Partner updates Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership 5 June 2013

Transcription

1 Partner updates Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership 5 June 2013 Forestry Commission Scotland Forestry Commission Scotland events listings for the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway attached. Hugh McKay - hugh.mckay@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

2 Campaign for Borders Rail February - June 2013 Since the last meeting, at Carfraemill, 27 February, we have mainly been Signing new members, including Lord Faulkner, the Railway Peer (see below). NB: Membership forms are available, just ask Simon... Raising issues with Network Rail (and escalating to Transport Scotland in due course as necessary), including the following: Width of road over rail bridges, where new or replacement structures restrict passage to a single track (precluding or making expensive and disruptive any future expansion to double track ) Footpath provision - notably (for Borders) the Black Path in Galashiels, and others in Midlothian Rolling stock for the new service Track configurations at Millerhill (to allow easier access for charter trains); at Portobello Junction to improve reliability; and especially the length of dynamic passing loops. Written a feature for publication in the August edition of Scottish Memories, about the history of the Waverley Route closure - noting the book by CBR member and transport consultant David Spaven Taken part in a community rail debate with Network Rail (broadcast on Galashiels TD1 and Newtongrange Black Diamond FM). Raising the issues of extension from Tweedbank to Hawick, and asking (again) for a station at Fountainhall - though the latter is very unlikely. Progressed our application to form a Community Rail Partnership - a funded body that works to promote the railway - and is recognised and supported by Transport Scotland and the UK-wide Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP). Presented the Borders Railway to the Railway Study Association May meeting in Glasgow Contributed to The Scotsman, Edinburgh Evening News, Herald, Southern Reporter, Border Telegraph, and a variety of trade and specialist publications coverage of construction progress. This included distributing a press release in conjunction with the official commencement of construction works on 19 April Contributed to a TV feature on the Waverley Route and the Borders Railway for BBC Scotland s rural affairs programme Landward. They dropped my interview, says Chairman Walton :+(. Noted the Scottish National Planning Framework Consultation (NPF3) which makes scant mention of the Borders railway, and intend to respond before the deadline (23 July). At the invitation of Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership we will have attended the event Maximising the opportunities for tourism - the Borders Railway at Tweed Horizons on Friday 31 May. Unfortunately it s not possible to travel to Newton St Boswells by rail yet. Refuted spurious comments from John Lamont MSP - including the damaging and totally wrong assertion that Borders trains will terminate at Newcraighall (they ll actually run direct to Edinburgh and beyond, likely to Fife, West Lothian, Stirling and Dunblane). Appointed a London Officer (Nick Bethune) who has been recruiting and lobbying on behalf of the Railway and the Borders. Major coup - Nick has met Lord Faulkner of Worcester at the House of Lords and signed him up as a member of CBR. He is the chair of the all-party parliamentary rail group at Westminster. Simon Walton - waltonsg@uwclub.net

3 Hotel Report: Wednesday 5 th June 2013 The UK and Europe continue to go through a prolonged period of structural adjustment and relatively low growth. Borders demand is primarily dependent on the domestic UK economy. Banks remain stubbornly reluctant to lend to hospitality businesses. Yet despite all the odds, the hospitality industry in the Borders displays a commendable resilience in the face of considerable adversities. 1. Year to date: a. Varied picture. Many operators experienced a slow start to the year with improving prospects in April. May proving good to very good. Weather has not helped. Leisure led business dominates. Some hotels have experienced good mid-week occupancy, suggesting that limited commercial business is starting to return. b. Most businesses operating at an annual occupancy of between 50 to 65%. There is an appetite for hotels to start to collaborate and share information. New GM s at Cardrona and Barony. c. Tweed Love Biking festival had a positive effect on occupancy in the Peebles/Innerleithen area at tail end of May. 2. Future trends: a. General picture is that June is picking up; July is last minute bookings but helped by Open at Muirfield; August groups for bigger establishments; Sept/Oct Fishing; Sept Golf, Tour of Britain and conferences/events. Nov shooting/fishing. Christmas & New Year plans underway. b. Forward thinking businesses always moving, trying new ideas, markets, differentiators etc. These businesses will thrive even in the face of adversity. Challenging times for smaller (many owner operated businesses) especially in rural Borders. c. Technology is changing the way we conduct business in this sector. Mobile strategy driving bookings. Trip advisor turning into a booking engine? d. Ongoing drive for improved environmental sustainability associated with controlling costs. 3. Issues: a. Increasing costs & reducing margins: i. Commission only advertising websites such as GroupOn ; ItisOn; 5Pm etc feeding the devil ; driving margins down ; squeezed at both ends ; driving occupancy mid-week. However - a useful channel for offloading inventory. ii. Minimum wage bi-annual increases; pending workplace pension payments for small/med businesses increasing red tape burden. iii. Higher energy costs up to 7% per anum & food costs increasing by 1% year on year (though with many variations in these costs) b. Lending: i. Bank lending limited movement BUT not nearly enough! Some operators now abandoned bank loans & looking to secure private funding to facilitate necessary improvements. c. Difficulty recruiting and motivating staff: i. Are apprenticeships working in the hospitality sector in the borders? d. Lack of engagement with the hospitality & wider industry: i. Cited by most hotels as being an issue. All contacted mentioned the necessity to collaborate on a wider basis. MailChimp will help this. I have spoken to a number of GM s in hotels and have discussed the possibility of a rotating the SBTP hotel representative at meetings. e. Planning of events: i. Better planning of event schedules to avoid excessive overlap would be productive in as far as it may spread the accommodation demand through to some quieter periods. Eg: last May bank holiday w/end: Tweed Love; Traquair Medevial Fair; Junior Golf Competition at Cardrona; Alex Lucas Football Competition. f. VAT and taxes remain prohibitive.

4 VisitScotland Latest campaign 'driving' golfers to the Borders Golfing in the Scottish Borders is being highlighted to over one million consumers through our latest regional golf campaign being delivered in partnership with Scottish Borders Council. In recent months, colour adverts promoting golf in the region have featured in Northern Golfer Magazine, Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle Journal and Sunday Sun Sports Section. The regions golf passport 'Freedom of the Fairways' was promoted in these adverts and through a number of VisitScotland consumer enewsletters sent to over 367,000 UK and Ireland recipients. The passport has also been promoted through social media activity, including facebook adverts and stories on the Scotland the Home of Golf facebook page. In addition, a promotional was sent to 120,000 recipients on the 'How Did I Do' database - part of Europe's largest golfing community. The offered readers the chance to win a golfing break to the Scottish Borders (one night B&B for two at the Tontine Hotel, Peebles and round of golf for two on Peebles Golf Course). Ongoing online activity with golf websites such as Golfalot, Golfshake and Golf Today is continuing to provide over 490,000 opportunities for people to view information on golfing in the Scottish Borders. As part of VisitScotland outreach activity at major golf events during 2013, the Scottish Borders golf product will be promoted on the Scotland The Home of Golf stand at the BMW Wentworth, Scottish Open, The Open, the Women s British Open and the Johnnie Walker Championship. Explore Scotland's Natural Trail in the Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is being highlighted to 4.6 million people in a new national campaign called Explore Scotland s Natural Trail, endorsed by Cameron McNeish, the renowned wilderness hiker, backpacker, mountain walker, author and broadcaster. The trail is a circuit that threads its way between key sites of natural interest and covers Scotland by trunk and country roads, linking rail, ports and VisitScotland Information Centres. Part of the Explore Scotland campaign, it includes a mix of activity including a new e-guide, radio, press, outdoor talks, partnerships with key national brands and a video with Cameron McNeish. The video shows Cameron at locations across the country on Scotland s Natural Trail and is being promoted through a new interactive downloadable guide (e-guide) with dedicated regional sections. Dawyck Botanic Gardens, Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Philiphaugh Salmon Viewing Centre, Berwickshire Coastal Path and the Eildon Hills are all included in the Scottish Borders section. The video is also being promoted through online and on-air activity with Real Radio, reaching 2.1 million people, directing listeners to a dedicated website with a video of Cameron and a competition to win a fiveday tour of Scotland, which includes a trip to Traquair House in the Scottish Borders. A 10-day editorial column in the Daily Mail (1.3 million readership) focuses on a number of Scotland s regions, including the Scottish Borders. Find out more at Scottish Borders businesses shortlisted for Thistle Awards A number of the region s tourism businesses will compete in a regional final of the Scottish Thistle Awards on the 6 June in The Hub, Edinburgh, giving Scottish Borders businesses an opportunity to secure a place in the national awards this November. The nominated businesses are; Kingsmuir House B&B in Peebles, Glenacre B&B in Jedburgh, The Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Course, The Tour of Britain, TweedLove Bike Festival, and Bowhill House & Country Estate, part of the Buccleuch Group. The Scottish Thistle Awards celebrate excellence across the industry with special emphasis on quality and enhancing the overall visitor experience. Find out more at

5 PR Power for the Scottish Borders During the period January 1 - March UK and 39 International items of coverage were generated by VisitScotland s consumer PR teams, spanning activity across VisitScotland s key brand and promotional themes, including the Year of Creative Scotland 2012 and the Year of Natural Scotland The potential reach of all coverage is approximately 214 million! Activity included: A Year of Natural launch release featured a host of Year of Natural Scotland suggestions, including the Tweedlove Bike Festival. The release was distributed to over 300 key North American contacts with a total potential reach of over 200 million. Coverage generated included full features on CNN, Good Moring America, NBC Nightly News and the Today Show. Travel writers Eric van Cleynenbreughel and Christine Ragonig travelled to the Scottish Borders as part of a VisitScotland planned trip in August They focused on the beautiful landscapes of the Scottish Borders and visited Traquair House near Innerleithen. They were particularly interested in the heritage and history of Scotland s oldest continually inhabited house and in the range of food and drink items produced on site. 11 items of coverage on the Snowdrop Festival featured gardens in the Scottish Borders. Cringletie House, Kailzie Gardens and Dawyck Botanic Gardens, Traquair House, Dryburgh Abbey and Mellerstain took part in the Snowdrop Festival this spring. Quality Assurance project benefits 42 Borders businesses Last year Scottish Borders Council, through the South of Scotland Competitiveness Project, joined forces with VisitScotland to increase the number of Scottish Borders businesses participating in relevant Quality Assurance schemes. As part of the project VisitScotland made a 10% reduction in fees and the South of Scotland Competitiveness Project paid 75% of the cost of an initial Quality Assurance advisory visit and 50% of the Quality Assurance participation fees in the first year. This means that businesses had the chance to participate in a relevant Quality Assurance scheme for less than half the normal price for the first year. An impressive 42 businesses in the Scottish Borders signed up for the scheme and are now participating in VisitScotland s internationally renowned Quality Assurance Scheme. International buyers 'expo'erience the Scottish Borders VisitScotland expo, Scotland s flagship business-to-business travel trade show, took place over April 2013 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow. Expo 2013 saw over 260 Scottish businesses descend on the SECC, Glasgow. Now in its 34th year, the event provides a fantastic opportunity for face-to-face meetings with those who organise group trips to Scotland. Tour operators and travel agents from over 30 different countries attended the event including representatives from the key international markets such as the USA and Germany. Exhibitors from the region included Traquair House, Bowhill & Country Estate, Roxburgh Hotel and Golf Course, Borders Journeys, Lochcarron of Scotland and Abbotsford the Home of Sir Walter Scott. In addition to the trade show, VisitScotland organised a series of 'familiarisation trips' for those visiting expo. These excursions took place throughout Scotland both before and after the event to allow tour operators to experience first-hand the kind of holidays they will be able to provide their customers. Around 20 buyers and travel agents from emerging markets such as Russia visited the Scottish Borders during expo week as part of a number of group and individual familiarisation trips. Expo 2014 will be held on 9-10 April 2014 at the SECC, Glasgow. The expo 2014 website is now live. Find out more at Sam McGregor - Samantha.mcgregor@visitscotland.com