Visitor Economy Update Durham Tourism Management Plan (DTMaP) Michelle Gorman, Managing Director

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1 Visitor Economy Update Durham Tourism Management Plan (DTMaP) Michelle Gorman, Managing Director

2 Destination performance (STEAM Report 2016) Economic value Economic value 806m per annum up 2% on 2015 Food and drink and recreation main areas of expenditure Jobs 8,943 directly employed in tourism 2,215 indirectly employed in the visitor economy Vale of Durham main visitor product

3 Destination performance Our visitors 19.25m visitors per annum up 3% on the previous year 1.43m overnight visitors per annum, spend = 321m 17.81m day visitors per annum, spend = 485m 93% day visitors, 7% staying visitors Mainly from the North East on a repeat visit, first time visitors are more likely to be national or international Age profile is over 45, visiting in couples

4 Durham Tourism Management Plan Half way through the four year cycle of DTMaP Plan Refresh/reminder on the DTMaP s eight priorities Priority delivery summary What are we still lacking? Developments on the horizon?

5 8 Priorities 1. Lengthen the amount of time that visitors spend in the county 2. Improve the quality of the visitor experience post arrival 3. Differentiate Durham for external audiences 4. Attract new staying visitors to the county 5. Retain existing day visitors to the county 6. Address seasonality 7. Develop new product and support existing product strengths 8. Improve SME and micro business performance

6 The vision for Durham as a visitor destination Durham will offer a visitor experience that matches its outstanding natural landscapes and internationally famous built heritage. The visitor economy will support long term social, economic and environmental sustainability right across the county and be recognised by the county s residents as important to the quality of their lives.

7 Priority 1: Lengthen the amount of time visitors spend in the county Durham will do this by focusing on packaging product and taking a visitor-centric approach to the provision of visitor information. Packages will combine rural and heritage experiences and focus on themes that our visitor segments like.

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9 Priority 2: Improve the quality of the visitor experience post arrival Identified by stakeholders as one of the most important areas of work, this priority involves taking visitor needs into account when decisions are being made about provision of services that contribute a quality experience; including car parking, toilets, signage, footpaths and cycle paths, and transport. There will be an emphasis on maintaining the public realm to a high standard particularly in visitor hotspots, improving visitor welcome and providing excellent customer service.

10 Visit County Durham chair the council s Tourism Internal Working Group which covers planning, investment, transport, clean and green, heritage, environment and signage

11 Priority 3: Differentiate Durham for external audiences Differentiation will be achieved by utilising the destination and place brand, interpreting it into hooks and stories for external audiences that are important to growing the visitor economy including consumers, the travel trade and journalists.

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13 Priority 4: Attract new staying visitors to the county Digital platforms, including social media, will be the principle way that the destination will be promoted to national and international audiences. Promotion will make the most of events that have national pulling power. Campaigns will highlight the county s product strengths in heritage, arts and culture, and walking and cycling, and be aimed at visitor segments most likely to respond to this offer.

14 Hamsterley Music Festival Outdoor and Active campaigns and Dark Skies with Ben Fogle and Anita Rani Durham Events

15 Priority 5: Retain existing day visitors to the county Activity will focus on the provision of information on Durham s borders and in neighbouring destinations. It will build on the success of the county s Visitor Information Network taking information to visitors where they are most likely to need it and providing it in formats that they prefer to use. There will be a new focus on cross promotion within the county and with regional partners.

16 Durham Cathedral Augmented Reality Wharton Park Visitor Information Network Joint VCD/AONB app with routes in the North Pennines The emergence of hidden gem attractions New Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland New plans at Raby Castle 72 Durham Heritage Open Days events and growing Café society Café society North East Tourism Alliance Working together on regional issues and events

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18 Priority 6: Address seasonality Events and targeted promotion are the main ways that the county will address seasonality. Events that fall into the shoulder seasons will be prioritised for investment and marketing support ensuring that there are reasons to visit at quieter times of the year. Promotion will be targeted at visitor segments that are free to visit outside of the main season.

19 November Dark Skies Tourism Fire and Ice (February) Durham Vocal Festival January- February VCD and partners tactical Off-season campaigns Outdoor, Romantic, Spa Dark Skies September-April

20 Priority 7: Develop new product and support existing product strengths. The focus for product development will be in areas where the county is already strong: walking and cycling and heritage, as well as an emerging strength in arts and culture. Niche product within these themes will be developed to broaden and deepen the offer, e.g. railway heritage and nature tourism including geo-tourism and astro-tourism.

21 New themes emerging Seaham Marina and Water sports

22 Hotels consistently investing and improving their products; including Headlam Hall, Seaham Hall, Radisson Blu, Whitworth Hall, Manor House, Rockcliffe, and Honest Lawyer

23 Priority 8: Improve SME and micro business performance Improved digital connectivity is the main way that Durham will go about supporting tourism businesses to increase their profitability, particularly the SME majority and those in rural areas. Improving access to finance is a second strand of activity under this priority to help businesses upgrade and adapt their offer so that they better meet customers needs.

24 Visit County Durham are on the North East Growth Network Committee along with: This committee oversees the Growth and LEADER programmes VCD sit on the Local Action Steering Groups for both LEADER funding programmes

25 Visit County Durham themed conferences Visit County Durham Toolkits for Walkers, Cyclists and Dark Skies The Social Media training session held with New College Durham which covered the following areas: - Digital Marketing give your business the competitive edge - How to target and engage with potential, present and past customers - Maximise your digital presence through thisisdurham.com digital training support with the New College Durham students covering Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

26 Gaps in the offer A nationally recognised county show Nationally recognised headline attraction in Durham City Attract more nationally funded museums and galleries National Trust and English Heritage attractions More independent retailers More non drinking evening economy attractors Keep up skills development Better transport connectivity Bookability and ground handling for outdoor and active tourism More family-friendly attractions

27 On the horizon.coming soon 5m HLF project Seascape/Sunderland-Durham-Hartlepool Crimdon Coastal Interpretation Centre 3.4m Land of Oak and Iron Landscape Project Development of Horden rail station, new gateway to the Durham Heritage Coast Northumbrian Water looking to improve visitor facilities at their Durham reservoirs Brightwater new 3m Landscape Project in South East Durham North Pennines AONB International Dark Sky Reserve status? UNESCO Global Geopark developments From the Gruffalo to the BFG Hamsterley Forest

28 Auckland Project developments in Bishop Auckland Gin distillery expanding into Durham City 30m Riverwalk development in Durham City More camping pods, tree house developments and log cabin developments Raby Estates reviewing the visitor offer 28.5m Lambton Park hotel and park development 10m Thorpe Farm attraction development 2020 return of the Lindisfarne Gospels and Durham Year of Pilgrimage World Cup Cricket coming to Durham in 2019 Developing a new county archives and registry at Mount Oswald 2020

29 Visit County Durham projects Development of regional Northern Saints Trails and product North Pennines Stargazing Festival 2019 Growing the weddings market in the county Development of the golf offer in the county Making more of the conference and meetings market Discover England Fund 1.5m Manchester Airport Gateway to the North Discover England Fund 1.4m East of England touring route Discover England Fund 1.6m England s Historic Cities Durham City Riverbanks Itinerary development/packaging product with experiences

30 Summary Great progress, but other destinations investing as much if not more We re coming up on the rails, but we are still catching up to strong competition We need to keep focusing on the priorities and target specific gaps Consultation for the DTMaP starts in 2019