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2 The Institute of Place Management is the professional body for people involved in making, maintaining and marketing places. As part of Manchester Metropolitan University, the Institute of Place Management is dedicated to supporting people who serve places, providing them with unbiased research, continuing professional development, qualifications, conferences, events and networking opportunities. Copyright Institute of Place Management. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research, private study, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, only with the proper permission in writing of the authors, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Lending Agency. Enquiries for permission to reproduce material outside those terms should be made directly to the authors. All trademarks, registered names etc. acknowledged in this publication to be the property of their respective owners.

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4 The Open Business Forum held at Faliraki Conference Centre on Wednesday 18th April 2018 as part of the Institute of Place Management s 5th Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places explored some of the issues and problems facing tourism development and place management on the island of Corfu in Following initial consultation, the main problems were identified as falling into three main categories: Infrastructure; Information and Technology; and Type and Number of Tourists. Based on a successful and proven methodology adopted by the IPM for a project examining the performance of UK High Streets, a similar methodology was employed with business people and policy makers attending the Corfu Open Business Forum. The results of this research and led to the identification of 10 priority factors that Corfu should consider to Get on with it in order to have the most impact and over which the local community has the most control in order to improve tourism development on the island in the short term: Infrastructure o No DMO/no targeted branding o Poor infrastructure for congress tourism o Lack of qualified personnel in tourism Information and Technology o Poor information for tourists o Need for better information via digital methods, apps, online and social media o Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents due to the rise in use of Social Media Types and Number of Tourists o Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise Tourism o Lack of focus on special interest tourism o Short tourism season o The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) Other factors of lower priority were also identified, and categorised as those with little importance and little control ( Forget it ), those with importance but little or no control ( Live with it ) and those with little importance but great control ( Not worth it ) We hope you find this report of interest and we will be delighted to work with members of the business community and policy makers in implementing some of the recommendations from this report to help improve tourism development and place management on Corfu. Dr Heather Skinner, Chair Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places Professor Cathy Parker, IPM Chair Nikos Ntounis, IPM Christina Panagiotidou, Green Corfu 1

5 The methodology behind this report is based on research undertaken by the Institute of Place Management (IPM) as part of their High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020) project partially funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) who were concerned about the impact changes to retailing in the UK were having on town and city centres. The project began early in 2014 and the results of the project can be found in a special issue of the IPMs official publication the Journal of Place Management and Development, details of which are accessible by following this link. The HSUK2020 research identified 201 factors that affected performance of town and city centres. The challenge of 201 factors was to determine which should be prioritised. They were ranked by 22 leading academic and practitioner experts using the Delphi technique. This meant each expert ranked each factor independently and then a second round sought evidence where differences in rankings occurred. Examining the experts rankings, the research team placed each factor in one of four categories. The categories were Forget it (those with little importance and little control), Live with it (those with importance but little or no control), Not worth it (those with little importance but great control) and Get on with it (those with the greatest importance and control). Although there were still a considerable number of factors that fell into the Get on with it category, to make this useful to local partnerships, we looked at statistically grouping factors. This resulted in a top 25. Having been discussed with more than 250 stakeholders across the ten towns, and more recently with over 2,000 conference delegates around the world, we conclude that every town should ensure that their town or city centre strategy incorporates each of the 25 factors if they want to promote vitality and viability. While the HSUK2020 project was specifically related to high street retail performance in the UK, we realised that the knowledge we gained from undertaking this project could help inform our understanding of some of the issues relating to tourism development on Corfu addressed in the Open Business Forum on 18 th April 2018 that we facilitated as part of the 5 th Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places. As there had been a Tourism Forum event held in November 2017 we were keen to include some of the issues raised at that event. To this end Christina Panagiotidou of Green Corfu met with various members of the business community and policy makers in March 2018 to gather further information on the issues they considered to be of importance to effect tourism development and place management on the island. Her interviews were undertaken with: Mr Vasilis Kavvadias (Vice Mayor for Tourism); Mr Vasilis Kontos (member of HATTA); Mr Andronikos Moutsos (Travel agent); Mr Dimitris Moutsos (Travel agent); Mr Kostas Tsoumanis (EOT); Mr Babis Boulgaris (Hoteliers association); and Mr Markos Papagiannakis (Chairman of the Tour Guides Association). These interviews identified 45 factors (listed on p5) that were grouped into 3 separate categories: Infrastructure Information and Technology Type and Number of Tourists. 2

6 In November 2017 the Corfu Tourism Forum held an event where business people and local policymakers could come together to discuss some of the main problems facing tourism development on Corfu. The Open Business Forum held as part of the Institute of Place Management (IPM) s Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places, in co-operation with the Corfu Municipality and our official partners Green Corfu, took some of those issues raised at the Tourism Forum and explored them further. Results from this exercise are disseminated here in this report that aims to feedback to the business community, policy makers, and the local community, to try to put in place some of the suggested improvements, to put the place first, and in keeping with the aim of the IPM, to make places better. You can read more about the Open Business Forum event here. As a result of Green Corfu s discussions with representatives of various local organisations and tourism businesses we identified the following main problems the island faces right now. In general, these problems fell into three main categories that were then discussed at the Open Business Forum: No DMO / no targeted branding Poor infrastructure for congress tourism Lack of qualified personnel in tourism Poor road network / boat network Garbage and recycling issues Too much bureaucracy stifling business development Lack of funding for improving and updating tourism businesses Poor information for tourists and the need for better information to be provided via digital methods, apps, online and social media Corfu is not a Smart city that makes the best of technology to serve tourists especially in Corfu Town Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents due to the rise in use of social media Poor signposting Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise tourism Sea and sun, and all-inclusive tourism resulting in low income visitors Lack of focus on special interest tourism Underexploited foot path network Short tourism season The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. Airbnb) The challenge of low-cost airlines which can make the destination less attractive for larger tour operators Professor Cathy Parker is Chair of the Institute of Place Management, and Professor of Marketing and Retail Enterprise at Manchester Metropolitan University. Led by Professor Parker, delegates worked with members of the local business community to address the key issues from the above that could have the most impact on the island and over which the local business community could have the most control. 3

7 The 3 categories of issues facing tourism development and place management in Corfu were explored in the Open Business Forum and prioritised by the delegates. These factors were also mapped against both the 201 factors (Table 1) and 25 priority factors identified by IPM in the HSUK2020 project (Table 2) and led to the identification of 10 factors relevant to Corfu that were identified as having the most impact and where the local community could have the most control. These are deemed to be the priority factors that Corfu should consider to Get on with it in order to have the most impact on improving tourism development on the island in the short term. No DMO/no targeted branding Poor infrastructure for congress tourism Lack of qualified personnel in tourism Poor road network/boat network Garbage and recycling issues Too much bureaucracy stifling business development Lack of funding for improving and updating tourism businesses Place Branding, Place/Centre Marketing, Reputation, Tourism Vision and Strategy, Planning, Area Development Strategies, Functionality Service Quality, Familiarity, Atmosphere Accessibility, Transport & Transport Routes, Mobility Cleanliness, Amenities, General Facilities, Hygiene Factors Collaboration, Place/Centre Management, Partnerships, Stakeholder Power, Political Climate, Inertia Tourism, Funding & Finance, Prosperity of Town, Economy, Recession Poor information for tourists Need for better information via digital methods, apps, online and social media Corfu is not a Smart City that makes the best of technology to serve tourists Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents due to the rise in use of Social Media Poor signposting Service Quality, Visitor Satisfaction, Centre Image, Orientation/Flow, Availability of Information Internet/Online, Consumer Culture, Visitor Satisfaction, Catchment Psychographics, Seeking Information Internet/Online, Technology, Service Quality, Orientation/Flow, Crowds Tourism Flexibility, Consumer Trends, Innovation, Tourism Change, Use of Technology Signage, Functionality, Amenities, Orientation/Flow Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise Tourism Sea and sun, and all-inclusive tourism resulting in low income visitors Lack of focus on special interest tourism Place Management, Footfall, Walkability, Transport, Customer and Catchment Behaviour and Views, Flow/Routes/Access Catchment profile, Tourism and Retail Spend, Consumer Choice Leisure Offer, Visitor Attractions, Recreational Areas/Facilities/Activities, Flexibility, Availability of Alternative Formats 4

8 Underexploited foot path network Short tourism season The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) The challenge of low-cost airlines which can make the destination less attractive for larger tour operators Flexibility, Leisure Offer, Availability of Alternative Formats Local Economic Integration, Accessibility, Multi/Mono-Functional, Unfair Competition, Barriers to Entry Barriers to Entry, Place Attractiveness No DMO/no targeted branding Poor infrastructure for congress tourism Lack of qualified personnel in tourism Poor road network/boat network Garbage and recycling issues Too much bureaucracy stifling business development Lack of funding for improving and updating tourism businesses Vision and Strategy (4th), Place Marketing (17th) Anchors (9th), Diversity (11th) Experience (5th) Necessities (8th), Accessibility (16th) Appearance (2nd), Necessities (8th) Management (6th), Place Assurance (15th) Adaptability (24th), Development (25th) Poor information for tourists Need for better information via digital methods, apps, online and social media Corfu is not a Smart City that makes the best of technology to serve tourists Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents due to the rise in use of Social Media Poor signposting Experience (5th) Experience (5th), Diversity (11th), Adaptability (24th) Diversity (11th), Adaptability (24th) Experience (5th), Diversity (11th), Development (25th) Necessities (8th) Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise Tourism Sea and sun, and all-inclusive tourism resulting in low income visitors Lack of focus on special interest tourism Underexploited foot path network Short tourism season The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) The challenge of low-cost airlines which can make the destination less attractive for larger tour operators Experience (5th), Management (6th), Attractiveness (14th) Offer (3rd), Experience (5th) Offer (3rd), Experience (5th), Entertainment and Leisure (13th) Diversity (11th), Accessibility (16th) Activity Hours (1st), Vision and Strategy (4th), Management (6th) Management (6th), Barriers to Entry (20th), Liveability (23th) Barriers to Entry (20th) 5

9 These initial results indicate that overall, the issues facing tourism development and place management in Corfu map across to 18 of the 25 priority factors identified in the HSUK2020 project. The factors that occurred most frequently are identified in Table 3 and mapped against the categories of issues facing tourism development and place management in Corfu. 7 Infrastructure Experience 5 th Information and Technology Types and Number of Tourists 5 Infrastructure Diversity 11 th Information and Technology Types and Number of Tourists 4 Infrastructure Management 6 th Information and Technology 3 Infrastructure Necessities 8 th 3 Infrastructure Adaptability 24 th Information and Technology 2 Types and Number of Tourists Offer 3 rd 2 Infrastructure Vision & Strategy 4 th Types and Number of Tourists 2 Infrastructure Accessibility 16 th Types and Number of Tourists 2 Types and Number of Tourists Barriers to Entry 20 th 2 Infrastructure Development 25 th Information and Technology 1 Types and Number of Tourists Activity Hours 1 st 1 Infrastructure Appearance 2 nd 1 Infrastructure Anchors 9 th 1 Types and Number of Tourists Entertainment & 13 th Leisure 1 Types and Number of Tourists Attractiveness 14 th 1 Infrastructure Place Assurance 15 th 1 Infrastructure Place Marketing 17 th 1 Types and Number of Tourists Liveability 23 rd These results indicate that top two most frequently occurring issues that map across all three categories of the issues facing the island would be important to address, and these relate to the place experience and its diversity. Issues relating to the place s management are also important across two categories (Infrastructure, and Information and Technology). However, at the Open Business Forum is was also deemed important for the attendees to identify the factors that could have both the most impact on the island and where the local community could have the most control. These would be deemed to be the priority factors that Corfu should consider to Get on with it in order to have the most impact on improving tourism development on the island in the short term. In order to do this the Open Business Forum meeting split into 3 groups, each dealing with one of the categories, to create maps plotting these issues on a scale of 1-5 on impact (with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest) and 1-4 on control (with 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest) 6

10 control indicating which of these issues, if addressed, would have the most impact on the island, and also over which the local community would be deemed to have most control. The results from this exercise are presented in the following tables (Table 4, Table 5 and Table 6) and in graphical format (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3). No DMO/no targeted branding 4 4 Poor infrastructure for congress tourism 4 3 Lack of qualified personnel in tourism 4 3 Poor road network/boat network 5 1 Garbage and recycling issues 5 2 Too much bureaucracy stifling business development 4 1 Lack of funding for improving and updating tourism businesses impact 7

11 CONTROL Poor information for tourists 5 3 Need for better information via digital methods, apps, online and 5 3 social media Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents 5 4 due to the rise in use of Social Media Poor Signposting 5 2 Corfu is not a Smart City that makes the best of technology to serve tourists n/a n/a IMPACT 8

12 CONTROL Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise Tourism 3 4 Sea and sun, and all-inclusive tourism resulting in low income visitors Lack of focus on special interest tourism 5 4 Underexploited foot path network Short tourism season The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) 4 3 The challenge of low-cost airlines which can make the destination less attractive for larger tour operators IMPACT 9

13 In summary therefore, our research indicates that the issues relating to tourism development and place management in Corfu should be prioritised as follows: No DMO/no targeted branding 4 4 Poor infrastructure for congress tourism 4 3 Lack of qualified personnel in tourism 4 3 Information and Technology Poor information for tourists 5 3 Need for better information via digital methods, apps, online and 5 3 social media Changes to the role of travel agents and other information agents 5 4 due to the rise in use of Social Media Types and Number of Tourists Large volume of visitors to Corfu Town from Cruise Tourism 3 4 Lack of focus on special interest tourism 5 4 Short tourism season The challenges of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) 4 3 Corfu is not a Smart City that makes the best of technology to serve tourists Types and Number of Tourists The challenge of low-cost airlines which can make the destination less attractive for larger tour operators n/a 1 1 n/a Poor road network/boat network 5 1 Garbage and recycling issues 5 2 Too much bureaucracy stifling business development 4 1 Lack of funding for improving and updating tourism businesses 4 2 Information and Technology Poor Signposting 5 2 Types and Number of Tourists Sea and sun, and all-inclusive tourism resulting in low income visitors Underexploited foot path network

14 That a DMO be established to focus on the marketing and management of Corfu as a destination for a variety of tourism that is in keeping with the strategic priorities of the GNTO in attracting a range of tourists from different source markets, and in focusing on attracting a variety of tourism types for an extended season (this will also link to Recommendations 7 and 8). IPM is happy to work with the Municipality to help guide the establishment of a DMO. That a register of accommodation, places of interest, transport companies, restaurants etc be established and kept updated giving information made available in a range of languages to conference and meetings organisers on what Corfu can currently offer. Hoteliers must be made aware of the opportunities that congress tourism can bring to the island. The IPM with their organisation of the Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places has some data on this already and would be happy to share it with relevant organisations on the island. Congress tourism also has the potential to help extend the tourism season, and links to Recommendation 8. : It would be usual for a needs analysis to be undertaken prior to the establishment of any specific education and training programme for tourism personnel. This could be undertaken by the Presidents of each of the tourism related Business Unions through their membership. Then the unions could work with a professional training agency to establish a range of courses to fit the needs identified. IPM would also be able to help with higher levels of education and are happy to consider tailoring a range of bespoke courses for tourism professionals in Corfu from the range of modules available in the MSc in Place Management and Leadership that is accredited by Manchester Metropolitan University and which can be undertaken via distance learning. IPM also have specialists in the use of online and social media who could assist with the development of these skills (that also links to Recommendation 5). : The Open Business Forum took place in April Since then the issue of garbage and recycling has achieved even greater importance on Corfu in recent months. These issues have undoubtedly had a negative impact on tourism. While this issue originally fell into the Live with it category (high importance but over which the local community has little or no control), recent events have shown that villages such as Spartilas can take control over this issue for themselves. There have been many clean-up initiatives, and a range of recycling facilities have also been established over the island. IPM already has research into the effect of garbage on places and is happy to share this with relevant organisations. The Municipality should be proactive in working with local groups of volunteers and organisations who are trying to implement grassroots measures to make their places better. This, along with an education programme, will also then have a positive knock-on effect into the improvement of this issue as it affects tourism on the island. 11

15 IPM would be happy to assist with the development of information and technology especially as it relates to the development of online and social media for tourism, and in helping develop / accredit education and training programmes (see Recommendation 3). We already have a range of specialists who are working with other organisations globally on various online, social media and virtual and augmented reality developments. There is also a wealth of talent on the island with individuals who already have developed apps and who are engaging tourists with online and social media, and these individuals should also be contacted to provide their expertise in both training and in developing appropriate online platforms. While falling into the forget it category, that Corfu is currently not a Smart City that makes the best of technology to serve tourists, any improvements of the type recommended above will also improve the way technology can serve the island s tourists. Similarly, poor signposting, that fell into the live with it category could also be improved this way. The Municipality has the power to control the number of visitors to the island from cruise tourism, and to spread out the visits in order that the centre of town does not suffer from overtourism and overcrowding at various points throughout the season. IPM is happy to share our research and case studies from other places with the island. IPM and Green Corfu have already undertaken research on the type of special interest tourism that could benefit the island, and we are happy to share the results of this research with appropriate organisations who could help the development of niche tourism markets that build on the strengths the island already has and the infrastructure already available to serve such niche markets. The establishment of a DMO can also aid such a focus (see Recommendation 1). While falling into the not worth it category, the issues of the island having a currently underexploited foot path network could also be addressed through more of a focus on niche tourism if the Corfu Trail were better promoted and managed. Accommodation providers and local tavernas etc along the Trail could be included in any plans to develop special interest tourism that could link the Corfu Trail with other forms of niche tourism that could also help extend the tourism season (see Recommendation 8), 12

16 Tourism businesses on the island should be encouraged to be open for business as soon as the first direct international flights arrive to the island towards the end of March each year, and to stay open until the last direct international flights leave around early November. There are already good examples from resorts such as Arillas and Kassiopi who benefit from some of the longest seasons on the island. Events should be established in the shoulder months that can attract tourists, congress tourism should be targeted for these months (see Recommendation 2), and the season can also be extended by focusing on special interest tourism in the shoulder months (see Recommendation 7). Research should be undertaken to establish the real effect platforms such as AirBnB have had on tourism accommodation providers. It is evident that some proportion of private accommodation is now being diverted to that purpose, however it is also evident that many tourism accommodation providers also use AirBnB as simply another channel with which to communicate with their potential customers. Research should also be undertaken to establish the type of income private hosts are actually gaining from such endeavours, and to ensure that appropriate levels of taxes are paid on this income. 13

17 Our academic network, strengthened considerably through our organisation of the Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places, can help further understanding of many of the issues identified in this report. To this end we believe we can help with finding out answers to the following specific research questions that link to the priority issues facing Corfu s tourism development and place management and marketing: How best to establish a new DMO for a destination at the maturity stage of the tourism product life cycle? o Case studies from other places can be identified to research the main challenges and pitfalls, and to highlight best practice when establishing a new DMO. What infrastructure is required for 21 st Century congress tourism? o There is a wealth of expertise across our academic and practitioner membership, and also a wealth of academic research into these issues that IPM could bring together to make relevant and appropriate recommendations for the development of Corfu s congress tourism infrastructure. What skills are required by 21 st Century tourism professionals? o Our practitioner membership can also help inform any research into the skills required of tourism professionals, along with our understanding of the most up to date academic literature on the topic. What are the cultural interactions and social considerations of trash, waste and tourism? o IPM already has a great deal of existing research into these issues, and we have two academic members who are actively researching a deeper understanding into trash, waste and tourism who are keen to also apply their understanding to the specific issues facing Corfu in this respect. What is the role of digital and social media in place? o At the 5 th Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places, IPM launched a new special interest group to undertake research into Digital Placemaking, and this group is already actively researching these issues in general. There are a number of members who would also be keen to apply this understanding to the issues facing Corfu in developing a better online and social media presence and incorporating digital solutions to tourism issues. How does cruise tourism affect the Corfu Town visitor experience? o Cruise tourism has been researched by delegates to the Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places. IPM is also actively researching responses to overtourism through our Visiting Places Special Interest Group, and through our close association with the Responsible Tourism Partnership. How best to provide better diversity in Corfu s tourism product offering? o IPM s academic and practitioner members have already considered aspects of this issue that have been presented at the Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places and which could be investigated further to provide a range of specific solutions that would fit with the GNTO s tourism strategy. How best to extend the Corfu Tourism season? o As above, IPM already have some research on this that we could investigate further. What are the challenges and benefits of the sharing economy (e.g. AirBnB) to Corfu? o This is an issue currently receiving considerable academic and practitioner attention, and IPM can help scope out these challenges and benefits for Corfu. 14

18 This report will be circulated to delegates of the Corfu Symposium on Managing & Marketing Places and we will also ask other IPM members who may be interested in establishing a research agenda and joining various teams of researchers who might be interested in addressing each of the research questions identified above. IPM already has a wealth of practical experience and scientific research that can help make places better. Our academic and practitioner membership has already successfully published the following research on matters relating to Corfu and we believe that this provides evidence of our successful track-record in producing high quality impactful research and providing deeper understanding of some of these issues as can be seen in the following list of articles published in very good scientific journals: Skinner, H. (in press) Who really creates the place brand? Considering the role of user generated content in creating and communicating a place identity Communication & Society Skinner, H. and Soomers, P. (in press) Spiritual tourism on the island of Corfu: Positive impacts of niche tourism versus the challenges of contested space International Journal of Tourism Anthropology. Melewar, T.C. and Skinner, H. (in press) Territorial brand management: beer, authenticity, and sense of place, Journal of Business Research Melewar, T.C. and Skinner, H. (in press) Defining and delimiting the scope of the Corporate Identity construct, The Marketing Review, Vol. 18 No. 2 Skinner, H. (2017) Ήλιος, θάλασσα, άμμος και σεξ: προβλήματα με το ελληνικό μοντέλο μαζικού τουρισμού ( Sun, Sea, Sand and Sex: Problems with the mass tourism model ) Γεωγραφίες (Geographies), ΤΕΥΧΟΣ 30, ΧΕΙΜΩΝΑΣ 2017 (No. 30, Winter 2017), ΑΦΙΕΡΩΜΑ: ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑ, ΜΑΡΚΕΤΙΓΚ ΚΑΙ BRANDING ΤΟΠΩΝ (special issue on Identity, Marketing & Branding of places) Skinner, H. (2017) Editorial: Responsible tourism and place making, Journal of Place Management and Development, 10(2), pp Christou, A. (2017) Bottom-up placemaking in a time of crisis, by the people, for the people: Case study of Arillas, Corfu, Journal of Place Management and Development, 10(2), pp Williams-Burnett, N.J. and Fallon, J. (2017) What really happens in Kavos, Journal of Place Management and Development, 10(2), pp Williams-Burnett, N., Skinner, H. and Fallon, J. (2016) Reality Television Portrayals of Tourists Behaving Badly, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 35(3), pp