Is this the wrong time to talk about social tourism? Phil Evans Head of Strategy VisitEngland NET-STaR Seminar 4 22 nd June 2012
Making sense of the political and popular perspective VisitEngland- a national tourist board Is there a role for a state-funded arms length body to support social tourism? Following the recommendations from the Select Inquiry Establishing the economic case The way forward
VisitEngland- a new national tourist board
An industry review in 2008 proposed that England needed a dedicated tourist board of its own
VisitEngland is the national tourist board for England, responsible for marketing England to domestic and established overseas markets and for improving England's tourism product
It is an arm s length body funded through a Government grant
Its mission is to: Inspire visitors to choose England Facilitate the private sector to meet gaps in supply Support local areas to achieve greater coordination Be the official source of intelligence on tourism in England Champion the sector and quality within it at all levels
VisitEngland s strategic approach to developing tourism:
To maximise tourism s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England
Tourism Action Plans Business Tourism Action Plan Destinations Action Plan National Research and Intelligence Programme Seaside Resorts Action Plan Rural Tourism Action Plan Wise Growth Action Plan Modernising Visitor Information Action Plan Visitor Welcome Action Plan Accessibility Action Plan Tourism and Transport Quality Skills
Development of the Strategic Framework and Action Plan involved extensive consultation with the public and private sector tourism industry- successful delivery depends on the involvement of a range of partners
As well as identifying opportunities, the Strategic Framework and Action Plans are designed to face challenges - from factors outside the industry s control to those that can and need to be addressed - but it doesn t leave much room for non-core activities
Is there a role for a state-funded arms length body to support social tourism?
Tourism is the fifth largest industrial sector in the UK economy It is worth nearly 100 billion per annum The industry employs around 2.2 million people We are committed to growing the sector by 5% pa Over ten years this is equivalent to an extra 50bn This growth will sustain an extra 225,000 jobs
Although holiday trip volumes are below 2009 peak, they remain well above pre-recession levels for the third successive year Trips (m) Domestic Overnight Trips in England Rolling 12 Month Trend 2011 change 60 50 40 30 Holiday VFR +6% +10% 20 10 Business +15% 0 Source: GB Tourism Survey
The last decade saw huge outbound growth but this has now declined by around one fifth- England s balance of tourism spending deficit is being reduced- much of it on the back of domestic growth
The staycation has opened up the possibility of holidaying in England to whole new group of domestic residents, sometimes referred to as the lost generation
Can the growth of UK residents holidaying at home be supported by growing social tourism? Is it something we can lead on?
but, as a small governmentfunded body, can VisitEngland afford to focus on anything other than key markets?
It s the economy, stupid Unless social tourism can be supported with sound economic arguments, it is going to be ignored by politicians with budget responsibilities
It is not enough, just to show that social tourism extends seasonality or keeps resorts open throughout the wintersocial tourism projects must prove they reduce Government Departmental bottom-lines
that investment in such projects converts into ROI in terms of jobs created
The lost generation might not previously have considered going anywhere in England as a holiday- for them, it had to be somewhere overseas- perhaps widening the appeal of taking a holiday in England can be considered as a new form of social tourism
We might also be able to use the shift in behavioural patterns to support our rationale for marketing to niche sectors
The staycation created an 18% increase in holidays in England between 2008 and 2009. This trend has largely continued indicating a fundamental shift in behaviour and the longterm decline in domestic leisure holidays has been reversed
Following the recommendations of the APPG Inquiry
One of the key recommendations of the APPG Social Tourism Inquiry was to look for alternative terms to describe what is meant by the term
Traditional academic terms and charity approaches call into question a public funding role As practitioners we need to look at approaches that are achievable Extending the seniors market Focus on working families Greater emphasis on and proof of macro-economic benefits Role of Local Authorities and cost savings
The concept of achieving the greatest benefits for the widest audience should continue to be pursued
We don t want to marginalise either our stakeholder visitors or the destinations where they will be staying and language is an important element of this
Under the new localism agenda, some of the most important bodies delivering tourism will be Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and their role (and support) is critical
Establishing the economic case
Most resorts are aware of the economic value of visitors and carry out volume and value research to justify spending in this sector
but there is a lack of research based specifically on the economic impacts of extending the social tourism sector
The way forward
www.visitengland.org