Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Service Performance Report 2012...

EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL

COUNCIL MEETING: 20 AUGUST 2015

AYRSHIRE AND ARRAN TOURISM SERVICE PERFORMANCE REPORT 2012-2015

Report by the Executive Director – Economy, Neighbourhood and Environment South Ayrshire Council

PURPOSE OF REPORT 1. The purpose of this report is to provide East Ayrshire Council with an update on the

progress of the pan-Ayrshire Tourism Service Plan 2012-15.

BACKGROUND 2. The Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Strategy 2012-17 was approved as the key

working strategy for the delivery of tourism services across Ayrshire and Arran, supported by the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team (established in 2012) and also the tourism industry partners. The Strategy sets out key targets of:

Increasing the annual number of visitors coming to Ayrshire and Arran by 10%, from 3.50 million to 3.85 million.

Increasing annual spend by visitors by 20% from £348 million to £418 million.

Increasing employment supported by the sector by 10% from 8,915 jobs to 9,807 jobs.

Enhancing and conserve the region’s natural, heritage and cultural assets.

The annual Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team Service Plan is agreed through the Ayrshire Shared Services Joint Committee which approved the current Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Interim Service and Improvement Plan (SIP) in February 2015.

PROPOSALS 3. The three year progress report for the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team 2012-2015

is attached to this report as Appendix One.

Visitor numbers +0.7%

Length of stay increased by 3.4%

Tourism revenue +7.8%

Spend per visitor +10.1%

Tourism employment +1.2% The Pan Ayrshire Tourism Team and Service have been subject to review over the

last 12 months and a report detailing the future shape of service delivery will be considered by the Ayrshire Shared Services Joint Committee in October 2015. Additional information on the Record of Achievement for the Team is available on the Members Portal.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS 4. There are no financial implications linked to this paper. The three Councils have

approved budgets up to 31 March 2016 and have agreed an interim service plan for 2015/16.

There are no legal implications linked to this paper. There are no immediate HR implications in regard to this paper.

RISK IMPLICATIONS 5. There are no risks associated with noting this performance report.

EQUALITIES 6. An Equalities Impact Assessment has been carried out on the Ayrshire & Arran

Tourism Strategy and there are no identified equalities implications. Each project developed is also assessed for equalities implications as part of the development phase undertaken by officers.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IMPLICATIONS 7. The Scottish Government Gateway was contacted regarding the Tourism Strategy,

and a Strategic Environmental Assessment has been completed.

OPTIONS APPRAISAL 8. An options appraisal has not been carried out in relation to this report.

LINK TO COUNCIL PLAN

9. As a shared service this plan supports the Council’s’ ambitions:

“To establish South Ayrshire as the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland”.

“North Ayrshire will assist and support communities to take advantage of their unique places and talents to develop their own aspirations and to plan for their future”

“East Ayrshire will be a place with strong vibrant communities, where everyone has a good quality of life and access to opportunities, choices and high quality services which are sustainable, accessible and meet people’s needs”

The relevant SAC strategic objective is that we will work to maximise the potential of our local economy.

The relevant EAC strategic objective is that we will deliver community regeneration.

The relevant NAC strategic objective is that we will regenerate our communities and increase employment.

In pursuit of these, the pan-Ayrshire Tourism Service will directly contribute towards the achievement of the following strategic outcomes:

In South Ayrshire: Tourism, culture and heritage opportunities are developed and promoted.

In East Ayrshire: Ensure that leisure, culture and tourism potential is promoted and developed.

In North Ayrshire: Improve the tourism offer by addressing identified gaps and developing cross-marketing campaigns

RESULTS OF CONSULTATION 10. There has been no public consultation on this paper. Various community and

industry level consultations took place with regard to the development of the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Strategy. Subsequent to the Strategy being approved, there have been a series of road-show events and 3 regional conferences held.

RECOMMENDATIONS

11. It is recommended that the Council:

i) notes the progress made in 2012-2015; and ii) notes that a report detailing the proposed future shape of service delivery will

be considered at the October Ayrshire Shared Services Joint Committee.

Lesley Bloomer Executive Director – Economy, Neighbourhood and Environment South Ayrshire Council 31 July 2015

List of Background Papers

1. S:\A&A tourism strategy\Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Strategy 2012-2017.pdf Any person wishing to inspect the above background paper or to seek further information

on this report should contact Ros Halley, Tourism Manager, Ayrshire & Arran Tourism, Burns House, Ayr; Tel: 01292 616193; Email: [email protected]

Implementation Officer: Ros Halley, Tourism Manager

mailto:[email protected]

Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team

2012-2015

Final Report June 2015


2012 -2015 Progress Report

1

1. Background The Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Service Plan covers the period from 2012 to 2015. This report provides a summary of progress from the start of the Plan (June 2012) to the end of the plan (March 2015). During this time a comprehensive review of Ayrshire and Arran Tourism has taken place, which led to an interim plan being approved for the period 2015-2016. This report covers the first three years of a pan-Ayrshire approach to tourism. 2. How are we doing? 2.1 Reporting - A report and presentation was provided to the new Ayrshire Shared Services Joint Committee on 1st of July 2014, when the committee approved the 2014-15 Service Plan. Further to that meeting an interim Service Improvement Plan was developed and approved by the Shared Services Committee February 2015 for the 2015-2016 period. The Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team provides a written report at every Ayrshire Economic Partnership meeting and at quarterly Tourism Leadership Group meetings. 2.2 Recording System - We are committed to the use of COVALENT (an electronic management system) and Tourism Leadership Group appraisal to assess how we are performing, examining where we have particular strengths which we may wish to build on, and where there is scope for improvement. 2.3 Key Focus - Performance against the 12 areas which are the team’s direct delivery focus is overleaf at summary level and the full performance report is attached at Annex 1, giving the breakdown of achievements per annum. The final budget for the 2012-2015 pan-Ayrshire approach to tourism is attached at Annex 2. A summary of the regional tourism revenue trends follows the summary and a photographic record of key projects over the 2012-2015 period is attached at Annex 3.



2

2.4 Performance Summary 2012-2015: 2.4.1 Culture & Heritage: The Culture & Heritage strand of the strategy was one of the earliest areas of action for the team. Since 2012 the following initiatives have been successfully implemented: 2012 – 2014 Nine new cultural itineraries prepared and circulated for use by local businesses;

three being tailored itineraries produced in partnership with Prestwick Airport and promoted at the Port Rush Air Show, two for Arran and a food and drink supplement developed to enhance the existing cultural experiences. A new cultural map featuring 49 attractions in Ayrshire created and distributed by Direct Distribution.

2013 – 2015 The signposting project which encourages attractions to ‘sell on’ each other to

encourage longer stays has now 25 visitor attractions participating. In 2014, this project was presented to Scottish Ministers as an exemplar tourism case study.

2014 A partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage resulted in the production of an

“Explore for the Day” campaign with four associated itineraries. This is marketed at national level and is a good example of partnership working.

2013 – 2015 Annual Familiarisation trips have been held. In 2013 this involved 22 Coach Tour

operators and in 2014 there were 45 Group Tour organisers. These groups spent 4 days touring the region. Plans are underway for a 2015 trip.

2014 Familiarisation trip held for Cruise Tour operator 2014 -2015 The team has facilitated and assisted in the successful formation of the new

Culture and Heritage Attractions Group with 25 attractions now participating. These attractions are now looking to work closely together on marketing initiatives to promote attractions and increase sustainability.

2015 A new culture and heritage booklet has been produced and has been distributed

to national and international tourism operators and made available to visitors via accommodation businesses and visitor information centres.

2.4.2 Golf: In 2012, the tourism team commissioned a piece of research to look at how best to engage the golf businesses and ensure more visitors would be attracted to Ayrshire. Following this work an interim partnership was set up to develop a Business and Marketing Plan. A new Regional Golf Development Group was set up in July 2014 and officially launched in December 2015



3

(www.ayrshiregolfscotland.com) and a Golf Tourism Officer was recruited. 64 businesses signed up as members of the new golf company, including 30 golf clubs. Key marketing and events are already underway generating trade contacts as well as brand awareness for consumer facing markets. In addition to specific marketing activity, the new company has also set up exhibition materials, a new website and produced a guide to Ayrshire golf. Events attended to date: RICOH Women’s Open, Birkdale (July 2014) International Golf Travel Market, Italy, October 2014 (Trade) Scottish Golf Show, Glasgow, March 2015 (Consumer) Visits arranged to date: Dutch Fam trip to Ayrshire, March 2015- 2 tour operators Partnerships created: Developing partnership with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, including Ayrshire golf promotion at key delegate conferences coming to the city (on-going) Developing partnership with P&O ferries. (Early stages) Glasgow International Airport (Partner of some Fam trips) 2.4.3 Natural Environment: Walking In partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) three walks have been fully scoped and audited for a full investment package by Forestry Commission, however due to uncertainty in national FCS budgets this activity has been put on hold – there is however a commitment to developing the northern part of the Galloway Forest Park and promotional activities will continue to be explored around partnerships with Biosphere and Dark Skies. Cycling Routes Ayrshire and Arran Tourism have worked in partnership with VisitScotland(VS) to add and promote routes throughout Ayrshire and Arran. There are now over 20 routes listed on the VS website compared to just 3 previously. Cycling Leaflet Ayrshire and Arran Tourism has developed and produced a cycling leaflet to promote iconic and popular cycle routes across Ayrshire and Arran. This is a printed leaflet that is available in Visitor Information Centres, pubs, B&B’s, hotels, cafes etc. It is also available to download on the B2B website. Cyclist Welcome Scheme Ayrshire and Arran Tourism have carried out a mapping exercise to identify the participation levels of accommodation and attractions in cycle welcome schemes across the whole of Ayrshire and Arran. Following this mapping VisitScotland were approached and are now working in partnership with the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team to increase the Welcome Cyclists programme across the area to new sectors. Criteria were set in order for other types of businesses to be eligible: - cafes, bike hire, retail outlets etc. This initiative launched at The Ayrshire Tourism Gathering March 2015.

http://www.ayrshiregolfscotland.com/

http://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/activities/cycling/ayrshire-arran/



4

Cycling Holidays – Saddle Skedaddle a leading cycling holiday operator in the UK has been approached By Ayrshire & Arran Tourism to consider Ayrshire and Arran as a new destination for their 2017 programme. Discussions are on-going. www.skedaddle.co.uk . Cycling Journalists Ayrshire & Arran Tourism hosted journalists from The Cyclist (national mag with print run 50,000, age 30-50 affluent readers). The trip resulted in an 8 page full colour article on cycling “The Ayrshire Alps”. 2.4.4 Watersports: In 2012/13 the initial action by the Tourism Team for watersports was to organise a social media workshop for local watersports providers to improve their online presence with 7 businesses attending. The following activity was the development and creation of a bespoke website www.watersportscoast.com to provide information and inspiration to those interested in watersports to choose Ayrshire and the waters of the Firth of Clyde. In October 2013 the website was launched putting Ayrshire firmly on the map as a premier watersports destination. The website is a one-stop shop promoting 12 different activities including yachting, dinghy sailing, kite surfing, windsurfing, coastal rowing, and sea kayaking, and provides detailed information about over 60 key coastal access points, beaches, slipways, marina facilities, and moorings. It has a business directory with over 30 local watersports businesses listed. Tide times, weather forecasts, nautical charts, nautical mile plotting, and truly interactive mapping, are all available making the website the first of its kind for a Scottish region. It was made possible as a result of the joined up approach of the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Team working in partnership with the local providers, the Firth of Clyde Forum, Scottish Natural Heritage and RYA Scotland. The website has been recognised as an exemplar by the cross party parliamentary group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism due to the interactive design and innovative functionality. The Tourism Team has also played an active role in other initiatives such as attending meetings of the Largs Watersports Group 2012-2014 co-ordinated by Scottish Enterprise, and also working with council colleagues on the Sail West/Malinwaters project. In 2014 a PR campaign (press and online) was undertaken to drive traffic to the watersportscoast.com website, resulting in over 20 items of media coverage including The Guardian, The Sunday Mail, BBC Get Inspired, Easier.com, RYA Scotland Website, Diver Magazine, Guardian.co.uk and the Arran Banner, plus social media on Twitter, particularly on #ScotlandHour. Display adverts were taken in two key publications - Sail Scotland and Welcome Anchorages. The website was further developed with the addition of 8 sailing itineraries to inspire yachters to explore the Firth of Clyde.

http://www.skedaddle.co.uk/

http://www.watersportscoast.com/



5

2.4.5 Legacy Events: Year of Natural Scotland 2013: A photographic competition was organised focusing on the natural environment to engage the public in identifying their favourite natural aspects of Ayrshire and Arran. The competition was run on-air and online with media partners Radio Clyde 1 and West FM to raise the profile of the area, encourage visitors to explore the great outdoors

and influence a sense of pride of place. 8 industry partners provided category prizes and also contributed to additional awareness-raising activity. Homecoming Scotland 2014: A partnership was developed by the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism with Dumfries & Galloway Council and VisitScotland to develop and deliver the ‘Burns and the South West’ which focused on attractions linked to Robert Burns and his links with the area. 3 itineraries were developed with promotional literature produced and distributed along with an online presence www.burns-southwest.com and a marketing campaign in press and online to encourage visitors to explore. Year of Food & Drink Scotland 2015: Ayrshire & Arran Tourism worked with The List to create the Ayrshire Larder – The Guide to the Food & Drink of Ayrshire & Arran, which was printed in March 2015. The guide is now being distributed across the region. This guide is also available online. 2.4.6 Business Communication: One of the first projects undertaken by the team was to develop business to business communication platform, over the course of the first year www.ayrshire-arran.org was created for the team to provide information about projects, news, online directory of tourism businesses and resources. Since the site was launched in April 2013 501 members have signed up to www.ayrshire-arran.org. It is estimated that 81% of the overall tourism businesses in Ayrshire & Arran are now registered on the communications portal. There is a high level of interactivity on the site, monitored by regular checks on Google analytics and the most popular pages are tourism team detail, quality and skills, golf and news and social media links (Twitter). 2.4.7 Visitor Information: Following a pilot of a new initiative aimed at improving the online performance of tourism businesses in Ayrshire it was necessary to revise the activities resulting in the creation of new resources for tourism businesses to encourage online information improvements. The new Text Bank provides sample text on a variety of key themes which businesses can copy and edit to use on their own websites, while the Photo Bank contains a large selection of images which businesses can use online and in print. Both these new resources are available free to registered users of the B2B website and are all being well used.

http://www.burns-southwest.com/

http://www.ayrshire-arran.org/

http://www.ayrshire-arran.org/resources/text-bank

http://www.ayrshire-arran.org/resources/text-bank

http://www.ayrshire-arran.org/resources/photo-bank



6

2.4.8 Community Engagement: Learning Journeys Over the past year, 8 Tourism Learning Journeys have taken place. The purpose of the learning journeys was for participating community groups to see different tourism projects, learn what has worked and what hasn’t and identify what actions can be implemented in their own community to enhance the tourism offering. 37 communities have taken part in these visits and are now considering developing their own plans. Tourism Toolkit A practical and accessible tourism toolkit was produced. This publication was developed to assist and support community groups looking to take forward tourism projects. The toolkit covers topics such as organising tourism events, developing heritage trails, potential sources of funding and developing a local marketing and PR campaign. A printed version of the toolkit was made available to all learning journey participants and has been widely distributed across the region to include: 56 libraries, relevant council departments (East, South and North) community groups and many more. A downloadable version is available on B2B website. Meet the Funder Event A Meet the Funder event was held with 12 funders and 123 representatives of communities attending to discuss the potential of their projects and possible funding streams. 2.4.9 Leadership & Collaboration: Partnerships A key role of the Tourism Manager has been the creation of links with regional and national businesses and organisations. Over the last year, new partnerships have been created which will be further enhanced over the next planning period with a view to driving new and additional business to the area: Working partnership with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce (Business Week) Creation of Partnership with Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (golf) Working partnership with Glasgow Prestwick Airport (info point / interpretation) Creation of links with Glasgow International Airport (images/ interpretation) Creation of links with P&O Ferries (info/ promotions) Creation of working partnership with Associated British Ports (cruise ships) Collaboration with The List magazine Links with Global Scots Links with Scottish Enterprise (Setting of new Tourism Strategy 2030) Creation of working partnership with international PR agent Working partnership with Trinity Press Group (5 positive tourism stories so far this year) Working partnership with Morrison’s Tours and Excursions Tours. Working partnership with Think Local Group Creation of Country Sports Group (bringing together of 12 estates / guide in the pipeline) Research: The latest STEAM data on regional tourism performance is 2014. The tourism team continues to provide relevant reports / data on B2B and highlights items of industry interest. Events: In addition to partnership and research, the leadership role also involves coordinating



7

Tourism Team engagement with local businesses via organisation of The Tourism Gathering. The first Tourism Gathering was held in Irvine in April 2013 where 100 people attended. In 2014 the Tourism Gathering was held in Troon where 130 people attended. The Tourism Gathering 2015 in Kilmarnock was attended by 180 people and the Business Week event (attended by 75 people) led to the creation of the Food and Drink guide and helped establish other inter-industry relations. During the first year of the team being in place, 10 roadshows took place across the region to introduce the team to the tourism businesses, these events where attended by more than 100 people. Communication: In response to requests from the industry, the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team also launched Love Ayrshire on FACEBOOK at the end of March 2015. This provides information for consumers and is intended to stimulate interest in events, places to visit and create a sense of belonging. 2.4.10 Quality & Skills: During 2012-13 a pilot took place to identify the best framework, content and delivery of service excellence training. Industry feedback was in favour of online delivery due to it being more flexible and adaptable to the needs of businesses. At the same time a service excellence training scheme was being developed for Glasgow through a Scottish Enterprise initiative and this framework was made available to the Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team to develop a regionally bespoke training scheme titled ‘Ayrshire Smiles’ which was launched in spring 2014. Since its launch, over 200 participants have completed the training. Promotional activity is ongoing to encourage participation and Ayrshire College is including Ayrshire Smiles for students of hospitality and tourism.



8

2.4.11 Marketing: Exhibitions: Ayrshire & Arran Tourism have promoted and showcased the region at the following events;

VisitScotland Expo 2013 in Glasgow at the SECC

The RICOH Women’s British Open, Royal Birkdale, July 2014

VisitScotland Expo 2014 in Glasgow at the SECC Plans are in place for attendance at the following:

VisitScotland Expo 2015 in Aberdeen at the AECC

Cruise Welcome for Le Boreal at Ayr, May 2015

Scotland Home of Golf at The Open in St Andrews, July 2015

RICOH Women’s British Open Trump Turnberry, August 2015

VisitScotland Expo 2016, Edinburgh at the EECC

The Open, Royal Troon, 2016 Ayrshire and Arran Promotional Stands and leaflets: Ayrshire and Arran Branded promotional stands and a range of 7 new leaflets have been produced to enhance the visitor experience .This reinforces the Ayrshire and Arran branding and ensures delivery of essential visitor information at key sites. These have been widely distributed across the region. More than 80 businesses are now displaying visitor information about Ayrshire & Arran at their premises. 2.4.12 Sustainability: Ayrshire & Arran Tourism established a Volunteer Programme in 2014. The volunteer coordinator has been recruiting and training local people to become Tourism Champions during the final year of the period of this report. The volunteers have been present at a range of events and locations throughout the region and this will continue with a busy programme planned for 2015. Currently 16 volunteers have completed their training and others have part-completed their training. Feedback received regarding the volunteer involvement has been extremely positive and visitors have reported that they found the help and support provided was very useful and helped to enhance their visit to the area.



9

Since establishing the Volunteer Programme, volunteers have been present at various events and locations. Events covered were: Scottish Grand National Gold Cup events at Ayr Racecourse Christmas at Culzean Burns Alloway 1759 weekend Tourism Gathering event in Kilmarnock The Great Tapestry of Scotland at Ayr Town Hall Burns An A’ That Festival at Rozelle Park Ayr County Show Ballantrae Food Festival Mauchline Holy Fair General Locations were: Ayr railway station Ayr town centre and promenade Glasgow Prestwick Airport Ballantrae Mauchline In total the volunteers have participated in 42 individual sessions, representing 192 hours of volunteering time gifted. There has been a total of 35 hours of induction training provided and 40 hours worth of training time completed online.

3.0 Regional Tourism Performance 3.1 Core Targets: The Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Strategy 2012-2017 has the following core targets:

Increase annual number of visitors coming to Ayrshire and Arran by 10%, from 3.50 million to 3.85 million.

Increase annual spend by visitors by 20% from £348 million to £418 million.

Increase employment supported by the sector by 10% from 8,915 jobs to 9,807 jobs. In terms of overall regional tourism performance the latest draft figures for 2014 have just been released. These most recent pan-Ayrshire STEAM figures show that tourism revenue increased by 7.8% from £381.98m in 2013 to £423.15m at end of 2014 (historic prices).



10

3.2 Trends for Ayrshire and Arran to end 2014:

Indicator (STEAM) 2011 2012 2013 2014 *

Visitor numbers 3.58m 3.56m ↓ 3.59m↑ 3.62m↑

Tourism revenue (millions) £363.79 £360.30↓ £381.98↑ £423.15 ↑

Spend per visitor £101.61 £101.20↓ £106.19↑ £116.92 ↑

Tourism employment 8621 8490↓ 8640 ↑ 8823 ↑

* 2014 Conservative figures for Ayrshire & Arran (without Calmac figures). 3.3 Key Points for Ayrshire & Arran:

Visitor numbers +0.7%

Length of stay increased by 3.4%

Tourism revenue +7.8%

Spend per visitor +10.1%

Tourism employment +1.2%



11

4.0 Key Performance indicators: Annex 1 provides the key performance information (KPI) and progress against key tasks. Summary of 2012-2015 targets which have been exceeded

1. Number of collaborative publications produced 2. Number of visitor attractions with signposting to encourage extended stays and repeat

visits 3. Number of hits on watersports website 4. Number of businesses attending annual tourism conferences and networking events 5. Number of stakeholders attending annual conferences and networking events 6. Number of journalists visiting the region 7. Number of travel operators hosted 8. Number of press articles from press visits 9. Number of events nationally promoted via national website 10. Number of communities participating in Learning Journeys 11. Number of communities utilising Tourism Good Practice Guide to develop tourism

projects Summary of 2012-2015 targets which have been met:

1. Number of golf clubs involved in new golf development company 2. Number of Watersports businesses engaged with new Watersports website 3. Number of tourism exhibitions attended

Summary of the 2012-2015 targets which have still to be fully achieved

1. No of businesses registered on B2B website 2. No of businesses registered and participating in skills training (Ayrshire Smiles) 3. No. of individuals trained which will improve local knowledge (Ayrshire Smiles) 4. Number of volunteers enhancing the visitor experience across the region



12

Actions contributing to this outcome Sub Actions Lead Officer

Due Date

Resources / Comment

Create publications for industry to use to increase length of stay of visitors

Work with SNH to create regional flyer for natural and cultural attractions

A Coia May 2014

Staff time / Achieved

Help establish Regional Golf Development Group

Work with partners to maximise forthcoming Golf Exhibitions and events

A Coia August 2015

Staff time / Ongoing

Oversee website build

R Halley

August 2014

Budget / Staff Time /

Completed

Development and conclusion of evaluation framework R Halley August 2014

Staff Time / Completed

Promote & initiate phase two of signposting initiative

Utilise B2B website / contacts to stimulate participation A Coia August 2014 Budget/Staff time /

Completed

ANNEX 1

Opportunities Visitors have good quality experiences and good information relating to Watersports, Golf, Natural Environment and Culture and Heritage.

Key Performance Measures

Reporting Frequency

Overall Target

Achieved 2012-13

Achieved 2013-14

Achieved 2014-15

Comment

1. Number of collaborative publications which will raise the profile of Ayrshire’s cultural and heritage offering.

Quarterly 13 NA 9 11 Target exceeded

2. Total number of visitor attractions with signposting to encourage extended stays and repeat visits

Quarterly 25 0 15 13

Target exceeded

3. Number of golf clubs subscribing to the regional Golf development group

Quarterly 40 NA NA 30 Will continue in 2015/16

4. No. of new Watersports businesses participating in Watersports website

Quarterly 30 30 NA NA

Achieved

5. No of hits on Watersports website per annum

Quarterly 4,250 NA 1,250 3,240 Target exceeded



13

Create a PR campaign for Watersports

Commission a PR company to generate additional press activity

G Maciver September 2014

Staff time / Completed

Monitoring and evaluation of site and activity G Maciver October 2014 Staff Time / Completed

Agency to generate new online activity G Maciver September 2014


Create collaborative promotions around Scotland’s Themed Years

Identify opportunities & develop partnerships with other organisations

G Maciver January 2014 Staff Time / Ongoing

Develop appropriate Food & Drink focus for 2015 G Maciver June 2014

Staff Time / Ongoing

Create product and undertake promotions G Maciver June 2014


Ongoing

Create new collaborative Activity Tourism “hub” promotions

Identify walking opportunity, enhance product and create Promotion

A Coia April 2015


Ongoing

Identify cycling opportunity, enhance product and create promotion

J Sloan Aug 2015 Budget / Staff Time /

Ongoing / On track

Identify art / craft/ music opportunity, enhance product and create promotion

J Sloan March 2015

Budget /Staff Time / Complete



14

The Basics Visitors receive a warm welcome, a more professional service and businesses will be better informed and able to sell on regional tourism more effectively.


Reporting Frequency

Overall Target

Achieved 2012-13

Achieved 2013-14

Achieved 2014-15

Comment

1. Total no. of businesses registered on B2B website

Quarterly 600 52 363 506 Will continue into 2015/16

2. No. of businesses registered and participating in skills training.

Quarterly 100 NA NA 40 Will continue into 2015/16

3. No. of individuals trained which will improve service levels and local knowledge

Quarterly 3500 NA NA 202 Will continue into 2015/16

4. No. of businesses participating in on-line performance business improvement programme

Quarterly 90 NA NA 21 Project actions revised.

Complete

5. No. of business with improved online performance following VIP programme

Quarterly 90 NA NA 0 Project actions revised.

Complete

6. No. of businesses attending annual tourism conferences and networking events

Quarterly 631 186 215 250 Target exceeded

7. No. of other stakeholders attending annual conferences and networking events

Quarterly 165 46 55 72 Target exceeded



15


Due Date

Resources / Comment

Enhance functionality of B2B website

Set up cross social media communications L Cree / G Maciver

March 2015 Budget / Staff time /Delayed by supplier

Enhance search function regarding registered users L Cree / G Maciver

March 2015 Budget / Staff Time /Delayed by supplier

Online photo gallery, downloadable for businesses to use to enhance their own websites

L Cree / G Maciver

December 2014

Budget / Staff Time / Completed

Promotion and administration of “Ayrshire Smiles”

Streamline online registration G Maciver July 2015 Budget / Staff Time / Completed

Meetings with tourism businesses keen to roll out to staff as part of the company training and development

G Maciver December 2014


Smiles event G Maciver March 2015 Budget / Staff Time / Ongoing

Promotion and administration of “VIP”

B2B and eNews G Maciver June 2015 Budget / Staff Time / Ongoing

Networking events for VIP users G Maciver December 2014


Organisation of Annual Conference and networking events

Organise Tourism Gathering 2015 L Cree March 2015 Budget / Staff time / Completed

Organise Business Week event L Cree October 2014

Budget / Staff Time / Completed

Organise business cafe / networking event L Cree December 2014




16

Marketing Visitors are provided with the right information at the right time in the right place to stimulate visits to the region (internal – Pan Ayrshire team)

Key Performance Measures Reporting Frequency

Overall Target

Achieved 2012-13

Achieved 2013-14

Achieved 2014-15

Comment

Number of tourism exhibitions attended Quarterly 7 1 2 4 Achieved

Number of journalists visiting region Quarterly 13 1 3 11 Target exceeded

Number of travel operators hosted Quarterly 46 25 0 53 Target exceeded

Number of press articles resulting from press visits Quarterly 30 7 8 17 Target exceeded

Number of events nationally promoted via VisitScotland website

Annually 220 40 76 130 Target exceeded


Due Date Resources

Create, coordinate and promote travel opportunities via coach, cruise, group and activity familiarisation visits

Coordinate Coach operators Visit Team

September 2014 Budget / Staff time /

Completed Coordinate Cruise operators visit September 2014

Coordinate Group Travel visit September 2014

Coordinate Golf Operators Visit September 2014

Organise press visits

Coordinate Press visit for Golf

Team

April 2015 Budget / Staff

time / Completed

Coordinate Press visit for Watersports April 2015

Coordinate Press Visit for Culture & Heritage April 2015

Coordinate Press Visit for Natural Environment April 2015

Manage Ayrshire presence at various exhibitions

Women’s Open Royal Birkdale A Coia

July 2014 complete

Budget / Staff

time / On track

EXPO 2015, Aberdeen April 2015

The Women’s Open, Turnberry July/August 2015

The Open, St Andrews July 2015

Encourage event organisers to add event details to Event Scotland database

Utilise B2B website to stimulate participation and use event lists to contact organisers directly

L Cree July 2015 Staff time / Ongoing



17

Communities & Places Visitors will find appropriate attractions and services across the region and be welcomed by enthusiastic knowledgeable local volunteers


Reporting Frequency

Overall Target

Achieved 2012-13

Achieved 2013-14

Achieved 2014-15

Comment

1. Number of communities participating in Learning Journeys

Quarterly 12 NA 2 37 Target exceeded

2. Number of communities utilising Tourism Good Practice Guide to develop tourism projects

Quarterly 10 NA NA 37 Target exceeded

3. Number of volunteers enhancing the visitor experience across the region

Quarterly 100 NA NA 16 Will continue 2015/16


Due Date Resources

Create Learning Journeys

Research Best Practice Examples of Projects/Communities for Learning Journey Programme

J Sloan October 2014 Budget / Staff time/

Completed

Develop and Deliver Learning Journey Programme J Sloan October 2014 Staff time / Completed

Evaluate Learning Journey Programme J Sloan December 2014 Staff time / Completed

Create and promote Good Practice Guide

Research and Develop Community Tourism Toolkit Manual/Good Practice Guide

J Sloan September 2014 Budget / Staff time /

Completed

Promote use of Community Tourism Toolkit Manual/Good Practice Guide

J Sloan August 2014 Staff time / Completed

Establish volunteers programme, procedures and promotions

Set up volunteer policies C Reid June 2014 Staff time / Completed

Recruit and train volunteers C Reid August 2014 Staff Time / Ongoing

Undertake promotions via 3rd sector organisations to stimulate interest

C Reid October 2014 Staff Time / Ongoing



18

Annex 2: Ayrshire & Arran Tourism 2012-2015 Budget @ 31 March 2015

Income Yr 12-13 Yr 13-14 Yr 14-15 TOTAL 12-15

East Ayrshire Council 109,000 109,000 109,000

North Ayrshire Council 181,900 181,900 181,900

South Ayrshire Council 205,750 205,750 205,750

TOTAL PAN AYRSHIRE TOURISM BUDGET £496,650 £496,650 £496,650 £1,489,950

The annual budget was allocated as follows:

VisitScotland (33.5% of budget): Activity agreed via Memorandum of Agreement and reported separately to Tourism Leadership Group.

Expenditure Marketing

Yrs 12-13 Yr 13-14 Yr 14-15 TOTAL 12-15

East Ayrshire Council 25,000 25,000 25,000 75,000

North Ayrshire Council 72,550 72,550 72,550 217,650

South Ayrshire Council 69,100 69,100 69,100 207,300

TOTAL MARKETING BUDGET £166,650 £166,650 £166,650 £499,950



19

Direct Tourism Team (66.5% of budget): Activity reported to Ayrshire Shared Services Committee, Ayrshire Economic Partnership and

Tourism Leadership Group.

Expenditure Product Development

Yr 12-13 Yr 13-14 Yr 14-15 TOTAL 12-15

East Ayrshire Council 84,000 84,000 84,000 252,000

North Ayrshire Council 109,350 109,350 109,350 328,050

South Ayrshire Council 136,650 136,650 136,650 409,950

TOTAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT BUDGET £330,000 £330,000 £330,000 £990,000

Year 12/13

actual

Year 13/14

actual

Year 14-15

actual

Projected 3yr spend Total Spend to date

Tourism Team

167,760 216,350 240,413 624,523 623,893.36 (99.8%)

Total Budget for Projects over 3yrs - £365,478

Project Budget Allocation Additional income Total Spend to date 31.03.15

Cultural & Heritage 30,000 - 21,768.03

Golf Phase 1

25,492 10,000 SE 2013 25,492.00

Golf Phase 2 (direct to RGDG)

30,000 20,000 SE 25,200 SAC

30,075.83

Walking 17,000 - 6,573.00

Cycling 14,600 - 6,352.98

Shopping & Music 6,000 - 5,644.00



20

Watersports

32,000 - 31,893.16

Legacy Events (Yr of natural Scotland)

10,413.25 10,413.25

Legacy Events (Yr of home-coming)

10,000 10,000 DGC 2013 15,122.95

Legacy Events (Yr of Food & Drink)

10,000 4,000 industry 14,875.00

Business Communications

15,344.24 - 15,344.24

Visitor Information Provision

18,400 - 18,300.00

Community Engagement

12,000 - 9,954.10

Leadership & Collaboration (TNS)

5,000 - 5,000.00

Leadership & Collaboration (DREAM & STEAM)

1,900 - 900.00

Quality & Skills

15,000 - 15,000

Marketing (EXPO 2013) 20,000 6,750 industry 2013

23,511.62

Marketing (EXPO 2014) 13,436 9,500 Industry

2014

25,298.00

Marketing (EXPO 2015) 13,594 - 9,450.00

Volunteer Coordinator 38,400 - 34,400.00

Volunteer Coordinator (Activity)

7,000 - 1,852.93

Promotional Stands 8,300 - 6,170.00



21

Tourism Gathering 2014 3,000 - 2,946.78

Tourism Gathering 2015 10,000 2,000 VisitScotland

7,401.43

Total £353,285.491 87,450 347,739.30 (98%)

Additional Contracts

Project Yr 12-13

Committed

Yr 13-14

Committed

Yr 14-15

Committed

Additional

income

Projected Spend Total Spend

Golf Events

Promotions

- - - 48,000

SAC

48,000 46,685 (97%)

1 The current budget allocation of £353,285.49 for projects is the final commitment figure for the 2012-2015 period. An under-spend of £5,546.19 and an

uncommitted project fund budget of £12,192.51 will be carried over to the 2015-2016 Service Plan as agreed.



22

Report produced by Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Team, June 2015 Further information: Ros Halley Ayrshire & Arran Tourism Manager [email protected]

Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Service Performance Report 2012...

Documents

Transcript of Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Service Performance Report 2012...