Worcestershire Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Strengths Accessibility / Central location Variety of visitor attractions / places to stay Strong mix of towns and countryside / rural landscape Quintessential England Strong range of events & festivals – some internationally known (e.g. Three Choirs Festival) Strong identifiable brands (e.g. West Midland Safari & Leisure Park, Malvern Theatres, Malvern Hills, Elgar, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, Morgan Motors) Waterways (both Rivers & Canals) Variety of conference & events venues (business tourism & weddings, etc) Shopping across the county (specialist shops such as arts & crafts, antiques, jewellery, etc.) Local food & drink TIC’s at key locations University of Worcester & The Hive Three Counties Showground Significant investment in developing venues (e.g. Stanbrook Abbey, Wood Norton, West Midland Safari & Leisure Park, Three Counties Showground, sporting venues) Proud Heritage Sporting offer for both participants & spectators (e.g. rugby, cricket, basketball, rowing, fishing & watersports) Local tourism networks (e.g. North Worcestershire Tourism, FarmStay, Malvern Hills B&B Consortium, etc.) Tourism alliances between interested parties Walking routes Strong links between tourism & the arts through Worcestershire Arts Partnership Peace & tranquillity Weaknesses Lack of 4/5 star quality of accommodation in Worcester City TIC’s across the county are not connected / varying quality of service / opening hours Dispersal of visitors from key attractions around the destination Inadequate public transport particularly on Sunday’s to/from airports/London & need to extend winter park & ride hours. Journey times are too long (also a lack of busses from Worcester to Lower Broadheath - Elgar Birthplace Museum) Reliability of public transport (e.g. buses keeping to timetables) Too dependent of cars No free parking in Broadway to help traders Poor signage (motorway, trunk roads, on entry to Worcestershire, visitor attractions, town centres) – too much focus on road safety & not the economy Traffic congestion in Worcester City & southern link bypass (particularly during large scale events at Three Counties Showground Retention of skills in the county (students trained in Worcestershire but then work elsewhere) Too many different organisations responsible for tourism in Worcestershire - businesses find it confusing as to who does what and want less people to deal with. Lack of celebrities from/based in Worcestershire (e.g. Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House) No coach parking in Droitwich Spa Understanding visitor needs (e.g. shops not open on Sunday’s in towns) Lack of literature promoting walking and cycling routes Lack of pavements on main roads in rural areas making it unsafe for pedestrians (e.g. A44 Evesham to Broadway at Wickhamford) Lack of billboards / sites in Worcester City to put up posters to promote events Need to increase visitor numbers, particularly in town centres No business plan / strategy for developing a strong tourist trade in Droitwich Spa Droitwich Spa Railway Station is not welcoming to visitors No one leaflet distribution company that covers Worcestershire and surrounding areas - also guide books & leaflets needed in village shops Lack of up-to-date visitor statistics and trends data Limited / patchy mobile phone coverage & lack of high speed internet Opportunities LEP’s (Local Enterprise Partnerships) in both Worcestershire & Greater Birmingham – opportunity to encourage large businesses to support SME’s to realise their strategic position e.g. large businesses benefit from SME’s Funding through the LEP’s Increase cross-border working e.g. with Visit Herefordshire, Malvern Hills AONB, Cotswold AONB, Gloucestershire, Wyre Forest in Shropshire, etc. Development of Bromsgrove town centre Malvern Route to the Hills connecting the hills to the town Opening of Kidderminster Carpet Museum - also develop a heritage trail linking carpets to needles (Forge Mill Needle Museum) Technology (internet, social media, mobile, etc.) Range of street markets Expanding events through partnership working and using them to increase footfall / additional spend in the towns Make more of recreational parks and spaces in towns (e.g. Children's park in Upton upon Severn is central but very run down) Promoting Worcestershire more through Stratford/Shakespeare, Elgar, Malvern Hills, local food/drink (Vale of Evesham), waterways, Cathedral/Sporting City, Cotswolds, Wyre Forest, etc More promotion needed for northern Worcestershire beauty Encouraging further links between towns & twinning connections Strengthen connections with the GeoPark Way Mid Worcestershire Ring Arts Trail Strengthen links to key Worcestershire area brands (Malvern Hills, Cotswolds, etc.) More offers to encourage further/repeat visits and increased length of stays (e.g. reduced parking fees for special events, promotions via special interest/themed packages such as educational breaks, offer a restaurants reservation service, etc.) More marketing to target group visits (e.g. possibly exhibit at Group Travel & Leisure Show, offer more incentives to Group Travel Organisers). Develop & market provision for disabilities Increase awareness of the county attractions to Worcestershire businesses (more familiarisation visits) & residents (Visiting Friends & Relatives market) Encourage churches to be more involved in the bigger picture to encourage more visitors e.g. through Heritage Open Days Campaign to promote open gardens and churches to add value Improve quality of customer service & positivity of Worcestershire (specifically retail outlets, taxi’s) via additional training Further development and marketing of the green (sustainable) tourism offer Commercialisation of selling the county and also up-selling (e.g. businesses directing their visitors the other venues) West Midland Safari & Leisure Park developments Improvements to Worcester Foregate Street Railway Station Increase links with transport operators such as rail, bus and coach to offer incentives to increase visitor use. More promotions at Strensham and Frankley Service Stations on the M5 to encourage more passers by to stop and enjoy Worcestershire More marketing campaigns within 2.5 hours travel time to include Wales, East Midlands, Cheshire Encourage further working together between local councils and businesses in towns so everyone can play a part in developing and promoting the towns More promotion of the arts/cultural offer More business support needed to further develop the conference market More joined up walking routes Help accommodation providers strengthen links to local events and attractions Develop and promote short, medium and long term plans for tourism at all levels (town councils/trade associations, districts and county) Specific marketing to promote fishing and walking Run a Secrets of Worcestershire marketing campaign Provide promotional options for small businesses that can't afford leaflet distribution Joint target marketing with the University of Worcester Agree destination wide USP's that everyone promotes to increase perceptions of the area Set up a passport for individuals to buy giving reduced entry to attractions Threats Reduced public sector funding and general lack of finance Climate change and adverse/extreme weather (flooding is a particular negative public perception) Increasing competition from other UK & overseas destinations with greater resources Private landlords being inflexible in the rates they charge resulting in too many empty shops in towns No joined up approach to managing town centres Economic downturn .