Urban Tourism Carte Engleza

8/8/2019 Urban Tourism Carte Engleza

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/urban-tourism-carte-engleza 1/174

Towardsquality urban tourism

Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

EUROPEAN COMMISSION





A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2000

ISBN 92-828-7543-1

This publication has been prepared in the framework of a study contract. The views expressed may not in any circum-stances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.

© European Communities, 2000

Printed in Italy



3

F O R E W O R D

Tourism is essential to achieving the general objectives of the European Union, namely the promotion of the European citi-zen’s interests, growth and employment, regional development, the management of cultural and natural heritage as well asstrengthening European identity.

The importance that is attached to urban areas can be seen from the communication from the Commission ‘Sustainable

urban development in the European Union: a framework for action’ of October 1998 which aims in particular to enhanceeconomic prosperity and employment in towns and cities and to improve the urban environment.

Quality tourism can contribute to sustainable development of urban areas by improving the competitiveness of businesses,meeting social needs and preserving the cultural and natural environment.

To be simultaneously successful in all these different areas at the level of tourist destinations requires a global approach,focused on tourist satisfaction and based on the principles of sustainable development, which is described in this publicationas integrated quality management (IQM).

Although IQM is a relatively new approach, a certain number of urban tourist destinations are making real efforts in thisdirection. They have defined strategies with the key partners, are implementing good practice and are constantly developingmonitoring and evaluation tools for adjusting that approach according to its economic, social and environmental impact. Thepurpose of this publication is to draw lessons from the experience of these destinations and to make recommendations use-

ful for urban tourist destinations.The Commission communication on ‘Enhancing tourism’s potential for employment’ of April 1999, underlines the importanceof a wide dissemination of this kind of work. On the basis of that communication, the Council of Ministers on 21 June 1999gave a further boost to activities in the area of quality and sustainability in tourism. Moreover, guidelines for programmes inthe period 2000–06, adopted by the Commission on 1 July 1999 recommend that the Structural Funds support tourismdevelopment by pursuing these objectives.

The Commission intends to foster the exchange of good practice in the area of tourism, with the help of all the public andindustry partners concerned.

Erkki LiikanenMember of the European Commission

Foreword





5

C O N T E N T S

s INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Who is this publication for?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

What kind of urban destinations have been studied? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Working method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

What does this publication contain?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

s PART 1: Context, findings and recommendations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1 – Basic concepts of integrated quality management (IQM) oftourist destinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

General approach and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Developing an IQM strategy — where to start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14What theories are helpful in developing an IQM approach? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Applying an IQM approach to urban tourist destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 2 – Urban tourism and integrated quality management . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The new interest in urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Recent trends in urban tourism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

An IQM approach has to take account of the context of urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

IQM in today’s urban tourist destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 3 – The dynamics of partnership and design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Impetus for the plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Finding a lead authority for the partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Very different strategic plans and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Contents



6

C O N T E N T S

Chapter 4 – The dynamics of implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Public authority initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The environment and sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Accessibility and mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

The lead authority’s services and support for professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Internal communication and leadership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

External communication, promot ion and the new technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Training of competent personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Tourist services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Tourist information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Visitor care and orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Accommodation and catering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Attractions, events, combined products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 5 – The dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment . . . . . . . 45

The threefold dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Tourist satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Satisfaction of tourism professionals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Local people’s quality of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Helping tourists to behave responsibly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Impact on the local economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Impact on environmental quality and sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Adjusting components of the approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Chapter 6 – Digest of recommendations for urban destinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . 51



7

C O N T E N T S

PART 2: Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Amsterdam (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Aix-en-Provence (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Coimbra (Portugal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Dublin (Ireland) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Glasgow (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Gothenburg (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Leipzig (Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Loutraki (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Malaga (Spain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Orléans & Blois (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Rhodes (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

St Andrews (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Stockholm (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Volterra (Italy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Winchester (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Annex: Glossary and references. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163





9

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Close on 80 % of Europe’s population lives in towns andcities, making Europe the world’s most built-up continent (1)

and the urban question one of the major issues for futureyears.

Urban conurbations mirror the problems that face Europeansociety as a whole: traffic gridlock, pollution, lawlessness andunemployment. They are not just the main places in whichwealth is created and the focus of cultural and social devel-opment, however, but places where people live and work,shop and enjoy leisure pursuits.

Renewed interest in urban tourism since the beginning of the1980s has brought about a sharp upturn in this kind oftourism.

Various interlinked factors have undoubtedly played a part inthis: the need to breathe life back into and rehabilitate thehistoric centres of towns, wider-ranging and more diversifiedcultural pursuits, consumers’ interest in the heritage and ur-ban development and their search for things to do and forspending opportunities.

The fact that people are taking more, but shorter, holidays,the advent of the single market and the general increase inmobility have also helped to build up urban tourism inEurope.

The broader range of activities and leisure pursuits that visi-tors are seeking is extending what is on offer. This diversifi-

cation is also due to a growing awareness of tourism amongpolitical decision-makers who are increasingly keen to pro-mote it as a key factor in economic development bringingwealth and employment.

Tourism is being seen as a cornerstone of a policy of urbandevelopment that combines a competitive supply able tomeet visitors’ expectations with a positive contribut ion to thedevelopment of towns and cities and the well-being of theirresidents.

Integrated quality management (IQM ) offers an opportuni-ty to act on both these fronts: economic development, on

the one hand, and urban development, on the other hand.By offering visitors a unique and original experience and bytrying as far as possible to satisfy residents’ rightful aspira-tions for harmonious economic and social development thatshows concern for the environment.

Taking 15 case studies of European urban tourist destinationsas a starting point, this publication highlights factors thathave helped to make such strategies successful, looks atmethods and procedures and shows what resources havebeen implemented and what results have been obtained.

Urban tourism

Introduction

This publication is for everyone, whether in the public or pri-vate sector, involved in managing urban destinations. Not just those in charge of, or providers of, tourist services orproducts in destinations, but also those responsible for urbandevelopment (planning and urban development depart-ments, development and environmental agencies, etc.). Thecase studies and recommendations may also provide food

for thought for local, regional and national public authorit ies,the tourism industry and in particular SMEs which are thedriving force behind and the cornerstones of an urban des-tination’s quality initiatives.

The publication also looks at the ways in which tourism en-terprises can help individually or collectively to improve adestination’s quality.

Who is this publication for?

(1) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.



10

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Urban destinations from the whole of the European Eco-nomic Area that are being promoted as tourist destinations.They include small towns and large cities, towns with a tra-dition of tourism and towns where tourism is a more recentdevelopment, as well as towns active in various urban

tourism markets (cultural cities, leisure centres, business cen-tres, trade fair and conference towns). Residential towns andtowns with fewer than 20 000 inhabitants were excluded ascase studies.

What kind of urban destinations have been studied?

This publication is the result of a study conducted by the Bel-

gian contractor OGM (‘Organisation Gestion Marketing’)for the Tourism Unit of Directorate-General Enterprise of theEuropean Commission.

Information gathered from European, national and regionalorganisations and an assessment of the replies to a self-eval-uation questionnaire sent out to 171 urban destinations inthe European Economic Area provided a starting point foridentifying and selecting the 15 case studies.

A panel of experts initially selected a long list of 28 destina-tions which, following further examination, were reduced to

a final list of 15 destinations for detailed study (in particular

through a visit to the destination).

The 15 destinations finally selected reflect the diversity ofEuropean urban tourist destinations from the point of viewof their location, size, openness to and reliance on tourismand the progress that has been made with quality initiativesand the ways in which such initiatives can be implemented,as well as their objectives and strategies.

While these may not be unique situations, they do illustratereal experiences and can in no way be considered to bemodels.

Working method

It has two main parts:

• Part 1 includes basic information and the study’s mainfindings and recommendations. It is divided into three

strands: — Chapters 1 and 2 explain what methods were used for

the study and what integrated quality managementmeans for an urban tourist destination,

— Chapters 3, 4 and 5 look at factors playing a key partin the successful preparation, implementation and fol-

low-up of such initiatives by urban tourist destinationsand are illustrated by examples taken from the casestudies,

— Chapter 6 is a digest of recommendations for the im-plementation of integrated quality management with-in urban tourist destinations;

• Part 2 looks in detail at the 15 case studies.

What does this publication contain?



11

Part 1

Context,findings and

recommendations

1





13

C H A P T E R

1

Improving quality in European tourist destinations is an es-sential requirement in satisfying tourists’ needs, in enhanc-ing the competitiveness of the European tourism industry,and in ensuring balanced and sustainable tourism develop-ment.

Quality exists only to the extent that a product or servicemeets the customer’s requirements and expectations.Accordingly, the individual elements making up a strategybased on quality ‘standards’ must be founded on a thoroughunderstanding of the customer.

Total quality management systems are a common feature in

the approach developed for specific tourist service providers(tour operators, travel agents, hotels, restaurants, etc.).However, as far as the tourist is concerned, the satisfaction

derived from staying at a destination depends not only onexperience of specific tourist services, but also on more gen-eral factors, for example hospitality, safety and security, sani-tation and salubrity, traffic and visitor management. A largenumber of elements have an impact on the tourist’s percep-tion of a destination, on the level of his/ her satisfaction and,in consequence, on the tourist’s willingness to make a repeatvisit and to recommend the destination to potential visitors.

The success of a destination in terms of the satisfaction of thetourist is a function, therefore, of several interdependentcomponents. This underscores the need for strategic and in-tegrated planning of tourist destinations, together with the

selective use of specific tools and techniques to address in-tegrated quality management (including quality control) ofthe destination.

General approach and objectives

Tourism — requiring an integrated approach to quality

Basic concepts of integratedquality management ( IQM)

of tourist destinations

The reference framework given by the European Commission for analysing good practice in the area of integrated qualitymanagement of tourist destinations and presenting them in this publication is:

What objectives does integrated quality management seek to achieve in touristdestinations?

Integrated quality management (IQM) should simultaneously take into account, and have a favourable impact on theactivities of tourism professionals, tourists, the local population and the environment (that is the natural, cultural and

man-made assets of the destination).

The integrated quality management strategy implemented in destinations must have the requirements of tourists as one

of its major considerations.

The purpose of this publication is not to formulate ‘once and for all’ a single and official definition of IQM for tourist desti-nations but to provide practical recommendations to all interested parties on the basis of this reference framework.





15

C H A P T E R

1

Quality management is closely linked to the concept of on-

going improvement.

Quality management is not like a capital asset, but is a task – in the sense of making something evolve.

It is implemented within a reference framework, uses toolsand methods and involves repetition and evaluation (we talkof the quality loop).

Standard ISO 8402 defines quality management as: ‘all ac-tivities of the overall management function that determinethe quality policy, objectives and responsibilities, and imple-

ment them by means such as quality planning (quality con-trol), quality assurance and quality improvement within the

quality system’.This definition applies to all sectors. Several internationalorganisations (WTO, ISO, CEN) (3) are, however, working toadapt this definition to the tourism sector.

In other words, while the tourism sector does not have an in-ternational and global regulatory framework, a number ofrecent init iatives are moving in the same direction and reflectthe concern shared by all those involved to achieve progressin this area.

Quality management

Integrated quality management

For a tourist destination, IQM can be seen as a systematic quest for internal and external quality, i.e. economic im-

provement in the short term and local development in the long term.

Internal quality is the value that tourists receive throughout the chain of experiences characterising their visit from the

initial information that they receive prior to departure to the ‘after-sales’ service. This chain includes private links (pri-

vate services purchased directly at market price) and public services such as general publicity, road maintenance, water

management, public cleanliness, security, etc. Internal quality has short-term aims.

External quality means the development of sustainable tourism with a rational and renewable use of resources such as

territory, energy, water, natural resources, the heritage, etc., in order to prevent problems of congestion. The aim of ex-ternal quality is one of long-term equilibrium.

(3) World Tourism Organisation, International Standardisation Organisation, European Standardisation Committee.



16

C H A P T E R

1

The integrated quality management of a destination, i.e. ofa coherent tourism system, is relatively new. Most of the ini-tiatives discussed in this study were launched in the 1990s.

There are at least three reasons to explain why IQM is sucha recent development:

• more intense competitive pressures on both the supplyand demand sides;

• the newness of quality management itself which was de-veloped during the 1980s in the service sector;

• the complex nature of the integrated quality management

of a tourist destination due to various factors: – the number and range of agencies involved in produc-

ing and marketing the service, making coordination oftheir action very complex,

– finding out who is involved, defining their functionwithin the tourist service production system and theirrespective importance in the service that is provided,

– the problem of pinpointing and characterising tourists’expectations (since tourists are a very varied group thatis difficult to survey) and therefore of segmenting thedifferent target groups and adapting services to meettheir needs,

– the complex problem of measuring the global perform-ance of the system and ensuring improved living condi-tions for local residents.

Lastly, European institutional and cultural differences, to-gether with the lack of a standardised regulatory model forthe quality management of tourist destinations, necessarilymean that different destinations take different approaches

that may be shaped by:

• whether or not there is a national, regional or local statu-

tory framework for quality plans;

• what stage has been reached with thinking about and thepractice of quality management in destinations;

• the degree of integration of:

– the type and number of agencies involved in the inte-grated quality management approach,

– the ways in which these agencies are involved and theirdegree of involvement in decision-making, the designand implementation of the quality action plan and itsevaluation,

– the various measures implemented by the destination inorder to meet the objectives of the quality plan, i.e. theprocesses.

What theories are helpful in developing an IQM approach?

IQM: a new development with a wealth of different approaches

Integrated quality management can be approached in anumber of ways. Most of these approaches originated in theprivate sector. If they are to be applied to tourist destinations,they need to be adapted in two ways. They need:

• to integrate the public dimension;

• to take account of all the public and private agencies in-volved and their many and complex interactions.

Three considerations shaped the choice of the tools exam-ined in this study:

• the notion of integrated management;

• a dynamic scheme for defining the service;

• target group identification.

Taking these three key areas as a starting point, we initiallychose two management tools or methods of analysis thathave proved to be efficient: the EFQM (European Founda-tion for Quality Management) model and the quality loop.

We gradually adapted these tools to provide a specific ap-proach: the ‘chart of the integrated quality management ap-

proach proposed for urban tourist destinations’, which wasused to identify and analyse ‘good practice’ in the case stud-ies discussed in Part 2.

Developing an IQM approach in keeping with tourist destinations



17

C H A P T E R

1

Based, on the one hand, on the quality loop concept devel-oped by E. Deming and, on the other hand, on the AFNOR

standard NF XP X 50-805, this model paves the way for adynamic improvement by pinpointing and closing the gaps

between expected, perceived, provided and desired quality

levels.

The level of quality that tourists expect is shaped by theirimplicit or explicit expectations, which in turn depend to a

large extent on the type of customer involved, previous ex-periences in the same resort or in other comparable touristdestinations, etc. The customer’s expectations and percep-tions of the quality of a service can be modified by activecommunication and by the destination’s marketing policy.

Other gaps can be usefully pinpointed and analysed. For in-stance, the gap (Gap 2) between operators’ perception ofexpectations and its translation into objectives (quality de-

sired). This kind of strategic choice can be set out in a qual-ity plan.

From the point of view of service production, it is interestingto look at the gap (Gap 3) between the level of quality de-

sired by the destination and what it actually supplies (quali-ty provided). This gap shows how well the destination is per-forming.

Lastly, the gap (Gap 4) between what is actually supplied andvisitors’ perceptions of what is available (quality perceived)can be closed by a promotion and information policy andcampaigns about the destination’s image.

This model is interesting as it creates a dynamic and high-lightsthe points of view of the user (the tourist) and the pro-

ducer (the service provider). It highlights different levels andexpectations of quality, identifies gaps between these levels

and makes it possible to close them.

The model is global and can be applied to the (public and pri-vate) ‘tourist destination’ system.

It also has the advantage of introducing a permanent repe-tition mechanism which is absolutely essential if a strategy ofongoing improvement is to be formulated and placed on apermanent footing.

The quali ty loop for a tourist destination: pinpointing and closing gaps

Objective: to close gaps betweendifferent types of quality

• M onitoring of customersatisfaction

• Standards and quality indicators

• Involvement of operators

• Implication of operators

• Pooling of strategic information

• Incentive system

• Appropriate technologies

• Conservation of touristresources

• Training of industry prof essionals

Promotion and imagepolicy

Explicit expectationsImplicit expectations

Quality expected

Quality perceived

Quality provided

Quality desired

Perception ofquality expectationsby operators

Gap 1

Gap 4

Gap 3

Gap 2

Diagram 1 — The quality loop (4)

As the diagram shows, the objective of quality managementbased on the quality loop model is continually to close gapsin order to bring the service supplied into line with the cus-tomer’s expectations. These gaps are divided by type andneed to be corrected in different ways.

There is an initial gap between the quality level expected bythe visitor and the service provider’s understanding of thislevel (Gap 1).


The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality M anagement)has equivalents in the United States (Malcolm Baldridge) andin Japan (Deming Price). It is applied in many public and pri-vate enterprises practising self-evaluation.

Overall, the EFQM model breaks down into three stages:

• strategy: primarily involving the whole of the directionand management structure leading the project, i.e. that

structure that formulates objectives and policies, in order

to develop available resources in an optimum way whilepaying particular attention to human resource manage-ment;

• practical measures: these are the initiatives and plans ofaction for each of the interlinked themes (accommoda-tion, transport, etc.) through which the policies and objectives drawn up during the first stage can be achieved;

The EFQM model: a global model for the evaluation of quality management



• results: expressed through measurement instruments andindicators of customer and tourism personnel satisfaction,not forgetting impact on society in the broad sense.

The EFQM model looks at nine key factors of quality man-agement. The model criteria are weighted but not ranked.

These key factors have been adapted so that they can beused to analyse the case studies of tourist destinations.

The weighting system used for the prize(5) awarded byEFQM has not been used in t he case studies (see Part 2). Theanalysis and presentation framework for these case studieshas been formulated solely from the broad outline of the

model.

18

C H A P T E R

1


These two models are in no way prescriptive and do not setout standards. In other words, they do not indicate whatneeds to be done or how to do it.

They do, however, stress, either through gaps (quality loop)or through self-evaluation (EFQM), what are to be seen asfactors of success in quality management.

These global models are in keeping with the diversity whichis one of Europe’s competitive strengths: IQM has to providea positive impetus but does not have to be uniform.

In order to identify the factors of success in a tourist desti-nation the models were used, on the one hand, to constructquestionnaires evaluating ‘good practice’ during the stage ofpre-selection of the destinations to be short listed for the casestudies and, on the other hand, to formulate a standardanalysis grid providing a structure for the good practices ofeach destination.

They also made it possible, follow ing a series of refinements,to construct and test the ‘chart of the integrated quality

management approach proposed for urban tourist destina-

tions’.

Like any model, the latter is a way of representing reality anddiffers from a method which has a number of stages thatneed to be carried out to achieve a desired result.

It is important to note that the many European tourist desti-nations which are launching or developing IQM initiativesare opting for methods that often differ and that are illus-trated in the following chapters.

Using these two basic models to formulate an IQM strategy

Leadership

People

management

People

satisfaction

ResourcesImpact

on society

Operationalresults

Policy and

strategyCustomer

satisfactionProcess

Enabling factors Results

Diagram 2 — The EFQM model



19

C H A P T E R

1

Leader, acteurspublics et privés,population locale

Diagram 3 — Chart of an IQM approach for urban tourist destinations

Commonproject

Dynamics ofpartnership

Lead authority(Leading the partners);main partners and howthey are linked

Division of rolesbetween the partners

Strategy andpolicies Operations Indicators Results

Dynamics ofimplementation

Dynamics ofmonitoring

Dynamics of evaluationand adjustment

Dynamics ofdesign

Public authorityinitiatives

Tourist satisfaction

Recommendations tothe lead authority andpublic and privateoperators

Lead authority,public and privateoperators

Evaluation of results

Satisfaction of tourismprofessionals

Local people’squality of life

Impact on t helocal economy

Impact on t heenvironment


Analysis of thecurrent situation

Objectives andoverall strategy

Environment andsustainable development

Lead authorityand partners

The lead authority’sservices and supportfor professionals

Tourist services offeredby all partners before,during and afterthe visit


Leader, public andprivate operatorsand local people

I n t e g r a t i o n

Integration

Human resources

Ongoing cycle

Each stage

and key elements

Main concept

Content

Partners involved

Five stages : (1) Identify the partners (2) Decide on action (3) Implement action (4) Measure effects (5) Evaluate and adjust

On the basis of the models discussed above and after com-paring theory with practice, the integrated quality manage-ment approach of tourist destinations can be shown in theform of the following chart:

Applying an IQM approach to urban tourist destinations:



The IQM approach relates and integrates the five stages thatmark out the quality management chain applied to a touristdestination, and attempts to describe, for each of thesestages, its driving force, its content and the agencies and

people that it involves. It provides and therefore requires ver-tical as well as horizontal integration:

• vertical integration: no stage can function unless the ele-ments that make it up are closely linked.

• horizontal integration: the approach can function only ifthe five stages are linked by a continuous cyclical processthrough which all the elements of the approach being im-plemented can be adjusted on the basis of the results ob-

tained.

20

C H A P T E R

1

The IQM approach proposed for urban tourist destinations

1. In the first instance, a genuine plan is needed, backed by a leader capable of rallying and influencing all the partners

in the destination in question.

2. The strategy and the policies that it requires (human resources, natural resources, quality of life, cultural heritage,etc.) can then be drawn up and placed on a formal footing by the partners involved, under the supervision of the lead

authority.

3. This lays the foundations for the implementation of measures by the various public and private providers of the dif-

ferent services to be provided, both within and outside the system.

4. The approach is regularly measured, using a set of indicators, by the partners involved and the lead authority in

order to survey the satisfaction of the various target groups, integration into the community and the conservation of

resources from the point of view of sustainable development.

5. In this interactive process, the authority leading the plan ensures that results are analysed and lessons drawn from

them so that those corrections and additions felt to be important can be injected at each level of the chain in order to

ensure the correct functioning of the chain as a whole. It is this ongoing repetition that causes the system to operate

as a loop.

This approach has a number of advantages since:

• it enables analysis of the information gathered in the des-tinations selected as case studies, in Part 2;

• it provides a structure for summarising the findings of thecase studies and for formulating practical recommenda-tions:

– on the dynamics of partnership and design in Chapter 3,

– on the dynamics of implementation in Chapter 4,

– on the dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjust-ment in Chapter 5,

(all these recommendations are summarised in Chapter 6);

• it makes it possible to develop steering and self-evaluationof all the measures taken for the purposes of integratedquality management of a tourist destination.



21

C H A P T E R

2

While urban tourism was one of the earliest forms oftourism, there was a major shift away from this kind oftourism to coastal, rural or mountain destinations betweenthe introduction of paid leave and the beginning of the1980s. It is not therefore a new kind of tourism, but onewhich is re-emerging and growing and which is also helpingto provide more balanced tourism flows between the northand the south of Europe.

One of the results of this is that in-depth research is very re-cent, which undoubtedly explains why there is no real con-sensus about an unequivocal definition and why the statisti-cal indicators measuring its extent and it s many componentsare currently so inadequate (6).

Urban tourism can be seen as a result of the growing mo-

bility of Europeans for whom towns and cities are unavoid-able stopping-off points. It is also a result of behavioural

changes which are making towns and cities into centres ofculture and places of relaxation where people can shop andeat or pass their time in lively squares and public areas.

In 1990, G. J. Ashworth and J. E. Tunbridge ( 7) contendedthat urban tourism was incidental rather than intentional.This view would tend to be borne out by the growth of daytrips (one of the main features of urban tourism), transittourism, and visits by tourists on holiday in areas surround-ing towns and cities.

While towns and cities are in some cases the main focus ofthe visit, they have in particular become places where peo-ple stop off before they move on to visit a foreign country(or a region). Business people and conference delegates, aswell as holidaymakers, are ‘incidental’ visitors who spend alitt le of their t ime in these towns and cities.

The new interest in urban tourism

Urban tourism and integratedquality management

Urban tourism is complex, difficult to pin down and define,and depends on many factors such as the size of the town,its history and heritage, its morphology and its environment,its location, its image, etc.

S O U R C E : S T O C K H O L M I N F O R M A T I O N S E R V I C E / P H O T O : R . R Y A N

V ISITSTO

FOREIGN

COUNTRIES HAVE

TO TAKEIN THEIR

TOWNSAND CITIES

A survey conducted in 1990 among 835 tourism offices ofEuropean conurbations for the first European Urban TourismWorkshops made it possible to find out how Europeantourism offices perceived urban tourism (8) and to put for-ward this definition: ‘urban tourism is the set of tourist re-sources or activities located in towns and cities and offeredto visitors from elsewhere’ (9).

(6) Urban workshop organised by DG XXIII in 1998.(7) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.(8) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.(9) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.



Urban tourism includes activitiessuch as:

• leisure tourism linked to the particular features of urbanareas;

• business tourism linked to the economic, social and cul-tural vitality of towns and cities;

• conference tourism linked to the facilities available in andthe image of towns and cities.

Many initiatives intended in particular to pave the way forin-depth thought, exchanges of data and experiences andthe networking of towns and cities have been set up over thelast 10 years. These include:

• the working party on urban tourism set up by the Euro-pean Commission (10) in 1998;

• the Community init iative URBAN covering the period

1994–99, which had a budget of ECU/EUR 850 millionthrough which programmes are being implemented insome 115 towns and cities, in some cases with an impacton urban tourism;

• the Standing Conference on urban tourism in France;

• projects and programmes such as Atlantis(11), SustainableTourism Management in Europe(12), Gestratur (13);

• the creation of European networks of tourist of fices suchas the European Federation of Tourist Offices (FOTVE)(14);

• marketing initiatives such as Art Cities in Europe or TheGreat British Cities Action Plan(15);

• the creation of international themed tourist routes or trailssuch as the ‘Culture and water’, ‘Culture and walls’, ‘Ar-chitecture that shaped the face of towns and cities’ trails.

Many interesting initiatives are taking place in urban tourismwhich is nowadays very dynamic. There is substantial poten-tial for development in Europe since towns and cities are boththe places in which most Europeans live (accounting for 80 %of the European population) and the places where most so-

cial, economic and cultural activity is concentrated (

16

).

22

C H A P T E R

2

(10) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-ences’.

(11) Atlantis is a network of 10 towns on the At lantic, representing 10 regionsand five countries. The network is a forum for in-depth thinking and ex-changes of experiences on urban leisure tour ism.

(12) Including four European partners, the aim of this project is to show howinformation supplied to visitors and efficient marketing could pave the wayfor an appropriate tourist management strategy that gives priority to sus-tainable development.

(13) This intermodal tourist transport management project, including four Eu-

ropean partners, is intended to improve the Community air transport sys-tem by planning and managing tourist airports.

(14) Brochure drawn up by the European Federation of Tourism Offices(FOTVE), surveying the cultural output of 42 European towns and cities.This initiative is intended to promote and develop urban tourism and topave the way for exchanges of ideas.

(15) Club of the major British cities.(16) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-

ences’.(17) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-

ences’.

A number of new trends are to be found, albeit to differingdegrees, in most European towns and cit ies. They show why

towns and cities need to combine a high-quality tourist ex-

perience with the sustainable development of the town orcity and the advantages that this may provide for them.

Recent trends in urban tourism

• urban tourism accounts for 35 % of the international trav-el of Europeans with an annual average growth of 4 %over the last 10 years (17);

• according to the ETM (European Travel Monitor), urbantourism has a market share of 18 % and is a growing t rav-el preference among consumers; this is a Europe-wide

trend which seems to be more marked than for otherforms of t ourism;

• lengths of stay are short, although there has been a slightincrease in recent years;

• Europeans are taking several holidays a year and arechoosing urban tourism because they are increasingly fa-miliar with and at home in towns and cities;

• Europe increasingly seems to be a network of towns andcities;

Main market trends, on the demand side



23

C H A P T E R

2

• Europeans are increasingly dividing up their holidays, of-fering further opportunities for brief stays that mix cultur-al interests, shopping, events and, more simply, travelabroad;

• the latter two developments coupled with socio-demo-graphic changes (increased life expectancy, shorter work-ing week, continued rise in disposable income) are helpingprovide a much broader mix of visitor profiles (differentgenerations, multilingualism, differing socioeconomic lev-els, etc.);

• tourists are increasingly looking for f lexibility and diversityand for a wide range of opportunities enabling them toput together a stay of a few days combining sporting and

cultural activities, events, shopping, social activit ies and insome cases themed activities;

• urban cultural tourism is a mass phenomenon resultingfrom the growing demand for cultural activities that are

often concentrated in towns and cities (exhibitions, muse-ums, historic heritage and monuments, etc.);

• the proportion of package tours is increasing, making itindispensable to involve travel operators and agents ininitiatives to develop tourism.

• the strategic choice of many towns, cities and regionslooking to improve their economies has been to developtourist products based on their historic or contemporaryheritage: history, the monumental or industrial heritage,gastronomy, art, culture and popular traditions, eventsand attractions are all resources that can be customised toprovide a wide range of tourist attractions;

• the wide availability of air transport and the improvedquality of railways (high speed trains), coupled with majorprice reductions and almost permanent promotionaloffers, are among the driving forces behind the growth ofurban tourism;

• since towns and cit ies are less and less centres of industry,tourism is being seen as a key factor in their socioeconomicrecovery and is often one of the priority strategies for theirdevelopment and rehabilitation;

• towns and cities are increasingly being seen as productsthat complement neighbouring more traditional touristdestinations, from which cultural or shopping trips may be

offered as an added extra during a relaxing holiday on thebeach, in the mountains or in the country;

• urban tourism is playing a growing role in local, regionaland European development policies, whether from thepoint of view of regional development, the environmentor employment;

• urban tourism is undoubtedly becoming an important po-litical issue requiring an ever greater involvement of thepublic authorities because of the economic and socialissues involved and the high-level investment (often pub-lic) needed for infrastructure, facilities and training. This isbeing reflected in practice by attempts to make facilities as

multi-functional as possible and by the appearance,throughout Europe, of:

– conference centres linked to complexes of hotels offer-ing a wide range of standards, with large rooms that can

be adapted to host concerts, sports meetings or evencommercial events (exhibitions, trade fairs),

– vast leisure facilities in towns and cities or on their out-skirts (leisure parks and theme parks, t ropical swimmingpools, etc.);

• in a context that has become extremely competitive,

towns and cities are working on strategies to differentiatetheir image and gain a foothold in the market; their com-munication policies are increasingly sophisticated and setout as far as possible a strong image of which their resi-dents can be proud;

• local off icials are becoming aware that it is important tomanage the tourism resulting from upgraded local assets.They are in particular trying to prevent town and city cen-tres, where the tourism supply is traditionally concen-trated, from becoming single-function areas that nolonger reflect authentic urban life;

• management of this type requires monitoring and follow-

up tools and, in many cases, the assistance of the publicauthorities in coordinating activities and, in particular, in-tegrating them into other urban functions; local authori-ties are also having to find ways of coping with local pub-lic opinion that is intolerant of the disturbances caused bya massive influx of tourists. For this purpose, they areadopting instruments such as a local Agenda 21, applica-ble to sustainable development in all fields, or charters.Agenda 21 was adopted by 182 governments at the RioConference on 14 June 1992. After identifying those en-vironmental and development problems that may bringabout ecological and economic catastrophes, it proposes atransitional strategy based on modes of development that

are more likely to preserve natural resources. An Agenda21 applying specifically to tourism has been drawn up bythe World Tourism Organisation, the World Travel andTourism Council and the Earth Council;

Main market trends, on the supply side



24

C H A P T E R

2

• the approach that urban destinations are taking reflectsthe need for t he overall rehabilitation of their environmentand the need to find a balance, within a framework of sus-tainable development, between resource management,

economic performance and social aspirations. The issuesof accessibility and mobility can also be addressed in thisway;

• in this competitive context, there is obviously a need forconstantly improved skills and ongoing human resourcetraining (visitor orientation, knowledge of languages, newinformation and communication technologies, etc.).

The following factors are all to be found, although they may

be more intense in small historic towns where tourism occu-pies a key place than in major European cities where tourism,even though highly developed, may be a secondary priority:

• while urban tourism is largely advantageous for towns andcities, it may rapidly become a threat. It tends to compli-cate the problems of mobility, environmental protection,security, accommodation and so on, with which most Eu-ropean towns and cities are nowadays having to cope;

• short and repetitive forms oftravel are one of the features ofurban tourism; flows of visitors,

most of whom still travel by carto and within towns and cities,come on top of residents’ day-to-day movements and have animpact on urban congestion(traffic, parking and pollutionproblems);

An IQM approach has to take account of the context of

urban tourism

(18) Idem 7. See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

T HE CULTURAL

AND

ARCHITECTURAL

HERITAGEO F

TOWNS AND CITIES

ISA MAJOR

SOURCEOF

TOURISM RCE :: W INCHESTER C ITY C OUNCIL – D EPARTMENT OF LEISURE

• the urban heritage is made up of historic centres, i.e.

areas that are small and fragile in comparison with theurban area as a whole; overcrowding of these areasobviously has spin-off costs: waste collection, street clean-ing, policing and security, specific facilities;

• there is a limit on local residents’ willingness to accept t heimpact of a development of tourism in their towns andcities; hence their rightful demands for policies to managethe town’s resources and policies of integrated urbanmanagement and of control — or even limitation — oftourist flows. It is only when this limit is respected thattourism can be developed in a sustainable way;

• the greatest concentration and variety of cultural resources

is in the urban environment (18

). Intense tourist pressures insmall areas may pose a threat to other urban activities andmay then be viewed unfavourably by residents (price rises,property pressures, transformation of places in which peo-ple live into open-air museums, etc.). One of the main objectives of any destination’s IQM init iative is to ensure thatthe capacity of particular areas is not exceeded;



25

C H A P T E R

2

• tourists have different expectations and visit towns andcities in different ways; an appropriate combination, inspace and time in particular, of those elements that makeup the basic tourism supply and its support services is a key

factor in making what is on offer attractive. The range oftourist facilities, i.e. the supply, is enhanced by these sec-ondary factors (souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants, carparks, etc.) which, while they are not the main attraction,are no less important in creating an attractive environmentthat encourages people to stay (19). Customer care, com-mercial policy and training policy are all areas of action fordestinations that want to introduce IQM;

• unlike holiday resorts, towns and cities are less sensitive toseasonal variations, bearing in mind their critical mass, thesegmented demand and the diversity of customers. Cul-tural, business and conference tourism and simple visits to

friends or relations are all taking place at the same timewith the result that towns and cities need to make theirservices and facilities multi-functional and ensure flexi-bility and mobility;

• one of the features of t owns and cities is the impressivenumber of public and private agencies involved in thetourism sector. Leadership and the involvement of all theseagencies are key elements in a strategy to improve

quality;• in urban tourism, tourist functions and urban functions are

particularly interwoven and interdependent. Urban devel-opment will have an impact on tourist appeal and, viceversa, tourist flow management policies will have animpact on urban development choices. Tourist policy andurban policy are therefore closely linked;

• from a geopolitical point of view, IQM makes it necessaryto see the urban area as part of a larger geographical areafor the circulation and management of flows, where over-all appeal can be improved by town and country or t ownand seaside combinations, etc. This vertical integration re-

quires close cooperation wit h the competent authorities atevery level.

An initial table of the starting points of IQM approaches,based on an analysis of a number of actual situations, can bedrawn up from the 1998 study of the integrated quality

management of European urban tourist destinations.

It should be borne in mind, however, that IQM for urbantourist destinations is anew concept which is not as yet verywidespread in the European Economic Area. The concept islargely unknown, even among those who have launchedstrategies along similar lines.

Initiatives of this type tend in most cases to be taken by ur-ban destinations which have decided that they must takesteps to counter a decline in their economic prosperity. Anawareness of current issues and a fear of the problems thatdevelopments in other destinations have brought in their

wake (deterioration of the environment, overcrowding, localdiscontent) may also provide the trigger for preventiveinitiatives.

The factors that trigger quality approaches within destina-tions can be grouped under six headings:

• a long-standing and well-established tradition as a touristdestination, together with a major cultural and historicheritage, of ten form the basic capital onto which the qual-ity approach is grafted. The approach taken by this kind ofdestination, which is heavily reliant on tourism, tends to bemost in keeping with t he twin objectives pursued by IQM,

i.e. systematically trying to find a way of satisfying every-one involved (residents, tourists, tourism industry employ-ees) and using the destination’s resources in an optimum

way in order to preserve its heritage and environment inthe long term;

• urban destinations have not always fully appreciated theeconomic importance of tourism. Everyone now seems tobe aware that it has a key role to play in economic devel-opment because of the revenue that is generated and the jobs that are directly or indirectly created by tourist activ-ities. There is a particularly keen awareness of this in citiesand their regions. There are very few cit ies that do not payconsiderable attention to economic factors and job cre-ation or that fail to become aware that they need to im-prove the quality of their tourism if they are to retain their

appeal and their competitive position;• public funding, especially from the European Structural

Funds, is also a powerful catalyst. It may bring about ini-tiatives that include many elements of an IQM approachbecause in-depth thought is required, strategy has to beformalised and action has to be planned;

• the lack of a consistent urban development and land usepolicy of ten causes a gradual deterioration of a tourist des-tination’s environment. A desire to put a stop to this dete-rioration or to stave off environmental deterioration andits future consequences on tourism development may pro-vide a starting point for IQM;

IQM in today’s urban tourist destinations




26

C H A P T E R

2

• a destination’s position relative to comparable towns andregions (competitive benchmarking) or a gradual declineof tourism is also among the factors that cause a destina-tion to react. Tourism that is growing at a rate below the

national average or a downturn in a destination’s relativeposition in a growing market are both situations that mayhighlight the fact that tourism is not an activity that ‘runsitself’;

• lastly, a quality init iative can be run at a reasonable costand on a cooperative basis by local authority partnerships.This type of partnership also paves the way for geograph-ical synergies in terms of implementation strategies, pool-

ing of resources and development of more attractive com-bined products that are likely to place this kind of plan ona stronger foot ing.



S O U R C E : G R E A T E R G L A S G

O W A N D C L Y D E V A L L E Y T O U R I S T B O A R D

27

C H A P T E R

3

Integrated quality management for tourist destinations is anew approach which is not as yet very w idespread in the Eu-ropean Economic Area. This study illustrates what progresshas been made.

Fifteen destinations were selected for a detailed study oftheir individual total quality strategies. Part 2 contains a de-tailed case study of each of these destinations.

As a preliminary to these 15 individual case studies, it maybe useful to pick out a sample of good practices and to pin-point any original or new approaches that were discoveredduring the field studies. This presentation follows, albeitsomewhat flexibly, the study’s working method based on theIQM approach proposed for tourist destinations discussed inthe previous pages.

As a minimum, IQM makes it necessary to take account, todifferent degrees in different destinations, of three levels of

awareness which are ever present in t he IQM approach pro-posed for tourist destinations:

• visitor satisfaction;

• the satisfaction of tourism industry professionals;

• integration into the community measured by:

– the satisfaction of residents and other socioeconomicagencies in the destination and its neighbouring area,

– environmental protection and the reasonable and sus-tainable use of natural and cultural resources.

Perceiving quality management in an integrated way makesit necessary to draw up ambitious plans that cover all thecomponents of the tourist experience and integrate all thedestination’s tourism and economic development functions.

This chapter, part and parcel of the IQM approach proposedfor tourist destinations, looks successively at the followingissues:

• What is the basic impetus for a quality plan and what con-textual factors generally lead to a quality plan?

• Is there enough polit ical will (in the broadest sense) to getthe plan off the ground? Is there a resolute and recognisedauthority? With which partners will it work?

• What strategy is required? What support policies does itneed and what concrete objectives are to be achieved?

In other words, the first step is to:

• determine what particular problem constitutes the start-ing point;

• identify that authority able to lead the project and rallyand unite all those involved;

• lay down a strategy and policies, for which the destina-tion will then formulate methods of implementation(Chapter 4) and measurement and control instruments(Chapter 5).

Partnership dynamics (the plan) and design dynamics (strat-egy and policies) will be examined successively.

The dynamics of partnershipand design



28

C H A P T E R

3

Various situations or contexts may provide an impetus for orpoint to the need for a quality approach or a quality plan. Allthe destinations studied had good reasons for their recentand in some cases sudden interest in this type of approach;they seem, however, to be applying this approach more as acorrective than as a preventive measure.

Analysis of the 15 case studies highlights six very differentfactors that are often combined.

Impetus for the plan

A long-standing and well-established tradition as a touristdestination, coupled with a rich cultural and historic heritage,is often the basic capital onto which a proactive approach isgrafted.

This kind of destination, heavily reliant on tourism, tendsspontaneously to develop approaches that are most in linewith the theoretical models of IQM (quality loop and the

EFQM model). These approaches are intended systematical-ly to find ways of satisfying the various actors involved (res-idents, tourists, tourism industry employees) and of makingoptimum use of the destination’s natural and cultural re-

sources in order to preserve its environment and ensure itssurvival.

Good examples of this are the northern European cities andlarge towns of Dublin (IRL), Glasgow (UK), Stockholm andGothenburg (S), as well as towns such as St Andrews (UK),Winchester (UK) and Orléans and Blois (F) working withina context of regional tourism.

Proactive or spontaneous generation of a quality approach

Aix-en-Provence (F)

Amsterdam (NL)

Orléans and Blois (F)

Coimbra (P)

Dublin (IRL)

Glasgow (UK)

Gothenburg (S)

Leipzig (D)

Loutraki (GR)

Malaga (E)

Rhodes (GR)

Stockholm (S)

St Andrews (UK)

Volterra (I)

Winchester (UK)

Table 1: Factors triggering an integrated quality management approach

Towns

Reasons/factors Proactiveapproach

Economic anddevelopment

potential

Safeguardingmarket shares,

stepping upand controlling

growth

Problemsand need forrepositioning

Threat ofrecessionor actualrecession

Environment



29

C H A P T E R

3

A BETTER

QUALITY

OF LIFE IN

TOWN CENTRES

R ESOURCE

CONSERVATION

S O U R

C E : W I N C H E S T E R C I T Y C O U N C I L – D E P A R T M E N T O F L E I S U R E

S O U R C E : R E G I Ã O T U R I S M

O C E N T R O

Urban tourist destinations, very active in other areas, havenot always seen the genuine economic importance of

tourism. Everyone now seems to be aware that it has a keyrole to play in economic development both because of therevenue that is generated and the jobs that are directlyand/ or indirectly created by tourism activities.

Tourism is an economic activity that the host urban fabricneeds, although it may not be essential. Awareness of its po-tential impact led, in 6 of the 15 case studies, to the need tofind an answer and the introduction of a quality approach:Stockholm (S), Dublin (IRL), Winchester (UK), Rhodes (GR),Orléans and Blois (F) and Coimbra (P).

Access to large-scale financial subsidies, such as the Struc-

tural Funds, may also be a powerful catalyst and give rise toapproaches that include many elements of IQM. This kind ofapproach is illustrated by the town of Coimbra (P) where,starting from a strategy of urban renewal and development,the town:

• is asking local people what they feel about the develop-ment of tourism and what methods should be used;

• is endeavouring to improve the quality of life in the towncentre and to upgrade its cultural and historic heritage forthe benefit of residents and tourists;

• is trying to safeguard the environment through an officialguide that has been widely disseminated among thepublic.

Lastly, partnerships between municipalit ies, provinces or re-gions may make it possible to launch and manage a qualityapproach at a reasonable cost through co-financing, jointattempts to locate funding, etc. This type of partnershippromotes geographical synergies, shared implementationstrategies, pooled resources and the development of more

attractive combined products, likely to place this kind of planona stronger foot ing. Orléans and Blois (F) have, for instance,launched their quality initiative under a State–region planningcontract that uses an approach having common and comple-mentary strands to forge cooperation links between towns.

Awareness of economic and development potential

Every urban destination becomes aware at some point thatit needs to improve the quality of its tourism if it is to retainits market share (business and cultural tourism in Leipzig

(D)), to consolidate its competitive position (Gothenburg (S))or to control the growth of tourism (Winchester (UK) andVolterra (I)).

Maintaining appeal and competitive position

Whether the result of a general development (the opening-up of eastern Europe) as in Leipzig (D), a local situation (ar-rival of new officials) as in Aix-en-Provence (F) or even aproblem connected with the environment as in M alaga (E),political will is a factor that helps to get a quality approachoff the ground.

The political will to improve quality



30

C H A P T E R

3

One of the six factors that cause urban destinations to reactis their worsening relative position with respect to compar-

able towns and regions and/ or a gradual decline of t ourism,when this has not reached a stage that requires some kind ofrepositioning.

Aix-en-Provence (F) and Amsterdam (NL), where thegrowth of tourism has been lower than the national averageand there has been some stagnation or even decline of their

relative position in a constant ly growing market, are both ex-amples of cities that have become aware that tourism is not

an activity that ‘runs itself’. Their respective attempts totackle a major recession due largely to a parallel reduction ofprices and service quality and to put a stop to uncontrolledurban development also place Rhodes (GR) and Loutraki

(GR) in t his category.

Reviving tourism

The lack of a cohesive urban development, land use and f lowmanagement policy often causes a gradual deterioration ofan urban tourist destination’s environment. Awareness ofthis deterioration and its future impact on tourism develop-ment and residents’ quality of life may generate reactionsthat ultimately lead to the introduction of a quality policy.Loutraki (GR) (where there has also been a natural disaster)and Rhodes (GR), are both towns where tourism plays a keyrole in economic development.

The approach taken by Malaga (E) has been to combine astrategic plan setting out an environmental protection poli-cy with a local Agenda 21 and an URBAN Community ini-tiative supported by the European Union and intended toupgrade infrastructure and environmental conditions.

Environmental protection

Quality plans are managed and organised in a whole rangeof ways and urban tourism involves a whole range of agen-cies: public and private authorities having different levels ofresponsibility for tourism, tourism and tourist information of-fices, enterprise associations, chambers of commerce, public

and private enterprises in various sectors (travel agents out-side and within the destination, tour operators, hoteliers andrestaurateurs, curators of museums and attractions, touristguides, etc.) and local communities. Whatever formula ischosen, the ability to rally the various agencies involved intourism around a common plan is a key factor in success.Public bodies, non-profit-making associations and mixed orprivate enterprises may all have these rallying and leadershipabilities.

Whatever formula is chosen and however it is organised,there has to be strong leadership, i.e. an authority that is

recognised and accepted, at all stages of the plan — design,

implementation and evaluation and monitoring. In the ab-sence of such an authority, there has at least to be a widelyaccepted consensus as to the division of prerogatives be-tween the agencies involved.

A wide range of management and organisational formulas

are reported in the 15 case studies:

• a single person responsible at destination level for imple-menting the tourism management plan in St Andrews

(UK) and Aix-en-Provence (F);• a foundation with a few hundred members, mostly enter-

prises, supported by the local government in Amsterdam

(NL);

• the municipality itself, supported by public bodies, inM alaga (E);

• the regional authorities of Coimbra (P) and a local gov-ernment department in Winchester (UK);

• a private mixed association along the lines of a consor-tium, uniting the majority of enterprises in all economicand other sectors in Volterra (I);

Finding a lead authority for the partners

Who are the main partners and how are they linked?



31

C H A P T E R

3

• an ad hoc steering committee uniting, under regional su-pervision, the main proponents of the quality approachand representatives from the private and public sectors inOrléans and Blois (F).

The status of these leadership bodies is therefore very differ-ent, ranging from a private enterprise in Leipzig (D) to a non-profit-making association and a consortium in Rhodes (GR)

and Volterra (I), a local authority department in Winchester(UK) and Aix-en-Provence (F), a municipal enterprise inLoutraki (GR) and even a mixed company with balancedpublic and private sector representation in Gothenburg (S).

Cooperation with the private sector seems to be extremelyadvanced in some cases such as Stockholm (S).

Strategies that clearly refer to quality as one of their keyelements are fairly uncommon. Urban destinations’ strate-gies are in most cases set out in a tourism developmentand/or marketing plan.

It is very important for destinations to draw up this kind ofplan, i.e. a written reference document with a degree of per-

manence. This plan will, depending on the case, be drawnup w ith varying degrees of participation by tourism industryprofessionals and local people. It can then provide an official

basis and is a strong political gesture that affirms the keychoices made by the town.

Very different strategic plans and objectives

The degree of horizontal and vertical integration of the vari-ous partners also differs, although there is always some kind

of local authority involvement:• the destination’s municipal authorities are always in-

volved;

• neighbouring municipal authorit ies are in some cases in-volved in the various plans, especially when localauthority associations have been set up;

• the regional and/or national authorities in most cases playa particularly active role (in Spain, France, Italy, and theUnited Kingdom).

Some organisations are particularly complex. In Glasgow

and St Andrews(UK) public bodies at different levels are in-volved alongside private enterprises, national professional

associations, etc. Other organisations are very simple, with asingle authority leading all the public and private partners,such as the Dublin Tourism Agency in Dublin (IRL).

All t hese organisational formulas make provision for close orfairly close involvement of the private tourism industry, atleast on a consultative basis, through ad hoc associations or

organisations with differing degrees of formality andthrough the willingness of the various partners to cooperate.

What they all have in common is a genuine and dynamicleader, who may or may not have been officially appointedand who has often been the initiator of the quality approach.

There can be no integrated quality management without

strong leadership.

Lastly, it is interesting to note that the structures set up inGlasgow and St Andrews (UK) and their quality plans are rel-atively similar. What this shows is that the separate imple-mentation of plans of this kind by different tourist destina-tions in the same region or in the same country may ulti-mately lead to standard approaches to certain key aspects of

IQM. In these cases there is, however, fairly advanced, re-gional or national, vertical integration of management(Quality Plan for Scotland in this particular case).

Division of roles between the partners



32

C H A P T E R

3

Introducing integrated quality management for urban touristdestinations makes it necessary to provide all the partners

with a detailed analysis of the current situation of tourism inthe destination (SWOT analysis (20)): position with respect tomain market trends; potential for, and limits of, sustainabledevelopment; strengths and weaknesses.

In this analysis it should be borne in mind that:

• meeting customers’ expectations and ensuring their satis-faction is crucial to the success of an IQM strategy. Thesecan be analysed and measured by surveys and enquiriesamong industry professionals, intermediaries and serviceproviders;

• customers’ requirements and expectation levels maychange over time: comparative analyses should help to

pinpoint basic market trends on both the supply and thedemand side;

• originality, overall consistency and respect of the authen-ticity of places and local people (traditions, culture, dailylife) play a part in positioning an urban destination;

• assessment of the potential for sustainable use of naturaland cultural resources defines the boundaries within whichthose in charge of tourism can put together their supply,especially in the area of flow management.

Analysis of current situation

Quality approaches are being developed in the tourism in-dustry to meet a wide range of objectives or combinations ofseveral objectives:

• the priority of some destinations is to increase visitor

numbers and extend the tourist season in order to max-imise tourism’s economic impact;

• the main concern of other destinations, such as Dublin

(IRL), is quality of life and the environment;

• the priority of other destinations, such asVolterra (I), is toextend the length of stay and systematically to develophigh-quality visitor orientation;

• other destinations, such asAmsterdam (NL), are gradual-ly transforming what they have on offer by adding newtourist services or upgrading existing resources.

The case studies show strategies and objectives that are asdifferent as they are original and that are set out in actionplans intended:

• in the area of development – to protect and improve residents’ quality of life:

tourism management at St Andrews (UK), tourismstrategy in Malaga (E) (city redevelopment plan) orstrategic objectives (formal declaration of the districtstrategy) in Winchester (UK),

– to create and improve the quality of jobs in the indus-try and to improve the quality of the visitor experiencein Glasgow (UK),

– to upgrade the area within a context of economic de-velopment that is likely to be of benefit to both local

people and tourists in Coimbra (P) (urban strategicplan) and in Rhodes City (GR) (municipal action pro-gramme),

– to coordinate the use of resources in order to underpinthe harmonious development of an area in OrléansandBlois (F);

• in the area of image – to improve the destination’s image by high-quality

marketing and communication measures in Amsterdam(NL) (three-yearly surveys),

– to create a strong brand image for a particular type oftourist product in Loutraki (GR), Stockholm (S) andLeipzig (D).

It should also be noted that, at national level, only France

and Spain explicitly mention quality: ‘Quality Approach’ in

France, ‘Excellence and Quality

Plans’ in Spain.

Objectives and overall strategy

T HE QUALITY PLAN

IS A BASISFOR

COMMUNICATION

S O U R C E : A M S T E R D A M T O U R I S T O F F I C E

(20) Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.



33

C H A P T E R

3

Considerable importance is attached to the environment inmany quality approaches, for instance:

• an environmental workshop has been set up and an envi-ronmental charter drawn up for the period 1996–2000 inAix-en-Provence (F);

• a Green Charter has been introduced in Malaga (E) as wellas a local Agenda 21 covering all areas of developmentand of the URBAN programme for the period 1995–99;

• a local Agenda 21 has been adopted in Winchester (UK),where the strategic tourism development plan for the dis-

trict closely mirrors the 13 general themes of this Agenda21;

• a 10-point Agenda 21 has been drawn up in Gothenburg

(S) giving priority to the environment (environmentalareas where vehicle traff ic is restricted);

• the tourism and environment task force in St Andrews

(UK).

Environment and sustainable development

Any strategic plan for tourism development has to empha-sise the importance of vocational training. It needs, for thispurpose, to include:

• full and high-quality information:

– for tourism professionals, covering the various traininginstitutions in the town, region or even country as wellas the programmes of training that these institutionsoffer,

– for local people and people in neighbouring areas, inparticular jobseekers, covering all tourism trades and

the career opportunities offered by the sector, vacan-cies and the init ial t raining schemes available,

– measures to encourage enterprises to train their per-

sonnel by awards of certif icates, diplomas, standards orprizes that recognise qualifications or by block releasetraining schemes, apprenticeship contracts and workexperience,

– support for the self-evaluation of training needs bypersonnel in the sector or the creation of a monitoringsystem by the authorities in charge of tourism intendedto help enterprises better to identify their weaknessesand to work out what remedies are needed;

• the organisation of specific training for:

– tourism professionals, especially in the areas of man-agement, foreign languages, information and reserva-tion systems and new technologies such as the Internet,interactive terminals and electronic mail,

– occasional and seasonal workers (guides, reception per-sonnel, cashiers, waiters and cleaning staff in the hoteland catering sector, etc.) covering general informationon the town, its history and principal natural and cul-tural attractions, seasonal events, curiosities and culi-nary specialities, etc.

Human resources: training schemes

E NVIRONMENTAL

PRESERVATION

AND

IMPROVEMENT

IS A PRIORITY S O U R C E : O R L É A N S T O U R I S M O F F I C E / C R E D I T : J É R Ô M E G R E L E T , M U N I C I P A L I T Y O F O R L É A N S



The various quality strategies of the destinations studied in-clude a number of these vocational training initiatives:

• training in craft work for women in Rhodes (GR);

• training seminars to improve services in Loutraki (GR);• particular attention is being paid to the t raining of tourism

professionals in the United Kingdom where a national pro-gramme called ‘Investors in People’ is being implementedby local agencies supporting the development of enter-prises, including tourism industry enterprises, as in St An-

drews and Glasgow. To obtain this quality label, enter-

prises have to undertake to train their personnel, to helpthem to achieve their career objectives, regularly to reviewtheir training needs, to implement the necessary pro-grammes and lastly to evaluate the results of such train-

ing;• a variety of training schemes that are open to everyone in

Leipzig (D) (marketing, use of computer systems, lan-guages, visitor care and orientation, telephone skills, pub-lic relations, etc.);

• the WINGS targeted training database (21) in Gothenburg

(S).

34

C H A P T E R

3

C ONTINUING

TRAINING HELPS

TO IMPROVE

QUALITY

S OURCE : S T ANDREWS T OURISM M ANAGEMENT P ROGRAMME

(21) WINGS database: ‘Work in new goal settings’.



35

C H A P T E R

4

Implementing integrated quality management makes it nec-essary to move on from the ‘before’ to the ‘during’; theprocess then enters the dynamic stage of implementation:putting operations and actions into practice.

When drawing up and implementing their integrated quali-ty management plans, destinations’ choices of priority areshaped by the reasons that have set in motion their initialthinking about the need for a strategy of this kind.

Depending on these priorities, each destination formulates aset of actions likely to help overall and/or individually to im-prove the qualit y of all aspects of tourism: visitor satisfaction,satisfaction of residents and tourist enterprise employees andrational use of the destination’s resources.

The dynamics of implementation

These measures take different forms:

• public authority initiatives relating chiefly to:

– the environment and sustainable development,

– accessibility and mobility,

– security;• support by the leader for tourism industry professionals including:

– internal communication and leadership,

– promotion and external communication, new technologies,

– training of personnel;

• services offered to tourists including:

– information, orientation and signposting,

– accommodation and catering,

– combined products.

The wide range of forms of tourism is reflected by a widerange of interests and practices of the various segments ofthe tourist population.

Any urban destination that wishes to optimise the econom-ic impact of tourism in a sustainable way, while safeguardingthe quality of life of its local people, has to find answers thatmatch the expectations of these different market segments.

The ability of an urban tourist destination, on the one hand,to make the most of the assets represented by its natural re-sources and cultural and historic heritage and, on the otherhand, to organise visits to them in ways that are most inkeeping with target customer needs, is a key factor insuccess.

Public authority initiatives



36

C H A P T E R

4

A destination’s public authorities therefore tend to introducea range of initiatives to upgrade existing resources in order

as far as possible to meet customer expectations, while main-taining the quality of life of local people.

Policies to develop tourism are placing increasing stress onsustainable development, especially its environmental di-mension. Practical measures in most cases cover a very widerange of aspects of the destination and are part and parcelof a general policy of environmental protection and man-agement.

Some of the urban destinations studied have already adopt -ed measures, for instance:

• Coimbra (P) decided in 1990 that it needed to improvepublic areas and to revitalise the town centre by recon-necting it with the river (which had previously been regu-lated by an upstream dam) and by integrating its outlyingareas as far as possible. In order to achieve these objec-tives the town drew up a town plan that took account ofexisting tourist attractions and their future development.

The development of a tourism centre on one of the banksof the river (hotels, golf course and conference centre)helped to structure flows and the urban tourist area in adifferent way;

• Rhodes (GR) offers an example of another kind of tourism

development linked to the social development of thetown. Faced with a progressive desertion of the old towndue in particular to a deteriorating environment, the localauthority launched a vast programme of reconstructionand maintenance of derelict buildings in order to convertthem into low-rent accommodation and breathe new lifeback into the heart of the town;

• Gothenburg (S), concerned to safeguard the environment,started to sort and recycle waste.

The environment and sustainable development

Personal t ransport , in particular t he car, is occupying an ever

growing place in our society. Cars are still the form of trans-port most widely used by tourists in Europe. These urbantourist flows exacerbate day-to-day problems and generate

traffic and parking prob-lems that are increasinglydifficult to resolve, andsubstantially increasepollution in towns andcities.

Acceptable limits have inmany cases been exceed-ed and have made peo-

ple aware of the dangersthat threaten some urbandestinations.

If a long-term and uni-versally acceptable solu-tion is to be found for thismajor problem, the prob-lems of accessibility andmobility have to be tack-led overall, with a rangeof practical incentivesand deterrents including:

• public transport networks that combine several methods

of travel (train, underground, bus, tram, boat, taxi, bicycle,foot, etc.) and that are high quality and competitivelypriced (or even free in some cases);

• park-and-ride schemes, on the outskirts of towns andcities and close to public transport, that are easily accessi-ble, sufficiently large and reasonably priced or free with ashuttle service connecting them to the town centre;

• specific products and services for tourists: inclusive pub-lic transport passes, package tours including travel passes,practical guides to towns, entrance fees for attractions,shopping discounts, guided tours, etc.;

• promotion of these specific products and services among

middlemen (travel agents, tour operators, trade journal-ists, etc.), hotel managers, restaurateurs, conferenceorganisers and auditorium managers, potential tourists,local people, etc., in order to encourage as many peopleas possible to buy them;

Accessibility and mobility

S O U R C E : G Ö T E B O R G & C O

H IGH - QUALITY

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

NETWORKSARE

NEEDED



37

C H A P T E R

4

• specific training in reception skills, foreign language skills,knowledge of tourist resources, travel products developedby transport concerns, etc., for personnel in contact withtourists, from taxi drivers to railway inspectors;

• areas in which certain types of travel have priority, for in-stance:

– pedestrian zones in the destination’s centre,

– cycle paths and pedestrian routes to and from tourist at-tractions,

– provision of bicycles,

– a return to old modes of t ransport such as carriages,boats, etc;

• management of tourist coaches and their passengers assoon as they arrive in the town (special parking areas,monitoring of the movements of their passengers, calls to

drivers when passengers are ready to embark, etc.);• specific measures for residents and suppliers delivering

goods that enable them to move around their town butencourage them to restrict the use of their personal vehi-cles (reserved parking spaces, restricted hours for access tothe town centre and for daily deliveries, but also specialpublic transport passes, etc.).

Particular attention needs to be paid to the problems of dis-

abled people, from the point of view of public transport(buses and trams with lowered f loors, special vehicles oper-ating t o a regular timetable or available on request, etc.) andof accessibility of the main tourist sites and monuments,

auditoria and other public buildings (access ramps, speciallydesigned toilets, organised visits, etc.).

There are a number of examples of such measures:

• Gothenburg (S) has an on-line information system forpublic transport in the town and the region, giving depar-

ture times, with information on arrival times at the desti-nation in the vehicles themselves;

• Volterra (I) is planning to build parking areas in order tocope with the problems of saturation and dissatisfaction ofvisitors and local people;

• Leipzig (D) offers an inclusive intermodal public transportpass;

• St Andrews (UK) is looking at a short and medium termtransport plan including parking areas, flows, public trans-port and the environment;

• Aix-en-Provence (F) is implementing an urban develop-ment plan for the integrated and ongoing management of

arrivals in the town;• Dublin (IRL) is working on a number of coordinated trans-

port development and infrastructure projects intended toimprove accessibility and traffic flows.

The actual or perceived security of a destination is a key, butdelicate, aspect of a tourist destination’s image and reputa-tion: good security may improve its appeal to and successwith the public at large. Perceptions of security can bestrengthened by:

• a range of preventive measures helping to reassure resi-dents and visitors:

– setting up, with the participation of residents’ associa-tions, working parties to look at the problems of crime

prevention, – close cooperation between tourism professionals and

local authorities,

– a poster and message dissemination campaign in anumber of languages to prevent petty crime and detail-ing the precautions that need to be taken in publicplaces and attractions, etc.,

– improving and integrating the lighting of streets andpublic monuments to take away any subjective feelingsof insecurity; street cleaning, re-allocating desertedbuildings, cleaning buildings, etc., may also be of helphere,

– various kinds of surveillance of public or private areas,car parks, monuments, parks and gardens,

– visible police, municipal workers, community police of-ficers;

Security

T AKING AN

OVERALL

APPROACH TO

THE PROBLEMS

OF ACCESSIBILITY

AND MOBILITY

S O U R C E : D U B L I N T O U R I S M



38

C H A P T E R

4

• an assistance service for victims of petty crime or acci-dents which provides moral, physical and possibly finan-cial support for victims;

• training for local police in tourist care and the rapid pro-cessing of their complaints.

Some of the destinations visited have taken initiatives in thearea of security:

• Stockholm (S) has stepped up its police presence;

• the tourism office at Winchester (UK) is a member of thelocal authority’s crime prevention group;

• Rhodes (GR) has replaced its motor-borne police bymounted police and set up a special beach surveillanceservice;

• Amsterdam (NL) has taken an integrated approach topublic lighting and tourist illuminations in order to give agreater impression of security, and offers assistance totourists who are victims of crime.

Every destination’s lead authority, whose task is to provideleadership, also has a part to play in implementing a widerange of measures involving all the actors concerned inorder to place the quality approach on a concrete footing.

Participatory approaches involving the support of the localauthorities, tourism professionals, other economic operatorsand the whole population of the destination are a key factorin success.

This kind of support includes:

• communication with those involved and general leader-ship of the destination;

• external communication, promotion and the use of thenew information and communication technologies;

• personnel training.

The lead authority’s services and support for professionals

There needs to be communication with groups such as:

• political structures;

• members or partners of the structure leading the integrat-ed quality management plan for the tourist destination;

• industry professionals who are not members of t he lead-ership structure;

• local residents.

This kind of communication helps to:

• ensure that the leadership structure is seen asvalid;

• f orge strong links between all those involved;

• make the industry dynamic;

• create an identity for t he destination in particular througha logo, a slogan, a graphics design, etc.;

• ensure that information is circulated between the variouslevels of power and the various agencies involved;

• ensure local people’s support for tourism developmentschemes.

As a minimum, it should include:

• drafting, regular updating and dissemination of a practical

guide to the tourist services available in the destination;

• information, possibly supplemented by training, on urban

tourism and its economic prospects and on particular

themes that may be of use to the industry;

• dissemination of the strategic plan to develop tourism inthe destination and information on measures and devel-opments that are under way;

• publication:

– of the outcome of measures and of a review of the

quality management structure’s work (objectives, re-sources, results obtained, financial statements, newpartnerships, etc.),

– of the findings of studies, surveys, statistical analyses,etc., on urban tourism in the destination itself and inother comparable destinations, and of any other infor-mation that may be useful in developing new products.

From the leadership point of view, the lead authority shouldendeavour to:

• organise and lead meetings with local people for the pur-pose of forward thinking about the harmonious develop-ment of tourism in the destination;

• make local people aware of tourism as a factor of local de-velopment and of the role that they need to play in for-mulating and implementing the strategic plan.

Internal communication and leadership



39

C H A P T E R

4

Various examples of participatory approaches and internalcommunication and leadership measures by the lead au-thority and tourism professionals are given below:

• in Aix-en-Provence (F) the focus is on concerted actionand communication between local authorities in order topromote exchanges and the dissemination of goodtourism practices. Particular efforts have been made to en-courage exchanges of opinions on environmental prob-lems (active participation by local people in a workshop);

• Dublin (IRL) and Gothenburg (S) organise regular consul-

tation meetings between tourism professionals and localresidents;

• Rhodes (GR) publishes regular press releases explainingits tourism development policy;

• Coimbra (P) has published a 300-page reference manual

in which local tourism professionals can f ind answers to al-most any question;

• Blois (F) has a highly developed and diversified internal

communication plan involving various local groups(tourism professionals, primary school children, town res-idents, trade associations, hoteliers, etc.) in order to pro-vide them with information on a whole range of topics(the town’s tourist attractions, tourism issues and the im-portance of tourist care, traders as providers of tourist in-formation, town development projects, flower displays inthe town, the fight against pollution by pigeons, etc.).

The quality, availability and accessibility of information on a tourist destination are all important aspects of its policy of pro-motion and external communication.

External communication, promotion and the new technologies

Every tourist destination must ensure that it is known to and

visible among tourism professionals in particular by:

• taking part in trade fairs, congresses and conferences at-tended by tourism professionals and the public at large;

• disseminating promotional materials (brochures, cata-logues, leaflets, CD-ROMs, etc.) to tourism professionals;

• ensuring that it is included in tour operators’ programmes;

• supporting the town’s ‘cultural ambassadors’ (orchestra,opera, ballet and theatre companies, travelling exhibi-tions, etc.) when they travel and perform abroad;

• inviting professionals to visit and find out about the urbandestination.

The range of approaches being taken can be seen from a fewexamples of external communication and promotion.

• Stockholm (S) very actively promotes its tourist attrac-tions. It uses a range of materials, including some whichare very original such as a CD-ROM containing digitisedphotographs; a tourist guide to the city available in 12 lan-guages; an information bulletin on events and activities inthe city; free promotional materials; free visits for travelagencies; 350 public and private, accredited and audited,information centres, etc.

• Glasgow (UK) organises information trips for tourism pro-fessionals.

• The logistical approachesand materials used

by other destinations are more traditional: – Leipzig (D) has opted for a

wide range of general andthematic brochures, an Inter-net site, and extensive partici-pation in tourism trade fairs,etc.,

– Amsterdam (NL) runs annualcampaigns (‘Amsterdam, city ofthe world’, 1997),

– Volterra (I) has produced videos in four languages thatare sent out to foreign partners,

– Coimbra (P) produces thematic leaflets on products orgroups of products,

– Aix-en-Provence (F) runs a promotional campaignfocusing on an annual event or a specific feature ofthe destination (opera festival),

– Loutraki (GR) sponsors major sporting events.

External communication and promotion

D EVELOPING AN

IMAGE POLICY

T ARGETED

PROMOTION

TOOLS

S O U R C E : R E G I Ã O T U R I S M O C E N T R O

S O U R C E : T H E R M A I - L O U T R A K I



40

C H A P T E R

4

The lead authority of an urban destination should encouragetourism professionals to use the new technologies in order

to help w ith its promotion and external communication en-deavours. These technologies should help:

• automatically and continuously to supply informationwithin or outside the destination (interactive terminals,bulletin boards, Internet site, etc.);

• to streamline interactive booking: speed, low cost, prod-uct display, etc.;

• to record tourists’ complaints and comments about theirexperiences before, during and after their visit;

• to disseminate proactive (unsolicited) information to pro-fessionals and tourists who have already visited the desti-nation (calendar of activities and special events, specialoffers, etc.).

Priority needs to be given to the development, int roductionand rational use of an automated information and booking

system which is:

• user-friendly and enables information to be passed on tohost facilities;

• readily accessible from outside (travel agencies, Internetsite, electronic mail) or on arrival at the destination (air-ports, stations, ports, tourism offices, tourist informationcentres);

• sufficiently exhaustive to meet the needs of all types of

visitor;• specific to the urban destination or incorporated in the sys-

tem of a region, a country or a set of European regions.

While they are an important factor in perceptions of thequality of the welcome that a destination extends to visitors,

these new technologies can also be used to find out aboutthe particular expectations of different customer segments.

For instance:

• Dublin (IRL) has developed a reservation network (Gul-liver network) w ith an Internet connection that can be ac-cessed from all the city’s tourist information offices andfrom six self-service units at various points of arrival suchas the airport and ferry terminal. There are plans for 22self-service units in the near future;

• Hampshire, of which Winchester (UK) forms part, is oneof the pilot regions of the TourISt project chosen by the

European Commission to test and demonstrate how inter-active information and communication technologies canbe used in the tourism industry;

• Stockholm (S) has a centralised reservation system cover-ing most hotels in the city and its region which can be ac-cessed by fax, telephone or e-mail, while Rhodes (GR) isplanning to develop such a system jointly with Cyprus withfinancing from Interreg II;

• Leipzig (D) (Tourbu-Sachsen system), Glasgow (UK) andSt Andrews (UK) all have integrated reservation systems inmost cases covering the destination and its surroundingregion or the country as a whole;

• Gothenburg (S) has a reservation system (Bokser system)linked to an information system on public transport in thecity and its surrounding region.

The new technologies at the service of external communication and promotion

The lead authority should encourage the design and intro-duction of training programmes to improve the skills oftourism industry personnel that target all personnel in thedestination involved in tourism and para-tourist activities,whether in the public or private sector. The relationshipsforged between visitors and tourism industry personnel andcontacts between visitors and local people generally havemuch to do with the quality of a tourist experience. Tourismis a service activit y where the number and frequency of con-tacts between service providers and visitors is high. The riskof ‘ poor quality’ is therefore also high.

High-quality care and friendliness, knowledge of foreign lan-guages, skills specific to particular activities, knowledge of

the destination’s resources and events, involvement and mo-tivation and the ability to help visitors to organise their stay,are all areas requiring appropriate staff training and commit-ment by local residents.

These training programmes should cover, among otherthings:

• reception techniques and practices;

• foreign languages;

• complaint management;

• use of new technologies;

• the quality of the various tourist services.

Training of competent personnel



Training schemes of this kind are being run in:

• Glasgow (UK), through a project called Tourism BusinessPartnership Programme which deals with the problems of

enterprise development in the various sectors of tourism;

• Malaga (E), where the hoteliers’ association has devel-oped training programmes for employees in the industry.

41

C H A P T E R

4

The destination should endeavour to design a tourist infor-

mation system based on:

• permanent public access, through the use of the newtechnologies, and in particular the creation of an Internetsite, through which the destination can:

– supply overall or selective information on the destina-tion’s attractions to all industry professionals and potentialcustomers,

– provide access to an eff icient reservation system,

– answer potential visitors’ questions,

– keep in contact w ith tourists who have visited the des-tination (database, satisfaction questionnaires, calendar

of events, special promotions, etc.);• a high-level presence of all the destination’s spokesmen,

promoters and permanent ambassadors (police officers,taxi and public transport drivers, traders, etc.).

The information supplied should:

• be differentiated, from the point of view of content andmaterials used, for the various categories of tourists, thevarious themes of visits, combined products, etc.;

• provide clear, honest and full information on the re-

sources and services offered by each tourist destination;• be in keeping with visitors’ expectations, making it nec-

essary to ensure that local people (permanent residents aswell as traders and tourist service providers) support theinformation supplied;

• be consistent and complete, in terms of both form (sign-posting) and content;

• attract as many tourists as possible to special events,while leaving space for active participation by local people(direct links between these events and components oflocal identity or local economic activity, attractive prices,incorporating linked and/or complementary measures

into these events, etc.).

Tourist information

Whatever their background, tastes, interests, lifestyles andbehaviour when they travel, all visitors’ perceptions will in-evitably be shaped by their first contact with the tourist des-tination (22). This contact may take different forms depend-ing on how they travel to the destination (plane, car, train,boat, etc.), their place of arrival in the destination (airport,major roads entering the town, station or port), the f irst per-son that they meet (flight attendant, information andtourism office, etc.).

Integrated quality management must therefore pay particu-lar attention to the needs of t ourists, from the beginning to

the end of their stay and in all their possible forms, startingwith their arrival and throughout their stay, so that theiropinions remain positive.

The solutions that tourist destinations have found for each

of the objectives pursued by their integrated quality man-agement plans show that a very wide range of measures ispossible. Balanced and consistent implementation of thesemeasures contributes to the success of a tourist destinationlargely because there is a perceptible improvement in thequality of the services on offer.

Tourist services

(22) These considerations also apply, mutatis mutandis , to final contact withthe destination.

V ISITORS NEED

PERMANENT ACCESS

TO INFORMATION

S O U R C E : W I N C H E S T E R C I T Y C O U N C I L – D E P A R T M E N T O F L E I S U R E



High-quality visitor care and orientation, among otherthings:

• has to be user-friendly and visible: use of standardacronyms, local parking, good signposting;

• should be underpinned by efficient and extensive reser-

vation services: hotels, restaurants, entertainment or oth-er events, entrance to natural, cultural and leisure attrac-tions, guided tours, organised tours of the destination,excursions, travel tickets, etc.;

• means that the specific information and materials (maps,brochures, videos, etc.) supplied by tourist serviceproviders in the public and private sectors have to be of a

high quality;• requires these service providers to be courteous and help-

ful, not just from the point of view of opening hours, butalso from the point of view of contacts between local au-thorit ies or residents and visitors;

• means that tourists should be able to pay in a range of

ways, especially with the euro.

High-quality visitor care and orientation must be evident atall strategic points:

• places of arrival at the destination (airports, motorwaytolls, stations, ports);

• tourism offices and information points;• conference, exhibition and trade fair facilities;

• hotels, guest houses, youth hostels, campsites, restaurants, shops, attractions, sites,etc.

A few examples show what steps are be-ing taken in the area of visitor care andorientation:

• the approach in Aix-en-Provence (F)

focuses on the quality of care:

– renovation of t he tourism office,

customer care charter drawn up andendorsed by the local authorities in

Lastly, any information and reservation system should pro-vide general information (details, descriptions, price, reser-vation methods, etc.) and specific information (classificationof hotels and restaurants, calendar and timetable of events,

opening hours and types of visit to natural and culturalattractions, itineraries and timetables of transport from, toand within an urban destination, etc.).

For instance:

• Stockholm (S) is endeavouring to step up the quality of theservices provided by it s tourist information centres (ForTur

certification system) and is giving priority to personal con-tact with tourists;

• Glasgow (UK) is setting up a new network of nine infor-mation centres and is looking into the possibility of auto-matic distribution of tourist information;

• under the Cicerone project, Malaga (E) is recruiting sea-sonal personnel to help and guide visitors.

42

C H A P T E R

4

Visitor care and orientation


S O U R C E : S T A N D R E W S T O U R I S M M A N A G E M E N T P R O G R A M M E


cooperation with tourism professionals, ‘Visitor carequality’ label based on practices in Aix, the AFNORstandard (23) and certification regulations,

– the ‘Visitor care quality’ codes being drawn up forhotels and restaurants,

– since 1996, particular attention has been paid to the re-development of entry routes into the town which hadup to then done little for the town’s image;

• improvement of the quality of customer care by extend-ing the opening hours of t ourist information of fices and in-creasing staff numbers in Dublin (IRL);

• mobile team of people circulating in the town to provide

help and information for visitors at any time in Winches-ter (UK);

• opening of a visitor orientation office at the motorway tollbooth in Blois (F);

• study of signposting in Loutraki (GR) and specific four-language signposting system in Amsterdam (NL).



43

C H A P T E R

4

The quality of accommodation and catering services plays alarge part in the image of towns and cities, most of which

offer their visitors a large number of options: hotels, guesthouses, B & Bs, self-catering apartments. The fact t hat somany options are available requires standardisation, moni-

toring and supervision to ensure the quality of the servicessupplied and to enable tourists to be fully informed whenthey make their choices and fully aware of the services thatthey are entitled to expect.

For these establishments, there needs to be:

• a classification based on a nationally recognised systemthat gives all potential customers a guide to theprice/ quality ratio that they can expect;

• comparativeevaluation of the classificationsgiven in dif-ferent tourist guides so that trends in the classifications ofthese various establishments can be monitored while thequality plan is being implemented;

• quality labels, codes of conduct (for instance, the use ofenvironmentally friendly techniques and products) specificto a town, a region or certain types of establishment,which ensure that services are of a particular quality andhelp the urban destination in question to differentiate it-self from its national and foreign competitors. Compliancewith these schemes should be optional and will, for in-

stance, involve abiding by various quality standards in theareas of hygiene, cleanliness, development, tranquillity,

respect of the environment, energy consumption, etc.;• help in making the most of the culinary heritage of the

destination and its region (quality labels, organisation offestivals of local cuisine, etc.) in order to breathe new lifeinto the local production of quality products;

• specific training for their personnel in order, in particular,to improve their customer care and customer informationskills;

• incentives to make any changes that may be needed toaccommodate disabled people.

A number of examples illustrate this kind of initiative:

• many hotels in Rhodes (GR) are working towards ISO cer-

tification;

• the quality plan of the Costa del Sol’s Hoteliers’ Associa-tion in Malaga (E);

• the hotel classification system that has been devised andimplemented by the Quality Assurance Department of theScott ish Tourist Of fice in St Andrews and Glasgow (UK);

• the label awarded to environmentally-friendly hotels inGothenburg (S) or the code of conduct for accommoda-tion providers in Winchester (UK).

Accommodation and catering

An urban destination often has a wide range of resourcesand it is precisely its ability to link them and turn them in-

to combined products that will to a large extent determinethe appeal of the town or city and the extent and qualityof the positive impact generated by tourism. What is need-ed is an integrated approach based on the following prin-ciples:

• upgrading of the town’s resources in ways that allow fora better distribution of tourist flows and curtail any risks ofovercrowding or saturation of individual sites and, in par-ticular, of the historic centres of towns;

• visitor f lows can be better channelled, limited and orient-ed by supervising routes into the town and access routes

to all its major attractions;• a town’s natural and cultural resources must remain opento local residents;

• opening hours must be fairly extensive and flexible;

• acorrect balance between the different products and serv-ices offered by an urban destination has to reflect the ex-

pectations of all the target groups: – business people and conference delegates: services and

attractions open throughout the year, outside of off icehours, short organised tours,

– individual visitors and organised groups: limits on num-bers visiting some att ractions, hours set aside for one orother category,

– families, cultural and leisure tourists, etc.

If this balance is to be found, account also has to be takenof:

• weather conditions: a mix of open-air att ractions and in-

door activities (visits to monuments and cultural and his-toric sites);

• visitor entertainment: a spread of activities in keeping withtheir expectations.

Attractions, events, combined products



From this point of view, some destinations have opted for‘organised’ visits:

• alongside traditional visits and walking or car tours,

Leipzig (D) offers a very wide range of products includingover 30 different holiday programmes focusing on cultur-al themes (musical festivals, book fair, opera, etc.), linkedto festive occasions (Christmas and New Year visits, festi-val of laughter, etc.) or focusing on the town’s curiosities(inner courtyards and public gardens, historic sites, etc.);

• Orléans and Blois (F), Winchester (UK) and Amsterdam

(NL) offer visitors high-quality information for individualor group visits, with or without guides, in themed or un-themed buses, in carriages, on foot or by boat. Every op-tion is described in brochures, plans and information avail-able from tourist agencies, hotels, and tourist sites. Mostdestinations combine this information with specific sign-

posting for each type of travel (walking, cycling, cars,etc.);

• Aix-en-Provence (F) offers a passport issued by the Euro-pean Academy of Music for tourists wishing to attend re-hearsals;

• Volterra (I) is very active in visit organisation and offers

various formulas such as a card for discounts in shops, asingle pass for museums and theatres and a craft trail;

• Rhodes (GR) and Coimbra (P) organise educational toursand themed visits as well as cultural and sporting events.

44

C H A P T E R

4

ATTRACTIONS AND

MUSEUMS AREA KEY

PART OF ANY VISIT


S O U R C E : C O N S O R Z I O T U R I S T I C O V O L T E R R A



45

C H A P T E R

5

It is not enough to formulate and implement a quality ap-proach. The process also needs to be monitored, and the ‘af-

ter’ examined when the ‘before’ and the ‘during’ have beencompleted. This threefold dynamic of measurement (moni-toring of indicators), evaluation (processing and analysis ofresults) and adjustment (adjustment of strategy and policies)is one of the main responsibilit ies of the authority leading theproject.

Many people may think that quality measurement goeswithout saying. Instruments for measuring quality are, how-ever, relatively undeveloped and are not widely used by ur-ban destinations. Quality management is based on the prin-

ciples of feedback and repetition within a cyclical process

of ongoing improvement. Quality measurement is therefore

a necessary point of transition between an ad hoc approachand a permanently evolving system.

In other words, the system functions as a loop, permanent-ly producing antidotes and corrections, provided of coursethat t he latter are put into practice.

A measuring and surveying system within an urban destina-tion and its neighbouring area should make it possible:

• to gather the data needed to identify and describe the dif-ferent segments of urban destinations’ tourist markets;

• to identify the destination’s target segments;

• to formulate an IQM approach that is in keeping withthese targets and has both quantitative and qualitative objectives;

• subsequently to compare the results achieved with theseobjectives;

• to interpret these results and to redefine the strategy byincorporating the appropriate adjustments.

A system of this kind, which is a key factor in a quality planas it enables monitoring and evaluation of the outcome ofthe approach, targets visitors and tourism professionals aswell as the local community and should be based on:

• the collection of a wide range of simple statistical data

through which the results of the quality approach can bequantified;

• traditional qualitative surveying techniques (telephone orface-to-face interviews, questionnaires, analysis of com-plaints received, suggestions and comments receivedthrough suggestion boxes, visitors’ books, etc.) fromwhich it is possible to evaluate preferences, the impor-tance attached to each variable and the level of satisfac-tion with each service provided, etc.

A monitoring system, based on indicators, needs to be set upas soon as an IQM approach is launched, in order to:

• measure visitor satisfaction (surveys, etc.) and socioeco-nomic impact on the town or city;

• control the impact of t ourism on the local community andon the environment;

• keep abreast of changes in the environment (supply anddemand), emerging t rends and market changes;

• compare the destination’s situation w ith other similartowns and cities and pave the way for dialogue and ex-changes of good practice wit hin a network of urban touristdestinations;

• analyse all the data gathered in this way and publish anddisseminate a summary of findings among all the actors,and, in the case of certain information, among visitors aswell (quality indicators for instance);

• listen to reactions to these findings so as to build up par-ticipation and set in mot ion the repetitive IQM cycle.

The threefold dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment

The dynamics of monitoring,evaluation and adjustment



46

C H A P T E R

5

It is impossible to pinpoint the quality of a tourist destinationunless visitors’ expectations are surveyed and their level ofsatisfaction with services regularly monitored.

Quantitative indicatorsare the first type of indicators need-ed to evaluate the performance of the tourism sector bycategory of visitors and service provision. These indicatorsprovide information on:

• the number of visitors classified by target market seg-ments, for instance: by geographical origin, age and sex,type of tourism (business, conference, leisure, cultural,etc.), method of organisation (individual, family, grouptravel, etc.), type of accommodation, length of stay, trans-port used (air, sea, rail or road, car or coach), for each of

the town’s sites and attractions;• the revenue generated by tourism by category of service

(accommodation, catering, attractions, cultural and his-toric sites, entertainment and events, individual or publictransport, etc.);

• the number of tourists visiting tourist information centresand points, types of questions asked, complaints re-ceived, suggestions and ideas put forward.

More qualitative indicators are then needed to measure theendeavours that professionals in the various branches oftourism have made to comply with the standards and quali-ty labels developed and implemented by their professional

associations and/or the authorit ies in charge of implement-ing the IQM approach. These indicators provide, amongother things, information on:

• trends in the classification of establishments in the vari-ous sectors, compliance with classification systems, stan-dards and programmes specific to each sector:

– general or specific European, national, regional or localstandards,

– quality labels, authenticity labels, charters,

– environmental protection incentives such as the BlueFlag;

• trends in visitors’ satisfaction with each of the service cat-egories that they have used and consumed;

• efforts made by professionals to train their personnel inorder better to meet visitors’ expectations.

Most of the destinations visited do not have a system formeasuring visitors’ expectations and opinions. The systemsbeing used range from a simple register of complaints to sys-tematic surveys among visitor samples. The scientific valueof these systems and the methods that accompany themvaries, as does the rigour with which they are applied.

Some destinations do, however, have plans to introduce acomparative system of analysis (benchmarking) of touristdestinations: Winchester (UK), Gothenburg (S) and Leipzig

(D).

Studies and surveys are conducted only occasionally, or on aregular but fairly well- spaced basis, or even on an ad hoc ba-sis when the need for a quality plan has become evident. The

content, frequency and use of the results of these surveysvary greatly from one destination to another, pointing to thelack of a method or a consensus as to whether they are gen-uinely necessary. Regular (at least annual) in Gothenburg (S),

Tourist sat isfact ion


E VALUATING

TOURISM

PERFORMANCE BY

TYPE OF VISITOR



Volterra (I), and Dublin (IRL) or periodical (every four years)in Stockholm (S), they in most cases cover aspects of visitormotivation and satisfaction.

The direct use of these results to formulate or update IQMprogrammes is still fairly uncommon.

Malaga (E) studied the profile of it s visitors for the first t imein 1997. It became evident from this survey that the maincauses of dissatisfaction were traffic, lack of cleanliness andnoise.

Leipzig (D) has identified seven factors of success for its in-tegrated quality management policy: reliability, helpfulnessof tourist service providers, ability to inspire confidence, tounderstand tourists’ expectations and to adapt t o them, gen-eral appearance and quality of the environment offered byservice providers and their personnel. Leipzig regularly com-

pares its results with those of 10 other German towns (theMagic 10): Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt,Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart.

Winchester (UK) also monitors levels of visitor satisfactionvery closely. The town conducts various semi-permanentsurveys in various locations within the district of Winchester.These surveys cover various aspects such as the quality of

customer care, cleanliness of streets, quality of the servicesoffered by t he tourism office, range and quality of shoppingareas, the price/quality ratio of the services on offer, publictransport, signposting, etc. Winchester also compares itsmeasurements of some of these aspects with other touristdestinations in the region. Similar approaches are currentlyon the drawing board and will be tested and implemented in1999.

As part of the European Sudecir project, Rhodes (GR) is look-ing at the sustainable development of European towns andregions and the impact of tourism on this development.

47

C H A P T E R

5

While most destinations are concerned with the qualifica-tions of tourism employees, too few destinations are gen-uinely aware of the advantages offered by competent andmotivated people who can help to improve the quality of thetourist services offered to customers and who need to bemade aware of their role as ‘tourist ambassadors’.

In some cases, however, schemes to measure satisfactionand to detect training and/ or recognit ion needs have beenimplemented as part of the quality approach:

• surveys of personnel satisfaction in enterprises providingtourist services;

• evaluation of training needs, organisation of appropriatetraining and measurement of any changes that such train-ing has generated;

• internal evaluation of personnel responsible for imple-menting the quality plan in order to find out about theirneeds and take the appropriate steps.

Tourism is an industry in which jobs are precarious and work-ing conditions are poor. Seasonal contracts, part-time work,low wages and lack of career prospects are the most visiblesigns of this. One of the key objectives of any IQM approach

must be to evaluate the quality of the jobs and careers of in-dustry employees. This evaluation should cover employeesof public institutions as well as employees of tourism busi-nesses.

Analysis of the 15 case studies shows some interesting ini-

tiatives in this area:

• in Coimbra (P), the Região Turismo Centro and the Na-tional Tourism Training Institute (INFIT) are working ontraining plans for businesses in the sector. This training ispart and parcel of an annual training plan which is regu-larly evaluated;

• under the national Investors in People programme, Glas-

gow and St Andrews (UK) conduct regular checks of em-

ployee satisfaction;• the United Kingdom’s Springboard initiative has made it

possible for Glasgow to open a careers promotion officein the hospitality and tourism industry.

Satisfaction of tourism professionals



48

C H A P T E R

5

In a concern for the well-being of their residents, the urbantourist destinations studied have used various methods tofind out what their residents think of tourist flows, to preventany worsening of problems or the appearance of new prob-lems and, as far as possible, to meet residents’ demands.

Few resources are used to measure the results of qualityplans and they vary from one destination to another. Theyare often limit ed to informal meetings between local officials,traders and residents as in Malaga (E), an ad hoc survey ofresidents as in St Andrews (UK) in 1995, or telephone sur-veys of the local population as in Leipzig (D). Other desti-nations such as Loutraki (GR) have a complaints office forresidents. Lastly, Gothenburg (S) has conducted a study anddrawn up a report on the importance of the environment forthe city’s residents.

Measures of this kind allow residents and traders to expressopinions on the ways in which their towns are evolving andon their perceptions of tourism and its impact on the localquality of life. Once these results are processed, they providea valuable input for strategic and development policy choic-es in sectors directly or indirectly connected with tourism.

Local people’s quality of life

In parallel with schemes to improve the quality of services of-fered to tourists, some destinations and tourism businessesare drawing up tourist charters or codes of conduct. The aim

is to make tourists more responsible for the implications oftourism and to make them aware that the natural and cul-tural resources and lif estyles of the residents of the destina-tions in question need to be respected. Although directly inkeeping with quality policies and approaches promot ing sus-tainable development, there are still few examples of thisvery recent kind of action by tourist destinations.

Informing tourists of the environmental and sustainable de-velopment objectives that a quality approach is seeking toachieve is also a way of developing more responsible behav-

iour among tourists:• M alaga (E) has set up travelling embassies in countries

from which tourists come,

• As part of its environmental charter, Aix-en-Provence (F)

is planning to produce a leaflet setting out its environ-mental policy. This leaflet is aimed at tourists.

Helping tourists to behave responsibly

One of the main reasons for launching an IQM strategy in

urban tourist destinations is to find out about the real or po-tential impact of tourism. An analysis of the impact of thiskind of approach on the local economy can therefore be seenas a key indicator for these destinations.

While most of the destinations studied are taking practical

measures to step up and broaden the positive impact oftourism on the local economy, measurement of this impactis not as yet widespread enough.

Impact on the local economy

LISTENING TO

RESIDENTS AND

TRADERS




49

C H A P T E R

5

All the urban destinations visited were concerned to preservethe environment from any harm that might be caused byflows of visitors and the substantial and constant increase oftourism.

The quality approaches of many destinations therefore in-clude measurements of the positive or negative impact oftourism on the environment.

This kind of measurement makes it necessary:

• to know what parameters need to be examined:

– natural resources (water, air, soil, space, landscape, nat-ural sites, biodiversity),

– the cultural heritage, including buildings,

– legislation in force,

– the public budget allocated to the environment,

– enterprises and public services directly and indirectlyconnected with tourism,

– specific environmental policy incentives for enterprises,

– enterprise schemes,

– associations active in the protection of the environment;

• to select indicatorsand to measure the impact of tourism,whether mass or occasional, on the environment and toevaluate this impact. A number of relevant indicators needtherefore to be formulated in order to measure, inter alia:

– the capacity of destinations and natural and culturalsites,

– water, air and soil pollution levels,

– the proportion of developed land,

– deterioration of the landscape,

– waste management and urban cleanliness,

– association dynamics,

– the dynamism of enterprises, in particular SMEs,

– the local benefits of tourism,

– innovation,

– residents’ quality of life;

• to feed the data gathered back into policies and strategy.

A number of the problems encountered and analysed relateto pollution by noise, grime or the saturation of the urbanarea by tourists. Almost all the quality plans drawn up by thevarious destinations are trying to find at least a partial solu-tion by addressing problems of accessibility and mobility(park-and-ride schemes, pedestrian streets, pedestrian orcycle paths, etc.). Similarly, several destinations have inte-grated the strategic objectives of their local Agenda 21 intotheir integrated quality management plan and vice versa.

The follow ing examples show some of t he ways in which en-vironmental problems are being addressed:

• in Aix-en-Provence (F), residents take part in an environ-

mental workshop;• a study of the potential of tourism in Volterra (I) should

make it possible to find out in detail about the impact oftourism on the local environment;

• Amsterdam (NL) is conducting a survey of the impact ofleisure tourism in the city centre;

• Dublin (IRL) is launching an environment plan and twice-yearly monitoring of salubrity in all areas of the city;

• Gothenburg (S) has an environmental protection officeand a Blue Flag for its beaches;

• St Andrews (UK) assesses tourism plans against the 10

principles of environment protection drawn up by the Re-gional Council (Fife Council);

• Glasgow (UK) has published a report on tourism and theenvironment and set up a team responsible for improvingthe city’s natural and cultural environment.

Impact on environmental quality and sustainable development

E NSURING THAT ALLAREASO F THECITY

ARECLEAN




50

C H A P T E R

5

It is at this stage of the process, which is nevertheless essen-tial since lessons need to be drawn from situations measuredin the field so that corrections can be incorporated into thesystem, that the quality approach proves to be either at anembryonic stage or to be defective.

Very f ew destinations have developed systematic proceduresfor processing results and very few have made the players inthis process aware of their responsibilities in this area.

Stockholm (S) carries out systematic planning and adjust-ment, Leipzig (D) has defined the seven stages of improve-ment of service quality, Aix-en-Provence (F) has graduallyrefined its targets, Orléansand Blois (F) have introduced anaction plan to correct any weaknesses measured (QualityCommission) and Glasgow (UK) provides training toremedy any shortcomings observed.

Adjusting components of the approach

IQM IS A CYCLICAL

PROCESS OF ONGOING

IMPROVEMENT

S O U R C E : B L O I S T O U R I S M O F F I C E / P H O T O : J . P . T H

I B A U T



51

C H A P T E R

6

The recommendations set out below are chiefly aimed atpublic and private agencies working in tourism keen to playtheir part in the harmonious development of the tourism in-dustry throughout the area of their town or city and its sur-rounding region by achieving the best possible impact on

tourist satisfaction, socioeconomic development and thequality of life of their fellow citizens.

They are based on an analysis of those factors that seem toplay a key role in the success of integrated quality manage-ment in urban tourist destinations. These recommendationscover the stages of design of the approach, strategies andpractical measures and of implementation, resources, meas-urement and results.

They are practical and designed to meet the actual needs ofthose involved in tourism, who often hear the integratedquality management of the tourist destination spoken of,without really understanding its issues and implications orhow to tackle and introduce an approach of this type.

The following should, however, be borne in mind:

• the recipes proposed are neither universal nor exhaustive,but illustrate successful practices, the guiding threads ofwhich can be transposed;

• integrated quality management is a new managerialapproach for tourist destinations: its pioneers are in mostcases on a learning curve where successes are oftenmatched by failures;

• many of those involved are unaware of the actual conceptof integrated quality management: destinations otherthan those selected are undoubtedly launching this kind ofapproach without ever having felt the need to link it to theconcept of integrated quality management;

• the findings of this study should be seen as a contribut ionto European policy to promote quality and quality strate-gies in order, among other things, to disseminate goodpractices within the Member States.

It has been possible, through this study, to develop a chartfor an IQM approach proposed for tourist destinations whichhas provided a framework for the presentation of the casestudies. This chart is global and systemic and flexible andadaptable: in some ways it is an evolving and repetitive

framework.

It has been decided to present the conclusions and recom-mendations using a framework similar to that of the chartwhich itself provided a framework for the presentation of thecase studies and for Chapters 3, 4 and 5.

Digest of recommendationsfor urban destinations



52

C H A P T E R

6

There is no recipe for the successful introduction of a quali-ty plan in an urban tourist destination. A sustainable qualityimprovement will be more likely, however, if a number ofbasic conditions are satisfied.

Generally speaking, integrated quality management is a

repetitive and participatory process (24).

In tourism, particularly in towns and cities, this process in-volves an integrated management policy, i.e. a policy thatconcerns everyone involved in the basic services and prod-ucts supplied to tourists, which is the source of attraction forthe visitor, as well as in secondary services, which are an im-

portant part of the overall tourist experience.Six criteria are helpful in creating, maintaining and progress-ing a dynamic partnership between all those involved.

They are as follows:

• establishing a strong, well-structured, institutionally-based management that has resources (financial and hu-man) for action, autonomy and responsibility and the sup-port of the public authorities, the private sector and localpeople;

• from the formulation of the plan right up to the monitor-ing of its implementation, forging a partnership approach

based on close and cohesive cooperation between allthose involved at local, regional, national, and even inter-national level, thereby making the most of the resultant

synergies, spin-offs from measures and economies ofscale;

• working towards a common vision of tourism develop-ment by consulting the agencies involved and local peo-ple and establishing a high-quality internal system for thecirculation of information;

• looking for a balanced distribution of the positive impact

of urban tourist development between visitors, industryprofessionals, their personnel and local people. The foun-dations need to be laid for a positive outcome that offersadded value for everyone;

• drawing up a consistent policy and coordinating, in thefield, the activities of services responsible for tourism andother services responsible for urban development whichhave a major part to play in the quality of the visitor ex-perience (public transport, public cleanliness, police, etc.);

• introducing incentives to promote the emergence and en-courage the development of private initiatives to improvetourism quality. These incentives may be constructive orrepressive and can take a whole range of forms (tax con-cessions, aids and subsidies, information and promotion,prizes and awards, training, etc.).

The dynamics of partnership: paving the way for an integrated

quality management approach

The strategic development plan should:

• identify the various partners, representatives of politicaland administrative authorities at all levels (local, regional,national, European), tourism professionals in the publicand private sectors (public tourism bodies, professional as-sociations, owners and managers of tourist enterprises),representatives of civilian society (non-governmental or-ganisations, local people’s representatives, residents);

• set up structures for concerted action, consultation and

information of the various partners and describe theirmethods of operation (working groups, neighbourhoodmeetings, surveys, methods of monitoring and evaluatingresults, etc.).

Who are the main partners and how are they linked?

The strategic development plan should precisely define the

role, responsibilit ies and rights of each of the partners in each

of the stages of the integrated quality management ap-

proach.

Division of roles between the partners

(24) See Chapter 1, the chart of the IQM approach proposed for urban tourist destinations.

Finding a strong leader for the partners:

integrated quality management requires a strong and recognised authority.



53

C H A P T E R

6

The partners working in an urban destination should carryout a detailed analysis of the SWOT type on the position oftourism with respect to the main market trends, its potential

and the limits on its sustainable development, its positive im-pact and its constraints.

Analysis of the current situation

The reasons for introducing an integrated quality manage-ment approach need to be clearly set out in order to avoidany subsequent frustration of the expectations of public andprivate partners and the local community. These reasonsshould preferably be positive and preventive rather than

negative and corrective.

The objectives should be operational, possible to evaluateand staggered over time. If they are few in number, they canbe readily communicated which should help to unite thepartners, step up the internal mobilisation of the destinationand provide visitor information that is increasingly sensitive

to consumer notions.

Defining the objectives and overall strategy of the approach

These objectives should be part and parcel of an overall strat-egy of urban development whose aim is to make the mostof local socioeconomic impact and to optimise the quality of

life of current and future generations. Account should betaken here of Agenda 21 themes.


The human factor is one of the keys to the success of an ur-ban tourist destination. It is the quality of the contacts thatvisitors make that they will most often remember and speakabout to their friends and family. The objectives chosen

should therefore always include personnel satisfactionunderpinned by a wider range of opportunities for personalenhancement through a policy of continuing training andimprovement of working conditions.

Human resources and training schemes

The choice of objectives depends on factors connected withthe context, positioning and orientation of tourist develop-ment policy. Ideally, these objectives should be formulated sothat they are in keeping with urban development policy. Im-plementing integrated quality management in urban touristdestinations requires in-depth work to:

• analyse the current situation;

• define the objectives and overall strategy of the approach;

• examine the environment and sustainable development;

• improve human resources and training schemes.

The dynamics of design

Strategic plans and objectives



54

C H A P T E R

6

When implementing an integrated quality managementplan, every urban destination will choose its own priorities.These choices, often shaped by the reasons that provided astarting point for initial thinking about quality and touristresources, will take a whole range of practical forms, ofteninvolving public authority initiatives in particular in thefields of:

• the environment and sustainable development;

• accessibility and mobility;

• security.

The dynamics of implementing integrated quality management

Public authority initiatives

Policies to develop tourism should include practical measurescovering a broad range of aspects of the destination andshould be in keeping with a general policy of environmentalprotection and management. These measures should in-clude, in particular, links between tourist infrastructure de-

velopment or programmes to rehabilitate the environment intown and city centres and town planning, waste collection,etc.


The urban tourist flows generated by the use of personalvehicles exacerbate the day-to-day traffic and pollut ion prob-

lems of towns and cities. Local authorit ies need to develop aglobal approach based on both incentives and deterrents. Themain components of this approach should include:

• high-quality, competit ively priced, intermodal publictransport;

• sales of products and services that encourage tourists andresidents to use public transport;

• park-and-ride schemes and zones in which access andtraffic are restricted.

Particular attention should also be paid to the needs of dis-abled people.

Accessibi li ty and mobil ity

A real and subjective improvement of the security of a des-tination improves its image and tourist appeal. Preventive

measures, services to help victims of crime and training forlocal police in tourist care and rapid processing of their com-plaints should all help to improve perceptions of security.

Security



55

C H A P T E R

6

Any urban destination implementing an integrated qualitymanagement approach has to provide support for tourism

professionals through a range of services including:

• internal communication and leadership;

• promotion and external communication;

• the new information and communication technologies;

• training.

The lead authority’s services and support for professionals

Internal communication should:

• ensure that the managing structure is recognised and that

its tourism development plans receive the active supportof local people;

• target different groups, ensure exchanges of information,forge links between all those involved and make thetourism sector dynamic;

• consolidate the destination’s identity.

Internal communication should include:

• analyses of the current situation of urban tourism and its

economic prospects;• the organisation, with all the partners, of working and

consultation meetings on the development of tourism inthe destination;

• the strategic plan for tourism development and the out-come of init iatives and endeavours;

• a practical guide to tourist services in the destination.

Internal communication and leadership

All tourist destinations should develop their policy of pro-motion in two ways:

• ensuring that tourism professionals are constantly awareof the destination, by making particular use of the newtechnologies, setting up an Internet site, etc.;

• ensuring that the destination is well represented by its lo-cal promoters and occasional ambassadors (police officers,taxi drivers, public transport drivers, traders, etc.).

Promotion and external communication

The leader of an urban destination will encourage tourismprofessionals to use the new information and communica-tion technologies to:

• supply, automatically and online, useful information in andoutside the destination;

• pave the way for interactive reservation;

• encourage dialogue by recording complaints and com-ments by tourists and local people.

The new information and communication technologies

The lead authority will encourage tourist industry personnelto consolidate their skills and to improve interpersonal skillsand the qualit y of visitor care. Training should be available ina variety of fields including customer care, helpfulness, per-

sonnel involvement and motivation, foreign languages,knowledge of the destination’s resources and events, help-ing visitors to organise their stay, etc.

Training



56

C H A P T E R

6

Particular attention needs to be paid, in an integrated quali-ty management approach, to the needs of tourists when

planning their trip, throughout the visit itself and after theyreturn home.

Action should be taken in the areas of:

• information and visitor care;• accommodation and catering;

• attractions, events and combined products.

Tourist services

Information should be available at any time, using the newtechnologies or from partners in the destination.

It should be consistent, complete, attractive and in keeping

with visitors’ needs.High-quality visitor care:

• should be apparent at all strategic points of the destina-tion;

• requires friendly, helpful and skilled tourism professionals;

• will be consolidated by the active participation of localpeople;

• will make use of the new technologies (payment methods,dissemination of and access to information, etc.).

Information and visitor care

• introduction of:

– national or local classifications,

– quality labels and codes of conduct, – comparative evaluations of classification systems;

• upgrading of the culinary heritage of the destination or itsregion;

• specific training in t ourist care for personnel in the accom-modation and catering service sectors;

• modifications to meet the specific needs of disabled peo-ple.

These are all elements that play a part in the positive imageof a tourist destination; tourists will then calmly and confi-dently be able to gauge the quality and range of accommo-dation and catering services.

Accommodation and catering

The diversity of an urban destination’s resources and its

ability to link attractions and events will to a large extentdetermine its appeal and the extent and quality of the posi-tive impact generated by tourism.

An integrated and diversified approach is needed here:

• upgrading of the destination’s resources;

• control and channelling of flows in the town;

• optimum accessibility for both visitors and residents;

• organised visits for different target groups.

Attractions, events, combined products



57

C H A P T E R

6

Integrated quality management is based on the principle ofrepetition. Relevant information on results obtained in the

area of satisfaction, on changes in the context and on trendsmust be regularly fed back into the process.

The dynamics of monitoring

Various types of indicators should be devised and as muchinformation and numerical data as possible gathered before,during and after the tourist’s visit to and/ or stay in the touristdestination.

An initial set of surveys before and during the visit should

help to:• anticipate the main trends in the urban tourism market

and determine the town’s position with respect to thesetrends;

• identify visitors’ profiles and behaviour;

• fix the image of the destination in the minds of visitors andlikely and unlikely visitors;

• find out about visitors’ and likely visitors’ expectations;

• check the image of the destination that opinion makersand retailers are passing on to people likely and unlikely tovisit the destination.

A second set of surveys should be carried out on departureor after the visit. They should help to:

• evaluate the extent to which visitors’ expectations havebeen met and their levels of satisfaction;

• evaluate whether the image of the destination has beenmodified by the visit;

• measure the impact that this change of image has had onvisitors’ satisfaction and what they are likely to tell friendsand family when they return home;

• quickly gather visitors’ comments and suggestions.

Tourist satisfaction

Quantitative and qualitative indicators need to be devised inorder to:

• evaluate the performance of the tourism sector by cate-gory of visitors and service provision;

• measure the endeavours that professionals in the variousbranches of tourism are making to meet the standards andquality labels formulated and implemented by their pro-

fessional associations and/ or the authorit ies in charge ofimplementing the integrated quality management ap-proach;

• evaluate the quality of employment contracts and thecareer opportunities open to employees in the sector.

Satisfaction of tourism professionals

Quantitative and qualitative indicators are needed, throughwhich it should, among other things, be possible to measure:

• local people’s perception of the effects of tourism, itsdrawbacks and its benefits;

• socioeconomic impact, creation of jobs and revenue(wealth), new infrastructure and improvements of publicfacilities and services as a result of tourism;

• the positive impact of the integrated quality managementapproach on the actual and subjective quality of life expe-rienced by the residents of towns and cities and theirneighbouring areas;

• the real positive or negative impact of any development oftourism on the quality of the environment and the impactof the approach on sustainable development.

These measurements of subjective and objective impact willrequire detailed thought about which parameters to take in-to account, which indicators are the most relevant and howthe data collected can then be fed back into policies andstrategies. Impact on neighbouring areas, especially rural

areas, should also be measured by these indicators.

Measuring the impact of tourism on the economy, the environment and residents’quality of life



58

C H A P T E R

6

Quality management is based on the principle of feedbackand repetition within a cyclical process of ongoing improve-ment. Measuring quality is therefore a necessary step inconverting an ad hoc approach into a permanently evolvingsystem.

The measurements of impact provided by the qualitat ive andquantitative indicators will make it possible to evaluate per-formance and take appropriate corrective action if needed,while giving the partners involved a view of their perform-ance and ensuring that the integrated quality managementapproach is permanently rooted.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment of components

of the approach

The task of the lead authority is to:

• lead the integrated quality management approach for theurban tourist destination;

• unite the various partners by establishing facilit ies for con-certed action and consultation;

• initiate specific measures likely to improve the quality ofthe services and products offered to visitors;

• integrate this approach into the broader framework of thegeneral development of the destination and its neigh-bouring region;

• put forward a policy of sustainable development oftourism based on the optimum use of the destination’s re-sources.

Public and private tourism service providers should:

• work with the public authority to design, implement andmonitor the integrated quality management approach;

• comply with standards and quality labels (as well as envi-ronmental labels) and constantly endeavour to improvethe services and products offered to tourists;

• listen to visitors and to their staff in order to provide foodfor t hought and feedback for the integrated quality man-agement approach;

• help, through individual and collective initiatives, to im-prove the destination’s appeal;

• ensure that visitors have a positive image of the urban des-tination and are aware of its specific nature.

Local people should:

• take part in consultation meetings and surveys organisedby the public authority as part of the design, implementa-tion and monitoring of the integrated quality manage-ment approach;

• play an active part in improving visitor care through theirattitudes, friendliness and helpfulness to visitors;

• abide by and help to implement the measures and regu-lations drawn up by the public authority in areas such ascleanliness, the rehabilitation of buildings, respect for theenvironment, use of public transport and security.

For this purpose, tourists should be encouraged to behavein a responsible way and:

• be made aware of the well-being of the local population;

• respect the traditions and cultural features of the destina-tion’s residents;

• abide by measures to minimise the negative impact oftourist flows on the environment.

Conclusion



59

Part 2

Case studies

2

Amsterdam (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Aix-en-Provence (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Coimbra (Portugal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Dublin (Ireland) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Glasgow (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Gothenburg (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Leipzig (Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Loutraki (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Malaga (Spain). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Orléans & Blois (France). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Rhodes (Greece). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

St Andrews (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Stockholm (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Volterra (Italy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Winchester (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

List of destinations





61

The dynamics of monitoring I NDI CATORS

The letter Q is progressing up a graduated scalehelped by an arrow in its centre that is moving itin the direction of progress.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment

RESULTS

The letter Q is free from any external deviceshere; it is full and complete, forming a dynamicloop whose permanent self-motivating force isshown by the arrow.

Each case study describes the destination’s general qualityapproach, starting with a brief overview. Some key figuresand information on main attractions then help to provide apicture of the destination. The structure of the case study

matches the five dynamics of the chart of the IQM approachproposed for urban tourist destinations. The methods andpractices illustrated in Chapters 3 to 5 are fleshed out andlocated in the destination’s specific context.

What does each case study contain?

The study’s five dynamics are illustrated by five original pic-tograms that readers may interpret in their own way: some idea of the thinking on which they are based is neverthelessgiven below.

How is the information on each destination presented?

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

The letter Q bearing and enhanced by a circum-flex accent means that quality is to be found un-der the same roof and is systemic and holistic.Quality must, however, be managed.

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLI CIES

The letter Q in the form of a target with an ar-row in it s centre reflects the concern for accurateand consistent strategic thinking. The target’sconcentric circles represent policies radiating outfrom the strategy pinpointed by t he arrow.

The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS

The letter Q with a trowel passing through it rep-resents practical work to put the plan into action.The trowel, like the arrow, points towards thefuture.





63

Amsterdam

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by a decline in popularity

• Co-financing by a mixed (public/ private) foundation

• Annual tourism award

Strategy • Strategic marketing and communication plan (three-yearly

and policies surveys)

• Customer questionnaires and discussion forums

• Policy of integrated tourism development and diversification

• Regular training, visitor information and visitor care services

Operations • Assistance for tourist victims of crime

• Integrated maintenance plan for urban areas

• Materials and forums for internal communication (among

businesses) and information

• Image campaigns and themed campaigns

• Four-language signposting

• Permanent information offices and roving ambassadors

Indicators • Municipal research and statistical office

• Tourist barometer

• Local impact survey

Results • Coordination of the work of private and public associations and

organisations (to opt imise resources)

AmsterdamA

msterdam, which has 715 000

inhabitants, is a very popular

tourist destination known

throughout the world for i ts mult icultural

atmosphere, tolerance and

broadmindedness.

Most of the main attractions are

concentrated in the city’s historic centre,

including a network of canals dating from

the 17th century, quays and some 400 or so

historic sites and monuments. Amsterdam

also offers a wide range of entertainment,

cultural activities and internationally

renowned festivals and events. It is also a

major business centre for many national and

international enterprises from all sectors.

Amsterdam suffers, however, from traffic

congestion problems due largely to tourist

flows that remain constant throughout the

year.

SOURCE:VVV



64

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?Following a regular growth of tourism from the 1950s to themid-1980s, Amsterdam’s popularity declined sharply withthe result that it was ranked in only eighth place amongEuropean urban tourist destinations in 1994.

In order to regain its former market position, the Amsterdamlocal authority, through a mixed foundation, the VVV, com-missioned various studies whose findings provided a startingpoint for action to revitalise the tourism industry.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The Amsterdam local authority decided to draw up atourism development strategy and policies to implement it.The main focus of t his strategy and its policies is to organise,coordinate, promote and market tourism in Amsterdam andto provide assistance and advice for enterprises and for local,regional and national public authorities.

The local authority works through the VVV, a foundationwhich it helped to finance with the assistance of the Ams-terdam Chamber of Commerce and its 1 300 or so public andprivate sector members. The foundation’s remit is to:

• advise the local authority;

• promote Amsterdam as a tourist destination, both in theNetherlands and abroad;

• offer private businesses in the tourism industry help with

management and staff training and assistance in main-taining high-quality products and services;

• monitor the quality of new tourist facilities.

Since 1996, VVV has been working w ith the national tourismpromotion off ice and, since 1998, with the national airline topromote international t ourism.

To promote national tourism, VVV works with AVN, a leisure

and tourism foundation whose members include the mainnational tourism bodies. It also works at federal level with theprovincial tourism office of North Holland and the tourismoffices of municipalities close to Amsterdam.

Making the industry more dynamicSince 1991, VVV has awarded a yearly tourism award to aperson, institution or organisation who has helped to im-prove tourism in Amsterdam.


Amsterdam’s reputation is built on: • its old town and network of

canals dating from the 17th century, its quays, its historic sites and monuments (close on 400) and its famous museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, etc.) ;

• the legendary tolerance and friendliness of i ts residents;

• i ts rich folklore;

• the wide range of entertainment, cultural acti viti es and internationally renowned festivals and events that it offers;

• its conferences and congresses. Amsterdam is one of the top 10 world destinations.

• 300 accommodation establishments of all categories wit h over 37 000 beds

• 35 000 jobs generated by tourism, i.e. 6 % of all jobs in the conurbation

• 3.2 million visit ors, with a recorded figure of some 6.4 million overnight stays

• Approximately 6 milli on overnight stays are not recorded

• 15 million day visitors ( chiefly Dutch)

• 25 % increase in visitor numbers over 6 years

• Visitor expenditure of NLG 3 300 million ( EUR 1 500 million)

• 70 % of visitors are leisure tourists

Some figures (1996) Main attractions



S O U R C E : V V V

O NEOF THE

MAIN AIMSOF

TOURISM

DEVELOPM ENT

POLICIES IS TO

IMPROVEURBAN

AREAS

65

A M S T E R D A M


Aware that the city no longer had its former appeal, the lo-cal authority commissioned VVV to conduct studies that areused to draw up three-yearly strategic marketing and com-

munication plans that provide an overall f ramework for anyquality improvement measures that need to be taken.

These studies, of ten the result of proposals from VVV, focuson:

• market research and analysis (analysis and evaluation ofcustomers, markets, competition: analysis of Amsterdam’sstrengths and weaknesses, of threats and opportunit ies inthe tourism industry and of threats posed by the tourismdevelopment and promotion strategies of rival Europeancities);

• visitors’ expectations of Amsterdam;

• the methods and criteria by which visitors choose an ur-ban tourist destination and Amsterdam’s ability to meetthese criteria;

• visitors’ expectations of Amsterdam and the image that itputs forward.

Tourist accommodation establishments and various privatesector businesses also help to provide this information byasking their customers to fill out questionnaires and takingpart in forums and conferences organised by VVV.

Objectives and overall strategyThe main objectives of the tourism development policy for-mulated in 1994 and updated for the period 1998–2000 arechiefly to:

• achieve an annual growth of tourism of 4 % (arrivals,overnight stays, expenditure);

• increase the number of jobs in the tourism industry to42 000;

• generate a turnover of EUR 1 930 million;

• remove the city’s negative image by:

– improving access to it s historic centre and attractions,

– redeveloping and revitalising the city’s historic centre,

– building new car parks,

– improving urban areas and public transport,

– providing high-quality information for tourists,

– making the city centre more secure,

– cleaning up the city and reducing pollution;• draw up regulations for hotel accommodation;

• diversify what is on offer, with an eye to cultural tourism,off-peak tourism (entertainment and events) and cruisetourism in the port;

• provide incentives to organise international events alongthe lines of the Van Gogh and Rembrandt exhibitions;

• focus marketing more on the customer than on the prod-uct and offer a very broad range of options able to meetthe requirements of the increasingly diversified and exact-ing demand from customers;

• attract tourists rather than day visitors;• promote cooperation between national and regional part-

ners.

The dynamics of design: STRATEGI ES AND POLI CI ES



66

Human resource policyRegular training schemes are organised for staff in directcontact with visitors. They focus chiefly on service, informa-

tion and visitor care. These training schemes are very popu-lar among hotel managers and the number of participantshas continued to grow. VVV itself employs highly qualified

personnel (further education certificate as a minimum re-quirement). VVV also carries out surveys to monitor indus-try employees’ performance in terms of the service that theyoffer visitors.

Public servicesA research group is working to improve safety and its per-ception by tourists, in particular by:

• better public lighting in the city centre;

• assistance for tourists who are victims of crime in the citycentre and, in the near future, throughout the conurbation(project led by the local authority in partnership with pri-vate businesses).

The crime rate linked to tourism is also regularly monitored.

The local authority has introduced an integrated mainte-

nance plan for built-up areas in the city centre that includesthe maintenance of roads and public areas, waste collection,street cleaning, the removal of graffiti from walls and theprotection of the built heritage.

Services for industry professionalsCommunication with industry professionals takes placethrough articles in the professional press, an information bul-letin, a magazine and informal contacts between VVV and

professionals. Many meetings are reg-ularly organised at VVV’s headquar-ters and are in some ways a platformfor t he tourism industry and the cul-tural sector. These meetings tackleissues such as the planning of co-operation structures, contacts be-

tween private business managersand local authority representa-tives, problems generated by thedevelopment of tourism, etc.


S O U R C E : V V V

R ENOVATION O F

MANY MUSEUMS

AND TOURIST

ATTRACTIONS

S O U R C E : V V V

T HERE ARE

VARIOUS TYPES

OF TRANSPORT

ON

AMSTERDAM ’ S

CANAL NETWORK

Tourist servicesTwo new communication cam-

paignswere launched in 1997 to im-prove the city’s image and to build up

customer loyalty by pro-viding a more consistentlink between the prod-

ucts on offer and their target markets. The first, worldwide,campaign was based on the slogan ‘Amsterdam, capital ofinspiration’. The second campaign targeted domestictourism and was based on the concept ‘Amsterdam, city ofthe world’.

More specific campaigns relating to the arts, history, winterand cruises are also run. The recent European Summit inAmsterdam was also part of a cultural programme.

VVV is trying to extend the tourist season as far as possibleby diversifying the tourist products on offer and to reduceovercrowding in the historic centre by orienting visitors to-wards new centres of interest on the outskirts of the city.These diversification measures include, for instance, the de-velopment of a new cruise ship terminal, the construction ofa cultural complex and leisure centre and, as part of theFashionable Heart of Amsterdam campaign, the renovation



67

A M S T E R D A M

of a number of the city centre’s museums and attractions.The national campaign on the themes ‘A sea of culture’ and‘Tourism means work’ provides a framework for 25 or sosmaller-scale projects. These include, for instance, improving

access to the seaside resorts surrounding Amsterdam.

In order to make the city more accessible and, in particular,to improve mobility in its historic centre, the local authorityhas reviewed, improved and extended a four-language sign-

posting system from the main access route (A10) to the citycentre.

A high-speed train (the Thalys) connects the city centre withthe airports of Schiphol and Orly, Brussels, Paris andCologne; Schiphol Airport is also increasing its air traffic ca-pacity and the number of passengers that it can accommo-date.

The local authority has also installed a circular tram line, of-fers various types of transport on its canal network (waterbuses, museum boats, public transport, tourist transportconnecting the main tourist attractions, water taxis, pedalos)and has extended the north–south underground line.

Visitors can also obtain a ‘culture and leisure’ pass.

VVV provides visitor care and orientation through its six of-fices in the city, at Schiphol Airport and on the A10. City am-

bassadors circulate in the historic centre and around themain attractions. Their task is to provide tourists with assis-tance and answer t heir questions.

From the point of view of accommodation, the local author-ity has drawn up and implemented legal instruments en-abling it t o:

• ensure that the principles of a diverse and high-qualitysupply are respected;

• give priority to the opening of new hotels in districts thatit is attempting to revitalise or rehabilitate;

• promote 2- and 3-star hotels rather than 4- and 5-starhotels of which there are now enough.

Extended opening hours in city centre shops have providedmore opportunities for evening and weekend shopping.

M ORE FLEXIBLE

OPENING HOURS

IN CITY CENTRE

SHOPS

S O U

R C E : V V V



68

Knowledge of markets and visitor

satisfactionInformation is gathered and analysed by the local authority

research and statistics office. It covers, among other things:

• quantitative aspects such as numbers of arrivals, depar-tures and overnight stays, volumes of expenditure, break-down by nationality and attendance figures for museums,attractions and events organised in the city;

• more qualitative aspects such as visitors’ profi les, motiva-tions and expectations, their levels of satisfaction and theirpreferred types of activity;

• the tourist service supplies (SWOT (25) analysis);

• the city’s image.The findings of these surveys are input into a database thatVVV uses to publish regular reviews and reports of t he touristbarometer type on the development of tourism in Amster-dam.

These surveys also mean that Amsterdam can be comparedwith other European destinations such as Rome and Viennato obtain a representative image of the European urbantourist.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityA survey of the impact of tourism has been conductedamong local people and visitors. One of the f indings of thissurvey was that the concentration of leisure tourism in thecity centre undoubtedly raised problems for residents, butthat these problems were tolerated and accepted becausetourism generates, in return, a wide range of facilities that

are of benefit to local people as well as tourists.


A 1996 study conducted among 81 European destinationsby the European Federation of Tourism Offices showed thatAmsterdam had moved up to fourth place among the mostvisited towns of Europe, behind London, Paris and Rome.

Recent studies (1996–97) show that:

• customers appreciate the high quality of the services and

products on off er, in particular Amsterdam’s museums;• visitors appreciate the city’s atmosphere and the friendli-

ness of its residents as well as the efforts that are beingmade in the city centre to improve:

– domestic waste collection,

– accessibility,

– cleanliness (less graff iti and rubbish in the streets),

– public areas.

The local authority and VVV coordinate the activities of

many private and public sector associations and organisa-

tions working to develop tourism, in order to optimise theuse of the local resources of the region and the city within aframework of integrated development.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

(25) Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.



Aix-en-Provence

Paris

69

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by a critical audit and a new municipal team’s keenness

to reorganise the industry

• Two-t ier local authority cooperation structure

• Pioneer in quality of visitor care (charter) and its certif ication

Strategy and • Quality plan and adoption of standards

policies • Climatic charter

• Environmental charter 1996–2000• High percentage of permanent staff

Operations • Development plan for access routes into the town

• Plan of action (50 measures) under the charter

• Concerted action and local authority cooperation

• Creation of an environmental workshop

• Support for the regional urban ecology programme

• Tighter management of the International Opera Festival

• European Academy of M usic (with tourist passport)

Indicators • Monitoring system in keeping with t he AFNOR standard

• Processing of complaints received by hotels

• Local people’s participation in the environmental workshop

Results • Modelling and certification

• Reduction of complaints

• New targets

• Increased number of tourists

Aix-en-ProvenceL

ocated in the centre of the

département of Bouches-du-Rhône,

Aix-en-Provence is bounded to the

north by the Durance valley, to the west by

the banks of the Etang de Berre and to the

south by the Marseilles conurbation.

Aix-en-Provence is made up of a dense

urban core and a number of vil lages. With a

typically Mediterranean relief and climate, it

has a variety of landscapes, soils and

vegetation, cultivated land and hilly areas

and underground (hot springs) and surface

water networks.

Aix-en-Provence draws its name from i ts

Roman baths.

A new spa centre, a health centre and a new

hotel opened in 1998.



70

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?The arrival of a new municipal team in 1989 provided the

trigger.

At that t ime, tourism in Aix was not as successful or grow ingas fast as in comparable French towns. The new mayor’sdeputy in charge of tourism then carried out a critical audit

of the situation, suggesting that the sector should be over-hauled and reorganised.

An initial study in 1990 examined the feasibility of a confer-ence centre. It found that, to get things going again, the firststep was to restructure the tourism office in order to providehigh-quality visitor care. Other questions were raised aboutAix-en-Provence’s role in health and spa tourism and the re-lationships between tourism and the environment.

To find an answer to these questions, the mayor’s twodeputies in charge respectively of tourism and the environ-ment began to work together informally but very efficientlyin order to make sure that tourism was rapidly included inplans for Aix-en-Provence’s sustainable development.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The tourism office manages the quality initiative and acts asa forum for the various public and private partners involved.In order to ensure that full account is taken of its natural andhuman environment, Aix-en-Provence has a two-tier local

authority cooperation structure:

• fourteen municipalities are members of the Association of

the M unicipalities of the Region of Aix which has limitedpowers over culture, the economy, spatial development,the environment, living conditions, waste management

and the Mediterranean Europe Arbois plan where theMediterranean high-speed train is due to stop in 2001;

• six municipalities are members of the Association to safe-

guard and develop the Region of Aix.

Both these associations are members of the Aix Region Town

Planning Agency (AUPA).

Making the industry more dynamicWhile there is no IQM in the strict sense, Aix-en-Provence isa pioneer in the area of high-quality visitor care and its cer-

tification.

In 1993, the tourism directorate suggested that the directorof the tourism office should launch a quality initiative anddraw up a visitor care charter to be signed by industry pro-fessionals in Aix.


A town of water, art and conferences,

Aix-en-Provence’s reputation is built on its historic and cultural heritage: • more than 60 mansions from the 15th

to the 18th century; • public buildings such as the Town Hall

and its belfry, the former Archbishop’s Palace, the modernised Palace of Justice, the Tour des Augustins, and the Pavillon de Vendôme;

• fountains are one of t he town’s main features;

• churches including the Cathédrale Saint Sauveur and the Madeleine and Saint Jean-de-Malte churches;

• modern and daring buildings such as the Cité du Livre and the Vasarely Foundation;

• sights and curiosit ies such as the Joseph Sec Mausoleum, the Mazarin

district, the cours Mirabeau and the

traditional Provençal santons ( Christmas crib f igures) ;

• traditi ons such as a gastronomy based on olive oil, fruit and vegetables,calissons (almond sweets), and popular traditions such as the Provençal Christmas crib and the Drum Academy.

As Cézanne’s town, Aix-en-Provence offers:

• visit s to his studio at Les Lauves; • an exhibition of his paintings in the

Granet museum;

• a Cézanne trail, 3 km long, marked out by 2 500 bronze nails and passing via the Sainte-Victoire mountain which reaches a height of 1 000 metres.

The town also has many museums, art galleries, theatres and cinemas and sport

• Populat ion: 130 000

• Number of t ourists per annum: 700 000, including 200 000 foreign tourists

• Close on 3 000 hotel rooms

• Annual number of overnight stays: 2 558 000

• Average length of stay: 5 days

• 1 conference centre and 26 meeti ng rooms

• 98 conferences attracting 11 208 delegates




71

A I X - E N - P R O V E N C E

This document, which is a kind of profession of faith and ofthe moral undertaking of the tourism office and profession-als (hoteliers, restaurateurs, taxis and public transport, mu-

seums and other tourist activities) to provide better visitorcare, is available to anybody who requests it.

Aix-en-Provence’s plan has four main strands:

• drawing up a quality plan and adopt-ing standards for visitor care;

• the climatic charter;

• re-organising the InternationalOpera Festival which celebrated its50th anniversary in 1998;

• implementing measures to protectthe local environment and setting upan environmental workshop.

Analysis of currentsituationCommittees worked for a yearwith a quality engineer from

AFNOR (26). They interviewed pro-fessionals from each of the five branches concerned

who described their services to these committees which thendrew up desirable performance levels and examined whatresources needed to be implemented to achieve them. Thesereference standards were then submitted to and endorsed bya panel of consumers.

Objectives and overall strategyThe 1993 quality plan included plans to draw up and imple-ment five ‘Visitor care quality’ reference standards: tourismoff ice, museums, hotels, restaurants, t ransport.

Aix-en-Provence’s climatic charter is intended to improve

living conditions by monitoring air quality to:• boost health tourism;

• comply with the French law on air quality up to 1 January2000;

• make sure that account is taken of health tourism in urbanplanning documents.

The re-organisation of the International Opera Festival wasunderpinned by the notion that the festival should improvethe town’s image and be a driving force behind the devel-opment of cultural tourism, with particular support f rom theEuropean Academy of Music.

Plans for the implementation of a local Agenda 21 were not

accepted during a call for projects by the French Minister forTerritorial Development and the Environment. The munici-pality of Aix-en-Provence has nevertheless drawn up a1996–2000 environmental charter along the lines of theAalborg Charter that sets out 50 environmental measuresrelating chiefly to rural areas and landscapes, nuisances andpollution, the urban environment and general policies,organisation and resources.

Human resource policyTourist enterprises in Aix-en-Provence employ a high per-

centage of permanent staff. Despite initiatives to step up

staff training and the fact that staff have a relatively positiveview of the reference standards for ‘hotels’ and ‘catering’,the problem is still one of improving t heir working conditionsand career prospects, especially in the area of wages.

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLI CI ES

(26) French Standards Association.

ADOPTION OF A

VISITOR CARE

STANDARD IN

X - EN -P ROVENCE

T HE AIX - EN - P ROVENCE

CLIMATIC CHARTER

AIMS TO IMPROVE

LIVING

CONDITIONS

AIX - EN -P ROVENCE T OURISM O FFICE



72

Public servicesAccess to a town and its various access routes provide visi-tors with an initial image that may shape the remainder oftheir visit.

One of the problems that Aix-en-Provence and the Munici-palities of the Region of Aix had to tackle was the negativeimage of their access routes due to factors such as lack ofroad safety, high concentrations of noise pollution, air pollu-tion and uncontrolled growth.

The resultant development plan for access routes to towns

of the Region of Aix Association received the French Na-

tional Prize for Town Access Routes, a prize awarded jointlyby the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of In-frastructure, Housing, Transport and Tourism.

This development plan makes provision for ongoing and in-

tegrated management of the town’s access routes and in-cludes:

• systematic cleaning to maintain roadside areas;

• redevelopment of plant beds and networks;

• redevelopment of existing access routes to improve visi-bility and security;

• permanent monitoring of the location of advertising

boards;• permanent monitoring of unauthorised building.

Most of the 50 measures included in the environmental char-ter for 1996–2000 have a direct or indirect impact on thesustainable development of tourism in Aix-en-Provence andthe municipalities with which it is linked.

They include, for instance:

• developing walks and public areas;

• implementing a municipal landscaping plan;

• incentives to walk or cycle;

• limiting noise linked to infrastructure;

• monitoring of the quality of drinking and spa waters;

• control of unauthorised visual publicity;

• improving travel in the town and between towns;

• introducing the climatic charter;

• environmental education;

• training of local authority officials;

• introducing good communication practices.


T HE R EGION O F

IX ASSOCIATION

ASDRAWN UP A

REDEVELOPMENT

LAN FOR ACCESS

OUTES INTO THE

TOWN

S O U R C E : A I X - E N - P R O V E N C E T O U R I S M O F F I C E



In 1999, a health resort will be con-nected to the town centre by an en-vironmentally-friendly minibus shut-tle and by a cycle path.

Services for industry professionalsConcerted action is a key aspect of Aix-en-Provence’s qual-ity initiative.

Under its environmental charter, the town has set up an en-

vironmental workshop involving active associations in aprocess of:

• concerted action as regards local authority schemes in theenvironmental area;

• searches for partners (public or private institutions) likely

to provide assistance in carrying out these schemes.The town has also endeavoured to improve inter-municipal

cooperation in the environmental area, in particular asregards:

• monitoring of air quality;

• management of the four local authority cooperation plansfor forest conservation and development and road noise.

In 1998, the municipal policy to promote health tourism andits policy to promote pedestrian and cycle travel between theurban area and the town’s natural areas led it to join the re-

gional urban ecology programme run by the regional envi-ronmental agency (ARPE).

Tourist servicesPromotion of Aix-en-Provence take traditional forms:

• brochures on thematic trails;

• the distribution to tourists of a leaflet setting out its envi-ronmental policy;

• the creation in 1996 of an Internet site.

Under its quality plan, Aix-en-Provence is committed to re-organising and tightening up the management of the Inter-

national Opera Festival to improve the image ofAix-en-Provence and make the festival into the driving forcebehind large-scale cultural tourism; the town is also organis-ing a larger number of events.

The European Academy of Music, in addition to its teachingwork, is also to become a training centre for young singers,

instrumentalists and composers. Lastly, to promote closerlinks between the residents of Aix and the festival, the Acad-emy has devised a passport for tourists wishing to attendany of the rehearsals and working sessions that it organises.

In 1994, the tourism office launched a feasibility study of thefive ‘Visitor care quality’ reference standards (27) envisaged inthe 1993 quality plan.

73

A I X - E N - P R O V E N C E

T IGHTER

MANAGEMENT O F

THE

INTERNATIONAL

OPERA FESTIVAL

S OURCE : AIX - EN -P ROVENCE T OURISM O FFICE

(27) Prefiguration of an AFNOR ISO (1999) certification system.



74


satisfactionTourist expectations were identif ied from surveys conductedin 1993. These surveys have not been repeated.

Visitor satisfaction levels can, however, be assessed indirect-ly from:

• the AFNOR quality standard which has its own monitor-

ing system;

• customer complaints received by hoteliers relating chieflyto:

– noise and traffic,

– lack of adequate signposting, – dirtiness,

– petty crime at night (often close to discotheques).

Satisfaction of local people and

integration into the communityLocal people have welcomed the environmental workshop,since they can play a part in schemes launched by the townto improve the quality of living conditions which concernthem as much as tourists.


The initiative has had some signif icant results:

• the drafting of the five ‘Visitor care quality’ reference stan-dards;

• the drafting of an AFNOR quality standard which hasmade it possible to model and certify the service and vis-itor care activities of French tourism offices by determin-ing the performance levels to be achieved and the re-sources to be implemented.

As a result of Aix-en-Provence’s initiative, another future

success may well be the standardisation of visitor care inFrench museums. This success may then be applied to otherbranches of the hospitality sector such as transport, hotelsand restaurants.

The initiative, of moderate cost (some EUR 60 000 co-financed by the French Tourism Engineering Agency, themunicipality, FIDAR and the General Council of the Bouch-es-du-Rhône), has provided a number of benefits for thetown of Aix-en-Provence:

• a significant increase in tourist numbers;

• a continuing decline in the number of complaints to thetourism office about visitor care;

• new target customers have been identif ied: eco-tourists,

health tourists, businessmen and conference delegates;• hotels have an average occupancy rate that is higher thanthe national average.




75

Coimbra

Lisbon

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by an urban renewal and development

strategy

• Leadership by the region and strong consensus

between the public authorities, the private sector and

local people about development objectives

• Partnership spirit

Strategy and • Strategic town planpolicies • Ecovie plan (park and ride schemes on the town’s

outskirts)

• Extensive training plan

Operations • Improvement of the quality of life and of the urban

area

• Professional manual (300 pages)

• Training/ information

• Annual promotion strategy based on the w ide range

of regional products

• Visitor care and information offices, interactive

terminals

• Improvement and modernisation of hotels

Indicators • Monthly barometer

• Management and arbitration of complaints

• Growing success of Ecovie

Results • Continuity of the overall plan

CoimbraC

oimbra is situated in the heart of Portugal’s

central region (Região Centro), halfway

between Lisbon and Oporto. This very historic

town’s university, founded in 1290, is one of the

oldest and most prestigious universities of Europe. The

remains of Holy Queen Isabel, the town’s patron, rest in the Santa Clara-la-Nova monastery and are the

focus of the famous festival of the Holy Queen

between 3 and 12 July.

The town’s main attraction is its wealth of history and

culture on which its reputation is founded. The old

town, in which restoration started in 1990, has

winding streets, some of which have been

pedestrianised. Architectural styles range from the

medieval to the 19th century.

Coimbra is also a lively town, largely because of its

university, its famous hospital centre, and the

conferences and conventions that provide a large

number of visitors. One of Coimbra’s main attractions

(700 000 visitors per annum) is the ‘Portugal dos

Pequenitos’ theme park, a miniature vil lage

il lustrating the architecture of Portugal’s towns and

cities and former colonies.

Coimbra has a young population (34 % aged under

25). It is a town w ith li tt le industry. Employment i s

largely in the service sector (72 %) largely because of

the university and the emphasis placed on tourism.



76

• The university of Coimbra, it s

library and the Saint Michel chapel;

• The old Roman cathedral;

• Churches, including Santa Cruz which contains the remains of Alfonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal;

• The Santa Clara monastery;

• 140 000 inhabitants (1997), including 30 000

students • 160 000 arrivals (1997)

• 416 000 overnight stays (1997), chiefly German,Spanish and Dutch tourists

• Average length of stay of 2.6 days ( 1997)

• 17 hotels with a capacity of 1 560 beds ( 1998)

• Occupancy rate of 73 % (1997)

• Direct employment in tourism: 12 to 14 % of total employment

Some figures Main attractions

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?At the outset, the town’s strategy was chiefly one of urban

renovation and development. As the region was eligible for

the Structural Funds, several major urban development proj-

ects had been set in motion and the town had published an

urban development plan in order to ensure that initiativeswere consistent .

This plan, published in 1990 after wide-ranging consultation

and concerted action with local people, sets out key aspects

of urban development, land use, areas for renovation, plans

for structural infrastructure and investment. Its guiding

thread is one of improving t he quality of public areas.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The Região Turismo Centro (Central Tourism Region) is an

association of 24 local authorities with a management boardmade up of local poli ticians, State representatives and repre-

sentatives of the private sector and civil society. This associ-

ation has the same tasks as the 18 other regional tourism

associations in Portugal, i.e.:

• leadership and coordination of initiatives directly or indi-

rectly connected with tourism and promotion;

• leadership of , and active participation in, the town’s think-

ing about issues concerning tourism;

• promotion of the town;

• development of horizontal tourist products, training and

information and management documents;• mediation between businesses and the public authorities

to create new activities and put together investment pack-

ages.

The Região Turismo Centro is a key player in policy decisions

about tourism because of its structure and its public and pri-

vate sector composition, its method of financing, its remit

and its management team.

Three main aspects underpin its undoubted leadership of the

tourism industry:

• it has financial resources because it splits revenue fromVAT levied in accommodation establishments, restaurants

and cafes with local authorities; these own resources are

proportional to tourist industry activity which is important

from the point of view of motivation and cooperation;

• it is clearly perceived that its remit is one of coordination

and leadership of tourism; its structure brings together

public and private partners from various backgrounds in-

terested in the development of tourism;

• it has achieved significant results in recent years in terms

of product improvement and increased tourist numbers.

The spirit of partnership between public and private sector

operators encouraged by the region has also functioned par-ticularly well in cases where cooperation and synergies were

being blocked by internal competition and mutual distrust.

The municipality of Coimbra is another important partner

both in including tourism in plans for the town and in imple-

menting measures to encourage new infrastructure and

events.




In view of the region’s original financing system and t he very

high hotel occupancy rate, the hoteliers’ association is also

one of the key partners in Coimbra.

Other partners include:

• the National Tourism Training Institute (INFIT) run by the

Portuguese Ministry of Tourism which provides training

schemes for businesses in the industry;

• the Portugal Promotion Office (ICEP) answerable to the

Ministry of Tourism;

• the Tourism fund administered by the Ministry of Tourism

and set up to support investors in the industry.

77

C O I MB R A

Objectives and overall strategyWhile the initial strategic plan of 1990 was not exclusively a

tourism development plan, it should be borne in mind that:

• it laid the foundations for the use of space, placing the em-

phasis on the upgrading of the heritage and the improve-

ment of the quality of life in the town (pedestrian area,

renovation of the main cultural buildings mentioned

above, vehicle traffic and public transport in the town,

strategy to develop the left bank, etc.);

• it was a plan, i.e. a written and to some extent permanent

reference framework drawn up with the participation of

local people and widely disseminated.

It therefore provided an official basis and

was a strong affirmation of the town ’scommitment to building on its past and

its heritage and to improving the quali-

ty of life for the benefit of local resi-

dents and visitors.

This initial strategic plan of 1990 pro-

vided the basis for a second plan entitled ‘Plano Estratégi-

co da Cidade de Coimbra’ (strategic plan for the town of

Coimbra) drawn up in 1998 with the main objective of ‘as-

serting the urban value of Coimbra as a centre of dissemina-

tion of knowledge and culture, a regional development

centre and an alternative to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon

and Oporto’.

This plan has four main strands, directly or indirectly linked

to tourism development:

1. establishing a competit ive urban/ regional community

through cooperation between local authorities, the devel-

opment of regional structures and integrated economic

development;

2. making Coimbra into a centre of innovation and scientif ic

and industrial development;

3. making Coimbra into a city of culture by upgrading its his-

toric, archaeological and museum resources and by sup-

porting and injecting a new dynamism into cultural

tourism;

4. making Coimbra into a town with a good quality of li fe

and work by revitalising its centre and integrating theriver into the town and by integrating out lying residential

areas and improving access and mobility in i ts centre.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21The Ecovie project, co-financed by the European Union, is

currently a key factor in the sustainable development of

tourism. Under the project, the historic centre of the town is

served by minibuses from two park and ride schemes on the

town’s outskirts.

Human resource policyOne of the areas in which the destination has been most ac-

tive is human resource management. A number of schemes

have been launched to step up the number, skills and or-

ganisation of tourism professionals.


SOURCE:REGIÃOTURISMOCENTRO



The Região Turismo Centro drew up a training plan which,

in cooperation with INFIT, was run for one year and then

evaluated. This plan includes both long t raining courses and

very short and very specialised modules. It is run with the as-

sistance of schools, independent trainers and/ or specialistcompanies. Training takes various forms and has helped to

improve employees’ skills in the branches of accommoda-

tion, restaurants and cafés, local travel agencies, site man-

agement, etc.

It also includes a remarkable example of horizontal training

involving several aspects of integrated quality management:

the training scheme for hotel managers which looks at the

environmental impact of hotel construction and equipment

choices.

High quality staff can be recruited from Coimbra’s tourism

schools and university. The growth of tourism has helped to

make careers and business initiatives in this sector more at-

tractive.

78

Public servicesThe town has a traffic plan and has made major efforts to

ease traffic problems and improve mobility in general.

Through the Ecovie project, co-financed by the European

Union, the town centre is served by minibuses from two park

and ride schemes on the town’s outskirts. The service is very

frequent and inexpensive for users. A number of car parks

have also been built in the town centre and some main roads

have been closed to traffic.

Services for industry professionalsA manual produced by the Região Turismo Centro contains

all the practical information that the various industry profes-

sionals are likely to need. It has some 300 information sheets

classed under 13 main headings: general information, mon-

uments and museums, hotels and rural tourism, restaurants,

conference and banqueting facilit ies, campsites, t ravel agen-

cies and car hire, sports, banks, post and telecommunica-

tions, t rains/ buses/ taxis, emergency services (ambulance,

police, f ire brigade, etc.), and miscellaneous.

This file of over 300 pages is distributed to all tourism pro-

fessionals and is regularly updated. It is an exhaustive source

of information from which visitors can be supplied with up-

to-date, accurate and standard information.

The region organises training and information for business-

es in order to teach them how to handle tourists’ questions.


M AJOR EFFORTSHAVE BEEN

MADEIN C OIMBRA TO EASE

VEHICLE TRAFFIC

S OURCE : R EGIÃO T URISMO C ENTRO



Participation in many trade fairs and promotional events (32

in 1997) provides valuable information on changes in the

supply and trends in the market and in customer profiles.

The region is paying particular attention to the conferencesegment and is envisaging a substantial investment in a new

conference centre. Twenty thousand of the 25 000 confer-

ence delegates who come to the region come to Coimbra, in

particular for medical conferences.

Tourist servicesThe town’s annual promotion strategy is decided by the Re-

gional Council. The latter coordinates promot ional measures

by taking part in national and international trade fairs and

distributing a great deal of general and specific information,

available in several languages, that highlights the region’s

wealth of opportunities for cultural, coastal and ruraltourism.

The region organises themed guided tours for visitors. Boat

trips on the river are one of the latest attractions devised by

the region and the municipality, working with private busi-

nesses.

Coimbra does not have its own airport but is readily accessi-

ble from the Lisbon –Oporto A1 motorway, and plans are

currently being drawn up to improve the road network w ith

Spain. Trains from Lisbon and Oporto stop at Coimbra B sta-

tion which is connected by a shuttle to Coimbra A station in

the town centre.

Two visitor orientation offices managed by the region, two

municipal information offices and a number of multimedia

and multilingual interactive terminals are available for

tourists. Staff at these offices speak several languages and

can provide a wide range of documentation.

79

C O I MB R A

P ROMOTION

FOCUSES ON THE

REGION ’ S WEALTH

OF RESOURCES

FOR CULTURAL

TOURISM




80

The Região Turismo Centro has full and detailed information

on all accommodation establishments in it s 24 municipalities.

It does not, however, act as a central reservation office.

The hotel stock has been improved and modernised in recent

years. Two hotels are in fact built into the town’s architec-

tural monuments and heritage. Restaurant menus are in

most cases translated into several languages. Staff of the dif-

ferent categories of tourist establishments generally speak

English or French.

The town’s pedestrian centre also feels clean and secure dur-

ing the day and, because of high-quality public lighting, at

night.

Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfactionIn recent years, there have been several ad hoc studies of

tourists’ needs and their levels of satisfaction. There are no

plans, however, for systematic surveys.

Information on hotel occupancy is closely monitored, on a

monthly basis, by the region through a monthly barometer

(occupancy level, length of stay, etc.).

The Região Turismo Centro processes complaints. It medi-

ates between complainants and the businesses involved.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityAfter a slow start, the Ecovie project is becoming increasing-

ly popular with local people.

Most tourism development schemes in Coimbra are part and

parcel of an overall plan drawn up after wide-ranging con-

sultation of local people and providing a foundation for lo-

cal authority policy choices.

Tourism is not seen as something external but as an integral

part of reasoned choices that are accepted by most residents.

There is a broad consensus between the public authorities,

the private sector and local people about the development

of tourism and the forms that this should take.


The most significant results have been:

• a quantitative (from 4 to 10 hotels) and qualitative (reno-

vation of four ruined hotels) improvement of hotel

accommodation;• dynamic investment and private and public initiative in the

industry;

• increased hotel occupancy rates;

• the preservation and, in some cases, creation of jobs in

tourism;

• the active part played by tourism development in improv-

ing quality of life in the urban area (new tourist facilities).




DublinSOURCE:DUBLINTOURISM

81

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by a specific initiative to make the city more

competitive

• A strong off icial agency unit ing the public and private sectors

• Specific award system

Strategy and • Five-year development plan 1994 –99, regional strategic plan

policies • Harmonious and controlled development of the entire region,

improvement of quality of life and of the urban area• Environment strand for 2000 and following

• Programme of t ailor-made continuing training

Operations • Infrastructure projects (national conference centre, development

of a ring-road)

• Urban renovation projects and initiatives

• Co-financed and sponsored programme of environmental

protection incentives (Tidy Town and Blue Flag)

• Practical discussion forums for members

• District meetings (meetings with local people)

• Grouping of tourist attractions (7)

• Cooperation and greater responsibility of professional

associations

• New image (logo)

• Gulliver tourist information and reservation system (hotels and

entertainment)

• Assistance service for tourist victims of crime

• Organisation of internationally renowned events

Indicators • Annual studies providing tourism performance indicators

• Quality control of tourist products

• Complaint management

• Annual monitoring and regular follow-up of t he classification of

establishments

• Solutions taking account of residents’ grievances

Results • Identification of main problems (signposting, hygiene)

DublinD

ublin, capital of Ireland, includes

four local authorities along the

island’s eastern coast. Its

surrounding area includes green valleys,

fi shing vi ll ages, beaches, parks and golf

courses.

The city’s origins date back over 1 000 years

to the time of the Vikings.

With a wealth of history and a cultural

heritage made up of li terary, architectural,

musical and artistic traditions, Dublin is a

lively city that is pleasant to visit.

A major stopping point for cruises, Dublin is

the home of Guinness, the birthplace of

famous writers such as Shaw, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett and the home of contemporary

musical groups such as U2, The Dubliners

and stars such as Chris De Burgh.

Dublin organises many concerts, fairs, and

festivals, is a major trading centre and a

preferred destination for business and

conference tourism. In 1996, 76 % of the

international conferences hosted by Ireland

were held in Dublin.



82

• Cast les;

• Museums such as the Dublin Writ ers Museum, the National Museum of Ireland and the James Joyce Museum;

• Historic sit es such as Temple Bar,Trinity College, the birthplace of Bernard Shaw;

• Festi vals such as St. Patri ck’s Festi val and the Dublin Theatre Festival;

• Attractions: Dublin’s Viking Adventure, Dublin Zoo, the Guinness Hopstore and Old James Distillery;

• Art galleries, t heatres and traditional

pubs;

• The river, walks in the neighbouring mountains, gardens, etc.;

• Tourist port (43 cruise ships visit ed Dublin in 1996);

• 18 public parks, 51 golf courses.

• 1 058 000 inhabi tants (1997)

• 3 million visitors (1998) chiefly from the Unit ed Kingdom ( 46 %),other European countri es ( 27 %)and the Unit ed States (20 %)

• Average stay (1998): 5.6 nights

• 7th among the most visited towns and cities of Europe (1996)

• Close on 400 establishments wit h a capacity of some 14 200 rooms (hotels, guest houses, B & Bs)


What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?Dublin Tourism (the regional tourism authority) is the official

agency responsible for developing, promot ing and supplying

tourism services.

Its management board has representatives from:

• the Irish national tourist off ice (Bord Fáilte );

• neighbouring municipalities and counties;

• the various professional associations in the tourism indus-

try (1 000 or so members in the Dublin region).

Dublin Tourism is involved in a wide range of projects to im-

prove the quality of tourists’ experiences when they visit

Dublin; these include monitoring accommodation establish-

ments, developing new projects and protecting traditional

resources.

Dublin Tourism is also a focus for the local authorities in-

volved in tourism. They generally have few responsibilities

for the planning and promotion of tourism development.

Their task is merely to support the policies of Dublin Tourismand to create the environment needed for tourism by pro-

viding appropriate public services and infrastructure (water,

sanitation, roads, parks, gardens, etc.).

The Farm & Country Standard Ltd, Total Quality Service and

the Quality Approved Bed & Breakfast Association Ltd are

responsible for drawing up regulations and registering ac-

commodation establishments. Working together with Bord

Fáilte , they help to maintain a good level of quality among

these establishments.

Dublin Tourism is clearly responsible for strategy and policies

to develop tourism in the city and region of Dublin, which is

Ireland’s main port and tourist attraction.

Dublin Tourism, with efficient support f rom Bord Fáilte , also

works with over 40 of the region’s associations, committees

and other institutions and provides a central focus for their

work in the area of tourism.

Making the industry more dynamicDublin Tourism has established its own awards for private

companies or persons who have shown initiative in the var-

ious branches of tourism (bed & breakfasts, hotels, pubs, air-

line staff, tour operators, etc.). In the near future, Dublin

Tourism will also sponsor an award for high-quality sign-

posting information.




83

D U B L I N

Analysis of current situationThe regional development plan for 1994 –99 includes adescription and a SWOT analysis of trends in the tourism

market and in the tourist services offered by Dublin and its

region.

Objectives and overall strategyThe five-year plan for 1994 –99 sets out Dublin Tourism’schoices as regards:

• the development of accommodation, new

attractions and tourist infrastructure;

• the marketing of the destination: market

position, target market, promotion, etc.;

• investment;

• the financial resources needed to imple-

ment the development plan.

The plan also details the infrastructure and

environmental needs entailed in the imple-

mentation of the plan.

Since 1988, Dublin Tourism has set great store by the sus-

tainable development of high-quality tourism. Its main

1994 –99 objectives are:

• to increase the revenue generated by foreign tourist ar-

rivals by 10 %;

• to create over 12 300 full- time jobs in order to achieve a

total of 33 500 jobs in 1999;

• to develop new products likely to attract visitors through-

out the year (objective: 75 % of visitors outside the

months of July and August).

A strategic regional development plan supplements this five-

year plan. It has three main strands:

• developing new ideas and initiatives (the Temple Bar

Quarter and Viking Dublin projects);

• tourist trails combining nature and popular attractions that

stress the protection of the environment;

• extending the range and quality of products aimed at new

markets (cultural heritage, golf, special events, etc.).

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Although there is no local Agenda 21, any tourist develop-ment undertaken by Dublin Tourism is based on the notion

of sustainable development. In 1998, the new tourism de-

velopment plan included an environment strand for 2000

and the years following based on the following concepts:

‘ … A development policy that leaves the physical and social

environment intact or, ideally, improves it, and that makes

this environment into a resource for future pleasure …’.

Human resource policyCERT is a public agency responsible for training in certain

trades: café waiters and waitresses, tourist guides, recep-tionists, supervisors, etc.

CERT work is largely tailored to individual requirements:

after detailed diagnosis of the needs of an enterprise or sub-

sector of tourism, it designs specific courses, trains trainers

and sends them to enterprises so that they can provide prac-

tical on-the-job training. CERT carries out permanent evalu-

ation of its training courses.

Permanent consultation between Dublin Tourism and CERT

makes it possible to anticipate training needs linked to

tourism development plans.

The training programme is therefore tailored to needs.Dublin Tourism and CERT regularly exchange information on

training needs.


A DEVELOPMENT

POLICY WHICH

LEAVESTHE

PHYSICAL AND

SOCIAL

ENVIRONMENT

INTACT

S OURCE : D UBLIN T OURISM



84

Public servicesDublin has started to build a national conference centre withfunding from the ERDF. This centre will provide a new impe-

tus for tourism.

Several infrastructure projects involving public transport,

pedestrian areas, road safety, information, traffic manage-

ment and the city’s accessibility are being implemented to

improve access to Dublin. These include:

• projects to extend railway lines that should help to im-

prove the town’s accessibilit y;

• a ring-road development project intended to ease traffic

problems in the city.

Dublin Tourism supports a range of urban renewal projectsand initiatives, particularly in disused industrial areas such as

the quays of the port. Some of these projects have already

been completed, while others have been or are being

planned.

Considerable efforts are made to inform the general public

about issues connected with the environment and schemes

such as the Tidy Town competition or the European Blue Flag

programme which recognises and rewards clean beaches

and encourages environmental protection.

The Tidy Town Competition is a programme co-financed by

the public and private sectors. First run 40 years ago, thecompetition encourages local councils to protect the overall

environment of villages, including buildings, landscapes,

wildlife, facilities, the cultural heritage, access routes, waste

management and law and order. Account is taken of all these

aspects for various awards sponsored by national and inter-

national enterprises.

This national and regional competition has four categories:

the best kept town of Ireland, the best village, the best town

and the best city.

Services for industry professionalsDublin Tourism:

• has published its environment plan for 2000;

• organises discussion forums among its members in order

to inform them of its latest initiatives and to provide a


forum for exchanges of views and thinking about new

products and policies;• leads meetings on more specific aspects such as personnel

training, promot ion, communication networks, etc.;

• visits Dublin’s various districts to hold public information

meetings (nine per year) at which local people can put

forward their opinions on and/ or criticisms of tourism de-

velopment and the schemes being implemented.

Dublin Tourism has a network of five tourist information of-

fices through which it implements policies for its members.

These members, generally private enterprises working in

tourism, help to finance Dublin Tourism and to promote

Dublin through initiatives such as Dublin Tourism Enter-

prises which brings together seven of the city’s tourist

attractions. In return, members receive help with promotion

and marketing.

Tourist servicesDublin is promoted chiefly in foreign destinations that have

a direct air connection with Ireland.

Dublin Tourism:

• takes part in 30 international tourism fairs;

• adopted a new logo in 1996;

• publishes a range of brochures, leaflets a

nd posters;

• has an Internet site.

Dublin Tourism is trying to diversify ways of vis-

iting the city and its region. It helps to devise

new tourist routes and trails and is always on

the lookout for new ideas. This has led to various organised

tours for tourists.

International access routes to Dublin are by air (internation-

al airport 12 km outside the city) or by sea (two ferry termi-

nals, one to the south and the other in the centre of the city).



85

D U B L I N

The Farm and Country Standard Ltd and the Quality Ap-

proved Bed & Breakfast Association register, plan and mon-

itor residents offering their homes as accommodation. They

work in cooperation with Bord Fáilte and local authorities.

The crime rate fell sharply between 1990 and 1994. Dublin

Tourism has regular meetings with the local police in order to

improve visitor security in the city centre. In 1991, Dublin

Tourism also set up an assistance service for tourist victims

of crime.

Dublin has an active policy of organising international

events. In 1998, the city was the starting point of the Tour

de France cycle race and the Cutty Sark race, both of whichhave helped to improve Dublin’s image. Dublin Tourism is al-

so working on products or projects that can be combined to

form tourism development poles that take account of all as-

pects of the built and natural heritage, culture, folklore, etc.,

of Dublin and its region.


D UBLIN HAS AN

ACTIVE POLICY O F

EVENT

ORGANISATION


Within the country, an express train travels along Dublin Bay

and rapid road routes connect the town to the remainder of

the island.

Dublin Tourism has a budget from which local authori-ties that undertake to improve tourist signposting can be

funded.

Shopping streets, as well as the sites of tourist attractions,

have in most cases been pedestrianised. The centre of Dublin

is also concentrated in a small area where almost everything

is accessible by foot.

Dublin Tourism manages a network of five information cen-

tres; considerable efforts have been made to ensure that

their opening hours, staff numbers and staff training are in

keeping with the growing visitor demand.

A new tourist information and reservation system (the Gul-liver network) for hotels and entertainment was launched in

1995. Reservations can be made on a 24-hour basis from the

five tourist information centres and six other tourist infor-

mation points with terminals located in particular at the

airport and ferry terminal. There are plans to introduce a

further 22 reservation points in the near future; the network

also has an Internet connection.

The growth of accommodation capacity reflects the growth

of tourism in the destination: over 30 hotels have opened in

Dublin and its region within the space of a few years. At

present, most new accommodation tends to be in the city

centre where a new hotel opens every week.

Bord Fáilte uses existing regulations to record and classify es-

tablishments.



86


satisfactionDublin Tourism and Bord Fáilte conduct a range of visitor

surveys throughout the year.

The results provide indicators of tourism performance, for

instance numbers of arrivals and lengths of stay by origin of

arrivals, visitor profiles, their motivations and levels of satis-

faction, etc.

The raw and processed data are not published: they are used

internally to provide a basis for decisions about policy, pro-

motion, infrastructure, training of employers and employees

in the tourist sector, etc.

The tourism development plan makes provision for qualita-

tive evaluation of tourist products (accommodation, attrac-

tions, infrastructure, etc.). This evaluation is carried out

through quality control measures by Bord Fáilte , Dublin

Tourism and local authorities.

Complaint management is left to the discretion of individual

enterprises. Dissatisfied tourists can lodge complaints at the

tourist information centres which will then forward them to

Dublin Tourism which, in turn, forwards them to the busi-

nesses in question and intervenes directly only when there

are repeated complaints about the same business: follow ing

an inspection, the business may be removed from Dublin

Tourism’s lists and no longer recommended.

Annual checks help to maintain high-quality regular moni-

toring of registered and classified establishments.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityAlthough it listens to local people, Dublin Tourism does not

reply to individual complaints from local people about the

development of tourism. Complaints are considered overall

so that appropriate solutionscan be found (forum and guar-antee seminars).

There are, however, a number of statistics on the impact of

tourism on the quality of life. Dublin has received European

awards for its high scores in respect of European standards

on the cost of living in general and the cost of food and ac-

commodation in particular.


Since 1992, numbers of foreign visitors have grown on

average by some 8 % every year generating an average

increase in revenue of 10 % per annum.

The average annual occupancy rate of hotels has increased

from 75 to 77 % over the last three years, while hotel ca-

pacity – taking all forms of accommodation together – hasincreased by 108 %.

There were close on 26 000 full-t ime jobs in tourism in 1996,

an increase of 82 % between 1991 and 1996. Dublin is

therefore the European destination where the growth of

tourism has been highest.

Although the results of visitor surveys are not made public,

Dublin Tourism’s report, published as part of its development

plan, indicates a high level of visitor satisfaction. The main

problems, however, are hygiene and signposting of tourist

attractions.

Dublin Tourism has been awarded a special prize by theFinnish tourist press for its support for tourist development,

and the city of Dublin has been awarded various architec-

tural and Brit ish Travellers’ Guild prizes.




Glasgow

London

87

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by a concern for progress and improvement

• Very strong local partnership dynamics

• Strong organisational structure, broken down by different

geographical levels of power

• Clear distribution of responsibilities

• Good integration of the public and private sectors and high-

quality partner searches

• Environmental project and award

Strategy and • Strategic development plan based on sustainable development

policies • A whole range of complementary objectives, resources in keeping

with market segments

• Team working to improve the environment and the heritage –

joint working party on tourism and the environment

• Good policy of human resource management and training, based

in particular on the Investors in People programme

• Promotion of training schemes and provision of free training aids

• First careers promotion office in the industry

• City monitoring system

Operations • Integrated approach (management assistance project) for tourismprofessionals based on the key areas of their operational tasks

• Efficient promotion policy

• Action plan broken down into five main strands

• Centralised and high-quality reservation system

• Measurement of employees’ satisfaction

Indicators • Complaint processing

• Regular measurement of visitor satisfaction

• Performance monitored with respect to strategic objectives

Results • Training: to remedy any shortcomings identified

GlasgowG

lasgow, Scotland’s largest city, is

often described as the best example

of a Victorian town. It lies on

Scotland’s west coast, on the banks of the

River Clyde.

Its historic and cultural heritage are its main

tourist resource: Glasgow is the birthplace of

the famous architect and designer Charles

Rennie Macintosh and has many historic

monuments and interesting architectural

styles.

The town hosts international popular music

and jazz festivals as well as the famous May

festival.

For sport lovers, there is a variety of golf courses (45). The town has two rival football

teams, Celtic and Rangers, who meet at least

four times a year and attract large numbers

of spectators.

In Gaelic, Glasgow means ‘Beautiful green

place’, a name justified by its 70 parks and

gardens.



88

• 27 museums and art

galleries: ( Burrell Collection,Kelvingrove Museum, Art Gallery, McLellan Galleries,Gallery of Modern Art);

• 16 theatres and concert hall s ( Cit izens Theatre,Kelvin Hall International Arena, Royal Concert Hall,Tron Theatre, Scott ish Opera, Scottish Ballet, Royal Scotti sh Nati onal Orchestra) ;

• 23 historic monuments and

other centres of interest such as the cathedral,Crookston Castle, the Glengoyne distillery, the zoo, the City Chamber and George Square, as well as the (art nouveau)architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh which is

to be found everywhere (for

instance: Glasgow School of Art, Hill House, House for an Art Lover, the Mackintosh House, the Martyr’s Public School,etc.);

• festivals such as the May festi val, t he Popular Music Festival in June and the International Jazz Festival in July;

• 45 golf courses, two major football clubs, sport centres

and swimming pools, 70 parks and gardens, many walking or cycle excursions from Glasgow, etc.

• 625 000 inhabitants, declining by some 1 % every year

• 1.6 million Brit ish tourists (including 600 000 holidaymakers) and 510 000 foreign touri sts,

• respectively 4.7 and 3.5 million overnight stays, i.e. a total of 8.2 mi lli on overnight stays

• tourist expenditure of, respectively, EUR 261 milli on and EUR 232 million

• in 1992, 24.5 million day visitors spending approximately EUR 266 million

• 67 % of overnight stays by Brit ish visit ors are at the homes of friends or family

• 59 % of visitors arrive by car, 10 % by plane and 15 %by train

• visit ors throughout the year ( approximately 25 % every quarter)

• 141 hotels, 183 guest houses ( including ‘bed &breakfasts’), 40 apartment blocks, 9 caravan sites and 12 university halls of residences make up a total of 9 153 rooms with 17 742 beds

• 21 000 jobs generated by tourism


Who are the main partners and howare they linked?Scotland’s tourism industry is organised ‘nationally’, with re-

gional and local off ices responsible for implementing policies

at the various local levels.

Nationally, there is the Scott ish Tourism Coordination Group

(STCG) which draws up the strategic tourism development

plan. It identifies and undertakes strategic measures to im-

prove the tourist supply, organises debates on tourism and

implements those measures that it considers appropriate.

The group is chaired by the Scottish Minister for Tourism.

Separate from the Tourism Forum Scotland, STCG member-

ship includes only public bodies directly or indirectly involved

in developing the industry.

At national and at local level, marketing and developing the

tourism industry is always the responsibility of three maintypes of body.

Organisations specific to the tourismindustryThe Scottish Tourist Board (STB) is the main tourism agency

for Scotland. Its main responsibili ties are:

• to promote Scotland as a leisure or business tourist desti-

nation in the United Kingdom and, in cooperation w ith the

Brit ish Tourist Authority (BTA), abroad;

• in cooperation w ith Scott ish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands

and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to develop tourist products;

• to develop quality initiatives for tourist services and pro-

mote them among visitors;

• to assist Area Tourist Boards (ATB) in particular with the

creation of Tourist Information Centres (TIC), local mar-

keting and the int roduction of information technologies.

The British Tourist Authority, set up in 1969, has a network

of 42 offices throughout the world that encourage foreigntourists to visit the United Kingdom. The STB calls upon its

high-level expertise to help with its international marketing

work.




Economic development agenciesThe particular remit of these agencies is to find appropriate

ways of improving training (skills and knowledge) and the

economic environment and infrastructure:

• Scott ish Enterprise (SE) is low land Scotland’s economic de-

velopment agency. The task of its Glasgow off ices and 13

Local Enterprise Companies (LEC) is to create jobs and in-

crease local people’s prosperity by encouraging enterprise

creation and development, attracting external investors

and increasing exports;

• in parallel, the Inverness-based Highlands and Islands

Enterprise (HIE) and its 10 Local Enterprise Companies

carry out the same tasks in the north and north-west of

Scotland.

The authoritiesUnder the umbrella of the Convention of Scottish Local Au-

thorities (COSLA), which provides national coordination of

local authorities’ tourism work, these authorities play a large

part in financing the strategies implemented by the Area

Tourist Boards (ATB). Local authorit ies are responsible for de-

veloping and maintaining facilities and infrastructure, which

make up a substantial part of the tourist product, and en-

suring that they can be used by the local community. As

owners of land and inf rastructure and as local authorities re-

sponsible for planning, they also play a key role in develop-

ing initiatives in the tourism industry and in ensuring that

these initiatives are in keeping with local people’s needs.

Other members of the national STCG all play a part in the

protection and upgrading of Scotland’s historic, cultural,

artistic and sporting heritage. They include: Historic Scot-

land, Scott ish Arts Council, Scottish M useum Council, Scot-

tish Natural Heritage, Scottish Sports Council and Tourism

Forum Scotland.

At regional levelAt this level, Scotland has 14 Area Tourist Boards (ATB) (in-

cluding the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board responsible for St

Andrews and its region and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Valley Tourist Board responsible for Glasgow and its region).

The ATBs, whose members include most enterprises involved

in the tourism sector, provide these enterprises with the in-

formation and support that they need in fields such as local

strategy, marketing and public relations and quality assur-

ance.

At local level, lastly, there are 22 Local Enterprise Companies

(LEC) and 32 local authorities for Scotland as a whole (28).

In addition to the main partners working at both national

and regional level, each destination has local partners who

play a key role both in general economic development and

in tourism.

The Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) has a dual mis-

sion:

• with its partners, to make Glasgow one of the best cities

in Europe;• to become and be recognised as one of the best local eco-

nomic development agencies.

The GDA is the most important supplier of funds for enter-

prise creation or development and training programmes.

For its part, the Glasgow City Council offers a wide range of

services to enterprises and the local community (especially f i-

nance): roads, health and safety, public inf rastructure such as

museums, theatres, parks, sport centres, etc., used both by

visitors and the city’s residents. It is also the main source of

funds for Glasgow ’s Area Tourist Board, the Greater Glasgow

and Clyde Valley Tourist Board (GGCVTB), which is the main

point of contact for visitors and enterprises in the tourism in-dustry.

The three organisations work together to promote and de-

velop the city’s tourism industry.

Other partners play a smaller, but nevertheless important,

role in the destination, in particular the Scott ish Hotel School,

the Greater Glasgow Hotel Association and some major tour

operators who are in some cases in competition with the

Tourist Board.

89

G L A S G O W

(28) At St Andrews, the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) and the local author-

ity are called Fife Enterprise and Fife Council respectively, while at Glas-

gow Development Agency and Glasgow City Council.



90


The most recent strategic tourism development plan and itscorresponding action programme were drawn up in 1995.

This programme, drawn up by the Tourism Development

Group and covering the period 1995 –99, is intended to

strengthen and improve Glasgow ’s position as a major inter-

national tourist destination and as the gateway to Scotland.

Developing and promoting world-class infrastructure, devel-

oping innovative products and high-quality cultural activit ies

and providing high-quality services are all ways of achieving

this objective.

The detailed objectivesof t his strategic plan and programme

are:

• to attract more visitors to Glasgow;

• to increase the length of stay of visitors to the city;

• to encourage visitors to spend more in the city ’s econom-

ic circuits;

• to increase the number and quality of jobsconnected with

tourism;

• to increase visitor satisfaction so that visitors return to and

promote the city;

• to attract more investment for projects involving the

tourism industry;

• to promote Glasgow in it s national and international tar-

get markets as the gateway to Scotland and as one of theleading urban tourist destinations.

If these major objectives are to be achieved, steps need to be

taken:

• to improve the quality of information available in the

tourism market in order to provide help with investment

decisions;

• to improve the quality of the information and services sup-

plied to visitors as well as the quality of existing infra-

structure;

• to increase the number and range of attractions and

events that the city offers to its visitors;• to attract more visitors from Europe and North America,

curb the decline in the number of visitors from the United

Kingdom by off ering short trips or trips linked to a partic-

ular event and to attract day visitors through better tar-

geted promotions;

• to build up Glasgow ’s appeal for conference delegates in

order to make it more competitive on the national and in-

ternational markets;

• to improve the quality of the services offered to visitors by

developing a culture of training and by building on good

practices in the tourism industry;

• to improve and extend the range of accommodation avail-

able in the city.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Following the publication of a White Paper entitled ‘This

common inheritance’, the STCG drew up a report on

tourism and the environment entitled ‘Tourism and the

Scott ish environment: a sustainable partnership’.

In 1992, following proposals from the STCG, a nation-

al Tourism and Environment Task Force was set up as

part of a new tourism management initiative (TMI).This initiative has to be implemented locally through

tourism management programmes (TMP) which

provide a link between local and national priorities.

The remit of the Task Force is to ‘promote a reason-

able and rational use of Scotland’s natural resources

and cultural heritage in order to make the most of

the very wide range of opportunities open to the

Scottish tourism industry’.

The Task Force includes representatives from the various

public agencies such as STB, SE and HIE and from 10 or so

of the other organisations mentioned above.

The Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) also has a team

responsible for improving the city’s natural environment

and cultural heritage. An impact study is conducted prior to

any change, chiefly by this team which contacts local people

and visitors to discover what they think about the proposed

changes.




Human resource policyThe United Kingdom, and Scotland in particular, is very ac-

tive in the area of human resource management and train-

ing.

The United Kingdom has developed a national programme

called Investors in People (IIP). Based on the practical expe-

rience of the best-performing enterprises, IIP is implement-ed in Scotland via the LEC (Local Enterprise Companies).

Under this programme, it is possible to encourage and

supervise enterprises which commit themselves to training

and individual development schemes for their staff in order

to improve their profitability and performance levels.

This national programme sets out four basic principles with

which any enterprise launching an initiative of the Investors

in People type publicly undertakes to comply. These prin-

ciples are:

• to enable and help every staff member to achieve his or

her career objectives;

• regularly to re-evaluate individual training and personal

development needs;

• to take any training or individual development measure

for any employee when he or she has been recruited and

throughout his or her working life;

• to evaluate the results of this investment in training and

individual development schemes in order to improve their

future results.

91

G L A S G O W

In spring 1997, a tourism and hospitality organisation in St

Andrews and six organisations in Glasgow met the require-

ments and were officially accredited under the Investors in

People (IIP) programme.

Investors in People is also one of the key components of the

Tourism Training in Scotland (TTS) initiative. Set up in 1992

at the joint initiative of the public and private sectors, this ini-

tiative brings together many Scottish tour operators, the

main tourism industry associations, training institutions, ed-

ucational establishments and the main public agencies in the

industry.

Its task is ‘to make Scotland more competitive as a tourist

destination by ensuring that all it s visitors receive services of

world-class quality, by promoting high-quality training and

opening up career prospects for all industry employees’. The

IIP programme is very widely applied in the tourism industryin Glasgow.

Other training init iatives include:

• Scotland’s Best, two training programmes looking at ways

of offering visitors services that exceed their expectations

and at methods of resolving difficult and confrontational

situations;

• Tourism Business Success targeted on the owners and

managers of SMEs who wish to improve their skills;

• Scottish Quality Retailing which offers effective staff train-

ing and development measures to improve the perform-

ance of individual enterprises in the industry;• Natural Cook which promotes tourist cuisine based on the

use of Scottish resources;

• Welcome Host which is intended to improve levels of serv-

ice in hospitality and tourist accommodation (over 24 000

people have taken part in these one-day seminars since

1994).

The TTS also supplies information for the general public

about the very wide range of trades and career opportuni-

ties offered by the tourism industry.

E NCOURAGING AND

HELPING TOURISM

BUSINESSESTO

TRAIN THEIR

PERSONNEL

S O U R C E

: I N V E S T O R S I N P E O P L E



Human resource policy in thedestinationThe IIP programme is very widely applied in the tourism in-

dustry in Glasgow.

Financed by the GDA and working from GGCVTB’s offices,

Glasgow ’s Tourism Training Unit promotestraining schemes

available in the tourism industry: accommodation, trans-

port, arts and entertainment, retail trades, attractions, cater-

ing, etc.

It offers enterprises a range of services including:

• detailed information on the t raining available;

• a database containing details of training in the areas of

business management, sales and marketing, tourist hospi-

talit y, languages, inf ormation techniques, etc. This service

is free;

• a library and videos and free materials for in-house train-

ing;

• regular publications on the latest developments in train-

ing;

• training schemes tailored to the needs of the local tourism

industry;

• local access to national training initiatives developed by

Tourism Training Scotland.

It offers trainers:

• targeted and effective promotion of trainers specialising in

the t ourism industry;

• the inclusion of advertising and references in the training

database;

• publicity via training units to promote the quality of train-

ing;

• a quarterly bulletin inf orming t rainers about national and

local developments.

The Springboard initiative, launched in the United Kingdom,

is intended to promote careers in the hospitality and tourism

industry as first career choices in order to try to offset the

chronic lack of qualified personnel and recruitment prob-

lems. In June 1998, Glasgow opened the Springboard init ia-tive’s first Scottish office which will be financed for its first

three years of operation before being taken over by the pri-

vate sector.

Springboard operates at three levels:

• promoting the tourism industry as an industry offering

genuine career opportunities;

• helping potential employees by providing them with high-

quality information and specialist opinions on potential

career opportunities in the industry;

• working with employers to help them to attract the best

possible employees for successful and long-term careersand assisting them as they try to improve recruitment,

training and employment conditions.

As a regional centre, Glasgow is connected to a network of

satellite centres which constantly provide updated informa-

tion. Jobseekers can use the new technologies – interactive

CD-ROM and Internet site – to access information on local

and national Springboard initiatives.

Promotional campaigns are targeted on a number of social

groups such as school leavers, graduates, employees looking

to change their jobs, the unemployed, part-time workers,

etc. The aim of these campaigns is to encourage such peo-

ple to visit and discuss their options with vocational guidance

centres and job centres and to make them aware of the wide

range of opportunities offered by tourism.

92



93

G L A S G O W

Public servicesGlasgow has recently introduced a new city surveillancescheme in order to improve security, and is attempting to

make the city cleaner by improved domestic waste collection

and better street cleaning.

Services for industry professionalsImproved cooperation between the three public agencies

has meant that promotional measures are better targeted

and more effective; they are helping to improve Glasgow ’sappeal as a conference city and to reach particular niche

markets.

The GGCVTB has:

• produced and distributed 1 275 000 brochures and

leaflets;

• taken part in 42 trade fairs and exhibitions specialising in

tourism;

• dealt with 32 000 replies to promotional campaigns;

• improved awareness among 440 professionals (largely

travel agencies and conference organisers) invited to Glas-

gow to study and familiarise themselves with Glasgow ’smain resources;

• generated over 2 000 requests for information from trav-

el agencies and 800 from conference organisers.In 1995, the GDA launched the Tourism Business Partnership

Programme which aims to provide an integrated approach


to the development of hotels, restaurants, cafés and other

catering establishments, attractions and other sites; this pro-

gramme focuses on key areas of their operation such as

training and human resource management, business devel-

opment and improving the quality of businesses.

Under this programme, successes recorded to date are usedas illustrations and the major problems of enterprise devel-

opment are tackled in an integrated way. Business managers

then commit themselves to a programme of enterprise de-

velopment assistance under the direct supervision of a GDA

partner or a consultant.

Rapid help with management is available for any concern

employing less than 50 people that is not part of a chain or

a major enterprise.

T HEPLAN AIMS

TO IMPROVE THE

CITY ’ S APPEAL

S O U R C E : G R E A T E R G L A S G O W & C L Y D E V A L L E Y

S OURCE : G REATER G LASGOW & C LYDE V ALLEY



Tourist servicesThe goal was to achieve all the objectives of the strategic

tourism development plan in three to five years through the

five main strands of the action plan:

• improving and upgrading the tourist product, in particu-

lar attractions, events, accommodation and the general

environment;

• improving visitor services, the quality of tourist informa-

tion and infrastructure, in particular information services,

transport, signposting and retail trade;

• improving and coordinating efforts to market the town;

• improving staff training and enterprise performance;

• improving research and development in the tourism in-

dustry.

This plan sets out various practical measures:

The town has high-quality museums and art galleries that

have a good reputation; improving some centres of attrac-

tion (for instance, the Burrell Collection), creating a science

centre as part of plans for the millennium, organising major

events and promoting Scotland’s largest shopping complex

are all helping to improve the city’s appeal.

Glasgow is readily accessible by air, sea, rail or land. The in-

ternational airport is 13 km from the city centre (5.5 million

passengers in 1995), while its two stat ions serve all the UK’smajor destinations. Ferries connect Glasgow with 23 Scottish

islands, Ireland and Iceland and with some European desti-

nations. The town is also surrounded by a major road net-work.

There is a vast network of public transport including trains,

buses and an underground. Various one-day to three-day

mult imodal t ransport passes are available for the public. The

city has around 1 450 taxis and 23 offices where cars can be

hired with or without drivers. Guided tours are possible by

car, taxi, boat or on foot.

A new network of nine tourist information centres (TIC) was

set up in 1996; this network responded to close on 720 000

requests for information during the 1996 –97 season alone.

Following a study of the possibilities of automatic distribu-

tion of tourist information, a new information point (with afree telephone connection to the closest TIC) has also been

installed and is currently being tested.

These information centres offer acentralised and high-qual-

ity reservation system for all GGCVTB’s member businesses

and are connected to the national Book-a-Bed-Ahead reser-

vation system.

The growth of medium-price hotels and the development

and gradual implementation of the new national classifica-

tion system for accommodation establishments (29) devised

by the Scottish Tourist Board’s quality assurance service

means that visitors are able to choose and find the quali-ty/ price ratio that best suits them.

In the catering sector, Glasgow offers supplementary one-

day training schemes for staff of hotels, restaurants and cafés

to help them to find out about local products, offer them

new ideas and improve their professional skills. A quality

insurance scheme is to be implemented to highlight busi-

nesses that offer a good price/ quality ratio.

94

S O U R C E : : B R I T I S H T O U R I S T A U T H O R I T Y

(29) Identical to the system in use at St Andrews — see that case study for

more details.



95

G L A S G O W

Personnel satisfaction

IIP plans include measurements of the satisfaction of staffof accredited enterprises in order to evaluate what progress

has been made and in particular to find out whether em-

ployees’ attitudes have changed after training, whether they

are more motivated, whether they are willing to pass on their

new expertise or take part in new training schemes, whether

they have a better understanding of enterprises’ objectives,

whether working relations have improved, whether per-

formance in some activities has improved, whether there is

less absenteeism, etc.


satisfactionA complaints processing procedure has been set up. Com-

plaints are dealt with as soon as they are received. Contact

with owners of the businesses in question is very rapid.

The TDG has commissioned a private consultancy company

to carry out a study of visitors to the city of Glasgow chiefly

to:

• draw up a detailed profile of these visitors;

• study and analyse their characteristics and t ypes of activi-

ty and the behaviour and perceptions of visitors to the city;

• provide data whose results can be compared with those of

a 1982 study by the District of Glasgow of a small num-

ber of attractions.

Between April 1992 and March 1993, over 3 300 visitors to

the city were interviewed, people living or working in the

area accounting for a maximum of 25 % of this figure. The

sample was completed by questionnaires handed out at con-

certs or theatre performances (3 539 people in total).

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityThe GDA does not f eel that it is necessary to carry out meas-

urements of local people’s satisfaction. It considers that any

improvements to infrastructure or the services available to

visitors also help to improve the well-being and quality of life

of residents.

The GDA is, however, aware that there is a substantial im-

pact on local people during the peak season or during major

events such as the 1997 Rotary Conference. Local people

need to be well informed in advance and the impact of these

events monitored.


Development seems to be well integrated into the organisa-

tional structures of Scott ish tourism and is based on efficientcooperation between the public and private sector. This is

borne out by the score of 7.2 awarded by Tourism Express

for performance with respect to strategic objectives.

Courses are organised by the Glasgow Tourism Training Unit

for employers and their employees in order to offset any

shortcomings that come to light when complaints are

processed and better t o meet customer expectations.

An init ial evaluation of the Tourism Business Partnership Pro-

gramme was conducted in 1997 –98 and provided results

that were positive overall.






Stockholm

Gothenburg

97

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by a twof old concern to strengthen its position and to

preserve it s residents’ quality of life

• Public/ private sector company responsible for urban tourism

development

• Strong political support

Strategy and • Benchmarking initiative and drafting of standards

policies • Four priority segments: private tourism, business tourism, events,commerce and industry

• Partnership and cooperation strategy

• Strategic monitoring and Vision 2010 report

• Environmental protection as a priority

• 10-point local Agenda 21

• ‘Environmental areas’ where vehicle traffic is restricted

• Participation in EU programmes: Effect project, European cities’

network, Blue Flag

• Certificate awarded to enterprises whose environmental action

plans have been successful

• WINGS database for targeted training

Operations • Sorting and recycling of waste

• Formal and informal internal communication

• Free services, accessible information, accommodation facilit ies

improving the city’s appeal

• Better supply of public transport

• Qualification certificates for tour ist guides

• Specific reservation system

Indicators • High quality tourist information centres

• Complaint management

• Working party f or the permanent evaluation of t rends in the

tourism industry and market

• Environmental report

Results • Qualitative and quantitative surveys providing a basis for

quarterly and six-monthly f orecasts

GothenburgF

ounded by the Dutch in 1621, at the

request of King Karl IX, Gothenburg

(Göteborg in Swedish) rapidly

became a prosperous trading centre.

Although most of the old town has

nowadays disappeared, Gothenburg’s canals still provide a reminder of the city’s Dutch

influence.

Gothenburg, which is Sweden’s second town

and capital of the county of Västra, l ies on

the banks of the River Göta and is the

gateway to Scandinavia and its 25 mill ion

inhabitants.

Gothenburg is an important administrative,

commercial and university centre, the home

of many national and international

enterprises, has been well known as a

conference centre since the construction of

its conference centre in 1917 and is also

Scandinavia’s largest port .



98

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?The city of Gothenburg’s quality initiative was triggered by a

concern to:

• preserve and even consolidate its position in the business

and conference tourism market where international com-petition had become increasingly cut-throat;

• develop tourism in a sustainable way while preserving res-

idents’ quality of life, in particular by stepping up envi-

ronmental protection.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The main partner in Gothenburg’s IQM initiative is the mixed

public/ private sector company Göteborg & Co which is re-

sponsible for tourism development in the urban area of

Gothenburg. The company is jointly owned by the munici-

pality (55 %), the region of Gothenburg (15 %) and private

sector representatives who share the remaining 30 % be-

tween them (including the Chambers of Commerce and In-

dustry, the Swedish exhibition and conference centre, Stena

Line Ferries, traders’ associations including Cityföreningen

and the city’s various hotel groups such as Storhotellgruppen

and Göteborg’s Hotellen).

Göteborg & Co is the only tourism organisation which has sub-

stantial financial standing, works throughout the urban area of

Greater Gothenburg and enjoys the support of the region’s

main economic and social partners who are also its members.

The tourism industry enjoys strong political support as thepresident of the regional council is also the chairman of

Göteborg & Co. This strong polit ical support is a driving force

behind the development of tourism and the results that have

been obtained in Gothenburg although, for some people,

the length of time required for decision-making brought

about by this strong political involvement is a drawback.

Göteborg & Co has four departments working in different

areas:

• the private tourism department is responsible for design-ing and marketing products for individual or group tourists

and works closely w ith businesses supplying tourist prod-

ucts;

• the business tourism department (Gothenburg Conven-

tion Bureau – GCB) whose task is to develop Gothenburg

as a city of trade fairs and conferences. For this purpose,

the GCB has signed agreements with over 75 enterprises

and key partners in tourism in the city and its region;

• the events department whose task is to increase activities

of this type within the city. This department works with the

main municipal departments and services responsible for

attractions, roads, cleaning, the environment, the police,traffic, etc. It is also in charge of various festivals and

events such as the Göteborgs-Kalaset, the Science Festi-

val, the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races, etc.;

• the trade and industry department which has close links

with 21 of the city’s largest enterprises and is responsible

for supplying information on the strengths of the city’scommercial and industrial sectors.

Göteborg & Co also has four divisions offering logistical sup-

port f or its four main departments:

• a strategic monitoring division responsible for ongoing im-

provement and development of tourist products;

• a tourist information division;

• a press relations division;

• an administrative and financial division.


• the old canals;

• museums, opera and theatres, symphony orchestra;

• antiques market,fish market, auction rooms;

• the Liseberg Amusement Park (2.5 million visitors a year), the largest amusement park in Scandinavia;

• botanical garden

covering 175 hectares, with 35 km of paths;

• many golf courses;

• the west coast islands close to Gothenburg which are well worth a visit;

• many festivals in the summer.

• 290 000 inhabitants (454 000 in Greater Gothenburg)

• 5.4 million day visitors • 174 hotels offering 10 359 beds, with 1 626 000 overnight stays in

1997

• Average length of stay: 2.75 days

• Average daily expendit ure of some EUR 52

• Tourism accounts for 7 % of GNP

• 31 % of visitors are foreign

• Business tourism accounts for 63.4 %, conference tourism for 12 %,and leisure touri sm for 17 % of arrivals

• 25 congress and conference centres, i ncluding the famous Swedish exhibi ti on and conference centre, have a capacit y of 10 000 to 12 000 seats, 40 000 sq. metres of space for exhibi ti ons and trade

fairs and a banqueting hall that can accommodate 1 200 people.




Several national partners, including the Swedish Travel and

Tourism Council, the Swedish Tourist Authority and the

Swedish Travel and Tourist Industry Federation, play a direct

or indirect part in the above-mentioned initiative through in-

formation, promotion, representation and coordinationschemes and through schemes to regulate or organise the

industry.

There are also various regional bodies, although a major re-

form on 1 January 1999 should make Västra Götaland into

a new European region. The institutional framework may

therefore be somewhat modified.

99

G O T H E N B U R G

Analysis of current situation –BenchmarkingIn 1999, a new cooperation project with Stockholm’s infor-

mation service (Stockholm Tourist Office) should pave the

way for exchanges of general and specific information on

various aspects of tourism. The project in particular covers

statistics on and detailed studies of various tourist attractions

and events, improvement of the quality of these statistics

and the drafting of standards.

Objectives and overall strategyGöteborg & Co is trying to make Gothenburg better known

among, and to sell it as a tourist destination to, the four

priority segments of the tourism market.

The private tourism department ’s main targets are, on the

one hand, Swedish customers, followed by Norwegian,

Danish and German customers and, on the other hand,

customers from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the

United States and Japan. The department actively looks for

cooperation agreements between major Scandinavian citiesand maritime passenger transport companies. Families are

the main target group during the summer while adults look-

ing for rest and relaxation are the main focus throughout the

rest of the year. Day visitors are a third category of customer.

The business tourism department, through the GCB, is at-

tempting to:

• involve tourism professionals in Gothenburg’s surrounding

area in business tourism activities;

• focus public and media attention on any congresses or

conferences held in Gothenburg;

• forge permanent links between the political authoritiesand economic sectors in order to help set such activit ies in

motion;

• improve security.


The GCB is dealing with some 200 potential customers or-

ganising events up to 2007.

The events department concentrates on organising events

that:

• are larger and generate a better economic return for the

city;

• are more attractive, appeal to a wider public and are like-

ly to create new jobs;

• are more specific and have a real development potential;

• help to improve Gothenburg’s brand image and help with

its marketing.

The work of the trade and industry department focuses on:

• national and foreign investors who might decide to set up

businesses in Gothenburg’s urban area;

• young Swedes, providing them with information on

Gothenburg as a university city and as a city of learning;• public opinion-makers;

• residents themselves, making them into ambassadors for

their city.

A DEVELOPM ENT

STRATEGY BASED

IN PARTICULAR

ON THE

ORGANISATION

OF EVENTS




Göteborg & Co’s strategy is also to:

• build up and consolidate partnerships with the private

sector;

• encourage its partners to play an active part within its or-

ganisation;

• draw up long-term cooperation agreements with its

strategic partners.

A report entitled ‘Vision 2010’ is being prepared by Göte-

borg & Co’s strategic monitoring service in order to make

Gothenburg into an even more attractive tourist destination

by encouraging the private sector, investors and the author-ities to play a part in this development which includes:

• ongoing development of the port area and the archipela-

go;

• creation of new museums;

• ongoing development of ‘the avenue of events’ (exten-

sion of existing infrastructure and sites, construction of

new hotels, development of public areas, improvement of

public transport, etc.);

• gradual integration of hotel and conference facilities with-

in the city and the outlying suburb of Norra Älvstranden.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Environmental protection is a priority in Gothenburg. All

committees, administrative units, private and public enter-

prises and employees must abide by the city’s directives.

Gothenburg is a member of the European cities’ network

that signed the Aalborg Charter on the local Agenda 21.

Taking the experience of the business world, universities,

non-governmental organisations and local authorities as a

starting point, everyone, in all sectors, must implement a

strategy and a policy of sustainable development in order to

preserve the quality of life of future generations. A 10-pointlocal Agenda 21 provides a framework for this environmen-

tal policy:

• using natural resources sparingly;

• respecting man and nature;

• planning together for a better environment;

• participation by everyone;

• informing and educating;

• long- term planning of measures to safeguard the environ-

ment;

• purchasing environmentally-friendly products and ser-

vices;

• cooperating with private organisations and enterprises;

• cooperating beyond frontiers;

• cooperating with research and development.

The Environmental Policy Delegation ensures that the city’splans are part and parcel of this overall policy and that the

results of an annual audit and of annual monitoring are dis-

seminated and used to improve the situation.

None of this is possible without sound management of

vehicle traffic. On 1 April 1996, Gothenburg made some ar-

eas where traffic is likely to cause problems of pollution into

‘environmental zones’ where restrictive measures are imple-

mented. Under regulations on road traffic, the city council

can prohibit diesel-powered lorries and buses weighing more

than 3.5 tonnes. The aim is to reduce traffic nuisances by

30 % for the over 100 000 residents of these areas.

In order to improve air quality, a tunnel is to be built (the

Lundbytunnel) to divert 90 % of t raffic from the city’s main

road, thereby reducing air pollution by 50 % and noise lev-

els by 15 dBA in neighbouring residential areas.

100

I MPROVING

G ÖTEBORG ’ S

APPEAL: THE

‘V ISION 2010’ REPORT


E NVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION IS A

PRIORITY



A member of the International Council for Local Environ-

mental Initiatives, Gothenburg is taking part in the European

Effect (Environmental forecasting for the effective control of

traffic) project together with other towns and cities in the

United Kingdom and Greece. This project includes on-linemeasurement of air quality and evaluation of the effective-

ness of measures to reduce pollution in specific areas.

Gothenburg’s environmental protection office works with

other municipalit ies in the region to encourage enterprises to

make changes to their working methods in order to help to

improve environmental quality.

Enterprises wishing to launch environmental management

schemes draw up a plan of action; if they achieve the objec-

tives that they have set, they are awarded a certificate. This

certificate has been awarded to 65 hotels and restaurants in

the tourism industry since 1995.Lastly, three of Gothenburg beaches have received a Blue

Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education in

Europe (FEEE).

Human resource policyGöteborg & Co and the other organisations involved in the

development of tourism run various training programmes for

their own or their members’ employees.

There are also close training links between tourism profes-

sionals and the University of Gothenburg, in particular

through lectures and the supply of case studies to students.

These programmes are aimed in particular at information of-

fice employees, particularly those who provide front-office

services for customers.

A database called WINGS (work in new goals settings) in-

cludes high-quality information on a vast range of targeted

training that industry employees can consult to find answers

to their particular training needs. This database has consid-

erable potential but is proving difficult to develop because ofa lack of time.

101

G O T H E N B U R G

Public servicesGothenburg has one of the lowest crime rates of European

towns and cities, which is all the more remarkable as it is a

stopping-off point and has a major sea port.

Gothenburg’s reputation as a very clean city has been con-

solidated by improved waste

collection and cleaning and in-centives to sort and recycle

waste (tin cans, glass, paper,

batteries, plastics, etc.).

To improve mobility, the mu-

nicipality of Gothenburg’s poli-

cy is to increase public trans-

port; under this policy, a wider

range of public transport t hat is

easier to use is being intro-

duced and, in parallel, the

number of parking places in

the city centre is being re-duced. Use is also being made

of the new information tech-

nologies (GLAB on-line traffic


information system) to provide passengers on the urban and

regional network with clear and full information on services

as well as precise times of arrival at the various stops.

Services for industry professionalsInternal communication is organised through Göteborg &

Co whose four departments forge formal links (agreements)S OURCE : G ÖTEBORG & C O




sea (largest Scandinavian port) and by road and rail. Gothen-

burg has an international airport 25 km from the city centre

which is well served by public transport (buses and taxis).

Free information is available locally from information centresand all tourist accommodation facilities (hotels, restaurants,

cultural and leisure attractions).

The local tourism offices award qualification certificates to

officially recognised tourist guides.

The city has a wide range of stores and shops, in particular

the Nordstan complex (the largest commercial centre in Swe-

den with over 150 shops under the same roof) and Nordiska

Kompaniet (luxury and branded products).

To improve mobility, the municipality of Gothenburg’s poli-

cy is to increase public transport; under this policy, a wider

range of public transport that is easier to use is being intro-duced and, in parallel, the number of parking places in the

city centre is being reduced. Use is also being made of the

new information technologies (GLAB on-line traffic informa-

tion system) to provide passengers on the urban and regional

network with clear and full information on services as well as

precise times of arrival at the various stops.

Göteborg & Co’s Bokser reservation system enables cen-

tralised reservation of hotel rooms, self-catering apartments,

theatre tickets, etc. The reservation system can also be ac-

cessed via the Internet.

Gothenburg offers a very wide range of accommodation

facilities and restaurants including, in particular, a well-es-

tablished network of youth hostels, whose quality exceeds

international standards, and catering based on traditional

seafood recipes.

102

A WIDERANGE OF

SHOPSAND RETAIL

OUTLETS



and informal links (working groups, contacts) with the main

partners in tourism development in the city. The information

service is responsible for distributing promotional materials

to businesses in the industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.).

Tourist servicesExternal communication is organised in cooperation with the

national and regional bodies responsible for information and

promotion. Information on package tours to the city and a

calendar of events is available and tickets can be purchased

on the Internet.

Public transport improvements, free visitor services, access to

information and accommodation facilities for young people

have improved Gothenburg’s appeal to students among

whom it has become a preferred destination. Festivals and

other summer events are also among the city’s main attrac-

tions. They are concentrated along two of the city ’s main

roads.

Environmental policy and the guidelines set out in the local

Agenda 21 provide the main framework for any upgrading

of resources.

The city of Gothenburg is a crossroadsbetween continental

Europe and Scandinavia: transport is well developed both by



103

G O T H E N B U R G


satisfactionGöteborg & Co conducts regular surveys of expectations

among all categories of tourists. Market trends and ways of

improving services are also surveyed.

A recent survey found a 98 % satisfaction level among

tourists visiting tourist information centres.

Considerable stress is placed on monitoring customer satis-

faction and, in particular, on complaint management; case

information is immediately forwarded to all professionals in

the branch concerned through both formal and informal

channels.

Göteborg & Co’s strategic monitoring service permanently

monitors and evaluates trends in tourist activity and market

trends. It operates internally as a reference group and in

some cases calls upon an external panel of experts, officials

or academic authorit ies.


integration into the communityThe degree of satisfaction of residents is estimated by Göte-

borg & Co’s strategic monitoring service, especially during

the Göteborgs Kalaset festival, on the last Saturday of each

month (when shops are open later) and during important

events.

A market study, whose results have been published in a re-

port entitled ‘Gothenburg and the environment’, also made

it possible to find out what importance the residents of

Gothenburg attached to the environment.

The main topics surveyed were the sea, air pollution by in-

dustry and vehicle traffic and environmental education forschoolchildren.


Göteborg & Co’s regular qualitative and quantitative sur-

veys mean that quarterly and six-monthly estimates of

tourism can be regularly updated.

Several factors seem to be paving the way for an IQM ini-

tiative in Gothenburg:

• the establishment of a strong authority, with political sup-

port, rallying the public and private and the regional and

local, and working to develop well-defined target markets;

• the political priority given to the quality of the environ-

ment through a global strategy that covers all economic

and social partners and includes participation by local

people.

The priority that has been given to the business tourism sec-

tor (congresses, conferences) is a powerful incentive to im-

plement an IQM initiative, in view of the highly competitive

nature of this sector and the high information requirements

of this very professional and demanding clientele.






Leipzig

Berlin

105

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by the opening-up of the East and the need to

maintain a competitive position in business and cultural tourism

• Strong management involving the public and private sectors

• Accreditation and quality award

Strategy and • Quantitative and qualitative objectives clearly set out in the

policies ‘Leipzig model’

• Modular strategy focusing on communication and marketing• Importance attached to environmental protection

• A variety of training schemes open to everyone

• The ‘Leipzig Info-Taxi’ label

Operations • Innovative practices in targeted, internal and external,

communication

• Measures covering the entire tourism chain: image, publishing,

wide-ranging supply, accessibilit y, mobilit y (inclusive pass),

intermodal t ransport, information, reservation, accommodation,

catering, cleanliness, security, etc.

Indicators • Quality control of the products and services offered to visitors

• Classification by customer contact criteria• Active processing of complaints and praise

• Monthly statistics on demand

• Customer surveys

• Benchmarking practices and active participation in several urban

destination networks

• Telephone surveys of local people

Results • 5 service quality factors

• 5 strategies for quality dynamics

• 7 service quality improvement stages

LeipzigL

eipzig, founded in the seventh

century, has a rich historic and

cultural past and is nowadays one of

the former East Germany’s most popular

destinations.

Long known for its trade fair, known as ‘the

mother of trade fairs’, Leipzig’s new

conference and trade fair centre was

inaugurated in 1996 and is, now more than

ever, a crossroads between the markets of

the east and west and an important

destination for conference tourism.

With its many cultural venues which make it

into a kind of ‘Little Paris’, the city also has a

major architectural heritage ranging from the

baroque to the modern. Many buildings are

currently being constructed, bearing witness

to the city’s economic dynamism.

This intense economic activi ty, coupled wi th

a wide range of cultural events during the

peak season (f rom M arch to June and

September to December), gives the city a

very cosmopolitan atmosphere.



H IGH - QUALITY

AND

ENVIRONMENT - FRIENDLY TOURISM

IS IMPORTANT FOR

LEIPZIG

106

• Musical groups, including the

Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomaner Choir;

• The Mädler-Passage trading arcade and its famous Auerbachs Keller wine cellar;

• Museums: art, natural history,municipal history;

• Architecture and buildings,

including the former Town Hall,the St Thomas and St Nicholas churches, the Leipzig Opera, etc.

• Close on 500 000 inhabitants

• 10 000 beds in 67 hotels and similar accommodation establi shments

• Close on 40 million day visitors

• 557 391 tourists, of whom 12.4 % were foreigners

• 1 240 390 overnight stays

• Average length of stay: 2.2 days


What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?German unification in 1989 meant that local public and pri-

vate operators were suddenly faced with worldwide compe-

tition, while continuing to work within the old structures of

the tourism industry.

In order to tackle the problems generated by this sudden

change and having decided to preserve Leipzig’s position as

an international business and cultural tourism destination,

the municipality formulated a new marketing plan in 1995.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?Leipzig Tourist Service (LTS) is an association of 140 mem-

bers from the public and private sectors who support it fi-

nancially through contributions. Succeeding the former

tourism and conference off ice in 1996, LTS is chiefly respon-

sible for the international marketing of the city, for its pro-

motion and communication and, where necessary, for creat-

ing new products.

LTS is a communication platform for all the city’s tourism ac-tivities; in this respect, it coordinates programmes, gathers

together and pools the necessary resources and looks for

synergies between the various partners involved.

LTS also conducts market studies, including: ‘A vision of

tourism for Leipzig’, ‘Leipzig, a tourist metropolis?’, ‘Leipzig,

conference destination ’, etc.

Unquestionably the leader, LTS nevertheless coordinates its

work with that of the Dezernat Kultur (the city’s cultural de-

partment) and the Leipziger Messe GmbH (private company

for the Leipzig trade fair).

A number of other partners in Leipzig, in the Land of Saxony

and throughout Germany, work with LTS. They include:

• the city’s main tourist attractions (orchestra, choir and

opera, cabarets, museums, libraries, etc.);

• tourism agencies offering guided visits to the city, confer-

ence and entertainment organisers, the Chamber of

Commerce and Industry, the city’s conference centre and

various municipal departments;

• regional and national bodies such as the Landesfremden-

tourismusverband Sachsen (Tourism Office of the Land of

Saxony), Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (German Na-

tional Tourism Office), German Convention Bureau, etc.

LTS is also a member of many European networks and

organisations.

Making the industry more dynamicLTS has developed a quality label, various kinds of accredita-

tion and an award for people or enterprises performing wellin the industry, all of which are intended to encourage qual-

ity improvement.




107

L E I P Z I G


Leipzig’s strategy is based on an active, competent and high-quality tourism organisation, Leipzig Tourist Services (LTS),

that w ill help it to become a major and strong partner in the

international cultural tourism and trade fair markets.

Based on a concept that it calls ‘the Leipzig model’, LTS’sstrategy involves channelling most of its efforts into promot-

ing and marketing Leipzig and outsourcing other tasks to lo-

cal partners, thereby helping to develop the local economy.

As it runs Leipzig’s tourist information centres, LTS is also di-

rectly involved in finding answers to tourists’ needs by pass-

ing them on to the partners that it has selected, who are re-

sponsible for hotel and entertainment reservations, ticket

sales, organisation of guided tours, etc.

As a communication and marketing agent, LTS focuses its ef-

forts on its main target, i.e. the key tourism industry actors

in the markets that it has selected: travel agencies, tour op-

erators and other actors who have an impact on demand and

a genuine influence on decision-making.

LTS’s qualitative and quantitative objectives are as follows:

• to make Leipzig known throughout t he world as an inter-

national centre for cultural and conference and trade fair

tourism;

• to make Leipzig one of the most popular urban tourist des-tinations by 2000;

• with the help of its partners, to make Leipzig into a town

offering high-quality tourism that respects all the various

aspects of the environment (green city, local people, sus-

tainable development, etc.);

• to develop the image of ‘Leipzig, city of culture’ (the home

of Bach) and of Leipzig as a centre of history (city of

change);

• unique tourism (unique selling proposition).

Its strategy to achieve these objectives is modular and based

on the principles of:

• segmentation of target markets and of the approaches

used;

• competitiveness based on the quality of the tourist desti-

nation and the services that it offers;

• a customer-oriented approach;

• improving Leipzig’s customer appeal, in particular in terms

of the price/ quality ratio.

This strategy is implemented by developing consistent poli-

cies on products, prices, distribution and promotion that re-

quire good external and internal communication if they are

to be effective.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Leipzig attaches considerable importance to the respect of

the environment, although many European standards have

yet to be achieved. Follow ing a raft of measures in 1994 –95,

Leipzig set itself new environmental protection and quality

standard objectives in 1996.

Priority areas of concern are:

• protection of health and quality of life: air and water qual-ity, noise, toxic and hazardous substances, radioactivity,

artificial lights, etc.;

• protection of nature: fauna, flora, landscapes, soil, run-

ning water, etc.;

• resource conservation: energy, water sources and

aquifers, waste, etc.;

• hazardous substances and indirect damage generated by

the city: waste waters and sewers, exhaust gases, imports

and exports of hazardous substances, etc.

Human resource policyStaff training is one of LTS’s main concerns and there is a

yearly budget for this purpose. Everyone receives informa-

tion on and can attend the training programme that LTS runs

for its own staff. A wide range of modules are offered, in par-

ticular in the areas of marketing, use of computer resources,

languages, visitor hospitality, telephone contact, public rela-

tions, etc.

LTS particularly recommends the use of taxis bearing the

Leipzig Info-Taxi label: this label is awarded to drivers who

have attended tourism training schemes.




108

Services for industry professionalsLTScommunicates with its members in a variety of ways. Inaddition to its marketing plan, which is systematically sent

out to each member, LTS:

• publishes an information bulletin (LTS-Intern ) on LTS’swork and its new brochures;

• publishes a monthly review of the international profes-

sional press (LTS-Pressespiegel );

• runs monthly breakfasts (Tourismus-

frühstück ) on various topics relating to

the development of tourism (lectures,

round tables and discussions);

• runs the ‘Service offensiv ’ and‘Leipzig lernt ’ schemes which help

members to improve their notions of

customer service: workshops and

working groups on topics such as

foreign tourists’ needs and expecta-

tions, their habits and behaviour,

translation of menus into various

foreign languages, etc.;

• organises ‘Leipzig inspires’,lectures given by specialists on a very wide range of

tourism topics;

• publishes a quarterly report that includes an evaluation ofresults against the objectives of the marketing plan as well

as quantitative and qualitative monitoring of prices.

Tourist servicesLTS is keen to promote its own image and the image of the

city through its logo and an overall slogan ‘Leipzig, see you

there’.

The city’s annual marketing plan describes all the promo-

tional activities planned for the year. For promotion pur-

poses, LTS:

• takes part in the main tourism trade fairs, conferences andmajor trade fairs outside the tourism industry;

• targets journalists, VIPs and decision-makers both at a

whole range of events and by sending out specific mail-

shots;

• accompanies foreign tours by Leipzig’s ‘cultural ambassa-

dors’ (its orchestra, choirs, opera) and is represented atany event bearing a message about Leipzig;

• publishes a wide range of brochures and leaflets setting

out Leipzig’s various attractions in several languages.

These brochures provide visitors with information on tourist

services (hotels, accommodation establishments and camp

sites, including those that are not

members of the Tourbu

Sachsen reservation sys-

tem, restaurants and cafés,

cultural events and various

attractions, etc.) and on the

different ways in which peo-

ple can visit Leipzig and en-

joy its various attractions ac-

cording to their own tastes

and preferences.

For this purpose, LTS has

helped to develop a number of

programmes and itineraries for

visits to Leipzig and its sur-

rounding area. These 32 inclusive tours are sold t hroughout

the year by tour operators and t ravel agents. Visitors can al-

so purchase walking or carriage tours (in some cases on par-

ticular themes).

Built at the intersection of two European trade routes, the Via

Imperia and the Via Regia, Leipzig is a bridge between west-

ern Europe and the countries of the east. The city can be

accessed from many motorways and has one of the largest

railway terminals in Europe as well as a major international

airport (close on 50 000 flights and over 2.2 million passen-

gers every year).

In the area of intermodal transport and mobility within the

destination, a combination of trams, buses and trains ef-

ficiently links all areas of the city

and its surrounding area, in par-

ticular the new Leipzig trade faircomplex.

Leipzig’s visitors and residents can

purchase an inclusive, individual or

group, one-day to three-day travel

pass covering all the city’s public

transport. The various itineraries

available for tourists include this

pass.


M ONTHLY

REVIEW OF THE

INTERNATIONAL

PROFESSIONAL

PRESS

D EVELOPM ENT

OF 32 THEMED

PACKAGES

ACCESSIBILITY

FOR EVERYONE

S O U R C E : L E I P Z I G

T O U R I S T S E R V I C E







LTS runs the tourist information centre. Located opposite

the main station and open every day of the year, the centre

offers high-quality information. It stocks and distributes pro-

motional and information brochures on the city, sells the

inclusive city transport passes and helps tourists with theiraccommodation, entertainment and guided tour reserva-

tions.

Tourbu-Sachsen, Saxony’s central information and reserva-

tion, works with LTS. This reservation system is also com-

patible with the DIRG-System, a national information and

reservation system that can be accessed from almost all Ger-

man travel agencies.

In the accommodation and catering sector, LTS works with a

number of partners including:

• the local section of the national association of accommo-

dation and catering trades (Dehoga);

• a grouping of five of the main conference hotels (Con-

friends Leipzig);

• a grouping of 16 of the largest hotels which meet period-

ically to swap experiences and work closely with LTS

(ERFA-Gruppe);

• the ERFA II union of hotel managers/ owners.

Most hotels take part voluntarily in the German hotel classi-

fication system based on international standards and sea-

sonal tariffs.

In the catering sector, the magazine Kreutzer has published

its third good food guide, entitled Leipzig Tag & Nacht 98/ 99

– Der kulinarische Führer , covering around 130 of the 800

such establishments in Leipzig. Service, food, drinks and

quality/ price ratio are all taken into account in the score ofone to five awarded by the magazine.

The municipality feels that it is very important to keep the

city clean, maintain its parks and gardens and ensure that

residents and tourists are secure.

Alongside the local police, Leipzig has therefore taken a

number of steps to improve security involving private secu-

rity companies, private car park guards, a private enterprise

that protects restaurants, bars and discotheques (The Black

Rainbows) and closed circuit television monitoring of areas

where drug trafficking is known to take place.

109

L E I P Z I G


satisfactionTourist information centres log contacts with customers on

the basis of criteria such as type of question, reasons for vis-

it, type of accommodation chosen, etc. These statistics are

then used for mailings.

LTS also follows up the trade fairs in which it takes part so

that it can keep in contact with as many visitors as possible

and inform them selectively about events that the city is

planning.

LTS logs and analyses all the complaints and praise that it re-

ceives and draws up statistics. The director of the informa-

tion centre has been trained in complaint processing and is

personally responsible for replying to and processing every

complaint. LTS makes every effort to bring complainants and

offenders together so that the reasons for the complaint can

be analysed and an answer found. The aim is for every cus-

tomer to leave Leipzig with a positive memory of their visit.

The government of the Land of Saxony draws up monthly

statistics on demand (arrivals, overnight stays, expenditure,

etc.) and conducts an annual questionnaire survey of cus-

tomers. LTS can take part indirectly in these surveys by in-cluding particular questions to evaluate strengths and weak-

nesses in various fields (accommodation, gastronomy, retail

trade, cultural, recreational and sporting activities, guided




tours and trips, landscapes and nature, environment, etc.) in

the questionnaires, although it has to pay a fee.

Since 1998 LTS has been carrying out its own customer sur-

veys.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityLTS conducts telephone surveys among representative sam-

ples of the population. In 1998, LTS conducted its third tele-

phone survey of 1 000 residents, asking them ‘Is Leipzig a

tourist city?’:

• 63 % considered that Leipzig was a tourist city in com-

parison with only 55 % in 1996;

• 79 % suggested possible improvements;

• only 43 % said that they knew of LTS.

LTS has a number of general indicators of the intensity of the

impact of tourism on local people: overall, tourism is felt to

be a positive force as it improves the standard of living of lo-

cal people and provides a better choice of shops, restaurants

and cultural and recreational activities.

Positive impact on the environmentLTS considers at present that tourism does not pose any ma-

jor threat to the environment.

110

LTS feels that it is too early to evaluate the results of its strat-egy which was put in practice only in 1996. The first overall

evaluation of results is planned for 1999.

The experts agree, however, that the ‘Leipzig model’ has

been an overall success, and LTS feels that the success of its

IQM initiative is due to:

• five factors that ensure the supply of a high-quality

service:

– reliability,

– friendliness,

– confidence,

– ability to understand,

– respect for the environment and general presentation of

personnel;

• five strategies that support a quality dynamic for German

tourism:

– improving public and political perception of tourism as

an inescapable part of local economies and local life,

– augmenting, centralising and making better use of all

knowledge of tourism,

– defining the role and place of tourism in local econom-ic development,

– ensuring that tourism is accepted at all political levels,

– helping to pave the way for institutional cooperation in

the tourism industry;

• seven stages that should help to improve the quality of

tourism services:

– formulating, describing and bringing about a common

vision of tourism in the minds of visitors and local

people,

– learning better to understand visitors’ expectations,

– developing criteria for measuring customer satisfaction,

– encouraging dialogue with customers,

– establishing quality standards for the services offered,

– encouraging customers to express their opinions of the

services that they have received,

– ensuring permanent and critical monitoring of the serv-

ices offered by the destination and by its competitors.




LoutrakiAthens

Rhodes

Thermæ - Loutraki

(D.E.T.A.L.P.)

111

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by the need to reconstruct the town af ter a

natural disaster and to consolidate it as a tourist

destination

• Quality initiative led by a municipal enterprise for tour ist

development of the thermal baths

• Participation in the European Recite and ECOS

Ouverture programmes

Strategy and • Strategy based on a detailed study of Loutraki as a

policies tourist destination

• Three town development policies: equipment and

infrastructure, cultural events, environmental protection

• Provision of financial resources for the development of

tourism

• Training seminars to improve services

Operations • Complete infrastructure modernisation plan

• Maintenance, restoration and renovation schemes

• Internal communication: lectures/debates before and

after the season

• Free bus transport service for residents and tourists

• Municipal beach monitoring service

Indicators • Regular monitoring of tourist flows

• Direct and indirect satisfaction surveys

• Tourist capacity monitoring system

• Municipal complaint service for residents

Results • Completion of strategic plan

• Increased number of arrivals

LoutrakiL

ocated in the gulf of Corinth, Loutraki is

both an internationally renowned spa town

and a seaside resort. These assets,

combined with its extremely good climate and

unique natural environment, make it a popular

tourist destination throughout the year.

Loutraki, known in ancient Greece as ‘Thermai’,

was renowned for its hot springs. It first became a

genuine tourist destination in 1855 when the

municipality decided to exploit these hot springs

and built suitable facilities for tourists.

There has long been scientific and medical interest

in Loutraki’s waters, whose benefits are now

recognised. This water is also bottled and

distributed both in Greece and abroad.

Loutraki l ies on the road intersection connecting

Att ica to the Peloponnese and is not far from

Athens (80 km); since the Second World War it has

been very popular among Athenians as a location

for second homes.

Its casino and its many ancient remains (Greek,

Roman and Byzantine) are two further centres of

attraction.

Largely destroyed by an earthquake in the 1980s,

Loutraki has since undertaken a vast programme of

reconstruction.



112

• spa waters and health facilities;

• its natural site, climate and beach; • archaeological t reasures from Roman

and Byzantine times;

• many sports facilit ies: football grounds, athletic grounds, tennis courts, water sports, a covered gymnasium that can accommodate

2 500 people, etc.;

• the cemetery; • the casino.

• 55 accommodation

establishments with close on 3 000 beds

• 2 000 beds in apartments and bed and breakfast accommodation

• 78 899 arrivals and 325 985 overnight stays


What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?In the 1960s, Loutraki faced three major problems:

• chaotic urban development due largely to the proliferation

of second homes;

• a sharp drop in international tourism as a result of the gen-

eral market trend towards coastal destinations;

• pollution due to the lack of a biological sewage processing

station.

Even though the growing reputation of the benefits of

Loutraki’s waters had increased the resort ’s popularity, the

1988 earthquake temporarily destroyed any hopes of further

development.

Paradoxically, this natural disaster and the town reconstruc-

tion plan should help Loutraki to consolidate its position as a

tourist destination.

In 1990, the award of an operating licence for a municipal

casino breathed new life into the town. The town is a share-

holder in the company that manages the casino and receives

substantial revenue that it channels back into tourism.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The municipal company for tourist development of the

Thermai-Loutraki thermal baths is the leader of the quality

initiative. Thermai-Loutraki, set up in 1988, works on behalf

of the municipality to implement tourist development

schemes and market the destination. Only construction and

infrastructure works are directly supervised by the munici-pality.

Thermai-Loutraki is supported by various local associations:

• Loutraki hoteliers’ association;

• restaurateurs’ association;

• traders’ association;

• local union of tourism employees.

Making the industry more dynamicUnder the Recite programme, financed by the European

Union, Loutraki is being linked to the E9 European road.

It is also a member of the Coasts network and the Eurospa

network under the European Union’s ECOS Ouverture pro-

gramme.




113

L O U T R A K I


The municipality has conducted a detailed study of resourcesof tourist interest. The aim of this study was in particular to

pinpoint development priorities and to f ind better links be-

tween the resources of the town, its surrounding area and

possibly resources located beyond municipal boundaries.

Objectives and overall strategyAlthough there was a very piecemeal initial plan for tourist

development in 1990 –91, it was only in 1995 that a genuine

strategy was developed from the study of Loutraki as a

tourist destination.

The municipality’s goal is to achieve international recognitionof Loutraki as a leading spa destination within 10 years.

Three types of measure have been adopted to achieve this

objective:

• general improvement of the town’s facilities and infra-

structure and, in particular, its spa and thermal bath facil-

ities;

• the creation of a range of cultural events;

• protection of the environment and, more specifically, of

the underground waters that are the region’s main eco-

nomic resource.

Two studies provided a basis for Loutraki’s integratedtourism development strategy:

• the first, conducted in 1996, entitled ‘Tourism develop-

ment strategy’;

• the second, conducted in 1998, entitled ‘Loutraki, desti-

nation for the Olympic games and athletes’ training

centre’.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21The municipality pays close attention to the environment

and has set itself a number of priorities:

• cleaning of beaches and the promenades that border them

by the municipal service; Loutraki’s beaches have received

a Blue Flag every year since 1985;

• installing floating dams to improve and accelerate the

biological treatment of waters and waste;


• special measures on street cleaning, regular collections of

household refuse and reduction of noise pollution during

the peak tourist season;

• rational use of energy, in particular by installing beach

showers using water from the hot springs;

• developing a nature reserve in the mountain region of

Gerania;

• financing action groups for the prevention of forest fires;

• protecting underground waters.

Human resource policyIn cooperation with training centres, the municipality runs

seminars to improve services that are aimed at industry em-

ployees.

I NSTALLATION OF

BEACH SHOWERS

USING WATER

FROM THE HOT

SPRINGS

S OURCE : T HERMAI -LOUTRAKI

T HE B LUE F LAG

HAS BEEN

AWARDED TO

LOUTRAKI ’ S

BEACHES EVERY

YEAR SINCE 1985




114

Public servicesAn infrastructure modernisation plan is under way. It in-cludes a number of projects:

• reconstructing the town’s main access route: works to

widen this road to 40 m, plant a tree border, create a

cycle path and renovate squares are scheduled for com-

pletion in 1999;

• improving beaches: rebuilding of a pumping and biologi-

cal treatment station, development of a promenade with

open air theatres;

• restoring an old drinking water fountain supplied by t her-

mal waters;

• extending the sea promenade by two kilometres and de-veloping an Olympic pool, a discotheque, a bar and a

restaurant at the end of the promenade;

• developing a marina as an extension of the current port;

• constructing a three-level thermal swimming pool com-

plex.

The municipality makes major efforts to maintain the desti-

nation, in particular through:

• daily and morning cleaning of beaches;

• the installation of waste bins throughout the town;

• collection of waste by lorries that use water to clean con-

tainers and dustbins in order to prevent smells.In recent years, the municipality has been running a pro-

gramme to clean façades and renovate the town’s parks,

main streets, thermal baths and promenades.

Services for industry professionalsFor internal communication purposes, the municipality or-ganises a conference at the beginning and end of the tourist

season in order to present its strategic objectives and action

plans to it s partners. This provides a forum for exchanges of

opinion and detailed discussion of tourism development.

Tourist servicesGenerally speaking, tourism functions are handled fairly con-

ventionally in Loutraki.

Conventional mediums are used for promotion: catalogues,

brochures, public relations and participation in trade fairs and

exhibitions both in Greece and abroad (Milan, Berlin,Moscow and Copenhagen).

The municipality also helps with this promotion work by:

• sponsoring major sporting events (the Greek national

team at the 1998 European Basketball Championships,

Formula 3 car racing, and since 1988, the Loutraki Cup, a

regional annual race for Optimist yachts);

• poster campaigns on Athens trams.

Loutraki is accessible by road (Athens –Corinth –Patras

route), by train (direct connection to the Athens –Pelopon-

nese network) and by plane (84 km from Athens airport).

Although there are no regular sea lines, Loutraki is also ac-

cessible by sea (plans for a marina on the gulf of Corinth) by

small-tonnage boats.

The town’s small size and the pedestrianisation of some

streets mean that mobility is not a problem. This good mo-

bility is helped by a free environment-friendly urban bus

service that was set up by the municipality as a result of vis-

itors’ criticisms of taxi services. A traffic regulation and visi-

tor parking plan is being studied and should be completed in

1999.

The municipality runs two information kiosks, one on the

Corinth canal bridge (a popular tourist site) and the other inthe town centre. They can sup-

ply tourist maps giving details of

the town’s main attractions and

accommodation possibilities, but

do not make reservations.

Following a study of signpost-

ing, new orientation and loca-

tion panels for attractions, facili-

ties and tourist services were in-

stalled.


T OURIST

INFORMATION

MAPSARE

AVAILABLEFOR

VISITORS




The town has a wide range of medium-levelaccommodation

(and a few top-flight hotels on its outskirts). Service quality

is ‘good’ but not exceptional.

A local travel agency works with six hotels in the town tooffer a package tour called ‘Loutraki 6+1’, which includes

accommodation, catering, excursions, etc. A special

brochure giving details of this package has been published.

Hotels often do not have their own restaurants, leaving

tourists free to choose between a wide range of good to very

good restaurants.

Loutraki is not a destination known for the wealth and vari-

ety of its shops; the range is, however, sufficient to satisfy all

types of visitor.

The municipality has set up a beach monitoring service.

Three monitoring stations (with plans for a fourth) arealready in operation. Lifeguards are in direct radio commu-

nication with coastguards, the town hospital and the munic-

ipal ambulance. There are plans for a jet ski ambulance tocomplete this system.

115

L O U T R A K I

Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfactionTourist flows (arrivals, overnight stays, etc.) are regularly

monitored by the municipality when it is collecting data for

the national statistical office.

Visitor satisfaction is surveyed in two ways:

• ad hoc surveys of visitors’ motivations and satisfaction

conducted in cooperation with foreign tour operators;

• regular surveys of satisfaction levels among visitors to the

thermal baths conducted by the municipality.

The last surveys for which results have been published were

in 1995. According to the foreign tour operators’ survey

Loutraki is a satisfactory destination with negative points

that include traffic problems, lack of taxis, too few boat ex-

cursions and telecommunication problems.

Lastly, the municipality has established a tourist capacity

monitoring system in order to prevent overcrowding of the

thermal bath facilities that it manages.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityThe municipality has set up a residents’ complaints service

that handles problems connected with tourism. Complaintsfrom residents and visitors are subject to statistical process-

ing and the results are published. There is, however, no

proactive follow-up of complaints.

Half-price entry to the town’s thermal baths has helped to

improve visitor satisfaction.


D ESIGN OF

PACKAGE

HOLIDAYS

S O U R C E : T H E R M A I - L O U T R A K I



116

The strategic development plan for 1990 –95 has in practice

been completed.

In 1997, the municipality recorded a 7.18 % increase in

national arrivals (4.90 % of overnight stays) and a 10.52 %increase in international arrivals (5.64 % of overnight stays)

in comparison with 1996.




Malaga

Madrid

117

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by municipal environmental policy

• Leadership shared by three public bodies under the supervision of

the municipality

Strategy and • Green charter of Malaga (local Agenda 21 and URBAN 1995–99)

policies • Tourism and cultural development plan (municipality)

• Strategic plan to rehabilitate the town of M alaga (tourism office)

• Quality plan for the Costa del Sol’s tourist establishmentsincluding standards, accreditation and labelling (AEHCOS)

Operations • Town-region integration (tourist markets, quality management)

• Separate plans of action (cleanliness, security, port, begging, etc.)

• Training programme for hotel employees

• Key aspects of the strategic plan: external promotion and

communication, mobility, accommodation

• Many initiatives and endeavours to improve the quality of visitor

care

Indicators • Identification of main motivations and dissatisfactions

(monitoring and analysis of visitors and markets)

• Particular use of the Internet site• Regular informal meetings with town councillors

Results • Municipal statistics (calls for information, occupancy levels, etc.)

MalagaM

alaga is the capital of the Costa

del Sol. Located in the south of

the Iberian peninsula and

sheltered from cold north winds, it enjoys a

Mediterranean climate.

Surrounded by immense tree plantations, the

region has an annual rainfall of only 600

mm.

The maze of narrow arcaded streets that

makes up the centre of Malaga has a strong

Arab feel wi th many Moorish remains and

remarkable buildings. The modern part of

the town, started in the 19th century,

extends south towards the Malaga basin

which leads to the airport and the tourist

area of Torremolinos.

For a long time, Malaga was Spain’s third

port because of its trade with the Americas.

Declining trade caused it to fall to 13th

among Spanish ports and its 5 000 m of

quays gradually became a wasteland that

tourism is making it possible to rehabilitate.

Economic life is based on services,

commerce, tourism and small-scale industry

chiefly in the areas of intermediate goods

and the new technologies.



118

• the cathedral;

• the Alcazaba and Gibralf aro, a fortress and cit adel of Arab origin;

• the Marine square and the Atarazanas market;

• the Picasso Foundation;

• the baroque Pantheon of t he Counts of Buenavista;

• the Roman theatre;

• the town centre’s old inns, seafront and magnificent historic remains;

• the mountains of Malaga, dotted with ‘ventas’ – inns of a popular Andalusian architectural style.

For the town of Malaga:

• 532 711 inhabi tants • 19 hotels offering a total of 2 400 beds

• Approximately 3 million visit ors per annum

• Unemployment rate: 31.3 % (f irst quarter)

For the province of Malaga:

• Approximately 77 000 rooms of all categories and over 15 000 camp/ caravan site places

• 5.78 million visitors from Spain (43 %) and abroad ( 57 %)

• Average length of stay: 5 days

• Jobs linked to tourism: 47 760, including seasonal jobs

• Gross value added of tourism: EUR 325 mill ion

• Total expenditure by visitors: some EUR 800 mill ion


What was the impetus for the plan and

who is leading it?Despite its assets, tourism development in the town of Mala-ga is fairly recent since the municipality drew up its firststrategic development plan, placing the emphasis on envi-ronmental policy, only in 1993.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?Led by the municipality, three bodies are actively involvedin tourism and quality management initiatives:

• the task of the municipal public enterprise Pro-M alaga,

set up in 1995, is to improve the town’s productivity, inparticular by helping traders in the historic centre to reno-vate their shops and stalls and to start to include tourismin their plans;

• the municipal tourism office;

• the Costa del Sol’sprovincial tourism office (Patronato deturismo).


Analysis of current situationIn 1993, the municipality published an initial strategic plan

for Malaga which:

• was set only in the context of coastal tourism in the Cos-ta del Sol;

• gave priority to environmental policy;

• divided the town into four urban areas: problem areas, de-ficient areas, areas with normal facilities and quality of life

(60 % of the town including the historic centre) and last-ly areas with high-level facilities and a high quality of life(with green areas).

This initial plan was rapidly followed by a Green Charter for

Malaga including a local Agenda 21 and an URBAN Com-

munity Initiative for 1995–99 (some EUR 150 million, 70 %co-financed by the European Union with the remaindercoming from the municipality).




The URBAN Community Initiative has four strands:

• improving infrastructure and environmental conditions(environmental education and awareness, improvement

of green itineraries, tourist signposting of itineraries, reha-bilit ation of decayed urban areas, upgrading of the Gibral-faro park, rehabilitation of infrastructure);

• improving social services and security;

• incentives for the rehabilitation of the most important sitesin the town’s historic centre;

• measures to promote employment, training and enterpriseinvestment (including improved resources to promote pro-duction and development).

Objectives and overall strategyThe municipality launched a genuine tourism and cultural

development plan in 1995; this plan included promotion of,and information on, the town centre and plans to restore themain monuments and buildings such as the Gibralfaro gar-dens, the Cister convent museum, Picasso’s birthplace in thePlaza de la Merced, Malaga’s municipal museum, the Taurinmuseum and the Our Lady of the Victory sanctuarymuseum.

In parallel w ith this plan, the municipal tourism off ice drewup a strategic plan to rehabilitate Malaga as a tourist desti-nation. The plan included quality management and was partand parcel of the Excellence Plans of the Spanish Secretariatfor Tourism.

The aim of this strategic plan is to develop cultural tourismand to introduce notions of quality into the town’s image,the information that it disseminates and its visitor care andtourist services.

The main strands of this strategic plan involve:

• encouraging tourism development by the public authori-ties;

• improving tourist products;

• promoting the town and making it more dynamic as atourist destination;

• carrying out major projects;• upgrading the town’s heritage;

• improving public services.

The plan also includes measures to help private enterprisesin the tourism industry:

• to improve their management systems;

• voluntarily to draw up quality standards for the services

that they offer;

• to modernise enterprise facilities and infrastructure;• to improve professionalism and innovation in tourist en-terprises.

As part of the Excellence Plan programme, AEHCOS, an as-sociation of Costa del Sol hoteliers, has drawn up a ‘quality

plan for Costa del Sol tourist establishments’, coveringhotels and apartments.

This plan includes quality standards drawn up on a consen-sual basis and a system of accreditation leading to the awardof a quality label.

At t he beginning of 1998, this plan was being applied in 36

establishments with over 15 000 beds: it was to be extend-ed to 300 establishments by the end of the year.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Adopted in February 1995, Malaga’s Green Charter, refersto the Spanish Constitution, the Rio Agenda 21, the GreenPaper on European Towns and Cities, the Charter of Euro-pean Cities and Towns towards Sustainability and the Euro-pean Commission’s fifth environmental action programme.

The Green Charter sets out a number of principles in relationto the rights and duties of Malaga’s citizens and the harmo-nious development of the town of Malaga. It combinesgreater social justice with sustainable economic develop-ment that respects the environment.

It deals with urban planning and mobility, protection and up-grading of the natural environment, water and waste man-agement, pollution, energy management and environmentaleducation for citizens.

Human resource policyThe strategic development plan includes training of tourismindustry personnel.

119

MA L A G A



120

Implementation of the 1995 tourism development plan and

the strategic plan to rehabilitate the town of Malaga has nowstarted and is helping to improve awareness of the links be-

tween the town and its surrounding area from the point ofview of tourist markets and notions of quality management

in tourist establishments.

Public servicesThe strategic development plan includes:

• a cleanliness plan for t he town;

• a security plan;

• more social welfare programmes to prevent begging;

• links with the Spanish AVE high-speed train;• a plan for the port;

• construction of sports infrastructure;

• improvement of the town’s commercial potential;

• establishment of a green patrol to monitor noise pollution.

Services for industry professionalsThe URBAN Communit y Init iative programme was drawn upin 1994. In 1998, for instance, grants were made for:

• the rehabilitation of shop fronts in the town’s historiccentre;

• improved shop management (purchases of computerequipment in particular).

The strategic development plan also includes:

• awareness campaigns targeted on local people and pro-fessionals;

• awards of subsidies to SMEs;

• in the area of personnel management in the tourism in-dustry, AEHCOS has developed training programmes for

hotel employees. In 1997, 790 employees from 104 Cos-ta del Sol concerns attended over 2 855 hours of classesdivided between 20 programmes.

Tourist servicesThe strategic development plan has several strands. Its mainaspects include:

• promotion and external communication:

– organising visits to Malaga by professionals (technicalvisits);

– consolidating the ‘Picasso’s birthplace’ and ‘capital ofthe Costa del Sol’ brand images;

– taking part in trade fairs and professional tourism events;

– setting up roving embassies in tourists’ home countries.

• communication materials are available: brochures,leaflets, videos and books.

• mobility:

– more parking areas for coaches;

– improved public transport.

• accommodation:

– redeveloping the criminal court as a luxury hotel; – using sailing boats and yachts as tourist accommodation.

The strategic plan also includes:

• the organisation of international sporting and culturalevents.


N EW SPORTS

FACILITIES ARE

PART OF THE

PLAN

OURCE : S PANISH N ATIONAL T OURISM O FFICE



From the point of view of visitor care, a number of initiativesare now starting to provide results, in particular:

• an Internet site providing information on the town’s de-

velopment strategies and the results achieved;• the Seneca reservation system, developed by the Au-

tonomous Community of Andalucia, which will soon beoperational for the town of Malaga;

• the renovation of the tourist information kiosk on the ParkPromenade and the Casita del Jardiniero public informa-tion office;

• a van acting as a mobile tourism off ice that meets cruisepassengers on the quays or dispenses information at major events (concerts, festivals);

• a resource centre at the Gibralfaro set up to provide infor-mation on the town’s history;

• the Cicerone project, under which 43 young peoplespeaking several languages have been recruited as sea-sonal workers to provide visitors with free help and guid-

ance; these young people have been trained in visitor carealongside staff of the local police, the British and Germanconsulates and the tourism and social welfare departments

of the municipality of Malaga;• the recruitment of a team of volunteers for visitor orienta-

tion in the cathedral, the Cister convent and Gibralfaro.

121

MA L A G A

Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfactionAn initial survey of tourism in Malaga was conducted in Feb-ruary and March 1997. It covered four aspects: tourists’socio-economic profiles, infrastructure, visitors’ expecta-tions, tourism organisation and personnel skills.

The survey found that most tourists came to Malaga for itsclimate and for rest and relaxation and that the main areasof discontent were traffic, dirtiness and noise.

A wide range of information on strategic developments bythe municipality as well as the findings of visitor satisfactionsurveys can be consulted on an Internet site.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityHosted by the municipal public enterprise ‘Pro-Malaga’, one

of t he project partners, there are frequent informal meetingswith town councillorsat which residents and traders can ex-press their opinions of changes in their town and the impactof tourism.


C ULTURAL

EVENTSARE PART

OF THEPLAN

S O U R C E : S P A N I S H N A T I O N A L T O U R

I S M O F F I C E



122

It is too early to predict whether the strategies adopted willprovide the anticipated results, although expectations arehigh:

• increased tourist numbers;

• investment in resources to preserve the historic heritage;

• development of new products, crafts, music, folklore, etc.;

• demonstration effect;

• creation of additional facilities;

• conservation of the historic heritage;

• improvement of the environment;

• dissemination of the cultural heritage;

• strengthening of the role of social workers;

• cooperation between public and private partners.

Themunicipality also has variousstatisticswhich show that;

• at certain times of the year, there has been a more thanthreefold increase in the number of people visiting thetourist information off ices;

• hotel occupancy rates have increased, even in the low sea-son;

• while these occupancy rates are lower than the averagefor the province, they show fewer seasonal peaks andtroughs.




Orléans & Blois

123

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by regional plans to launch an urban tourism

quality init iative to optimise economic impact by extending

and enhancing existing resources

• Pilot experiments with the application of its regional tourism

development plan

• Local strategy and steering committee common to both

towns

Strategy and • Exploiting the direct and indirect economic impact of t ourism

policies • Examining all components of the town and of visits to the

town to f ind ways of extending resources and enhancing the

tourist image of the region and the two destinations

• Globalising the supply

• Making all those involved directly and indirectly in tourism

aware of tourists’ needs

• Increasing numbers of visitors to all the town’s tourist sites

Operations • Awareness campaigns among residents and schoolchildren

conducted or • Competition for ideas for the development of a pedestrian

planned area

• Coach parking and special coach service

• Service areas for camper vans

• Tourist reception office at the motorway tollbooth

• Industrial tourism guide

• Public transport tourism

• Parking badges

• Tourist assistance charter

Indicators • Surveys of purchasing patterns and satisfaction

• Annual seminar on the quality results’ review

Results • Action plan to correct any shortcomings observed (quality

commission)

Orléans & BloisCentre region

The Centre region, also known as the

‘Garden of France’, is one of the

country’s leading tourist destinations. The

region is known throughout the world for its

cultural heritage, its châteaux and its natural

heritage that includes the Loire. The Centre region has 6.4 % of France’s listed historic

monuments, making it third among French

regions in terms of numbers of listed sites.

Formerly home to the kings of France and the

court in the 16th century and nowadays capital

of the département of Loir-et-Cher, Bloi s lies on

the banks of the Loire, 170 km from Paris. It is a

small picturesque town with an important

heritage, in particular its château which is

visited by 400 000 tourists every year.

Orléans, capital of the Centre region and of the

département of Loiret, also lies on the Loire.

Known for i ts cathedral and its Joan of Arc

festivals, its art museums (water colour

exhibit ion), its history and archaeology (Neuvy

en Sulli as treasure), i ts museum and it s Floral

Park, Orléans is often seen as the starting point

for visits to the châteaux of the Loire. The town

is also a destination for business and conference

tourism and industrial tourism and hosts a number of festivals (jazz, cinema, etc.).

Blois

Orléans

Paris



124

• Blois’ château;

• Blois’ house of magic; • Blois’ Sauvegarde district;

• Blois’ museum of magic;

• Orléans cathedral;

• the old town of Orléans;

• the annual Joan of Arc festival in Orléans;

• the Orléans-La Source Floral Park;

• the Loire valley with its charming landscapes, châteaux, museums and monuments

Blois

• 53 000 inhabi t ant s • Some 650 000 tourists, including

400 000 visit ors to t he château

• Foreign tourists account for 60 % of arrivals

• 1 690 tourist accommodation beds and 387 camp-caravan sites

• Hotel occupancy rates of 66 %during the summer months and 34 %during the rest of the year

• Annual tourism indicator: 7.5

Orléans

• 108 000 inhabitants within a conurbati on of 250 000 inhabitants

• 350 000 visitors (t ourism office estimates)

• 2 500 tourist accommodation beds

• Hotel occupancy rates are 60 %during the eight most active months and 40 % for the rest of t he year

• Annual tourism indicator: 2.9

• 2 800 tourism jobs, i .e. 3 % of al l local jobs


What was the impetus for the plan and

who is leading it?Following a diagnostic review by the Regional Committee

for Tourism and Leisure of the Centre region (CRTL) in

1993, the 1994 regional development plan set out a number

of priorities for the improvement of the Centre region ’s re-

sources. The main tourism problems identified were:

• a growing, but geographically very disparate, tourist

accommodation capacity;

• a major international reputation, but a limited economic

return largely due to low lengths of stay;

• an exceptional heritage of extremely well-known monu-

ments, but very few major monuments other than thosealong the Loire;

• concentrations of tourism in certain areas of the region ex-

acerbated by promotion based solely on the ‘Château

Country’ concept and disregarding other regional re-

sources;

• fragmented and inadequately marketed regional tourism

resources;

• absence of any overall development projects;

• the need to satisfy a demand, both more exacting in terms

of quality and more varied, in a highly competitive con-

text.

The CRTL therefore decided to launch an urban tourismquality initiative. Seven towns, including six of the region ’sdepartmental capitals (Orléans, Chartres, Tours, Blois,

Châteauroux, Bourges) and the town of Vendôme, were

then asked whether they w ished to take part in t he initiative,

with partial funding from the State –region planning con-

tract.

The region’s real tourist potential is provided by its towns

which have a much stronger tourist image and identity than

its departments. Tourism in the region necessarily includes

visits to these towns. The quality init iative therefore aimed to

forge real cooperation links between these towns based on

common initiatives and a tourism and promotional develop-

ment policy having common and complementary strands.

Only two of t hese towns, Orléans and Blois, have up to now

introduced a quality initiative.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?TheCRTL, an association f inanced by the regional council, is

responsible for tourism promotion and marketing strategies

for the region. Set up in 1993, its task is to assist everyone

involved in the tourist economy.

TheFrench Tourism Engineering Agency (AFIT), a public in-

terest grouping supervised by the French Ministry of

Tourism, offers advice to the industry and mobilises it to

match its output to changes in demand. Its remit is very

broad and includes analysis of market trends, help in formu-

lating development strategies, development project meth-ods and technical advice on putting such projects together,

research to improve marketing systems and lastly, research

and development in the area of quality.




AFIT has assisted with many French quality initiatives in ur-

ban, coastal, rural and mountain tourism. These initiatives

are chiefly intended to improve visitor care and tourist serv-

ices.

In addition to providing technical and financial support for

init iatives (financial assistance for 50 %), AFIT also publishes

works (thematic analyses, method guides, etc.), organises

workshops and meetings and has a documentation centre

that can be consulted by its members.

The main partners in Blois are the municipality, in particular

the mayor’s office and the tourism office. Other partners

such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Blois

Federation of Commerce, the Cœur de Blois Association, the

Blois Urban Transport Company, hoteliers’ and other traders’associations, are also represented in working groups.

In Orléans, the External Relations and Tourism Directorateand the tourism office are also key partners. The hotels’union, Orléans Radio Taxis, the national police, the urban

transport company, the Loiret Chamber of Commerce and

Industry, the Chamber of Trades, the Chamber of Agricul-

ture, the road hauliers’ union and residents’ associations

have been invited to take part in working groups (although

this list is not exhaustive).

The two municipalities are contractors and have commis-

sioned AFIT to devise methods and draw up specifications

for a research office; AFIT will also be consulted on the

choice of this office whose task is to lead and support the

strategy.

The municipalities of Blois and Orléans (mayors’ off ices and

tourism offices) are responsible for implementing the quality

initiative locally and have full powers over any schemes that

are implemented.

A steering committee common to both towns has been set

up to supervise each stage of the initiative. In addit ion to rep-

resentatives (politicians and technical staff) from the two

municipalities and their tourism offices, representatives of

the CRTL, the Centre Region Council, the Regional Tourism

Delegation (representing the State in the region) and AFIT

also serve on this committee.

125

B L O I S

O R L É A N S

Analysis of current situationThe 1993 diagnostic review of the region by the CRTL and

the adoption of the regional tourism development plan set

a number of priorit ies for the improvement of the Centre re-

gion’s resources.

The urban tourism quality initiative was also divided into

four stages:

• knowledge of customer demand and of problems in satis-

fying this demand;

• report on critical diagnosis for each town;

• drafting of a plan of action in order to bring resources

into line with demand;

• implementation of the plan of action.

Knowledge of customer demand:

• market environment: schedule of resources and f igures ontourism in the Centre region;

• urban tourism customers: analysis of macro-economic

data, data relating to Orléans and Blois, individual cus-

tomers, residents and group and business customers,

either through focus group meetings or through tele-

phone interviews preceded by consultant questionnaires.

Objectives:

• pinpoint motives for visiting the towns of Orléans and

Blois;

• identify why people choose leisure tourism in urban areas

and what changes need to be made and what major prob-

lems need to be corrected to increase numbers;

• identify sources of dissatisfaction and the particular ex-

pectations of group and business customers.

Diagnosis of resources by analysing tourist services through:

• anonymous tourist stays (inspectors acting as customers);

• interviews with elected officials and administrative per-

sonnel responsible for sectors given priority after analysisof customer surveys, i.e.: transport, traffic, parking, serv-

ices and businesses, environment and development, infor-

mation and cultural and tourist activities;




• consultation of partners and service providers from the

two towns through working groups.

Objective:

• to draw up an overall report, analyse problems and put

forward appropriate proposals.

A full analysis of all the above themes was drawn up for each

of the towns: problems, reasons for these problems, com-

ments, working group proposals, public and/ or private part-

ners involved in implementing such proposals and t imetable.

A collective diagnosis identified solutions that could be

sought jointly by the two municipalities or at another deci-

sion-making level (department, region).


The region’s priority objectives are:

• to exploit tourism as an industry that has a direct and in-

direct impact on the economy and therefore to develop

complementary solutions based on the quality and diver-

sity of t he region’s resources;

• to enhance its tourist image by extending what is on of-

fer; the idea is to use existing centres as a start ing point for

discovering the range and diversity of resources (discovery

trails, green tourism and relaxation, business tourism and

hiking, parks and gardens tourism).

Action policies cover various aspects:

• developing the resources needed for a consistent and con-

certed tourism policy (marketing plan, monitoring of

tourist activity);

• upgrading existing tourist resources, i.e. accommodation,

the heritage and leisure infrastructure (modernising infra-

structure, etc.);

• help for key partners in tourism in the region (vocational

training, consultancy, awareness campaigns, etc.).

These critical field diagnoses led CRTL and the municipalities

to adopt the following as their main areas of work: organis-

ing all the partners and introducing permanent quality eval-

uation, setting up a communications policy, upgrading exist-

ing resources, improving the quality of services through

quality initiatives among industry professionals and drawing

up a development policy.

Human resource policyThe municipalities of Orléans and Blois provide training in

foreign languages, hospitality and target group sales.

126

T RYING TO

MAKETHEMOST

OF EXISTING

RESOURCES

S O U R C E : B L O I S T O U R I S M O F F I C E / P H O T O : J . P . T H I B A U T



127

B L O I S

O R L É A N S

Public services

Blois

In order to develop the town:

• ways of redeveloping and maintaining roundabouts at the

town’s entry points are being discussed;

• a joint municipal quality policy to regulate advertising dis-

plays and publicity boards is being devised;

• a programme to restore façades and upgrade buildings in

the tourist centre is being drawn up;

• an ‘Illumination Plan’ is being formulated for façades in

the historic centre;

• as well as focus studies, a competition is being run to find

new ideas for the town’s development (urban furniture,

signposting, pedestrianisation);

• domestic waste collection has been extended to rest days

during the peak season;

• the opening hours of public conveniences have been ex-

tended.

Orléans

Town development:

• plans to improve the quality of lighting (in particularthrough the ‘Illumination Plan’) and signposting around

the station;

• changes to waste collection and street cleaning times to

prevent nuisances;

• plans to redevelop the northern route into the town;

The dynamics of implementation OPERATI ONS ( 30)

• plans to set up a foundation to help to renovate the pri-

vate heritage in the town centre;

• plans to build public conveniences around tourist sites.

Services for industry professionals

Blois

The municipality is particularly keen to communicate the at-

tractions of the town and its surrounding area, in particular

through information and promotion measures among

tourism professionals. Campaigns to make residents aware

of tourism issues and of the importance of visitor care are be-

ing run in the form of an information and improvementguide in the town’s magazine. Similar schemes focusing on

tourist resources are planned for schools. Residents are also

to be better informed about plans to develop and restore the

town.

The municipality holds annual planning meetings with

traders to organise the town’s flower displays. A working

party is to define the role to be played by traders in infor-

mation provision and the recruitment of two liaison off icers

should make it possible to improve relations between the

municipality and traders. A ‘town centre trading quality’ ini-

tiative should, among other things, make it possible to bring

opening hours in line with tourist patterns during the season.

B LOIS MAKES

PARTICULAR

EFFORTS TO

NFORM TOURISM

PROFESSIONALS

ABOUT THE

TOWN ’ S

ATTRACTIONS

R ENOVATING

THETOWN

CENTRE ’ S

HERITAGEIS

PART OF

O RLÉANS ’ PLAN

S OURCE : B LOIS T OURISM O FFICE / P HOTO : J. P. T HIBAUT

S O U R C E : O R L É A N S T O U R I S M O F F I C E / P H O T O C R E D I T : J É R Ô M E G R E L E T , M U N I C I P A L I T Y O F O R L É A N S

(30) At the time of drafting of these case studies, the urban tourism initiative

had reached the stage of presentation of the action plans.



Valuable discussions are also taking place between the

tourism office and hoteliers in order to find ways of devel-

oping conference and seminar tourism during the low sea-

son.

In the area of promotion, a graphic is being designed to pro-

vide an image/identity for t he town and a campaign is be-

ing run to communicate the town’s advantages to seminar

and conference organisers.

In catering, quality restaurants are being promoted, efforts

are being made to improve service in restaurants not yet

recognised as quality restaurants and to find a better match

between the opening hours of restaurants and attractions,

an inventory of local products and local country recipes is to

be published and distributed and, lastly, better signposting of

restaurants is being installed.

Orléans

A think-tank is working on communication issues.

Schemes aimed at traders:

• plans to make the issuing of authorisations for traders to

use their forecourts into an obligation to provide flower

displays and plans to set up flower display competitions

with traders and residents’ associations;

• making traders aware that opening hours should be in

keeping with peak tourism patterns;

• inventory of all existing commercial operations to improve

the supply (quality and distribut ion through the year) with

the publication of a yearly calendar of commercial events.

Schemes in the area of visitor care in particular include a

project to make residents into ‘ambassadors’ for the town. A

glossary is also available for professionals who are in contact

with foreign tourists and there are plans to draw up a tourist

assistance charter.

Many quality init iatives are being run in accommodation and

catering:

• working party responsible for inventorying regional prod-

ucts, their sources and regional recipes;

• plans for a competition for regional products and recipesto promote ‘local dishes’;

• promotion of regional recipes;

• educational schemes and advice for hoteliers and restau-

rateurs to improve what they offer in the way of services

(in particular menu translation).

128

U PGRADING

RESOURCES ,ESPECIALLY

THE HERITAGE

S OURCE : B LOIS T OURISM O FFICE / P HOTO : J. P. T HIBAUT



Tourist services

Blois

To make the most of resources, there are plans for rental

packages and events at the château, new themed trails and

the organisation of a think-tank and coordination group for

sport ing tourism and business tourism.

In partnership with private companies, the tourism office is

offering various new activities (organisation of a market for

regional products, guided visits to national stud farms) and

is diversifying types of transport and tours (31).

• carriage rides in the town and along the banks of t he Loire

(tourist commentary provided by specially trained coach-

men);

• helicopter flights over the châteaux and boat trips alongthe Loire;

• tours of the château with mult ilingual audio guides, etc.

To improve mobility, there are plans to draw up a pedestri-

an and cycle traffic and signposting plan, to improve links be-

tween the youth hostel, the campsite and the town centre

and to install specific signposting for religious sites.

In practice, these include a park for coaches where passen-

gers are supervised by stewardesses with walkie-talkies who

can inform drivers when they should return to their cus-

tomers. The coach park is supervised; stewardesses are

recruited by the municipality and have attended training in

visitor care given by the tourism office.

A written translation service has been set up and an ele-

mentary communication document has been drafted in sev-

eral languages. There are also plans for a visitor orientation

off ice with an interactive terminal at the motorway tollbooth

and for an information point in the station.

Orléans

Plans to make the most of resources include:

• plans for an industrial tourism guide;

• plans for a document giving information on restaurants

open on Sundays and late evening and on weekly closing

days;

• improvement of existing events and attempts to find newideas;

• extending and harmonising museum opening times;

• improving tourist signposting.

The tourism office offers guided visits (32) in several lan-

guages, carriage tours and small tourist train trips and

encourages cycle traffic and is in particular studying the

possibility of providing cycle parking.

A pedestrian traffic and signposting plan limiting vehicle ac-

cess and improving tourist signposting is to be implemented

in parallel with the construction of a tramline. Plans for cycle

paths and a better pricing policy for car parks are being de-

veloped and implemented and a document on public trans-port tourism is being drawn up.

Practical schemes have already been implemented, such as

the design and distribution of parking badges for hotel cus-

tomers enabling them to park and unload outside hotels and

then to park in pay-and-display car parks at preferential rates

for customers of the town’s hotels, whose details are given

on the reverse of the badges.

129

B L O I S

O R L É A N S

A CARRIAGE

RIDE IN B LOIS ’ TOWN CENTRE

E NVIRONMENT - FRIENDLY

MO BILITY IN

O RLÉANS

S OURCE : O RLÉANS T OURISM O FFICE / P HOTO CREDIT : J ÉRÔME G RELET , M UNICIPALITY OF O RLÉANS

S O U R C E : B L O I S T O U R I S M O F F I C E / P H O T O : J . P . T H I B A U T

(31) (32) Not part of the quality plan.



The tourism office is looking for a site for a branch in the

town’s historic centre in order to improve information provi-

sion.

Orléans is also trying to improve, through an ‘Illumination

Plan’, night visits of tourist sites by tourists.

130


satisfactionBlois and Orléans both conduct regular surveys of tourist be-

haviour and expectations and of their levels of satisfaction

(annual review).


integration into the communityBlois is planning to organise an annual seminar for the town’spartners and professionals in order to review quality results.


Genuine cooperation has been forged between the public

and private sector as a result of the impetus given to the ini-

tiative by CRTL and its subsequent development by AFIT and

the research of fice selected after a call f or tender. The glob-

al and participatory nature of the initiative has made it pos-

sible to involve all partners directly or indirectly linked with

tourism in it.

Thematic working groups have achieved positive results and

have involved a wide range of participants from different

backgrounds and hierarchical levels. This shows the impor-

tance of concerted action to find coordinated and common

quality schemes and init iatives.

As a result, the quality committees have been able to draw

up corrective action plans that the towns can implement.

Tourism in Blois and Orléans has developed in diff erent ways.

Blois is a destination where tourism is fairly long standing and

occupies an important place in the local economy. Tourism in

the town is seasonal and similar to that of a coastal destina-

tion with peaks in the summer and a low season in the win-

ter that generate congestion, flow management and infra-

structure profitability problems. The action plan adopted re-

flects these problems. For Orléans, leisure tourism is a tran-

sitional activity as the town is a starting point for tours of theLoire Valley. The town is more active in business tourism and

tourism is better distributed throughout the year.

These two pilot experiments show that pooled integrated

quality management init iatives and methods can provide ap-

propriate solutions.




131

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by problems of seasonal tourism, combined with a

recession (1994)

• Non-prof it-making mixed municipal and hotel association

Strategy and • Municipal action programme (re-launch, restoration,

policies attractiveness)

• Five-year freeze on new building

• Codes and regulations (environmental quality)• Restoration of buildings in the old town

• Craft training for unemployed women and provision of facilities

Operations • Municipal code of conduct and good practice

• Provision of public conveniences throughout the town

• Mounted police

• Beach monitoring system

• Blue Flag for clean beaches and sea water

• Efficient water management measures

• Manual of good energy consumption practices for hotels

• Regular press information for residents

• Extensive participation in tourism trade fairs

• Organisation of educational tours, themed visits, cultural and

sporting events

• Organisation of mobility

• European network of car-free towns

Indicators • The findings of impact studies under the European Sudecir

project have had major repercussions

• Public price control and product quality agency

• Participation in the Ecomost benchmarking project

Results • Extension of the tourist season

RhodesR

hodes, the largest of the

Dodecanese islands, has been a very

popular tourist destination over the

years. Rhodes is a smallish picturesque town

with seaside resources, a major historic and

cultural heritage and the inf rastructure needed for conference tourism.

50 000 of the island’s 90 000 or so

inhabitants live in the town of Rhodes. Over

one quarter of the town’s visitors come from

cruise ships and private yachts. The medieval

part of the town i s the main attraction with

its forti fications, its old port and its

magnif icent restored bui ldings that are

nowadays being used by various public and

private bodies.

Rhodes

Athens



132

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?The issues raised by the seasonal nature of tourism and by

mass tourism provided a starting point for the quality ini-

tiative.

Three aspects of tourism in Rhodes played a major part in t he

creation of Protour, the Rhodes tourism promotion agency,

and the development of a tourism policy including a quality

initiative:

• the highly seasonal nature of tourism, often viewed with

fatalism and resignation by the local population and caus-

ing most hotels to shut f or five to six months of the year;

• the excessive debts of many hotels that were starting to

fall under bank control;

• a major recession in 1994, caused to some extent by re-

ductions of accommodation prices and the quality of the

services offered as part of a policy to promote mass

tourism.

Protour’s strategy was initially intended to extend the tourist

season from 7 to 12 months and to reduce the mass influx

of tourists and resultant overcrowding during the peak sea-

son.

A parallel initiative by the municipality of Rhodes is part and

parcel of this overall policy for the island as a whole.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?The municipality of Rhodes, the association of municipali-

ties of the island of Rhodes, the island’s hotels association

and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry worked to-

gether to set up the non-profit-making association Protour

and have commissioned it to draw up and implement a pol-

icy and a strategy to promote tourism in Rhodes.

Protour has both political support since its board of man-

agement is chaired by the town’s mayor and industry skillssince its management committee is directed by the chairman

of the hotel association.

Under this policy and strategy, the municipality of Rhodes:

• is drawing up its own plan of action for the town;

• is providing assistance with infrastructure and equipment;

• is developing a range of codes and regulations.


• the medieval town, combining an

upper town and a lower town, has winding streets and alleyways punctuated by small squares;

• four kilometres of ramparts dating from the 14th century surround the entire upper and lower town;

• the main historic monuments are: the Palace of the Grand Masters, the Inns of the Knights, the ‘Borough’ Hospital and the Islamic monuments of the Turkish quarter;

• the bay and port ;

• beaches and sheltered coves.

• Conference town with 80

conferences in 1997 • Approximately 1 000 000 visitors

every year

• Tourism accounts for 65 % of the GRP and provides employment for one third of residents

• Average length of stay: 4 to 5 nights for Greek tourists, 9 to 10 nights for foreign tourists

• Average daily expendit ure of EUR 50




133

R H O D E S

R HODES

IMPLEMENTS AN

ACTIVEPOLICY

OF

ENVIRONMENTAL

PRESERVATION

S O U R C E : P R O T O U R


Studies by the hotels’ association and its tourism researchinstitute, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and

local tourism schools made Rhodes aware of its main weak-

nesses.

Their main conclusions can be summarised as follows:

• the old town is over-marketed and is increasingly becom-

ing a ‘dead’ monument;

• Rhodes has no life during the low tourist season which

lasts five to six months;

• the ‘sun, sea and sand’ image which has long made it pos-

sible to sell the destination is no longer enough to main-

tain high levels of tourist f lows.

Objectives and overall strategyThe main aims of the plan of action launched by the munic-

ipality of Rhodes are therefore to:

• redevelop the old town;

• restore and upgrade the town’s cultural and historic her-

itage;

• develop new infrastructure making it possible to offer a

tourist product that is attractive throughout t he year.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21To achieve these objectives, Rhodes has:

• decided to impose a five-year freeze on the construction

of new accommodation facilities, authorising only im-

provements to, and renovations of, existing establish-

ments and addit ions of new services;

• implemented various ‘codes’ and regulations to improve

environmental quality in general;

• launched an annual programme of rebuilding, renovation

and maintenance of buildings in the old town.

Local development

The municipality wanted to find employment for unem-ployed women. It is working with the Greek Association of

Small and Medium-Sized Craft Enterprises to offer training

for these women and has provided them with a fully-

equipped workshop and exhibition room in which local craft

products such as weaving, gold and silver work and wood

sculptures can be produced and sold.

Human resource policyRhodes has three tourism schools covering aspects of man-

agement, vocational training and training for guides. Close

on 90 % of people leaving these schools work on the island

or in the Dodecanese region.




134

Public services

In order to provide an environment likely to promote the de-velopment of high-quality tourism, the municipality has

drawn up and implemented a set of rulesand codes of good

practice in the following areas:

• sanitary facilit ies;

• shop fronts in the old town;

• use of public areas in the old town for commercial pur-

poses;

• urban traff ic and parking;

• mains supply and removal of water and processing of

waste water;

• monitoring system for bathing areas on the beaches.

The municipality has paid particular attention to sanitation:

in addition to drawing up regulations on this issue, it has built

modern and well-maintained public toilets in most public

places (the old town, beaches and other public places).

In the old town, the replacement of motorised police by

mounted police has also introduced environmental issues

into security measures. On the beaches, bathing areas are

supervised by marshals and lifeguards and a municipal am-

bulance regularly monitors the beaches.

Environmental impact:

The municipality of Rhodes is very active in the environ-

mental field, especially as regards:

• the revitalisation of the old town where it has undertaken

a vast programme of restoration:

– of the habitat through a programme to restore 50

ruined houses which, when repairs are complete, will be

rented out to workers and their families for a low rent

(30 houses) or will be converted into apartments for

students (20 houses) that can be used as tourist ac-

commodation during the summer,

– of the original paving of streets that have largely been

pedestrianised, while streets accessible by vehicle traffichave been covered by a paving which prevents fast

driving,

– of old mills by multinational groups of workers. Under

the Euromill project being run in association with Ma-

jorca (E) and Gotland (S), Rhodes provides masons; one

of the three old mills of the port of Rhodes, which can

now be visited, produces flour;

• beach cleaning: beaches are maintained by municipal de-

partments and have received a Blue Flag for their cleanli-

ness (water and beaches);

• water management: as water is a rare and highly sought-

after resource, the following measures have been taken:

– improvement of a closed network of wells using solar or

wind energy for irrigation of many of the town ’s parks,

– establishment of an automatic monitoring system for

reservoirs and pumping stat ions, – daily and remote monitoring of each reservoir’s water

quality by a chemical analysis laboratory.

• rational energy consumption: a manual of good practices

is distributed to hotels;

• vehicle traffic and air quality: Rhodes is a member of t he

European network of car-free cities. It regularly monitors

levels of air pollution largely as part of preventive meas-

ures to protect and maintain the porous stones of the

medieval fort ifications;

• the conservation of rare species in particular areas such as

the ‘valley of butterflies’.


R ESTORATION

OF OLD MILLSIN

THEPORT OF R HODES

S O U R C E : P R O T O U R



Services for industry professionalsThe municipality and Protour regularly issue press releases to

the three local newspapers to inform local people about

their plans and the measures that they wish to implement.

Tourist servicesThe Dodecanese Region (and its tourism off ice) and the mu-

nicipality (three information centres at the airport, port and

in the town centre) manage their information centres effi-

ciently. Local travel agencies look after groups of tourists.

The external communication and promotion of Rhodes, for

which Protour is responsible, includes:

• Rhodes’ active participation in 23 tourism fairs, in both

Greece and abroad, for which there are promotional ma-

terials in six languages;• organising trips to Rhodes for tourism journalists and pro-

fessionals, with the help of the Dodecanese branch of the

Greek National Tourism O rganisation;

• the publication of two brochures presenting the island’sattractions and tourist products – one for summer and one

for winter. These brochures are distributed to tour opera-

tors and other tourism professionals.

There are a number of guided coach or walking toursof the

main sights of the town and the island of Rhodes, covering

themes such as castles, churches and monasteries, nature,

graphic arts and pottery, medieval sites, etc., and the munic-

ipality, in cooperation with tour operators, organises a num-ber of cultural and sporting events.

Rhodes is accessible by air (regular flights by Olympic Air-

ways and Air Greece as well as many direct charter flights

from a number of European destinations) and by sea from

the main ports of Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Cyprus and other

Aegean islands.

There are a number of plans to improvemobility in the town:

• developing a pedestrian area including many of the old

town’s streets which have, moreover, been returned to

their original state;

• paving of streets with special bitumen that prevents vehi-

cles from driving too fast;

• an urban bus network that supplements taxis;

• a rental service for mopeds that can be used to travel theisland and visit neighbouring sites;

• channelling revenue from car parks into the purchase, by

the municipal public transport company, of air-condi-

tioned buses and an easy access system for people of re-

duced mobility.

Init ially geared towards seasonal tourism, Rhodes nowadays

has sufficient hotel and other infrastructure to host confer-

ence tourism (80 conferences and congresses were held in

1997).

Many hotels are also envisaging obtaining ISO certification

and most traders in the town centre are complying with the

municipality’s code of good practice.

Every fortnight during the peak season, the information cen-

tres conduct a telephone survey to find out what accommo-

dation facilit ies are available so that they can provide visitors

with appropriate information.

Reservations can be made via an Internet site. They are then

automatically faxed to the accommodation facilities con-

cerned. A common reservation system for Rhodes and

Cyprus is to be set up under the Interreg II programme (at a

cost of EUR 300 000).

Rhodes, like many Dodecanese islands, benefited from ‘tax-

free’ status until Greece joined the European Union. This sta-tus made it into a genuine paradise for designer clothing and

alcohol. Rhodes still has a very wide range of shops.

Most shops in the old town comply with municipal regula-

tions on trading streets and public places.

Sport and leisure facilities are available in the town, on the

beaches and in hotels.

135

R H O D E S



136


satisfactionSurveys have been conducted in the past on:

• customer segmentation as a function of styles of holiday;

• reasons for choosing the destination and visitor satisfac-

tion levels;

• perceptions of the prices of various products and services;

• tourist complaints (as part of the Ecomost project).

The municipal council works with the public agency respon-

sible for supervising the price and quality of products and

penalises offenders by fines or withdrawals of operating

licences.

Various surveys were conducted between 1996 and 1998

under the European Sudecir (Sustainable development of Eu-

ropean cities and regions) project. Their findings should

make it possible to evaluate whether tourism has had a pos-

itive or negative impact on:

• the economy;

• society;

• culture.

Satisfaction of local people

and integration into the communityGenerally speaking, local people feel that tourism is a

favourable factor for the region and its economic develop-

ment. They approve of the policies implemented.

BenchmarkingRhodes is taking part in the Ecomost project to compare sta-

tistical results with Majorca.


The tourist season has gradually increased from seven to

twelve months with a better distribution of tourist arrivals

throughout the year.

The findings of the surveys conducted under the European

Sudecir project have been forwarded to the various industry

organisations so that they can be taken into account in

strategic tourism development.




137

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by the concern to make St Andrews into a top-quality

tourist destination through a pilot tourism management

experiment

• Strong organisational structure, broken down by different

geographical levels of power – clear distribution of responsibilities

• Good integration of the public and private sectors and search for

partnerships

• Environmental project and award

Strategy and • Long-term economic development

policies • Integrated partnerships

• Tourism and environmental action group

• Complete plan of action for tourism development

• Original policy on human resource management and training

Operations • Implementation of practical schemes in the areas of accessibility,

visit organisation, mobility, reservations, accommodation and

catering

Indicators • Complaint processing and follow-up

• Targeted thematic studies (economy, environment,communication, etc.)

• Drafting of a general survey framework for future comparative

analyses

• Perception of and impact on local people

Results • Evaluation by the action group and multi-strand comparisons

• New model for measuring the economic impact of tourism

• Bottom-up approach involving all the partners in a steering

committee

St Andrews, located 80 km from

Edinburgh on the east coast of

Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife,

takes its name from Christ’s disciple whose

remains are reputed to have been brought

there. In the M iddle Ages the town was an important religious centre and its bishops

exerted considerable influence on the

country. The first Scottish university was also

set up in St Andrews in 1410–11. Known for

centuries for its market, St Andrews became

a royal borough in 1620. The appearance

and activities of the town centre have

changed little in recent centuries.

The town’s main attraction is not its beach

but its golf course which, according to estimates, accounts for 30 to 50 % of the

687 000 annual visitors who call it ‘the

home of golf’ . Records show that the f irst

golf club was founded in 1553, when the

town’s residents were authorised to play

golf. The Company of Golfers of St Andrews

was founded in 1754 and 80 years later

became the ‘Royal & Ancient Golf Club’ that

is considered to be the supreme authority on

the rules of golf throughout the world (apart

from North America and Mexico).

St Andrews

London

St Andrews



138

What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?A tourism management plan (TMP) was launched in 1993

by the Scottish Tourist Board as a pilot experiment.

Financed and implemented by the Fife local authority, the

local development agency (Fife Enterprise) and the tourism

office (Fife Tourist Board), the TMP is chiefly intended to

improve the quality and economic benefits of tourism, whileimproving and protecting residents’ quality of life and the

urban environment.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?Scotland’s tourism industry is organised ‘nationally’, with re-

gional and local off ices responsible for implementing policies

at the various local levels.

Nationally, there is the Scott ish Tourism Coordination Group

(STCG) which draws up the strategic tourism development

plan. It identifies and undertakes strategic measures to im-prove the tourist supply, organises debates on tourism and

implements those measures that it considers appropriate.

The group is chaired by the Scottish Minister for Tourism.

Separate from the Tourism Forum Scotland, STCG member-

ship includes only public bodies directly or indirectly involved

in developing the industry.

At national and at local level, marketing and developing the

tourism industry is always the responsibility of three main

types of body.

Organisations specific to the tourismindustryThe Scottish Tourist Board (STB) is the main tourism agency

for Scotland. Its main responsibili ties are:

• to promote Scotland as a leisure or business tourist desti-

nation in the United Kingdom and, in cooperation w ith the

Brit ish Tourist Authority (BTA), abroad;

• in cooperation w ith Scott ish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands

and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to develop tourist products;

• to develop quality initiatives for tourist services and pro-

mote them among visitors;

• to assist Area Tourist Boards (ATB) in particular with thecreation of Tourist Information Centres (TIC), local mar-

keting and the int roduction of information technologies.


• six golf courses, national

and int ernational competitions;

• the beach, Craigtoun Country Park and the area around St Andrews which includes ports,estuaries, cliff s and sandy banks, a wealth of fauna, walking opportunities, etc.;

• the churches of St Mary on the Rock, St Rule’s Tower, Holy Trinity, the

cathedral, etc.;

• the castle, the university,

the two colleges, St Salvator and St Mary;

• the Kate Kennedy Procession at the end of spring.

• 14 410 inhabi t ant s

• 1 285 jobs linked to tourism, i.e. over 10 % of the working population

• 687 000 visitors, including 505 000 day visitors

• 1 280 000 overnight stays. The average length of stay (excluding day visitors) is 4.3 days

• Nationalit y of tourists: 47 % Scots, 17 % English, Welsh and I rish, 20 % foreigners

• Expendit ure: some EUR 76 milli on, 45 % between July and September. Average expenditure per visitor varying from some EUR 82 t o some EUR 91 ( 1995–96)

• 18 hotels with 788 beds

• 70 guest houses and B & Bs (516 beds)

• 278 bungalows ( 1 625 beds) , 10 student halls of residence ( 2 951 beds) converted into tourist accommodation from June to September

• 3 caravan and camping sit es ( 877 places)




The British Tourist Authority, set up in 1969, has a network

of 42 offices throughout the world that encourage foreign

tourists to visit the United Kingdom. The STB calls upon its

high-level expertise to help with its international marketing

work.

Economic development agenciesThe particular remit of these agencies is to find appropriate

ways of improving training (skills and knowledge) and the

economic environment and infrastructure:

• Scott ish Enterprise (SE) is low land Scotland’s economic de-

velopment agency. The task of its Glasgow off ices and 13

Local Enterprise Companies (LEC) is to create jobs and in-

crease local people’s prosperity by encouraging enterprise

creation and development, attracting external investors

and increasing exports;• in parallel, the Inverness-based Highlands and Islands En-

terprise (HIE) and its 10 Local Enterprise Companies carry

out the same tasks in the north and north-west of Scot-

land.

The authoritiesUnder the umbrella of the Convention of Scottish Local Au-

thorities (COSLA), which provides national coordination of

local authorities’ tourism work, these authorities play a large

part in financing the strategies implemented by the Area

Tourist Boards (ATB).

Local authorities are responsible for developing and main-

taining facilities and infrastructure, which make up a sub-

stantial part of the tourist product, and ensuring that they

can be used by the local community. As owners of land and

infrastructure and as local authorities responsible for plan-

ning, they also play a key role in developing initiatives in the

tourism industry and in ensuring that these initiatives are in

keeping w ith local people’s needs.

Other members of the national STCG all play a part in the

protection and upgrading of Scotland’s historic, cultural,

artistic and sporting heritage. They include: Historic Scot-

land, Scott ish Arts Council, Scottish M useum Council, Scot-

tish Natural Heritage, Scottish Sports Council and Tourism

Forum Scotland.

At regional levelAt this level, Scotland has 14 Area Tourist Boards (ATB) (in-

cluding the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board responsible for St

Andrews and its region and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Valley Tourist Board responsible for Glasgow and its region).

The ATBs, whose members include most enterprises involved

in the tourism sector, provide these enterprises with the in-

formation and support that they need in fields such as local

strategy, marketing and public relations and quality assur-

ance.

At local level, lastly, there are 22 Local Enterprise Companies

(LEC) and 32 local authorities for Scotland as a whole.

At destination level

In addition to the main partners working at both nationaland regional level, each destination has local partners who

play a key role both in general economic development and

in tourism.

One person is responsible for developing tourism in St An-

drews. She takes decisions, decides on policy and evaluation

methods, directs the implementation of the TMP and con-

ducts surveys among visitors as well as any other scheme to

evaluate results. She works under the supervision of the mu-

nicipal council (Fife Council), the local development agency

(Fife Enterprise) and the tourism office (Kingdom of Fife

Tourism Board) with the support, where necessary, of the

STB.

Other partners play a minor but nevertheless important role:

associations and groups of traders and shopkeepers, the

hotels and inns association and the bed and breakfast asso-

ciation. Meetings are organised every six months or more

often, depending on projects under way.

Making the industry more dynamicOne of the initiatives being developed under the TMI is

called the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

139

S T A N D R E W S



The aim of this init iative is to encourage accommodation en-

terprises to take more responsibility for the environment. The

scheme encourages participants to improve management

methods by reducing costs, extending potential markets and

improving their image by respecting laws on the environ-ment, thereby helping to improve protection.

The Green Award which they receive covers 10 aspects of

environmental protection, each aspect being divided into a

certain number of practical measures that participants un-

dertake to carry out (selectively and with a limit) and on the

basis of which they conduct a self-evaluation and receive,

where appropriate, an award (gold, silver or bronze).

The 10 aspects covered are a general undertaking to protectthe environment, wastage, energy, water, transport, suppli-

ers and works enterprises, personnel, storage and fauna.

140

Analysis of current situationThe tourism management plan, launched in 1993, followed

two reports:

• the first, drawn up in 1990, entitled ‘St Andrews 2000: an

integrated approach to planned development ’;

• the second, published in 1992, entitled ‘Study of tourism

in St Andrews’.

Objectives and overall strategyThe aim of the strategic plan is to make St Andrews into a

town whose environment and ambience achieve a globally

recognised level of quality, for tourists as well as the town’s

residents, in order to generate substantial long-term eco-

nomic benefits for the town and its region.

In 1992, the main objectives were to:

• improve the quality of the visitor

experience in order to increase the

economic return for St Andrews;

• improve and protect residents’quality of life;

• protect the environment and

the urban heritage.

In 1995, new objectiveswere set

for a three-year period:

• to protect and improve social

life and the particular charac-

ter of the environment and

the urban heritage by adopt-

ing the principles of sustain-

ability;

• to improve the quality of visits and visitor satisfaction;

• to opt imise the economic return f rom tourism for the town

and its region, while respecting the first two objectives;

• to manage tourist pressures in the town through an inte-

grated partnership.

Leaving aside the various aspects of human resource man-

agement and training, which are for the most part dealt with

under a general policy for Scotland as a whole, St Andrews’tourism officers have drawn up an action plan. This plan

addresses all the problems that have been identified and is

intended to pave the way for a tourism industry which

guarantees environmental protection and sustainable econ-

omic development.

This action plan includes the follow ing points:

• visitor transport: reduction of the number of vehicles in the

town centre, improvement of access routes and pedestrian

and cycle traffic;

• local economic impact: increased length of stay, increased

numbers of visitors outside rush hours and the peak tourist

season, promotion of the other attractions of the region ofFife, improvement of tourist enterprises’ performance;

• protection of the urban and natural environment: improv-

ing environmental protection measures by tourism enter-

prises, improving the appearance of streets, signposted

walks, lighting, the quality of signposting and enterprise

signs and stepping up awareness of environmental pro-

tection schemes;

• ensuring that the development of tourism provides local

people with cultural and social benefits through more ac-

tive participation by residents and traders in forums for

concerted action and working groups on particular topics;


S T ANDREWS

HASA

STRATEGIC

PLAN

S O U R C E : S T A N D R E W S T O U R I S M

M A N A G E M E N T P R O G R A M M E



• implementing a permanent tourism management system

through which all partners can be more closely involved

with the strategy being implemented, maintaining good

communications and good coordination with these part-

ners and developing closer links with universities;

• making the town into a model of good tourist manage-

ment that could be adopted elsewhere in the Fife region

or in Europe, by:

– publishing information on the St Andrews experiment,

– helping with the development and implementation of

other TMPs in the region,

– making optimum use of the Internet site,

– publishing newspapers to disseminate the results

achieved,

– improving existing links with other organisations such

as the ‘Walled Towns Friendship Circle’;• devising a monitoring system based on economic, envi-

ronmental and quality of life indicators;

• developing a long-term tourism strategy and ensuring that

all the people and partners involved support this strategy;

• evaluating the results of the TMP against Fife Council’sobjectives.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Following the publication of a White Paper entitled ‘This

common inheritance’, the STCG drew up a report on tourism

and the environment entitled ‘Tourism and the Scottish en-

vironment: a sustainable partnership’.

In 1992, following proposals from

the STCG, a national Tourism and

Environment Task Force was set up

as part of a new tourism manage-

ment initiative (TMI). This initiative

has to be implemented locally

through tourism management

programmes (TMP) which pro-

vide a link between local and na-

tional priorities. The remit of the

Task Force is to ‘promote a reasonable and

rational use of Scotland’s natural resources and cultural her-

itage in order to make the most of the very wide range of

opportunities open to the Scottish tourism industry ’.

The Task Force includes representatives from the various

public agencies such as STB, SE and HIE and from 10 or soof the other organisations mentioned above.

The importance that St Andrews and the Kingdom of Fife at-

tach to the sustainable development of tourism can be clear-

ly seen from:

• the inclusion of St Andrews’ TMP in the TMI initiative

launched nationally by the Scottish Tourism Office;

• Fife Council’s sustainability policy which takes up many of

the key principles of the local Agenda 21.

All plans are evaluated against a set of 10 criteria, drawn up

under the Kingdom of Fife’s sustainable development policy,

divided into three categories:

• the environment:

– reducing consumption of limited resources,

– preserving biodiversity,

– preserving and upgrading landscapes and villages,

– promoting environmental education;

• local residents:

– promoting social equity,

– developing concerted action and participation,

– promoting high standards of health,

– promoting and improving quality of life by meetingpeople’s needs for local attractions and services,

– improving security and ensuring a thriving community,

– promoting access to productive and useful jobs;

141

S T A N D R E W S

R EPORT ON TOURISM AND

THE

ENVIRONMENT

P ROMOTING

THERATIONAL

USE OF

RESOURCES

S OURCE : S T ANDREWS T OURISM M ANAGEMENT P ROGRAMME

SOURCE: ST ANDREW S

T OURISM MANAGEMENT PROGR

AMME



• visitors:

– promoting social equity,

– improving public consultation and stepping up public

participation.This grid can be used to measure and monitor the impact of

tourism on the town of St Andrews.

Human resource policyThe United Kingdom, and Scotland in particular, is very

active in the area of human resource management and

training.

The United Kingdom has developed a national programme

called Investors in People (IIP). Based on the practical expe-

rience of the best-performing enterprises, IIP is implement-

ed in Scotland via the LEC (Local Enterprise Companies).Under this programme, it is possible to encourage and

supervise enterprises which commit themselves to training

and individual development schemes for their staff in order

to improve their profitability and performance levels.

This national programme sets out four basic principles with

which any enterprise launching an initiative of the Investors

in People type, publicly undertakes to comply. These princi-

ples are:

• to enable and help every staff member to achieve his or

her career objectives;

• regularly to re-evaluate individual training and personal

development needs;

• to take any training or individual development measure

for any employee when he or she has been recruited and

throughout his or her working life;

• to evaluate the results of this investment in training and

individual development schemes in order to improve their

future results.

In spring 1997, a tourism and hospitality organisation in St

Andrews and six organisations in Glasgow met the require-

ments and were officially accredited under the Investors in

People (IIP) programme.

Investors in People is also one of t he key components of the

Tourism Training in Scotland (TTS) initiative. Set up in 1992at the joint initiative of the public and private sectors, this ini-

tiative brings together many Scottish tour operators, the

main tourism industry associations, training institutions, ed-

ucational establishments and the main public agencies in the

industry.

Its task is to make Scotland more competit ive as a tourist des-

tination by ensuring that all its visitors receive services of

world-class quality, by promoting high-quality training and

opening up career prospects for all industry employees.

Other training init iatives include:

• Scotland’s Best, two training programmes looking at waysof offering visitors services that exceed their expectations

and at methods of resolving difficult and confrontational

situations;

• Tourism Business Success targeted on the owners and

managers of SMEs who wish to improve their skills;

• Scottish Quality Retailing which offers effective staff train-

ing and development measures to improve the perform-

ance of individual enterprises in the industry;

• Natural Cook which promotes tourist cuisine based on the

use of Scottish resources;

• Welcome Host which is intended to improve levels of serv-

ice in hospitality and tourist accommodation (over 24 000people have taken part in these one-day seminars since

1994).

The TTS also supplies information for the general public

about the very wide range of trades and career opportuni-

ties offered by the tourism industry.

142



143

S T A N D R E W S

Tourist services

A range of practical measures have been taken in areas suchas:

Accessibility: only 10 % of visitors consider that parking is

problematic in St Andrews. The local authority is trying to

deter people from using cars in the town centre by building

car parks on the town’s outskirts and cycle paths and pedes-

trian walkways. There are plans to improve connections with

the station.

Visit organisation: a small brochure called ‘St Andrews: a

kaleidoscope of attractions’ helps visitors to find their way

about the town and contains information on the town and

its attractions.

Mobility: Fife Council has drawn up a short- and medium-

term transport plan, taking into account car parks, pedestri-

an, cycle and other vehicle flows, public transport and the

environment in order to reduce the number of vehicles in the

town centre and thereby to protect it and improve its appeal.

Reservations: there are two systems: one, which is electron-

ic, covers the Kingdom of Fife and the other, the ‘Book a bed

in advance’ scheme, for which a fee is paid, is used through-

out Scotland. Lists of accommodation meeting the specific

criteria selected by visitors can also be printed. Accommoda-

tion establishments included in the database must be mem-

bers of the Scottish Tourist Board quality assurance pro-gramme.

Accommodation: St Andrews has a wide range of accom-

modation f rom guest houses to f ive-star hotels. Services are

generally of high qualit y and occupancy levels are above the

Scottish average. The classification system devised by the

Scottish Tourist Board’s quality assurance service is wide-

spread and encouraged. Accommodation facilities are ap-proved solely when they meet the criteria of the national

classification system (1 to 5 crowns) which are based on the

standard of room quality (luxury, highly recommended, rec-

ommended, approved) and on the range and extent of fa-

cilities that the establishment offers.

Catering: 44 % of visitors eat in St Andrews and 84 % say

that they are satisfied by the quality offered by restaurants,

cafés and pubs. Festivals that have food as their theme are

widespread throughout the region. A national quality stan-

dard is being developed by the Scott ish Tourist Board.


Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfactionThe Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board (KFTB) has set up a pro-

cedure for processing complaints, most of which are about

the quality of service that visitors have received. Under this

procedure, the establishment in question may be inspected

and may have its membership of the KFTB terminated. The

competent authorities deal with problems concerning health

or hygiene.

In 1995 and 1996, a two-stage survey of visitors to St An-

drews was conducted as part of the TMP. This survey was in-

tended to provide:

• information on visitors’ needs;

• information enabling a measurement of the impact of

leaflets attempting to influence visitors’ behaviour;

• a general survey framework to be used for comparative

analyses in the future;

• information on the TMP’s impact on visitors’ economic

and environmental behaviour, data from which are also to

be used as a reference point for a similar regional survey.

In 1997, a further survey was conducted to supplement the

above data. Partly financed by DG XXIII, this survey is part

of an 18-month work programme to evaluate whether two

new leaflets setting out self-guided walks have had any im-pact on visitors’ behaviour.


N EW PARK - AND - RIDE

SCHEMES ON

THETOWN ’ S

OUTSKIRTS

S O U R C E : S T A N D R E W S T O U R I S M M A N A G E M E N T P R O G R A M

M E



The survey findings show, among other things, that:

• only 2 % of visitors consider attractions to be of poor qual-

ity, in comparison with 43 % and 34 % who feel they are

respectively very good and good;• shops are generally well kept (74 % in comparison wit h

15 % who consider them to be no more than ‘accept-

able’);

• 80 % of the products sold in shops are of very good qual-

ity;

• 4 % of purchasers consider prices to be reasonable, while

15 % have no opinion.

Most interviewees (96 % in 1995 and 91 % in 1996) said

that they would revisit St Andrews and 96 to 98 % of visi-

tors said that they would probably recommend a visit to St

Andrews to their friends and family.

Satisfaction of local people andintegration into the communityA study was conducted among the residents of St Andrews

in November and December 1995 to obtain data on the im-pact of tourism on local quality of life and on local people’sperception of tourism. The questionnaire, published as part

of a review of the TMP and occupying a whole page in the

local newspaper, was also distributed free of charge to resi-

dents and copies were available in tourist information offices

and other public places. The survey showed that most resi-

dents were aware of the added economic and social value

generated by tourism, but had concerns about traffic and

parking problems and the overcrowding of pedestrian areas.

144

The Tourism and Environment Task Force conducted its own

evaluation of the TMP and compared it with a number of

other national and international plans. It found that:

• the construction of car parks on the town ’s outskirts and

the installation of parking meters in the town centre has

enabled considerable progress to be made with traffic

management;

• considerable attention has been paid to signposting (in-

formation posters, printed materials, entertainment, etc.)

and the content of information about t he town and its cul-

tural and historic heritage;

• children have not been forgotten (special guides);

• public areas have been improved (floral decoration, pub-

lic lighting, improvement of pedestrian areas, street fur-

nishings, etc.);

• considerable progress has been made in the areas of theenvironment and security (beaches and coastal paths, Sea-

side Award);

• coordination between the various organisations and agen-

cies of the Fife region is better, although progress remains

to be made with some of these organisations;

• local people are regularly questioned about their percep-

tion of t ourism and informed about the actions being un-

dertaken;

• an effective partnership has gradually been built up, mak-

ing it possible better to target the problematic aspects of

tourism development and improve the chances of success

of schemes implemented under the TMP.

The economic impact of tourism is still difficult to evaluate

although a new model (STEAM ), formulated for Scarbor-

ough, is being introduced for the Kingdom of Fife. This

should make it possible to draw up a longer-term vision of

potential tourism development in St Andrews.

The quality plan seems to be well integrated in the town of

St Andrews, mainly because it is based on the in-depth think-

ing that paved the way for the TMP and on other initiatives

taken elsewhere in the Fife region or nationally by the STB.

What is striking is that:

• the key aspect of the plan is sustainable, reasonable and

supportable development rather than promotion and

marketing as in other destinations;

• essential features are the quality of services, accessibility

and mobility in t he town and the provision of appropriate

information.Implementation of the TMP involves a bottom-up approach,

i.e. starting from the bottom and involving everyone work-

ing in the tourism industry. Led by a steering committee that

meets every six to eight weeks, the TMP is implemented

through a democratic process that includes consultation

meetings with representatives of the public and private sec-

tors and residents of the town and its surrounding area.




Stockholm

145

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by an awareness of the potential of tourism

• Three-year strategic plan to develop t ourism in cooperation w ith

the private sector

Strategy and • Single tourism platf orm and high-level cooperation

policies • Efficient cooperation between the public and private sector

• Platform for the development of sustainable tourism

• Rational use of energy (private and public initiatives)• Service-oriented training for the various tourism trades

Operations • Promotion and development of new tourist products

• Dissemination of manuals and CD-ROMs for professionals

• 12-language tourist guide for trade fairs and exhibitions

• Mobility plan and cycle network

• 350 accredited and audited public and private information

centres

• Discontinuation of automated information in favour of personal

contact

• Shop guide

• Hotel and guided tour reservation service

• Incentives for hotels to gain ISO certification and undertake

quality initiatives

• ‘Clean town’ programme and eco-park

Indicators • Regular measurement of the industry and its growth

• Monitoring of market and competition trends

• Surveys of motivation, satisfaction, themes (conferences),

geography (supplier markets), analyses of tourist expenditure

• Collective and individual complaint processing

Results • Systematic planning and adaptation

• European recognition

StockholmC

apital of Sweden and European City

of Culture in 1998, Stockholm is a

welcoming city of many contrasts:

• an archipelago of 14 islands combined

with a large city;

• a wide range of tourist attractions and

cultural and sporting activi ties combined

with a restful, sympathetic and friendly

environment.

Known throughout the world for the Nobel

Prize and its famous annual marathon,

Stockholm’s tourist attractions can be

summed up in a few words: islands, water,

clean city, long sunny summer days, green

spaces, entertainment, sport, museums and efficient public transport.

Very sensitive to environmental issues, the

Swedes are also keen on open air activities

and sports: the options that Stockholm has

chosen to promote and develop tourism

clearly reflect these two aspects.





S O U R C E : S T O C K H O L M I N F O R M A T I O N S E R V I C E / P H O T O : C . L U N D I N

Rational use of energy

Hotels have drawn up energy saving measures and the city

authority is planning to purchase 300 electric vehicles.

Human resource policyOutside the training offered by State education pro-

grammes, SIS offers various training programmes for hotel

receptionists, taxi drivers, airport personnel, etc.

All these programmes are intended to improve attitudes andbehaviour and to orient personnel more towards customer

service.

SIS also trains guides and awards an official licence.

147

S T O C K H O L M


The main objectives of the strategic plan can be summarisedas follows:

• increasing the number of overnight stays to 8 million in

2000 (6 million in 1997);

• organising at least one major annual event; a programme

has been drawn up for the next five years and includes

Alfred Nobel’s centenary in 2001;

• increasing the number of conferences and congresses so

that Stockholm is among the 10 most popular conference

destinations by 2002.

To implement this strategic plan, a wide range of organisa-

tions and enterprises in the private sector are cooperatingwith the single tourism platform coordinated by the STA

and accepted by tourism professionals:

• Sweden is a very beautiful country;

• Sweden’s past and history remain to be discovered;

• Sweden has a superb capital.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21Land use and environmental protection:

In 1997, the Swedish tourism authorities put forward a ‘plat-

form for the development of sustainable tourism’ covering a

range of aspects such as tourist activities, hotels and restau-rants, land and forest properties, protection of nature, fish-

ing, etc.

This platform plans to add some 500 hectares to existing na-

ture reserves; it also takes account of the Swedish law under

which individuals can profit fully f rom nature on both public

and private land, in particular for walking, camping, collect-

ing w ild berries and flowers, sporting activit ies such as skiing

and even starting fires.


P RESENTATION OF

A SUSTAINABLE

TOURISM

DEVELOPM ENT

PLATFORM

S OURCE : S TOCKHOLM I NFORMATION S ERVICE / P HOTO : R. R YAN



148

Public services

The cleaning of streets, buildings and other public placeshelps to create a comfortable atmosphere, while the discreet

presence of police around the main attractions and in un-

derground stations provides a feeling of security.

Services for industry professionalsSIS works with the private sector on projects to promote or

develop new tourist products, based on particular themes or

available in the low season, that are likely to attract new vis-

itors. Examples of this cooperation include:

• an agreement with SAS Airlines to build up arrivals from

foreign destinations where SAS is well-established andgenerally has excess capacity: United Kingdom, France,

Germany, Switzerland;

• the Santa project on the Saint Nicholas theme, under

which private Swedish enterprises are working with a

British tour operator to try to attract foreign visitors dur-

ing the low season in November/ December.

New product development is also discussed at meetings and

round tables to which private businesses are invited. Cruises

around Stockholm’s archipelago are an example of a product

developed in this way.

Lastly, the distribution of manuals for industry profession-

alsand travel agents, on the one hand, and conference andcongress organisers, on the other hand, helps with internal

communication. A f ree information bulletin is sent out to in-

dustry professionals.

Tourist servicesIn order to promote the city in a better way, SIS is working

on a set of integrated plans based on the slogan and logo

‘Stockholm, Beauty on Water’. Schemes

include:

• the free distribution to tourism profes-

sionals, including foreign tour operators,of high-quality promot ional materials in-

cluding a CD-ROM with 100 or so digi-

tised images of the city that can be freely

used and reproduced in publications;

• international promotional campaigns in daily newspapers

and magazines highlighting new products for target mar-

kets;

• the publication of a 12-language tourist guide for distri-

bution at all international tourism trade fairs.

In the town itself and during Stockholm’s year as the Cultur-

al Capital of Europe, SIS:

• collected 6 000 suggestions for projects that were used to

draw up a programme of activities;

• installed display racks for leaflets, brochures, maps,

guides, etc.;

• published a free quarterly broadsheet newspaper (the ini-

tial circulation of 20 000 copies has now risen to 200 000

copies);

• distributed 700 000 copies of a monthly magazine to

tourists and residents.

Stockholm is accessible by train, road (bus or taxi) and boat

from the international airport of Arlanda or by road or train

from other towns and cities in the country.

Mobility in Stockholm is excellent: there are no traffic prob-

lems in either the city centre or residential areas. The city is

also continuing t o build an extensive network of cycle paths.

Stockholm is a welcoming town for tourists, not only be-

cause of its highly professional tourist information services

run by SIS and located at the central stat ion and the Swedish

House, but also because of the friendliness and helpfulness

of residents who often speak English or German.

Whether private or public, Sweden’s 350 or so tourist infor-

mation centres (TIC) are subject to a rigorous accreditation

system, managed by ForTur, that includes audits and annual

inspections of approximately 5 % of these offices. Figures for

1996 show that the two SIS information centres received

650 000 visitors and took 1 300 reservations for guides and

7 500 cabin reservations for boat excursions. Stockholm’s In-

ternet site also receives some 2 000 information requests

every day.




S OURCE : S TOCKHOLM I NFORMATION S ERVICE /P HOTO : R. R YAN

Keen to give priority to personal contacts between tourists

and information centres, SIS has closed the 14 on- line infor-

mation kiosks that it had installed in the city’s streets.

Most shops are in a very central pedestrianised area and are

listed in a shop guide providing visitors with a wide range of

information, especially on local crafts (glass, crystal, pewter

and furniture, design objects).

SIS runs a hotel reservation service that includes most hotelsin the city and its surrounding area. Located at the central

station, this service accepts reservations by telephone, fax

and electronic mail. It also of fers organised tours, called ‘Des-

tination Stockholm’, at inclusive prices.

Like any capital, Stockholm has a wide range of accommo-

dation and restaurants; some accommodation is highly orig-

inal (sailing boat converted into a hotel) or specialises in a

clientele of young people with lit tle money.

Sweden does not have a hotel classification system. Close on

one third of the city centre’s 150 hotels are nevertheless ISO

certified and the Swedish hotel association encourages its

members to launch quality init iatives that include training for

hotel staff on the issues raised by the conservation of a high-

quality environment, looking in particular at saving measures

(limited replacement of bath towels, special low-consump-

tion light bulbs, etc.).

Camp sites are awarded one to five stars depending on the

facilities that they have available.

The city, the sea and beaches are very unpolluted and

water and air quality is very good:

• the town is very clean. A particular project entitled ‘Clean

town’ has also been implemented as part of the ‘Stock-

holm, European City of Culture’ programme; this project

includes training schemes intended to change mentalit ies,

make traders more aware and ensure that t hey keep their

shop fronts clean without waiting for municipal off ices to

visit them;

• the cleanliness of beaches and the sea is exemplary, par-

ticularly in the islands of the archipelago of Stockholm;

even very small beaches have public toilets and dustbins;

• the quality of lake and sea water, used to supply both the

city and the paper industry, is excellent, largely because ofsound management of waste water;

• there is almost no air or noise pollution.

Conservation of species: the Swedish are very sensitive to

nature; Stockholm has a eco-park and a zoo specialising in

the fauna of Northern Europe.

Environmental information: the Swedish environmental pro-

tection agency publishes a number of information brochures.

149

S T O C K H O L M

S TOCKHOLM

PUBLISHES AHOPPING GUIDE

FOR TOURISTS

M AKING STAFF MORE

AWAREOF THE

IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOM ERSERVICEIS

ONEOF THEAIMSOF

S TOCKHOLM ’ S QUALITY

INITIATIVE

S O U R C E : : S T O C K H O L M I N F O R M A T I O N S E R V I C E / P H O T O : H . N E L S Ä T E R

S O U R C E : S T O C K H O L M I N F O R M A T I O N S E R V I C E / P H O T O : R . R Y A N



150

SIS regularly measures tourist activity and development

through indicators such as:

• air traffic;

• shop turnover;

• numbers of visitors to museums;

• volume of jobs in the industry;

• profits of private enterprises in the industry;

• the revenue obtained from taxes on tourist activities.

Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfaction

SIS regularly undertakes a number of surveys of tourism inStockholm. The results of these surveys are generally confi-

dential and are used to update and adjust strategic tourism

plans.

The main surveys include:

• surveys of visitor motivation and satisfaction every four

years or so;

• specific surveys of conference customers;

• collection of information on tourism businesses in the city;

• analysis of business tourist expenditure;• studies of the main tourist supply markets (Germany, Rus-

sia, United States, etc.),

SIS also handles complaints from tourists, which are logged

during surveys and then individually processed (a letterbox

for complaints has been tested, but without success).

The director of SIS and the other members of its board of

management also take part in the meetings of at least 12 or

so organisations directly and indirectly involved in develop-

ing and upgrading tourist policy in the Stockholm region.

Satisfaction of local peopleand integration into the communityThe Swedes set great store by quality wit h the result that cer-

tification and awards are not generally needed.


SIS’s regular surveys help it to plan and adjust tourism policy

and tourism development strategies.

Over the last four years (1994 –97), results have been posi-

tive and have in particular been reflected by a parallel growthof numbers of overnight stays (14 %), employment (14 %)

and revenue (32 %).

The city is highly rated throughout the world as a cruise des-

tination, and a Viennese tourism research institute has given

Stockholm top place among European cities, in f ront of Paris

and Prague.

As a result of the runaway success of ‘Stockholm, European

City of Culture’ (34 % more package tour visitors), the cityis planning to organise one major event every year.




Volterra

Rome

151

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by the need to preserve the town and its image from

the adverse impact of rapidly expanding tourism

• Widespread cooperation and good distribution of tasks between

the private and public sectors

• Efficient centralisation of management tasks within a consortium

Strategy and • Extending lengths of stay rather than increasing numbers of

policies arrivals• Diversifying resources and making customers loyal

• Labelling project f or quality of hospitality facilities

• Training for tourism professionals and involvement of all local

people in initiatives

Operations • Plans to build car parks to avoid saturation

• Sustained market ing

• Promotional campaigns

• European funding: centralised reservation system and tourist

assistance, marketing of tourist resources, rationalisation of

tourist services

• ‘Hospitality week’

Indicators • Annual surveys of tourist motivation and satisfaction

• Ongoing monitoring of market trends

• Study of the potential of tourism

Results • Tourist satisfaction and loyalty

• Substantial growth of visitor numbers

• Extension of the tourist season

VolterraT

he high Val di Cecina surrounds the

town of Volterra, lying in the

province of Pisa in Tuscany. This

region has an impressive historical, cultural,

artistic and archaeological heritage as well as

beautiful countryside. The area includes five local authorities which form the Val di

Cecina Mountain Community. Landscapes

range from the metal-bearing Lardello hills

to wooded areas dotted with Mediterranean

shrubs and low hil ls offering splendid views.

The Val di Cecina is located between two of

the Italian peninsula’s main north–south road

routes: the Tyrrhenian route (the national Via

Aurelia) and the Apennine route (A2

motorway). The region is therefore readily

accessible (65 km from Florence, 53 km from

Pisa, 37 km from Siena and 30 km from the

Tyrrhenian coast). At 550 metres above sea

level, Volterra, which is an old Etruscan,

Roman, medieval and Renaissance centre,

dominates the Val di Cecina and offers views

with the sea as a backdrop. The town,

surrounded by two walls (one Etruscan and

the other medieval), is one of Tuscany’s

major heritage centres.



152

Ways of preserving the town and its image provided a start-

ing point for the quality initiative.

Volterra has in recent years seen a substantial increase in

numbers of tourists in general and in transit tourism in par-

ticular, which may well harm the town’s image as well as the

town itself.

In order to prevent the destruction of its natural and historic

resources, Volterra is implementing various action plans to

try to promote quality tourism based not on numbers but on

the loyalty of its customers.

Who are the main partners and how

are they linked?The Consorzio Turistico, a private company, is an umbrella

for 90 % of the area’s enterprises and includes representa-

tives from the economic and social world and from the pub-

lic authorit ies of the eight local authorities concerned and the

Val di Cecina Mountain Community as well as hoteliers. This

company maintainsongoing and efficient links between the

public and private sectors and extremely high-level cooper-

ation between these two sectors. The Consorzio has been in

existence for four years and manages all tourism issues (pro-

motion, information materials, information office manage-

ment, tourist hospitality, reservations, etc.). It has an office

in Volterra and links with neighbouring local authorities. TheConsorzio is in practice the sole tourism agency. It is contin-

ually stepping up its activit ies but is facing a number of statu-

tory difficulties because of a lack of regulations on tourism.

The local authority is chiefly responsible for studying and

planning tourism. It has conducted a number of major stud-ies of tourism in Volterra, in some cases with help from the

Centro Studi Turistici of Florence. At present, t he Centro Stu-

di Turistici is studying the limits of Volterra’s tourism poten-

tial in order to help the local authority better to target it s ini-

tiatives.

Another major partner is the Volterra Savings Bank, a pub-

lic law body which finances a wide range of events and ac-

tivities. It invests in a wide range of businesses.

Relations with the Volterra local authority are excellent. The

fact that the local capital is close by and helps with its devel-

opment is a major plus point.

An important feature is that this division of power allows for

efficient and autonomous action: the local authority is re-

sponsible for planning, research and studies and the Con-

sorzio is responsible for managing tourism. Leadership of the

initiative is therefore undoubtedly in the latter’s hands. There

is a very high level of integration between all departments

thanks to a good understanding between the local authori-

ty and the Consorzio.


• major historic and cultural

resources: Etruscan, Roman,medieval and Renaissance remains;

• three major art and historical museums;

• craft and alabaster (from neighbouring mines);

• excepti onal natural resources:

hills and charming countryside for walkers and cyclists;

• gastronomic tradition;

• conference centre.

• Population of approximately 50 000 inhabitants

• Tourist numbers (1997): 147 417 overnight stays • Substantial increase in tourist flows ( 1994 to

1996) : arrivals increased by 24.5 % between 1994 and 1995 and by 26.2 % between 1995 and 1996

• Majority of foreign tourists (1997–98): 62.8 % in comparison wit h 27.2 % of I tal ians over the last 30 months surveyed

• Nationalit ies: mainly German, followed by Americans and British

• Average length of stay (foreigners and I tali ans) : 2.9 days (1996) in comparison with 2.4 days (1994)




153

V O L T E R R A


The main strategy of the Consorzio and the local authority isto preserve the town and its image intact.

It is summed up by the following slogan: ‘Volterra, at the

heart of Tuscany for 3 000 years’. In other words, the strat-

egy is one of preserving the town’s features and establishing

Volterra as a focal point of tourism in Tuscany. The typical

type of tourism in Volterra is individual tourism of a medium-

to-high economic and cultural level.

Attempts are being made to address problems (arising chiefly

from the lack of beds, problems of accessibility and the

town’s remoteness from routes promoted by tour operators)

and to convert them into opportunities. The town’s major

cultural and historical resources and its surrounding area’swealth of natural resources mean that a full visit of the des-

tination requires more than one or two days.

One of the strategies is therefore to encourage tourists to

stay longer rather than to t ry to increase numbers of visitors,

for instance by attracting new tourist target groups.

The Consorzio Turistico is therefore:

• improving the quality of its visitor care in the town

(through it s hospitality and tourist information off ice);

• entering into cooperation agreements with the eight

neighbouring local authorities to ensure that they areaware of its plans and activities;

• offering visitors attractive alternatives such as hiking

tourism, agrotourism, conference tourism, etc.

There is also a quality plan, under which a quality label and

a standard are to be devised to offer a better service and

make customers more loyal, so that t ransit tourism becomes

less of a problem.

Human resource policyAs part of its strategy to improve qualit y, the Consorzio is al-

ready organising vocational training courses for industry

personnel in order to provide businesses with new ideas. It is

also trying to make local people working in the industry more

aware of the ‘customer culture’ by involving them in variousevents.


Public servicesThe local authority is currently evaluating plans for a new

parking area for cars and coaches to resolve the current

problems of saturation. The local authority is taking a pru-

dent approach here, however, as one of its strategies, as

mentioned above, is not to increase numbers of tourists buttheir length of stay.

Services for industry professionalsThe Consorzio is implementing a major promotional plan

which includes, among other things, a common structure for

the whole region (Volterra and Val di Cecina), participation

in tourism trade fairs, advertising in specialist journals, an In-

ternet site and large-scale production of materials such aspostcards to be sent out to its partners, posters for distribu-

tion at t rade fairs or for sale, production of a four-language

video by the local authority, etc.


A STRATEGY

GEARED

TOWARDS

ALTERNATIVE

FORMSOF TOURISM




Investment needs (services and training) led the Consorzio

to submit three applications for funding from the European

Union’s programme for regions suffering from industrial de-

cline (Objective 2). All three applications have been accept-

ed and will be f inanced by the EU (under measure 2.2 ‘serv-ices for tourist enterprises’):

• centralised reservation services and tourist assistance: this

first project, already under way, has accounted for 10 %

of hotel reservations. Additional help is also available

(booking of taxis, cycles, tourist guides, bus tickets, etc.,

via the Internet);

• marketing of the tourist supply: this project includes mar-

keting studies, publicity campaigns and the production of

leaflets and brochures. There are also plans to organise

tourist events and hospitality for national and Communi-

ty tour operators and to attend international trade fairs. All

businesses are likely to benefit from this project;

• rationalisation of tourist services: this project is intended to

rationalise various services by introducing the following:

1. a Volterra card for discounts in shops and restaurants;

2. consultancy services for enterprises;

3. provision of tourist information in hotels and restau-

rants;

4. improved road signposting in Volterra and its surround-

ing area.

Tourist servicesVolterra’s very high-quality hospitality and information serv-

ices are highly rated by tourists. The Consorzio’s new offices

have been built in a strategic location. Employees are friend-

ly and helpful and leaflets are well produced.

The Consorzio offers a single reservation service for tourists

(at the office or by Internet, telephone and fax).

The Consorzio and the local authority are running various

major initiatives in the area of tourist visit organisation:

• a single pass for all museums and theatres which can be

purchased at the information office or in museums;

• a craft trail, covering a whole range of craft workshops

where craftsmen can be seen at work;

• the Volterra card offering a range of discounts in various

shops that is distributed to tourists either by the Consorzioor by hoteliers;

• a map of the town including museum opening hours and

prices and details of monuments worth visiting;

• a wide range of materials providing high-level visitor ori-

entation. There is little demand for package tours to

Volterra.

The picturesque nature of the destination is one of its

strengths. Residents are aware of this and therefore help to

keep it clean.

Efforts are being made to adapt hotel and restaurant open-

ing times to demand (hotels should, for instance, be openseven days a week during the season).

154

B ETTERPUBLICITY CAMPAIGNS THAT TRY

TO MAKETHE MOST OF

THE CULTURAL

HERITAGE

S O U R C E : C O N S O R Z I O T U R I S T I C O V O L T E R

R A



Until recently, event organisation was the re-

sponsibility of the local authority and resi-

dents’ associations. Events are now organ-

ised by the Consorzio, not just for residents

as was the case with the local authority, butalso for tourists.

The Consorzio runs an annual ‘Hospitality

week’ to entertain tourists by organising var-

ious events in which local people take part.

155

V O L T E R R A

Knowledge of markets and visitorsatisfaction

Motivation surveys are carried out annually by the Con-sorzio; visitors are asked about the reasons for their stay

and their levels of satisfaction with the various hospitality

services.

The Centro Studi Turistici of Florence has conducted other

similar surveys for the local authority which plans systemat-

ically to finance such surveys (there has been an agreement

between the two institutions since 1996). The aim is regu-

larly to monitor demand so that strategies and plans can be

drawn up f or the tourism industry.

Through its Internet service, the Consorzio, which manages

some 10 % of reservations, has an on-line barometer of

market trends.

The Consorzio also handles customer complaints and tries to

fol low them up. There are no statistics on this issue, but com-

plaints are rare. Complaints generally concern restaurant

prices, especially t he fact that t hey are not always given. The

Consorzio’s financial autonomy means that it can intervene

whenever necessary.

A study of the potential of tourism in Volterra is due to be

completed in 1999. The local authority hopes that this for-

ward study will pinpoint strategic areas in which investment

is needed (car parks, hotels, etc.) to improve quality.

The Italian Touring Club was commissioned by the local au-

thority to study Volterra’s image throughout the world; this

study was subsequently published.

Positive impact on the environmentThe fact that the tourist season runs from March to October

and that tourists are dispersed through the area as a whole

substantially reduces any environmental impact.


V OLTERRA’ S

NEW ‘ CRAFT

TRAIL’






157

OverviewThe plan • Triggered by the need to control the growth of tourism and

prevent any adverse impact

• Largely centralised within the city council

Strategy and • Development of a comparative analysis framework for tourist

policies destinations

• Strategic tourism plan connected with the local Agenda 21

• Formal statement of the district of Winchester’s tourism strategy,making express reference to the quality initiative

• Strong consensus between the public and private sectors about

development objectives

• Harmonious development of the district as a whole

• Annual training plan for staff of the city council’s Department of

Leisure

Operations • Improving quality of life and of the urban area, preserving the

heritage

• Developing cycle and pedestrian routes

• Thematic working groups bringing together the public and

private sectors

• Cooperation with the European TourIST project

• Visitor assistance programme

• Code of conduct for tourist accommodation

Indicators • Regular evaluation of visitor satisfaction

• Surveys of motivation and image

• Processing of complaints (reply within 10 days)

Results • Great care is taken by the council’s Department of Leisure to

ensure an IQM approach

• Policy of meetings and exchanges

Over the centuries, Winchester was

popular with the royal family as a

place of rest and relaxation in

between commitments of State and for

meetings with personalities from the worlds

of religion and art. The city’s architectural heritage bears many traces of these famous

visitors.

Winchester’s first tourists started to arrive

when a railway line was built in 1840. Since

then it has been a popular destination for

one-day tourism.

Surrounded by green countryside and many

charming villages, Winchester is nowadays

promoted as:

• the old capital of England, with an

exceptional cultural heritage,

• a centre of cultural, historic, religious and

educational excellence,

• an att ractive place because of its pleasant

ambience, its wide variety of shops and i ts

cleanness.

Winchester

London

Winchester



158

• monuments: the cathedral,

the Great Hall and Round Table, the College, the mill and Wolvesey Palace;

• museums: the Cit y Museum,the Military Museum, the St Cross Hospital, the Westgate Museum, the Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum and the Heritage

Centre;

• many walks in the countryside and neighbouring villages;

• many retail outlets.

• tourism generates revenue of some EUR 123

milli on, i.e. 25 % of GDP • 3 200 jobs generated directly by tourism

• 305 000 Brit ish tourists (12 % of arrivals), 81 000 foreign tourists, ( 3 % of arrivals) and 2 244 000 Briti sh and foreign day visitors (85 % of arrivals)

• a tourism growth rate of 4 % per annum


What was the impetus for the plan andwho is leading it?In 1992, a new team at Winchester City Council ’s Depart-

ment of Leisure (WCCDL) drew the attention of local polit i-

cians to the adverse impact that an uncontrolled growth of

tourism in Winchester could have on the environment and

local people. Prior to that date, the City Council had never

considered that tourism required promotion and there had

been no management of tourism. In 1992, an initial docu-

ment setting out a strategy to develop tourism was therefore

drawn up by the Leisure Department along with an initial set

of quantitative and qualitative visitor studies.

In the city council’s strategic plan for 1999 –2001, tourism is

now seen as the top factor in the district ’s economy.

Who are the main partners and howare they linked?Winchester City Council’s Department of Leisure, has the

task, through its tourism office, of developing tourism in

Winchester district. WCCDL’s tourism department has four

units responsible for carrying out this task:

• a marketing unit responsible for promoting the district na-

tionally and internationally;

• a tourism services unit, in particular including the Tourism

Information Centres and Tourist Information Points, re-

sponsible for visitor hospitality and assistance;

• a conference unit t hat manages the Town Hall as a centre

for seminars, conferences and festivals;

• an event and coordination unit that harmonises and coor-

dinates local events organised by the city council, the pri-

vate sector and local people.

Since 1992, WCCDL’s tourism office has become a key part-

ner in the development of tourism. Its mission statement

clearly sets out its desire to be the industry leader and at the

same time to find a common vision of tourism development.

WCCDL’s tourism office has set up various thematic and in-

ter-sectoral working groups:

• the Visitor Management Group (1996) which attempts to

maximise the economic return from tourism;

• the Discover Winchester Group (1997) which is responsi-

ble for promoting Winchester. Members of this promotion

group jointly finance an annual PR campaign in the local,

regional and national press. This group also acts as a fo-

rum for exchanges of ideas and tries to find areas com-

plementing one another in order to design combined

tourist products;

• the Future of Winchester Group (1998) which discusses

future plans for tourism in Winchester;• the Town Centre Management Group (1997) which is

working on a strategy and initiatives to improve the town

centre to make it into a place where it is pleasant to live,

work, shop and visit.




Representatives from the city council’s relevant departments

or from Hampshire County Council and from a range of pri-

vate-sector tourist businesses serve on all these working

groups.

WCCDL’s tourism office also organises quarterly forums

where tourism professionals (managers of attractions, hote-

liers, managers of B&Bs, tourist guides, etc.) can discuss

quality issues.

159

WI N C H E S T E R

Analysis of current situation –BenchmarkingThe Southern Tourist Board and WCCDL’s tourism office

have developed a comparative analysis framework f or tourist

destinations. The Southern Tourist Board used studies of

number of tourist destinations to develop a set of criteria

enabling tourist destinations to be compared with one

another.

This type of comparison:

• helps to analyse strengths and weaknesses, to decide on

priority actions and to identify strengths that have in some

cases been ignored and on which promotion can be based;• paves the way for industry emulation and helps to make

residents aware of the results of investment.

It should enable fruitful exchanges of knowledge and expe-

rience between tourist destinations with similar facilities. In

1998 –99, three target destinations are to t ake part in Hamp-

shire’s benchmarking project.

It is interesting to note that the English Tourist Board and the

national government have tested the analysis framework in

14 pilot sites throughout Britain. The results of this test are

to be used to draw up standard methods that can be used by

all local authorities.


The principles are:

For the city of Winchester and its district:

• to protect the historic heritage and the ambience of the

city and its district so that future generations can benefit

from it;

• to respect, and ensure that tourist activit ies are in keeping

with, the needs and interests of residents;

• to ensure that tourist activities respect Winchester as aplace where people live and do not treat it solely as a place

that people visit;

• to recognise and coordinate all organisations and individ-uals involved in tourist activities when such activities are

being planned;

• to ensure that any visitor management programme has

the best possible impact on the local community and econ-

omy and minimises the pressures generated by visitors;

• to endeavour to set up partnerships bringing together the

public and private sectors and any local community group;

For the town of Winchester:

• to offer visitors an opportunity to enjoy Winchester’s his-

toric heritage and share it with the local community;

For the district of Winchester:

• to ensure that any development of tourism in rural areas

has recreational and heritage conservation aims;

• to use tourism to strengthen and diversify the rural econ-

omy through direct job creation in the tourism industry

and the provision of added value for other enterprises in

rural areas;

• to ensure a high-quality visitor experience when tourist

facilities and infrastructure are being developed;


S OURCE : W INCHESTER C ITY C OUNCIL – D EPARTMENT OF LEISURE



• to promote harmony between residents and the tourist

environment, by ensuring that all the partners concerned

invest adequately in facilities and manage and maintain

them appropriately.

Winchester ’s quality initiative is nowadays set out in a docu-

ment entitled ‘A tourism strategy for Winchester district’.This strategy document for 1998 –2001 takes up the reins

from a similar document for 1992 –95.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21The new tourism strategy for 1998 is based on the 13 topics

of the local Agenda 21 and on the city council’s strategic ob-

jective of coordinating new tourist services with the neces-

sary changes and modifications of the 1992 strategic plan:

• energy consumption and wastage;

• pollution (traffic, alternative forms of transport);

• fauna and flora;

• focus on local aspects (tourist infrastructure, communica-

tion systems, visitor information centres, examination of

the destination’s image, etc.);

• principle of equity (diversity to meet all budgets,

price/quality balance);

• economy and employment (local jobs, promotion and de-

fence of market position, training);

• health (promotion of open-air activities, dietary cooking,

non-smoking areas);

• ready access for everyone (disabled access to publicplaces);

• security (non-hazardous tourist products, proactive and

reactive information system for managing mobility, assis-

tance points);

• education and information (information systems, informa-

tion centres for visitors and residents);

• local democracy (communication between visitors and

residents, representation of industry professionals in polit-

ical circles);

• culture and leisure (providing products reflecting local cul-

ture, promoting leisure activities in the district, special

events connected with the historical heritage);

• specific local features (promoting the destination’s specif-

ic features, marketing its appeal, targeting visitors who re-

spect the environment, giving priority to tourism rather

than light industry).

Human resource policyWCCDL’s tourism off ice attaches considerable importance to

training. Annual staff audits make it possible to identify their

training needs. A training plan is then decided for the fol-

lowing year. The following t raining is planned in 1998:

• management skills: continuing training for some posts

such as marketing director, tourism services director;

• information technologies as part of the development of

the TourISt project;

• special hospitality training under the ‘Winchester Host’programme.

160

Public servicesThe city council is responsible for street cleaning and for

maintaining and protecting the built and natural heritage,

whether public or private, in accordance with an appropriate

heritage conservation policy. The district has 40 or so listed

sites.

Public conveniences are available for tourists.

WCCDL’s tourism office plays an active part in thinking

about, and regulations on, security as it is a member of the

local authorit y’s crime prevention group.

Winchester is encouraging environment-friendly mobility

and has introduced high-quality public transport in order to

reduce traffic. Cycle paths and cycle parks have been con-

structed. Some streets have been pedestrianised and have

their own signposting. Parking in the city is reserved for res-

idents, but public car parks, which are very inexpensive, have

been built at the city’s entry points. An assistance service for

people of reduced mobility has been set up in the shopping

centre. Particular efforts are made to facilitate access by peo-

ple of reduced mobility.




Services for industry professionalsThere is internal communication with other local authority

departments concerned directly or indirectly by tourism and

with the regional authorities, the private sector and resi-

dents.

Tourist servicesFor the last three years Winchester’s tourism promotion has

been managed by WCCDL’s tourism off ice, thereby ensuring

consistent and high-quality promotion.

The tourism office is constantly looking for new products

such as themed trails in the

town or its surrounding

area. WCCDL’s tourism of-

fice manages the Town

Hall and organises events.

Winchester has a pro-

gramme for floral displays

in the city. Most attractions

are free of charge.

The town is readily acces-

sible by air (an hour’s drive

from London Heathrow and 15 minutes from Southamp-

ton), by t rain (less than one hour) and by the M3 motorway

(bus, car) from London.

Tourist information is available from information centres and

points: leaflets, guides, brochures and maps are also avail-able from hotels and guest houses. A very practical and

detailed hospitality guide is distributed to visitors. The town

also has an Internet site.

Winchester is cooperating with the TourISt project which has

been selected by the European Commission to test and

demonstrate good practice in the use of the new communi-

cation and information technologies. The aim is to find ap-

propriate solut ions, especially in t he area of reservations, that

achieve savings and improve marketing.

This project is undergoing a two-year test by the County of

Hampshire and six other European regions. It is the most im-

portant European project on interactive information in the

tourism industry.

A visitor assistance pro-

gramme, ‘Winchester Host’, is

set up during the peak season.

A team of town ambassadors

work in the town centre and of-

fer tourists free assistance and

answer their questions. Visitor

information is available in sev-eral languages from the infor-

mation centres and points.

Visitors’ second main activity is

shopping. Through its Town

Centre Management Group,

WCCDL’s tourism office pro-

tects small local shops in the

town centre and encourages

new shops to open.

In addition to the national classification of hotels and ac-

commodation establishments, WCCDL’s tourism office has

adopted a code of conduct for tourist accommodation. Thecode covers aspects of security, hygiene, service, quality of

promotion, respect of prices, cleanliness, accommodation,

etc. Hoteliers and private guest houses must undertake to re-

spect this code.

161

WI N C H E S T E R

M AKING

SURE THAT

ATTRAC - TIONS ARE

ACCESSIBLE

— TOWN

POLICY


T HE

IMPORTANCE

OF

SIGNPOSTING

S O U R C E : W I N C H E S T E R C I T Y C O U N C I L – D E P A

R T M E N T O F L E I S U R E

AN ANNUAL TRAINING

PLAN IS DRAWN UP FOR

INFORMATION CENTRE

STAFF

P ARTICULAR EFFORTS AREBEING MADE TO

IMPROVE ACCESS FOR

PEOPLE OF REDUCED

MOBILITY




162

Visitor satisfaction

Visitors’ and residents’ satisfaction is regularly surveyed inmany areas of the district by WCCDL’s tourism office. Inter-

viewees are asked to give their opinion on aspects of their

visit such as the quality of service received, hospitality, pub-

lic areas, the general atmosphere, the price of parking, secu-

rity and public transport.

WCCDL’s tourism office undertakes to reply to any com-

plaint within 10 days.

There are also regular studies of the market, the economic

impact of tourism, tourist mot ivation and the image of Win-

chester. These studies make it possible to adjust strategy and

to find new products that are more in keeping with market

demand.


integration into the communityResidents’ satisfaction is regularly surveyed in many areas of

the district by WCCDL’s tourism office (see Visitor satisfac-

tion above).


According to a 1996 visitor survey:

• 99 % of visitors found the hospitality guide ‘very useful’or ‘fairly useful’ for their stay;

• the reservation system was considered to be very good;

• shops were highly rated;

• hotels and guest houses were considered to have a good

price/quality ratio; hotel occupancy rates were high;

• the quality and choice of food had improved since 1994;

• 83 % of visitors arriving by car were satisfied with car

parks and their prices; 36 % considered prices to be ‘av-

erage’; 12 % ‘cheap’ and 5 % ‘expensive’;

• public conveniences were adequate and well maintained.

Winchester ’s successful approach to integrated quality man-

agement is evident from its ability to guide and orient visi-

tors from the beginning to the end of their stay. This success

is largely due to the enormous energy deployed by WCCDL’stourism off ice.

This office has helped to rally the public and private sectors

to achieve a realistic and professional vision of tourism. Its

success is in particular due to its coordination of all the

forums at which people meet and exchange ideas – a coor-

dination which has been of benefit for everyone.




163

A N N E X

The purpose of the glossary is not to provide all the official

and standard definitions but rather to help readers who arenot familiar with some of the issues related to integrated

quality management (IQM) of tourist destinations to be clear

about the meaning of some of the words and expressions,with a short explanation using simple words.

Glossary of terms related to integrated quality management

( IQM) for tourist dest inat ions

Annex:Glossary and references

A tourist is a person who is travelling and spending at least

one night away from the area where he usually lives or

works, whether for private or professional reasons.

ABOUT TOURISM

Tourist

Tourism covers all activities undertaken by tourists during

their travel and stay away from the area where they usually

live or work, whether for private or professional reasons.

Tourism

A tourist destination is an area which is separately identified

and promoted to tourists as a place to visit, and within which

the tourism product is coordinated by one or more identifi-

able authorities or organisations.

Tourist destination

An urban tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists

who come to enjoy towns and cities and related activities as

a primary motivation.

Urban tourist destination

A coastal tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists

who come to enjoy the seaside and seaside-related activities

as a primary motivation.

Coastal tourist destination

NB: For statistical purposes, detailed explanations are given in the Community methodology on tourism statistics , Eurostat (1998); see under ‘References’.



A N N E X

164

A rural tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists

who come to enjoy the countryside and countryside-related

activities as a primary motivation.

In this type of destination, agrotourism covers the provision

of small scale tourist facilit ies, especially accommodation, on

an agricultural holding or equivalent private rural property,conveying an experience of the countryside.

Rural tourist destination (with reference to agrotourism)

A process of seeking to influence the movement, activities

and impacts of visitors and associated traffic in an area.

Visitor management

The quality of a product or service is its ability to satisfy the

needs of the consumer.

In a tourist destination, the tourist must be regarded as a

consumer.

ABOUT QUALITY AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Quality

A quality standard identifies a level of quality for goods or

services.

A certification is a document delivered by an official body

proving that a product or a service complies with a quality

standard.

Quality standard and certif ication

Quality management covers all the activities undertaken to

satisfy the needs of the consumer.

Quality management

IQM is an approach which simultaneously takes into ac-

count, and has a favourable impact on, the activities of

tourism professionals, on tourists, the local community as

well as on the environment, i.e. the natural, cultural and

man-made assets of the destination.

The IQM strategy implemented at destinations has the re-

quirements of tourists as one of it s major considerations.

Integrated quality management (IQM) of a tourist destination

A clear written statement of objectives for tourism develop-

ment, marketing and management, with identified t argets,

which forms the basis for an action programme.

Tourism strategy (with a view to IQM)

NB: For the norms, concepts and theories related to quality and quality management, see under ‘References’.



165

A N N E X

NB: For other information on the environment and sustainable development, see under ‘References’.

One or more organisations providing a focus for activity,

which is clearly recognised by all partners, and which com-

municates effectively w ith them.

Leadership (lead authority)

All the local residents of an area, as individuals or groups.

Local community

Food and other natural materials grown or produced within

the identified local destination. Handicrafts are not strictly

included within local produce but are associated with this

term.

Local produce

The natural resources and cultural heritage of an area, in-

cluding water, air, soil, space, landscape, natural sites, biodi-

versity, built heritage, historical associations, arts and crafts

and local traditions.

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATEDQUALITY MANAGEMENT (IQM)

Environment

Sustainable development is a broad political objective, en-

compassing an intention to avoid activities that will cause

long-term damage to the environment and a desire to en-

sure an adequate quality of life for present and future gen-

erations. Sustainable development has economic, social and

environmental dimensions.

Sustainable development

Sustainable tourism development is about keeping a balance

between the needs of the visitor, the environment and the

host community for current as well as future generations.

Tourism can contribute to the three dimensions of sustain-

able development as follows:

• in economic terms, sustainable tourism development can

improve the competitiveness of the enterprises, in partic-

ular SMEs, directly and indirectly related to tourism, and

bring benefits to the local economy,

• in social terms, sustainable tourism development can make

it possible at the same time to meet the needs of and to

encourage responsible behaviour among tourists, people

working in tourism enterprises and the local community,

• in environmental terms, sustainable tourism development

can ensure the protection and rational management of

natural and cultural resources.

Sustainable tourism development



A N N E X

166

In brief, these three concepts are not identical but cannot be

dissociated.

Sustainable development is a broad concept of which the en-

vironment is one dimension beside economic and social di-

mensions. Integrated quality management is an approach

focused on consumer satisfaction but based on the three di-

mensions of sustainable development.

Link between environment, sustainable development and IQM

The purpose here is not to present an exhaustive list of references but to mention documents cited in this publication as well

as some documents about tourism, quality and sustainable development helpful in relation to IQM in urban destinations. Some

Internet addresses are also given.

Bibliographic references connected with integrated quality

management for urban tourist destinations

Introduction 1 European Commission, Towards an urban agenda in the

European Union , Communication from the Commission,

COM(97) 197 final.

Chapter 12 ISO, International Standards ISO 8402, second edit ion,

ISO, Geneva, 1994-04-01.4 European Commission, OGM, Quatt ro: Quality approach

in tendering/ contracting urban public transport operation

– Fourth Community R&D programme, Contract

UR-96-SC-1140.

5 EFQM , European Quality Award, 1997.

Chapter 2 7 Ashworth, G. J. and Tunbridge, J. E., The touristic historic

city , Belhaven Press, London, 1990.

8 First Urban Tourism Workshops, Municipality of Rennes,

Tourism Office, 1990.

9 Vighetti, J.-B., ‘Qu’est-ce que le tourisme urbain?’,Cahiers Espaces , 39, Tourisme Urbain, Paris, 1994.

10 European Commission, ‘The sustainable development of

the European Union ’s towns and cities: a framework for

action’, Communication being prepared.

16 European Tourism Forum, ‘Integrated quality manage-

ment in tourism’, Mayrhofen, Austria, 9 –12 July 1998.

17 Cazes, G. and Potier, F., Le tourisme urbain , CollectionQue sais-je?, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris,

1996.

19 Janssen-Verbeke, M ., in: Cazes G. and Potier F. (eds),

Le tourisme et la ville: expériences européennes , L’Har-

mattan, Paris, 1998.

Chapter 4 23 AFNOR, NF Service: 3 tourism off ices certified, Press re-

lease, 1997.

Documents cited in this publication

European Commission, The role of the Union in the field of

tourism , Commission Green Paper, COM (95) 97, 4 April

1997.

European Commission, Community measures affecting

tourism , Report from the Commission, COM(97) 332,

2 July 1997, and Commission staff working paper,

SEC(97) 1419, 11 July 1997.

European Commission, DG XXIII, Employment and tourism:

guidelines for action, Final report of the conference organ-ised by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

and the European Commission, Luxembourg, November

1997.

European Commission, DG XXIII, ‘Facts and figures on the

Europeans on holidays’, Eurobarometer , 48, Brussels, 1998.

European Commission, Eurostat, Community methodology

on tourism statistics, 1998, and Commission Decision No

1999/ 34/ EC related to tourism stat istics, December 1998.

European Commission, Enhancing tourism’s potential for

employment , COM(1999) 205, 28 April 1999.

Palmer, A., Tourism destination marketing alliances ,http:/ / cobweb.utsa.edu/FACULTY/ VHELLER/ readings/

dest-mkt-alliance.html

General documents about tourism



167

A N N E X

AFIT, Démarches qualité et tourisme , Guide de Savoir-faire,

AFIT, 1998.

Allouard, C. et al., Certi fi cation et management de la qual-

ité: Démarches, méthodes et outils pour maîtriser et mettre

en œuvre la qualité à tous les niveaux de l’entreprise dans

le système ISO 9000 , Editions WEKA, Paris, 3ème trimestre

1995.

Balfet, M., L’audit marketing touristique , Editions Economi-

ca, Paris, 1997.

‘Benchmarking y calidad total en empresas turistica’, Jorna-

da sobre la calidad , AVT, Valencia, 1996.

Bieger, T., Management von Desti nationen und Tourismu-

sorganisation , R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 1997.

Bonif ace, P., Managing quality cultural tourism , Routledge,

London, 1995.

Delvosalle, C., ‘Les vrais défis de la qualité’, Chaire Qualité ,

Gembloux, 1994/1995.

Espaces (Revue), Dossier: ‘La qualité dans le tourisme’, 125,

Paris, January –February 1994.

Estudios Turísticos , Nine articles about quality in tourism,

Edition No 140, Madrid, 1999.

European Commission, The European way to excellence , DG

III, Brussels, 1996.

European Commission, Integrated quality management in

tourism , Proceedings of the European Tourism Forum or-

ganised by the Presidency of the Council of the European

Union and the European Commission, Mayrhofen, Austria,

July 1998.

Feigenbaum, A. V., Comment appliquer le contrôle total de

la qualité dans votre entreprise , Les Editions de l’Entreprise,

1984.

Go, F. and Govers, R., ‘Achieving service quality through the

application of importance performance analysis’, in Quality

management in services , published in the proceedings of t heEIASM Workshop, Agder College, Kristiansand, Norway,

28 –29 April 1997.

Godin, P., ‘Quality, environment and sustainable develop-

ment in tourist destinations: towards an integrated ap-

proach, English version in: IITF Integra , 2/ 99, Vienna, June1999; French version in Cahier Espaces , 61, Paris, July 1999.

Handszuch, H., ‘Quality and communication with tourists’,World Tourism Organisation News , Madrid, January 1998.

Hoffmann, H. B., Integrated total quality management : a

seeing approach – An Emerald Isle case study , European

Postgraduate Programme 1994/ 95 in Environmental Man-

agement, 1995.

ICHE, Normas para la calidad hostelera espanola , Madrid,

ICHE, January 1998.

Ishikawa K., Le TQC ou la qualité à la japonaise , AFNOR,

1984.

Keller, P., Quality management in tourism , Reports, 47th

Congress 1997 Thailand, Editions AIEST, St Gallen, 1997.

La lettre de l’AFAQ, No 15, October 1996.

Lanquar, R., La qualité : un défi pour le tourisme moderne ,

Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques, Série C, No 125,

Aix-en-Provence, 1988.

Lanquar, R., La qualité et le contrôle de qualité , Rapport du

programme de travail 1986 –1987, WTO.

Laws, E., Tourism marketing: service and quality management perspectives , Stanley Thornes Publishers, Cheltenham,

1991.

Moriconi-Ebrard, F., Geopolis, pour comparer les villes du

monde , Collection Villes, Economica, Paris, 1994.

Murphy, P., Quali ty management i n urban tourism , John Wi-

ley and Sons, Chichester, 1997.

Spector, T., ‘La prospective urbaine, un état des lieux’, Fu-

turibles , No 229, March 1998.

‘Tourisme urbain’, Cahier Espaces , 39, cahier réalisé avec le

concours de l’AFIT, December 1994.

Documents about quality and quality management in tourist destinations



A N N E X

168

Charter of European Cities and Towns towards Sustainability

– Aalborg Charter, 1994.

Council of Europe, Recommendation No R(94) 7 on a gen-

eral policy for sustainable and environment-friendly tourism

development, 1994.

Cultural Tourism Charter (Icomos), 1978.

European Commission, Sustainable urban development in

the European Union: a framework for action , communica-

tion from the Commission, COM(1998) 0605, 28 October

1998.

European Commission, Towards sustainable development:

from concept to implementation , working paper, Confer-

ence ‘Towards a new development approach’, Brussels, No-vember 1994.

European Commission, Fifth environmental action pro-

gramme, 1992, and Progress report, 1997.

European Commission, A European Community strategy to

support the development of sustainable tourism in the de-

veloping countries , communication from the Commission,

COM(1998)563, 14 October 1998.

Germany: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusamme-

narbeit und Entwicklung, Sustainable tourism as a develop-

ment opt ion – Practical guide for local planners, developers and decision makers, Eschborn, 1999.

Hoffman, H. B., Les défis du tourisme pour le prochain siè-

cle: de l’ intérêt d’un tourisme durable , The IPTS Report, Eu-

ropean Commission, Joint Research Centre, No 28, October

1998.

Middelton, V., and Hawkins, R., Sustainable tourism – A

marketing perspective , Butterworth- Heinemann, 1998.

Spain: Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda, Ministerio de

Medio Ambiente, Spain – A sustainable tourism (in English

and Spanish), Madrid, 1999.

United Kingdom, Department for International Develop-

ment, Changing nature tourism – Developing an agenda for

action , London, 1999.

United Nations, Unesco, World Tourism Organisation, Char-

ter on sustainable tourism , Lanzarote, 1995.

WTTC, WTO, Earth Council, Agenda 21 for the travel and

tourism industry , 1997.

AEIDL/ Leader

http:/ / www.rural-europe.aeidl.be

Cenorm (European Committee for Standardisation)

http:/ / www.cenorm.be

European Commission, DG XXIII.D, Tourism Directorate

http:/ / europa.eu.int/ comm/dg23/t ourism/ tourism.html

Council of Europehttp:/ / www.coe.fr

EFQM (European Foundation for Qualit y Management)

http:/ / www.efqm.org

ISO (International Standardisation Organisation)

http:/ / www.iso.ch

United Nations, Commission on Sustainable Development

(CSD)

http:/ / www.un.org/ esa/sustdev/csd.htm

United Nations Environment Programme, Industry and Envi-

ronment (UNEP IE)

http:/ / www.unepie.org/tourism/ prog.html

WTO (World Tourism Organisation)

http:/ / www.world-tourism.org

WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), including the

ECoNETT site

http:/ / www.wttc.org

Some addresses on the Internet helpful in relation to IQM

Documents on the environment and sustainable development







European Commission

Towards quality urban tourism — Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

Enterprise Directorate-General — Tourism Unit

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

2000 – 168 pp. – 21 x 29.7 cm

ISBN 92-828-7543-1





8

1 3

1 4

C T -

2 4 - 9 9 - 0 4 9 -E N - C