Scotland s built heritage; tourism and income generation

Transcription

1 Scotland s built heritage; tourism and income generation C Doyle Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. Abstract Scotland currently hosts approximately 43,500 listed buildings of which some 10,000 are considered to be of exceptional importance at nationalktemational level. The significance of these buildings to the economic wellbeing of the UK economy and Scotland in particular is gaining increasing recognition through their ability to attract tourists and generate employment [1] [2] [3]. The Scottish tourism bulletin for 1995 [4] indicated that 80% of trips undertaken by foreign tourists within the UK were to Castles, Monuments, Churches, historic buildings and sites. Indeed O Brien [5] found that within the day-trip market a visit to an historical building or site was one of the main destinations for both domestic and overseas visitors. However, whilst Scotland enjoys increasing levels of tourism, not all tourist generate the same income levels. By building up a socio-economic profile of visitors to Scotland by age, income levels and motives for visiting, a more accurate picture of the importance of our built heritage emerges, This study therefore builds up a tourist profile of visitors to Scotland and shows that those visiting primarily for a visit to an historic buildings or site tend to spend more per visit thus generating greater wealth and employment potential. Such information can therefore inform city planners and decision-makers when directing finds at projects with the overall aim of increasing both the aesthetics and wealth of the economy. 1 Introduction The growth of tourism has increased substantially this century due to, amongst other things, better travel, more leisure time and a general increase in disposable

2 3.58 The Sustainable City II income [6]. Leisurely pursuits may take a variety of forms from sport, cinema, bingo and increasingly the desire to advance ones knowledge through heritage. Heritage can, according to Cullingworth and Nadin be defined as the fashionable word for the national inheritance of historical buildings and features of the landscape [7]. This article aims to establish the significance of built heritage as a tourist destination and hence its contribution to income and employment generation in Scotland. This will be achieved by building up a profile of tourism in Scotland both in terms of destination and tourist characteristics. In doing so it will establish that built heritage is a significant tourism pursuit and a valuable economic resource to the Scottish economy, These factors however, are rarely considered by those that make decisions concerning the long term fhture of such structures. By establishing the economic potential of our built heritage it is hoped that decision-makers will be able to make better informed decisions. The hypothesis explored therefore within this paper is that high-income generation is directly linked to built heritage and that the built environment has a vital economic role to play within the Scottish economy. 2 The significance of built heritage to the Scottish economy As for back as 1975 Binney and Hanna [1] were describing Britain s built heritage as a major economic resource contributing significantly through tourism, foreign exchange, local employment and government taxation. Latterly, they argued [8] that the conservation of built heritage would have a positive effect upon the economy as a whole leading to an increase in employment, a decrease in decay and dereliction, followed by a decrease in depopulation. It would appear that they were justified in these claims as twentyone million tourists visited Scotland during 2000 generating income of f4.5m and employment of 8 %0 of the workforce [9] and as we will see a visit to an historic destination was a motivator for their visit. Britain s cultural heritage plays an important role in attracting oversees visitors. The Survey of Oversees Visitors to London for 1988 found that one in three visitors responded that a visit to an historical destination was on their agenda. Similar findings resulted from an earlier report [1] carried out in 1978 by SAVE (Britain s Heritage). This survey found that a visit to a built heritage destination was the second most popular activity amongst overseas visitors. The Scottish Tourist Board s bulletin for 2000 [9] indicates that 83% of foreign tourists within the UK visit a Castle, Monument, Church, historical building or site. As we link the findings of these reports to that of O Brien s work on the destinations of the day trip market we will fmd that visits to historical buildings are one of the main attractions for both overseas visitors to Britain and the domestic leisure market. In fact, visits to built heritage destinations have shown a growth rate of 9?40since 1977 with an estimated income generation for Britain of L135m [5].

3 The Sustainable City II 359 The spending patterns of tourists to built heritage sites were analysed both within an EIU report [5] and more recently, by research undertaken by Yale [10]. Yale s findings revealed that 40% of the revenue of shops in the immediate vicinity of an historic building were directly attributable to the tourist trade. English Heritage Monitor reported that spending by visitors to built heritage sites increased by 13% in 1988 [11]. These collective figures would certainly indicate that the spending of heritage tourists adds value to the local economy and indeed that the figure is growing. These findings are of partic {~Iar importance were the site lies within a rural area where income generation potential is limited and employment prospects poor. 2.1 The growth of tourism as an economic stimuli Prior to the 1969 Tourism Act tourism was not regarded as being of any great significance to the British economy. However, with the dawn of deindustrialisation and the corresponding growth in foreign competition within the secondary sector, the realisation that Britain could no longer rely on manufacturing for employment and income generation resulted in tourism being taken seriously for the fust time. Tourism today is generally regarded as the fastest growing world industry [12], and is estimated to account for around 3.5% of the UK s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the figure for Scotland slightly higher at 5 Yo.The increase in tourism and associated spending is closely related with increases in aflluence and leisure time. The Scottish Tourist Board [9] estimated that the numbers of trips taken to Scotland in 2000 were 2lm bringing with them a total spending of f4.5m, an increase of almost 100 /0since The board fhrther estimated that tourism in Scotland in 2000 accounted for the employment of 193,000 people (this figure includes self-employed), an increase of 17 /0since 1991, However, if we reflect back to the figures produced between 1972 and 1996 the number of jobs associated with the tourism industry has risen by 392!70[13], a figure of some significance during times of fluctuating unemployment. Major difilculties arise when trying to evaluate the income generated from tourism. The measurement of tourism within the GDP is speculative, as once a tourist enters the British Isles no division is made between his or her spending and that of the general public. The calculation is made more difficult when trying to establish the spending patterns of domestic tourists as no additional income is derived. We therefore have to rely upon information gathered by the tourist boards and other interested parties. One such source, the World Tourism Organisation (wto) estimated that domestic receipts ffom tourism were 5-10 times greater than international tourism expenditure [14]. However, whilst the actual figure may be subjective, the overall benefits are not. Tourism generates income and employment within Scotland and thus contribute to economic growth and well being,

4 360 Tile Sustainable City II 3 Origins of tourists to Scotland Having established that tourism has grown in economic importance it is vital that policy makers are able to recognise where the greatest benefits derive fi om, For whilst all tourism project will benefit the economy, some may add greater value than others. Tourists to Scotland originate from both the domestic market (i.e. elsewhere in the UK) and from abroad, One third of the oversees visitor spending in Scotland comes from North America, while collectively the top seven oversees visitor generating countries account for two thirds of the total trips. Scotland relies heavily on the American market as a source of tourism income [13]. Although the spending incurred by foreign tourist is significant to the overall National Income (IQ. I.) of the UK, the domestic market should not be overlooked. For whilst it contributes nothing directly to the N.I., indirectly the benefits gained are through the retention of income that may otherwise be taken abroad. The domestic market also acts as a method of redistributing wealth from one area of Britain (and indeed Scotland) to another. It is this aspect of the domestic market which is of particular importance to Scotland, Scotland benefits greatly from wealth redistribution as it is a major attraction for visitors from elsewhere in the UK (see table 1). These visitors account for 71 Aof all trips undertaken to Scotland and 50 /0of all the associated expenditure. Table 1, Origin of British tourists to Scotland Country/Region of origin of British tourists to Scotland, 1995 Country/Region of origin (% of total) Scotland 51 England 46 of which North West North Yorkshire/Humberside Midlands South East South West Wales Northern Ireland...- (Source: Scottish Tourist Board*, 1995) * Whilst the figures for the distribution of visitors from England do not add up to 46 /0, these are as given within the literature Tourist characteristics Inasmuch as it is recognised that tourism in general is of importance to the Scottish economy not all tourists, or tourism ventures attract the same level of

5 spending or high visitor numbers [5], Thus, if the benefits to be gained from tourism are to be optimised, both at a local level and for the economy as a whole, it is important to identify those tourists who contribute most to total income and the attractions that encourage them to make their visit, This paper will thus argue that high-income generation is directly linked to built heritage and that the built environment has a vital economic role within the Scottish economy. Tourist fall into 2 categories; the holiday visitor and the day tripper. Holiday visitors are those who stay away from home for one night or more. The visit must be for social reasons thus excluding visits made which are part of an employment commitment, Howeverj often a visitor to an area arrives on business, but spends a proportion of his or her time as a tourist thus emphasizing the difficulties encountered in evaluating total tourism spending. Holiday visitors fall into both the foreign and home market categories. The day tripper market consists mainly of visitor tlom Britain who choose to visit another area usually within a relatively short distance from their home. Foreign visitors however, who visit out-with the area in which they are currently staying are also classed as day-trippers, 5 The significance of the day-trip market Although extensive research has been undertaken regarding the value of foreign tourism, little research exists which accurately measures the value of the day trip market. This may partly be explained by the fact that the spending of the day-trip market adds no additional funds to the NI, but merely redistributes wealth tlom one area to another. However, this redistribution may assist in overcoming some of the negative affects of regional disparities. Another problem encountered by those trying to evaluate the day-trip market is the wide range of activities that fall into the day trip category, These may range from hill-walking to day-trip shopping. However it was estimated that the value of the day-trip market in 1988 was in the region of f5, 125m, Of this S4,3 17m was believed to have been spent by the domestic market [5]. Another important consideration is that day-trippers may make more than one trip per year. Indeed O Brien [5] found that trippers could be classified as heavy trippers ; those who visited at least 6 destinations, medium trippers ; visiting 3-5 destinations, and light trippers ; visiting 2 or less destinations. These findings were then linked by O Brien to the socio-economic groupings of trippers to establish links between potential income and the number of trips taken (see table 2).

6 362 //1(,.~lis[,li}l(rbie [ ip II Table 2. Socio-economic groupings of the day trip market AB cl C2 DE ALL light tripper medium tripper heavy tripper don t knowf no 2 I answer total (Applied Leisure Marketing, Leisure destination Survey, May 1987; Cited in O Brien, 1990:151) As we can see from the above figures 38?Lof socio-economic group AB are heavy trippers i.e. those visiting 6+ destinations, whilst 44% of Cl and 38% C2 visit 3-5 destinations. These figures become more significant if we accept that those falling within the ABC 1 socio-economic classifications have the highest potential spending power. 6 Destination Having identified the extent of the day-trip market and the socio-economic groupings the next stage is to establish the destination of these visitors. The following table shows the destinations of this group. As can be seen from Table 3 whilst light trippers are most likely to visit the seaside, 430/0of medium trippers and 42 /0 of heavy trippers favoured a trip to a historic site. Therefore it can now be established that not only do those with the highest potential earnings (and thus spending power) make most day-trips, they are most likely to make these to an historic destination Table 3. Destination of the day-trip market (%respondents) seaside Historic Scenic Metropolitan City Light trippers M~dium-~ippers Heavy trippers Don t knowho I answer Total I (Applied Leisure Marketing, Leisure destination Survey, May 1987; Cited in O Brien, 1990: 152) Overall these findings show that visits to historic towns and cities are the most popular destination of the day-trip market and that these are most likely to be made by those of a higher socio-economic classification, and, as we will now establish, have the highest spending potential.

7 7 Social trends Ithas long been recognised that the socio-economic grouping into which a person falls will ultimately determine his or her spending potential. The following table allows us to examine the classifications of all UK visitors to Scotland in 1995 (similar figures are not available for overseas visitors). Table 4. Percentage of visitors to Scotland by socio-economic groupings Table 4 clear[y demonstrates that of domestic visitors to Scotland from elsewhere in the UK the greatest majority falls into the socio-economic groupings ABC1 thus having the highest spending potential. 7.1 Demographic Trends According to a survey carried out by the National Trust for Scotland [12] between there will be a 12% increase in those people aged between years. This represents the core age group of NTS visitors and members. In % of the UK population were 40+ years whilst 75?40of NTS members fell into this age group. If we link these findings up with research under taken by the Scottish Tourist Board [13] we find that the age distribution of the tourist market within Scotland is as follows:- Table 5, Age distribution of tourist market in Scotland Age Scottish holiday makers UK Holiday makers Foreign ho[iday (millions) (excluding Scotland) makers (millions) (millions) , I Total number 4, ,81 of trips (millions) (Figures adapted from the Scottish Tourist Boards research, 1995)

8 Further finding of the NTS research [12] was that between socioeconomic groups A-C 1 are expected to increase by 7m from 35 Ato 45?40of the UK population. This figure is significant in that the year 1988 saw 81% of visitors to National Trust (NT) properties falling into this category. Further, overseas visitors were found to account for 13 % of total visitors to NT properties. Additionally, of those surveyed whilst visiting a National Trust property, 66% responded that they were currently of holiday with many claiming this to be a second holiday. Thus if we are to profile those most likely to visit an historic building or site they would most likely be aged between years, of socio-economic groupings A-C1, take more than one trip per year and have a high spending potential, 8 Implications for decision-makers This paper clearly demonstrates the economic worth of our built heritage yet few planners or policy makers take this into consideration when deciding on the future of a listed building. This was the subject of recent research undertaken at Glasgow Caledonian University. As part of the research interviews were conducted with key players in the conservation movement in Scotland whose joint responsibility included the well being of some 67% of CA listed buildings in Scotland. Interviewee s included representation from local and central government and advisory groups, Pressure groups were also included to obtain a fuller overview of the environment. Of those interviewed at local and central government level most admitted that they only considered the aesthetics of the building, the cost and quality of renovation, and the listing category when deciding on the structures future, Rarely, they admitted was economic growth or employment opportunities a consideration, This may be in part due to the nature of Conservation and Listed Building Legislation in Scotland that excludes such criterion from the decision-making process. However, it may also be because those that make the decisions rarely call on the expertise of others. When they do however, the results may be to the benefit of all. Take for example the old bus station in Edinburgh, The city planners were at a loss as to what best to do with it. The legislation clearly directed them to conserve this structure but offered no guidance as to its possible end use. By consulting with the Edinburgh Tourist Board (on an informal basis as no formal links exist) it was suggested that this was the ideal site for a new tourist bus depot. This solution solved several problems; it gave a new lease of life to an old building, it assisted in overcoming the congestion problem in Edinburgh, and it made the facilitation of tourism, and thus income generation, easier. Such collaboration can only add to the overall wellbeing of not just the Scottish economy but of our built heritage as well,

9 Conclusions This paper examined the role of built heritage to the Scottish economy as an income and employment generator. From this, the following conclusions can be drawn:- Tourism is extremely important to the Scottish economy Not all tourist have the same spending potential Not all tourist make the same number of trips per year Successful tourism depends on identifying and attracting the high spending categories The historical buildings and sites appeals to most tourist types, but particularly to those with a high spending potential and those that make the most number of trips per year Decision-makers rarely consider these factors when deciding on the future of a structure but when they do it may make for a better overall end use. Thus clearly our built heritage is of enormous economic potential to the Scottish economy and as such should be given the recognition it so clearly deserves. It is vital that those that make decisions regarding the future of such structures do so with a full understanding of their economic potentiai. References [1] Binney & Hanna ( 1998) Preservation Pays Save Britain s Heritage [2] Scottish Tourist Board (1996) Tourism in Scotland STB [3] Doyle C (1999) Built heritage and leisure tourism in Scotland Leisure Studies Association Newsletter, No 52 March 1999 (pp 14-17) [4] Scottish Tourist Board 1992 Research Newsletter STB Issue No 3 November 1992 [5] O Brien K (1990) The UK tourism and leisure market EHJ 1990 [6] Law C (1996) Urban Tourism; attracting visitors to large cities Mansell [7] Cullingworth & Nadin (1997) Town and Country Planning in the UK Routlege [8] Hanna&Binney(1983) Preserve andprosper; the wider economic benejh of conserving historical buildings Save Britain s Heritage [9] Scottish Tourist Board neti [10] Yale P (1991) From tourist attractions to heritage tourism ELM Publications [11] Hanna M (1989) Heritage spending increases by 13% in 1988 Tourism, No 64, October, 1989 [12] National Trust for Scotland (1992) Corporate Plan National Trust for Scotland [13] Scottish Tourist Board (1995) Tourism in Scotland STB [14] World Tourism Organisation (1994) Capitan Haya January 1994