Destination Management Critical Issues Louise Stewart - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Louise Stewart Partnerships and Performance Director

Destination Management

Critical Issues

Destination Management Plans – Quick recap

• Vision for the area

all of the aspects that make up the destinations offer;

• needs of businesses, infrastructure development, public realm,

quality improvement, product gaps in the offer, market opportunities

• A shared statement of intent for a given period of time

about how the destination will be managed, developed and promoted

• Identifies the opportunities and threats
• Identifies the roles of the different local stakeholders and

what they will do to deliver the aims and actions in the plan

The role of the Destination Management Organisation

• An organisation or group of organisations that are focused
• n the growth of the local visitor economy
• Not one organisation can complete all the functions in one

place (or places)

• Destination management organisations are about

partnerships (public/ private and 3rd sector)

• The “glue” that brings it all together

The Destination Management Plan

• Most destinations in England have developed a plan
• Good destination plans are far more than plans to promote

the destination – balanced and holistic plans

• Signage, information, training, public toilets
• Those that have are able to demonstrate to wider

stakeholders such as Local Enterprise Partnerships, wider business community, local community and Local Authorities their aims objectives and plans

• Cumbria Tourism have developed a plan with their partners

Current pressures

• Poor summer weather
• Global and National Economic situation - VAT at 20%
• Access to finance for businesses still difficult
• Difficult trading environment - Fuel costs rising & budget

conscious customers

• Squeezing the private sector
• Local Authority – severe budget cuts

Increased charges for parking, boat moorings Limited funds for events and festivals

• Public sector cuts means grant support will be reduced
• Focus on short term growth and jobs
• Increased pressure to market and promote and less on

management

What is the prognosis?

• Maintenance of tourism infrastructure will be reduced

further

• Competitiveness?
• Quality of product?
• Visitor Experience?
• Repeat visitors?
• Destination reputation?
• Visitor numbers?
• Heads in beds and bums on seats?
• Business and community prosperity?

• How long will it be before you can see the impact?
• What will be the tell tale signs?
• Can you prevent this from happening and how?
• Or will you be able to respond quick enough to take

remedial action when it happens?

Solutions?

National

• Sharing information between destinations
• Looking at other funding mechanisms – T/BIDs
• New financial instruments – Enterprise Zones
• Other funding streams
• Looking at lessons from other areas/sectors/overseas
• Not easy solutions, will take time to develop and deliver

and won’t suit everywhere

Local

• Cumbria Tourism
• The Partnership
• Advocacy & evidence to keep supporting tourism

infrastructure

• Makes the destination management plan even more

important

• Perhaps revise to take account of these issues
• Have a plan in place to take remedial action

• What can the Tourism Partnership do?
• Collectively
• Individually