Visitor Information Plan Visitor Information Plan PAGE 2 PAGE 2 List of Contents 1. Introduction 5 2. Methodology 6 3. Context and Strategic Objectives 7 4. Survey of Visitors to Northern Ireland - TIC users and non-users 8 5. Current Visitor Information Services 9 6. Challenges for the Network 10 7. The Vision for 2020 12 8. The Plan and Key Areas for Development 14 9. Action Area 1 - People 16 10. Action Area 2 - Places 17 11. Action Area 3 - Promotions 18 12. Action Area 4 - Partnerships 19 13. Visitor Scenarios – Experiencing the Vision 20 14. Summary of three year action plan (2010 – 2013) 24 APPENDIX 1 27 Northern Ireland Tourist Information Centre User Survey Northern Ireland Visitor Information Plan PAGE 3 “Create the new Northern Ireland experience and get it on everyone’s destination wish list.” Mussenden Temple & Downhill Demesne, County Londonderry Demesne, County & Downhill Temple Mussenden PAGE 4 1. Introduction The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) appointed TEAM Tourism Consulting to work with it and other partner organisations to develop a Visitor Information Plan in order to maximise the potential opportunities of the changing scope of visitor information and the opportunities provided by the existing Tourist Information Centre network. This Visitor Information Plan will support implementation of the new Tourism Strategy for 2010 – 2020. NITB has recently released a brand for Northern Ireland tourism that summarises the qualities that will set Northern Ireland apart from its competitors. Its vision is to; “Create the new Northern Ireland experience and get it on everyone’s destination wish list.” It advocates that all of us involved in tourism become ‘Visitor Inspired‘. This is the guiding principle underpinning this Visitor Information Plan that will focus on meeting visitor needs and providing an enhanced visitor experience. The new Tourism Strategy establishes the strategic context for this Plan1. Underpinning the vision is a programme of implementation that demonstrates how the story of Northern Ireland will be brought to life by its people and partners. Action is required in many areas and by a wide range of partners2. Priorities for action have been identified under four themes and these are: • People – which establishes how the Tourist Board will work with the people of Northern Ireland to develop a unique visitor experience; • Places – which establishes how investment will be encouraged in places making them better for residents and visitors; • Promotions – which highlights the opportunities to present the product to the priority markets; and • Partnership – which establishes the roles and responsibilities of all agencies. In creating the new Northern Ireland experience it is important that access to the country and its products is easy, that visitors find it easy to get around, and that there are opportunities for visitors to spend money. Critical to the successful delivery of the brand for Northern Ireland tourism is the provision of accurate and timely information available to visitors where and when they need it. These key objectives underpin this plan for visitor information. 1 The Tourism Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2020, is led by the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Investment (DETI) and, at the time of writing, is available for public consultation at www. detini.gov.uk. 2 There are currently a number of long term strategies which provide potential opportunities to improve visitors’ access across Northern Ireland and enhance their experience. For example, the Regional Transportation Strategy and the Public Transport Reform Proposals. Northern Ireland Visitor Information Plan PAGE 5 2. Methodology This plan has been developed in close consultation This final point is addressed within this report. Here with NITB and its partners. It has included: we summarise: • A review and analysis of relevant existing research • The strengths, opportunities and challenges that – from within Northern Ireland and elsewhere will need to be addressed • A research programme of interviews with over • A vision of where Northern Ireland should be in 1000 visitors at the Tourist Information Centres terms of visitor information in 2020 (TICs) and ‘non-TIC’ locations • Strategic Actions identifying key policies and • A review of TICs and consultations with TIC programmes that will provide the direction to supervisors via visits to TICs, consultations with achieve the vision and appropriate working TIC supervisors and a workshop partnerships • Feedback from consultations with a sample of • A 3 year action plan which specifies the required relevant Government departments with a key tasks and identifies areas of responsibility for role in tourism, and liaison with other key tourism delivery. related bodies and initiatives • Collation of examples of visitor information provision elsewhere and within Northern Ireland to identify best practice or potential opportunities for Northern Ireland • A consultation workshop with key partners. Specifically TEAM has delivered five outcomes, the detailed findings of which are summarised in this report and accompanying appendix: • A review of the role and visitor experience delivered at TICs in Northern Ireland • The identification of visitors’ current and evolving information requirements based on a programme of primary research amongst TIC and non-TIC visitors • Analysis of visitors’ existing access to Northern Ireland tourism information • The identification of new models of visitor information provision in the sector • Recommendations for the future, relevant for the period 2010-2015, with account taken of trends and likely requirements for the period 2015 - 2020. PAGE 6 3. Context and Strategic Objectives NITB has recently focused on improving the depth and Under the key themes of People Places Promotions quality of its tourism product, particularly through the and Partnerships, the areas of relevance are: five ‘Signature Projects’ and as they evolve to Signature Destinations. Northern Ireland is currently rebuilding • Inspire the people of Northern Ireland to discover its reputation as a tourism destination and there is and share stories with visitors now a need to focus on marketing and information • Know the visitor and respond provision to ensure that the benefits of the product • Inspire the tourism industry to use storytelling in improvements are realised – that is, maximising the their messages number of visits, spend and levels of satisfaction. • Make the visitor welcome personal • Create immediate impact at major gateways At the same time there are some major changes, both • Make it easy for the visitor to get to and get around global and local that will impact on the future shape of Northern Ireland visitor services. These are: • Create more opportunities for visitors to spend • The rapid developments in new technology which money are transforming the ways that visitors access • Exploit the potential of food, drink and local information, both at the planning stage and whilst products to enhance the visitor experience in the destination • Upgrade interpretation at visitor sites and give • The potential reorganisation of Local priority to the development of projects that explain Authorities in Northern Ireland which will lead the history and culture to new arrangements for visitor services and TIC • Grow income from visitors through targeted operations in particular. marketing • Exploit the potential of new media to reach and NITB has the potential to influence the future persuade visitors. developments of visitor services through certain funding streams and through providing leadership and direction, but most importantly, through working Four strategic objectives for Visitor Information in partnership with other organisations, specifically emerge from the Tourism Strategy for Northern the local authorities who fund and manage many of Ireland to 2020: the TICs. • To maximise visitor spending within NI NITB has recently launched its new brand for Northern • To enhance visitor satisfaction and enjoyment Ireland. The brand articulates the aspiration that (and hence repeat visits and recommendations), quality will set Northern Ireland apart from its through the highest quality of personal visitor competitors and that this will be achieved through welcome and information provision at key service providers being ‘Visitor Inspired’. It is within gateways, destinations and attractions this context that the considerations in this report have • To make it easy for potential visitors to plan and been developed. book their visits to/within NI and to navigate around NI Many of the elements of the new tourism strategy for • To support NITB’s major marketing campaigns Northern Ireland relate specifically to visitor welcome through the provision of directly relevant and information provision, and others are particularly information and by facilitating the telling of NI’s focused on opportunities to engage with and support major stories of interest to visitors. small businesses. (Effective information provision is the key means of providing access for small businesses to potential customers and vice versa.) Northern Ireland Visitor Information Plan PAGE 7 4. Survey of Visitors to Northern Ireland - TIC users and non-users A key factor of the process of developing this plan The key findings of most significance were: was a programme of primary research with visitors • 31% of TIC users were influenced to re-visit in Northern Ireland, both those who were using TICs Northern