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Strategy 2003 - 2006
Executive Summary
Contents Page
Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Purpose and Context of the Strategy
3. Key Issues & Objectives
4. Priorities for Action & Indicators/Targets
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The Dorset New Forest Tourism Partnership will build on the considerable success it has achieved in the last six years. The need for sub-regional activity in tourism is increasingly recognised. By working together, the constituent parts of Dorset and The New Forest can offer a richer visitor experience, combining the appeal of coast, countryside and heritage. They can also deliver a more efficient service of support for tourism enterprises, pooling expertise and achieving economies of scale.
The role of the Partnership is to improve the quality of the whole visitor experience, to improve the viability and performance of tourism enterprises and to develop, promote and champion the Dorset New Forest brand in appropriate markets (recognising that individual brands will still operate in other markets). It seeks to co-ordinate activity between the various players, raise awareness of the importance of tourism and win the maximum amount of funding for the sub-region.
There is considerable variation in the needs and opportunities of different parts of the sub-region. Individual local authorities have their own priorities and programmes. The Partnership does not seek to replace them but rather to support and provide a context for them. It can help local initiatives learn from and support each other. This is particularly the case in creating common action plans and avoiding duplication of effort by individual industry groups locally and throughout the sub region.
Mission:
· To promote and develop Dorset and The New Forest as a leading destination, combining the UK's premier resort area and world class status coastal, rural and heritage landscapes.
· To enable the regional tourist boards, RDAs, local authorities, funding and support agencies, and private sector enterprises to work together to create a successful, sustainable, high quality sub regional destination area, concentrating on those activities where joint action and economies of scale can bring most benefit.
Key themes and strategic objectives
Six key themes have been identified for 2003-2006, in the light of past experience, market needs, and the identified role of the Partnership.
Partnership Development
OBJECTIVE 1: To strengthen the Partnership as an organisation, increasing its outreach amongst the private sector and support for it from organisations and individuals with influence.
· Winning public sector support
· Maintaining strong links with tourism enterprises
· Influencing a wide circle of tourism services
· Strengthening corporate identity and communications
· Deepening partnership commitment
Quality
OBJECTIVE 2: To satisfy visitors by providing a high quality of experience in all aspects of their stay, reflecting their needs and the special character of the sub-region.
· Encouraging visitor feedback and benchmarking
· Extending quality inspection
· Developing linked and distinctive visitor offers
· Providing efficient visitor information and booking
· Ensuring ease of access for all visitors
Marketing & Promotions
OBJECTIVE 3: To strengthen awareness of Dorset and The New Forest as a leading UK destination area, and increase visitor spending and enterprise performance, especially out of season.
· Underpinning the brand
· Strengthening the overseas campaign
· Maintaining an effective sub-regional presence in the domestic marketplace
· Making effective use of ICT in marketing
· Strengthening enterprises' own creativity and marketing skills
Business Development
OBJECTIVE 4: To ensure that all businesses relating to tourism, irrespective of size and sector, have the necessary skills and resources for success.
· Ensuring consistent, co-ordinated business support across the sub-region.
· Providing training tailored to enterprise needs
· Maintaining a business support and advisory service
· Addressing labour shortages
Wise Growth (Sustainability)
OBJECTIVE 5: To develop and establish a flexible model for sustainable destination management throughout the sub-region, and in doing so create a balance between the demands of the visitor, industry, local community and environment.
· Encouraging a consistent approach to the wise growth of tourism across the sub-region
· Working together to encourage ownership and responsibility by all stakeholders
· Supporting rural and urban regeneration
· Promoting better transport options
Research
OBJECTIVE 6: To maintain and improve the flow of tourism data required for the effective functioning of the Partnership and its members.
· Providing a sub-region wide research service to assist the development of tourism and monitor performance
2 PURPOSE AND CONTEXT OF THE STRATEGY
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Tourism is a major industry for Dorset and The New Forest, generating over £1 billion each year in visitor spending. Changing markets, rising consumer expectations, increasing competition, and pressure on financial, environmental and community resources are creating ever greater challenges in maintaining the benefit tourism brings to the sub-region. These challenges can only be met if the local authorities, public agencies and private sector interests work together to a common plan.
The Dorset and The New Forest Tourism Partnership
The Dorset New Forest Tourism Partnership (DNFTP) was established in 1994 to co-ordinate the work of tourism organisations in the sub-region. The Partnership includes the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole, the county and district councils in Dorset, New Forest District Council, Southern Tourist Board, South West Tourism and various organisations supporting business development in the area.
The role and function of the Partnership is to develop and promote tourism in Dorset and The New Forest, concentrating on those activities best undertaken by such a sub-regional grouping rather than at a local, regional or national level.
DNFTP will also use the strategy to create a common approach to relationships with our neighbouring sub regions. In doing so, the Partnership hopes to establish a more effective and coherent development of tourism that will benefit both Regional Development Agency (RDA) areas of Southern England.
The purpose of this strategy
This strategy provides a direction for the Partnership for the period 2003 to 2006. It sets out some key themes, with associated objectives and targets, and identifies priorities for action to meet them. Each funding member will have its own strategies and activities relating to tourism. The strategy is concerned with the work of the Partnership as such but also reflects, and should be reflected by, the funding members' own strategies.
As well as providing direction, the strategy also seeks to raise the profile of tourism in the sub region and secure more commitment and support from funding and advisory agencies, elected authorities and particularly to engage private sector businesses.
Evolution and recent activities of the partnership
At the outset, DNFTP was conceived primarily as a body for undertaking joint marketing. This was reflected in the 1996 Partnership strategy whose mission was:
'To strengthen and co-ordinate the marketing of tourism in Dorset to the benefit of the local economy, community and environment.'
However this was about marketing in its widest sense, not just promotion. Objectives covered:
Demand - To strengthen images and awareness and attract more visitors from
target markets;
Access - To make it easy for people to visit and get more out of their stay;
and
Quality - To improve the tourism product and how it is managed and
presented.
Shortly after the original strategy was produced, in recognising visitor flows, the Partnership was widened to include The New Forest, to create a new sub-regional destination area with a significant and high profile rural, heritage and coastal appeal.
The work of the Partnership has developed significantly over the years. It now has an average turnover of £1m per year. Promotional activity has remained important, but business support and training has become a stronger component of Partnership activity than originally envisaged, partly owing to the securing of significant resources from the European Social Fund (ESF).
The management structure of the Partnership is as follows:
Steering Group: to provide direction and political backing. Comprises the regional tourist boards, local authority elected members and officers, representatives of other public sector organisations and the local tourism industry.
Strategy Group: to drive forward the strategy and action plans agreed by the Steering Group. Also, oversees the Partnership Development, Quality and Communications elements of the Strategy. Comprises regional tourist boards, local authority officers and representatives of other organisations and the local tourism industry with four panels to help deliver the strategy:
Marketing & Promotions Panel. Includes industry representatives, all the local authorities in Dorset and The New Forest, the Southern Tourist Board (STB) and South West Tourism (SWT). The panel has overseen a successful overseas promotional programme for the DNF brand, aimed at target markets in the US, Germany and the Netherlands, including print production, direct marketing, media work, advertising and exhibition attendance.
The Panel also delivers domestic marketing activity in the UK. Activity has been based round a flyer which acts as an image builder and gateway to local destination print/websites, including exposure through media work, inserts, advertising and an exhibition programme. Evaluation found over 18,000 visits in 1999 were influenced by the flyer.
Business & Skills Development Panel. Comprising industry representatives, local authority officers, Bournemouth University and Southern Tourist Board, which oversees the implementation of externally funded business development projects. Resources have included three tranches of approximately £800,000 from the Single Regeneration Budget, EFS (Objective 4) and ESF (ADAPT). Initiatives have included:
- Comprehensive assessment of skills needed.
- Management training and business advisory services.
- Business and employer skills training for over 160 businesses in a co-ordinated programme Partners in Success.
- Training programmes for tourism employees, based on a range of courses such as Welcome Host, reaching over 600 people.
- Development of ICT based training including the provision of hardware to enterprises.
- A benchmarking scheme to enable enterprises to compare performance and receive advice.
Wise Growth (Sustainability) Panel. Includes local authorities, Environmental Agencies, industry representatives and SWT/STB. The panel provides leadership in the development of a consistent approach to the sustainable development of tourism throughout the sub region. Work includes the creation of a set of wise growth indicators, training and accreditation schemes as well as addressing sub regional visitor management, planning and transportation issues.
Research & Information Panel. Comprising of local authorities, Bournemouth University, STB/SWT. The Tourism Data project, within the Market Research Group at Bournemouth University, collects and disseminates facts and figures on tourism, including visitor surveys, business performance monitoring, campaign evaluation and needs assessment.
National, regional and sub regional strategic context
This strategy reflects national and regional tourism policies as well as the tourism priorities of the local authorities in the Dorset New Forest sub region.
National
The national strategy Tomorrow's Tourism was produced by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in 1999. It has three main components: getting the structure right; developing and promoting quality; and wise growth. Within these, the following national priorities are of particular relevance to DNFTP and are reflected in this strategy:
· New focus on the regions, including RDAs and RTBs, in providing tourism resources and programmes.
· Recognition of the important role of local authorities, and the need for partnerships between them and with others.
· Providing better information for visitors and businesses, exploiting Information Communications Technology (ICT).
· Improving business skills, training, quality of jobs, seeking a balance between the needs of the visitor, the industry, local communities and the environment.
· Improving access for all.
Regional
Dorset and The New Forest straddles two regions and tourism strategies have been produced by both the Southern Tourist Board and by South West Tourism. These are strategies not only for the tourist boards but also for the government regions of South East and South West England, and in particular seek to guide tourism policy and action by the respective Regional Development Agencies and other regional organisations. There are many similarities between the two strategies. Key, common, priorities include:
· Placing an emphasis on improving the net value of tourism to the region in the light of forecast growth in both regions.
· Seeking to improve quality to meet rising visitor expectations.
· Identifying strong sub-regional brands linked to market recognition.
· Improving market research and targeting of priority market segments.
· Strengthening business performance and competitiveness through working with the industry to tackle skills shortages, promoting a training culture, and promoting good practice and benchmarking, including delivery of integrated sub-regional training programmes.
· Promoting local distinctiveness including natural and cultural heritage.
· Addressing visitor management issues, notably transport, and promoting more sustainable practices within the industry.
· Encouraging more networking and partnership within the private sector and with local authorities.
Sub Regional
At a sub regional level, all local authorities are involved in tourism, though the level of this involvement and the resources devoted to it varies considerably. All have tourism strategies that tend to be action orientated and some are written in the form of marketing and development plans to be implemented by the authority itself and its local partners. Key issues that need to be addressed at the sub regional level include:
· Strengthening the relationship with local enterprises. All local strategies emphasise the importance of partnership as a guiding principle. Some have tourism associations; others are trying to establish them or to strengthen more informal communication.
· Marketing implementation. Most local areas have their own domestic marketing programmes; the DNFTP provides just one opportunity for distributing local print and messages. On the other hand, all district strategies point to the strong significance of the sub-region as a vehicle for overseas marketing.
· Environmental issues. Most local destinations recognise the quality of the environment as an important issue in meeting visitor expectations, but there is a need to establish a more consistent approach at a sub regional level. This is particularly the case because of the interdependence between urban and rural areas.
· Relating tourism to the local community. Local authorities are careful to ensure that tourism is reflected in other local policy areas such as planning and economic development. Some put forward more direct action to involve the local community and improve local awareness of tourism.
· Improving quality. As with national and regional policies, this is a key theme at a local level. Practical action supported includes encouraging business support and training, developing new product such as events out of season, improving local services such as Tourist Information Centres, and encouraging participation in inspection schemes.
3 KEY ISSUES & OBJECTIVES
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This chapter looks at the market and product issues that form the basis for the strategy. It then sets out the mission and role of the Partnership over the next three years. It identifies a set of key themes, with associated objectives, which shape the strategy, and proposes some targets to be reached.
Market and product issues
National market trends
There are a number of national trends in tourism markets that will influence the strategy:
· The struggle to recover lost markets both overseas and domestic following Foot & Mouth and September 11 which will be aggravated by continued exchange rate disadvantages.
· An ongoing growth in short and additional holiday taking, by both domestic and some overseas visitors.
· Demographic changes leading to more people in the 55+ age bracket, many of whom are active short break takers.
· Growth in interest in participative holidays, including arts and culture, informal recreation, and health and environmental issues.
· Increasing disposable income and demand for quality experiences, but lack of time - 'money rich and time poor' - leading to a need for good information, quick decisions and meeting high expectations.
· Increasing traffic congestion affecting mobility, journey time and mode of transport.
· The ICT revolution affecting the way information is gathered and used.
Current markets for Dorset and The New Forest
Dorset and The New Forest currently receives around 25m visitor nights per annum, one quarter of which are overseas visitors. They bring approximately £1billion in visitor spending. In addition, there are many millions of day visitors per year in the sub-region; in The New Forest alone it is estimated that there are over 3m day visitor days per year coming into the district with an even larger number from local people.
Performance of serviced accommodation in general has grown steadily over the last five years, and self-catering has shown some, but fluctuating, growth. Larger serviced accommodation establishments out-perform the national average, but small establishments tend to be below average. Seasonality of accommodation use is still a weakness in the area, but trends suggest that this is improving.
The principle domestic market for main season tourism is London and the South East, with half as many coming from the Midlands; the north of England also provides a significant though smaller market. The visitor catchment for off-peak stays is similar but more localised, with the South West being more important than the North. Couples form the most important type of group throughout the year, but families have become increasingly important during the main season. The majority of visitors are ABC1 socio-economic groups. Most are attracted by past experiences, but beyond this the combination of coast and countryside is important.
Principle overseas markets for Dorset and The New Forest are the Netherlands, Germany, North America and EFL language learning visitors from all continents. They are attracted by the rural and coastal scenery and heritage together with our reputation for service and language teaching. Couples account for half the visitors and the 45+ age group is particularly important. Three quarters visit heritage attractions and over half go walking.
Target market segments
The DNF Marketing and Promotions Panel has identified a number of priority domestic market segments. They are:
· Couples 45-60 ABC1, Empty nesters, from Home Counties and Midlands.
· Early retired couples, 50-65 ABC1, from Home Counties, South Coast, Midlands.
· Retired Seniors 65+, C2D from Midlands, North and Essex.
· Families with children 5-12, BC1, from general suburbia.
· Career families pre-school children, AB, from London, Home Counties, Midlands.
These segments reflect current visitors, market trends and the area's core strengths. They provide a good range of types of visitor, spending level and interest, relevant both to the coastal and countryside products and to a wide range of accommodation types. They should be retained as priority segments.
The Group has identified three broad overseas markets with which they have been working over the last few years. These are:
Germany
- Double income no kids
- Empty nesters.
Netherlands
- Young professionals (25-39)
- Families 40+
- Empty nesters 40+
- Mobile retired
USA
Some success has been achieved with each of these markets and there is an argument to persist with them. However a new segmentation selection exercise should be carried out in the next year.
Product strengths and weaknesses
The strategy should build on the following strengths and seek to address the following weaknesses.
Strengths
· Proximity to, and good access from, London, South East and the Midlands for short breaks.
· The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, unique coastal features and excellent clean beaches.
· The New Forest - heritage landscape with national park designation.
· The UK's premier, high quality coastal resorts, which have retained and modernised their appeal, with a range of accommodation and facilities.
· Unspoilt Dorset countryside with a positive, rustic image.
· Heritage towns and villages- not unique but complementing the above.
· Arts and cultural facilities, especially in the metropolitan area (BSO etc). Sizeable events programme.
· Literary heritage, notably Thomas Hardy and links with countryside.
· Business and conference facilities, notably in resorts.
Weaknesses
· Image not fully established in domestic and overseas markets.
· Unexceptional range of visitor attractions.
· Continued, albeit declining, seasonality of demand.
· Patchy engagement / networking of private sector.
· Inconsistent quality of accommodation.
· Relatively weak performance of smaller accommodation establishments.
· Many services and infrastructure not fully integrated with the tourism industry.
· Labour supply problems and skills shortages.
· Slow uptake of ICT.
· Sensitive environments, especially on coast, with pressure on certain locations.
· Poor transport and other linkages within the sub-region.
· East-West split in organisation and eligibility for assistance.
Role and positioning of the Partnership
The Dorset New Forest Tourism Partnership will build on the considerable success it has achieved in the last six years, The need for sub-regional activity in tourism is increasingly recognised. By working together, the constituent parts of Dorset and The New Forest can offer a richer visitor experience, combining the appeal of coast, countryside and heritage. They can also deliver a more efficient service of support for tourism enterprises, pooling expertise and achieving economies of scale.
The role of the Partnership is to improve the quality of the whole visitor experience, to improve the viability and performance of tourism enterprises and to develop, promote and champion the Dorset New Forest brand in appropriate markets (recognising that individual brands will still operate in other markets). It seeks to co-ordinate activity between the various players, raise awareness of the importance of tourism and win the maximum amount of funding for the sub-region.
There is considerable variation in the needs and opportunities of different parts of the sub-region. Individual local authorities have their own priorities and programmes. The Partnership does not seek to replace them but rather to support and provide a context for them. It can help local initiatives learn from and support each other. This is particularly the case in creating common action plans and avoiding duplication of effort by individual industry groups locally and throughout the sub region.
Mission:
· To promote and develop Dorset and The New Forest as a leading destination, combining the UK's premier resort area and world class status coastal, rural and heritage landscapes.
· To enable the regional tourist boards, RDAs, local authorities, funding and support agencies, and private sector enterprises to work together to create a successful, sustainable, high quality sub regional destination area, concentrating on those activities where joint action and economies of scale can bring most benefit.
Key themes and strategic objectives
Six key themes have been identified for 2003-2006, in the light of past experience, market needs, and the identified role of the Partnership, These are in line with national and regional policy as set out in the first chapter.
Partnership Development
OBJECTIVE 1: To strengthen the Partnership as an organisation, increasing its outreach amongst the private sector and support for it from organisations and individuals with influence.
The Partnership could be more effective if its political profile was higher in the sub region and there was a clearer process for the engagement of the private sector, which is currently patchy. There is a need to improve the Partnership's image, communication activity, and linkages with all kinds of enterprises and services. The functioning of the Partnership as an organisation, including the inputs and benefits received by the funding members and other partners, also needs to be addressed.
Quality
OBJECTIVE 2: To satisfy visitors by providing a high quality of experience in all aspects of their stay, reflecting their needs and the special character of the sub-region.
The sub-region should pursue integrated quality management of the visitor experience for the destination as a whole. This should be based on two main principles: maximising customer satisfaction against expectations and promoting local distinctiveness. There is a need to improve product offers and packages to meet market interests. Tools to use include more widespread adherence to quality inspection and the use of benchmarking. A particular aspect of quality is improving access, both in terms of information and ease of booking as well as physical access for all visitors.
Marketing & Promotions
OBJECTIVE 3: To strengthen awareness of Dorset and The New Forest as a leading UK destination area, and increase visitor spending and enterprise performance, especially out of season.
The work of the Partnership in reaching both the domestic and overseas markets has been successful but there is considerable further opportunity to raise the profile of the sub-regional brand amongst consumers. This requires confidence and commitment. An objective to reduce seasonality should continue to be borne in mind, including selection of priority market segments. While existing activities such as media work, trade communication and direct marketing should be maintained, there should also be some more focused marketing activity relating products to segments, and more effective use of ICT. Action should be taken to strengthen enterprises' own creativity and marketing skills.
Business & Skills Development
OBJECTIVE 4: To ensure that all businesses relating to tourism, irrespective of size and sector, have the necessary skills and resources for success.
Business support and training has been a well resourced and active area for the Partnership, but has only gone so far. There is a need to widen and deepen the outreach, to include a wider range of enterprises and very small businesses, with ongoing monitoring of needs and results. Effective methods of delivery, including ICT, should be pursued, including further efforts to stimulate take up by enterprises. Coverage should include a whole range of topics within the broad area of management skills and employment training. There is a particular need to address labour and skill shortages, including attention to the image of tourism as a career. A clear role of the Partnership is to ensure more co-ordination between the suppliers of training and business support across the sub-region as a whole.
Wise Growth (Sustainability)
OBJECTIVE 5: To develop and establish a flexible model for sustainable destination management throughout the sub-region, and in doing so create a balance between the demands of the visitor, industry, local community and environment.
There is growing adherence to the principles of sustainable tourism at a national level and in many destinations, including in Tomorrow's Tourism and the English Tourism Council's (ETC) sustainable tourism strategy. There is some evidence of positive consumer response to good practice in this area. Dorset and The New Forest should at least match other destinations in terms of sustainability policy and actions, and if possible show leadership. There is an opportunity to pursue a more consistent approach, sharing knowledge and experiences between local authorities, and working with regional bodies on policies and funding programmes to improve the rural and urban environment. Action can involve addressing infrastructure and visitor management issues, such as promoting public transport, including sustainability in enterprise training and the adoption of the proposed new national green accreditation scheme.
Research
OBJECTIVE 6: To maintain and improve the flow of tourism data required for the effective functioning of the Partnership and its members.
The Tourism Data Project has provided good and consistent local knowledge and statistics not available in many other counties. There is a need to extend the service more evenly across the whole sub-region. Statistics should not be collected for their own sake; it is important that research responds to the need to inform the Partnership on development and marketing issues. A key to this will be the establishment and consistent use of a destination research model by all districts.
4 PRIORITIES FOR ACTION & INDICATORS/TARGETS
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This is not a definitive or comprehensive list of actions but indicates opportunities for the Partnership to pursue that are in line with achieving the strategic objectives. Partners will select from these to develop annual action plans and budgets, according to changing needs, opportunities, and funding possibilities. Some targets to be reached are also included.
Partnership Development
· Winning public sector support
The Partnership will seek to increase its level of recognition and support from the local authorities and other influential public sector bodies within the sub-region. In particular, this will include:
- A series of presentations to local elected members.
- Securing more commitment and involvement from both the South West of England and South East England Regional Development Agencies.
· Maintaining strong links with tourism enterprises
For the Partnership to have its own individual private sector membership would be too unwieldy. Strong links with tourism enterprises could be built up in two ways:
- Each local authority should foster formal tourism industry membership associations or groups of enterprises in their areas. Partnership activity and opportunities will be presented systematically to their meetings, and representation from them made back to the Partnership by the local authority officers.
- Effective links will be made with any bodies representing sectoral networks of enterprises such as Chambers of Trade, including local chapters of national bodies such as Tourism Management Institute (TMI), British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Hotel Catering Industry Management Association (HCIMA).
· Influencing a wide circle of tourism services
It is increasingly recognised that the visitor experience is made up of a complex interface of contact with different local services. The Partnership needs to influence a wider range of service providers, beyond the accommodation and attractions sectors, in its training, quality, marketing and sustainability work. Action to pursue includes:
- Working through local authorities and representative groups to build contact with restaurants, pubs, clubs, retailers, service and transport providers.
- Building strong links with the cultural sector (events, entertainment, arts and crafts), assisted by local and regional cultural strategies.
· Strengthening corporate identity and communications
The Foot and Mouth crisis underlined the necessity of a single route for quick and effective PR and communications. Communication between funding members, organisations and enterprises will be continually monitored and strengthened, based on a wide range of media. Specific action includes:
- Building the DNFTP Bulletin into an even more informative guidance piece.
- Increasing the quality and usability of material on the Partnership website.
- Create a single communication network and database.
- Developing the corporate identity of the Partnership.
· Deepening partnership commitment
The relationship between partners and the funding and functioning of the Partnership body will be regularly reviewed. Attention will be paid to:
- The level of financial input made by each partner in relation to benefits perceived and achieved.
- A clear allocation of partner responsibilities and formal commitment to them.
- Ensuring even-handedness in the way the administration relates to the constituent parts of the sub-region, so it is not too centre focussed.
- Maintaining a good balance between urban resort and rural destination interests.
- Streamline existing industry structures at local and sub regional levels for ease of communication, revenue raising and action.
Target /Indicator
Between 2003-06 achieve 50% increase in core income to the Partnership from members.
Quality
· Encouraging visitor feedback and benchmarking
Quality is about delivering customer satisfaction with all aspects of their stay. More can be done to measure visitor reaction to the sub region and to individual destinations and products, and to develop programmes of improvement based on this. This requires a consistent approach to research and benchmarking across the whole sub-region, allowing comparisons to be made and ensuring improvements in minimum standards. Action includes:
- Maintaining visitor satisfaction surveys for the sub-region as a whole.
- Extending product benchmarking to all types of tourism enterprise.
- Ensuring the resorts and other main destinations pursue integrated quality management programmes.
- Developing destination benchmarking for comparative locations, such as small towns and key villages.
· Extending quality inspection
In order to achieve consistent quality standards across the brand, each local authority area should adopt similar policies towards the promotion of, and adherence to quality inspection schemes. This entails:
- All local authorities requiring accommodation enterprises to be quality inspected and graded before participation in promotions and support services.
- Keeping abreast of national and regional policy, including pilot initiatives, to extend quality inspection to other sectors (such as minimum standards for attractions) and introducing them as appropriate.
- Lobby Government, ETC & Inspection Agencies to ensure equitable pricing for small establishments and apply a sensible and relevant approach to local distinctiveness.
· Developing linked and distinctive visitor offers
Although the Partnership is not directly involved in individual product development, there is a need to take note of the overall range and balance of products that are available to attract visitors year round. Furthermore, in order to strengthen the brand, encouragement will be given to offers and packages that project a distinctive flavour and experience of Dorset and The New Forest, building on local heritage and intrinsic qualities. Opportunities include:
- Encouraging more locally focused events and opening of attractions in the low season, with marketing support.
- Instigating or supporting thematic programmes and packages, linking different parts of the area, such as literary trails or local produce promotions.
- Encouraging more linkages between coast and countryside.
· Providing efficient visitor information and booking
The provision of information services is essentially a matter for individual local authorities. However, this is such an important function in terms of the overall quality of experience in the sub-region that the Partnership will maintain a watching brief on levels of service and seek ways of strengthening co-ordination of information delivery. Action to pursue includes:
- Cross-selling within TICs - ensuring effective coverage of all parts of Dorset and The New Forest, including promotion of the brand.
- Co-ordination of ICT based information delivery, including booking and ticketing services.
· Ensuring ease of access for all visitors
A number of individual locations, such as Bournemouth, are putting strong emphasis on accessibility, both as a requirement in meeting new Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) regulations and as a marketing advantage. The sub-region may benefit from a more consistent approach, including sharing experiences and outreach effort. Action could include:
- Promotion of established training schemes, such as Welcome All.
- Encouraging more participation in inspection and labelling of premises for accessibility.
Targets/Indicators
Between 2003-06 achieve a consistent year on year increase in recorded visitor satisfaction rates.
A year on year increase in the proportion of accommodation enterprises that are ETC/AA/RAC inspected and graded.
Marketing & Promotions
· Underpinning the brand
An important focus for the Partnership is promulgating the Dorset New Forest brand for appropriate markets. The Partnership should continually strengthen adherence to the brand, building on the core values of the UK's premier resort area and world-class status coastal, rural and heritage landscapes, focussing on the links between them. This will include:
- Regularly reviewing and restating the sub-region's core values.
- Sharpening the brand image through graphic devices and text.
- Encouraging local authorities and tourism enterprises to apply the brand identity in their own promotional activity.
- Considering application of the brand to some aspects of domestic as well as overseas marketing.
· Strengthening the overseas campaign
Greatest attention should be paid to the overseas campaign, as the most significant economies of scale can be reaped by members through joint marketing in this arena. This will require tighter monitoring and focus as incoming market segments are likely to remain volatile over the next three years, owing to Foot & Mouth, September 11 and exchange rates. The approach will be to:
- Maintain a broad presence in overseas markets through media work, tour operator contact, exposure in front line print and internet work.
- Undertake a new segment selection exercise in conjunction with British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the regional tourist boards, bearing in mind strategic needs such as off-season business, but with a presumption to retain work in those segments already penetrated unless there are strong reasons to change.
- Introduce some more focussed theme and product based promotions to attract these segments, test marketed and closely monitored.
· Maintaining an effective sub-regional presence in the domestic marketplace
The main effort in domestic marketing will rest with the collection of individual campaigns undertaken by the funding members of the Partnership. However, a pragmatic joint campaign should be maintained to provide a lead in to local destinations and products from those visitors who are attracted initially by broader brands such as Dorset and The New Forest. The approach will be to:
- Maintain, but constantly review, simple lead generation work such as the Dorset flyer insert campaign and media work.
- Maintain 'Dorset' and 'The New Forest' as separate brands, but to reconsider ways in which they can be mutually supporting and joined as appropriate.
- Help individual authorities and industry networks to develop campaigns aimed at specific market segments, with particular reference to seasonality issues and opportunities presented by growth in activity and special interest holidays. This will include some joint and linked initiatives such as themed two/three centre breaks.
· Making effective use of ICT in marketing
Up to now the use of the internet in promoting the Dorset New Forest brand has been relatively weak. This will become a far more dominant communication medium during the course of this strategy, requiring:
- Development of an effective Dorset New Forest website, linking existing partner websites.
- Enabling opportunities for commercial selling and booking online.
· Strengthening enterprises' own creativity and marketing skills
An important principle behind the Partnership is to put as much emphasis on fostering effective marketing by funding members and individual enterprises as on running its own campaigns. This will involve:
- Training and advice that encompass marketing processes
- Making helpful market research data widely available
- Helping to create promotional linkages between enterprises and industry groups.
Targets/Indicators
Between 2003-06 achieve:
Growth in domestic visitor spending of 4%-points above the national average growth.
Growth in overseas visitor spending of 6%-points above the national average growth.
5-percentage point increase in annual average hotel room occupancy rates.
Steady, measured annual increases in response to domestic and overseas campaigns.
Business Development
· Ensuring consistent, co-ordinated business support across the sub-region.
The provision of business support has been a significant activity for the Partnership in its initial years. However, the split between the regions and the availability of funding in some parts of the sub-region and not others, has meant that there have been some inconsistencies in delivery. There needs to be:
- Excellent co-ordination and communication between all training and business support providers.
- A more equal distribution of support services under the Partnership across the sub-region.
· Providing training tailored to enterprise needs
The Partnership's Skills Needs Project in 1999/2000 identified ongoing skills shortages in small businesses. Despite the good take up of training opportunities in previous years, there is still an important task to be fulfilled. Skills gaps are well recognised by employees and to a lesser extent by managers, but there is less clarity about opportunities for training which are often not actively sought. Topics that need to be covered include ICT, health and safety, management, sustainability, marketing and communication skills. Action will focus on:
- Maintaining a widely available training programme.
- Seeking more active participation by very small businesses.
- Delivering training locally through a variety of media including both ICT based modules, short day courses, and on the job training.
- Promoting training opportunities, and their benefits, more actively to businesses and staff.
- Providing more incentives for participation in training.
· Maintaining a business support and advisory service
The Skills Needs project also identified the importance of maintaining one to one business advice. This has proved most useful to enterprises in the past. Particular needs and opportunities include:
- Making good use of the new Small Business Service one-stop-shop, backing this up with a professional dedicated team of tourism advisors.
- Reaching a higher proportion of very small businesses.
- Following through quality benchmarking with business advice.
· Addressing labour shortages
Around half the tourism employers surveyed in the area in 1999 reported problems with recruiting labour in the previous year. Labour supply shortages will continue to present a major problem for business fitness in the period of this strategy. Action to address this will include:
- Promoting the image of tourism more positively as a career.
- Encouraging colleges to adapt training of young people more directly to the practical needs of tourism businesses.
- Increasing the availability of work placements in tourism businesses.
Targets/Indicators
Between 2003-06 achieve:
A four fold increase in access to DNF corporate data/Information web pages.
An increase in the cumulative total of enterprises that have been assisted by Partnership backed training or advisory schemes from 200 to 500.
An increase in the cumulative total of personnel taking part in Partnership backed training from 600 to 1000.
A reduction in businesses reporting labour supply problems from 50% to under 40%.
A steady increase in recorded ICT based bookings.
Wise Growth (Sustainability)
· Encouraging a consistent approach to the wise growth of tourism across the sub-region
Some local authorities are particularly active in promoting sustainable tourism in their areas. For example, New Forest District Council has been operating a Local Agenda 21 Kit and has set up local Community Tourism Groups. Others will be encouraged towards similar aims, enabling the sub-regional brand to be more justifiably promoted on the quality of the environment in every sense. Action will include:
- Sharing experience between funding members and creating a common but flexible approach to sustainable tourism.
- Raising the profile and generating awareness of sustainability issues and initiatives through Partnership communication media.
- Encouraging tourism enterprises to pursue sustainable tourism, through training, application of green auditing, labelling and award schemes.
- Establish a sub regional set of wise growth indicators.
- Link with the National Best Value Group and ETC's sustainability programme.
· Working together to encourage ownership and responsibility by all stakeholders
One of the greatest problems facing destination managers is trying to get consistency of approach by a wide and diverse range of stakeholders. Whether these may be visitors, local businesses, managing agencies or members of the host community, it is important that everybody understands the need to adopt a wise/sustainable approach to all activities associated with tourism development in the sub region. Action will include:
- Developing a set of wise growth key messages for use in all DNFTP activities and marketing communications.
- Working more closely with land managers and agencies to adopt a more sustainable approach and replicate key messages.
- Coordinate and establish a common framework for interpretation and education throughout the sub region.
- Identify a more effective means of involving local producers and residents in tourism matters.
· Supporting rural and urban regeneration
Different parts of the sub-region have their own priorities and programmes for environmental improvement and community development. However, there is great benefit in co-ordinating action, especially in terms of setting priorities for, and winning support and funding from, regional, national and European sources. Action could include:
- Joint research into common concerns such as supply and demand of farm and produce based tourism.
- Working with the RDAs, RTBs and Government Offices on integrated funding programmes.
- Raising standards of beaches and visitor management along the whole coastline.
- Promotion of year round opening and provision of infrastructure.
· Promoting better transport options
Congestion, travel costs and increased environmental concerns will require more emphasis to be placed on transport planning and provision for tourism over the next three years. This is a subject which requires co-ordination between local authorities, and with transport service providers, within the context of the sub-region. Action to pursue includes:
- Promoting public transport as a means of accessing and travelling within the sub-region.
- Co-ordinating transport information provision, ticketing and industry support in distribution.
- Addressing specific problems of quality of service - gaps and frequency.
- Promoting walking and cycling, including linear and circular routes across the whole sub-region.
- Establishing a common sub regional approach to car parking, road signing and routing, litter, toilets and environmental standards.
Targets/Indicators
Between 2003-06 achieve:
A reduction in seasonality, with ratio of Dec-Feb to Jul-Sep hotel room occupancy rising from 56% (Dorset, 1999) to 62%, and similar changes in other sectors.
Over one third of known enterprises participating in environmental auditing and improvement programmes/training.
A three-fold increase in visitor arrivals by public transport.
Research & Information
· Providing a sub-region wide research service to assist the development of tourism and monitor performance
The provision of helpful guidance to members and tourism enterprises and the sound planning of future initiatives depends on the continued availability of relevant research material and agreement on a common model. The co-ordinated Tourism Data Project should be continued. Action areas include:
- Establish a common model to deliver the research and data outputs of the strategy.
- Extending the service to provide the same level of information for The New Forest as well as Dorset.
- Maintaining regular visitor, volume and value surveys.
- Continuing to monitor distribution and uptake of marketing material.
- Tracking the impact of marketing and training initiatives at the enterprise level.
- Maintaining a regular check on enterprise performance and needs.
- Interpreting international and domestic market research data, including segmentation, in terms of implications for the sub-region.
- Widely distributing research findings through newsletters and the internet.
Targets/Indicators
Between 2003-06 achieve:
A four fold participation by enterprises in benchmarking type activity.
Annual Action Plans.
It is envisaged that the Partnership will agree annual Action Plans to deliver the policies and principles in this strategy document. The Action Plans will be based on the six key themes summarised in the 'Key themes & strategic objectives' section.
It will be important for the success of tourism in the sub-region for all partners to be involved in the construction and delivery of Action Plans. As progress is made we hope to increase both industry and community involvement in our work.
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