Cultural Tourism
Roger Johnson/Adrian Bevan Cultural Tourism
• VisitBritain and Tourism
• Cultural tourism. Story so far…..
• 2008 – Highlighting Cultural Tourism
• Cultural Tourism: The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and beyond Contribution from the Visitor Economy
record 30 million visitors spending Inbound £14.3 billion in 2005
139 million overnight UK trips by Domestic UK residents spending £22.7 billion
Tourism is the UK’s 5th largest industry, employing over 2.1 million people
Overall the UK visitor economy is worth over £74 billion VisitBritainVisitBritain’’ss StrategicStrategic FocusFocus VisitBritain is funded by DCMS with a grant-in-aid of £49.9 million. This is supplemented by £24 million of self-generated income
VisionVision MissionMission Leading the Marketing Britain to World to Britain the rest of the world Marketing England to Enjoy England Marketing England to Enjoy England the British VisitBritainVisitBritain’’ss OverseasOverseas PresencePresence VisitBritain currently operates in 36 markets from 23 offices
AMERICAS NORTHERN SOUTHERN ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE EUROPE, MEA
Head Office: Head Office: Head Office: Head Office: NEW YORK BERLIN PARIS HONG KONG
ARGENTINA AUSTRIA FRANCE AUSTRALIA BRAZIL BELGIUM/ GREECE CHINA CANADA LUXEMBOURG IRELAND INDIA MEXICO CZECH REPUBLIC ITALY HONG KONG USA DENMARK PORTUGAL JAPAN FINLAND SOUTH AFRICA MALAYSIA GERMANY SPAIN NEW ZEALAND HUNGARY UAE SOUTH KOREA NETHERLANDS SINGAPORE NORWAY THAILAND POLAND RUSSIA SWEDEN SWITZERLAND Developing Markets
In 2005 there were 24.8 million
Developing visits from traditional markets markets (82.7% of all visits) and only 5.2 million visits (17.3%) from the rest of the world
Traditional markets But between 2000 and 2005 the (Western Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, number of visits from traditional New Zealand) Markets only increased by 15%, whereas the number of visits from other areas increased by 45%
To further develop this opportunity VisitBritain has established a presence in 10 growth markets: Poland, Russia, India, China, South Korea, Czech Rep, Hungary, Greece, Malaysia & Thailand Customer Reach
• 18 million visits expected over the next year to visitbritain.com websites • Customer database of over 7 million • Enquiry-to-database conversion rate of 21% • 9.4 million overseas enquiries over the last year • E-newsletter open rate of 24% & further click- through rate of 25%
By 2009 … • Increase the number of websites visits to 25 million per annum • Grow overseas customer database to over 10 million records The Attractiveness of the British Visitor Economy
Respondents rated Britain for each activity on a scale of 1-7, where 1 was “poor” and 7 was “excellent”
Sightseeing Monuments
Going to the beach 6.0 Museums Visiting spas 5.5 Guided Tour 5.0 Theme Parks 4.5 Art Galleries 4.0 3.5 Researching ancestry Explore several locations 3.0
Zoos/Aquariums Walking in Countryside
Cycling Churches/Cathedrals
Going to Nightclubs Going to a pub Watching Musicals Source: Anholt-GMI Playing Golf Nation Brands Index Enjoy England Marketing Programme
In the last three years England Marketing has … • Generated £200m in incremental visitor spend • Influenced an extra 500,000 people to take holidays or short breaks in England • Arts and Culture focus – City Culture Campaign TheThe OnlineOnline ShopShop Cultural Tourism: the story so far
• Past initiatives have included Festival of Arts and Culture (1995); British Arts Cities; Style and Design & on-going promotion of the Great British Heritage Pass • Overseas marketing programmes and campaigns: So British, Cities, Touring • Extensive coverage delivered via on-going Press and PR activities; print and on-line marketing • Enjoy England are in second year of a City Culture campaign • Film Tourism: National Gallery in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ , ‘Golden Age’ in 2007 about Elizabeth I Cultural Tourism: the story so far • VB Culture and Heritage Sector Club • www.visitbritain.com/sectorclubs • A partnership with leading museums and galleries, British Council, heritage products (National Trust, English Heritage, HRP, Arts Marketing Association, Arts Council)
• Information-sharing workshops, developing joint research
• 24 Hour Museum – to deliver more on-line information about Britain’s vast cultural product
• BBC engagement – ‘Picture of Britain’, ‘How Britain was Built’
• Liverpool 08 Cultural Tourism in 2008 • VB commissioned a scoping exercise in March 06 Key findings: - overwhelmingly positive response - 2008 plans not ready yet so a chance to influence the product to be promoted - 2008 more exciting, broader ranging and immediate than 2012 - strong expectation that VB will take a lead Cultural Tourism in 2008 • Liverpool: European Capital of Culture • The Beijing Games will take place in 2008, handing over to London at the closing ceremony in September when Britain will launch its cultural festival leading up to the 2012 Games • Unlikely that these events will happen again for several decades • 2008 is therefore an ideal opportunity to showcase Britain’s cultural offering Cultural Tourism in 2008
Key recommendations:
Direct recommendations and pre-selections.
Strong calls to action and more immediacy than “ a year of” might offer.
Break the year into distinct seasons to maintain interest and momentum
Three themes are already apparent in 2008: youth, diversity and world culture; and Britishness. Cultural Tourism in 2008 Key findings: An opportunity for visitors to get “under the skin on Britain”
Dividing the year into seasons will make the promotion more manageable and easier to market
Campaign executed through a series of highlights, themes and different focuses
Alongside Liverpool 08 there would be key partnerships with other culture and arts organisations Taking the Relationship Forward:
• Better collaboration on events: Providing media stories & material on launches early enough for domestic and overseas promotion and to appear on VisitBritain.com International Exhibitions: opportunity to tie in promotion with relevant VisitBritain overseas office • Develop links between travel trade and culture sector. British Travel Trade Fair, O/S Events • Opportunities to work with VisitBritain online through Online Shop: e.g. selling tickets for special events Taking the relationship forward
• Understand your markets. Work with VisitBritain www.visitbritain.org/ukindustry • Ready made images. Make it easy for overseas journalists, travel trade, tour operators, tourist boards. Britain on View • Local Distinctiveness. Visitors are interested in the relationship between people and place • Short Breaks Market – domestic and overseas 2012 Key dates
• Olympic Games: Friday 27 July – Sunday 12 August • Paralympic Games: Wednesday 29 August–Sunday 9 September “The world’s biggest peace- time logistical operation”
• 220 nations • 10,250 athletes (+ 4,000 in Paralympics) • 6,000 coaches and officials (+ 2,300 in Paralympics) • 5,000 Olympic Family • 20,000 press / media • 7,000 Official sponsor representatives • 9.6 million tickets (4.3 million @ <£20) London 2012 – the scale of opportunity
• Barcelona 1992 – doubled the number of international visitors during the following decade & became 6th most attractive European city to locate in and do business • Sydney 2000 – prompted 700% increase in web traffic to the Australian Tourist Commission and generated over £1.5 billion for Australia’s visitor economy • Athens 2004 – TV audience of 3.9 billion on 300 channels in 220 countries with 35,000 hours of coverage, plus an estimated 21,500 media attending the Games, many of them unaccredited London 2012 – the scale of opportunity • Between 50 – 70% of the net economic benefit of staging the Games measured over a 7-10 year period will accrue through tourism
• Early estimates suggest the Games might generate around £2 billion for Britain’s visitor economy
• Almost two-thirds of this growth will occur in the four years after the Games London 2012 – the scale of opportunity
Two types of Olympic tourism:
– Olympic-related tourism - athletes, officials, sponsors, spectators & media in the run up to and during the actual Games
– Olympic-motivated tourism - additional tourist visits to and business events in Britain as a result of heightened interest in the destination Tourism 2012 objectives
• To grow London & UK’s visitor economies faster than would otherwise be possible • To reap the economic benefits throughout the UK • To maximise the long term legacy • To set new standards for how tourism can be integrated into major international events • To become the case study of the future Tourism 2012 opportunities: Image
• Align as closely as possible with the Olympic brand values to reinvigorate Britain’s image & appeal to tomorrow’s travellers • Bolster the contemporary aspects of the Britain brand by injecting more passion and vibrancy • Reduce our dependency on Western Europe & mature markets by appealing to new markets Tourism 2012 opportunities: Media • Build on/influence the immense media coverage of the Olympic & Paralympic Games & associated events/festivals • Equal attention given to both accredited and unaccredited media • Create a 60-day global documentary on Britain – plus before with the Torch Relay and after… • Exploit the huge potential created by 2012 as the world’s first truly digital Games Tourism 2012 opportunities: Events
• Lever our 2012 Bid win to attract more sporting & international events, conferences & conventions • Focus on industry sectors with a natural allegiance to the Olympic Games, including sports • Package existing events together to create themes/campaigns/major events that are greater than the sum of the parts • Work with partners throughout Britain to drive international & domestic tourism Tourism 2012 opportunities: Standards
• Use Olympic & Paralympic Games as catalyst for addressing the variable quality of UK tourism product • Get majority of guest accommodation quality assured & engage attractions behind single agenda • Make our accommodation & attractions as strong a driver as our culture, heritage & sport • Lever the 2012 Paralympic Games to address gaps in the National Accessibility Scheme Tourism 2012 opportunities: Profile
Use the Olympic & Paralympic Games to place tourism firmly on the national agenda by: – Attracting new commercial and non- commercial partners for the sector – Securing long-term investment and support for tourism – Strengthening awareness of the key tourism bodies – Promoting tourism as a sustainable legacy for the Games Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors Learning – Learn as much as we can from previous Games, their organisers and their respective tourist bodies – Identify exactly how tourism can support the IOC’s objectives, e.g. youth, uniting sport & culture, celebrating humanity & understanding – Work in collaboration with IOC & LOCOG’s partners to add even more value to packages Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors Timing – Start as early as possible – Concentrate on understanding the Olympic brand and building relationships within the Olympic family before launching activities – Set milestones and targets early but recognise that strategies – and key players – will change over six years – Beware Olympic cycle through euphoria to disenchantment Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors Beijing Handover: • Britain needs a major presence (at Atlanta ’96 there were c.500 Australians watching, learning & building relationships) • The handover is all about the destination, making it a major tourism opportunity • Our marketing programmes must kick-in as soon as torch is handed over and culture Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors
Post-Games
• Long-term vision is critical: the circus moves on very quickly • Post-Games strategy ready by 2010 • Major Events already booked for 2013, 2014 … Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors Managing Expectations
• The Games are a long-term investment and not a short-term money spinner • Not every nation will want or can afford a prep/training camp, and most teams are very small • The competitions are predominantly taking place in London Tourism 2012 - Critical Success Factors Partnerships • Presenting a co-ordinated front to the Olympics family is critical • Building relationships with whole new world of contacts • VisitBritain & Visit London must aim to work together with the support of Visit Scotland, Visit Wales & the RDAs • Importance of the Nations & Regions Group as a crucial consultation vehicle Sports & VisitBritain
VisitBritain’s future sports-related projects include: • Scoping and developing the potential of sports tourism • Events strategy: bid support & marketing • Building relationships: in particular with the IOC & the Olympic ‘Family’ Tourism Strategy Development • Tourism Event, 21 June 2006 – To sketch out a combined vision of how British tourism might develop over the next decade – To share our learnings about the tourism opportunities presented by the Olympic & Paralympic Games – To outline the particular vision & action plan for London & opportunities for the rest of the UK – To gather input from key industry stakeholders – Launch the industry consultation process
• Tourism 2012 Strategy launched end 2006 Cultural Tourism and the 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games Olympic Games & Paralympic Games sub- objectives, as approved by the Olympic Board in April 2006:
3.1.2 Maximise the wider economic benefits of the Games across the UK, including those for tourism and business promotion 3.1.3 Maximise the cultural benefits from hosting the Games and the Cultural Olympiad 3.1.7 Promote positive images of the UK to an international audience Cultural Tourism and the 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games THE CULTURAL OLYMPIAD • A four-year festival which starts with the closing ceremony for the Beijing Games in September 2008 • The themes for the Cultural Olympiad include voyage and discovery, creativity and diversity • 28 national & international cultural & educational projects are currently being evaluated, including the 2012 Opening & Closing ceremonies • Britain’s nations & regions are also developing individual cultural programmes as part of their 2012 activities • DCMS currently setting up a 2012 Culture and Creativity Forum to steer the strategic and delivery agencies and institutions Cultural Tourism and the 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games THE ROLE OF VISITBRITAIN • New VB London 2012 Project Group includes Culture specialist • VB will be targeting the cultural sector to spread the message about the partnership between culture, tourism and the Games e.g Arts Marketing Association, Nations and Regions Roadshow (July/August 06) • VB sits on the Arts Council 2012 Steering Group and is forging strong relationships with LOCOG’s Culture, Ceremonies & Educations Department • VB is working in partnership with DCMS and VisitLondon on an overall 2012 tourism strategy including cultural tourism