Bolton Visitor Economy Strategy 2012 – 2015

January 2012

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Bolton Visitor Economy Strategy 2012 – 2015

Table of Contents

Executive Summary Page 3

The Tourism Context Page 4

Review of Bolton 2011 – a five year tourism development plan Page 8

Looking forward – future tourism trends and forecasts Page 11

Bolton Visitor Economy Strategy Page 13

The vision for tourism in Bolton Page 13

Improving Bolton’s tourism product Page 14

Positioning Bolton and targeting key markets Page 16

Improving the visitor experience in Bolton Page 18

Promoting and supporting effective partnerships Page 20

Conclusion Page 21

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Bolton Visitor Economy Strategy 2012 – 2015

1. Executive Summary

Bolton’s last tourism strategy, ‘Bolton 2011 – a Five Year Tourism Development Plan’ was launched in the summer of 2006. Bolton 2011 was partnership driven, co-ordinated by Bolton Council for Bolton’s tourism industry and delivered by a wide range of private sector businesses and other public sector bodies.

Key successes during the life of ‘Bolton 2011’ include the positioning of Bolton as a centre for major events, successfully hosting the Ironman UK Triathlon (the UK qualifier for the annual World Ironman Triathlon) during 2009, 2010 and 2011, the hosting of major events at including Davis Cup Tennis and development of Bolton Food and Drink Festival into one of the largest festivals of its type nationally.

Bolton Market has also developed as a tourist attraction during this period, experiencing an 80% increase in the number of annual coach visits since 2008, whilst , Aquarium and Achieve has maintained its position as one of the most visited attractions in Greater and has benefited from a £500k redevelopment of its ‘Bolton Lives’ gallery.

Since 2006, new developments in Bolton include the opening of the Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre and the creation of two new facilities on the edge of the town centre, ‘The Excellency’ a state of the art, 1,500 capacity Asian wedding and conference venue and an 80 bed Travelodge hotel.

During this period, Bolton Council has also established a strong working partnership with Visit Manchester (the tourist Board for ) and improved joint activity with local tourism businesses.

Echoing the national trend, Bolton’s tourism industry was affected by the recession from late 2008 onwards. Whilst the initial slowdown started in the private sector, public sector spending cuts have since compounded the problem and the market remains very challenging across all sectors.

The time is right for a new strategy for Bolton which builds on recent successes, whilst responding to the challenging economic times, pressure on public sector spending and the increasing importance of partnership working.

Our vision for tourism is that by 2015

“Bolton will have built on its profile as a destination for hosting national and international business and leisure events and will be maximising the opportunities around its surrounding countryside and proximity to the regional centre. Facilities for coach parties and groups will have improved so that Bolton is recognised as an exemplar coach friendly destination, while the town centre will continue to develop to support the visitor economy.”

This strategy outlines the national, regional and local tourism context, reviews what was achieved during the life of the last strategy and identifies relevant tourism trends and forecasts for the next three years. In order to achieve the above vision, clear objectives and targets are identified against which the success of the strategy will be judged at the end of its life in April 2015.

Detailed annual action plans will also be brought forward and monitored for each year during this period, identifying timescales and lead organisations. Our vision cannot be delivered by Bolton Council alone and if tourism in Bolton is to develop to its true potential, partnership activity must grow and become ever more effective.

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2. The Tourism Context

Tourism in the UK

The visitor economy delivers a significant direct contribution to the UK economy. In 2009 it contributed £52b or 4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The industry supported 200,000 businesses and 1.36 million jobs (4.4.% of total jobs in the UK). Tourism also has significant untapped potential; with consultancy firm Deloitte forecasting that the UK visitor economy will be one of the country’s best performing sectors during the next decade, with an average of 3.5% growth per year until 2020.

Tourism in the UK

A new government tourism policy was launched in March 2011 and sets the context for how it expects Visit (the National Tourist Board) to operate in the future. The overall goal of the tourism policy is to grow an already successful industry, in particular by trying to increase the number of domestic or ‘staycation’ holidays taken by UK residents and to capitalise on ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunities such as the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Visit England have identified a target of 5% growth per anum over 10 years to 2020.

In order to help meet the aims within the Government Tourism Policy, Visit England produced a Strategic Framework which sets out how the English tourism industry will maximise tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life across the country. Additionally, it has also identified four ‘Pathfinder’ destinations - Manchester, Bath, the Norfolk Broads and the Peak District – to examine how destination management organisations and their local stakeholders will operate in a post-RDA environment. At the same time, it is hoped that all destination management organisations and tourist boards will sign up to the priorities and that local authorities will help to deliver the aims on the ground.

Tourism in the Northwest

In 2009 there were 294 million tourism trips to the Northwest which generated an estimated £15bn of direct and indirect expenditure and supported an estimated 233,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in the region.

During the life of ‘Bolton 2011’, the visitor economy in the Northwest was led by the regional development agency (NWDA) whose strategy for tourism in ‘England’s Northwest 2003 – 2010’ covered Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside. Through this strategy, the NWDA funded a significant amount of tourism activity across the region, which in Greater Manchester’s case included support for developing new routes into Manchester airport, promotional campaigns to key markets and tourism industry development work to support training, business support and improving skills.

The Regional Development Agencies are being disestablished in 2012 and there are no plans to produce a new tourism strategy at a regional level, with future government policy now focussed on the opportunities of working with tourist boards or destination management organisations which operate at a sub-regional level. In Bolton’s case this organisation is Visit Manchester.

Tourism in Greater Manchester

During the lifetime of ‘Bolton 2011’, the tourism industry in Greater Manchester has expanded, buoyed by the development in and around Manchester city centre and a significant improvement in the overall visitor offer, especially for conferences, sport and shopping.

The latest figures available show that 97.9 million visitors came to Greater Manchester in 2009. The day visitor market is critical and represents over 90% of all visitors to Greater Manchester. Page 4 of 21 4 In terms of trend performance there has been a 15% increase in the number of day visitors across Greater Manchester between 2005 and 2009, whilst there has been a 10% decrease in the number of visitors staying overnight during the same period, with a sharp decrease between 2007 and 2009.

The latest hotel occupancy data available supports this trend with average room occupancy across Greater Manchester reaching a peak of 77% in 2006, and then falling steadily to 70% until 2009, increasing slightly to 71% in 2010. Signs are promising for 2011, however, with average occupancy up 2% compared with the first six months of 2010. (Source: Visit Manchester).

Visit Manchester is the sub-regional tourist board for Greater Manchester and is a division of Marketing Manchester, the agency charged with promoting Greater Manchester on the national and international stage.

In 2011 Marketing Manchester and Visit Manchester became a joint centre of excellence for communications, marketing and tourism within the Greater Manchester Family of organisations: comprising Manchester Solutions, Marketing Manchester, MIDAS and New Economy Manchester.

Visit Manchester led the development of the current Tourism strategy for Greater Manchester which covers the period 2008 – 2013. The strategy is aspirational and focuses on the big issues whilst acknowledging that the basics must also be right. Its overarching objective is to:

‘Create a city region that delivers a better quality of life for the three million people who live or work here…If we build a destination that is fit for us, the people of Greater Manchester, then we will create a future city that will attract people from all over the world…’.

The strategy aims to ‘drive and differentiate’ Greater Manchester’s tourism offer in order to:

1. Create globally recognised and iconic events, developments and initiatives (build a global image of Greater Manchester). 2. Ensure a better quality of life for communities across Greater Manchester. 3. Make practices of the city region’s tourism sector an important part of delivering against the Original Modern brand vision. 4. Tackle issues like wider community benefits through tourism, accessibility and diversity and a more inclusive night-time economy. 5. Embark on blue skies long range thinking.

A review of this document was undertaken in 2011 which, while broadly confirming the initial aims and objectives, also identifies challenges and opportunities to address over the remaining period of the strategy.

Tourism in Bolton

Bolton is one of the largest towns in England and is an integral part of the Greater Manchester city- region, which is the largest economic centre outside London. Bolton’s tourism and cultural assets are all easily accessible, due to its location adjacent to the M6/60/61/62 networks, national railway networks, with rapid access to Manchester Airport, whilst Bolton’s proximity to the international brand of Manchester is a positive asset for tourism development.

The latest figures available show that 10 million visitors came to Bolton in 2008, spending £507m in the local economy, which supported 7,400 (FTE) jobs.

Bolton is particularly well suited for group visits with approximately 1,000 coach visits per year, sporting events and business tourism (meetings, conferences and events) but also has a rural product that lends itself to the day visitor and domestic short break market.

Bolton has a wide range of accommodation for visitors, from four star luxury hotels to welcoming B&B’s and self-catering cottages. In total there are around 900 bedrooms of this type in Bolton, along with 600 bedrooms at the available during non term time. Page 5 of 21 5

Table 1: Visitor Accommodation in Bolton 2010

Type of accommodation Number of properties Number of bedrooms Hotels 9 816 Bed and breakfast / guesthouses 15 88 Self catering cottages 3 15 University accommodation 1 600 (summer holidays only) Total 28 1,519 Source: Bolton Accommodation Survey 2010

Average room occupancy in Bolton stood at 64% in 2010, 4% behind the Greater Manchester average and 7% behind the regional centre figure.

Overnight stays in Bolton are predominantly 1 night (56% of respondents) and 2 nights (24% of respondents).

Table 2: Average Room Occupancy 2010

Year Average Room Occupancy 2010 (%) Manchester City Centre 71 Greater Manchester 69 Bolton 64 Source: Visit Manchester / Bolton Accommodation Survey

Bolton town centre offers two shopping centres, a strong independent retail sector, two professional theatres, an active amateur theatre and a range of pubs, cafés and restaurants. Bolton Market is renowned nationally, especially for the quality of its fish market and indoor food hall and has seen a significant increase in the number of coach parties visiting year on year since 2006.

To the west of Bolton, the Middlebrook development boasts one of the largest retail and leisure parks in the country and has evolved during the life of ‘Bolton 2011’, with the addition of new stores and restaurants. Middlebrook also incorporates the Reebok Stadium ( of Bolton Wanderers Football Club) and Bolton Arena, a nationally significant sports and conference facility.

Set on the edge of the , Bolton covers 54 square miles (140 square kilometres) and has a population of 265,000. Over 50% of the area is countryside with a variety of landscapes including mosslands, moorland, ancient woodlands, open water, grasslands and parkland. There are also nearly 200 miles of public footpaths and cycle ways across Bolton.

Bolton’s heritage as an important textile town is reflected in its attractions and architecture. Hall is an important example of a Lancashire manor house with the earliest parts dating from the 14th century. Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive has recently benefited from a £500,000 redevelopment of its new ‘Bolton Lives’ gallery and was the third most visited free attraction in Greater Manchester (and the seventh most popular free attraction in the Northwest) in 2010, with 321,569 visitors.

Bolton is famous as the home of Samuel Crompton, the inventor of the Spinning Mule, a technological innovation that revolutionised the global cotton industry, and Fred Dibnah the local Steeplejack who became a household name through his TV appearances.

Page 6 of 21 6 Table 3: Visitor numbers at Bolton Attractions 2010

Visitor attraction Annual visitor numbers Source Middlebrook Leisure and Retail 11,219,458 Analysis of car parking figures Park Bolton Wanderers Football Club 450,000 Annual match day visitors to stadium Bolton Museum, Aquarium and 321,569 Door counter Archive (now called ‘The Crescent’ ) The Albert Halls 158,737 Ticket sales / attendance at weddings The Octagon Theatre 150,000 Tickets sold / numbers of programmes / estimated numbers to café The Victoria Hall 50,260 Ticket sales / attendance at other functions 10,046 Door counter Heritage Centre 3,500 Visitors’ book/ head counts. Hall i’ th’ Wood Museum 3,014 Ticket sales 2,854 Door counter Fred Dibnah Heritage Centre 1,500 (June onwards) Ticket sales Source: Bolton Attractions Survey 2010.

The Bolton Community Strategy 2012 – 2015 outlines economic prosperity and narrowing the gap as strategic priorities for Bolton and recognises that the visitor economy has a role in achieving these priorities.

The amazing diversity in Bolton and the many multi-cultural festivals, venues, attractions and places of worship provide further opportunities to develop the town’s tourism offer and attract additional visitors from outside the area.

Given these assets, potential exists to further raise the profile of Bolton as a visitor destination over the next three years. However, in line with the national trend, Bolton’s tourism industry was hit by the recession from late 2008 onwards. Whilst the initial slowdown was felt in the private sector, public sector spending cuts have compounded the problem and the market remains very challenging across all sectors. Consumers are increasingly price driven and are showing a tendency to book very late as part of a ‘bargain hunting’ approach.

Despite the recession, Bolton has continued to develop and grow in certain areas such as ‘Merchants Quarter, with the recent creation of a Travelodge hotel and ‘The Excellency’, a large venue particularly suited for conferences and Asian weddings. Along Deane Road, Bolton sixth form and community college successfully relocated to a joint site in 2010, whilst the unique ‘Bolton One’ facility due to open in early 2012 features an Amateur Swimming Association county competition standard eight-lane 25m swimming pool.

The economic recession has led to a slowing of private sector investment across the UK and in Bolton, mixed use town centre development schemes such as Church Wharf and Central Street have not made progress as quickly as expected. Bolton remains well placed, however, to take these developments forward when the economy picks up.

Government austerity measures have also led to a tighter control on, and refocusing of, public sector support for tourism at all levels. As well as the closure of the NWDA in 2012, both Visit Manchester and Bolton Council will need to ensure that future activity is clearly focussed in order to achieve maximum financial efficiency. As such, effective partnership activity will be even more important over the lifespan of this strategy.

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3. Review of Bolton 2011 - a Five Year Tourism Development Plan

(a) Progress against targets

‘Bolton 2011’ was launched in June 2006 after an extensive consultation process. Within the plan a number of targets were established against which its success would be measured at the end of its life in 2011. The table below shows progress against these targets.

Target (by March 2011) Progress against target (July 2011) 1. Increase visitor expenditure to Achieved. Trend data going back to 2004 shows that £500m. An increase of 10% on the the value of tourism in Bolton increased by 12% from 2004 figures. £454m in 2004 to £507m in 2008.

2. Support 7,436 FTE jobs, an Achieved. Trend data going back to 2004 shows that the increase of over 10% against 2004 number of FTE jobs in Bolton supported by tourism figures increased by 10% from 6,760 in 2004 to 7,460 in 2008.

(c) Attract twelve new conferences Achieved. / meeting events to venues within  57 conferences or meetings worth a total of Bolton and along the M61 Corridor £193,400 were held at M61 Group members between May 2006 and April 2009.

(d) Establish and sustain an Achieved. effective business-led Tourism  Bolton Tourism Forum was established in Forum for Bolton which has clear September 2006 and met regularly until June objectives and robust outcomes in 2009, working on objectives within Bolton 2011 line with the Development Plan.  In late 2009 the Tourism Forum evolved into two sectoral groups – the Bolton Accommodation Group and Bolton Attractions and Venues Group which hold at least one joint annual meeting.

(b) Key Successes - how has Bolton grown as a visitor destination since 2006

In addition to the targets shown above, there have been a number of notable successes during this period which are summarised below against the strategic aims set out in Bolton 2011 – a Five Year Tourism Development Plan:-

1. Strengthening Bolton’s Tourism Product

 Bolton has been positioned as a centre for major events, successfully hosting the Ironman UK Triathlon during 2009, 2010 and 2011. This event is the UK qualifier for the annual World Ironman Triathlon championships that attracts over 1,000 competitors, many thousands of spectators, global media coverage for Bolton and in 2010 generated economic benefit to Bolton of over £3m .  Other significant sporting events have also been held in Bolton during this period. Bolton Arena for example hosted Davis Cup Tennis (GB V Tunisia) in March 2011 and six professional boxing events, including four fights from local World Champion boxer .  Bolton Food and Drink Festival has developed into one of the largest festivals of its type and is increasingly becoming a nationally recognised event, attracting 94,000 visitors in 2011.

Page 8 of 21 8  Bolton Market has developed as a tourist attraction, opening a cookery demonstration theatre in its food hall in 2009 and experiencing an 80% increase in the number of annual coach visits between 2008 and 2010. It won ‘Tourism Retailer of the Year’ in Greater Manchester’s 2009 annual tourism awards and was voted ‘Best Indoor Market Hall’ in the 2010 National Market Awards.  Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive (now called ‘The Crescent’) was extended and upgraded through a £500k redevelopment programme in 2010 that included a new ‘Bolton Lives’ gallery.  A new visitor attraction celebrating the life of Fred Dibnah, Bolton’s famous steeplejack opened in 2010 at his former home. The Fred Dibnah Heritage is now attracting visitors from across the country, whilst Fred Dibnah related exhibitions, shows and film screenings have taken place at other venues around Bolton.  Over the past few years the profile of the Octagon Theatre has increased significantly, such that it has generated more national level press, radio and TV coverage than at any time in recent history.  ‘Bolton One’ a unique joint facility which includes an ASA county competition standard eight- lane 25m swimming pool, and leisure facilities is due to open in early 2012  ‘The Excellency’ a state of the art, 1,500 capacity Asian wedding and conference venue and an 80 bed Travelodge opened in ‘Merchants Quarter’ in Bolton town centre in 2011.  Coach parking spaces in Bolton town centre have been doubled alongside dedicated provision for coach drop off and pick up to serve the Octagon Theatre and the Albert Halls during the busy Christmas period.  Opening of the 126 bedroom Premier Inn Reebok Stadium in 2008, replacing the 74 room Express by Holiday Inn which was previously on the same site.  Middlebrook Retail and Leisure Park has developed over the past few years, increasing its attractiveness to visitors and dwell time by the opening of a number of restaurants including Frankie and Benny’s, Ask, Bella Italia and Nandos. During this period, additional retailers have also opened on site and the park has increased its car parking provision.

2. Promoting and Positioning the Bolton Brand and Targeting Key Markets

 In 2006 The Bolton Vision Partnership led the creation of a partnership brand and brand strategy for Bolton. The Bolton brand has been used to positively promote Bolton to investors and visitors and improve external perceptions of Bolton and has been adopted by partners, including the Council, Bolton Wanderers FC, Bolton PCT and Bolton University. The Bolton brand is also an award winner – achieving best brand identity in the national Roses Design Awards 2006/07.  Bolton Council has led additional activity targeted towards the group travel market, working with Visit Manchester and other key partners on a ‘Bolton Attractions’ campaign that has generated new group visits to Bolton.  Bolton has remained a key partner in the Manchester’s Countryside project, a Greater Manchester wide campaign which promotes the countryside offer to day visits and short breaks  The M61 Group, a marketing consortium of conference venues along the M61 corridor attracted £200,000 in additional business to member venues between 2006 and 2009.  Promotional campaigns have marketed Bolton to short break takers and day visitors both offline and online, using opportunities such as Bolton’s events programme  Bolton has entered the Queen's Diamond Jubilee city status competition in a bid to be crowned the UK’s newest city as part of the celebrations in 2012.

3. Making it Easy - Accessing Bolton

 Website development including the creation of enhanced versions of the visitbolton.com and boltonlife.org.uk websites. Visit Bolton was the first site in Greater Manchester to integrate with Visit Manchester’s Destination Management System which allowed improved functionality, including online accommodation booking.  Enhanced pedestrian signage has been installed around Bolton town centre  17 new visitor information panels in place around Bolton town centre Page 9 of 21 9  Opening of new NCP car parks at Topp Way and Deane Road in Bolton town centre, the former incorporating a ‘Changing Places’ facility for disabled people  Launched in November 2008, the Metroshuttle, a free bus service around Bolton town centre calls at rail and bus stations, multi-storey car parks and other key town centre locations  ‘Shopmobility’ service re-located to new premises in Topp Way car park, providing direct link with Metroshuttle

4. Providing a Quality Experience and Excellence in Tourism

 Bolton Council and Visit Manchester have encouraged local bed and breakfast providers to join national quality inspection schemes by maintaining an ‘inspected only’ policy for tourist accommodation in all promotional activity.  Bolton Tourism Forum developed and ran courses targeted at improving the product knowledge of staff working at local hospitality businesses.  Bolton Council and Visit Manchester worked together to encourage participation in customer care training and other business support initiatives which improve the quality of welcome for visitors  Bolton Tourism Forum led a project to improve the quality of welcome for guests from the black and minority ethnic (BME) population, including training for staff at local hotels and other businesses.  Between 2006 and 2010, Bolton businesses have won three times at the highly competitive Manchester Tourism Awards, specifically Jumbles Bed and Breakfast (Bed and Breakfast of the Year), Smithills Hall (Small Visitor Attraction of the Year) and Bolton Market (Tourism Retailer of the Year). Additionally, 29 Bolton businesses, individuals or events were shortlisted at these awards during the same period.

5. Ensuring Effective Partnerships and Communication

 Partnership with Visit Manchester. During the life of Bolton 2011 the Council established and developed a strong partnership with Visit Manchester, the regional tourist board for Greater Manchester.

 Bolton Tourism Forum, a cross sectoral group of visitor economy businesses worked on a number of projects to help implement key actions from the Bolton 2011 Tourism Development Plan. The forum also improved communication with and between Bolton’s tourism industry

 In late 2009, the Tourism Forum evolved into two sectoral groups – the Bolton Accommodation Group and Bolton Attractions and Venues Group. These groups facilitated the sharing and exchange of information between Bolton Council, Visit Manchester and a wide cross section of visitor economy businesses in Bolton. They also provided forums for reviewing performance and trends, sharing intelligence on forthcoming opportunities, generating ideas for new/improved activities and general networking. In order to maintain cross-sector communication, the groups held a joint meeting at least once a year.

 Manchester’s Countryside. Bolton has remained an active member of the Manchester’s countryside project which aims to promote Greater Manchester’s rural product as a day visitor and short break destination.

Page 10 of 21 10 4. Looking forward – future tourism trends and forecasts

Research produced by the Visit England and the NWDA in 2010 identified the following trends which will affect tourism over the next few years. These will obviously have implications for Bolton’s visitor economy and opportunities coming out of these trends have been built into the ‘areas for action’ shown in chapter 10.

(1) The ‘Staycation’ is set to stay

 The impact of the recession means that UK residents will continue to take increasing levels of domestic breaks for the foreseeable future (the so called ‘staycation effect’), with indications that a more permanent shift in attitudes is starting to happen, even when the economy recovers.

(2) Britons are forecast to be less well off in the future

 Independent research suggests that the average household income will be £1,130 less annually in 2013 than 2009. This will leave families with less money to spend on non-essentials such as holidays, but may help the ‘staycation effect’ and encourage domestic holidays and trips.

(3) The UK’s population is getting older

 The UK population is ageing. Over the last 25 years the percentage of the population aged 65 and over has increased while the percentage of the population under 16 has decreased, a trend which is projected to continue.  Whilst the older generation is a powerful economic force, recent economic events may mean more cautious spending and a shorter retirement period.

(4) The family / party composition is changing and requires flexibility

 Families are shifting from being largely ‘flat’, with many members of a similar age, to families with a greater spread across the generations.  Due to a high divorce rate, there is an increasing number of ‘non-traditional’ family units (i.e. single parent families, families with step-siblings etc).

(5) The continued emergence of the gay and lesbian market

 The gay and lesbian market is a high spending and affluent sector, which is expected to remain important and further emerge over the next few years.

(6) Widening younger markets, with greater economic power

 Young people are staying at home longer and delaying marriage and parenting, leading to an increase in affluent ‘pre-family travellers’.

(7) Tourism is becoming increasingly experiential and changeable

 Tourists are looking for immersion in culture, unique experiences, authenticity, exploration, adventure and personal fulfilment from their holiday experience.  Consumers are becoming increasingly fragmented and changeable, with many more specialist and niche markets.

(10) Technology – factors of change:

 Online communication and ‘convergence of devices’ will continue to grow as it gets faster and more reliable. Smartphones will be the point of first contact for most communications.

Page 11 of 21 11  ‘Convergence of travel and tourism services’ will have a significant impact and may be bigger than anything the internet has provided so far. New enhanced travel planning services are emerging which aim to support the customer.  Information exchange between businesses is crucial in order to ensure good coverage across all media platforms.

(11) Consumer demand for greener holidays

 Visit England research indicates that people increasingly say they want to act in a green way but lack sufficient information to make an informed decision.  At the same time, consumers are currently not generally prepared to pay more for a green option and being ‘green’ is not a real motivator for most people

(12) Transport costs

 The high price of oil (‘oil crunch’) has serious implications for tourism, both in terms of heating and fuel supplies for businesses and consumer travel  Air transport (both arrivals and departures) may be restricted due to increasing costs, potentially helping domestic tourism  Demand for rural breaks in remote areas may be affected by the rising cost of petrol

Page 12 of 21 12 5. Bolton Visitor Economy Strategy 2012 – 2015

(a) The Vision for Tourism in Bolton

“By 2015 Bolton will have built on its profile as a destination for hosting national and international business and leisure events and will be maximising the opportunities around its surrounding countryside and proximity to Manchester City Centre. Facilities for coach parties and groups will have improved so that Bolton is recognised as an exemplar coach friendly destination, while the town centre will continue to develop to support the visitor economy.”

This vision cannot be delivered by Bolton Council alone and if tourism in Bolton is to develop to its full potential, partnership activity must grow and become ever more effective.

(b) Targets and strategic aims

The success of this three year tourism strategy will ultimately be measured against the following targets in March 2015:

Targets:

 Increase footfall at the annual Bolton and Food Drink Festival to 140,000 in 2015 a 50% increase on the 2011 figure.  Increase the number of group visits to Bolton to 1,300 per year, a 30% increase on the 2010 figures.  Between 2012 and 2015 generate at least 2,000 additional bed-nights annually at Bolton accommodation businesses through Visit Bolton marketing activity.  Host at least five nationally recognised events in Bolton during the life of the strategy.  Nurture and sustain tourism partnership activity in Bolton, ensuring that tourism groups have clear objectives, meet regularly and that partners are actively involved in developing the effectiveness of the partnership arrangements throughout the life of the strategy.

Strategic Aims:

In order to meet our Vision, improve the visitor experience and generate new and repeat visitors, this tourism strategy will focus on the following strategic objectives:

(1) Improving Bolton’s tourism product (2) Positioning Bolton and targeting key markets (3) Improving the visitor experience in Bolton (4) Promoting and supporting effective partnerships

(c) Implementation and monitoring (annual action plans)

In order to focus future activity the following pages set out a number of actions for each Strategic Aim. From this list, annual action plans will be brought forward, shared with partners and monitored for each financial year up to April 2015, outlining key projects and lead partners. Where appropriate action plans will be cross referenced against The Greater Manchester Destination Plan to provide a strategic fit with sub-regional level activity.

Page 13 of 21 13 Strategic Aim 1 - Improving Bolton’s Tourism Product

If Bolton is to improve as a tourist destination it must continue to strengthen the range and quality of services, facilities and products available to all visitors.

In light of challenging economic times, Bolton needs to focus on those areas that offer the best opportunities for development and / or growth and the greatest potential benefits, in the context of the opportunities arising from the trends and forecasts outlined earlier.

As highlighted in the Greater Manchester Tourism Strategy Review (2011), developments in Bolton should also continue to be aspirational and aim for quality, distinctiveness and unique selling points in order to set them apart and position Bolton ahead of other destinations.

Improving Bolton’s Tourism Product: Actions 2012 – 2015:

(a) Events

• Continue to grow the size, scale and visitor experience of the annual Bolton Food and Drink Festival, as a nationally recognised event, attracting 140,000 visitors to the 2015 festival. • Continue to work in partnership with the World Triathlon Corporation on the hosting of events in Bolton post 2012. • Working with partners, identify and target other national events which Bolton has the potential to host. Examples include the British Transplant Games or events for which Bolton has a strong ‘events offer’ including those related to sports, industrial heritage, food and drink and large conferences or association meetings. • Support and promote large events taking place at key venues such as Bolton Arena and the Reebok Stadium, including concerts and sporting events. • Animate Bolton town centre with regular entertainment and local events throughout the year • Support and encourage multi faith events which promote Bolton’s diversity • Work with Lancashire County Cricket Club and Westhoughton Cricket Club to host first class games at their St George’s Oval ground. • Ensure that Bolton’s events offer a value for money and high quality experience which, based on customer feedback, generates high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat visits.

(b) Visitor Attractions

• Continue to develop and promote Bolton Museum, Aquarium and Archive as a key attraction, maximising national and international opportunities around the significance of its Egyptology collection and Bolton Lives gallery • Take advantage of the opportunities around Samuel Crompton and Fred Dibnah, promoting the existing ‘Crompton Trail’ and developing a ‘Fred Dibnah Trail’ which focuses on sites associated with his life. • Adapt and promote the existing Bolton Faith Trail, reflecting the places of worship which are recognised nationally by Visit England. • Support the development of water-based tourism in Bolton maximising opportunities, particularly in relation to the plans by British Waterways to restore part of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.  Encourage businesses to tailor their facilities to ensure that they are accessible to older age groups and those with restricted mobility e.g. provision of lifts/ramps and adequate on-site parking and toilets.  Promote and support relevant activity in Bolton’s range of parks.

(c) Visitor accommodation and conference facilities

• Promote tourism priorities within Bolton Council’s planning framework to support new accommodation developments. • Support national policy and only promote ‘quality assured’ properties in Visit Bolton promotional campaigns. Page 14 of 21 14 • Continue to assist developers in order to improve the provision of hotel accommodation and conference facilities in Bolton town centre and across the Borough. • Investigate and promote opportunities for developing additional bed and breakfast facilities, self-catering cottages and temporary and/or permanent camping and caravan sites across Bolton. • Work closely with Tourism Connect (a Rural Development Programme for England project) to help new and existing tourism providers achieve grant funding. • Encourage businesses to tailor their facilities to ensure that they are accessible to older age groups and people with restricted mobility e.g. accommodation on one level or ground floor, showers instead of baths etc.

(d) Bolton Market

 Further improve Bolton Market building on its strengths, especially its famous fish market and food hall, to make it a destination of national significance. Increase the number of coaches visiting the market annually from 277 in 2010 to 400 in 2015.

(e) Bolton town centre

• Work with developers to attract new facilities which enhance the attractiveness of the town centre during the day and evening including restaurants, independent retailers, leisure activities and other facilities aimed at the family friendly visitor profile. • Build on the improved coach drop off and pick up in Bolton town centre during the busy Christmas period. • Support group travel in Bolton by exploring the development of enhanced coach drop off and long stay parking in Bolton town centre. • Research exemplar evening economy models and work with relevant business and agencies to implement best practice approaches.

(f) Countryside activities

• Research and develop new routes for walking, cycling, horse-riding and other countryside activities, using resources such as lakes and reservoirs which exist in Bolton. Where possible, routes should include visitor economy businesses to encourage additional spend and be suitable for all ages and abilities. • Maximise the value of Bolton’s countryside by, for example, promoting and developing the offer (accommodation, restaurants, complementary activities and events) in areas adjacent to the West Pennine Moors such as Horwich to enable them to capture greater direct benefit from the visitor economy.

(g) Film and TV Tourism

• Proactively promote Bolton as a film and TV location, developing existing working relationships with organisations such as North West Vision, BBC and other organisations based at media City.

(h) Local produce and support for food producers

 Encourage Bolton accommodation businesses, conference facilities and restaurants to support local food producers by sourcing locally.  Use opportunities around the Food Connect project (a Rural Development Programme for England initiative) to improve links between tourism businesses and local food suppliers.

(i) Car parking

 Work with multi storey car park providers to maintain competitive parking charges relative to comparable areas and to encourage special rates during major events.

Page 15 of 21 15 Strategic Aim 2 - Positioning Bolton and Targeting Key Markets

In order for future marketing activity to be as effective as possible, Bolton needs to target those customers for whom its product is most suited, working in partnership with other destinations where it makes sense to do so.

In light of challenging economic times, Bolton needs to concentrate on the markets which are most likely to generate business bearing in mind and acting upon opportunities arising from the trends outlined above.

Positioning Bolton and Targeting Key Markets: Actions 2012 – 2015

(a) Groups

 Monitor and adapt existing itineraries and create new itineraries tailored to trends and demands within the groups market sector.  Raise Bolton’s profile with leading national group holiday companies to ensure that its attractions, accommodation and events feature on itineraries for day and overnight excursions.  Encourage group visits to Bolton, targeting group travel organisers and coach companies, and educational visits.  Promote places to visit, events and itineraries to groups staying at local hotels, encouraging them to visit Bolton’s attractions as part of their trip.  Review the opportunities for creating a package of tours that incorporate Bolton’s visitor attractions and will appeal to the group travel market.

(b) Short breaks and day visitors

 Deliver ‘Visit Bolton’ campaigns to capitalise on the ‘staycation’ trend, focussing on Bolton’s strengths including the friendliness of the local population, sport, events, countryside, history and heritage, faith tourism, and value for money.  Work in partnership with key organisations such as Visit Manchester, building Bolton’s offer into their campaigns and activity to target the short breaks and day visitor markets  Target promotions through online activity centred around websites and social media, so that businesses in Bolton share information and ensure good coverage across all media platforms or outlets  Review how Bolton Council’s websites and social media work together, improving co-ordination and ensuring that activity is ‘future proof’ for the life of the strategy and beyond.  Be aware of emerging travel planning services such as Gliider and Tripbase and respond to any opportunities for Bolton.  Review the benefits to Bolton of the Manchester’s Countryside campaign, shaping and influencing future activity so that it benefits Bolton.  Promote more effectively the West Pennine Moors and surrounding countryside, ensuring that local areas of interest such as Horwich and its attractions, accommodation and places to eat feature prominently in such activity.  Continue to promote positive images of Bolton such as the friendliness of local residents, in order to continue to address out-dated negative images.  Explore promotional opportunities arising from Bolton’s links with its twin towns of Le Mans (France) and Paderborn (Germany)

(c) Local residents

 Promote value for money leisure opportunities to local residents, based on themes such as local countryside, markets, events and attractions.  Review how Bolton Council’s websites and social media work together, improving co-ordination in order to convey specific messages to Bolton residents.  Work with large employers, schools or initiatives such as the Creative Tourist campaign to promote the local offer more effectively. Page 16 of 21 16  Review the benefits to Bolton of the Manchester’s Countryside campaign, shaping and influencing future activity so that it benefits Bolton.  Proactively encourage local residents to promote Bolton to their friends and relatives to generate new and repeat visits.  Run a campaign to encourage residents from the black and minority ethnic (BME) population to visit events and attractions across Bolton, using the most effective networks and publications.  Utilise opportunities around the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay and Bolton’s profile as one of seven northwest destinations chosen to hold an evening celebration event for the Olympic Torch.  Maximise opportunities around the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 and Bolton’s bid for City status, upon which a decision will be made the same year.

(d) Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)

 Work with Visit Manchester and MICE venues across Bolton to effectively promote the area to these type of visitors, maximising opportunities around the emerging Conference Bolton group  Encourage businesses to work closely together to adequately refer enquiries  Work with Visit Manchester and the University of Bolton to maximise opportunities around specialist conferences, the Manchester Conference Ambassador Programme and possible international association visits.

Page 17 of 21 17 Strategic Aim 3 - Improving the visitor experience in Bolton

The UK and northwest tourism industry is extremely competitive and customers are increasingly discerning and price conscious. Future tourism development in Bolton must therefore focus on both quality and value for money in order to ensure that it remains a competitive destination.

Improving the Visitor Experience in Bolton: Actions 2012 – 2015

(a) Tourist Information

 Ensure that Visit Bolton marketing activity works across all online platforms including websites, social media and smart phones and that it is future proof for the life of the strategy.  Provide tourist information in Bolton to a high standard, meeting national service criteria for face to face, telephone, email and out of hours enquiries.  Produce visitor information in alternative formats such as Braille, large text and audio as required.  Maintain pedestrian and tourism information signage in and around Bolton town centre  Respond to changes in Government Policy and any outcomes around a possible change in regulations for brown and white tourism highway (signs  Ensure that there is clear information provision at Bolton and Horwich Parkway railway stations, working with Network Rail and their experiences from the pilot ‘visitor welcome scheme’ at Manchester Piccadilly.  Ensure good, timely communication with local tourism businesses, ensuring that they are properly equipped to supply visitors with relevant information.

(b) Accommodation

 Follow the national guidance from Visit England and operate a ‘quality assured only’ police in Visit Bolton marketing activity.  Assist new and existing accommodation providers in achieving and retaining membership of nationally recognised quality inspection schemes.  Encourage participation in schemes which promote environmental good practice, such as the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

(c) Visitor Attractions

 Actively encourage attractions to participate, and remain in, nationally recognised visitor attractions quality assurance schemes.

(d) Food and Drink

 Support schemes which promote quality in the food and drink sector and encourage take up from local businesses  Use the Bolton Food and Drink Festival to highlight the quality and diversity of local produce / suppliers and raise quality across the sector.  Use opportunities around the Food Connect project (a Rural Development Programme for England initiative) to improve links between tourism businesses and local food suppliers.

(e) Visitors with Disabilities

 Promote sources of advice, training and examples of ‘good practice’ in this area, to businesses and partners.  Promote relevant provision such as Shopmobility and Changing Places within marketing material for town centre events and other tourism activity.

(f) Skills and training

 Improve the skills-base of the local workforce by promoting the range of customer care, management and staff training opportunitiesPage 18 available. of 21 18  Deliver training courses to improve the ‘tourism product knowledge’ of staff at Bolton visitor economy businesses.  Encourage tourism businesses to be aware of the needs of different ethnic groups for example the needs of customers from the Muslim and Hindu communities.  Make businesses aware of the opportunities around catering for the lesbian and gay market.

(g) Awards Schemes

 Encourage Bolton businesses to participate in the Manchester Tourism Awards and other high profile schemes which celebrate excellence.  Work with Visit Manchester to ensure that the Manchester Tourism Awards are relevant for all local tourism businesses e.g. by maintaining a Bed and Breakfast of the Year category and allowing entries from three star properties.  Encourage participation in schemes which promote environmental good practice, such as the Green Tourism Business Scheme.  Utilise opportunities to communicate examples of good practice.

Page 19 of 21 19 Strategic Aim 4 – Promoting and Supporting Effective Partnerships

If Bolton’s Visitor economy is to continue to truly develop, Bolton Council, Visit Manchester, tourism businesses and other partners must continue to work together efficiently by focussing on clear measurable outcomes. As outlined in the Greater Manchester Tourism strategy review (2011), given limited funding, the priority must now be to make more of existing assets and improve the quality and co-ordination of partnership working.

Focussing and Supporting Effective Partnerships Actions 2012 – 2015

(a) Consolidate and further develop partnerships with Visit Manchester – the Tourist Board for Greater Manchester

 Build on the strong working relationship between Visit Manchester and Bolton Council, creating clearly defined activity which provides added value outcomes for both organisations  Identify and maximise opportunities for Bolton arising from Manchester’s ‘pathfinder destination’ status within Visit England’s Strategic Framework  Ensure that Bolton’s events and visitor attractions are promoted in Visit Manchester online and offline promotional activity.  Ensure that Visit Manchester proactively supports Bolton council’s major events programme, particularly focussing on flagship events such as the Bolton Food and Drink Festival.  Take an active role in advising on Visit Manchester’s activity, inputting into their annual ‘Destination Management Plan’ and other planning documents.

(b) Bolton Tourism businesses

 Hold three meetings per year for key tourism businesses in Bolton, including representatives from the accommodation, attractions, entertainment and retail sectors. Work with tourism operators to ensure that these meetings cover relevant topics and monitor their effectiveness through member feedback, adapting if necessary.  Support the emerging Conference Bolton group which focuses on partnership activity to attract MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) to the area.  Maintain excellent communication between Bolton Council and visitor economy businesses in Bolton at all times, obtaining regular feedback and adapting communication as necessary.

(c) Partnerships with Other Neighbouring Local Authorities

 Support targeted partnership projects with authorities across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and elsewhere where it benefits Bolton to do so.

(d) The University of Bolton

 Work closely with and support the International Tourism Management faculty at The University of Bolton.  Maintain links between The University of Bolton, Visit Manchester and tourism businesses in Bolton in order to stimulate partnership working and mutually beneficial initiatives.

(e) 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

 Ensure that all venues, Bolton Council and other partners work effectively to maximise opportunities around Olympic and Paralympic teams using Bolton as a base for their Pre- games training camps.  Sustain the Bolton 2012 External Partners Group, ensuring that it meets regularly, has clear objectives and monitors the impact of activity after the 2012 games.  Monitor and evaluate the impact on, and benefits to, Bolton of 2012 activity.

Page 20 of 21 20 6. Conclusion

Bolton’s visitor economy has grown and developed during the life of the ‘Bolton 2011’, the last tourism strategy. There have been notable successes during this time, specifically around major events, development of attractions and in partnership working between Bolton Council, Visit Manchester and local tourism businesses.

This strategy responds to challenging economic times, a reduction in public sector funding and aims to take advantage of future trends such as an increased interest amongst UK residents in taking domestic day trips and short breaks (the so called ‘Staycation effect’).

The visitor economy strategy for Bolton 2012 – 2015 sets a challenging, but realistic vision for tourism in Bolton and targets have been established, against which the success of the strategy will ultimately be judged at the end of its life in 2015. The vision and targets cannot be delivered by Bolton Council alone, however, and if tourism in Bolton is to reach its true potential, partnership activity must mature further and become more effective over the next three years.

In order to ensure delivery, annual action plans will be brought forward, shared with key partners and monitored for each financial year up to April 2015.

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