State of Tourism Trade UK 2008

I was honoured to be awarded a Winston Churchill Traveling Fellowship in 2007, which not only funded my visit, but opened official tourism doors within NZ, which allowed me to compare the marketing of Brand New Zealand with Brand Old Britain. I visited NZ during Jan and Feb 08. Below is my short report - full report to follow very soon.

Brand New Zealand v Brand Old Britain

Tourism... arguably the world’s oldest and biggest industry is a global economic driver. After 6 weeks looking at New Zealand tourism industry in depth, I found a nation where almost everyone who earns the tourism dollar sings in tune from the same hymn sheet. Britain’s tourism industry would do well to learn a song or two from New Zealand.

New Zealand is marketed as ONE branded destination by innovative people at Tourism New Zealand. NZ adapted quickly to IT marketing promoting one superb website. The Qualmark Logo is everywhere. NZ i-Sites are branded, well located, expected to be profitable and employ well trained logo dressed staff. Branding a county works, 100% Pure New Zealand tourism’s industry is worth .5 billion a year, employing 1 in 10 people.

In comparison - Britain’s tourism industry has evolved in a historical way, as a result Britain's tourism industry is said by many tourism proffessionals and i agree, to be fragmented at local and national levels, tribal and failing to make a global sales impact.

The British holidaymaker has acquired an insatiable taste for overseas travel. Who is going to fill there vacated bed spaces? Genuine incoming visitor numbers are in decline , at a time of global tourism growth.
To attract new customers - The British Isles should be promoted as a multinational would sell a good product - as ONE branded destination in innovative ways online.

At the moment England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in competition with one another chasing a declining home market and the same global customers in a fragmented way, which must be detrimental for all.
Old Britain also needs a New Brand Logo, one suitable iconic historic image is Stonehenge, whose wonderful Wiltshire traffic polluted setting and outdated visitor facilities reflect the current state of Britain’s neglected tourism industry.

Tamara Cody-Boutcher (2007 Tourism )
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Award www.wnct.org.uk

Britain Accommodation Websites get a constant flow of tourism information from a multitude of accommodation providers, this allows us to keep a finger on southwest tourism trade pulse.

Tourism Season 2008 it's looking exceedingly tough, price sensitivity will be all important with hopefully the promise of good weather. Easter has been appalling with vacancies everywhere, possibly the worst trading bank holiday period ever. Maybe the sun will appear, oil will go down in price and the banks get a handle on their finances in the coming week. Then families will want a last minute break during the staggered 3 weeks of half term.
Info Posted 24th March

State of Tourism Season 2007. A quiet early and mid season due to poor weather, a busy high 6 week summer season, a quieter Autumn than in the past few years, although October half term was very busy. Hotels who have high overheads, seem to have had a tough trading year. B&B reports are mixed, some report the best season ever, others say they have had an awful year. Trade is dependant on price, quality, tourism grade, but most importantly on how well the individual has adjusted to the internet marketing revolution. Several holiday cottage owners and B&Bs report they have had a very good season, others have discounted to attract the last minute trade. The outdoor C&C sector which has seen growth over the last few years, must have felt a downturn due to the poor weather.

I have been aware the marketing of Exmoor National Park has been wasteful and fragmented for years. Exmoor has no strength of Brand and far too many websites selling Exmoor or their individual village in diffrent ways ( most publicly funded from diffrent pots) too many websites dilute the product... which is a word class destination. To rectify this problem cheaply and in the best intrests of this areas economy. We advise officaldom to gather them all together on one good looking portal and market that portal with in all possible ways. A portal could charge each marketing website a fee and be self financing. WSDC have decided to contine funding the production of a paper brochure for the promoton of the Exmoor region, they are living in the past.

We wrote in 2004 - The Uk tourism trade is experiencing a downturn in visitor spend and numbers, while at the same time accommodation providers have to contend with increasing overheads, these two factors seriously affect the bottom line profit. The reasons for the downturn within the UK tourism trade are many and varied. Without a doubt... the internet coupled with cheap low cost flights, has encouraged enormous expansion of last minute short breaks to Europe and huge growth in adventurous holidays to all corners of the globe. The tourism trade also is having to contend with a consumer spending cutback, unsettled weather, pension problems and record consumer debt.

We quote an economic fact. UK residents now spend £15bn more abroad each year than overseas tourists spend in Britain, further expansion of UK airports will lead to an annual deficit of £30bn by 2020" This situation is totally unsustainable.

Changing Tourism Trade: Two million UK residents have moved or bought a second home abroad, 50,000 have purchased a motorhome mostly to tour Europe, because we have ignored the need for stopovers and aires. Home owners use equity release to fund luxury overseas holidays and cruises. Asset rich many pensioners are, but suffering from juggling a low return of interest on savings against increasing household bills. Mature holidaymakers were the backbone of the southwest's early and late season trade, many are getting too old to travel, broke or backpacking to all corners of the globe. UK holidaymakers can journey to European destinations cheaper and faster than driving to the West Country.

Anybody who has been in the trade for 30 years and i have, has been aware that overseas visitors have been declining for years. The UK is an expensive destination, even free car parking abroad is the norm. In 2005 Visit Britain reported that England had a record amount of tourists from abroad. People in the trade outside London could only wonder? Did all these overseas visitors stay in London, were they visitors from Asia Pacific region staying with relatives, or were migrant workers included in the head count? Now in October 2007, Visit Britain report a 13% year-on-year drop in tourists to the UK. As we said 3 years ago - maybe migrants were included in previous years head count or somebody at HQ can't count.

The Tourism Trade problems. A government who is hell bent on heaping more legislation and bureaucracy upon everyone, while encouraging huge regional airport expansion in order to satisfy the short trips abroad demand. This unsustainable policy is damaging to the environment, conservation, local communities and the United Kingdom's tourist trades long term viability. The boom in air travel is already and will continue to have a bad effect on the southwest's economy.

We do not agree with English Heritage press report in October 2007, implying that all UK tourism coastal resorts are shabby. Many do need urgent improvement, a few are appaling. However lots of southwest resorts are attractive and clean, but in desperate need of top quality indoor leisure facilities to extend the shoulder seasons and counteract global warming bringing wetter summer weather.

Tourism's Increasing Legislation and Costs: Accommodation providers now have to comply with the disability discrimination act, the draconian licensing act, annual gas and electrical safety checks. Children are not allowed out of school during term time, increasing demand for peak season weeks, but putting slack into the mid season trade, when families took advantage of cheaper holidays. Increases in business rates, fuel, taxes, employment costs, rubbish removal, environmental charges, insurance, building costs in fact everything.

Yet many in the trade are unable to increase price away from peak weeks, due to too much capacity. Tourism businesses must upgrade constantly, in order to fulfil visitor expectations in order to stay in business, to pay the taxes that pay the public sectors wages. Why aren't Europeans flying here on low cost flights? Is England being actively marketed abroad? When did you last hear an MP of any party mention tourism, since the horrors of Foot and Mouth, tourism is the forgotten industry.

It's time to rethink the marketing of Brand Britain which is fragmented and wasteful at local and national levels, past its sell by date, not fit for purpose in the day of Internet Marketing... Britain's tourism product needs a ... Strength of Brand Britain. Britain must to be more pro-actively sold, especially overseas in the face of increasing online global competition. And to replace the declining stay at home market who now have aquired a taste for global travel. Other countries do not fragment themselves, but sell themselves as one country - our country is The British Isles... Brand Britain

Rebrand Britain using Britain's USBs - unique selling points. A thousand years of history and tradition a great landscape, an easy to get to crossroads for the worlds travellers. Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland together make up The British Isles .... Together sold in one branded way - they make for a world beating destination. By booking advance low cost flights, an any visitor can fly from Scotland, North Wales or Northern Ireland to the south of England in a hour or so for less than £30. Visitors coming from overseas tour all of Britain, why on earth are these individual British countries in competition with one another using tax payers money? It's a barking marketing policy.

Brand Britain also requires a new Logo which must be ancient, historic strong, inviting and reconised by everyone in a trice as representing - Destination Britain ... easy peasy.... Stonehenge.

UK Tourism Growth:
There is growth in, last minute short breaks, camping and caravanning, motorhome ownership, cruising holidays, second homes overseas, fluid price structures, discounting, independent visitors. Visitors require WiFi, hot tubs, internet access, real 4 poster beds, people search the internet using the word cheap, but are looking for good quality accommodation at a cheap price, a combination impossible to provide. The Internet has brought increased global competition with marketing challenges in uncharted waters.

Written by Tammy Cody-Boutcher ...a personal view. Tel 01643 841247

State of Britain's Tourism Trade 2008 - Britain Accommodation Websites