VisitEngland Annual Report 2013-2014

Annual Report 2013/2014

C O N T E N T S

03 C H A I R M A N ’ S F O R E W O R D

04 O U R R O L E

05 O p E R AT I O N A LE N v I R O N M E N T 2 0 1 3 / 2 0 1 4

06 C H A M p I O N I N g A N DL E A D I N g T H E I N D U S T R y

08 S U p p O R T I N g L O C A Lg R O W T H

10 S U M M A R y O F K E yA C H I E v E M E N T S

12 S T I M U L AT I N g C O N S U M E RD E M A N D

14 D E v E L O p I N g T H E v I S I T O RE x p E R I E N C E

17 C O R p O R AT E D E v E L O p M E N T

18 L O O K I N g A H E A D W I T HJ A M E S B E R R E S F O R D

19 T H E p E O p L E B E H I N Dv I S I T E N g L A N D

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD 3

C H A I R M A N ’ S F O R E W O R D

IthinkmanyofusinthetourismindustryaskedourselveswhatayearwithouttheOlympicswouldlooklike.Howwould

2013shapeupinthewakeofamomentous2012?

p E N E LO p E , v I S CO U N TE S S CO B H A M , C B EChairman of VisitEngland

In a case of art mimicking life, the spoof TV programme ‘2012’ regularly joked about the word legacy. In reality I think many people questioned what legacy really meant. For the tourism industry it was a no-brainer! Bringing to life the Olympic legacy has cut across all of VisitEngland’s work throughout the year, with compelling results.

England has long been an exemplar of best practice in accessible tourism and this was showcased during the Paralympic Games, and our work has continued. To encourage businesses to adapt their facilities and services to meet the different needs of visitors, we launched the ‘Listen Up!’ and ‘Speak Up!’ campaigns designed to support businesses wishing to market to the hard of hearing and those with access needs. Trip groups where one member has an impairment is worth £3bn. Our new business tools will help businesses to grow their share of this sizable market.

Our work with Arts Council England has also maintained the momentum from the Games – building on the relationships forged between culture and tourism from the Torch Relay and the Cultural Olympiad and encouraging greater collaboration to develop destination visitor experiences. We have been working closely with England Rugby 2015 on a number of initiatives including an extensive media hosting programme for the Rugby World Cup tournament, using our experience from working with the media during the Olympic Games to maximise exposure of the country. Keeping England top of mind was helped by a digital campaign launched on St George’s Day resulting in a booklet called ‘101 Things to Do Before You Go Abroad’. Cheeky but effective!

For 2013, the question was whether the feel-good factor generated by 2012 events would support the trend of domestic trip-taking, particularly against the background of an improving economy.

The year got off to a challenging start, with bitterly cold weather in the first three months and, despite improvements in the weather, overall figures for the year were slightly down.

Despite this, 2013 brought a fifth successive year of the ‘staycation’ trend, with the number of domestic holiday trips taken still considerably higher than in the pre-recession years demonstrating the appetite to holiday at home is still strong.

This trend is backed up by the Annual Review of England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism (May 2012 – June 2013) which shows strong progress against its targets. In September 2013, 153,000 more people were employed in tourism industries than three years earlier. This represents an uplift of six per cent since 2010, four per cent higher than in other areas of the economy, and represents a strong performance against the Framework’s 225,000 jobs target.

We are on track to deliver against our targets set by Government and the key to success has been the strong spirit of partnership that I believe drives this industry forward. In January 2014, VisitEngland scooped the award for Best Tourist Board UK Office at the prestigious Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards, beating stiff competition from high profile, long-established tourist boards.

Since 2012 we have been working increasingly closely with the travel trade and this award is testament to that effort.

The partnership with the travel trade has been incredibly important to the success of the second ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign which launched in May 2013 with two of Britain’s best loved characters, the inimitable Wallace & Gromit. The much lauded TV advertisement encouraged viewers to book a holiday at home with their local travel agent and went on to deliver close to £80m in incremental spend.

Partnership working has also been crucial to the on-going success of the Government-funded Regional Growth Fund Programme, ‘Growing Tourism Locally’. Evaluation so far shows that the programme is highly effective in generating incremental spend and stimulating local jobs. The programme has so far generated £230m in tourism spend and

over 4,000 jobs. We will continue to work hand in glove with our destination partners to ensure tourism in this country thrives.

An obsession with the weather is part of our national psyche. However the extreme weather in the early part of 2014 hit headlines and remained top of the news agenda for some time. Tourism businesses in the main were largely unaffected; however we had a battle on our hands to tackle the misguided perception that England was closed for business. We leapt into action and, with the help of an additional £2m from our sponsor department, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), we implemented workshops across the country aimed at supporting destinations to be more resilient to inclement weather. In partnership with destinations we also led a tactical advertising campaign called ‘Spot on England’ promoting offers to encourage visits in the run-up to Easter.

Working in partnership is in our DNA. As the national tourist board it is our job to forge strong partnerships across the industry and Government to ensure that we support the industry to reach its potential. Through strong partnerships we become greater than the sum of our parts, we are able to be more resilient to crisis and we can ensure that this exciting and dynamic industry continues to thrive.

O U R R O L E

visitEnglandisthenationaltouristboardforEngland.Our role is to ensure that tourism in England thrives, working with industry and government to safeguard the sector’s successful and sustainable future.

England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It contributes £106bn to the economy when direct and indirect impacts are taken into account, and supports 2.6 million jobs.

As the lead body for tourism in England, our purpose is to grow the value of tourism, working in partnership with industry to deliver inspirational campaigns, driving the quality, competitiveness and sustainable growth of the visitor economy and providing strategic direction, expertise and co-ordinated marketing for the sector.

By leading on the marketing of England as a destination to domestic and established overseas markets and through championing the visitor experience, we set out to increase the value of the nation’s tourism by five per cent per annum over the next 10 years. This target, laid out in VisitEngland’s first national strategy document England:AStrategicFrameworkforTourism2010-2020 aims, in turn, to provide 225,000 new jobs, thereby maximising tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England.

Visitors at the Isle of Wight

Festival

4 OUR ROLE

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT 2013/2014 5

O p E R AT I O N A L E N v I R O N M E N T2 0 1 3 / 2 0 1 4

2012 was an extraordinary year, when the combined impacts of the Jubilee, the Olympics and one of the wettest summers on record all had an influence on consumer behaviour and attitudes. For 2013/14, the question was whether the feel-good legacy, generated by 2012 events, would live on, particularly against the backdrop of a recovering economy.

Cutting across all of our work this year has been realising the legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: taking forward valuable lessons to build on the success of campaigns; forging new partnerships; widening the scope of our accessibility work and growing international business tourism. We have also placed great emphasis on digital delivery in 2013/14, maximising the digital environment to ensure we make the best use of available technology.

The year, however, has not been without its challenges, with changes occurring to the funding and operating environment and the severe winter weather at the beginning of 2014 damaging local businesses and inciting negative coverage in the media. 2013 brought a decline in tourism day trips, although it is difficult to know to what extent the 2012 results were an anomaly, affected by the year’s events. Nevertheless, the year brought a fifth successive year of the ‘staycation’ trend, with the number of domestic holiday trips taken 11 per cent higher than in the pre-recession years 2006 – 2008. The number of day visits to visitor attractions also grew by four per cent year on year, a positive performance for one of the core sectors of the visitor economy.

Quicksummary

200*Destination Organisations

39 Local Enterprise Partnerships

208,880 VAT registered businesses in England in tourism sectors

visitorsatisfaction–Englanddeliversahighqualityvisitorexperience

85% of domestic visitors say that the destination they visited was ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’

86% would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ recommend the destination they visited in England to friends and family

Total spent on tourism in England in 2013

Total spent by inbound visitors who made 28.6m trips and stayed 217m nights

Total spent by British residents on 102m overnight trips equating to 297m nights away from home

Total spent on 1.4bn domestic tourism day trips

*Approximate

Source: Brand Tracking and Visitor Satisfaction survey, 2013

Source: GBTS 2013

Tourismvolumesandspending2013

£83bn

£18.4bn

£18.7bn

£46bn

6CHAMPIONING AND LEADING THE INDUSTRY

C H A M p I O N I N g A N D L E A D I N g T H E I N D U S T R y

K E y A C H I E v E M E N T S I N 2 0 1 3 / 2 0 1 4

Drivingupjobsandgrowth

The Annual Review of the Strategic Framework for Tourism (published August 2013) showed good progress against targets. In September 2013, 153,000 more people were employed in tourism industries than three years earlier, representing a six per cent uplift since 2010 compared to four per cent in other areas of the economy and a strong performance against the Framework’s 225,000 jobs target. Sixty per cent of actions in the associated Action Plans are now complete and planning has commenced for the Framework’s mid-term review in 2015.

Forgingpartnerships

We have maintained close relationships with national and local bodies aligned to tourism including Arts Council England (ACE), the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage. The partnership agreement signed with ACE in February 2013, building on the relationships forged between culture and tourism from the Olympic legacy, led to the launch of a £3m Cultural Destinations Programme. This collaborative approach has followed through to agreements with other organisations, including the English National Parks Partnership Statement launched in July 2013.

Supportingbusinesses

The ‘Good Weather story’ in summer 2013 created phenomenal media interest. We responded to hundreds of media requests and secured extensive press coverage for the English tourism product including interviews for BBC Breakfast on location in Cromer and for Sky News Sunrise.

Conversely, the extreme flooding and storms of winter 2014, particularly in the South West and South East, saw us rise to the challenge, supporting businesses and areas affected by both the weather and negative media through a £2m Government-funded campaign. We published and disseminated a range of practical guidance and implemented workshops across the country aimed at supporting destinations in reducing the impact on their business.

Press coverage was optimised with the Chief Executive, Chairman and Head of Corporate Communications appearing on numerous interviews at national and local level including ITV, BBC News 24 and 11 regional BBC stations. This activity was followed by a dedicated tactical advertising campaign, ‘Spot on England’, launched in partnership with destinations, to boost holiday bookings ahead of the Easter break.

EnglishTourismWeek

The 2014 English Tourism Week saw increased activity and support by a wide range of stakeholders, heightening awareness of tourism at the local level with the general public and decision makers and showcasing its importance for quality of life, employment and economic growth.

Highlights included: the Tourism Alliance’s Parliamentary Reception in the House of Commons, attended by MPs from across England, many of whom arranged events and ‘back to the floor’ sessions at attractions in their constituencies, highlighting the local value of tourism; substantial national, regional and local media coverage supporting key messages about the range and quality of experiences on offer in England; and our third VisitEngland Tourism Superstar competition, run in conjunction with the Daily Mirror, focusing on customer care shown by employees at England’s attractions.

During the week we also teamed up with apprentices from Hilton Worldwide to launch findings from our new research, conducted in conjunction with the Office for National Statistics, which revealed that tourism is a major driver of jobs in England since the recession.

We share the Government’s vision of the sector playing a vital role in the economy and we continue to champion tourism through supporting business, influencing a wide range of policy and leading the industry to work together to realise the five per cent year-on-year growth in the value of tourism. This target is laid out as the Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010-2020, which sets out to create an additional 225,000 jobs and £50bn tourism spend over 10 years.

VisitEngland works closely with industry, local Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to maximise tourism’s contribution to the economy, employment and quality of life in England.

CHAMPIONING AND LEADING THE INDUSTRY 7

Supportingthegrowthagenda

Contact with our sponsor department, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), has included supporting new ministers and staff with briefings, responses to consultations and general enquiries. DCMS has facilitated relationships with other agencies and departments, ensuring the tourism sector benefits from Government measures and continues to achieve its growth potential, including:

• Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on future priorities for rural tourism growth;

• Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS) regarding growth opportunities in the visitor economy;

• Department for Transport and Highways Agency on the review of Tourism Brown Signs; and

• Marine Management Organisation and Coastal Communities Fund.

EnglishTourismWeek TourismSuperstarCompetition

£500,000Advertising value

667Pieces of press coverage

£95,000Advertising value

15,000Public votes (Mirror Online)

93Pieces of press coverage

Hilton Apprentices, English Tourism

Week 2014

growingtourismlocally

The £41m, three-year Regional Growth Fund (RGF) programme, ‘Growing Tourism Locally’, successfully delivered its second year of activity. Thematic activity saw us working with around 60 destinations in partnership with a variety of press and magazines including The Telegraph, Time Out, The Independent and the Evening Standard. To date the programme, which aims to increase expenditure on local tourism products and services, has generated cumulative incremental spend of £230.8m and indirect job creation of 4,316 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs against a three-year job target of 9,139 FTEs.

Securingfuturegrowth

‘Securing Future Growth’ was the focus for this year’s Visitor Economy Conference, held on 5 December 2013 in association with NatWest. The agenda looked at the priorities for future industry growth, innovation within the visitor economy and changing consumer trends and attracted a record attendance of 175 senior industry figures with a 93 per cent satisfaction rate. A dedicated social media strategy was launched during the conference, thereby further extending its reach.

Increasingourmediaconnectivity

On 12 November 2013 our PR team hosted their annual PR Workshop and Meet the Media event attended by 50 English destinations and partners and over 80 journalists. Guest speakers included Welcome2Yorkshire, Creative England, the Foreign Press Association, England Rugby 2015 and the Imperial War Museum.

Sharingindustryexpertise

We took advantage of the excellent opportunities throughout the year to engage with grass roots industry, sitting on judging panels (South West Awards; British Horseracing Association’s Showcase Awards) and presenting at conferences (Visitor Attractions Conference; Tourism Management Institute; World Travel Market; Heritage Railways Association; British & Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums).

growingTourismLocallyoutcomes

£230.8m cumulative incremental spend

8SUPPORTING LOCAL GROWTH

S U p p O R T I N g L O C A L g R O W T H


As the sub-national delivery landscape for tourism has become increasingly fragmented, VisitEngland has prioritised activities that provide support to our key partners at the local level, including local authorities, LEPs and DMOs, facilitating greater co-ordination, providing best practice examples, and identifying trends and routes to market.

In 2013/14 the volume of this support increased but remained focused on expert advice to enable local areas to grow their economies through tourism.

4,316 indirect jobs created

SUPPORTING LOCAL GROWTH 9

Travel by train from London to York in under 2 hours.

A long weekend in York stays with you forever.

28 November – 15 December 2013

“The biggest and most beautiful Christmas Market in the South West ”

bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

lots of brand new stalls and gift ideas for 2013don’t miss bath street, decorated with icicles and real snow

look out for our competition to win a trip to lapland!england’s only quality assured christmas market

With award winning markets,Santa’s Grotto, SpinningfieldsIce Rink and late night shopping, Manchester makes more of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING.THERE’S ONLY ONE PLACE TO GO: MANCHESTER

London to

Manchester in

2 hrs 8 mins.

Book in advance at

virgintrains.com

for the best

value fares.

Plan your break at visitmanchester.com/christmas#MCRchristmas

Thematic campaign activity

funded by the Regional Growth

Fund

10SUMMARY OF KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

101THINgSTODOC AMpAIgNAPR I L

Launched for St George’s Day

SECONDENgLISHTOURISMWEEK16–24 MARCH 2013

S U M M A R y O F K E y A C H I E v E M E N T S

LISTENUp! gUIDEAPR I L

Launched to help businesses welcome customers with hearing loss

RUgByWORLDCUpA SIAEvENTSMARCH

Co-hosted industry events in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo with Rugby World Cup 2015 partners

SpE AKUp! gUIDEMAY

Accessibility marketing guide launched to help businesses promote their accessibility

AWARDSFORE xCELLENCEgAL ADINNER20TH MAY

The Point, Manchester

CHELSE AFLOWERSHOW MAY

Hosted media dinner

WALL ACE&gROMITT vADL AUNCHEDMAY

Part of the 2nd Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign

AIBTM 11–13 J U N E

Florida, USA

IN STITUTEOFTRAvEL&TOURISM(IT T)CONFERENCE3-5 J U N E

Abu Dhabi

BRITTRAvELAWARDS J U N E

Co-sponsored event with ABTA UKTL group domestic operator partners

L AUNCHOFvISITENgL ANDANDNATIONALpARKSENgL ANDSTRATEgICpARTNERSHIp J U LY

ARTSCOUNCILENgL ANDANDvISITENgL ANDCULTURALDESTINATION SpROgRAMME J U LY

Open for applications

AL ANpARTRIDgEJ U LY

Press trip film premiere and launch of Walking Tour with VisitNorwich

FORESTRyCOMMISSIONpARTNERSHIpC AMpAIgNJ U LY

vISITENgL ANDANDALvAMARKETINgWORKSHOpJ U LY

The Dorchester, London

pUBLISHEDSTRATEgICFRAMEWORKANNUALpROgRESSREpORTAUG UST

Demonstrated that the industry is well on track to achieving 5% year on year growth in the value of tourism

EDIBLEENgL ANDS E PTE M B E R

Publicity stunt for British Food Fortnight

St Pancras Station, London

WALKERS 2 FOR1S E PTE M B E R

Entry to attractions campaign launched, ran until December 2013

vISITORECONOMygROWTHSESSIONJ U N E

Held with BIS and LEPs on growth opportunities and a supporting paper published

IME x21–23 MAY

Frankfurt, Germany

vEEvENTS

MARKETINgANDpR

RgFC AMpAIgN S

TRADESHOWpRESENCE

BUSINESSSUppORT

INDUSTRySUppORT

MAR2013

APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

DESTINATIONMANAgEMENTFORUM8 OCTOB E R

Bath

SUMMARY OF KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 11

S U M M A R y O F K E y A C H I E v E M E N T S

EIBTM19–21 NOVE M B E R

Barcelona, Spain

pRWORKSHOpANDMEETTHEMEDIAEvENTNOVE M B E R

TUIRETAILCONFERENCE3–6 NOVE M B E R

Cyprus

WORLDTRAvELMARKET4–7 NOVE M B E R

London

RgFRESULTSDECE M B E R

Destinations deliver on domestic tourism campaigns

vISITORECONOMyCONFERENCE5 DECE M B E R

25% increase in delegates from 2012

Bishopsgate, London

TAKETHELE ADJA N UARY

Launched guide to welcoming visitors with assistance dogs

NEW CON SUMERWEBSITEJA N UARY

visitengland.com

10SUCCESSFULCON SORTIAAWARDED£3.2MARTSLOT TERyFUNDINgJA N UARY

Through the VisitEngland and Arts Council England Cultural Destinations Programme

WINNERBESTTOURISTBOARDUKOFFICEJA N UARY

Globe Travel Awards

FLOODRELIEFFUNDL AUNCHEDANDBOOKENgL ANDSpOTC AMpAIgNF E B RUARY

REvAMpEDvISITORAT TRACTIONQUALIT ySCHEMEF E B RUARY

With new accolades and published new standards book for industry

RgFTHEMATICC AMpAIgN SF E B RUARY

Romantic Getaways

RESpONDINgTOE xTREMEWE ATHERgUIDEFORTOURISMBUSINESSESpUBLISHEDF E B RUARY

AIME18–19 F E B RUARY

Melbourne, Australia

pRODUCEDME A SURABLEIMpROvEMENTSINSTARRATINgACCURAC yANDQUALIT yOFREpORTSF E B RUARY

INDEpENDENTHOTELSHOW30–31 OCTOB E R

London

ABTATRAvELCONvENTIONANDpRESSBRE AKFA ST20 OCTOB E R

Croatia

IME xAMERIC A15–17 OCTOB E R

Las Vegas, USA

RgFTHEMATICC AMpAIgN SMARCH

City Breaks; Coastal Escapes; Outdoor Activities; English Seaside; English Countryside

ENgL AND’SHALLOFFAMEC AMpAIgNFOR STgEORgE’SDAyF E B RUARY

NATIONALMARKETINgC AMpAIgNL AUNCHEDONACCESSIBLETOURISMMARCH

THIRDENgLISHTOURISMWEEK29 MARCH–6 APR I L 2014

L AUNCHOFENgL ANDE xpERT4THMODULEMARCH

FIRSTEvERvISITENgL AND“MARKETINgMEETS”EvENTMARCH

Bristol

gRE ATDAySOUT9 F E B RUARY

Manchester

BESTOFBRITAINANDIREL AND12–13 MARCH

NEC Birmingham

OCT NOV DEC JAN2014

FEB MAR APR

12STIMULATING CONSUMER DEMAND

S T I M U L AT I N g C O N S U M E R D E M A N D


Securingpressactivity

Consumer press activity during this financial year centred around England’s Hall of Fame, our campaign to celebrate St George’s Day, which showcased everything that makes the country a diverse and fascinating place to visit. The campaign launched in February 2014 with a big splash in The Sun on Sunday and additional coverage across other titles such as the Daily Express, Sunday Mirror, BBC Online and MSN.

We also hosted three big international group press trips, with a focus on the royals, cycling and set-jetting. This activity capitalised on the Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace, the excitement around cycling in the build up to the Grand Départ, and England’s movie heritage with the popularity of TV programmes such as Downton Abbey. These press trips resulted in global coverage across North America, Canada, India, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

VisitEngland continues to develop and drive a national brand and marketing approach for England, which leverages England’s best assets and stimulates the demand for the country’s tourism products, services and experiences, both at home and overseas.

In addition we created a publicity stunt to generate a buzz around English food by partnering with food artists to create a giant map made entirely from cake. The Edible England stunt took place in September 2013 and generated coverage worth £300k. This figure equates to a cost per thousand of £0.07 (well below the industry standard of £1) and an ROI of 69:1.

The team also organised press screenings, individual press trips and a media networking event for destinations. The total coverage generated from these during this financial year resulted in an Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) of £57,217,629.

In doing so we strive to build on the success of previous campaigns and capitalise on the momentum of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and to encourage a range of partners from both the public and private sectors to benefit from collaborative activities.

Keypressactivityandcoveragehighlights

BBC News, Sky

News, Newsnight,

Daily Telegraph,

Sunday Mirror, Metro,

guardian.co.uk

Alanpartridgemoviepress

premiere

MSN, express.co.uk,

Sunday Mirror,

Fabulous magazine,

Travel Weekly

AboutTimemoviepressscreening

The Sun, The Sun on

Sunday, BBC online,

Daily Express, MSN

HallofFame(launch)

Times of India,

Canadian Living, Het

Nieuwsblad, Daily

Telegraph, National

Geographic online,

The Sun

CyclingpressTrip

forbes.com,

Times of London,

oglobo.com

CoronationFestivalpress

Trip

Huffington Post,

Condé Nast Traveller

online, BBC online,

Red online, The Sun,

Sunday Mirror

EdibleEngland

STIMULATING CONSUMER DEMAND 13

Number of Twitter followers

Visits to consumer websites

Consumerengagement

Target Actual 2013/2014

Actual 2013/2014Target

3.04m

70,700

1.8m

50,000

HolidaysatHomearegREAT

The second phase of this programme, designed to maintain the interest of the domestic consumer following on from the 2012 campaign, saw us working closely with Aardman Animations to utilise Wallace & Gromit assets to maximum effect. Extensive travel trade and media coverage were achieved, delivering incremental spend of £78.9m.

Supportingtraveltrade

Our relationship with the travel trade sector continued to strengthen with a new approach being developed as a result of the GREAT campaign and commencing delivery. Our attendance at the ABTA Travel Convention was well received and generated good quality trade and national press coverage.

Campaigninginpartnership

We worked with the Forestry Commission and their partners on a £190k campaign to promote woodland stays and alleviate perceptions that the countryside is hard to access. This included a partnership campaign with The Guardian as well as other tactical press coverage to ensure the campaign’s reach translated into overnight stays.

Increasingbusinesstourism

Capitalising on the interest from 2012, we continued with a range of activities to increase our share of international business tourism:

• Under the new initiative co-ordinated by us, two bids from English destinations (from 16 submitted) succeeded in gaining Ministerial support for prestigious international events (estimated economic impact of £7.8m).

• We provided international sales platforms for business events suppliers at some 20 trade shows and missions, generating over 950 new leads. Confirmed business generated for the year topped £30m.

• We increased our engagement with English regional airports to generate growth in areas outside London and attract new routes, resulting in the creation of a £1m international campaign fund.

Harnessingsocialmedia

Maintaining media interest in England’s tourism products was led through the publication of the booklet ‘101 Things to Do Before You Go Abroad’, with subsequent consumer PR activity including a campaign to harness the heightened sense of pride from 2012. The campaign was launched on St George’s Day with engagement peaking at 16.9 per cent (compared to industry average of three to five per cent) and trended on Twitter.

MaximisingRugby2015opportunities

Activity to maximise the opportunity presented by the Rugby World Cup 2015 tournament has stepped up in 2013/14 and seen us working with England Rugby 2015 on a media hosting programme using key learnings from the Olympic Games. With two years until the opening game, September 2013 marked a milestone, with VisitEngland presenting to around 100 international media.

BestTouristBoard

VisitEngland scooped the award for Best Tourist Board UK Office in January 2014, at the prestigious Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards.

14DEVELOPING THE VISITOR ExPERIENCE

D E v E L O p I N g T H E v I S I T O R E x p E R I E N C E


Keepingtheindustryinformed

Our Insights and Statistics team deliver the national research programme, measuring the volume and value of tourism in England, visitor satisfaction levels and the impact of the economic environment on consumer attitudes and behaviour. Results are published on the VisitEngland website and disseminated through our corporate communications channels and via industry-facing conferences, seminars and events. This year, new reports on urban, seaside and rural tourism were also published and a horizon-scanning exercise was carried out to identify domestic tourism trends for the next decade and booking patterns and behaviours, providing valuable insights and guidance to industry and guiding our own agenda.

Rewardingexcellence

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2013, celebrating tourism industry excellence, were held at The Point in Manchester. The Awards attracted a record number of sponsors, and achieved a 10-fold increase in press coverage from previous years. Twenty Gold Awards were handed out, as well as 12 Silver Awards and 14 Bronze, while

the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Maker volunteers were awarded top prize for Outstanding Contribution to Tourism.

Drivingqualityandcustomerservice

The recommendations from last year’s review of the Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme (VAQAS) have now been implemented, the contractual relationship with the VAQAS assessors strengthened and the skills of the Accommodation Moderation Unit employed across the full range of visitor experiences. New relationships have also been brokered with commercial operators, including boat operators, with the creation of a new quality assurance standard, and other relationships revisited.

As the primary source of expertise on English tourism and the visitor economy, VisitEngland continues to provide specialist business support, intelligence and encouragement to the sector at a strategic level to develop the quality of the visitor experience.

Communicatingeffectively Target Actual2013/14

Value and reach of VisitEngland £8m £10m corporate communications Usage levels of corporate website 220,000 221,120

As part of our ongoing tourism research, we have worked to identify future trends, enabling the sector to develop and improve its performance by taking advantage of, and adapting to, changes in the marketplace, thereby driving the quality agenda and raising standards for accommodation and attractions.

promotingaccessibilityforall

The launch of the ‘Listen Up!’ and ‘Speak Up!’ guides in 2013, designed to support businesses in meeting the needs of customers with hearing loss and access needs, enabled us to maintain the momentum raised through hosting the Paralympic Games, widening the scope of our accessibility work, inspiring consumers and providing support to businesses.

In March 2014 we launched a national marketing campaign aimed at championing and improving accessible tourism in England, a sector worth over £2bn a year to the domestic tourism industry, with strong growth potential. A bid of €125k was also submitted to the EU in October 2013 which will build on work to date and further develop accessible tourism.

DEVELOPING THE VISITOR ExPERIENCE 15

D O M E S T I C L E I S U R E T O U R I S M T O E N g L A N D ’ S C I T I E S

Domestic Leisure Tourism to England’s Countryside

SOURCES:

GBTSThe Great Britain Tourism Survey, measures the volume and valueof domestic overnight tourism in Great Britain

GBDVSThe Great Britain Day Visits Survey, measures the volumeand value of tourism day visitsin Great Britain

VE Brand and Comms TrackerTracks measures relating to England holidays, visitor satisfaction, and VisitEngland marketing campaigns

Other VisitEngland ResearchQuantitative and qualitative consumer and tourism business research on topics relating to the tourism industry in England

England’s countryside is a valuable part of the tourism economy.

£10BNSPENT ON TRIPS TOTHE COUNTRYSIDEIN 2012

Source: GBTS and GBDVS

The recession has resulted in an increase in the number of holidays taken at home.

HOLIDAYS TAKENIN COUNTRYSIDE DESTINATIONS

2009-12 12% higher than 2006-8Source: GBTS

10MCOUNTRYSIDEHOLIDAYSworth£2.4BNSource: GBTS

164MCOUNTRYSIDEDAY TRIPSworth£7.9BNSource: GBDVS

TRIPS TAKENIN 2012

Volume & value of countryside leisure trips in England

Source:GBTS and GBDVSHolidays & short breaks Day trips

Where in England do people go for countryside leisure trips?

6%

6%

20%

20%

12% 12%

12%

12%12%

10%

10%8%

13%

13%

11%

21%

Who takes tripsto the countryside?

66%

The pro�le of countryside visitors is slightly different to other destination types.

ABC1 socialgrade take:

MORE AFFLUENT THAN THE AVERAGE

HOLIDAYS TAKEN BY OVER 45’s

allholidays51%countrysideholidays56%

DAY TRIPS TAKEN BY OVER 45’s

allday trips47%

countrysideday trips59%

Source: GBTS


all trips

71%countryside

trips

comparedto

overall

40%34%

Visitorattraction8% 8%General

day out

CARAVANS/CAMPScomparedto

across allholidaytypes

33%

27%

REASONS FOR TAKING DAY TRIPS

SELF-CATERINGcomparedto


16%

10%

Those who travel to the countryside tend to stay away for longer than the average (4+ nights)

Accommodation used for countryside trips is different compared to other holiday types

HOTELScomparedto


24%

40%

Source: GBDVS

Source: GBTS

26%

16%11%

Outdooractivities Going out

for a meal

Visitingfriends

& family

What types of holidays and day trips do they take?

England’s countryside is varied in nature, andthe opportunities and barriers for businessesin different types of areas re�ect this.

Source: other VisitEngland research

DRAMATIC COUNTRYSIDEalmost iconicescape the crowds and step outside modern life

RURAL COUNTRYSIDEpicture-postcardview of Englandrelaxing break in cosy cottages or manor houses

BARRIERS FOR BUSINESSESlack of knowledgeespecially among younger groups

Businesses should communicate the breadth

of product offeringand provide basic

geographical information

MARKET TOWNSshops, museums andother attractionsfor those lessinterested in nature

What do people think of the countryside?

Visitors to the countryside tend to be more satis�ed with their destination experiencethan the national average.

% rating excellent / goodCountryside trips All trips

Source: VE Brand & Comms Tracker

Public transport is a relative weakness for rural destinations. Businesses should ensure awareness of available transport options.

Safe and secure

77%70%

Welcoming and friendly

73%68%

Accommodation quality

72%68%

Opportunities to eat/drink local produce

62%A

A

A

57%

C

C A

C

C

Easy to get to by public transport

29%40%

30%41%

Clean and tidy

67%76%

Ease of getting around by public transport

How do visitors rate their experience of the countryside?

C

C

A

A

C

CA

A

SOURCES:





England’s cities are a valuable part of thetourism economy.

£28BNSPENT ON TRIPSTO CITIESIN 2012


Volume & value of urban leisure trips in England 14M

URBANHOLIDAYSworth£3.3BNSource: GBTS

630MURBANDAY TRIPSworth£25BNSource: GBDVS

TRIPS TAKENIN 2012

Cities and large towns have been one of the driversof the “staycation” trend.

HOLIDAYS TAKEN INURBAN DESTINATIONS

22% higher than 2006-8

Source: GBTS

2009-12

Where in England do people go for urban leisure trips?


Holidays & short breaks Day trips Rank

MANCHESTER

BRISTOL

LIVERPOOL

BIRMINGHAM

YORKLEEDS

NOTTINGHAM

NEWCASTLE

NORWICH

5 5

H D

2 2

H D

3 8

H D

6 4

H D

8 10

H D

10 6

H D4 3

H D

7

#

7

H DLONDON

1 1H D

H D

9

H

The pro�le of urban visitors is signi�cantly younger than for other destination types.

Who takes trips to cities?

AB socialgrade take:

MORE AFFLUENT THAN THE AVERAGE

36%

Source: GBTS

all trips

40%urban trips


HOLIDAYS TAKEN BY UNDER 34’s

DAY TRIPS TAKEN BY UNDER 34’s

allholidays26%

urbanholidays32%

allday trips34%

urbanday trips44%

What types of holidaysdo they take?

TIME OF YEAR MODE OF TRAVEL TO DESTINATION

DURATION OF TRIP - 3 NIGHTS OR LESSCity breaks are shorter than the average

City breaks are far less seasonal in nature than trips to other destination types.

Hotels are more important for city holidays than other destination types

Source: GBTS

OCTOBER - MARCH

alltrips34%urban

trips45%

3 nights or less

83%

66%AUCity breaks

All trips

comparedto


12%26% comparedto


78%64%

HOTELS/MOTELScomparedto


66% 40%

Need data for this section forboth strengths (top portion)and weaknesses (bottom portion)

What do people think of urban destinations?

Trips to urban destinations appeal particularly to those outside the family life stage, although they can be of interest for those with older children.

HERITAGE CITIEShistoricalalso have arange of activities

POST-INDUSTRIALCITIESindividualitycities with adistinct identity






How do visitors rate their experience of urban holidays?

Ease of access is a key strength of urban destinations over alternatives

Easy to get to by public transport

55%A 40%

U

46%A 37%

U

Clean and tidy

57%67%A

U

Safe and secure

61%A 70%

U

Welcoming and friendly

60%A 68%

U

55%61%A

U

Ease of getting around by public transport

A 41%

U 53%

Value for money

Lowest ratings for urban destinations compared with other types of destination mainly relate to the environment and value

Availability of festivals/sport/cultural events

% rating excellent / goodUrban trips All trips


U

Domestic Leisure Tourism to England’s Cities

SOURCES:





England’s seaside is a valuable part of the tourism economy.

£7BNSPENT ON TRIPS TOTHE SEASIDEIN 2012


HOLIDAYS TAKENIN SEASIDE DESTINATIONS

14MSEASIDEHOLIDAYSworth£3.5BNSource: GBTS

110MSEASIDEDAY TRIPSworth£3.8BNSource: GBDVS

2009

2008

25%up

25%down

2012

Volume & value of seaside leisure trips in England

TRIPS TAKENIN 2012

Source:GBTS and GBDVSHolidays & short breaks Day trips

Where in England do people go for seaside leisure trips?

12%

13%

11%

3%

7%

9%13%

10%

8%

40%

27%

16%

24%

2%

HOLIDAYS TAKEN BY FAMILIES


DAY TRIPS TAKEN BY FAMILIES

34%

Source: GBTS

all trips

42%seaside trips

Who takes trips to the seaside?

allholidays34%

seasideholidays47%

allday trips16%

seasideday trips24%

LESS AFFLUENT THAN THE AVERAGE

C2DE socialgrade take:

comparedto

overall52%

34%

Source: GBTS

CARAVANS/HOLIDAYCAMPS/CAMPING

comparedto


44% 27%

TIME OF YEAR

Seaside holidays are much longer than the average (4+ nights)

Camping and caravanning (including holiday camps) is much more important to our seaside destinations than to other areas.

alltrips66%

seasidetrips76%

What types of holidaysdo they take?

HOTELS/MOTELScomparedto


26% 40%

SELF-CATERINGcomparedto


14% 10%

APRIL - SEPTEMBER

alltrips34%

seasidetrips24%

OCTOBER - MARCH

What do people think of the seaside?

TRADITIONALSEASIDE RESORTnostalgic

ENGLISH COASTLINEgetting awayfrom it all

SEASIDE TOWNSquaintlink to local historymore things to do






Satisfaction with the seaside is generally better than other destinations, but particularly in terms of being seen as a low cost destination

Lowest ratings for seaside destinations mainly relate to quality and ease of access

Value for money

66%61%

Not too expensive to get to

60%56%

Accommodation quality

68%68%

Quality of food drink & dining

64%63%

Doesn’t take long to get to

58%57%

38%37%

Availability of deals/discounts

53%58%

Availability of festivals/sport/cultural events

How do visitors rate their experience of the seaside?

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

% rating excellent / goodSeaside trips All trips


S A

Domestic Leisure Tourism to England’s Seaside

Analysis of seaside, rural and

urban tourism trends

16CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

New consumer website

visitengland.com launched in

January 2014

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT 17

C O R p O R AT E D E v E L O p M E N T


Maximisingthedigitalenvironment

We have developed a good track record in the digital environment. Following a review in 2012/13 to assess the effectiveness, flexibility and responsiveness of the current platforms and tools, we undertook a digital transformation project to ensure we make the best use of new technology, improve communication and engagement with consumers and industry, and enable our partners to access more of our knowledge and expertise digitally. This has, in turn, enabled a reduction in the costs of our digital platform.

Strengtheningrelationships

We have undertaken a review of our engagement with industry to strengthen our relationship with the commercial sector and improve our visibility. Early results have included working with NatWest’s National Leisure Team on the launch of its £300m Leisure Fund, in conjunction with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Investinginourpeople

A Leadership Development Programme for Heads of Department was delivered in 2013/14 to further develop general

management skills to add to the professional expertise and talent within the organisation. Financial awareness training was also undertaken for all employees to further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation’s delivery.

Measuringourimpact

As we approach our fifth year of existence and our portfolio of work has deepened and broadened, we have strengthened the measurement of the impact and value of our activities, standardising the measurement of marketing in kind, strengthening the methodology for measuring the effects and impact of marketing activities and putting in place measures to assess performance in the digital environment.

Workingefficiently

To maximise efficiency, we operate a shared services department with VisitBritain for our finance, HR, IT, legal, company secretariat and facilities operations. During the year, a number of significant efficiency initiatives were undertaken for both organisations including a move to new premises at Sanctuary Buildings, reducing UK accommodation by 30 per cent. A disaster recovery facility was also commissioned allowing IT services to be maintained in

the event of server failure and the finance software upgraded, thereby improving procurement processes. As at 31 March 2014 we have reduced overheads by 55 per cent over three years, well above the 40 per cent target set by DCMS.

Strong corporate management leads to a robust and sustainable national tourism body, which will be well placed in the long term to drive the industry forward and engage effectively with a wide range of partners at national and local level.

Much of our focus this year has been to continue to maximise the digital environment to ensure we are making the best use of available technology. We have also worked diligently to deliver effectively within the demands placed on public sector funding, encouraging collaboration and aligning activities and budgets to maximise impact.

reduction in VE UK office size

reduction of overheads over the past 3 years

30%

55%

Savingefficiently

18LOOKING AHEAD WITH JAMES BERRESFORD

L O O K I N g A H E A D W I T H J A M E S B E R R E S F O R D

This past year the tourism industry has risen to the challenge. It has survived some of the worst weather in some parts of the country we have seen in a long time, and has capitalised on the show-stopping events of 2012 to ensure it continues to grow and thrive. Our role as the national tourist board is to consolidate effort, to bring partners together and to ensure that the sector remains competitive and productive and continues to be one of this country’s most far-reaching and dynamic industries.

Theeconomiclandscape

The signs show that the economy has emerged from recession, with four successive quarters of growth through 2013, unemployment levels substantially below the 2011 peak and consumer confidence increasing.

Encouraging though this is, it could present a very real threat to domestic tourism with the allure of overseas destinations attracting those Britons who have been unable to afford a holiday abroad during recession years. Whilst it seems unlikely that we will see a dramatic shift in holiday-taking patterns we must remain on our guard and ensure our marketing efforts are as high profile and enticing as ever, reaching consumers through mobile devices, social media and comparison sites as well as through our more traditional methods.

There are also clear areas of opportunity for domestic tourism. We have become a ‘play society’ with leisure perhaps more important to us as a nation than ever before. In the recession, even as other items of household expenditure were reduced, spending on leisure and culture increased; something that is unlikely to reverse as finances become less stretched. Those who changed their behaviour to take more domestic breaks are generally positive about the experiences they have had, and keen to continue to explore their own country even when hoping to afford to travel abroad for a main holiday.

Theinternationalopportunity

The growth in inbound travel, which started at the end of 2012 and continued into 2013, with a five per cent increase in the number of inbound visits to the UK, signals a welcome return to pre-recession levels of inbound volumes.

Leisure travel to the UK has grown through the period of the economic downturn, and the improved economic climate was evident in the growth in business travel, with volumes also up by seven per cent, the strongest performance for this sector since 2008.

The trend towards faster growth in London than the rest of England continued in 2013, providing a distinct opportunity for us to redress the balance and start to close that gap. London is a tremendous city and no doubt the main reason for the majority of international visits. However, our job is to increase visitors’ knowledge of what else is on offer outside of the capital; to show them how easy it is to get around, and to encourage them to explore more of the country by raising their awareness of the exciting, high quality experiences on offer. In the forthcoming year, we will continue to have a strong presence at international business tourism and events exhibitions. We will focus on working ever closer with our regional ports of entry. Our people on the ground in key markets overseas will continue to implement targeted activity and campaigns to showcase the country and increase the number of international visitors in England exploring outside London.

Workingtogether

Our role is to bring the industry together to promote the shared agenda to grow tourism and ensure it thrives. We have worked incredibly closely with our sponsor department, DCMS, in the past year to support new ministers and fulfil our role as a trusted advisor. Our close relationship with DCMS has paved the way for greater interaction with other government bodies and departments. Tourism is cross-cutting - it falls into many areas of government interest. This greater exposure across government is something I am committed to continue to ensure that tourism remains on the Government’s agenda in the run up to the 2015 General Election.

Strategic partnerships with Arts Council England and National Parks England are reaping the benefits and we are forging new and important links with other like-minded organisations which we know will benefit the growth of tourism in England. English Tourism Week is now in its third year and proudly boasts HRH The Prince of Wales as

its patron. It brings together all aspects of the industry to wave the flag for tourism and remind Government, business and media that tourism generates economic growth in local areas and creates local job opportunities and rewarding careers. English Tourism Week remains a keystone of our activity and we will be using this week to greater effect as it becomes more established in the future.

Our work to support the industry to develop the product and aim for excellence continues with our unwavering commitment to the national accommodation and attractions quality schemes and a number of new business support tools aimed at destinations and businesses soon to come on stream.

Digitalbydefault

In keeping with the Government commitment to be ‘Digital by Default’ we implemented a full review and transformation of our digital output. Our consumer-facing website has been re-designed to better present the England product and showcase our great destinations to better inform and inspire the consumer.

Our corporate website, due to launch early 2015, will enable us to further improve our reach and engagement with industry. With both websites operating on the same digital platform and integrated with our communication tools and database we can be more targeted in our communication, providing people with the specific information and insights relevant to their business.

Streamlining our approach to digital means that we will be more able and effective to use social media to communicate with all our customers, providing relevant updates and insights which will support all of our activity.

visitEngland’sChiefExecutive

THE PEOPLE BEHIND VISITENGLAND 19

O U R p E O p L E

PeneloPe, viscountess cobham cbe Chairman of VisitEngland April 2009 – March 2017

amanda cottrell obe Chairman of VisitKent May 2011 – May 2014

sarah dunning obe Chief Executive of Westmorland Jan 2014 – Jan 2019

nigel halkes Managing Partner at Ernst & Young (Until Dec 2013) Jan 2014 – Jan 2018

John hoy Chief Executive of Blenheim Estate May 2011 – May 2015

david orr Chairman of Fraser Giles Partnership Sept 2009 – Sept 2013

sarah stewart Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative May 2011 – May 2016

nick varney Chief Executive of Merlin Entertainments Group June 2009 – June 2013

denis wormwell Chief Executive of Shearings Group June 2009 – June 2017

E N g L I S H T O U R I S T B O A R D M E M B E R S

suzanne bond

Suzanne Bond Chief Executive, Cornwall Development Agency

sandie dawe mbe

BTA Accounting Officer/Chief Executive, VisitBritain

E N g L I S H T O U R I S T B O A R D O B S E R v E R S

T H E T E A M

VisitEngland is a small organisation with a team of 65 staff based at our Headquarters in Westminster, London, and five staff based in our overseas offices in the US, Europe and India.

lyndsey swift Head of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement

sarah long Head of Corporate Communications

sharon orrell Head of Research & Insights

Phil evans Head of Policy & Analysis

Jason Freezer Head of Destination Management

william smart Regional Growth Fund Project Manager

Jeremy brinkworth England Rugby World Cup Project Director

tim holt Head of Marketing

simon gidman Head of Business Visits & Events

rebecca holloway Head of Consumer PR

anke monestel Head of International Operations

stuart heath Head of Marketing Partnerships

ross calladine Head of Business Support

Pam Foden Head of Industry Development

Jenny mcgee Enterprise Director

alex mawer Marketing Director

louise stewart Director of Strategy & Development

James berresford, Chief Executive

visitEngland is the country’s national tourist board responsible for driving forward England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism with industry partners. We work in partnership to lead the development of a thriving tourism industry, supporting our national and local partners to achieve economic growth and increase investment and employment by encouraging the development of excellent visitor experiences and effective business practices. For information on the wide range of support and opportunities we offer to the different sectors involved in England’s visitor economy visit visitengland.org and for further information on England, visit visitengland.com

VisitEngland, Sanctuary Buildings,

20 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT

www.visitengland.org

Published by VisitEngland in November 2014

Photography by VisitEngland Images and Britain on View

Designed by fst

© British Tourist Authority (trading as VisitEngland) November 2014