Devon Tourism Strategy 2013-2016 1.0 Introduction This strategy, produced by the Devon Tourism Partnership (), aims to provide an overarching guiding framework for the development of the tourism sector in Devon. It will demonstrate to partners, stakeholders and tourism businesses the priorities for tourism in Devon, and the key actions that the will be undertaking. It will also support other tourism partners and stakeholders to develop their own complementary strategies and plans to support the development of tourism. The overarching aim of this strategy is to ensure that Devon can achieve its potential to be a first class visitor destination. 1.1 The Devon Tourism Partnership The Devon Tourism Partnership () was formed in early 2012, to primarily protect and promote the Visit Devon brand, following the closure of Destination Devon Ltd due to local authority funding cuts. The members of the partnership are: The Six Devon Area Tourism Partnerships Destination Plymouth, Visit South Devon, English Riviera Tourism Company, Heart of Devon Tourism Partnership, The Dartmoor Partnership and North Devon Plus. Devon County Council The Devon Association of Tourist Attractions All 8 partners contribute financially to the partnership budget, and jointly agree the activity that will be funded. The Terms of Reference for the can be found in appendix 1. 2.0 Background 2.1 Current position Through monitoring the visitor statistics for Devon over time, trends can be identified and the strengths and weaknesses of the performance of Devon as a visitor destination can be addressed. The table below shows the key trends from 2008-2012 for staying visitors both domestic and overseas. Year Trips Year on year change Nights Year on year change Spend Year on year change 2008 5,255,000 22,878,000 1,118,196,000 2009 5,738,000 9% 24,722,000 8% 1,217,855,000 9% 2010 5,491,000-4% 24,813,000 0% 1,166,192,000-4% 2011 5,635,000 3% 24,571,000-1% 1,184,495,000 2% 2012 5,648,000 0.5% 23,801,000-3% 1,358,105,000 15% A full summary of the key trends for 2008-2011 and a narrative is contained in appendix 2. 2.2 Recent trends Over the past five years there have been a number of factors that have influenced the performance of Devon as a visitor destination. Some of these have included:
The Recession The data clearly shows that once the recession kicked in (2009), there was a noticeable increase in the number of domestic visitors to Devon. This was not unique to Devon as a destination, but a nation-wide trend more commonly known now as the Staycation. This is a trend that has stayed with us, with 2012 levels similar to those of 2009, which could be due to people starting to discover what they had on their doorstep and then being converted to a UK holiday in future years. It is also noted that in 2012 events such as the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics had a significant impact on encouraging domestic tourism. Consistently rising fuel prices as a destination that attracts predominantly domestic visitors, this has an impact not only on where our visitors will travel from, but on how much travel they will do once they arrive in Devon. Exchange rate rises it has been less advantageous for UK residents to travel abroad for their holidays as they have not been getting as much foreign currency for their pound as previously, making a domestic holiday a more attractive proposition. 2.3 The Future Whilst the current recession has certainly been stubborn in its persistence to hang around, there can be optimism in this for tourism sector within Devon as some of the previous trends towards the Stay-cation may remain with us. According to VisitBritain; The factors that influence the performance of the inbound visitor economy are many and varied and are always subject to a degree of uncertainty. With the Eurozone debt crisis unresolved and continuing upheaval in parts of the Middle East predicting the future has never been more challenging. If the Eurozone remains weak, there will continue to be an attraction in Europeans visiting the UK whilst the exchange rate is favourable. There are also national policy changes taking place that have the potential to benefit the Devon tourism economy in the long term, such as; making the visa application process simpler for Chinese visitors (announced by the Chancellor October 2013). Undoubtedly however, Devon will need to work harder to position and promote itself as a destination of choice to potential visitors, through the and a concerted joint effort of all partners and businesses involved in tourism. 2.4 National Strategy VisitEngland s Strategic Framework for Tourism in England 2010-2020 and its associated Action Plans is the product of extensive consultation and collaboration with England's tourism industry. It sets out the ways in which the industry can work together to achieve a 5% growth in value, year-onyear, over the next decade. This will lead to an additional 50bn in expenditure and the creation of 225,000 jobs. The full VisitEngland Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010-2020 can be found here: http://www.visitengland.org/strategicframework/ VisitEngland have also been successful in securing funding through the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), to support the promotion and development of domestic tourism. This has included a number of high profile marketing communications campaigns. The VisitBritain Strategy and Business Plan highlight the aspirations for attracting overseas visitors to Britain. http://www.visitbritain.org/aboutus/corporatepublications/ 3.0 Devon Tourism Strategic Priorities The Devon Tourism Strategy is intended to guide the aspirations for the development of the tourism sector within Devon. A number of key objectives have been identified as follows: 3.1 Increasing the volume of visitors to Devon
The number of domestic visitors to Devon is holding up well and almost at the same level of the Staycation year of 2009, this gives a good platform to move forward from, encouraging those visitors to come again, and to act as ambassadors and tell others about what Devon has to offer. It should be noted that the primary focus for the is to promote Devon to domestic visitors. To increase the volume of visitors to Devon the following actions should be taken: Ensure the product offering meets the needs of target markets, and that there is sufficient stock of appropriate accommodation available. (This has links to planning functions and ensuring that the right type of developments and conversions are undertaken) Maximising the occupancy rates within our accommodation stock Marketing the offer to the right audiences who have the propensity to visit. o Promoting the Visit Devon brand o Follow the attract and disperse model using the strengths and key attractors of Devon to support the whole destination o Supporting and extending the core partner marketing activities with a set of guiding principles i. Reciprocal promotion ii. Cross promotion through key channels - TICs, print, web iii. Joint promotion (for efficiency and cost savings) iv. Event co-ordination v. Extending the season vi. Local information points The Target for this Strategic Objective is: Increase the volume of domestic visitors (trips, nights and day visitors) to Devon by 2% by 2016. 3.2 Increasing the Value of Tourism to the Devon Economy 2012 figures show a 15% increase on 2011 in the combined spend of both domestic and overseas visitors within the Devon tourism economy, compared to 2% increase previous year. This increase demonstrates the importance of the sector to the Devon economy and its ability to be resilient in tough economic times. The challenge now, is to develop the value offering of the product to ensure that this contribution continues to increase. There are a number of ways to achieve this: Extend dwell time move visitors from short breaks (2-3 nights) to longer breaks (3+ nights). There are opportunities for businesses to target these groups specifically, and for the Devon Visitor Survey to do the same and target these groups with specific messages about what more Devon has to offer if they increased their stay. Increase opportunities to spend through the quality and variety of the product on offer across the sector, including accommodation, food and drink, attractions, culture etc. Ensure quality of visitor experience to include the customer service reputation of Devon. The Target for this Strategic Objective is: Increase the value of domestic tourism to the Devon Economy by 2% by 2016. 3.3 Destination Management The Devon Tourism Partnership has been set up to protect and promote the Devon brand and those activities are evident in the approaches needed to address objectives 1 and 2. There are also a number of other elements that need to be considered in relation to Destination Management and how the develops its role in relation to those, and works with partners to achieve them.
3.3.1 A Delivery Mechanism the brings together key partners to ensure that there is an identified delivery mechanism in relation to destination management for Devon. The ATPs can develop their role as the business interface, and continue to develop their brands and marketing whilst working together to ensure that the Devon brand is also promoted, adding value to their own offers and providing complementarity. 3.3.2 A Business Route to Market the ATPs are able to offer businesses the support to take their product to market with a single coherent offer that is through their own local branding and marketing, and incorporates the Devon offer. This gives businesses the confidence that they have an organisation that they can work with that can support them and provide exposure for their businesses. 3.3.3 Quality to have a destination that is first class, then the products within that destination must also be first class. Everyone with a role in tourism in Devon has a responsibility to ensure that the product on offer is of the highest quality, whether that is the service, the food or the bed linen. To support businesses to achieve this, the will deliver and promote a Devon Tourism Awards scheme to promote our quality products, and a Visit Devon entry level quality assessment scheme will be made available to businesses. 3.3.4 Public Realm the will provide a joined up, coherent voice to represent the tourism sector on issues relating to the public realm, this includes things such as; Beach and general cleanliness, safety, public conveniences, brown signs, transport, etc. 3.3.5 Partnership and Strategic Working - Through the, the Devon tourism industry is able to access a wide range of strategic and delivery partnerships, these include: Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership includes partners playing an active role in the Devon and Somerset Tourism Forum, National Tourism Bodies VisitEngland and VisitBritain, Other South West DMOs, Private sector trade associations, Business Improvement Districts, Organisations with an interest in tourism, including; National Trust, English Heritage, National Parks, SW Coast Path, Destination South West, Arts Council and organisations that are supported by them providing our cultural offer. Transport providers (First Great Western, Brittany Ferries, FlyBe etc.), Through working in partnership the should be able to maximise funding opportunities for Devon, gain access to projects and support the tourism sector in a variety of ways. The Target for this Strategic Objective is: Demonstrate an efficient and effective through the delivery of the KPIs below.
Devon Tourism Strategy Action Plan The measurement of the actions is contained with the KPI section of this action plan. Objective 1 - Increasing the Volume of Visitors to Devon Strategic Aim Action Reason Lead Partners Ensure the Product Offering meets the needs of target markets To compare visitor needs / wants with product offering and identify the gaps Undertake Research with our target markets to understand their product requirements for a holiday in Devon, through a visitor and non-visitor survey To identify marketing strategies, based on; themes, visitor location etc. Tourism businesses Research Partner Maximising Occupancy within available accommodation stock and work to reduce seasonality Promote and Protect the Visit Devon brand and promote all that the Visit Devon brand offers Use research findings to influence tourism businesses and partners to consider appropriate developments. Offer guidance and leadership to the planning system to ensure appropriate developments Support tourism businesses to identify where they have spare capacity and put in place strategies to fill that Deliver appropriate and timely marketing campaigns to attract visitors to Devon Deliver a PR campaign to ensure that the Visit Devon brand is kept prominent within target markets To ensure development is appropriate Tourism Businesses Stakeholders Planning Departments To increase the volume of visitors to Devon, and to maximise the bed spaces that we have available, supporting our businesses to survive and flourish. To maximise the economic value of tourism to Devon as a whole and direct and indirect visitor spend. To continue to raise awareness of Devon, and to ensure that the destination gains exposure to compete with rival destinations Businesses Onshore Media (PR Agency) /, ATPs Marketing Agency ATPs Businesses ATPs Businesses TICs
Objective 2 Increasing the Value of Tourism to the Devon Economy Strategic Aim Action Reason Lead Partners Extend the season and reduce the reliance on the main summer season Increase shoulder season Visit Devon promotional activity to encourage visits to Devon year round To maximise year round visitor spend to benefit the Devon economy ATPs Tourism Businesses Increase the Opportunities for Visitors to Spend Ensure Devon offers a Quality Visitor Experience Encourage businesses to develop new market led products and to continually improve the quality of their product Improve online communications to visitors and potential visitors to highlight all that Devon has to offer Support Exceptional Customer Service delivery across the sector. Signpost to relevant training courses especially Welcome to Devon Higher quality = higher value Businesses ATPs To maximise the increasing use of mobile devices to research, plan and book holidays To ensure that tourism businesses meet modern customer expectation ATP s Businesses ATPs Training providers
Objective 3 Destination Management An efficient and effective Devon Tourism Partnership Key Performance Indicators KPI Area Indicator 2011/12 Baseline 2016 Target (2% increase) Annual update 2012 Volume and Value of Tourism Value of Domestic Tourism to the Devon Economy Staying 1,000,999,000 Day Trips 975,084,000 Combined 1,976,083,000 Staying 1,021,018,980 Day Trips 994,585,680 Combined 2,015,604,660 Staying 1,157,002,000 Day Trips 1,037,037,000 Combined 2,194,039,000 Volume of Domestic Tourism in Devon (staying trips and nights and day visits) Staying Trips 5,210,000 Staying Nights 20,850,000 Day Visits 28,372,000 Staying Trips 5,314,200 Staying Nights 21,267,000 Day Visits 28,939,440 Staying Trips 5,260,000 Staying Nights 20,250,000 Day Visits 30,806,000 Protect employment in the Devon Tourism Sector (FTEs) and provide more year round jobs Total FTE 46,452 Direct FTE 30,960 Total FTE 47,381 Direct FTE 31,573 Total FTE 54,410 Direct FTE 34,493 Monitor dwell time Domestic trips 4 nights Overseas Trips 8.8 nights Domestic trips 4.1nights Overseas Trips 9 nights Domestic trips 3.9 nights Overseas Trips 9.2 nights Marketing and Promotion Media Coverage Secured through increased PR activity 1.5m Twitter Followers Facebook Likes 8,187 (June 2013) 625 (June 2013) 13,700 (May 2014) 8,394 (May 2014) Website performance 510,000 visits 527,391 (April 2014) Unique visitors 410,000 unique visits Dwell time 2.24 Dwell time 2.2 (April 2014) Referrals to ATP sites* see
table Consumer contact details signed up to newsletter Launch Annual Visit Devon Marketing Campaign Increase the amount of day visitors within Devon Increased by 6000 18,000 Active Devon launched for 2013 Produce annual Devon Events Guide 120,000 printed and distributed throughout Devon, Cornwall, Somerset & Dorset Results TBC Quality Visit Devon Tourism Awards Number of entries Number of SW winners Number of National Winners Number of entries :79 Number of SW winners: 20 Number of National Winners : 6 Number of entries :81 Number of SW winners: 20 Number of National Winners : 6 Accommodation Grading Visit Devon quality scheme to be introduced Introduced in September 2013, now 895 graded businesses in Devon 913 graded businesses Partnership Customer Service Training No of people attended Welcome to Devon (or local version) Rating within Visitor Survey Contributions from partners 124 attended welcome to Devon courses since March 2011 Representation at national events (VE DMF) 2 DMF events per year attended by Carolyn or
Laura Monitoring of Strategy and KPIs Engagement with HOTSW LEP and contribute towards EU funding prospectus Maintain awareness of relevant funding streams and opportunities for the partnership and tourism businesses Quarterly Web referrals to ATP sites; ATP / 1/4/2012 31/3/2013 (to be updated) Unique Visitors Referrals from Visit Devon Bounce Rate DARTMOOR ENGLISH RIVIERA 557,161 15,433 45.0 NORTH DEVON 94,962 9,257 46.8 HEART OF DEVON 140,180 13,586 59.8 PLYMOUTH 281,120 4,814 50.9 SOUTH DEVON 283,359 22,349 51.0