Agenda Item No. 7

South Ayrshire Council

Report by Assistant Director - People to Partnerships Panel of 18 November 2020

Subject: South Ayrshire Council and Visit Scotland

1. Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this paper is to provide the Partnerships Panel with an update on the activity undertaken by the Council with Visit Scotland.

2. Recommendation

2.1 It is recommended that the Panel scrutinises the work undertaken with Visit Scotland over the past year and notes that future work will be informed by the Tourism and Events Interim Strategy which is under development.

3. Background

3.1 Visit Scotland (VS) is the national tourism agency for Scotland and promotes Scotland as a tourism destination throughout global markets. The Council has a budget of £15,000 to work with Visit Scotland on promoting South Ayrshire and related activities.

4. Proposal

4.1 The VS Campaign year kicks off in November each year. For 2019/20 there was an initial difference of priorities with North Ayrshire opting to promote The Coig only and therefore the three local authorities each devised their own project agreements. The initial proposal for South Ayrshire was focused on:

• The Burns On the Beach Campaign – a major campaign linked to the Year of the Coast which ran in December 2019 and January 2020 and benefitted from financial and marketing support.

• A Spring Campaign focussed on outdoor activities, history & heritage, food & drink, year of the Coast and Burns events;

4.2 In March 2020, this changed due to Covid 19. All individual campaigns ceased during lockdown and it was then agreed that the three local authorities would work collaboratively and use the combined remaining budget to promote Ayrshire as a region to try and secure a share of the staycation market.

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4.3 The activity agreed for Ayrshire is listed below. However, this has had to be switched up and down in line with COVID restrictions as announcements have affected travel and hospitality within Scotland and the rest of the UK. The situation is being continually monitored to assess tourism marketing against the limitations arising from COVID:

• Expedia Campaign to drive bookings for accommodation and attractions;

• Social media activity mirroring #makeityours; and

• Hearst Publications Campaign (Good Housekeeping and Red magazine).

4.4 Our work with Visit Scotland has also benefitted from national and International campaigns that promote both Scotland as a whole and specific product strengths such as golf and sailing. A summary of regional work is set out at Appendix 1. Visit Scotland also provides 1-2-1 business advice, industry workshops, quality assurance, research and tourism Intelligence as well as toolkits and advice documents. Officers developed with Visit Scotland, Talking Tourism surgeries for local Communities and an initial pilot was held in Ballantrae and was due to be held in Girvan until halted due to Coronavirus. The most recent business engagement summary prepared by Visit Scotland is attached as Appendix 2. However, this document has been significantly overtaken by the impact of Coronavirus.

4.5 Our work on tourism has been significantly affected by Coronavirus and that is anticipated to continue for a considerable time. An interim strategy is being prepared which sets out a focus during this period of uncertainty. That strategy will shape the future work we do in partnership with Visit Scotland going forward. This will support a clear link to be made between marketing campaigns and impact going forward.

5. Legal and Procurement Implications

5.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report.

5.2 There are no procurement implications arising from this report.

6. Financial Implications

6.1 Not applicable.

7. Human Resources Implications

7.1 Not applicable.

8. Risk

8.1 Risk Implications of Adopting the Recommendations

8.1.1 There are no risks associated with adopting the recommendations.

8.2 Risk Implications of Rejecting the Recommendations

8.2.1 If the proposals in this report are not accepted then the Council may not be considered to be discharging its scrutiny function effectively.

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9. Equalities

9.1 The proposals in this report allow scrutiny of performance. The report does not involve proposals for policies, strategies, procedures, processes, financial decisions and activities (including service delivery), both new and at review, that affect the Council’s communities and employees, therefore an equality impact assessment is not required.

10. Sustainable Development Implications

10.1 Considering Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) - This report does not propose or seek approval for a plan, policy, programme or strategy or document otherwise described which could be considered to constitute a plan, programme, policy or strategy.

11. Options Appraisal

11.1 An options appraisal has not been carried out in relation to the subject matter of this report.

12. Link to Council Plan

12.1 The matters referred to in this report contribute to Commitment 4 of the Council Plan: South Ayrshire Works/ Make the most of the local economy.

13. Results of Consultation

13.1 There has been no public consultation on the contents of this report.

13.2 Consultation has taken place with Councillor Siobhian Brown, Portfolio Holder for Economy and Culture, and the contents of this report reflect any feedback provided.

Background Papers Report to Partnerships Panel of 6 February 2019 - South Ayrshire Council and Visit Scotland

Person to Contact Claire Monaghan, Service Lead – Community Facilities County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr, KA7 1DR Phone 01292 612757 E-mail [email protected]

Date: 10 November 2020

3 Appendix 1

Summary of Regional Work

Tourism Activities In addition to the VS activity noted in the Panel report, the Council has some regional tourism activity as set out below:

Ayrshire Golf Scotland (AGS) – South and North Ayrshire Council supports AGS to actively promote golf within the region to both domestic and international markets. Its activity has included establishing a database of 15,000+ potential golf visitors as an audience for social media marketing, supporting the development and promotion of local golf packages and hosting tour operator visits from International markets.

Ladies Open Golf Championship (Troon 2020) We engage in strong promotion of South Ayrshire as a golf destination and the hosting of the Women’s British Open whilst not open to the public enabled the region to be broadcast on television to a worldwide audience.

Tourism EXPO 2020 – this tourism trade exhibition was cancelled though had been fully organised by South Ayrshire Council to promote Ayrshire and Arran to trade and tour operators; we support local tourism businesses by providing space on the stand and assisting them arrange meetings with tour operators.

Ayrshire Smiles Training Programme - a free online training initiative designed for tourism and hospitality workers. After revisions and updates this was due to be relaunched . Previously there were 1000+ registered users with some 600+ having completed the training. Since the updates were made the Programme was promoted via the Council’s Retailer Support Packs, a VS business event and collaboration with Ayrshire College leading to over 60 further registering to date. A wider launch and marketing campaign will follow .

Food and Drink - the three Councils have once again joined forces with The List to create Ayrshire Larder – an online and print resource of food and drink providers and trails in the area. These have been distributed to a number of local businesses and accommodation providers and are also issued to guests of International visits and at events.

The COIG and SW300 - Consideration is being given to supporting two tourists routes. The Coig is a series of five tourist routes covering Ayrshire, Arran, Bute and Cumbrae, offering people an exciting new way to explore the beautiful coast and countryside on their doorstep. South West Coastal 300 route is a stunning drive just over 300 miles. Much of route follows fabulous coastlines & delightful villages.

1 Appendix 2 The aim of the dashboard is to provide key performance data for the Ayrshire region from the period 1st March until 1st March 2020. The data is pulled from a range of sources which are referenced throughout the slides. Analysis of the data, at this point, will enable the wider team to: • Understand how the region is performing as a collective • Use data to drive decision making and priorities for support, events and activity for the year ahead • Identify and analyse product gaps throughout the Ayrshire region • Understand what product/s are currently in higher search demand therefore we can advise disperse footfall • Prioritise efforts and energy in the lead up to account management • Work with colleagues within the marketing and communications teams to shape the narrative for 2020/21 • Map a clear pathway for internationalisation and market readiness to present to businesses as opportunities • Stimulate areas of discussion with RD and help formulate alignment of strategies • Use tools such as Mental Network Analysis, SCRM and regional strategies to formulate a direction • Plan activity Tourism is very important to the economy of Ayrshire and it’s outlying islands of Arran and Cumbrae. Generating in excess of £348M of revenue per year from some 3.5M visitors. This supports up to 9000 jobs (Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Strategy, 2017). With enviable assets and strengths that offer a diverse range of experiences for visitors spanning rural, coastal, historical and built environments in addition to world class golf, sailing, culture and heritage; high quality food produced locally and award winning hospitality, beautiful islands, marine wildlife, green spaces and countryside, Ayrshire as a region has it all but at times under sells itself in terms of marketing propositions. Much more can be made of the assets of both local communities and the physical assets of the land and coastline and also local characters that bring the product to life. To be a premier destination of choice requires collaboration of local authorities on both a strategic level in the shape of tourism action plans and financial budgetary commitment to tourism as a viable industry that supports growth. VisitScotland must continue to shape this collaboration into 2021 and work hard to strengthen Ayrshire as a brand both domestically and to our international audiences in order to meet the ‘Pan Ayrshire’ target stated in the tourism strategy of increasing visitors to the region by 10% resulting in annual increase spend by 20%. In turn, increasing the workforce to over 9800 involved directly within tourism. Insights gathered from 2016-18 surveys such as the IPS, GBDVS, GBTS, SAOS, Moffat Centre and AA Tourism Strategy indicate that the domestic market remains the key focus for the region and this is supported by STEAM reports 2009-2018 indicating day visitors to the region make up the majority (62% day visitors), (33% domestic tourists) and (5% oversees visitors). Visitor day trips have staggered to an 1.1% increase over the period meanwhile international visitors has increased year on year contributing an extra £32M spend within the local visitor economy. Much work is required to promote Ayrshire via our trade ready businesses to international markets which will enable businesses to be less reliant on day visitors and domestic overnight stays which are levelling off. The bed stock remains steady at 21,620 including both serviced and non serviced accommodation. Ayrshire has a strong proposition for exclusive use venues and 5 star resorts comparable to major Scottish cities and similar socio-geographical regions such as Fife. How visitors search, book and travel has changed beyond all recognition and local businesses and communities are slowly adapting to this technological trend based on uniqueness, quality, artisan and sustainability. Integrated packages which offer visitors activities and unique and memorable localised experiences will create more value based offerings to the region. Information centres are lacking within the region in addition to a weak and disjointed digital presence. The foundations for growth are strong. The real world is; that Ayrshire businesses and LA’s work in relative isolation and lack the understanding that together as an eco-system; we need to help consumers understand why to engage and visit a place. Determine what growth Help businesses exploit Help businesses to Use QA and wider tools means for different increasingly digital routes understand the support to drive quality businesses and how we can to market: landscape: improvement resulting support: DTS marketing Alignment with partner in: Business segmentation Distribution agencies and signposting Meeting/exceeding 1:1 growth support VS supported routes to Customer journey visitor expectations Effective 1:many market Regional/national Business development engagements Targeted, relevant business Partnerships priorities and delivery Stronger engagement resources Skills and Training Proposition development

VisitScotland’s strategic framework VisitScotland Ayrshire delivery team CAPACITY

GROWTH Entry level Prep for growth Market ready

Peda motoric model – Growth journey stages of support Glen Rosa, Arran Working with VS With three local authority areas including two island economies, partnership via networking groups Overview will be crucial to the growth of SME’s and VS ability to create traction. KEY STAKEHOLDER Important to continue engagement with: Ballantrae Trust, South Ayrshire Paths Initiative, Ayrshire Coastal Path Group, Visit Arran GROUPS DMO, 3 local authority councils, Destination Ayrshire DMO, Ayrshire Food Network, Troon Business Network, The Coig, NTS Scotland, East Ayrshire Leisure, South Ayrshire Sport and Leisure, KA Leisure, SAPOE, Arran Trust, Arran Eco Savy, Ayrshire Golf, Burns Association, South Ayrshire Events, Girvan TIP, Ayrshire Media Outlets, Historic Scotland, Friends of Portencross, Cumbrae Tourism Association, 2PINS community, Coalfield regen, Taste of Ayrshire, Sail Scotland, West Coast Waters, Scottish Field Studies Council, GSA Biosphere, Glampshire, Largs Business Network,

KEY AGENCY Scottish Enterprise, Business Gateway, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, Local Authorities, Tourism Inverclyde, Highlands and Island PARTNERS Enterprise, ASVA, ASSC. Ayrshire Economic Partnership. Calmac. Scotrail. Prestwick Airport(ScotGov), Sustrans, Ayrshire Roads Alliance, STA, Event Scotland, VisitBritain, SportScotland.

Working with VS AYRSHIRE REGION ISLANDS Target for MARCH 2021

DMS Web listings 771 224 ARRAN 900 based on potential 4 CUMBRAE Business venue listings 41 2 50 Businessevents.vs.com DMO’s Destination Ayrshire Visit Arran The Coig* West Coast Waters Ayrshire Golf

Working with VisitScotland Overview REFERRAL ANALYSIS 2019 TMS REFERRALS BY MARKET TOTAL TMS REFERRALS USA CANADA 79,578 AUSTRALIA TOTAL DMS REFERRALS ( THE UK MARKET MAKES UP 58.31% ) AYRSHIRE 2,868,592 SEARCHES ONLY 3.1% AYRSHIRE ARRAN AT REFERRALS IS THE MOST POPULAR SEARCH AND REFERRAL IN AYRSHIRE FOLLOWED BY CULZEAN CASTLE VIKINGAR AND 71.7K DARK SKY OBSERVATORY .COM PAGE VIEWS ON BRODICK CASTLE SOURCE | SCRM POWER BI | AA 2018 FACTSHEET AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN ARRAN CENTRE KELBURN CASTLE AA MARKETING SUMMERY DMS LISTING BREAKDOWN AYRSHIRE REGION ARRAN TARGET 2021

Accommodation providers 419 147

Activity Providers 95 24

Attractions 59 12

Food and Drink 64 15

Towns and Villages 83 16

Listings with WBE 211 50

Working with VisitScotland Overview Issue Why does this matter? ACCOMMODATION Total DMS referrals for Ayrshire region – 41,540 REFERRALS 25,000 referrals for Isle of Arran

ANALYSIS Marginally higher referrals based on 4*. 34% search based using mobile device. 44% using desktop indicates search trends and where marketing activity should take place. Search trend mostly by date, town or price hence the higher search on non gradings filters.

ACTIVITY Mobile compatibility checks in line with DIGITAL activity

Metric AYRSHIRE REGION ARRAN 5 star accommodation 4800 1034 4 star accommodation 5737 3515 3 star accommodation 2897 2376 Non Grading referrals 26,716 18,077

Quality metrics Ardrossan beach, North Ayrshire Issue Why does this matter? QUALITY In average, quality assured business listings have 221 referrals per year; compared to an average of 87 referrals for non-QA business listings. QA businesses are in average 2.5 times more likely to receive referrals from visitscotland.com, compared to non-QA businesses. Quality and value for money are important for visitors esp international. Economic driver. ANALYSIS Only 16 B&B/GH within QA out of a potential 72. Almost half of hotels ungraded and 70% Self catering ungraded in QA with low % bookability. Exc use also linked with MICE market. Bookability tends to be bespoke and handled by enquiry. ACTIVITY Online bookability workshops; Mini CNT alt succeed event;promotion of QA via ABBA and stats IRM. Signpost BG/DB. QA for a day workshops. QTA visits and advice.

Metric HOTELS HOSTELS B&B - GH SELF CATER EXC USE VISITOR ATTR

TOTAL DMS LISTINGS 36 2 72 224 5 59

5 star accommodation 3 - 3 13 4 5

4 star accommodation 9 2 7 15 - 24

3 star accommodation 8 - 6 11/3 - 6/2 Non Grading referrals 16 - 55 183 1 22

%WBE integration VS 69.4 100 66.6 42.4 40 -

%ONLINE Bookable 80.5 100 76.3 57.5 40 20.3

Quality metrics Issue Why does this matter? DIGITAL SKILLS Challenges exist in terms of digital uptake, particularly around using google ads, social media ads, SEO, customer markets and digital booking capability. These issues have implications for the regions discoverability and puts it at a competitive disadvantage of being out communicated by other areas of the country.

ANALYSIS Online bookability is above national average across all sectors. Free attractions remain a challenge as secondary spend requires factoring as opposed to entry bookability. Eventbrite and hosting platforms considered. Activities are not synced with VS. Integration with VS platforms requires attention to bring up to 60-70%. Targeted workshops focused on bookability. Working with Business Gateway on basic sector skills. National conference for ACTIVITY attractions sector. Revised and enhanced digital support content on visitscotland.org. Partnering with OTAs and inventory management platforms. Digital surgeries held with businesses by IRM. Additional advice from QTAs. Mini CNT events. Webinars. Signposting to DB and BG Track and metric all signposted business to BG workshops;

Metric Status as at MARCH 2020 Target to 2021 Digital Online bookability – accommodation* 63.5% 70% Digital Online bookability - activities 10.53% 20% Digital Online bookability – attractions 20.34% 80% for paid VA Digital Online bookability – food and drink 17.19% Digital Online bookability WBE integration .com 49.88% Above nat ave

* According to VS DMS integration data

Digital skills metrics Priority Analysis MARKET Ayrshire is experiencing a rise in oversees visitors through paid marketing and activity from DMO’s and businesses. Analysis of key READINESS operator and OTA accounts shows that there is a great opportunity for growth across the sectors to attract an greater segment of visitor and international market given the excellent transport links to Scotland biggest city, local airport and routes from Ireland. Ayrshire is a popular day trip location but further revenue needs to be maximised converting to overnight stays and increased length of stay. Key attractions combine seasonal, FREE or membership based with little commercial incentive. Key markets remain UK, Germany, North America, France and Ireland with Germany and US being priority.

STRATEGY Product and package development; Alignment with Making waves tourism action plan, EAC Tourism Action Plan, AA Tourism Strategy; measurement of DMO activity; golf product packages; The Coig support to marketing plan. ACTIVITY Targeted trade readiness workshops. Analysis of key tour operator and OTA products for Ayrshire - filling gaps with suitable products. SDI/LA preparing to grow international business workshops. BDM info early. Metric AYRSHIRE REGION ARRAN Target for 2021

Travel trade web listings 15 3 20

VisitScotland Expo exhibitors 9 regional stand + 3 individual 1 DMO Visit Arran 15

BDM attendees 1 - Simpsinns Group - European NA 3 across EU, China and US

DMC/DMO Destination Ayrshire, Coig Visit Arran

Business Growth metrics Strategic Purpose Target outcome intervention

ACCOUNT 10 businesses Increased bookable product and MANAGEMENT identified for export ready businesses with the growth right type of products for our target potential. domestic and international visitors.

Series of 121 Businesses supporting the core meetings and proposition pillars for Ayrshire. workshops.

Focus on BDM international EXPO Markets analysis Trade ready workshops Digital product development

Wrap around Wider VS team contact support and IRM monthly contact/call extended team Clear action planning

Targeted interventions • Arran Distillery • Adventure • Marine Hotel Carrick • Glen App • Primal Adventure • Trump Turnberry

• Craufurdland • Simpsinns Activity estate • Fitzsimmons • The Coig

Hospitality • Dumfries House

• Auchrannie resort Food and drink and Food

Businesses selected Turnberry, South Ayrshire Priority pillar Analysis

JOINT WORKING With an abundance of physical and built assets, rich history surrounding Burns, Wallace, battle sites and cultural offerings not to mention world class food and drink the expectation is for Ayrshire to have a vibrant tour package and tour guide offering on platforms such as vs.com/see and do, Get My Guide and Tours By Locals. Analysis indicates a weak sectoral position and reliance on larger city based companies and DMC’s generating footfall to the region. OTA search weak returns. Private tours offered by hotels. STRATEGY Product and package development; 1:1 support, Burns product linkage for walking tours to key sites links with SAPI group; OTA development and support for visibility; engage with partners to develop F&D tours, historical tours around smuggling, Burns and Outlander. More joint working with large hotel groups and tour guides.

Metric AYRSHIRE REGION ARRAN Target for 2021

TMS OPERATORS BASED IN 6 2 10 AYRSHIRE TOWNS TMS OPERATORS OUTWITH 23 - - AYRSHIRE OFFERING TOURS

TOURS BY LOCALS SEARCH 10 returns 1 >15%

GET MY GUIDE RETURN 3 3 >15%

Business Growth metrics Priority pillar Analysis

BUSINESS GROWTH With an abundance of physical assets and relatively low population Ayrshire has a well proportioned outdoor activity sector which is made up of social enterprises, SME’s, Local Authority funded centres and freelance instructors. The regional spread negates saturation and an overly competitive sector. Wildlife guides are increasing in Galloway and Arran. STRATEGY Product and package development; 1:1 support; group support and alignment with Wild Scotland and Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education. Marketing compared to highland region; Package development within the GSA Biosphere.

Metric AYRSHIRE REGION ARRAN Target for 2021

LA OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CENTRES Dolphin House, Dean Park Arran OC

NON LA OUTDOOR CENTRES Dumfries House Lochranza CiC

SME’S 16 8

Adventure Carrick, Primal Arran Adventure TRADE READY OUTDOOR Adventures, Active Outdoor Arran Outdoor Centre PROVIDERS Pursuits,

Business Growth metrics Emerging opportunities exist for Dark Sky Tourism, touring routes • via The Coig, pay n play activities and slow adventuring within Dialogue with OTA companies to look at product Scotland’s first designated UNESCO rated Biosphere. development and training for guides. With a low population and high domestic day trip market, activity • Continue GSA Biosphere guide training tourism is relatively low and under-developed on mainland Ayrshire. More improvements for infrastructure, facilities, touring • Market analysis for wider OTA search in tours sites will help build the perception and brand positioning that Ayrshire has more than golf and natural landscapes to attract • Ayr town ‘beer tasting’ and ‘Mural trail’ tours visitors. development with key businesses With the imminent closure of the National Watersports centre on • Clearer regional proposition for activity Cumbrae and challenges within Local authorities to diversify to more commercial models, opportunities exist to build on product • Use ‘Talking tourism’ events to engage with new development for more passive, family activities and soft providers adventuring. The Work of SAPI and Ayrshire Coastal Path needs recognised for helping to improve joined up networks for • Create a provider network for sharing practice walking, horse-riding and cycling. Arran continues to be a mega driver for activity tourism. • Explore ways to attract more adventure and activity operators to Ayrshire. An analysis of OTA bookability is required. Brodick Bay, Arran

Greenan Shore, Ayr 2018-2019 AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN USER BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN BEST PERFORMING CREATIVE UK 91.3% ENGAGEMENT US 4.5% UK 74% ITA 1% US 9.4% FR 6.3% 682,660 GER 5.8% ADDITIONAL IN KIND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT INCLUDING COVERAGE REACH LIKES, SHARES, COMMENTS AND VIDEO VIEWS 02:05sec 10M 526,933 AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN PEOPLE VIDEO VIEWS FROM PAID 01:58sec (SOCIAL MEDIA USING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN ARRAN DESTINATION PAGE Nb: PAID MEDIA BY PAN AYRSHIRE | AA 2018 FACTSHEET (TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH VIDEO) AA MARKETING SUMMARY 29-31ST JULY 2019

BEST PERFORMING CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT REACH ENGAGEMENT CLICKS IN I-KNOW COMMUNITY VIDEO

VIDEO ON 280K INSTAGRAM. 3RD MOST COMMENTED SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT INCLUDING TOTAL REACH LIKES, SHARES, COMMENTS AND VIDEO VIEWS 4.6M PEOPLE 396K (SOCIAL MEDIA USING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM NON FOLLOWERS ON 4,509 FACEBOOK REACH (ALL CONTENT) LINK CLICKS TO A&A PAGE Nb: PAID MEDIA BY PAN AYRSHIRE | AA 2018 FACTSHEET EXCEEDED TARGET OF 3K AA MARKETING SUMMARY To discover what is truly associated with a region a MENTAL NETWORK ANALYSIS is important as it relates to the words, emotions and images that conjures up in peoples minds when the THINK about an area to travel to. A destination is a place where people want to be. For destination marketing to take effect, marketing content needs to MATCH the perception of the place and interfere with that positioning in peoples minds in order to influence decision making. Mental Network Analysis has several benefits: • Reveals associations that can be used for communications and marketing messaging • Builds regional positioning from general consumers input • Defines a regions assets and also offers an opportunity to analysis what assests are missing in people perceptions • Uncovers unknown assets in the consumers minds • Reveals negative associations with an area Each bubble represents a THEME and BRAND ASSOCIATION When poses with the question.Thinking about Ayrshire as a tourism destination. with Ayrshire and Arran What pops into your thoughts? CONNECTIVENESS is the inter occurances and mental links COLOUR coding groups of bubbles into the themes

NATURE TOWNS ACTIVE THICKNESS of the line relates to the STRENGTH of mental EMOTIONAL F&D NEGATIVE connections IMAGE ATTRACTIONS

SIZE of the bubble relates to the STRENGTH of the thought association AYR Everything that pops into your mind as you think about AYRSHIRE as a tourism destination

TURNBERRY RESORT JOHNNY WALKERS HILLWALKING ON ARRAN WORLD CLASS GOLF FRIENDLY PEOPLE DIALECT WILD ATLANTIC RACECOURSE

OUTLANDER TROON

cycling WEDDINGS TRANSPORT PRESTWICK

COASTLINE FARMING GRANTS

CASTLES ALLOWAY

RABBIE BURNS

ARRAN GREENSPACE /OPEN SPACE

AYR LARGS SWEEPING SANDY BEACHES DARK SKY GIRVAN AILSA CRAIG NTS SITES ICE CREAM FISH N CHIPS Machrie Standing Stones, Arran Platform Audience Activity Facebook Over 160 businesses in the Ayrshire and Arran Purpose of the group is to share local tourism news, advice and closed business page opportunities, and encourage the local tourism industry to share information and work together. IRM admin rights.

Tourism Insider e- 820 corporate stakeholders and businesses in Quarterly communication. newsletter Ayrshire and Arran region Ad hoc email 820 corporate stakeholders and businesses in Regular communications sent to businesses who are participating in programme Ayrshire and Arran region QA, along with IRM updates and invitations to events Industry comms

Events 2019 Attendance Purpose SDI 2 day Internationalisation workshop 6 Input from various agency partners to trade ready businesses preparing for Kilmarnock international markets. Action plans created and support. Ayrshire Chamber Business week stall – Oct 19 Various Industry stand Park Hotel National Themed Year/Coig event – Oct 19 80 businesses In partnership with Ayrshire Chamber of commerce introducing the national Gailes Hotel themed year with industry and The Coig launch.

Talking Tourism – Local Business Surgery – Oct 4/8 attended New engagement approach collaborating with SAC Development officers to Girvan TIP reach out to new businesses via partners. 1:1 surgery and follow up

Pre Expo Trade ready workshop (2 hrs) 3/12 Prepare businesses for trading at EXPO Aberdeen Apr in partnership with SACEngagement offices and Communications businesses Pan Ayrshire. • • • • • •

• Loch Doon, East Ayrshire Flamingo Yachts partnering with Arran Gin, Isle of Bute Gin, Mogabout Tours to offer a bespoke Sail by Gin tour around the west coast of Scotland. IRM original concept and collaborated the businesses. Live in 2020 Arran distillery opened a new flagship distillery and visitor centre with restaurant, retail and guided tasting tours. IRM assisted with QA process and feedback on tours. Live in 2020 Your Entire Self partnering with Adventure Carrick to offer Mindfulness weekend retreats aimed at well being market. IRM created the collaboration. Live in May 2020

The team at Craufurdland estate, East Ayrshire have created a new high ropes adventures course to compliment the existing offerings at the estate aimed at domestic market. IRM collaborated with top influencer to create IRM advised on the spec, WBE, staffing and market analysis.Live in FEB 2020 overnight activity package in and around the biosphere. Assisted marketing. Live in 2020

Pladda Island, Arran, North Ayrshire Conducted 94 business surgeries 1:1 Attended 16 group/Assoc meetings Attended 7 networking events 6 conferences Presented at 2 business events Designed and piloted Talking Tourism business surgeries in partnership with SAC Created a Top Tips document to assist DMS listing performance Contributed to Mini Alt Succeed Dumfries Delivered IRM staff training session on Social media Learning Journey to Joensuu, Finland JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

PRE EXPO SUPPORT BLOCK In-season VA/Activity sector support Germany Thistle Awards Immersion Introduction to Workshop VS EXPO Travel Trade VS EXPO (Pipeline) Talking Tourism Preparation businesses Local surgery VS EXPO SDI International NA immersion Talking Tourism Preparation Talking Tourism Largs Growth workshop Workshop or webinar Local surgery SDI International Local surgery Individual business Troon/Kilmarnock Growth workshop Ballantrae support Individual business support VisitScotland Expo Prep Preparing Exhibiters for Expo Aberdeen ½ April SDI - International Growth Workshop Businesses who already have a basic understanding of TT looking to develop (Two days) knowledge/product Talking Tourism Local Surgery Intro meetings to engage with new tourism businesses. Ballantrae South Ayrshire VisitScotland EXPO Exhibitors who are trade ready. Introduction to Travel Trade Hosted by Travel trade team. North America Immersion Trade ready businesses requiring more direct input from our TT NA team, market analysis Talking Tourism Local surgery Troon, North Ayrshire via Troon Business Network Thistle Awards IRM verification process underway early 2020 Germany Immersion session Trade ready businesses requiring more direct input from our TT EU team, market analysis

VS EXPO prep Preparing Exhibiters for Expo Glasgow April 2021

SDI Internationalisation workshop Businesses who already have a basic understanding of TT looking to develop (Two days) knowledge/product JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

IRM CONTINUAL SUPPORT VIA BUSINESS SURGERIES AND MINI DIGITAL REVIEW FORMS Social media workshop

VS EXPO Profitable Seminars Mini Cnt Alt Social media Succeed webinar Mini CNT Alt Ayrshire Succeed Discoverability Deep Dive Webinar Content TBC Mini CNT ALT Succeed 1 Inviting businesses across all sectors to take part in a series pf presentations, digital reviews and one to one meetings. Post follow up digital feedback and action plans Social media for profitability Content TBC Mini CNT ALT Succeed 2 Inviting businesses across all sectors to take part in a series pf presentations, digital reviews and one to one meetings. Post follow up digital feedback and action plans Due for review post Covid 19

Author: Craig Lawless IRM Ayrshire and Arran Dashboard Version 1 [email protected]

Completion: April 2020