already working on this by executing new projects like the city centre plan, the cooperation with Maastricht and other nearby municipalities, as well as trying to create a sense of unity among the entrepreneurs in Valkenburg by setting up associations for events and such. Valkenburg and its area stand for space, rest and landscapes. Furthermore the city centre is a great pull factor with its bars and restaurants and the cosy atmosphere. Another unique selling point of Valkenburg is its caves, used for tours, activities and Christmas markets for instance. Furthermore it is the cycling capital of the Netherlands, with great events such as the World Cup in 2012, and the Amstel Gold Race. (Ilja-Castermans Godfried, Province Limburg, 2012) The tourism industry is a long established one in Valkenburg. It has the oldest official tourism association in the country and has welcomed tourists ever since. Due to its unique location (Euregional) and assets, it is a piece of abroad in the Netherlands. Next to the caves, landscapes and activities the city is also known for its Burgundian character. The great events as mentioned before mean a great deal to the city and attract many tourists and visitors every year. This is also one of 54

55 Valkenburg s pull factors. The future of Valkenburg is pointed towards Wellness, in the broad sense of the word. It stands for enjoying life and relaxing yourself. The current developments that complement this new future theme are for example the new shopping mall, the renovation of the historical centre, the Leeuw beer terrain and the Culture street. Besides a city of Wellness, Valkenburg is also promoted as Christmas city, and Cycling city. (Nicole Schurgers, VVV-Zuid Limburg, 2012) Valkenburg stands for diversity. It is nature, culture, lots of attractions and facilities, a beautiful landscape and surrounding, the river the Geul, small roads and a cosy atmosphere. It has good connections to surrounding areas in Belgium and Germany, as well as Maastricht. In the surroundings one will also find many castles, which is quite unique for Dutch standards, as well as the historical centre of Valkenburg. The municipality knows it is important not to let those buildings and shops pauperize, in order to maintain the authentic feeling in the city centre. Furthermore the municipality strives to attract smaller shops with a higher quality offer. The shops and specialty stores will contribute to the whole experience while visiting the city. The new city centre plan will also tackle some infrastructural problems, since routing will be improved which creates a more logical route for tourists to enjoy while visiting, as well as more logical routes for traffic to pass by. Valkenburg is a selfconscious, proud city. It is a city to be enjoyed, with its diversity in nature and culture. It is the city of events and activities, a city that lives and continuously strives to improve itself. This results in several one liners namely; Valkenburg, feel delicious, feel romantic, feel active, feel as new, feel useful, feel relaxed, feel like a king, feel young again, feel out there, just feel good. (Gastcollege Citymarketing, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). The new Wellness theme, enjoy and relax, has four major areas; culinary, sports, culture and Christmas. These are the pinpoints for the future. (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) In short, Valkenburg strives to be a higher quality destination in the future, with the Wellness theme being their red line. Wellness stands for enjoying and relaxing, it is divided in four areas which will shape the city s image; Valkenburg, the culinary city, the city of sports, the city of culture and the city of Christmas. Unique selling points for Valkenburg are its nature and landscapes, as well as the caves. Furthermore it has a cosy city centre with a Burgundian character and many events, activities and attractions. Its long affiliation with the tourism industry is displayed by its people and establishments, which results in a united and pride municipality. The city wishes to gain international recognition by implementing the Wellness theme and making extra marketing efforts abroad, for example in Germany. The new city centre should also reflect a romantic atmosphere, with its cosiness, small shops and boutiques as well as narrow streets. The city wishes to show its visitors to enjoy life, to relax and take care of one s health. Furthermore the city wishes to incorporate the other villages in the municipality in the destination. Valkenburg aan de Geul is mainly known for the centre of Valkenburg, while the other villages have lots to offer as well. Lastly the city wishes to establish partnerships with other municipalities, for example the project along the river the Geul, partnered with Maastricht. (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) 55

56 Values that the city strives for: - Optimism - Professionalism - Romance - Health - Joy - Unity Valkenburg is a proud and professional tourism destination and offers a true holiday experience The actual identity The actual identity is the identity as it is now. Due to the transformation that Valkenburg is going through, there is still a big difference between the actual and desired identity of the city. The past image of Valkenburg being a party destination during the summer season is still present and the city also still displays its former glory. There are many buildings, bars, restaurants and hotels that have not reinvested in their company in order to freshen up their own image, and develop further according to the modern day desires and needs. The city has the identity of an old tourism destination. The municipality actively tries to resolve these issues by developing projects and associations, as well as setting out a guideline for the future. So far, communication and cooperation have not been quite perfect yet, which resulted in a fractured city where some entrepreneurs do not believe in the same ideals as the government. This results in a lack of willingness to cooperate and invest in the city. The key to this problem is a good communication policy which is clear and defined in what it wants to achieve, why and what the gain is. Interviews have been held with the Holland Casino and Landal Green Parks, two of the bigger organizations and employers of the city. They have both given their own perspective on the city as it is. Valkenburg is a true tourism destination. It is a small destination with a history, a cosy city centre and lots of facilities and bars, restaurants and hotels. It is remarkable how Valkenburg continuous to position itself as a tourism destination, also for foreign tourists. Everybody knows Valkenburg. It is a famous city with a Burgundian character. Furthermore it is a true cycling city, as well as a Christmas city. The events that take place do a great deal of promotion for the city and are vital for its tourism industry. The cultural and sportive events suit the identity of Valkenburg. It is important to reinvest in the city and upgrade companies and buildings in order to compete with other cities. The new Wellness theme is interesting and attracts a profitable market, but it is essential that the theme and plans are pursued. New developments and projects have to take place in order to make this future plan a success. At the moment there are still some entrepreneurs that do not see the need for reinvestments, and still believe that the tourists will keep coming (like they have always done so far). (Bart Kurris, Holland Casino, 2012) Valkenburg is known for its history, the marl caves, its cosy city centre and of course the nature and landscape surrounding the city. It is a competitor of Maastricht, but very different. Maastricht is the 56

57 big city. Valkenburg has the landscape and the peaceful environment. The city has a lot to offer and is very diverse. It is a pure destination, with a natural development in tourism over the years. It used to be the party destination; nowadays it is getting a bit more quality with upgrades from a camping site to Landal Green Parks for example. The events are good for the city, although it brings with problems for the residents when it comes to traffic and parking. It is a sensitive subject but nevertheless important. It is better not to grow any further in terms of number, but rather increase the tourist expenditures in the future. The Wellness plan complements this, and brings with developments that will do good for the city; shops and boutiques, restaurants, medical wellness. A big problem here is that there are companies that are quite solitary in terms of cooperation and developments. Some entrepreneurs do not seem to see the urge to cooperate and invest in the city. The Christmas period is a good example, the municipality needs financial means to invest in the city during this period of the year, however there are not many companies willingly investing in this (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). The new city centre plan will be good for both resident and tourist, and will provide a better quality offer and routing. It will improve the city centre. (Tanya Reinards, Landal Green Parks, 2012) The physical identity The physical identity comprehends all the tangible aspects of the identity. This chapter reviews the websites, brochures, tourism association shop/ information point, the symbolism of the logos, the city itself and the behaviour of its management. Websites, brochure, VVV Shop and social media The official website of Valkenburg, has a tourism section which provides information on the city. One can choose the topics history and nature, which display the history of Valkenburg and its tourism industry, and its natural assets. Under the tab Discover Valkenburg, one will find several topics on what Valkenburg is. The topics are; - Cycling & Hiking - Christmas - Arts & Culture - Wellness - Shopping - Attractions It is not consistent with the Wellness theme and its subareas, which is remarkable. Furthermore the website does not seem to be very modern in terms of technology. Furthermore the website displays mainly just plain text, with the occasional picture or video inserted. The official website of Global Wellness Valkenburg, does not seem to be in use any longer since the lost news post was from February This is remarkable since it is the new future plan. The website is a bit more sophisticated than the one mentioned before, but still lacks in creating an experience. There is use of colours, pictures and text. It provides information and 57

58 news related to the wellness plan. It is operated by the municipality of Valkenburg, but once again the Wellness theme and its subareas are not represented on this page. The official website of the Valkenburg Christmas period, provides information on the Christmas markets at the end of each year. It provides the information in English, French, German and Dutch, which displays their desire for international recognition. Furthermore Christmas images are used in order to create the experience. The official website of the city centre plan, provides information and updates on the city centre plan. People interested can read through documents, plans, ideas and such for the centre plan. One could also see when there are information evenings or meetings. Furthermore there are newsflashes on what is currently going on. Ideal for the residents, but also tourists, who would like to know what kind of developments are taking place and why. The official website of the tourism association South Limburg, has a section for Valkenburg in particular. It displays moving pictures and texts of the assets of Valkenburg and so creates a sort of experience of the city. Furthermore it provides texts and information on the city, its attractions and assets. One can download the tourist brochure of Valkenburg here. The brochure starts with a text on the diversity of the city, titled A marl city with many faces. This is followed by information and pictures on attractions, activities and things to do, as well as a tourist map of the city. It has different sections for the attractions, the nature & relaxation and the marl caves. The tourism association also has a Smartphone App, which allows tourists to browse through the different possibilities they have at the spot, as well as providing information on the city and its attractions. There is a section on Valkenburg in particular, but this merely provides information on the history and nature. The other sections such as attractions and activities are all mingled together with other areas in the south of Limburg. In the city itself one will find a VVV Shop, which is a shop from the tourism association. It provides information and tours for the tourists, as well as local products to buy. It displays the history and local assets of the region. The tourism association and its promotion do not (yet) seem to be displaying the new Wellness theme with its sub areas, although some of them are represented. The social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter are both from the municipality. The Facebook account does not seem to be in use, and mainly displays posts from other users that tagged the account. The posts that are from the municipality are just copied links from their twitter account. The twitter account has significantly more followers, however it is still relatively low compared to the amount of residents it has (at this point followers/ almost residents). The twitter account displays information on current developments in the city, as well as interesting topics such as nominations, event licensing, workshops and such. Furthermore there is information on the proceedings of the city centre plan. 58

59 The tourism association of south Limburg also hosts a Facebook and Twitter account. They are actively publishing photos and newsfeeds on what activities and events are going on. They also publish special discounts or offers for tourists to enjoy. The amount of followers on Twitter, and people that like the Facebook page, are, relatively low. Due to the use of pictures and interactional posts it provides a view on the city as well as a certain vibe, which lets tourists already experience a bit of Valkenburg (and the other areas). The most important remark for the physical identity is that it is represented in various ways. However there does not seem to be much consistency among the various channels. The Logos There are two logos to be reviewed for the identity. Logo Municipality Valkenburg Logo Global Wellness Valkenburg (Municipality Valkenburg, 2012) The logo on the left hand side is the logo from the municipality. It displays its history (with the bird and tower), as well as the nature (the green bushes). Furthermore the text at the bottom imitates a flowing river. It represents the identity of Valkenburg at its core. The history and natural assets are important factors that created the city one sees today. It has a professional, modern look. The Global Wellness logo on the right hand side displays blue colours, which is soothing. It has a modern look and the letters W and V, representing Wellness and Valkenburg respectively. It also has an interesting look and suits the theme, although it does relate more to relaxation, water and wellness in the traditional sense of the word. The sub areas of sports, culture, culinary and Christmas are not represented. It does have a professional look. The City The unique location of the city has a beautiful natural surrounding which contributes to the experience. Furthermore the centre breathes the history of the city, namely the old buildings, the use of marl, castles and ruins as well as the caves. The narrow streets, relatively small city centre and numerous bars, restaurants and hotels all contribute to the authentic, romantic and cosy atmosphere. During events such as the Christmas period and major cycling events, the city transforms according to that theme. It creates an atmosphere which is loved by both resident and tourist. However, as discussed before, the city still lacks in displaying professionalism and a fresh look. Lots of buildings and companies are outdated due to a lack of investments and developments. The new city centre plan will be a great benefit for the look of the city, however at the moment it does the exact opposite. Due to the work on the roads, sewer systems etc. the look of the city is one that hopefully 59

60 will not continue to be for much longer. It is a necessary evil, however it will still take two to three years before the whole plan will be finished (John Wauben, Municipality Valkenburg, 2012). Furthermore there are attractions which are outdated and do not seem to fit the desired identity of the city any longer. The upgrading of present buildings and attracting new companies are vital for this matter, since a higher quality offer and look is pursued by the municipality. The Hosts behaviour The municipality of Valkenburg has the management over the city, and needs to make difficult decisions in order to take care of both tourist and resident. It is difficult due to the small size of the municipality, and the large size of its tourism industry. The key here is communication. Based on the research of the author it became clear that many residents are not happy with the way the municipality communicates with them. They find that the municipality is not listening well to the opinion of its residents. Furthermore they find that the other villages in the municipality are neglected in comparison to Valkenburg itself. Other remarks were that the correspondence between resident and municipality in terms of complaints and questions, was not rapid enough and that new ideas and projects were published publicly, while most of the times no real actions followed, which made the resident wonder why it was published (based on qualitative and quantitative research of the author, numbers and figures can be found in the subchapter The Image ). Based on this research, there is a lack in professionalism. Also the sense of unity is not encouraged in this way. On the other hand the municipality actively tries to unite the entrepreneurs to reinvest and innovate in order to develop the city further. It provides subsidies, advice and sets up organizations for specific events and the Christmas period. In this way it strives to unite the different parties, and create a sense of belonging. They also strive to incorporate the other villages of the municipality in their marketing, in order to make use of their own unique selling points. Lastly there are the residents of the city, which are the ambassadors when it comes to interaction with the tourists. The author s own experience has been great, the residents are very open and friendly, and make the tourist feel welcome. 4.2 The Image The primary research has been conducted by means of questionnaires, one for the residents and one for the tourists of Valkenburg, in order to research their perception of the city (appendix 7.2). Below one will find the important results for this research, all the other data can be found in appendix The tourists Qualitative research Tourists were asked to write down in a few words what they relate to the name Valkenburg. Below one will find a list of the words mentioned. - Limburg vlaaien (local specialty cakes) - Cycling (Amstel Gold Race, World Cup cycling) - Caves - Thermae The Cauberg 60

61 - Nature (surroundings, river the Geul, hills) - Valkeniers Fun Park - Leeuw beer - Holland Casino - Holiday (weekend getaway) - Close to 3 country point - Relaxation (rest, peaceful area) - Gezelligheid (cosiness) - City centre (going out, restaurants, bars, terraces) - Cable way - Christmas markets - Tourism In the words that were mentioned by the tourists, one can see connections to the strengths of Valkenburg. It also complements their desired identity. The mentioning of feelings like relaxation, cosiness and a holiday feeling, are promising for the identity desired. Furthermore the tourists link Valkenburg to the Christmas markets, caves, cycling, city centre and nature, which are all represented in their identity. Specific attention goes to the Thermae 2000, Holland Casino, Leeuw beer, the Cauberg and Limburg vlaaien. However on the other hand one can see that there are also attractions mentioned, like for Valkeniers Fun Park and the Cable way, which remind people of the old days, when the attractions were real pull factors for the city. Tourists were also asked to write down in words any other remarks that they would like to mention. Below one will find a short summary of the most important ones, and most frequently mentioned. - People that do not stay overnight are rejected in bars and restaurants (during lunch/ dinner time) - A true family destination - The proximity of everything in the city centre is ideal - Valkenburg has not changed much over the years, it has a lot to offer but needs to modernize and upgrade - You often hear It is not what it used to be - There is not much to do in Valkenburg (shopping wise) - A lot of things to do, but relatively cheap leisure activities and shops 61

62 Quantitative research Tourists were asked to rate several statements on a Likert-scale (1 to 5, 1 being completely disagree, 5 being completely agree ). Lastly the tourists were asked the grade Valkenburg as a tourism destination. Figures are based on the data from the research, which one can find in appendix In total there were 123 respondents for the tourist questionnaire. 47.2% were male, 52.8% female. N=123. In the birth year distribution figure, one can see that there was a large amount of respondents that were not older than 25 years old. This will have an effect on the outcome and therefore should be taken into consideration when looking at the results. The level of education, showed a strong presence of high levelled respondents. The mean is 4.9, N=123. Most respondents visisted the city with friends. The other values are quite evenly distributed, with family and boyfriend/ girlfriend scoring a bit higher than man/ wife. The mean is 3.2, N=123. Most respondents have visited the city several times, or even more than 5 times. Only a mere 8.1% visited the city for the first time. This proves the fame of Valkenburg among the Dutch people. The mean is 2.4, N=

63 Most respondents do/ did not stay overnight. If they did stay overnight, most respondents stayed overnight for 2 nights. Valkenburg is a popular city in the Netherlands, especially for daytrips. This is why there is such a large amount of respondents that did not stay overnight. The mean is 2.1, N=123. The 3 most important features The outcomes show a result of 5 different features that were chosen the most. Respondents could tick three ouf of ten options, what they thought were the three most important features of Valkenburg. 1. Caves (68% of the respondents chose this feature) N= Events (47.1% of the respondents chose this feature) N= City Centre (43.1% of the respondents chose this feature) N= Nature (39.8% of the respondents chose this feature) N= Activities (38.2% of the respondents chose this feature) N=123 The statements Most respondents agree with the statement. There are only few respondents that disagree, and none at all that completely disagree. This shows that on average the tourists like the residents of Valkenburg, and that they feel welcome while visiting Valkenburg. The mean is 4.2, N=123. Most tourists agreed with this statement. Due to the low percentages of respondents disagreeing, being neutral or did not know, one could say that Valkenburg definitely has a lot of fun activities to offer. The mean is 4.2, N=122. Most respondents agree that Valkenburg is a romantic city. The distribution is divided among the several values, but over 60% agrees/ completely agrees with the statement. The mean is 3.8, N=

64 More than half of the respondents agrees that Valkenburg is a fresh and lively city. The value neutral also ranks high, having 25% of the respondents. The mean is 3.8, N=123. According to the results it is safe to say that the respondents like the city centre of Valkenburg. It is a cosy and fun place to be, with almost all of the respondents agreeing/ completely agreeing with this statement. The mean is 4.3, N=122. The answers are distributed over all different values. Most respondents think that there are enough parking possibilities. On the other hand there are also around 40% of the respondents that disagree or are neutral on this statement. The mean is 3.9, N=122. More than 80% of the respondents agrees or completely agrees with the fact that Valkenburg is a good spot to discover its surrounding areas. The mean is 4.2, N=123. Most respondents were neutral on this statement. The value agree ranked secondly, right after that. The distribution over the values shows that on average there is a good price/quality ratio, however it could be better. The mean is 3.9, N=123. Almost half of the respondents agrees that the directions are good. On average one could say that the directions could be better, but there are few people that are bothered by it. The mean is 4.1, N=

65 No respondents disagreed with this statement and one could thus say that information is easy and readily available, if tourists want to know more on the activities and offers of the city. The mean is 4.4, N=123. Almost 78% of the respondents agreed or completely agreed with this statement. One could say that Valkenburg is regarded a safe city. The mean is 4.3, N=123. There are few respondents that disagree with the statement. Over 60% agrees or completely agrees that Valkenburg is a green and clean city. There are also 28.5% of the respondents that were neutral. The mean is 4, N=121. I come to Valkenburg for/ to... Very few respondents agreed with this statement. Most respondents (36.6%) disagreed, 27.6% completely disagreed. One could say that the respondents, on average, do not come for the wellness & healthcare. The mean is 2.5, N=123. Almost all of the respondents disagreed with the statement. One could say that the respondents do not come for the Holland Casino. The mean is 2, N=

66 Most of the respondents agreed with the statement. They visit Valkenburg for its events. The others were quite evenly distributed over the other values. The mean is 3.3, N=123. Most respondents come to enjoy and relax theirselves. Less than 20% disagreed with the statement. One could say that the respondents visit the city to find joy and relaxation. The mean is 3.6, N=122. Most of the respondents agreed with the statement. However the differences are relatively small, which makes it difficult to say anything about the outcome. The mean is 3.3, N=123. Most respondents disagreed with the statement. On average one could say the respondents do not visit the city for shopping. The mean is 2.6, N=122. Most respondents disagreed with the statement. However the differences with the values neutral and agree are relatively small. One could say that history is a pull factor but not a priority. The mean is 2.8, N=

67 Valkenburg tourism industry Most respondents agree that the tourism industry in Valkenburg is professionally managed. There are very few that disagree with this statement. The mean is 4.2, N=122. Most respondents agree that Valkenburg is in need for renewal. There are very few that disagreed, while there were 30.1% respondents being neutral. The mean is 3.8, N=123. The grade Most respondents graded Valkenburg with an 8. The mean is 7.4, which is a relatively high grade. One could say that tourists are well satisfied when visiting Valkenburg. N= The residents Qualitative research Residents were asked to write down any remarks they had on the city and its management. Answers have been listed and grouped together, in order to create a better overview of the remarks mentioned. The results can be found below. - Municipality does what it wants, not listening well to the resident (eg. City centre plan, Streek museum, Polfermolen, new hotel plan in centre, new bridge in the centre, subsidies for arts & culture are withdrawn, no clear long term vision, not enough attention for other villages than Valkenburg) - Municipality promises, but does not take action many plans get published but never make it (also many contradicting decisions have been made) - Municipality should communicate better with the residents asking opinions or providing information? - Parking problems (in city centre, during events and when having visitors over) 67

68 - Traffic safety not always up to standard (especially for children, crossovers at schools, more control on cyclists breaking the law/ in city centre, extra light at road Rasberg, extra control/ consideration for Bergstraat in Sibbe) - A North-South connection for traffic is desired, to maintain the rest/ peace in the residential area - Public transport in the evenings could be improved (connection to Maastricht/ Heerlen) - More attention for the elderly (not only in the city centre) - More public toilets - More ATMs in the city centre - Security cameras desired in areas where problems occur frequently (eg. City centre) - Sport facilities not only important for the tourists, also the residents - Extra attention to renovating buildings/ time for renovation, minimizing crime - More attention to non EU markets - Nature is important for Valkenburg; take care of it (benches, parks, hiking tracks etc.) - Tourism should not be too broad (Wellness, cycling etc./ less concentration on cycling tourism/ not only high-end tourism, the average Joe is also important for the industry and has always been/ - More consideration for the resident during events (also cycling events should be better spread over the year, often events/ tours at the same time) - New developments at the river the Geul are appreciated - Many entrepreneurs that are too stubborn, not willing to cooperate/ invest, they do not grant each other anything - Valkenburg has a great atmosphere, is a great place to live Quantitative research Residents were asked about their expectations and experiences with their place of residence, by means of closed questions. Furthermore they were asked to rate statements according to the Likertscale (1 to 5, 1 being completely disagree or not good at all, 5 being completely agree or very good ). The outcomes can be found below. In total there were 215 respondents for the resident questionnaire. 51.6% were male, 48.4% female. 68

69 The birth years of the respondents were quite well distributed. The birth years were clustered in order to provide a better overview. Most respondents were born before 1952, with the classes and after that. The majority of the respondents was older than 50 years at the time of the research. N=215. Most respondents had a relatively high education (HBO). MBO followed right after that. On average the level of education ranked relatively high. The mean is 4.9, N=213. Expectation versus Experience of the aspect Residents were asked to rank their expectations of certain aspects on a Likert-scale (1 to 5). The same was asked for their experience with the aspect. The figure below shows the mean of the specific aspect. The difference between the two show where there are gaps to improve, and also shows which aspects are appreciated. Y-axis = Mean of the aspect X-axis = Number of aspect (see below) 1 Safety 7 - Atmosphere among residents 2 - Parking 8 - Accessibility 3 - Nature 9 - Public transport 4 - Sport facilities 10 - Balance between events/ rest in the city 5 - Arts & Culture 11 - Balance between tourism/ residential area 6 - Atmosphere in the city 69

70 The exact mean and exact number of respondents per aspect (expectation/ experience) can be found in the appendix The following aspects do not have a big gap between expectation and experience and can therefore be regarded as Good. There is not much room for improvement, or is not found necessary at the moment. The aspects are; Nature, Sport facilities, Arts & Culture, Public transport. Furthermore Sport facilities, Arts & Culture and Public Transport are not regarded as important as the other aspects, which mean they have a relatively low priority for the respondents. Nature has the second highest level of expectation, which means that this aspect should be seen as a priority. The following aspects have a relatively big gap between expectation and experience and can therefore be regarded as Attention needed. There is room for improvement and these aspects should definitely be taken seriously when making future decisions. The aspects are; Atmosphere in the city, Atmosphere among residents, Balance between tourism/ residential area. Although most respondents came from Valkenburg itself, it appears that the tourism industry does not affect their residential area. The gap is there, but there is no extreme difference between expectation and experience. Also the level of expectation is relatively low compared to other aspects. It is interesting to see that the gap is relatively big for the aspects of Atmosphere. The atmosphere in the city should be having attention from the municipality; however it most likely comes forth out of the City centre plan that was currently taking place while the questionnaires were conducted. This would most likely have had an effect on the outcome for this aspect. Furthermore the atmosphere among residents is slightly smaller, but should be taken seriously. The following aspects all have a large gap between expectation and experience and can therefore be regarded as Must take action. There is definitely something going on and it is vital for the municipality to improve it. The aspects are; Safety, Parking, Accessibility, Balance between events/ rest in the city. The safety gap could be related to the traffic safety mentioned in the qualitative research. Furthermore the cyclists seem to create unsafe situations while riding through the city. The parking gap is known at the municipality, and it is one that is extremely difficult to deal with. It is vital for the municipality to come up with a solution that suits both tourist and resident, and that makes sense for Valkenburg as a place of residence, but also for the place of huge events. The aspect of the balance between events and rest in the city is also a known issue. Due to the relatively small size of Valkenburg it is difficult to cater for so many tourists and visitors that come to the major events. It is important to find a balanced solution for tourists and most of all the residents. 70

71 The statements The majority of the respondents were neutral about this statement. 28.8% disagreed, 15.8% agreed and 13.9% completely disagreed. One could say that the respondents think the municipality does not listen well to the opinion of the residents. The mean is 2.8, N= % agrees that there is a good balance between tourism and the residential area. One could say that there is a good balance according to the respondents. The mean is 3.7, N=213. The majority of the respondents disagrees with the statement. One could say that according to the respondents, there are not too many events in Valkenburg. The mean is 2.7, N=215. The vast majority of the respondents agrees that the city centre is cosy and fun. There were relatively low percentages disagreeing with the statement. One could say that the city centre is cosy and fun according to the respondents. The mean is 3.8, N=215. Almost all respondents agree or completely agree with the statement. One could say that the respondents are proud of Valkenburg. The mean is 4, N=

72 Almost all respondents agreed or completely agreed with the statement. One could say the respondents are happy to live in Valkenburg. The mean is 4.3, N=214. Almost all respondents agree or completely agree with the fact that the tourism industry is important for Valkenburg as a city. The mean is 4.5, N=215. The majority of the respondents agrees with Valkenburg being a good destination for business tourism. The differences between the values are not substantial, however one could say that the repsondents on average, think that Valkenburg is a good destination for business tourism. The mean is 3.5, N=215. The majority of the respondents agrees with Wellness tourism being the future for Valkenburg. The values neutral and completely agree come right after that. One could say that the respondents think that Wellness tourism is the future for Valkenburg. The mean is 3.6, N=215. The grade The vast majority of the respondents grades the city with an 8 out of 10. The grade 7 comes after that. One could say that the respondents find Valkenburg a pleasant city to live. The mean is 7.5, N=

73 4.3 The gaps Overall the image of both residents and tourists seem to be relatively good. They grade the city above average and are happy to visit/ live in the city. However the research also reveals gaps between the identity pursued, displayed and the image as perceived by tourists and residents. The outcomes can be found below Desired identity Actual identity The actual identity of Valkenburg as it is, displays common ground with the desired identity. The strengths of the city are of course taken into account when planning for the future, so this is only logical. Currently the city still has a problem with the infrastructure and buildings which are not up to date. Due to this the city does not yet display that quality destination that it wishes to be. However the Burgundian city is defined as a true tourism destination, with history, a cosy city centre and a lot of diversity in activities, attractions and facilities. The events play an important role in the promotion and the forming of the identity of Valkenburg. Its culture and sports are key factors of the tourism industry. It is the cycling capital of the Netherlands, the Christmas city of the Netherlands, and offers beautiful landscapes and nature. The Thermae2000 is another pull factor and the new wellness theme will only enforce this. There is a great potential for foreign markets to attract to Valkenburg and this is still missing. The destination lacks in international fame. Current campaigns are held in Germany in cooperation with the tourism association of South Limburg, but there is still room for improvement in order to generate more international recognition. The city does not yet display a sense of unity among its stakeholders. The municipality is actively trying to resolve this; however that is not yet achieved Desired identity Physical identity The key to succeed in achieving the desired identity is good communication, to the tourists but also to the residents. This has to be displayed by the physical identity. As described in the subchapter of physical identity earlier, the online media used by the municipality and tourism association do display common features, values and keywords. However it is not exactly the same. Especially related to the Wellness theme there are many different keywords and topics mentioned, which makes it confusing. It is important to align the various channels according to the desired identity, the values strived for and the features of the aspect that form the city s desired image. Websites such as the one from Global Wellness Valkenburg are not up to date, and therefore create even more confusion as well as discredit the municipality s professionalism. Furthermore the city of Valkenburg as it is now does not yet meet the criteria mentioned in the desired identity. The municipality is aware of this and by means of the city centre plan it is reshaping the city centre, as well as the infrastructure, which will hopefully eliminate the gap. Furthermore there is a need for renovation and innovation in terms of entrepreneurs who need to reinvest in their businesses. A sense of unity among the various parties could definitely contribute to this aspect. It is important to align the various ideas and visions, in order to achieve the higher goal. Lastly the hosts of the city, the municipality and its residents, could improve their communication so that all parties involved share the same vision for the future, and so that residents can relate to the new developments that are taking place. It is important that the ambassadors, the residents, stand behind the identity desired by the city. 73

74 4.3.3 Desired identity Image The gaps between the identity desired and the image as perceived by tourists are as follows. Though the city wishes to pursue its burgundian character and a romantic atmosphere, some tourists and residents feel rejected in the food & beverage sector if they do not want to have dinner/ lunch, but merely a drink. Furthermore they acknowledge that there are parking issues, especially during events. The municipality is aware of this and again the city centre plan will tackle this issue. The tourists also mention that there are many things to do in Valkenburg, though relatively cheap in terms of offering. Remarkable is that the price/quality ratio is not considered very good, this has to be taken into account for the future. If the new wellness industry will flourish, it is important to maintain a good price/quality ratio so that also the average Joe can still enjoy the city s offer. Tourists were asked to rate on what level they are attracted to Valkenburg, based on several elements. Remarkably wellness & healthcare scores relatively low, also due to the background of the respondents. Furthermore it became clear that shopping is not a pull factor for the city, the new shopping mall and potential new shops that will locate in Valkenburg will hopefully change this. This could result in a new market that is attracted to Valkenburg. The respondents also did not see the history of the city as a pull factor, often it is appreciated but it is not one of the reasons to visit Valkenburg. Furthermore the tourists see Valkenburg as a professional tourism destination, but do think it is in need for renewal. The current and future developments will tackle this issue. Overall the tourist graded Valkenburg with a 7.4, which is a relatively high grade and one could therefore conclude that the city is regarded a very good tourism destination to visit. On the other hand the residents were asked how they perceive their place of residence. It quickly became clear that there is a serious gap between municipality and resident. The communication is not up to standards and many residents complain about the way that the municipality treats them. It is important to set up a better and clearer communication between the two parties, in order to maintain a satisfying relationship. The tourists regarded Valkenburg as a safe city, on the contrary the outcomes from the residents shows a clear gap. The traffic safety is not up to standards and should be dealt with. Residents do not feel safe, special care should be taken for the elderly and children. Furthermore the cyclists seem to cause many problems (especially in the city centre) and do not take others into consideration. Another aspect mentioned was that there is little to do for young people. Since the city centre is focused on tourism and food & beverage, young people (under 16) find it relatively boring. Taking into account that the city s population is aging and that young potential is leaving the city, it is important to organize and facilitate for the younger ones, so that they do want to stay. Furthermore the outcomes showed that the sport facilities could be improved. Sports being one of the subareas under the Wellness umbrella should be at a high level for both resident and tourist to enjoy. Parking is also considered a problem among the residents. It is known that it causes problems during events and peak seasons. However it should also be taken into account that visitors of residents have a place to park. Another gap is there between the balance of events and rest in the city. The municipality is aware of the problem and it is difficult to tackle. It is important that residents understand the importance of events for Valkenburg, and they should be aware of the benefits it brings. It is also important to show the opportunities for the resident in order to make them feel comfortable if major events take place in the city. Lastly the residents acknowledge that the city is in need for renewal and renovation in order to survive in the future. 74

75 5. Recommendations This chapter will cover the recommendations made by the author, based on the secondary and primary research conducted. The outcomes were reviewed, analyzed and put into context in order to come up with several recommendations for the city of Valkenburg. The recommendations are divided according to Simon Anholt s CI Hexagon (2002). First, that place branding is not about telling the world that our place is good; instead it is about making our place good and letting the world know that we are trying. Secondly, that place branding does help improve a place s image but this improvement is always based on wide interventions that call the brand to mind rather on promotion alone. (Kavaratzis, Towards Effective Place Brand Management, p38) 5.1 Tourism - The overall recommendation for the tourism promotion is that marketing efforts are aligned and have the Wellness theme as a foundation. - The Wellness theme and its sub areas should be the red line in the promotion for Valkenburg in the near future. The online media should be aligned with this theme, as well as the values and keywords mentioned, and the vibe that is created in the promotion. A website like Global Wellness Valkenburg should be kept up to date in order to provide information and spread the word on the new wellness theme, if not, it should be deleted from the web. - The social media sites should be clear, concise and more interactive with tourist and resident. It is important to get feedback to work with, as well as create a sense of belonging. Furthermore this could result in points of improvement, as well as points that are appreciated. - The Wellness theme, as well as Valkenburg as a shopping destination should be well promoted in the future. So far tourists do not see Valkenburg as such a destination and therefore the developments need to be shown to the outer world. - The caves and city centre are mentioned as top features of Valkenburg by its tourists (the city centre is also appreciated by residents), these should be used in the promotion of Valkenburg. The caves are well used for activities, tours and Christmas markets. - The history is no real pull factor for tourists. However it is a strength of Valkenburg and should be used as an extra selling point. The focus should be on the Wellness theme. 75

76 5.2 Brands 5.3 Policy - The surroundings of Valkenburg and its villages should be used in the promotion in order to stimulate the industry in those areas, as well as create a sense of unity in the municipality. This will also stimulate the pride and understanding of the residents. - International fame should be desired. Marketing campaigns abroad will be of importance for the future in order to attract new markets. The current campaign in Germany is therefore a good start, other countries that might be interesting are Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria (close proximity). Further research is needed for this. - The RECRON campaign is an interesting, modern day look to determining which markets are attracted to Valkenburg. A research for Valkenburg in particular could be of great use for the future marketing. In this way better product-market combinations could be formed, and communication channels could be better used. - Valkenburg is known for sports (mainly cycling and hiking), marl caves, Christmas markets and events. These are great brands of the city that create national/ international attention. It is important to develop these brands and make good use of them marketing wise. - Thermae 2000 and Holland Casino Valkenburg are strong brands that should be maintained and stimulated to develop further. - Loosen up legislations and bureaucracy for entrepreneurs who want to invest/ innovate. It is important that they can develop themselves. Also stimulate this and help them by offering advice and information (is already happening, but perhaps a more active approach would create more interest) - Attract young talent / potential. It is important for the city to develop itself and with an aging population it is difficult to innovate. Try attracting younger people by ensuring that supporting facilities are there, as well as opportunities to invest and develop. - Attract quality investors, stores and establishments by offering special incentives (tax incentives for example). Show the opportunities and future plans of the city as an extra pull factor. - Ensure road safety. Especially in the city centre residents complained about the cyclists that did not take anyone else into consideration. Cycling free areas might be an opportunity. An option would be to invest in a bicycle parking in the city centre. - Active residency should be encouraged. This will increase the sense of unity as well as the pride of the residents, and will display points of improvement for the city to work on. Residents should be part of the city s management. 76

77 5.4 Investment 5.5 Culture - All investments and developments should take the Wellness theme into consideration. How does it improve the city? How does it complement the product offer? - Nature is regarded as a top priority among residents and tourists. It is important to take care of the assets such as parks, benches and hiking trails. Keep it up to standards. - More ATMs are desired in the city centre - Safety is regarded a high priority. An option would be to place security camera in the city centre in order to prevent crime and offer a safe feeling to both resident and tourist. - Public toilets in the city centre and surroundings are desired. - It is important to stimulate an uniform cityscape/ look in terms of buildings and its appearances (municipality is already working on this). - Not only the city centre but also its surroundings (other villages) should be made elderly and child friendly. Crossovers in dangerous streets could be an option. Furthermore benches could be placed for the elderly, in order to have the possibility to rest. - Parking is a huge problem (mainly during events) in the city centre. It is also regarded a problem in the outer areas. Residents suggested a parking pass for their visitors in order not to create problems for them to have someone over for a visit. Another option for the major issue during events and peak season might be a parking place outside of the residential area, which offers many parking lots. Busses could drive between there and the centre when necessary. Furthermore it is important to monitor to problem after the city centre plan is finished, in order to see whether the developments have met the needs. - It is important to maintain a respectable price/ quality ratio in Valkenburg, after the major developments have taken place. It is important that the average Joe can still afford to visit the city, they have always been (and probably will be in the future) the main market for Valkenburg. - A North-South connection is desired by the residents in order to eliminate the stress on traffic in the villages. This will also decrease the feeling of being unsafe. - Local specialties are appreciated by tourists and residents; this could be used more in the promotion, as well as spreading the culture of Valkenburg. - The events of Valkenburg such as World Cup Cycling and the Amstel Gold Race are great examples of the cycling culture in the region. This should be cherished and stimulated. 77

78 5.6 People - The municipality should communicate better to its residents. The research has shown that the residents are proud and happy to live in Valkenburg; they believe in the Wellness plans and do think that the tourism industry is important for the city, however they find that the municipality is not listening well. More interaction should take place in order to create a better relationship and thrust. - The communication should be clear and detailed. The municipality should mention when they are asking for opinions, or merely providing information on new developments. - If new plans or ideas are published, it should be clear whether this will take place or that it is just an idea/ concept. It creates confusion and contradicting visions. - A sense of belonging and unity should be encouraged. By means of better communication and the stimulation of new ideas and innovations could contribute to this. The grant-factor should be increased. Entrepreneurs do not seem to grant each other that much. Furthermore residents and tourists complained that establishments rejected them during lunch/ dinner time, while they merely wanted to have a drink. Entrepreneurs should be aware of the fact that these are their customers and that they have to offer a warm and hospitable welcome. - There should be more activities and things to do for young people. Parents and their children have complained about the small offering for young people, this could be one of the reasons that many of them leave the city. - The problem with the balance between events and rest in the city known, however it should be taken seriously. Although it is just a few days in the year, residents do seem to care a great deal about it. Residents should be informed well in advance, as well as given possibilities to minimize the difficulties for them during the event. 78

79 6. Bibliography Ambitiedocument Vrijetijdseconomie, Provincie Limburg (2011) Basisboek Statistiek met SPSS, Baarda, De Goede en Van Dijkum (2007) Noordhoff Uitgevers Beleef Valkenburg, VVV Zuid-Limburg (2012) (Front page picture has been taken from this brochure) CBS, 2012 Address: / / / %2c9%2c12&D2= &D3= &D4=(l-1)-l&HDR=T&STB=G2%2cG1%2cG3&VW=D (Accessed ) Centrum Plan Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) City of Wellness in the heart of Europe, ZKA Consultants & Planners (2008) Competitive Identity; the new brand management for nations, cities and regions, Simon Anholt (2007) Palgrave Macmillan Destination brands; managing place reputation, Nigel Morgan, Annette Pritchard and Roger Pride (2011) Elsevier Ltd. Destination life cycle model, Butler (1980) Een groene weldadige stad, GOMV (2009) Facebook Gemeente Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Facebook VVV Zuid-Limburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Fluweelengrot, 2012 Address: (Accessed )Gemeente op maat; Valkenburg aan de Geul, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (2011) Gastcollege Citymarketing, Janneke Houben and John Wauben, Gemeente Valkenburg (2012) Gemeente Valkenburg, 2012 Address: / (Accessed ) 79

80 Global Wellness Valkenburg, 2008 Address: (Accessed ) GOMV, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) How to brand nations, cities and destinations, Teemu Moilanen and Seppo Rainisto (2009) Palgrave Macmillan Kerststad Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Marketing-activiteitenplan, VVV Zuid-Limburg (2012) Marketing insight; the aging consumer, Tourism Ireland (2004) Mega event = Mega impact? Travelling Fans experience and perceptions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Host Nation, Magdalena Florek, Tim Breitbarth and Francisco Conejo (August 2008) Journal of Sport & Tourism Mind the Gap; stappenplan identiteit en imago, Jaap van der Grinten (2010) Boom/ Lemma Ondergronds Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Openluchttheater Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Place branding; glocal, virtual and physical identities, constructed, imagined and experienced, Robert Govers and Frank Go (2009) Palgrave Macmillan Places; identity, image and reputation, Simon Anholt (2010) Palgrave Macmillan Presentatie economisch-toeristische cijfers t/m 2011, Gemeente Valkenburg (2012) Presentatie overnachtingen cijfers & grafieken, Gemeente Valkenburg (2011) Provincie Limburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) RECRON, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) RECRON Innovatie Campagne, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Social Research Methods, Alan Bryman (2008) Oxford University Press Inc. Strategic brand management; building, measuring, and managing brand equity, Kevin Lane Keller (2008) Pearson Education 80

81 Survey System, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Thesis Student Handbook; Semester 6, NHTV University of Applied Sciences (2011) Thesis Tools, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Toeristische Trendkrant, Provincie Limburg (2012) Toeristische Trendrapportage Limburg , Provincie Limburg (2012) Toekomstvisie 2012; Een verkenning, Gemeente Valkenburg (2007) Tourism Management, David B. Weaver (2000) Elsevier Ltd. Towards effective place brand management: branding European cities and regions, Ashworth & Kavaratzis (2010) Edward Elgar Publishing Limited Twitter Gemeente Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Twitter VVV Zuid-Limburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) Valkenburg Leeft!; Herstel identiteit zorgt voor hoger rendement, ZKA Markt & Beleid (2001) VOC Valkenburg, 2012 Address: (Accessed ) VVV Zuid-Limburg, 2012 Address: / (Accessed ) Wegwijzer Zuid-Limburg, VVV Zuid-Limburg (2012) When fit matters: Leveraging destination and event image congruence, Magdalena Florek and Andrea Insch (2011) - Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management Interviewees Bart Kurris, Holland Casino Valkenburg (Sales/ Marketing) Date: Ilja Castermans-Godfried, Provincie Limburg (Accountmanager Leisure) Date: John Wauben, Gemeente Valkenburg (Project Manager) Dates: / Nicole Schurgers, VVV Zuid-Limburg (Regional Manager) Date: Tanya Reinards, Landal Green Parks (Assistant Park Manager) Date:

82 7. Appendices (Source: ) A sand creation in Christmas spirits, a unique set up for this year s Christmas market in the caves of Valkenburg. 82

83 7.1 Notes from the interviews Provincie Limburg Ilja Castermans-Godfried (Accountmanager Leisure) De regio Zuid-Limburg is momenteel bezig met een grootse campagne genaamd Liefde voor het Leven, om het toerisme in de regio te promoten. ( De VVV is verantwoordelijk voor de promotie, de provincie stuurt het aan om de sector te stimuleren. De VVV verzorgt het toerisme op lokaal en regionaal niveau. Er is goede samenwerking tussen de VVV s om het toerisme voor Limburg in het algemeen ook te verbeteren. De samenwerkende VVV s van Noord-/Midden-/ Zuid- Limburg en Maastricht verzorgen de promotie. De toeristen in Limburg zijn grotendeels uit Nederland, al zijn er ook campagnes in Duitsland om meer duitse toeristen te trekken. Dit wordt in samenwerking gedaan met lokale promoters in Duitsland. De evenementen en historie zijn belangrijke trekpleisters. Valkenburg is bekend voor o.a. Thermae 2000/ Holland Casino/ Landal GreenParks en de attracties. Het heeft een gezellige binnenstad, het is een leuk stadje Verder zijn de grotten van groot belang voor het toerisme, net als de kerstmarkten (ook o.a. in de grotten). Verder is er nog het openlucht theater (cultuur/historie). Helaas zijn er ook veel verpauperde delen in de stad, die nodig gerenoveerd of gerestaureerd moeten worden. Vroeger waren er veel jongeren en campings, waardoor het een massa toerisme bestemming werd waar veel gefeest werd. De (kleine) ondernemers zijn vaak niet voldoende meegegaan met de tijd. Een goed voorbeeld van hoe het zou kunnen komt uit Epen, waar een hotel met huisjes en zorg appartementen is voor de oudere doelgroep, dit is vooruitkijken aangezien de bevolking vergrijst en de 55+ers een belangrijke markt is. Het Red Bull Crashed Ice event was een belangrijk evenement voor Valkenburg wat voor veel promotie en media aandacht heeft gezorgd, het had ook een frisse en jonge uitstraling. Het is belangrijk om Valkenburg geen suf imago te laten krijgen, hier zijn ze ook nadrukkelijk mee bezig door het upgraden van de stad en de activiteiten. Aan de andere kant kan de gemeente ook tegenwerkend zijn in sommige gevallen, waardoor ondernemers niet altijd hun gang kunnen gaan. Hierdoor wordt de ontwikkeling ook geremd. een voorbeeld hiervan is het sprookjesbos, wat overgenomen zou worden en een park met accommodatie wilde worden, wat helaas afgewezen werd. Deze innovatie is ook nodig om een jonger publiek te trekken en mee te gaan in de tijd. Valkenburg en het Heuvelland staan voor rust, het landschap, de ruimte Heerlen staat voor attracties (snowworld, funshopping) Brunssum voor Nature wonderworld 83

84 De samenwerking tussen provincie en gemeente is goed. De VVV, KvK en gemeente komen ongeveer iedere 6-8 weken bij elkaar De provincie heeft een aanjaag functie, om nieuwe dingen op te zetten, partijen te verbinden en subsidies te verstrekken. een voorbeeld hiervan is de subsidie die ondernemers kunnen krijgen (tot wel euro) voor innovatieve ideeen te ontwikkelen. De gemeente moet hierin stimuleren, en de ondernemers hiervan op de hoogte stellen. er zijn ook ondernemers conferenties en bijeenkomsten in Limburg, waar dit soort dingen aan de man worden gebracht. Verder worden hier toekomstplannen besproken, workshops gegeven en manieren van innoveren op tafel gelegd. Het toerisme is een van de 5 top sectoren in Limburg, in Valkenburg zelfs de top sector. De regels en wetten belemmeren de ondernemers om verder te ontwikkelen en hun ding te doen, wellicht een idee om dit te versoepelen? Dit stimuleert ook de kracht om te innoveren. Op het moment is Limburg de 2 e van Nederland qua marktaandeel en de 1 e qua uitgaven. In de toekomst zal dit gehandhaafd moeten worden en proberen de toeristen meer te laten uitgeven om een stijgende lijn in te zetten. De evenementen en juiste regiobranding zijn hiervoor van groot belang. Bijvoorbeeld het WK Wielrennen was een groots evenement wat voor veel bekendheid en exposie heeft gezorgd. De nieuwe vertrekplaats van Ryanair bij Maastricht biedt ook kansen voor Valkenburg, aangezien het makkelijker te bereiken is, ook voor buitenlandse toeristen. Maastricht zou als basis plaats kunnen fungeren, waar Valkenburg een leuk uitstapje zou zijn, zeker ook voor de kerstmarkten die uiterst populair zijn. Het landschap is een USP voor Zuid Limburg De innovatiekracht moet omhoog in de toekomst om mee te gaan met de tijd De uitgaven van toeristen moeten omhoog om een sterk marktaandeel te blijven bezetten Ook van groot belang is de balans tussen landschap en het toerisme; hoeveel staan we toe? Er is een visie voor het landschap, hoe het eruit moet zijn, het is van groot belang en daarom ook van belang om het te behouden. Aan de andere kant is er de behoefte voor bijvoorbeeld activiteiten en groene energie zoals windmolens, die het landschap en het zicht aantasten. Hier moeten de overheid en de ondermeners een juiste balans in zien te vinden. De afgelopen jaren is er een sterke trend in 55+ ers en jonge gezinnen met kinderen, die de regio bezoeken. VVV Zuid-Limburg Nicole Schurgers (Regiomanager) Is de regiomanager voor o.a. Valkenburg De contactpersoon voor de gemeente en de ondernemers De link in citymarketing 84

85 Valkenburg is de enige gemeente van een aparte vermelding in de VVV zuid limburg en hun brochures, dit laat al zien hoe belangrijk Valkenburg is. Liefde voor het leven is de campagne van de samenwerkende VVV s Asperge commercial heeft voor veel ophef gezorgd dankzij de erotisch getinte stijl van het spotje, echter dit is wel weer promotie Valkenburg en Zuid-Limburg is bekend door zijn landschap, bourgondische karakter en euregionale ligging. Er zijn ook vele attracties en activiteiten te doen. De grotten zijn ook uniek aan Valkenburg. De gemeente doet het overleg met ondernemers. De VVV gebruikt zijn expertise in het toerisme om dit te ontwikkelen. Het nieuwe wellness thema heeft een boost gegeven aan het Thermae 2000 De bedoeling is om kwaliteit na te streven in de komende jaren. De trendrapportage van het VVV geeft aan wat de huidige trends zijn en hoe het toerisme zich ontwikkelt. Momenteel is 90% van de markt Nederlands, al wordt deze markt kleiner. Er is in 2009 een marketing bureau opgericht in Duitsland, om daar Valkenburg en Zuid Limburg te promoten onder de Duitse toeristen. Verder ligt de focus ook op Engeland en natuurlijk Belgie. De compactheid van Zuid-Limburg is een grote trekpleister voor buitenlandse toeristen. Het WK Wielrennen was van groot belang voor de regio en zorgde voor een extra vakantie periode voor kort verblijf. Verder heeft het veel media aandacht op geleverd. De VVV verstrekt informatie aan klanten/ toeristen, ondernemers en gemeente De gemeente is opvolgend dan in contact met de inwoners. De toekomstvisie voor Valkenburg is wellness Dit kan gezien worden in de brede zin van het woord, het nieuwe winkelcentrum wat eraan komt, de cultuur straat, het historische centrum en het leeuw bier terrein. Verder wordt er gepromoot als Kerststad en als wielerstad. De ondernemers moeten de kansen zien en ook meer gaan benutten. Er moet ook meer internationaal gedacht worden om de ontwikkeling gaande te houden. In Duitsland liggen veel kansen, er wonen zeer veel duitsers net over de grens. Er zijn onderzoeken bezig om te kijken hoe Zuid Limburg die toeristen kan aantrekken, Valkenburg en de regio zijn namelijk niet bekend in die regio. De eisen van Duitsers zijn heel anders en daarom moeten ondernemers ook meer innoveren en kwaliteit waarborgen om andere markten aan te trekken. Vroeger was Valkenburg een massa toerisme bestemming voor jongeren (campings, feesten). Nu is het nog steeds een massa toerisme bestemming alleen zijn de voornaamste doelgroepen koppels, jonge gezinnen met kinderen en ouderen. De evenementen zijn van groot belang voor de stad. Red Bull Crashed Ice was een groots succes maar heeft een heel ander imago. Wil Valkenburg als sport stad gezien worden of als wielerstad? 85

86 In Valkenburg is altijd iets te beleven! Een samenkomst van regionale inwoners en andere Nederlanders. Het is een grote attractie! Ondernemers kunnen/ moeten als 1 geheel samenwerken Winkelaanbod moet vergroot worden en kwaliteit waargeborgd, funshoppen is iets voor de toekomst. Holland Casino Bart Kurris (Sales/ Marketing) Het grootste deel van de klanten komt uit Nederland. Ongeveer 25% komt uit het buitenland, ongeveer 15% belgen en 10% duitsers, die net over de grens wonen. Meestal blijven ze niet overnachten, tenzij het een vakantie periode is. Tijdens de vakantie periode is het een toeristen casino, anders zijn het de vaste gasten. Valkenburg is een toeristenstad pur sang, het is kleinschalig, een gezellig stadscentrum met veel horeca. De grotten zijn een grote trekpleister, ook voor buitenlandse toeristen. Verder is het een wielerwereldstad en een echte kerststad. Ze houden zich goed staande met bv. Maastricht naast zich. Het wellness thema heeft niet direct toepassing op het Holland Casino maar ze werken wel mee door bv. Arrangementen te maken met het Thermae Het is een aantrekkelijke markt aangezien het vaak meer te besteden heeft. De evenementen zijn van groot belang voor Valkenburg maar de infrastructuur zorgt voor veel problemen. Het WK Wielrennen, de bokkemarkt en Red Bull Crashed Ice zorgen ervoor dat het centrum vast staat en niemand er echt meer goed uitkan. Dit is vervelend voor inwoners die er geen rekening mee houden. Er zijn veel bedrijven in Valkenburg die achterop blijven qua ontwikkeling. Er zijn goede voorbeelden van hotels die aangepakt worden en gerenoveerd en ge upgrade worden, dit is nodig om bij de tijd te blijven. Ook het sprookjesbos en thermae 2000 zijn rijp voor een upgrade. Het is belangrijk voor om bij te blijven en iedereen op de hoogte te houden van de ontwikkelingen. Herinvesteren is de key to success, het Holland Casino zal dit ook gaan doen. Verder zijn er attracties die outdated zijn en dus ook ontwikkeld moeten worden. Valkenburg kent vergrijzing en een outflow van jonge mensen, waardoor er potentieel weg gaat. De campagne Je zult er maar wonen erg vreemd, negatief ingezet. De omgeving is leuk en ideaal om te wonen, het is goed geprijsd en de extreme seizoenen zijn niet meer net als vroeger, nu is er ook de kerstperiode en evenementen tussendoor. Verder is de upgrade van Landal goed, met mooie bungalows. 86

87 Er zou betere verspreiding over het jaar mogelijk zijn, nu is het over na een evenement, en is het een dood stadje. Verder is upgraden van groot belang voor de toekomst. Dit verbetert het aanzicht van de stad en ook de kwaliteit. Er zijn vele culture evenementen en ook sportieve, wat goed past bij de stad. Red Bull Crashed Ice was spectaculair en een boost voor de stad. Veel promotie, ook op TV. Het succes begon een beetje tegen te werken en men werd geweerd uit de stad, parkeren was bij het MECC en bussen en treinen reden naar Valkenburg. Het was spannend, en met een fris imago, dit paste ook goed bij Holland Casino, het was ook een prettige samenwerking. Helaas keert het niet terug zoals het er nu uitziet. Het Holland Casino heeft een goede samenwerking met de gemeente, provincie en instanties. er is een directe samenwerking. Het Holland Casino wil meewerken, meedenken en sponsoren bij bijvoorbeeld grote evenementen. Ook promoties worden vaak samen gedaan. Het is belangrijk om te centraliseren en samen te denken over de toekomst van Valkenburg. Het casino heeft invloed in Valkenburg, het is ook een zeer grote werkgever en wij worden daarom serieus genomen. Het kuurpark, de toekomst wil dat er minder evenementen worden gehouden maar deze evenementen zijn ook weer goed voor de stad en het toerisme. Het is een moeilijke keuze. Het wellness thema is goed voor de stad maar het moet ook nagestreefd worden. De punten zijn uitgezet maar een echte lijn zit er nog niet echt in. Het thema betreft wel meerdere doelgroepen en dit is goed voor de stad. Het trekt de oudere markt aan maar ook de jongeren, beide toeristen maar ook lokale mensen. We zijn trots op Valkenburg en het Holland Casino en hun naamsbekendheid. Het is een gezellig, bourgondisch stadje. Het is knap dat ze al tientallen jaren eruit springen in het toerisme. Iedereen kent het. Het klein, historisch, gezellig, een kerststad, een wielerstad en een echte toeristen stad. Met carnaval zijn er ook tradities genaamd het oude wijvenbal. Op de donderdag avond, het is een regionale traditie geworden waar er verder niet veel te doen is in Valkenburg, maar die avond is het heel druk! Landal GreenParks Tanya Reinards (Assistant park manager) % van de toeristen komt uit Nederland 5% Belgen 5% Overige (3% Duits) Er komen veel mensen uit de randstad, maar ook uit de rest van het land. Een grote groep met 55+ ers, maar ook gezinnen met kinderen en veel wielersporters/ vrienden groepen. Over het algemeen zijn er veel midweek/ weekend gasten die ong. 2-4 nachten blijven. 87

88 Valkenburg is bekend voor zijn mergel, de grotten, de historie (al hoewel dit niet echt een trekpleister is). Verder is het een echt gezellig stadje met leuke terrasjes. Zuid-Limburg staat ook bekend voor zijn natuur en landschap Valkenburg en Maastricht zijn concurrenten maar ook heel erg verschillend. Maastricht is de grote stad, Valkenburg heeft de rust en het landschap. Zuid-Limburg The bright side of life Valkenburg kent veelzijdigheid en heeft een groot aanbod. het heeft een belangrijke toeristische historie en is puur Het heeft een natuurlijk verloop gehad in het verleden Vroeger had het een imago als zuip bestemming salou (ongeveer 20 jaar terug) Nu is het iets luxer, minder jongeren en meer kwaliteit. Landal was vroeger de Eurocamping, nu is het dus kwalitatief vooruit gegaan en is het upgraded. Het nieuwe centrum wordt ook iets gelikter, meer kwaliteit Het biedt verbeteringen voor de toerist, de voetganger en de winkel bieden ook meer kwaliteit. Het wellness thema heeft als doelgroep de 55 +ers. Dit is in de brede zin van het woord. Genieten van restaurants, winkels, boutiques maar ook medical wellness en jezelf laten verwennen. Het Landal heeft goede contacten met de gemeente en helpen ook actief mee met evenementen. Ook met het casino en het Thermae 2000 is er goed contact. Over het algemeen is er weinig solidariteit onder de ondernemers in de stad. Tijdens de kerstperiode en andere grote evenementen in de stad sluit niet iedereen zich aan bij de gemeente. Enkele ondernemers willen bijvoorbeeld niet mee werken aan de extra belastingen Landal heeft invloed in de stad, maar dit is dankzij de grootte van het bedrijf. Het doet ook mee aan de promotie van de stad, maar alleen als dit ook past bij het bedrijf Landal Ja ik ben trots op Valkenburg, een prachtige lokatie en je kan hier van alles doen. Het is beter niet groter te worden, maar meer kwaliteit na te streven en de uitgavenpost te vergroten. Vaak is het tijdens evenementen wel lastig voor inwoners, er wordt weinig geregeld. Al is het maar enkele keren in het jaar dat het daadwerkelijk schadelijk is voor de inwoners. Valkenburg: Een eeuwenoud gezellig toeristen stadje bekend om zijn mergelgrotten, gezellige terrasjes, en vertier voor jong en oud. Het is voor mensen die veelzijdigheid zoeken. 88

89 Gemeente Valkenburg John Wauben (Projectmanager) Albert van Schendel is ook van belang, het is een docent van NHTV die onderzoek doet in deze regio naar o.a. de Amstel Gold Race en het WK Wielrennen. Valkenburg is gebouwd op toerisme. De sector is 80% van de lokale economie en daarom van groot belang voor de stad. Het is belangrijk een balans te vinden tussen het toerisme en het leefgebied voor de inwoners. Dit is de rode draad voor de toekomst. Het is belangrijk om samen te werken en draagvlak te creeren. Valkenburg heeft een oud imago, maar richt zich ook op jongeren Enkele voorbeelden zijn de Pop en Top en Red Bull Crashed Ice evenementen Janneke Houben kun je contacteren voor de statistieken van het toerisme. Gemeente Valkenburg John Wauben (Projectmanager) Ik kan de enquetes door sturen naar de verenigingen in Valkenburg, in de hoop dat hun het door kunnen sturen naar de leden, om zodoende meer response te genereren op de online enquete. Valkenburg is natuur, cultuur, vele voorzieningen, een mooie omgeving/landschap, de Geul, kleine weggetjes. Het is ook goed bereikbaar en heeft autowegen naar omliggende gebieden in Belgie en Duitsland. Er liggen ook veel vormen van kastelen in de buurt en het landschap heeft iets unieks, zeker voor Nederlandse begrippen. Een mooi voorbeeld van een kasteel is die van St Gerlach. Er zit in de buurt ook een internationale butleracademie, die goed aangeschreven staat en maar een van de weinige in de wereld is. Het gebied ligt aan de rivier de Geul, wat het ook uniek maakt. Verder zijn er vele historische gebouwen in het centrum, wat bijdraagt aan de cultuur van de stad. Het is belangrijk om deze gebouwen in stand te houden en de stad niet te laten verloederen, hier vechten we ook fanatiek voor. Er zijn vele horeca gelegenheden, hotels, restaurants en winkels. Het is de bedoeling dat er in de toekomst meer kleine winkels komen, met een goede kwaliteit. De wat duurdere kledingzaken, en speciaalzaken zoals Proef & Kies Wijnen zullen bijdragen aan de belevenis wanneer je Valkenburg bezoekt. Natuurlijk zullen de goedkopere winkels ook blijven bestaan, wat natuurlijk ook van groot belang is, maar we proberen zoveel mogelijk kwaliteits winkels aan te trekken in de toekomst, die ook passen bij de stad. De citymarketing is in grote lijnen uitgezet maar nog niet uitgebracht. In het verleden had Valkenburg een naam als zuip en vreet bestemming, hier proberen we actief vanaf te komen. Er zijn nog steeds vele souvenirwinkeltjes, kitsch en verschillen in aankleding van de winkels en stad. Hier zit al vooruitgang in en hier zijn we ook al jaren mee bezig, maar het zal nog even duren voor het volledig is aangepast. Er zijn ook vele ondernemers die het nut niet inzien aangezien het altijd goed is gegaan, waarom veranderen? Dit is een probleem. 89

90 Er heeft een project gelopen waarbij innovatieve investeerders kan maken op een subsidie tot wel euro. Ik weet nog niet hoe dit is verlopen aangezien het via een andere afdeling gaat. Er wordt dus wel gestimuleerd om de ondernemers te laten vernieuwen. Er ligt een grote druk op de infrastructuur en de parkeergelegenheid in Valkenburg, voornamelijk tijdens grote evenementen. Soms wordt er bijvoorbeeld doorverwezen naar MECC Maastricht, maar dit is niet ideaal. Het nieuwe centrumplan zal een logischere route in de stad en meer parkeergelegenheid creeeren. Tijdens grote evenementen zoals de bokkemarkt, het WK wielrennen, de kerstmarkt en vakantie periodes is het vooral een groot probleem, ook voor de inwoners. Valkenburg is een relatief kleine stad met inwoners. Het heeft echter de voorzieningen van een grote stad, aangezien het toerisme zo groot is hier. Dit is lastig om bij te houden en grote projecten op te zetten, aangezien de gemeente een budget heeft voor een kleine stad met inwoners. Het nieuwe Wellness thema: Genieten en ontspannen - Culinair - Sport - Cultuur - Kerst We hebben al de Thermae2000, de prachtige en rustgevende natuur en vele andere gelegenheden die erbij passen zoals het dialesiecentrum, een centrum voor plastisch chirurgie, enkele prive klinieken, sauna s, verpleeghuizen en verzorgingshuizen. Verder is er een samenwerking met het academisch ziekenhuis om te kijken voor een centrum voor hartpatienten. Dit alles staat in het teken van rusten en recreeren. Verder is er ook het chateau St. Gerlach, waar men kan kuren en hoogwaardige behandelingen kan krijgen. Dit kun je terugvinden op: De ondernemers willen veel, maar soms zijn er ondernemers die niet mee willen werken/ betalen aan de evenementen zoals bv. De kerst periode. Er komen veel kosten bij kijken om de stad hier klaar voor te maken en dit kan niet alleen betaald worden door de gemeente. Nu zal er wellicht belasting moeten betaald worden om alsnog de financien op orde te krijgen. De stichting kerststad, waar de gemeente ook inzit, houdt zich hiermee bezig. De gemeente helpt ook bedrijven 1 op 1, om te kijken waar de mogelijkheden liggen en hoe ze zich kunnen ontwikkelen. Er worden subsidies gegeven om ze te stimuleren. Echter zijn er ook nog veel ondernemers erg terughoudend, wat de ontwikkeling remt. VOC Valkenburg Ondenemers Collectief: De stichting evenementen, stichting kerststad zijn alle voorbeelden van initiatieven tussen ondernemers en de gemeente om samen verder te komen. 90

91 Er is ook een zogenaamd kernoverleg tussen de gemeente en de verschillende kernen van de gemeente. Een van de kernen is ook uitgeroepen tot het op een na groenste dorp van Nederland. Dit zal ook gebruikt worden in de promotie hiervan. De inwoners van de gemeente hebben altijd iets te klagen, dit is ook logisch. Maar als gemeente kun je niet alles toekennen. De laatste jaar proberen we het vertrouwen in de gemeente weer terug te krijgen door meer samen te werken en te luisteren naar de inwoners. We werken ook samen met andere gemeenten om grote projecten aan te pakken die we niet alleen kunnen bekostigen. De krimpnotitie. Verder is een groot probleem dat we in de crisis leven, waardoor veel huizen niet worden verkocht. De oudere generatie verhuist niet meer en hierdoor is er niet voldoende aanbod voor de jonge generatie. Het is een dubbele vergrijzing. Er komen ook ander soort aanvragen binnen om bijvoorbeeld 1 huis in 2 te splitsen zodat de kinderen bij de ouders kunnen wonen. Nieuwbouw is er eigenlijk niet meer. Er wordt samengewerkt met ondernemers om het historisch centrum te behouden en nieuw leven in te blazen. Verder is er ook een industrieterrein beschikbaar gesteld voor bedrijven die zich willen vestigen en kijken we naar de vergunningen en belastingen, om te kijken hoe we het makkelijker voor de ondernemers kunnen maken, en wellicht voordeliger. Project Tripool: Sittard-Geleen/ Maastricht/ Heerlen/ Parkstad GOMV: maastricht valkenburg- meerssen (geul verbinding) leeuwbrouwerij, streekproducten, wandel en fiets route tussen Valkenburg en Maastricht Heerlen focust zich op nieuwe energie maar hier is nog niet veel van aanwezig Aachen heeft ook wat windmolens staan Groen ondernemen is niet echt de trend in Valkenburg, er zijn ook veel oudere gebouwen. Tot slot: Valkenburg is een gemeente met veel mogelijkheden, het is intiem, er heerst een gevoel van ontspanning en het even op vakantie zijn. Kansen: ontspannen, heerlijk, duurzame lampen, kitsch eruit, reclame/luifel moeten uniformer de mergelgrotten, dorpskernen. Het is meer dan het centrum alleen. Het centrumplan duurt nog ongeveer 2-3 jaar en er zullen meer smallere wegen komen om het intiemer te maken. Verder zullen er ook nieuwe gebouwen komen, gebouwd in de oude stijl. 91

92 7.2 Questionnaires Questionnaire residents Valkenburg Bart Stevens is een HBO student internationaal toerisme op het NHTV te Breda en doet momenteel zijn scriptie over het imago van Valkenburg. Deze enquete is opgesteld om het imago van Valkenburg als woonplaats te meten. De inwoners worden gevraagd naar hun verwachtingen en ervaringen met hun woonplaats. Eerst zult u enkele demografische vragen krijgen, waarna de enquete overgaat op een lijst met verwachtingen en ervaringen. Tot slot worden er enkele stellingen voorgelegd om te kijken in hoeverre u het hiermee eens bent. Het is van groot belang dat u de enquete naar waarheid invult. Alvast bedankt en veel plezier met het invullen van deze enquete, uw medewerking wordt zeer op prijs gesteld! 1. Wat is uw geslacht? Man Vrouw 2. Wat is uw geboortejaar? Wat is uw postcode? Wat is uw hoogst voltooide opleiding? Lager onderwijs LBO/ VMBO MAVO MBO HAVO/ VWO HBO WO 5. Hoe lang woont u al in Valkenburg? Minder dan 1 jaar 1-5 jaren 5-10 jaren Meer dan 10 jaar 6. Werkt u in de toeristische/ horeca sector in Valkenburg? Ja Nee 92

93 Hieronder vindt u een lijst met aspecten van de stad Valkenburg. De eerste lijst gaat over de verwachtingen die u heeft van Valkenburg als woonplaats, de tweede lijst gaat over hoe u Valkenburg daadwerkelijk ervaart als woonplaats. Kruist u alstublieft aan in hoeverre het aspect voor u belangrijk is. 1 = Helemaal niet belangrijk 2 = Onbelangrijk 3 = Neutraal 4 = Belangrijk 5 = Heel erg belangrijk 6 = Weet ik niet/ Geen mening Uw verwachting van Valkenburg op het gebied van de onderstaande aspecten Veiligheid 8. Parkeergelegenheid 9. Natuurlandschap 10. Sportfaciliteiten 11. Kunst en cultuur 12. De sfeer in de stad 13. De sfeer tussen inwoners 14. Toegankelijkheid (wegen) 15. Openbaar vervoer 16. Een goede balans tussen evenementen/ rust in de stad 17. Een goede balans tussen toerisme/ het woongebied 93

94 Uw ervaring met Valkenburg op het gebied van de onderstaande aspecten Hoe ervaart u de onderstaande aspecten in de stad? U kunt dit aangeven op een schaal van 1 tot 5, vult u alstublieft 6 in als u er geen mening over heeft. 1 = Helemaal niet goed 2 = Niet goed 3 = Neutraal 4 = Goed 5 = Heel erg goed 6 = Weet ik niet/ Geen mening Veiligheid 19. Parkeergelegenheid 20. Natuurlandschap 21. Sportfaciliteiten 22. Kunst en cultuur 23. De sfeer in de stad 24. De sfeer tussen inwoners 25. Toegankelijkheid (wegen) 26. Openbaar vervoer 27. Een goede balans tussen evenementen/ rust in de stad 28. Een goede balans tussen toerisme/ het woongebied 94

95 Hieronder vindt u een lijst met stellingen. Geeft u alstublieft aan in hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent; 1 = Helemaal niet 2 = Niet 3 = Neutraal 4 = Wel 5 = Helemaal wel 6 = Weet ik niet/ Geen mening De gemeente luistert goed naar de mening van de inwoners 30. Er is een goede balans tussen het toerisme en het woongebied 31. Er zijn teveel evenementen in Valkenburg 32. Het stadscentrum is leuk en gezellig 33. Ik ben trots op Valkenburg 34. Ik ben blij in Valkenburg te wonen 35. Het toerisme is belangrijk voor Valkenburg Valkenburg gaat zich in de toekomst meer richten op healthcare & wellness toerisme en zakelijk toerisme. In hoeverre kunt u zich hierin vinden? Valkenburg is een goede bestemming voor zakelijk toerisme 37. Healthcare & wellness toerisme is de toekomst voor Valkenburg 38. Als u Valkenburg een cijfer moest geven als woonplaats, wat voor cijfer zou u dan geven? (tussen de 1-10)... Heeft u verder nog opmerkingen over de enquete of wilt u aanvullende informatie geven over uw visie op Valkenburg? Dit kunt u hieronder schrijven. 95

96 7.2.2 Questionnaire tourists Valkenburg Bart Stevens is een HBO student internationaal toerisme op het NHTV te Breda en doet momenteel zijn scriptie over het imago van Valkenburg. Deze enquete is opgesteld om het imago van Valkenburg als toeristische bestemming te meten. De toeristen worden gevraagd naar waarden en kenmerken van de stad en wat zij als typisch Valkenburg ervaren. Eerst worden er enkele demografische vragen gesteld waarna de enquete overgaat op een lijst van stellingen. Hier wordt gekeken in hoeverre u het met de stellingen eens bent. Het is van groot belang dat u de enquete naar waarheid invult. Alvast bedankt en veel plezier met het invullen van deze enquete, uw medewerking wordt zeer op prijs gesteld! 1. Wat is uw geslacht? Man Vrouw 2. Wat is uw geboortejaar? Wat is uw postcode? Wat is uw hoogst voltooide opleiding? Lager onderwijs LBO/ VMBO MAVO MBO HAVO/ VWO HBO WO 5. Wat is de samenstelling van uw reisgezelschap? Alleen Met mijn vriend/ vriendin Met vriend(en) Met familie Met man/vrouw 6. Bent u al eens eerder in Valkenburg geweest? Ja, 1 keer Ja, enkele keren Ja, meer dan 5 keer Nee dit is mijn eerste keer 7. Blijft u overnachten in Valkenburg, en zo ja, hoeveel nachten blijft u? Ik blijf niet overnachten 1 nacht 2 nachten 2-4 nachten langer dan 4 nachten Weet ik niet 8. Wat zijn volgens u de drie belangrijkste kenmerken van Valkenburg? De natuur De historische gebouwen De grotten Het stadscentrum De activiteiten (wandelen, fietsen etc.) De evenementen (kerstmarkten, wielrennen, red bull crashed ice etc.) De winkels De romantische sfeer Het Holland Casino Wellness & Healthcare (Thermae 2000)/ relaxen 96

97 In hoeverre bent u het eens met de onderstaande stellingen? 1 = Helemaal niet 4 = Wel 2 = Niet 5 = Helemaal wel 3 = Neutraal 6 = Weet ik niet/ Geen mening De inwoners van Valkenburg zijn open en gastvrij 10. Valkenburg heeft veel leuke activiteiten te bieden 11. Valkenburg is een romantische stad 12. Valkenburg is een frisse, levendige stad 13. Het stadscentrum is leuk, en er hangt een gezellige sfeer 14. Er is voldoende parkeergelegenheid in Valkenburg 15. Valkenburg is een ideale plek om vanuit daar de omgeving te bezoeken 16. Valkenburg kent een goede prijs/ kwaliteits verhouding 17. De wegen naar attracties en het centrum staan goed aangegeven 18. Er is gemakkelijk en voldoende informatie te verkrijgen over wat te doen in Valkenburg 19. Ik voel me veilig in Valkenburg 20. Valkenburg is een schone en groene stad 21. Ik kom naar Valkenburg voor de wellness & healthcare (bv. Het Thermae 2000) 22. Ik kom naar Valkenburg voor het Holland Casino 23. Ik kom naar Valkenburg voor de evenementen 24. Ik kom naar Valkenburg om te genieten en te relaxen 25. Ik kom naar Valkenburg om te fietsen/ wandelen 26. Ik kom naar Valkenburg om te shoppen 27. Ik kom naar Valkenburg voor de rijke historie 97

98 Valkenburg was de eerste stad in Nederland met een VVV kantoor, dit werd meer dan 125 jaar geleden al opgericht! Valkenburg is dus gewend aan het toerisme en heeft al vele jaren ervaring met deze industrie Het toerisme is goed en professioneel geregeld in Valkenburg 29. Valkenburg is aan vernieuwing toe 30. Als u Valkenburg een cijfer moest geven als toeristische bestemming, wat voor cijfer zou u dan geven? (tussen de 1-10)... 98

99 7.3 Map of Valkenburg Source: VVV Zuid-Limburg,

100 7.4 Inhabitants of Valkenburg aan de Geul Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS), 2012 Inhabitants of Valkenburg aan de Geul/ Limburg and the Netherlands, Source: Gemeente op maat, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS),

101 7.5 Tourism demand Valkenburg Source: Municipality Valkenburg, 2012 Source: Municipality Valkenburg,

102 Source: Municipality Valkenburg,

103 7.6 Broad Context Model Source: Tourism Management, David B. Weaver,

104 7.7 Tourism impacts on the local economy of Valkenburg Source: Municipality Valkenburg,

105 7.8 Destination Life Cycle model 105

106 7.9 SPSS Output Questionnaires Here one will find all the outcomes of all questions from the quantitative research. The outcomes from SPSS are a result from the statistics derived from the questionnaires and research conducted. Below one will find a short explanation of what the abbreviations mean. The top row displays the question. The N stands for the number of respondents, Valid shows how many respondents actually responded, while Missing shows how many values are missing. The mean stands for the average between the answers of the respondents. In the column Frequency, one will find the absolute numbers of respondents that answered. The column shows the percentage of the total. The column Valid percentage shows the valid percentage of the total (taking missing values into account) these percentages are used to display the results in diagrams. The column percent shows the accumulative percentage of the values (in the rows). If values are not displayed, it means that they do not occur in the answers of the respondents. This is an automatic output from SPSS The tourists There were in total 123 respondents on the questionnaire for the Dutch tourists. Sex N=123 Frequency Valid Valid Male Female Total As one can see above, the sex was almost evenly divided. There were 47,2% male respondents and 52,8% female respondents. 106

107 Birth year N=123 Frequency Valid Valid Total

108 Level of education N=123 Mean= Valid Lower education Frequency Valid LBO/VMBO MAVO MBO HAVO/VWO HBO WO Total Accompanied by, Have you been in Valkenburg before?, Did/Do you stay overnight? Accompanied by, during travel Have you been in Valkenburg before? Do/Did you stay overnight? N Valid Missing Mean Accompanied by, during travel Frequency Valid Valid By myself With my boyfriend/ girlfriend With my friend(s) With my family With my man/ wife Total Have you been in Valkenburg before? Frequency Valid Valid Yes, once Yes, several times Yes, more than 5 times No, this is my first time Total Do/Did you stay overnight? 108

109 Frequency Valid Valid No night nights nights More than 4 nights I do not know Total Pick the three most important features of Valkenburg (in your opinion) N=123, There is 1 missing value for the feature Caves. There N= Nature - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Historical Buildings - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Caves - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Missing System Total City Centre - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Activities (hiking, cycling etc) - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No

110 Yes Total Events (World Cup cycling, Red Bull crashed ice etc). - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Shops - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Romantic Atmosphere - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Holland Casino - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total Wellness & Healthcare (eg. Thermae2000) - Pick the 3 most important features of Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid No Yes Total

111 Statements Stat eme nt: the resid ents are open and hosp itabl e Stat eme nt: Valk enbu rg has a lot of fun activi ties to Stat eme nt: Valk enbu rg is a roma ntic city Stat eme nt: Valk enbu rg is a fresh and lively city Stat eme nt: The city centr e is fun and cosy Stat eme nt: Ther e are enou gh parki ng poss ibiltie s in Valk State ment: Valke nburg is a perfe ct begin spot to disco ver the Stat eme nt: Valk enbu rg has a good price / quali ty Stat eme nt: Dire ction s to the centr e and activ ities are Stat eme nt: Infor mati on is easil y and readi ly avail able Stat eme nt: I feel safe in Valk enbu rg Stat eme nt: Valk enbu rg is a gree n and clea n city offer enbu rg surro undin gs ratio good N Valid Missin g Mean Std. Deviat ion Statement: the residents are open and hospitable Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Valkenburg has a lot of fun activities to offer Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total

112 Statement: Valkenburg is a romantic city Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Valkenburg is a fresh and lively city Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: The city centre is fun and cosy Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total Statement: There are enough parking possibilities in Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total

113 Missing System Total Statement: Valkenburg is a perfect begin spot to discover the surroundings Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Valkenburg has a good price/ quality ratio Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Directions to the centre and activities are good Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Information is easily and readily available Frequency Valid Valid Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: I feel safe in Valkenburg Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral

114 Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: Valkenburg is a green and clean city Frequency Valid Valid Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total Statements: I come to Valkenburg... Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg for Wellness & Healthcar e Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg for the Holland Casino Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg for the events Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg to enjoy and relax myself Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg to hike or cycle Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg to shop Statemen t: I come to Valkenbu rg for the history N Valid Missing Mean Std. Deviation Statement: I come to Valkenburg for Wellness & Healthcare Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total

115 Statement: I come to Valkenburg for the Holland Casino Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: I come to Valkenburg for the events Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statement: I come to Valkenburg to enjoy and relax myself Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total Statement: I come to Valkenburg to hike or cycle Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion

116 Total Statement: I come to Valkenburg to shop Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total Statement: I come to Valkenburg for the history Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Statements: two statements about the future of Valkenburg Statement: The tourism industry in Valkenburg is professionally managed Statement: Valkenburg is in need for renewal N Valid Missing 1 0 Mean Std. Deviation Statement: The tourism industry in Valkenburg is professionally managed Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree

117 Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total Missing System Total Statement: Valkenburg is in need for renewal Frequency Valid Valid Completely disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Completely agree I do not know/ No opinion Total What grade would you give Valkenburg as a tourism destination? N Valid 123 Missing 0 Mean Std. Deviation Frequency Valid Valid Total

118 7.9.2 The residents There were in total 215 respondents on the questionnaire for the residents. Sex N Valid 213 Missing 2 Frequency Valid Valid Male Female Total Missing System Total Birth year N Valid 215 Missing 0 Mean Frequency Valid Valid

119 Total

120 The distribution in age is relatively good. It is spread out over various ages, with only the under 30 s being less represented. However the largest age class in Valkenburg is the elderly (55+). Birth year (in classes) N Valid 215 Missing 0 Mean Frequency Valid Valid before between between between after Total Postal code N Valid 212 Missing 3 Mean Frequency Valid Valid Total Missing System Total

121 Most respondents came from the postal code 6301, which is Valkenburg itself. The other postal codes are from villages in the municipality. Due to the low percentages of respondents from those areas, it is unfortunately not possible to draw conclusions based on the postal code. Level of education N Valid 213 Missing 2 Mean Valid Lower education Numbers of years lived in Valkenburg N Valid 215 Missing 0 Frequency Valid Mean Frequency Valid LBO/VMBO MAVO MBO HAVO/VWO HBO WO Total Missing System Total Valid Less than 1 year years years More than 10 years Total

122 Most respondents lived in Valkenburg for more than 10 years. Due to the relatively low amount of respondents that have chosen other values than that, it is not possible to draw conclusions based on this variable. Working in the tourism sector N Valid 213 Missing 2 Mean Frequency Valid Valid Yes No Total Missing System Total Almost all respondents did not work in the tourism sector. It is therefore not possible to draw conclusions based on this variable. 122