2009/2010 TOURISM ACTION PLAN

Transcription

1 APPENDIX D Agenda Item No /2010 TOURISM ACTION PLAN Corporate Director (Services) Councillor Thompson Cabinet Member for Leisure 1 Purpose 1.1 To update the Cabinet concerning the key outcomes and outputs achieved against the 2008/09 AVDC Tourism Action Plan and to seek comments on the draft plan for 2009/10 (Appendix 1). 2 Recommendations/for decision That the Cabinet: 2.1 Note the key outcomes achieved against the 2008/09 AVDC Tourism Action Plan and; 2.2 Authorises the Head of Communities, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Leisure to amend the 2009/10 Tourism Action Plan to take account of changes proposed at the Cabinet meeting and the Economy Scrutiny Committee which will consider this item at its meeting on the 2 nd September Subject to the level and nature of the comments received at Economy Scrutiny Committee it may be necessary for the Strategy to be represented to Cabinet. This will be determined by the Head of Communities in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure & Cultural Services; 2.3 Agrees that future progress reports concerning the implementation of the 2009/10 Tourism Action Plan and any consequential changes be agreed by the Head of Communities in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure. 3 Supporting information 3.1 A tourism action plan has been produced for the past four years. Progress against the plan is measured on an on-going basis and the plan is updated annually. The plan ties in with the Marketing the Vale Partnership Programme with tourism work being led by Leisure, working closely with the Communications team and other organisations across Buckinghamshire, promoting the tourism offer to existing residents and attracting new visitors to the area. 3.2 Progress against the 2008/09 AVDC Tourism Action Plan The 2008/9 Tourism Action Plan included 21 actions of which progress has been made against Of the two remaining areas of work, the first was to develop a sponsorship package for the Roald Dahl Festival. Some work was carried out in 2007/08 and stronger links have been developed with media partners; some in-kind sponsorship has also been achieved but little headway was made in terms of receiving sponsorship income. Whilst reviewing the time and resource effort D1

2 needed to successfully achieve this outcome it was determined that other areas i.e. the preparation and submission of external funding bids, would represent a better use of officer time especially as the recession has hit the sponsorship and advertising market especially hard A visitor attraction showcase was also proposed for the Bucks County Show but with limited resources and lots of competing promotional areas other priorities took precedence at the show Despite the economic downturn, 2008/09 was a reasonable year for the Aylesbury Vale tourism industry. The Aylesbury Tourist Information Centre (TIC) secured 69,500 visitors which makes it the busiest TIC in the county and one of the busiest in the South East. Ticketing sales for local events amounted to 35,000. Buckingham TIC secured 38,731 visitors Overall there was a 14.9% decrease in visitor numbers to attractions in the district in 2008 compared to a 22% drop nationally. However, the economic downturn has already led to more people holidaying in the UK in 2009, rather than travelling abroad, and according to Tourism South East (TSE) the UK tourism industry has been expanding in 2009; most notably with a 20% increase in visitor numbers to historic houses, and it is expected that the industry will benefit from the lag effect of the recession for the next two years Waddesdon Manor suggest an upwards spike in their visitor figures in 2007 when their new play area opened and wet weather led to the decline in visitor numbers in 2008, although these were still significantly up from Stowe Landscape Gardens as an outdoor attraction saw 2008 as a wash-out. But Claydon House fared much better. All visitor attractions are reporting increases in visitors for Attraction % change Buckinghamshire 40,072 37,500 41,863 36, Railway Centre Claydon House 26,446 23,000 24,000 30, Stowe Landscape 109, , , , Gardens Waddesdon Manor 310, , , , Bucks County 144, , ,014 97, Museum Totals 630, , , , The beginning of the recession saw a number of our accommodation providers reassessing their service offers and looking at alternative options. Some small tourist businesses have sold-up, retired or moved on. This combined with a tightening of belts in terms of promotional spend by accommodation providers over the period has meant that the number of accommodation providers on our official books has fallen from 56 to In the lead-up to the 2012 Games there is potential for new accommodation businesses to come into the area and work is taking place with Tourism South East (TSE), Bucks Tourism Officers Group (BTOG) and Bucks Education D2

3 and Learning Partnership (BELP) to offer training, advice and identify potential business opportunities. 3.3 The key achievements against the 2008/09 plan are as follows: Development of the Visit Bucks Website A number of developments to the website have taken place including the introduction of the Roald Dahl Trail, a Buckinghamshire Olympic involvement section, an anniversaries section and a new section which allows the user to search for the most appropriate conference facility for their needs. Visitor numbers to the site have held steady with a slight increase from 179,373 unique visitors in 2007/8 to 180,246 in 2008/ Press and PR In excess of 300,000 worth of positive national PR coverage has been secured through the Bucks Tourism Officers Group (BTOG) marketing initiative with Tourism South East (TSE). Some of this coverage stemmed from TSE s and the Bucks 2012 Managers work at the Beijing Olympics and a subsequent familiarisation tour of the region by eight Chinese journalists Tourism Training A programme of free training has been secured for all Aylesbury Vale tourism and leisure businesses. The Hosting the World training programme, which is being led by Tourism South East (TSE) equips accommodation providers and attractions with the tools required to welcome visitors to the area and capitalise on the forthcoming 2012 Olympics and has, to date, offered 500 learning opportunities to local businesses to ensure that visitors in 2012 and beyond receive a world class welcome. Other free and subsidised training is available to all our accommodation providers, all of whom qualify as members of Tourism South East (TSE). Courses such as on-line marketing and food preparation and hygiene have taken place Tourist Guides The demand for the Great Days Out in the Vale of Aylesbury guide has increased over the past three years with the print-run rising from 45,000 in 2007/08 to 80,000 in 2008/09 and 100,000 in 2009/ EnjoyEngland Official Partner Aylesbury TIC was recognised in 2008/09 as an EnjoyEngland Official Partner. This accolade is in recognition of the strategic relevance that the TIC and destination has in regional tourism terms, in addition to reflecting the level of professionalism and quality of services and products offered at the centre. As an official partner, Aylesbury TIC is part of a group of 35 centres out of 76 across the region, recognised in this way. A copy of the full 2008/09 AVDC Tourism Action Plan is available upon request. D3

4 /10 AVDC Tourism Action Plan The 2009/10 AVDC Tourism Action Plan has been developed in conjunction with various partners including the Bucks Tourism Officers Group (BTOG), Tourism South East (TSE), the Bucks 2012 Manager and other tourism partners. The key highlights of the 2009/10 Tourism Action Plan are as follows: Bucks Tourism Business Marketing Forum To set up a Buckinghamshire-wide tourism business marketing forum to meet regularly, work together and discuss ways of maximising opportunities to jointly promote the area. Key attractions, accommodation providers and transport partners will be invited along to share viewpoints and ideas and to look at ways of pooling resources and working together in a more structured way. Close working relations are also being developed with the Marketing the Vale Partnership Programme Corporate tourism To promote Aylesbury Vale, together with Bucks tourism businesses, as a destination for corporate tourism. Business tourism has been one of the biggest losers of the recession, despite leisure tourism in general faring fairly well due to more people holidaying in the UK. A Best of Bucks brochure has recently been produced that highlights the best and this will be used to promote the excellent facilities we have in Buckinghamshire for use by businesses. The brochure supports some of our key hotels and attractions such as Hartwell House, The Five Arrows and Silverstone Tourist guides To explore the possibility of combining the Aylesbury Vale Visitor Guide with other Buckinghamshire district guides. Working with Wycombe and South Bucks tourism officers to produce a Bucks-wide guide that complements the website and will deliver savings Visitor and business research To work with Bucks Education and Learning Partnership (BELP) looking at a tourism economic impact study for the area. To explore the possibility of working with Aylesbury College to look at an Aylesbury Vale Visitor Benchmark Study and to research non-accredited accommodation providers within Aylesbury Vale Tourist Information Centres Review how we support the Tourist Information Centres at Buckingham and Aylesbury in light of the current financial climate, but also taking into account future opportunities and needs afforded by the 2012 Olympics and developments at Stowe Landscape Gardens amongst others. Development of stronger links between Aylesbury TIC and the Town Centre Manager Other developments With the potential loss of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone the Council has actively supported the promotion of other events such as the World Aerobatic Championships and British Superbike Championships. The Council is also D4

5 supporting the promotion of the major developments at Stowe Landscape Gardens. 4 Options considered 4.1 Option 1: That the 2009/10 AVDC Tourism Action Plan is not adopted. This option is not recommended. 4.2 Option 2: that the 2009/10 AVDC Tourism Action Plan is adopted. This option is recommended in view of the significant benefits the actions will provide for tourism across Aylesbury Vale including The benefits to the wider economy The contribution it will make to improving the sense of place for those who live and work in the Vale as well as visitors to the area The benefits to economic growth in the Vale which is an AVDC Corporate Plan objective. 5 Reasons for Recommendation 5.1 Implementation of the 2009/10 AVDC Tourism Action Plan will contribute to the local economy of Aylesbury Vale. The latest research shows that there are 18,352,000 trips to Buckinghamshire each year which generate attract spend of circa 988,560,000 to the local economy, supporting some 17,497 jobs. 6 Resource implications 6.1 There are limited resources covering the tourism offer in Aylesbury Vale. There is no dedicated officer looking after tourism, it is a small section of the Community Development Manager s role and the Leisure Marketing Manager s role. There is also no dedicated officer at County Council level. It is a part of the Buckinghamshire Economic & Learning Partnership economic development team leader s role. With such limited resources the links with Tourism South East and other BTOG members are vital. An annual budget commitment of just 11,200 supports the implementation of the Tourism Action Plan. 6,000 of this amount goes towards collective marketing initiatives as part of the Bucks Tourism Officers Group. A further 54,500 supports the Aylesbury Tourist Information Centre ( 41,900 of which goes to the Tourism South East management fee paying for one full-time member of staff and three part-time staff) and 32,500 supports the Buckingham Tourist Information Centre. 7 Response to Key Aims and Objectives 7.1 This report and the tourism action plan contribute to many of the Council s current key aims and outcomes in terms of place setting and supporting economic growth in the Vale. The promotion of tourism opportunities is especially important in the run-up to the 2012 Games which is a specific action in the Corporate Plan. It also closely ties in with the Marketing the Vale Partnership Programme. Contact Officer Background Documents Aylesbury Vale Tourism Action Plan Cabinet Phil Black x5183 Names of Background documents D5