Tourism Society Issue 150 Summer 2012

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The Tourism SocietyQueens House, 55-56 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BHTT 0207 269 9693 FF 0207 404 2465EE [email protected] www.tourismsociety.orgRegistered in England No. 01366846. ISSN: 02613700

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Tourism is the journal of the Tourism Society.The views expressed inTourism are those of individual authors and not necessarily those of theTourism Society.Whilst unsolicited material is welcomed, neithertransparencies nor unpublished articles can be returned.The Tourism Society cannot be held responsible for any services offeredby advertisers in Tourism. All correspondence must be addressed to theEditor.Tourism is only available to members of the Tourism Society and onsubscription, it is distributed quarterly to 1800 professionals working innational and regional tourist boards, local government, travel agencies,and tour operators, visitor attractions, accommodation and catering,entertainment, information services, guiding, consultancies and educationand training.

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Inside Front 30/4/12 17:19 Page 1

www.tourismsociety.org 3Issue 150 Summer 2012

EditorialWater-based tourism: morethan messing about in boats It goes without saying that as an island nation,water is an absolutely vital part of life for theUK, for our economy and for all industriesnot least for our inbound, domestic andoutbound tourism industry.This journal attempts to cover such anenormous issue by looking at the different

water-based tourism products and sectors and their importance anddevelopment including inland boating and the Broads, the importance ofthe Thames in a year when the world’s eyes are on the UK, the skillsneeded and opportunities available in water-based tourism, citywaterfront regeneration and the rise of the cruise industry. I wasparticularly delighted to read that the cruise industry is now considered,at least by the Travel Foundation, as improving in terms of sustainability.The cruise industry has been in the news for all the wrong reasons thisyear with the unfortunate Costa Concordia disaster followed by a fire onthe Costa Allegra, all in the year of the 100th anniversary of the sinkingof the Titanic.The industry reacted immediately to the Costa Concordiadisaster and a tightening of cruise ship safety standards has already beenoutlined by the European Commission and the industry.One of my favourite quotes that I learned when Director of theAssociation of Cruise Experts (ACE) has to be ‘cruise is no longer justfor the newly-wed, over-fed or nearly-dead’; a tongue-in-cheek butaccurate assessment of the changing perceptions of this growing industry.The new-to-cruise market is growing rapidly; 4 in 10 passengers in 2011were on their first ever cruise according to the PSA.The industry hasspent billions in the last decade alone, investing in the latest onboardtechnology and catering for the family market. I bet you never thoughtyou’d see a surf simulator on board a cruise ship, let alone zip lines, rockclimbing walls, water flumes, the Blue Man Group and solar-power, as wellas the now standard world-class spa facilities and Michelin-starredrestaurants. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I’ve enjoyedediting it, and that you come away with a greater appreciation of thevalue of water-based tourism.

Flo Powell MTS | Business Development Director,Representation Plus

Contents

From the President’s DeskOlympic fever is already grippingBritain and rightly so. It should bean outstanding showcase for Britishhospitality. I hesitate to put thecommentator’s hex on it but itseems that our planning has beenboth innovative and efficient. IndeedI am told that the IOC are soimpressed by our approach tothings like the food strategy that thecompany responsible has beenasked to do the same job again atthe next games.This is a successwaiting to happen – but there is apotential fly in the ointment.

To enjoy all this great hospitality vis-itors have to get here. Most willcome by plane arriving at one ofLondon’s busy airports.There theywill, if recent experiences continueto be the norm, spend an inordi-nate amount of time queuing to getthrough passport control.You might

think that former eastern bloccountries or China might have amore bureaucratic control systemwith longer waits.You mightremember when US border controlwas the rudest and most inefficient.No more.These prizes are now allregularly handed to our own UKBorder Agency.

If London 2012 is to have a realtourism legacy attracting visitorsback over coming years it mustoffer an efficient welcome. Howevermuch people enjoy their stay, ineffi-cient passport controls will put visi-tors off for ever. It is not rocket sci-ence. Lots of countries get it right.Cue DCMS to do battle with theHome Office. It is a fight they mustwin to justify their existence.

Lord Thurso MP FTS |President,Tourism Society

Cruise Tourism: Key trends: continuing investment and growth 4Peter Wild MTS, Director, G. P.Wild (International) Ltd

Ferries: Increasingly comfortable and an important link 5Justin Amey, Marketing Manager, Condor Ferries

Sustainability: Cruise sector gathers momentum after a slow start 6Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive,The Travel Foundation

Case Study: Liverpool Cruise Terminal – a success 7Keith Blundell MTS, Head of Tourism, Liverpool City Council

UK-based Cruising: Benefits spread beyond the ports 8Ken Charleson, Sales and Marketing Director, Hebridean Island Cruises

Shore Excursions: Cruise companies and Blue Badge Guides: a good partnership 9David Thompson, Chair of Guild of Registered Tourist Guides

Cruise Destinations: Oman – Beauty has an address 10 Alison Cryer FTS, Director for UK and Ireland, Oman Ministry of Tourism

Cruise Destinations: Seychelles – An Indian Ocean jewel 11Glynn Burridge, Copywriter, Seychelles Tourism Board

British Marine Federation: Supporting the interests of the leisure marineindustry 12Brian Clark, Environment and External Relations Manager, British Marine Federation

Case Study: Greener boating holidays in the Broads 13Bruce Hanson MTS, Head of Tourism Development, Broads Authority

UK Inland Boating: Improving quality keeps the holiday market buoyant 14Pali Badwal,Vice-President for Lodges, Parks, Boating and Apartments, Hoseasons

London’s River: One of London’s great venues 15Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events, London & Partners

Skills and Opportunities: Don’t water down your welcome 16Brian Wisdom FTS, Chief Executive, People 1st

Destinations:The importance of the waterways 17Nicky Lister MTS, Marketing Manager, British Waterways – West Midlands

Consultants Network: City waterfronts 18Michele Grant MTS, Director, Blue Sail

Membership news 19-21

Cover Photo Credit: Ant Clausen

03 contents 3/5/12 12:20 Page 1

Peter Wild MTS | Director,G.P. Wild (International)Ltd

4 [email protected]

Key trends: continuing investment and growth

Cruise Tourism

Issue 150 Summer 2012

The story of modern cruise tourism isone of success. In its fledgling years theindustry grew out of the demise of tradi-tional passenger liners as these were dis-placed by modern aeroplanes.This creat-ed an opportunity for some entrepre-neurs, notably Ted Arison, the founder ofCarnival Corporation, to offer a newproduct into the market using redundantliners to serve the North American mar-ket.Thus the modern cruise industry wasborn.

By 1980 1.4 million cruise tourists hadtaken to the seas, the vast majority ofwhom were sourced from NorthAmerica. By 2011 this figure had grownto 19.6 million cruise tourists with anaverage annual growth rate of +8.6%.Today cruise tourism is the fastest grow-ing sector of the world’s tourism market.In more recent years the industry hasbecome truly global sourcing consumersfrom Europe as well as North America,but also from other markets includingChina, Australia and South America, espe-cially Brazil.The PSA (Passenger ShippingAssociation) recently announced that theUK cruise market had grown by 5% in2011, attracting 1.7million.

Clearly, North America and Europe arethe main sources for cruise tourists andat present they account for 90% of themarket. However, in the future it can be anticipated that other source markets will become more prominent.Brazil is growing very rapidly as isAustralia and the potential in China isenormous.

The levels of market penetration in thekey source markets are depicted in Figure1, revealing France and Benelux as theleast mature markets.These are amongthe richer nations of Europe and musthave the potential to further advancetheir market position. In comparison theUK has long had the highest penetrationas well as the most cruise passengers.Even so its current penetration level of2.6% is under North America’s level of3.3%. Germany has increased its penetration to 1.6%, compared with 1.5% in 2010, while overall Europeanmarket penetration stands at 1.12%,slightly over a third of the North

American level.

The European cruise market expandedby around 65% between 2006 and 2011.In percentage terms, the fastest growthoccurred in the Scandinavian market.Among the smaller nations, Benelux alsoachieved impressive growth rates.

The slowest growth has been in the UK.

The most popular destinations for cruisetourists are the Caribbean and Europe asdepicted in Figure 2. If present trends aremaintained, it can be anticipated thatEurope will become the world’s premiercruising ground by 2014.

The other important trend in the indus-try is the increasingsize of moderncruise ships.Thistrend is driven bythe need to reduceunit costs in orderfor the cruisetourism offer toremain competitivein comparison toother tourism offers.

Ports and destina-tions are increasinglyresponding to thecontinued growth ofcruise tourism andthe need to handlethese large cruiseships.

The majority of destina-tions are able comfort-ably to absorb increasingnumbers of cruisetourists and the peaks involumes created by thearrival of one or morelarge cruise ships.Generally destinationshave adopted a positiveattitude to the needs ofthe cruise industry andas a consequence havebenefitted from the sub-stantial economic gainsthat flow from cruisetourism activity.

Occasionally a destina-tion is unable to accom-

modate large cruise ships for a variety ofreasons such as insufficient depth ofwater.

Such destinations are to some extentmarginalised but overall the continueddevelopment of cruise tourism can beregarded as being able to continue in thelonger term.

At present the greatest challenges for the industry are the high price of fueland new environmental regulations cov-ering emissions. Even so levels of invest-ment in the industry remain high and fur-ther growth can be expected in thefuture.

Figure 2: Growth in Key Destinations for CruiseTourists 2002-11

Source: G. P Wild (International) Limited

Figure 1: Comparative Cruise Tourism Penetration in Key Markets – 2011

Source: G. P.Wild (International) Limited

04 21/3/11 08:57 Page 2

Ferries

www.tourismsociety.org

Justin Amey | Marketing Manager,

Condor Ferries5

WATER-based tourism still has a majorpart to play within the travel industry. Aslong as there is a need for transport,there will be ferries and ferry routes, par-ticularly with the growing issues of roadcongestion and high fuel prices affectinglong journeys by car, and increasinglystringent security and luggage weight poli-cies for those choosing to fly. Ferry cus-tomers are becoming increasingly dis-cerning in their desire to be able to relaxand enjoy their holiday from the momentthey arrive on board, a desire which weare making every effort to address.

Ferry travel assists in the marketing ofport towns across the world which mayotherwise be bypassed by alternativetravel providers. Condor Ferries is heavilyinvolved in marketing the Channel Islandsas a tourist destination to visitors fromthe UK mainland, seeking to encouragevisitors to make the short trip by ferry toexperience the culture and gastronomyof the islands, and working closely withtourism authorities.This April the compa-ny celebrated the 25th anniversary of itsfirst passenger sailing to the islands, and itremains the only operator to supply ferryservices between the UK and the islands.Since 1987 Condor has transported over12 million passengers and more than 2.2million cars, maintaining a vital lifeline forboth passengers and cargo travelling

between the UK and the Channel Islands.

Demand for day trip sailings has alsoincreased. Day trips by ferry allow cus-tomers the opportunity to explore theislands of either Guernsey or Jersey toget a real taste of the destination and itsattractions – a move away from thestereotypical view of day trips simplybeing used to stock up on continentalfood and drink.

A new connecting service also gives anopportunity for passengers travellingfrom Poole to St Malo to break up theirjourney in either Guernsey or Jersey. Idealfor those travelling with young children orpets, the service allows passengers tomake a stop for a seafood lunch, shop-ping or simply to stretch their legs on theislands’ beautiful beaches before continu-ing their onward journey to France.Thesailings also allow for a twin-centre holi-day, encouraging tourist visits to two sep-arate destinations each with their ownattractions and services.

Customer feedback is vitally importantfor any travel provider – any companyunwilling to respond to customer sugges-tions will soon find themselves withoutrepeat bookings. For us, responding toour customer requests has meant theintroduction of a new on-board menu,offering customers a wider selection of

hot and cold drinks, meals and snacks. Onour fast ferries this has been furtherexpanded with a new coffee shop servinga wide-range of freshly-brewed coffees,beverages, cakes and pastries in partner-ship with Costa Coffee.

A new multilingual website features desti-nation guides for the UK, France and theChannel Islands, with advice on what todo, where to stay, where to eat and localactivities with links to the local tourismoffice – a one-stop site for anyone plan-ning a trip by ferry.

Our customers’ enthusiasm for ferry trav-el shows little sign of abating – bookingsfor the recent Easter holiday period wereup 5% on last year despite a challengingeconomic climate.We believe that ferrytravel gives passengers the chance tobegin their holiday in a more relaxedfashion, allowing them to enjoy their timeon board without excessive waiting timesprior to boarding, or restrictive luggagelimits. Approaching a destination by watergives a far more scenic perspective to apassenger’s arrival, as well as allowingtourists to disembark straight into abustling port town rather than undergo-ing a long transfer to their final destina-tion.We continue to work hard toimprove our services, and are looking for-ward to the next 25 years with greatoptimism.

Increasingly comfortable and an important link


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05 21/3/11 09:01 Page 1

Sue Hurdle | Chief Executive,The Travel Foundation6 [email protected]

Cruise sector gathers momentum after a slow start

Sustainability


The ‘floating hotels’ of the cruise industryface many of the same sustainability chal-lenges as their bricks and mortar coun-terparts.Yet, while it is perceived as play-ing catch-up with the more forward-thinking of its land-locked competitors,there are signs that things are beginningto improve in the sector.

Despite its recent press, the cruise mar-ket appears to be in good health.According to Cruise Market Watch, thetotal worldwide cruise industry is esti-mated to reach $33.5 billion during 2012,carrying a total of 20.3 million passengers;a 5.6% increase over 2011.

Yet, the sector’s obvious popularity makesit a target for environmental critics, keento point out the large amounts of wasteand emissions its produces. In addition,exponential rises in the costs of fuel andresources and increasing customerdemand for businesses to behave moreresponsibly have created a ‘perfect storm’for sustainability, leading many operatorsto consider how it can be employed asan ally to help reduce operationalexpense, increase customer satisfactionand silence the critics along the way.

To that end, some of the major names inthe cruise industry have already beguntheir journey, spending millions of poundsupgrading ships with the latest in energy-saving and waste-reduction technology tomeet ambitious environmental commit-ments, as well as embedding the ‘reduce,re-use and recycle’ mindset in employeesthrough training and development pro-grammes.

And it’s not just ocean-going liners thatare looking at areas for improvement.River cruise operators are also starting torecognise the business benefits of sustain-ability.While the industry is regulated,environmental implications of this form oftravel are little understood and patchyguidance exists to allow operators tomeasure and reduce impacts.

The Travel Foundation helps the travelindustry take effective action to protectthe environment and ensure local people

benefit from tourism. It has been workingto address the issues relevant to cruisingthrough a project with Uniworld - a com-pany aiming to extend its environmentalcommitments from its offices into ship-board practices.The initiative aims toreduce the environmental impact ofcruising on the Nile, the Danube, theRhone and the Rhine and has seenUniworld’s boats being audited on waterand energy use and waste production,and recommendations developed to helpachieve measurable reductions in theseareas.The project will inform the devel-opment of a ‘Sustainable River CruisingPack’ that will be made available to thewider industry, alongside the rest of theTravel Foundation’s range of free sustain-ability resources.

Although such initiatives are helping toaddress environmental challenges, there isstill a way to go, and as for land-basedtourism businesses there is still a realopportunity to focus also on the socialand economic impacts of tourism. Forexample, by looking at how excursionsand the supply chain can be improved tobenefit communities more.

The issue of certification is also on thehorizon for the industry, with GreenGlobe status already awarded to severalvessels and Travelife (the preferred sus-tainability certification scheme of majorUK tour operators) preparing to embarkon a revamp that will allow cruise opera-tors to attain its awards for their eco-cre-dentials.

Already recognised by many hotels onland as ‘badges of honour’ in the sustain-ability stakes, the race will be on for manyoperators to seek out the benefits thatpublic recognition of its efforts can bringin business terms. Of course, those whohave already started the process of look-ing at their practices will be well ahead ofthe game.

It is true to say the journey towards sus-tainability will never be a smooth one, buttoday the case for adopting better prac-tices has never been clearer.With effortand commitment, and the benefit of theshared knowledge of the pioneering few,the opportunity exists for the cruiseindustry to pursue a successful andgreener future.

Low impact?

06 21/3/11 09:04 Page 2

Case Study


Keith Blundell MTS | Head of Tourism,

Liverpool City Council7

When Liverpool published a bold newvision for its future in 2000, as well as amajor retail development, a landmarkbuilding on the Waterfront and a com-plete reworking of the city centre trafficnetwork, a cruise terminal at Pier Headwas proposed.

What could be simpler? There were twowilling partners in the city council and theharbour authority, a positive fundingregime and all we were doing was puttingsomething back that been there until theearly 1970s.The Prince’s Landing Stage,originally opened in the 1890s and at thattime the largest floating structure in theworld, had been removed (following thedeparture of the transatlantic passengertrade to aviation) but the ‘cut’ to enablethe vehicle bridge was still there and thefunding required, at an anticipated £10million, was tiny compared to some ofthe other projects.

Seven years later, when the Terminal final-ly opened with a Royal visit and a crowdof 35,000, those original opinions seemedlaughable if not downright ludicrous.A combination of legislative hurdles,changes of ownership of the Port opera-tor, competing and complementary projects and a local authority having tore-learn about the sea had turned what seemed to be the simplest of projects into a complicated, protracted(and extremely high-profile) £20 millionsaga.

Still we had got there, what could stop usnow? We were three months away fromthe Capital of Culture, it was the city’s800th birthday and our pre-marketingsince 2005 had got us into a great posi-tion with the industry.

There were a few issues.We were in themiddle of the city centre, great for thepassengers but not for traffic manage-ment and excursion coaches; we sharedour vehicle access with an Isle of Manferry which meant passengers could notleave for three hours a day; and, we werenext to office and residential buildingswhich didn’t appreciate access restrictionsbeing imposed to cope with the hugecrowds regularly turning out just to viewthe ships.

Teething troubles? In hindsight some; a

combination of professional managementand stakeholder communicationsremoved a number of obstacles but theoperation remains a compromise,albeit one that is outweighed by the huge attraction to ships and passengersof being berthed so close to the city centre.

Liverpool’s terminal is unique in the UK inbeing operated by the Council’s tourismteam.This has been a crucial part of thesuccess as we have seen ourselves as apart of the visitor economy and not justa port operation.

Our existing relationships with the localindustry have been put to good use infacilitating relationships with shore excur-sion operators and cruise executives. Keyappointments were made on the basis oftransferable rather than maritime skillsand we have a customer-focussed

approach which has brought praise fromthe industry.

Given the city’s historic association withmerchant shipping, recently brought tothe fore with the Sea Odyssey eventlinked to the Titanic Centenary, there hasbeen huge media and public interest inthe ships and the Terminal.

The most obvious manifestation has beenthe media campaign and public pressureto use the terminal for cruises that startand finish from the Pier Head area whichhad been excluded during the grantapplication. Eventually this led to twoapplications to Government and an in-principal agreement has now beenreached.

The future therefore looks bright as weprepare for 2012 to be the first seasonwhere we deliver both port of call andturnaround cruises.

Liverpool Cruise Terminal – a success


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: Pete

Carr

Expenditure data is derived from Cruise Europe average figures

07 21/3/11 09:06 Page 1

Ken Charleson | Sales and MarketingDirector,Hebridean Island Cruises8 [email protected]

Benefits spread beyond the ports

UK-based Cruising


As someone working for a cruise compa-ny, operating mainly within the UK, theincrease we have witnessed not only incruises departing from and cruising withinthe UK but also in the number of cruiseships from overseas making calls at UKports has been incredible.The effects onlocal businesses can be considerable, andeven our small luxury ship, HebrideanPrincess, carrying just 50 guests, can havea positive impact on the local economyof small and often remote destinationswhich are often heavily reliant ontourism.

As the only cruise ship to have beenawarded the Royal Warrant by HerMajesty the Queen, an accolade we arevery proud of, we operate in a very spe-cific niche market, cruising mainly aroundScotland’s west coast and Western Isles.Even here, the number of other cruiseships seen operating in or at least visitingour home waters has increased notice-ably in recent years.

That apart, the main beneficiaries of theincrease in UK cruising would appear tobe the traditional large cruise ports locat-ed on the south coast, such asSouthampton and Dover. However, otherports such as Portsmouth, which hasinvested in a new ferry/cruise terminal,have also experienced growth in thenumber of people taking no-fly cruises.

There has also been a rise in otherregional ports such as Harwich, Liverpool,Port of Tyne, Greenock and Rosyth allbeing used as ports of embarkation anddisembarkation.

These larger ports benefit from passen-gers who often stay in or near the towneither before or after their holiday. Oftenthis will be for more than just a singlenight, extending their stay in local hotels,guest houses and B&Bs.This extra timespent in a destination allows cruisers the

opportunity to explore the local area ontheir own; the areas surrounding startand end ports are very often overlookedby the cruise companies with few or noexcursions arranged, as they tackle thelogistics of loading not only passengersbut often the bulk of their stores at theseports on a very tight schedule.

With the specific growth in round-UKcruises there has been a significantincrease in the use of smaller, out of theway ports for calls during these cruisesand this can provide a boost for tourismbusinesses within a fairly large area.Theobvious benefits are the organised toursfrom the ships.With many of the largerships carrying international passengers,the distances they will travel to visit oneof our famous landmarks can be anythingup to 2 - 3 hours on a full day excursionand will often involve lunch ashore at alocal eatery.

For ports that can accommodate thelarger ships, with up to 3,000 passengersand some 2,000 crew, there can be a

dramatic impact on the local community.Those that embrace the visiting ships canbenefit in many ways from both the ships’passengers and crew.

Many guests will take advantage of theorganised excursion programme provid-ed by the cruise ship and this can involvea large number of local suppliers. Coachoperators, local guides, attractions, hotels,bars and restaurants will all benefit.Seasoned cruisers will often opt toexplore independently using local trans-port networks, taking them away fromthe crowds and often visiting lesserknown attractions or hidden local restau-rants in an attempt to find the true localflavour of an area.

Additionally, the crew, particularly thoseon their first trip to the UK, will want touse some of their valuable shore-time toexperience some of the tourist sights andexplore the local area, as well as to stockup on provisions.

Cruising is still one of the fastest growingsectors in the holiday market and where the local businesses have cometogether to provide an enhanced experi-ence for the cruise passengers they seethe benefits in increased footfall andspend.

‘There has also been a rise in other regional ports such asHarwich, Liverpool, Port of Tyne, Greenock and Rosyth allbeing used as ports of embarkation and disembarkation’

Cruising by Inverary

08 21/3/11 09:07 Page 2

Shore Excursions


David Thompson | Chair of Guild of Registered

Tourist Guides 9

The cruise market into the UK continuesto grow. Many cruise ships are now call-ing in to the UK for shore excursions aswell as for passengers embarking/disem-barking on various cruises. Our members(Blue Badge Guides) report an increasingamount of work coming their way viashore operators.

All regions of the UK have Blue BadgeGuides, so whichever port a cruise shipdocks in a qualified, fully insured Guidecan be on-hand.They will be able tomake suggestions not only for visiting themajor sites in the area – ancient castles,magnificent houses, awe-inspiring cathe-drals, vibrant city centres and picturesquevillages – but for numerous excursions offthe beaten-track as well.

Almost 40 languages are spoken by ourmembership and the cruise market offersmany opportunities for linguists. Last year,in Dover alone, between April andOctober, it was not unusual to find 30-40coaches on the quayside once or twice aweek, taking German, Italian, Spanish orFrench speaking passengers on tours tovarious venues in Kent – to towns, coun-tryside, cliffs for walking tours, visiting thecounty’s cathedrals, castles or enjoyingsteam railways, or popping over the ‘bor-der’ into Sussex.

Sometimes Guides just give a Meet &Greet service to small groups helpingthem to connect with their coaches/carsor helping them to check-in. If meetingpassengers who are disembarking, Guideshave a slightly different role. For example,accompanying a coach going to LeedsCastle and then on to Heathrow Airport.In this instance, Guides need to knowinformation about passengers’terminals/flights and work with the driver

to make sure that luggage isloaded correctly so that ifgoing first to Terminal Three,the luggage is the last to beloaded in the right placeand so on.This operationhas to be slick to ensurethat the right passengersare in the right place on theright coach with the rightluggage going to the correctdestination.

The work for the Guide isquite demanding beforerelaxing into the role oftourist guide giving com-mentary on the coach.

Areas that cruise operatorscould develop would beoffering smaller, specialisttours away from the normaltourist trail, with smallervehicles and going to countrypubs, villages or having tastersof local produce or having a go at a sportlike polo. Many liners do offer car-and-driver packages so passengers can cus-tomize their own tour, and some of thenewest trends in shore excursionsinclude intimate tours. Many of our mem-bers are private driver guides who offertours in comfortable vehicles andenhance the experience with detours toout-of-the-way special places that theaverage tourist misses.

Another opportunity is to offer tours topassengers at the start. Guides couldmeet them to do a tour, for example, toDover Castle before accompanying themto the ship. Effectively this is an enjoyableway for the passengers to spend timebefore embarking.

The Blue Badge is a symbol of excellencein tourist guiding. Entertaining and inform-ative, reliable and professional with localand up to date knowledge, the wealth ofexperience a Blue Badge Guide has isrespected by discriminating tour opera-tors and travel agents throughout theworld.

Some ports in England, such asSouthampton and Dover, are used asturnarounds. However, this does notdebar some liners offering excursions.With the wealth of history, tradition andculture on every port’s doorstep, passen-gers are only too happy to take advan-tage of an excursion.

For example, each of the Channel Islandsis charmingly individual and makes a greatexcursion for cruise passengers. Cruiseliners could include a coastal walking tourof Jersey, rather than loading passengersonto a coach.

It is fantastic that operators are usingBlue Badge Guides, our members certain-ly appreciate this important source ofwork and look forward to continued col-laboration with shore operators.

Cruise companies and Blue Badge Guides: a good partnership


‘The Blue Badge is a symbol of excellence in tourist guiding.Entertaining and informative, reliable and professional withlocal and up to date knowledge, the wealth of experience aBlue Badge Guide has is respected by discriminating touroperators and travel agents throughout the world.’

Guided shore excursion in Jersey

09 21/3/11 09:08 Page 1

Alison Cryer FTS | Director for UK andIreland, Oman Ministry ofTourism10 [email protected]

Beauty has an address

Cruise Destinations: Oman


Oman is a country of outstanding culturalheritage and natural beauty, renowned forits warm hospitality. It is a country withan extraordinary heritage and natural val-ues that make it a must see cruise desti-nation. Every year more than 200,000passengers cruise along the coast ofOman, authentic Arabia, once exploredby the legendary Sinbad the Sailor. Omanis undergoing rapid, but managed, tourismgrowth with cruise shipping being a majorcomponent. Fast becoming the most visit-ed Gulf Cruise destination, Oman boaststhree leisure ports.

The Port Sultan Qaboos is in Muscat,Oman’s Capital and ancient trading porton the Sea of Oman.The Port of Salalah,situated in Oman’s Southern Capital onthe Indian Ocean continues to attractcruises doing world trips or Indian Oceanvoyages.The Port of Khasab is in Khasab,in the Musandam Peninsula.

Port Sultan Qaboos now has a dedicatedcruise passenger terminal. “The cruiseindustry helps direct as well as indirectmarket growth in the country… we aretalking to major players in the cruiseindustry including Royal Caribbean, Aidaand Costa to convince them to come toOman,” Haitham Al-Gasani, Director ofTourism Promotions and Awareness atthe Ministry stated.To attract more cruis-es the Omani government has also eased

visa procedures for all tourists.

There are many factors that make Omana compelling destination, especiallyMuscat.The first factor is Oman Air’snon-stop services to over 41 internation-al destinations. Improved air connectionsmake it easier for passengers to considerOman as a pre and post-cruise holiday, oran add-on to cruises that end in otherregional ports.The second factor is the improved han-dling capacity of Port Sultan Qaboos and

the industry’s ‘discovery’ of Khasab as aniche destination especially for smallervessels.The third factor is the growth incruise specialists in this sector.This adds to Oman’s other supporting assetsincluding world class resorts and hotels.

The final factor is Oman’s beauty which isbacked by cultural, heritage and naturaldimensions that fascinate many visitors.Everywhere you go Oman’s distinctive-ness is evident.

10 21/3/11 09:18 Page 2

Cruise Destinations: Seychelles


Glynn Burridge |Copywriter, Seychelles

Tourism Office11

Seychelles is the jewel in the crown ofIndian Ocean cruising.The 115 pristine,tropical islands, lying between 4 and 10degrees south of the equator and1,600km from the east coast of Africa,offer the most stunning natural beautyand also the greatest degrees of diversity.

This archipelago, containing the world’sonly mid-ocean granitic islands, developedits distinctive Creole character throughArab, French and British influences overthe centuries – not to mention being afavourite pirate haunt of old.

Costa Cruises are frequent visitors toSeychelles, as are niche, high-end cruisessuch as Zegrahm and Eco Expeditions.The Seychelles Islands, with their easycruising distances between islands, offer aconstantly changing landscape and aserene cruise experience that is virtuallyyear-round. Cruises traditionally includeSeychelles in any itinerary of the IndianOcean and the permutations of cruise-flyprogrammes are set to increase as aresult of the forthcoming ROUTES avia-tion forum, taking place between 8th and10th July 2012, when airlines and cruisecompanies will have a unique opportunityto synergise.

With a population of around 87,000,Seychelles is a predominantly Catholiccountry with an ethnic mix every bit asdiverse as the makeup of its islands.Theprincipal islands of Mahé, Praslin and LaDigue constitute the cultural, economicand touristic hub of the nation.Together,they offer a wide choice of accommoda-tion options, restaurants, art galleries,bustling market, souvenir shops and othertourism attractions as well as scenictours, world-beating beaches, marineparks, natural reserves and other won-ders waiting to be discovered throughthe myriad of excursions from localground handlers. Seychelles’ Creole cui-sine, featuring a sumptuous blend of theculinary arts of east and west, is oneexperience definitely not to be missed.

In an ecologically compromised worldSeychelles offers sanctuaries for numer-ous endemic species of flora and faunathat are amongst the rarest on earth.Many endemic and indigenous speciescan be discovered on the network of

guided walks.The islands are also hometo two UNESCO World Heritage sites:Praslin’s Vallée de Mai, upon whoseancient palms grows the wondrousCoco-de-mer, and fabled Aldabra, largestraised atoll in the world.

Throughout the islands, unparalleledopportunities are to be found for sailingon bare-boat or skippered yacht, deep-sea and fly-fishing, as well as a wide diver-sity of diving and snorkelling experiencesfor the expert and novice alike. FromMahé, the nation’s islands extend 100kmnorth and 1,700km to the south-west.Between 15 minutes’ and one hour’s flight

time from Mahé, several of our selectisland getaways offer accommodation inwell-appointed hotels and resorts rangingfrom sumptuous five-star luxury to rusticlodges possessing a natural and homelyelegance.

The rich variety of hotels and guesthous-es, each with its own brand of welcome,will seduce the visitor with the charmsand rhythms of a refreshing island lifestylefull of the sights, sounds and flavours thatare typically Creole.

Seychelles. Never before has the discern-ing tourist seeking tranquility beenoffered such diversity in one destination.

An Indian Ocean jewel


11 24/5/12 12:03 Page 1

Brian Clark | Environment and ExternalRelations Manager, BritishMarine Federation12 [email protected]

Supporting the interests of the leisure marine industry

British Marine Federation


The inland waterways are a key contribu-tor to UK tourism. More than 300,000people enjoy canal boating each year,while the inland hire industry has anannual turnover of £87.45 million andemploys over 1,500 full time employees.

With an estimated 233 British MarineFederation members involved in Tourism,the BMF (the national trade associationfor the UK leisure marine industry) hascreated a strategy that sets out how wecan support, promote and raise the pro-file of members.

Core to BMF’s Tourism Strategy is ensur-ing members are fully informed of gov-ernment tourism-related policy, able tobenefit from any available support and tomake representations to influenceGovernment policy. At the same time wealso represent members’ interests to rele-vant Government authorities and otherkey tourism organisations.

Raising the profile of boating relatedtourism also takes a prominent place inour activity. A guide to Cruising on theRiver Thames was recently produced forbusiness and boat owners along theThames and its connecting waterways.This followed partnering with theEnvironment Agency and also TourismSouth East on the very popularwww.visitthames.co.uk website providinginformation to all recreational users ofthe Thames.

Setting StandardsFollowing the proposal from theGovernment’s Tourism Strategy to createThematic Tourism Bodies (TTBs) to pro-mote specific sectoral interests alongsideDestination Management Organisations(DMOs), the BMF has been encouragedby Tourism Minister John Penrose tomeet with VisitEngland and promoteleisure boating as the first ever TTB.

Ensuring standards isimportant to preservethe quality of the inlandwaterways and the levelof tourism that can beenjoyed. Again, workingwith VisitEngland, BMFcontinues to supportand develop a BoatGrading Schemedesigned to helpboaters choose theright boat for their holi-day needs. Like thehotel industry, thescheme uses a star rat-ing to reflect the levelsof service, quality offacilities and comfort ofthe boat, and coversnarrowboats, cruisersand hotel boats acrossEngland’s waterways with similar schemesin Scotland and Wales.

Engaging with GovernmentTourism on the inland waterways wouldnot stay the success it is without continu-al lobbying activity and working to con-trol operational issues for the benefit ofinland boating businesses.

Following the government’s decision tomove British Waterways to the third sec-tor under the Canal & River Trust, theBMF has led a campaign on behalf of theinland leisure marine industry to safe-guard the interests of inland boating.

The drought that is already affectingmany parts of the UK looks set to con-tinue throughout the summer.This willstrongly affect the leisure marine industryas, quite simply, no water in the rivers orcanals means no boating.The BMF hasbeen working closely with BritishWaterways and the Environment Agencyto ensure a sustainable mechanism,

including for example lock restrictions, isput in place which will allow boating tobe enjoyed this season.

The BMF has also worked with WaterUK throughout the drought situation, onbehalf of its members, to overturn a pos-sible ban on the use of hosepipes towash down boats.

After lengthy discussions with Water UK(representing all major UK water andwastewater suppliers) in the face of apossible hosepipe ban, BMF can confirmthat the washing of private and commer-cial boats for Health & Safety reasons isexempt at this stage of the drought, withthe government recognising its impor-tance to minimise the spread of invasivenon native species.

Lobbying was also instrumental in min-imising the impact of changes to the pro-cedures for the use of red diesel in pri-vate pleasure craft, which took effectfrom 1 April 2012. All these activities arecrucial to allow our 1,500 members tocontinue providing the boats, marineequipment, facilities and servicesthat enable nearly 3.2 million peopleto enjoy boating and water sports onthe coast and inland waterways of theUK.

Pict

ure:

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Rollo

‘Tourism on the inland waterways would not stay the suc-cess it is without continual lobbying activity and working tocontrol operational issues for the benefit of inland boatingbusinesses.’

BMF keeps communication channels flowing

12 21/3/11 09:19 Page 2

Case study


Bruce Hanson MTS | Head of Tourism

Development,Broads Authority 13

The Broads is a uniquely beautiful envi-ronment shaped by people and natureover thousands of years. It offers anexperience unlike any other, both on itsrivers and lakes – the ‘broads’ – andalongside them on peaceful paths andcycle-ways, and in the unspoiled villagesand market towns that make up the richtapestry of this fantastic place.The Broadsis internationally important both for itswildlife and for the distinct and preciouscharacter of its fragile environment.

Water is at the heart of everything, butthere is so much to do on land as well.Boats can sail into the heart of the won-derful historic city of Norwich, or else tieup at the bustling sea-side resort ofGreat Yarmouth, mile upon glorious mileof Norfolk’s sandy beaches are only ashort walk from some of the moorings. Itis an ethereal place where land andwater, people and nature meet.

With over 200 kilometres of safe,enchanting and lock-free waterways, thebig skies and sparkling landscapes providea perfect back-drop for adventure andrelaxation.The famous Broads motorcruisers have been popular since the1930s – so much so that there was atime in the 1970s and 80s when therewere probably too many of them, andwater quality had become a problem.Status equivalent to a National Park haschanged all that, however, and the watersare pristine again, with sustainable num-bers of cruisers of a much higher quality.

Sustainability has indeed become awatch-word for the Broads, and BroadsTourism (the area’s fledgling DMO) hasled a drive to ‘green’ the boating industry.Working closely with Green Business UKand the Broads Authority, it has pio-neered a new eco-accreditation schemefor hire boats called the Green BoatMark (GBM).

Any boatyard joining the Green TourismBusiness Scheme can now put their boatsforward for GBM grading, against a set of25 criteria for a bronze, silver or goldaward.These cover a wide range of issuessuch as hull design, propulsion systems,on-board chemicals and waste and watermanagement. Also important is the infor-mation given out by the hirer, both onthe use of the craft and on the behaviourof its crew within a protected area.

Norfolk Broads Direct, which was the‘guinea-pig’ boatyard for the scheme, nowhas 57 GBM-graded cruisers, includingthe first hybrid-powered vessel in theBroads, and Richardsons Group, thelargest boat company in the area, isawaiting grading for its 300+ craft.

Land-based accommodation in theBroads ranges from friendly campsites,caravan and tourer parks and farmhouseB&Bs to indulgent country house hotels.

There is also a great and growing rangeof cottage and lodge accommodation tobe found. Often these properties areclose to the water, and some of themeven come with a day-boat included.

There has been a ‘feel-good’ factor atlarge in the Broads tourism industry inrecent years which is emphatically notrelated to complacency. It springs from across-fertilisation of ideas that has devel-oped from tourism businesses gettingtogether across sector divisions andbouncing ideas off each other.Workingclosely with the Broads Authority hasresulted in everyone becoming a winner– the businesses, the environment andthe visitors as well.

The businesses understand that theirprosperity depends to a large degreeupon the quality of the environment inwhich they operate, and it is in theirinterests to help to look after it. Somebusinesses adopt ‘green’ tourism becauseit is in their owner’s DNA to begin with.Many, however, have never thought aboutit until prompted, and it is really interest-ing to observe the journey on which theyembark. Profit often starts as the primemotivator, but quite often it comes insecond place to a wider commitment forthe good of the destination itself.

Greener boating holidays in the Broads


‘There has been a ‘feel-good’ factor at large in the Broadstourism industry in recent years which is emphatically not related to complacency. It springs from a cross-fertilisation of ideas that has developed from tourism businesses getting together across sector divisions and bouncing ideas off each other’

13 21/3/11 09:21 Page 1

Pali Badwal | Vice-President for Lodges,Parks, Boating andApartments, Hoseasons14 [email protected]

Improving quality keeps the holiday market buoyant

UK Inland Boating


Although the size of the holiday fleet hasreduced considerably since its peak in the1980s, the UK’s inland waterways remaina key part of the domestic tourism offer– and those operators who have adaptedand moved with the times are enjoying anew-found success, sharing in the renais-sance of the ‘staycation’ over the past fewyears.

A UK boating holiday is not always thesimplest type of break to sell to theBritish holidaymaker.There remains a per-ception amongst some that boating is likecamping in the 1970s – basic, rough-and-ready and not terribly aspirational.

The truth could not be more different.Today you will find dishwashers, powershowers,Wii consoles and plasma TVscreens with satellite television on boardsleek, modern and attractive craft. Just aswith the rest of the domestic tourismsector, customers want more for theirmoney, and are demanding accommoda-tion which is at least as good as, if notbetter than, they have at home.Fortunately, our boatyards are respondingwith increasingly special craft.

Just last month I was in Rugby to see thelaunching of Sapphire, the newest nar-rowboat in the Hoseasons fleet. A 67ftboat for just four people, she offersaccommodation with luxurious fixed bedswith Egyptian cotton bedding and plasmaTVs rising from the foot of the beds atthe touch of a button; en-suites to eachcabin with power showers and qualitytoiletries; underfloor heating throughoutand in the galley a fridge & freezer, a winecooler and a dishwasher.

Sapphire may be the top end of what ison offer, but these luxuries are quickly fil-tering down to the rest of the fleet.

Despite the economic downturn, five-starboat building continues on the Broadsand canals, and this is vital for the vibran-cy of our waterways. New boat buildinghelps shore up the income of bodiessuch as the Broads Authority and BritishWaterways, and that in turn ensures thatthe waterways are kept in pristine condi-tion to attract holidaymakers.

So given that the product has changedout of all recognition, how can we ensurethat perception keeps up with thischange? For those who have never expe-rienced a boating holiday, and equally forthose whose only experience may havebeen in the more basic offerings of thepast, our task is to re-educate and tospread the word, not least because boat-ing can be used as a useful hook intodestination UK as a whole.

Once again, rethinking how we do thingsis the answer. At Hoseasons, we aremaking wide and effective use of socialmedia, and in particular video content, to

help show people as well as tell themwhat is on offer on the UK’s waterways.

We are also constantly looking for newways to attract people to the UK’s water-ways who might not actually feel a holi-day afloat in the traditional sense is forthem. Lodges and cottages in watersidelocations are increasingly popular, andmany come with day boats to encouragepeople out onto the water.

We would love to offer – and could sellmany times over – more houseboats onour rivers and canals, but achieving plan-ning permission for these is problematic.Planners need to distinguish betweenapplications for holiday houseboats asopposed to residential houseboats, aboutwhich they appear to be less than enthu-siastic. Holiday houseboats can provideincome and increased visits to our water-ways areas, and we would like to see amore flexible approach to approving thedevelopment of such facilities.

At a time when many Britons arestressed, a slow-paced boating holiday isthe ideal tonic, and it also taps into anappetite for holidays which are ‘greener’and which get back to nature. Keepingour waterways vibrant is a key part ofmarketing domestic tourism as a whole;fortunately for the industry as a whole,that vibrancy seems to be alive and kick-ing.

‘We are also constantly looking for new ways to attract people to the UK’s waterways who might not actually feel aholiday afloat in the traditional sense is for them. Lodges and cottages in waterside locations are increasingly popular,and many come with day boats to encourage people outonto the water’

14 21/3/11 09:22 Page 2

London’s River


Iain Edmondson | Head of Major Events,

London & Partners15

London’s LifebloodIf it were not for the River Thames,London would not exist in the form thatit does today.The Roman city Londiniumgrew up around the point of the riverthat was easiest to cross and where theRomans eventually erected the firstLondon Bridge.

Through its history, the Thames hasbrought life to London. During the dayswhen Britain was a heavily industrialcountry, the docklands in the East Endwere the gateway to trade with theworld.This commerce made London therich and internationally important city it istoday.

Presently, the Thames remains at theheart of what brings people to London. Itlends itself as a venue in many forms,whether sailing along it, flying across it orcompeting on it, the River offers the per-fect stage for a plethora of spectacleswhich continue to lure visitors to thecapital’s famous banks time and timeagain. It also signifies the heart of the city,pumping visitors and residents alike alongits capillaries and back again, providing afast and convenient way for commutersto get from one part of the city toanother as well as offering many differentforms of recreation, both on the riverand along its banks.

Celebrations on the RiverAs London prepares to take the spotlighton the global stage this summer, the RiverThames is already gurgling in anticipationfor its own crowning moment as it car-ries a flotilla of 1,000 boats fromBattersea to Tower Bridge led by HerMajesty Queen Elizabeth II for herDiamond Jubilee.This monumental eventis expected to draw over 1 million spec-tators revelling along the banks of theriver during this focal point of the Jubileefestivities, and will at the same time givevisitors the chance to witness a record-breaking attempt for the capital. It formspart of London & Partners’WorldRecord London bid to make London amulti-record breaking city in the run upto London 2012.

Global interest events have a long-stand-

ing history with the River Thames includ-ing the prestigious annual Oxford andCambridge Boat Race drawing 100,000spectators, the New Year’s Eve Fireworksattracting 250,000 celebrants as well asfurther events from across the fields ofsport, music, culture and the arts includ-ing the yearly Mayor’s Thames Festival.Echoing the diversity of the city throughwhich it runs, the river is heralded forevents such as the Doggett’s Coat andBadge Race, the oldest annually contestedevent in the British sporting calendar, tocutting-edge, high adrenalin events suchas the Red Bull Air Race.

2012 River SpecialsServing as cultural, sporting and corpo-rate venues to compliment the Games,the region’s rivers and waterways will bea real focal point this summer. Show-stopping water-based attractions includethe Olympic Canoe Slalom event on theRiver Lea at the Lee Valley White WaterCentre as well as the Rowing and Canoe

Sprint events at Dorney Lake in Eton; thedaily spectacle of Sail Royal Greenwich’sTall Ships plying the Thames throughoutthe Games and the BT River of Music,welcoming the world to London with aspectacular weekend of free music repre-senting all 205 competing nations at land-marks along the River Thames.

That’s not to mention the NationalOrganising Committee Houses that arechoosing to make the River Thames theirhome during London 2012 includingCasa Brasil at Somerset House and theFrench Olympic Village at Old Billingsgate.These two historic venues kissing theThames will open their arms to visitorscelebrating each country’s success at theGames, whilst getting a flavour of theirlocal culture through events, pop-uprestaurants and shops.

As part of London that is steeped in his-tory, offers stunning views, and is suitablefor business as much as it is for theleisure visitor, the river is a mouth-water-ing prospect for those who are lookingto be inspired.

One of London’s great venues


Impression of the Royal Jubilee barge ‘Gloriana’

Cred

it:Jo

seph

Ben

nett

15 21/3/11 09:23 Page 1

Brian Wisdom FTS | Chief Executive,People 1st16 [email protected]

Don’t water down your welcome

Skills and opportunities


Boats and tourism doesn’t just mean pri-vate yachts and traditional cruise ships.The UK waterways industry is a small butimportant sector of the tourist landscape,representing approximately 65,000 leisureboats throughout the country and offer-ing opportunities for people looking for aspecific kind of work.

People 1st, the sector skills council for thehospitality, passenger transport, travel andtourism sector, is releasing its first majorreport on the passenger transport sector,State of the Nation 2012 PassengerTransport.This report has highlighted thatwhile UK waterways employs just 2,000people across the UK, the skills opportu-nities and challenges it faces paint a famil-iar picture.

When it comes to recruiting, UK water-ways businesses have two very differentneeds – technical skills for the staff man-ning the operation of the ship or boat,and people skills for the staff interactingwith the customers.While the industryreports few problems finding the former– despite the very specific requirements– the latter is proving harder to find.

This is because the industry tends toinvest in technical training rather thanfocusing in developing ‘softer’ skills likecustomer service skills; all skippers must have a licence but they don’t neces-sarily need to be trained in customerservice.

Yet in many cases, the two cross over.Theskipper of a leisure cruise on the RiverThames is often also the person makingannouncements to customers and pas-sengers, so customer service is becomingincreasingly important. A great exampleof how important good communicationand people skills have become can beseen in a recent advertisement on theBritish Waterways website. It specificallyfocuses on customer service and the jobtitle itself is ‘Customer Service Superstar’.

Such an emphasis places UK waterwaysin the same company as its hospitalityand tourism counterparts, with the wholeindustry crying out for staff with

customer service skills.

Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthalsummed this up recently when he saidthat if the service in a restaurant is fantas-tic but the food is not great, customersare still likely to come back. Conversely, ifyou cook a great meal but the serviceleaves something to be desired, the likeli-hood of someone returning diminishesdramatically.The same principle applies tobusinesses working in passenger trans-port and tourism.

So where do the opportunities lie forboth people wanting to enter the indus-try and waterways businesses themselves?

While the industry employs a relativelylow number of people, there are a lot ofvolunteer positions available and this is agreat way to find out more about theindustry.

There are also possibilities to learn onthe job and offering apprenticeships is agood way of unlocking some funding sup-port and helping people to learn whilethey earn.The Passenger Boat Associationis working with the Maritime andCoastguard Agency to develop an

apprenticeship framework that could seecareers within the sector rise. People 1stis also looking for small businesses tocome together as part of an apprentice-ship training association, even if thosebusinesses are too small to offer appren-ticeships in their own right.

Businesses should also seek to balance‘on the job’ training with short but effec-tive programmes like the WorldHost cus-tomer service programme.WorldHostprovides an understanding of the basicprinciples of customer service, but alsohelps staff to act as tourism ambassadorsor to serve specific groups, including dis-abled customers and diverse culturalgroups. More information about the pro-gramme is available atwww.worldhost.uk.com.

This summer, the Diamond Jubilee andOlympic Games will draw the attentionof the world to the importance of theriver Thames as a transport artery formajor events and tourism. Now is a goodtime to ask whether our waterways staffare as well prepared as their counter-parts in railways, airlines and bus compa-nies. If the answer is no, there is still timeto act.

16 21/3/11 09:24 Page 2

Destinations


Nicky Lister MTS | Marketing manager,

British Waterways – WestMidlands 17

It could be considered that the whole ofthe 2,200 miles of inland waterways thatBritish Waterways, soon to be ‘The Canal& River Trust’, manages is one large lineardestination, attracting 13m visitors a year.Whilst this is partly true, we know thatwaterways are appreciated at a muchmore local level and form a valuable con-tribution to the tourism product of adestination.When the canals were origi-nally built they were constructed by indi-vidual private companies, each bringingtheir own style of engineering and con-struction, which has left us today with awonderfully diverse legacy of cultural her-itage, picturesque scenery and the oppor-tunity to take part in a variety of recre-ational activities – for free.

Over the decades since the renaissanceof canal restorations took hold, the gen-eral appeal of canals has moved frombeing the preserve of boaters and fisher-men to attracting a varied mix of visitorsfrom holiday hire boaters and day visitorsenjoying a stroll along the towpath or acycle ride, to local leisure visitors whomay jog or walk the dog or use the tow-paths as a more attractive route to theshops or work. Our recent researchshows that the top three reasons for vis-iting the waterways are: they provide ahaven for people and an escape fromeveryday life; they are a haven for wildlife;and to be on or close to the water.

Some iconic structures on our networkhave become destinations in their ownright, such as the Pontcysyllte aqueduct(now a World Heritage Site), Andertonboat lift and the Falkirk wheel, and eachhas a cluster of additional facilities such ascafes, boat hire and visitor centres tolengthen the stay. But in general thewaterways play an important part in thevibrancy of wider destinations.

Following extensive regeneration ofBirmingham’s city centre canals in the1980s and 90s, totalling some £1 billion,the revitalised network is a focus for abustling mix of bars, shops, restaurantsand attractions all centred on the waterand draws some 3 million visits a year.These redeveloped canals constitute thekey marketing image and a unique sellingpoint of Birmingham, benefiting the widertourism and leisure industry and the

competitiveness of the city from a qualityof life perspective.The canals are alsocited as one of the top reasons to visitthe city.

The development of strong partnershipshas been vital to the growing popularityof the waterways. British Waterways isoften a small landowner and the develop-ment of a destination or area is only pos-sible through partnership. In Wales, forexample, a range of partnerships havebeen developed between BritishWaterways, the Welsh Assembly, localauthorities and voluntary groups, all withthe shared understanding that the Welshcanals have a fundamental part to play inthe country’s sustainable economicgrowth, acting as a powerful catalyst toregeneration. For example, the creationof a new mooring basin at Llangollenalone has delivered new tourism spendof £250,000 annually and drives 38,000additional holiday visits and 163,000 new

day visits to the destination town ofLlangollen.

An independent study has found that thecanals in Wales give rise to some £34million visitor expenditure per year andsupport around 800 full-time equivalentjobs.Waterway visitor numbers areincreasing and at the time of the reviewstood at 7.6m.The visitor experience alsoimproved through the creation of betterquality facilities and improved customerservice.The Welsh waterways are now acornerstone of the Welsh visitor econo-my.

Now more than ever, with the reductionin traditional funding and as BritishWaterways moves into the third sector,the involvement of local stakeholders inrealising the potential of their local water-ways is vital in ensuring that they play apart in shaping development and benefitfrom the tourism potential of a destina-tion.

The importance of the waterways


17 21/3/11 09:25 Page 1

Michele Grant MTS | Director, Blue Sail

18 [email protected]

City Waterfront

Consultants Network


I am writing this article on the centenaryday of the sinking of the Titanic, a shipbuilt in Belfast, a city which now boastsimpressive new waterfront developmentsincluding the new Titanic-inspired visitorattraction. Belfast is one of many placeswhere waterfront regeneration is playinga pivotal role in repositioning the city andoffers huge potential for cultural tourism.

Over the last 20 years – and in manycases after years of neglect and decline –waterfronts across the UK have beentransformed into business, leisure and cul-tural centres.Tourism has contributed tothis success and benefited from it.

Why tourism and waterfronts? People aredrawn to water.They like to watch activi-ty on it, walk along the quayside or getout on the water and explore.Wateroffers peace, bustle, vistas and reflections,it has a universal appeal and is filled withstories of exploration and discovery, theexcitement of arrival and departure, newbeginnings, lost friends, battles fought,goods traded and the exchange of cul-tures.

City waterfronts usually offer plenty ofopen space.That means space (on landand on the water) for large outdoor festi-vals and events to raise destination profileand provide a reason to visit. It meansspace to develop iconic new buildingsand bridges to deliver a new skyline;spaces that make a very visible statementabout a place and its aspiration and com-mitment to quality of design; space toredefine what the city is all about and touse its history to shape its future.

Major high profile cultural projects thatchallenge public perceptions about aplace are often part of that mix, such asThe Deep in Hull or the Sage inNewcastle Gateshead.These projectsgenerate visitors and tourism revenue tohelp make the case for investment butalso increase local pride and engage withcommunities in creative programming.

Waterfronts typically have a naval or anindustrial past, sometimes both, which hascreated a legacy of dramatic buildings and

big warehouses that can be brought backinto productive new uses and provideexciting spaces to work with.

The investment in waterfronts is huge;typically the headline success of that ismeasured by leverage (the ratio of publicto private sector investment) and in num-bers of jobs. For example, there has beenover £1 billion invested in Belfast water-front with a public:private leverage of 1:5.That investment has created 14,700 jobs.In 2010, there were 25,761 jobs onSalford Quays, a huge increase on the255 jobs in 1987 just after the docksclosed.

However, it is often difficult to separateout the tourism contribution to theseachievements and we know that tourismtends to perform less well than severalother sectors on job creation.

Number crunching is only one way tomeasure success and it can be a bluntinstrument.Visitors want distinctiveness,

authenticity and quality.Tourism can pro-vide rationale for investing in that andhelp deliver benefits enjoyed by every-one. It also makes sense to value theprocesses that enable and sustain thesegreat environments and to acknowledgethe role tourism plays in supportingthem. One good example is in Plymouth;the city has set up a WaterfrontPartnership – now a BusinessImprovement District – to help realisethe visitor potential of its spectacularwaterfront location.This is a great way formore stakeholders to become directlyinvolved in shaping the future of thewaterfront.

Trawling through assessments of recentwaterfront regeneration programmes, Iwas encouraged to see some acknowl-edgment of the role process, engagementand partnership play in delivering successthough I would like to see more evalua-tion of these factors. It is an area wherethe tourism sector has a lot of experi-ence and a strong role to play.

Plymouth’s waterfront

18 21/3/11 09:27 Page 2


Membership NewsThe responses to this year’s annualsurvey of Society members con-firmed two things:

� Networking opportunities and devel-oping business contacts were the mainreasons that people join the Society

� There is a strong wish to see moreactivities taking place outside London

We asked people to indicate the impor-tance of various membership benefitsand it was the meetings and eventsorganised by the Society that clearlycame out at the top of the list, with 42%of respondents describing them as ‘mostimportant’.Traditional benefits such asdiscounts were equally clearly seen as the‘least important’.

Although the message here is clear, thereis still value in being able to offer ourmembers attractive benefits through col-laboration with selected businesses andsuppliers and we will continue to do so.However, organising interesting andinformative meetings should be the areawe concentrate on, with quality notquantity in mind given that 74%say they are happy with the currentnumber of events.

Seven questions in the survey dealtspecifically with the journal, asking aboutits appeal, content and design.The majori-ty of respondents (71%) were happy toread the journal in paper format and 75%were happy with the design and layout. Inthe more detailed responses there was asmall majority of positive commentsdescribing what members thought of thecontent with ‘informative’ being the wordmost commonly used.

On the other side there was a wish tosee articles that were more challengingand controversial.

Overall, the majority of respondentswere ‘quite happy’ with both the level ofcommunication (48%) and quality andcontent of information (45%) that is sentout by the Society.

This is certainly encouraging, and keepingmembers up to date with industry devel-opments and information is one of thekey responsibilities at the Secretariat.Active involvement of members in help-ing to produce the information is alsovery important, and the points raised inthe survey about regional and nationalchapters show that 57% feel they wouldbe more involved in Society activities if

there was a chapter in their area.Thiswould help stimulate events, networkingand discussion locally and generate infor-mation and updates for the Secretariat todistribute.

With the majority of respondents whohad never attended a Society meetinggiving ‘venue location’ as their reason,establishing active local chapters to pro-vide accessible events is an importantarea.

Please contact the Secretariat if youwould like information on how to set upa chapter.

Finally, it was good to see that 79% ofrespondents would recommend joiningthe Society to a colleague. If 79% of ourmembers could each encourage just onenew person to join this year they wouldgenerate significant growth for theSociety, at the same time extending thedepth and breadth of the Society andincreasing the value of membership toothers.

The complete set of responses can beseen by going to the Research andStatistics section of our website (found inthe My Account menu once you havelogged in).

Events CalendarMay

10th

MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencesand Events) & Business Travel:The UK v.The Emerging Markets, Strand PalaceHotel, London

17th

Will there be high street agents in fiveyears’ time? In association withTravelmole, London

22nd

The Green Economy – Is Tourism max-imising its potential? Whitehaven, Cumbria

24th

TMI Hot Topic 2012: Digital Destinations,TechnoCentre, Coventry

June

21st

Are all-inclusives good or bad? In associa-tion with TravelMole, MacIntyre Hudsonoffices, London

27th

Tourism,Technology and Social Media,London

July

12th

Tourism Society AGM and AnnualConference, Bloomsbury Hotel,London

17th

Does Recession mean the end of respon-sibility in tourism? In association withTravelMole, MacIntyre Hudson offices,London

September

13th

Cruising, is it beneficial to all destinations?In association with TravelMole, London

October

11th

Will UK tourism and Tourist Boards everengage in travel? In association withTravelMole, MacIntyre Hudson offices,London

24th

Media Masterclass with TravMedia,London

November

1st

Backpacking Unpacked, University ofSurrey

7th

Tourism Society/UNWTO Debate,WorldTravel Market

8th

Future You, in association with ITT,WorldTravel Market

22nd

Do destination websites work? In associa-tion with TravelMole, London

29th

Package Travel Regulations: Do you knowwhere your company stands? MacintyreHudson offices, London

December

5th

President's Debate and ChristmasReception, London

Review of Spring 2012 Members’ Survey

19 24/5/12 12:04 Page 1

20 [email protected] 150 Summer 2012

Membership News

Hot days, late snow, hosepipe bans anddeluges have got the year off to a mixedstart.With luck things will settle down asthe nation enters the final stages ofpreparing for its summer of being thecentre of the world’s media attention.Here at the Society we held a successfulevent looking at the effect of theOlympics on trade – Snappin’Turtlefilmed proceedings and you can see the

results on our Youtube channel. Lastautumn’s Media Masterclass also features.Go to http://bit.ly/I7C3e7.The video clipsare a great tool for promoting theSociety and highlighting the value of ourevents.

Our calendar is as busy as ever. I wouldlike to thank the sponsors that havehelped make our events so far this year a

success, including BDRC Continental,Eurasian Linguistic Services and green-earth.travel.There will be plenty moreopportunities over the coming months; ifyou would like to support the Society inthis way please contact Christy Hehir [email protected]

Gregory Yeoman MTS | Executive Director

[email protected]

From the Executive CommitteeThank you to Flo Powell for her work asguest editor of this edition of theSociety’s journal.

She and the article contributors havegiven a very interesting overview of theimportance of water-based tourism tothe UK in all its forms.

Cruising is well-known as a confident andgrowing sector, but the inland waterwaysoffer many miles of tourism opportunitiesas well – definitely worth considering as arelaxing staycation option.

At our Annual Dinner in April AnnePierce MBE received the Tourism SocietyAward on behalf of The Springboard

Charity.The Award recognisesSpringboard’s work helping young, unem-ployed and disadvantaged people intocareers in hospitality, leisure and tourismover the past 20 years.

The Society’s AGM and AnnualConference will take place on July 12th atthe Bloomsbury Hotel in London.Following last year’s successful format,speakers from across the industry willexamine three key areas of the industry –details are below and on the website.

We have aimed to make the event asinformative and affordable as possible andlook forward to seeing you there.

Andrew Bateman MTS | AlisonCryer FTS | David Curtis-BrignellFTS | Ken Robinson CBE FTS andMike Jones FTS

11am – 5pm,Thursday July 12thBloomsbury Hotel,London WC1B 3NN

This year’s conference will look at threeareas that are fundamental to the successof tourism businesses throughout ourindustry, with contributions from keyspeakers across a number of tourism sec-tors including accommodation, attrac-tions, destinations, technology and trans-port.Customers’ expectations have changedenormously over recent years, as havethe tools available for the industry tomeet them and the responsibilities oforganisations to look beyond the simplefinancial results of their activities. If youcare about the industry, your business,your role and the people that work in itand buy its products, this will be a fasci-nating day in which you will benefit from

the knowledge and experienceof industry leaders and expertsand develop your business con-tacts.Book by the end of May to takeadvantage of the Early Bird rate:Society members £60Non-members £79.From June 1st, the Society mem-bers rate will be £79 and fornon-members £99.Students/retired £40.We will be organising an infor-mal networking evening onWednesday July 11th for thosewho are in London.Full details of this and the confer-ence speakers and programme areon our website athttp://bit.ly/IzaDmW, or call theoffice on 0207 269 9693.

Tourism Society Annual Conference 2012

PEOPLE – PLACES – PROFIT

20 3/5/12 12:21 Page 2


Membership NewsWWeellccoommee NNeeww CCoorrppoorraattee MMeemmbbeerrssJJoo IIssaaaacc MMTTSSThe National Trust01793 817 [email protected]

WWeellccoommee NNeeww MMeemmbbeerrssJJeeaann LLuukkaazz MMTTSSBronzetti Management Consult+233 275 315 [email protected]

JJoohhnn PPiinnnniiggeerr MMTTSSPrimeword International0207 738 [email protected]

LLoouuiissee BBrraaddsshhaaww MMTTSSThe Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa01904 380 038louise.bradshaw@cedarcourtgrand.co.ukwww.cedarcourtgrand.co.uk

RReebbeeccccaa WWrriigghhtt MMTTSSKingstonfirst0208 546 [email protected]

RRiicchhaarrdd AAllvveeyy MMTTSSAtkins Ltd0207 121 [email protected]

CChhrriiss LLiittttllee MMTTSSCarvetii Project Services07985 152 [email protected]

JJeerreemmyy RReeeedd MMTTSSBritish Association of Leisure Parks,Piers and Attractions Ltd (BALPPA)0207 403 [email protected]

BBeenn TThhoommaass MMTTSSPenshurst Place Estate01892 870 307 [email protected]

FFiioonnaa HHaayy MMTTSSUniversity of the West of Scotland01698 283 [email protected]

DDaanniieell SStteeeell MMTTSSEast Ayrshire Council01563 503 [email protected]

AAnnggeellaa KKaalliisscchh MMTTSSUniversity of Gloucestershire01242 714 [email protected]

LLiinnddaa WWaallkkeerr MMTTSSOwl Research Ltd01259 743 [email protected]

CChhrriissttoopphheerr AAuussttiinn MMTTSSStoke-on-Trent City Council07827 281 [email protected]

AAmmaannddaa WWeessttllaakkee MMTTSSBlyde tae Bide0159 569 [email protected]

JJoonn TTeeee MMTTSSBeaulieu Enterprises Limited01590 612 [email protected]

KKaatteerriinnaa BBuurrggeessss MMTTSSEurasian Linguistic Services Ltd01344 894 [email protected]

PPeetteerr WWeeaarr MMTTSSSalon Hospitality Consulting LLP0208 295 [email protected]

PPeetteerr WWiilldd MMTTSSG. P. Wild (International) Limited01444 413 [email protected]

MMaarriillyynn LLaarrddeenn MMTTSSSustainable Travel International07802 213 931marilynl@sustainabletravel.comwww.sustainabletravelinternational.org

CChhrriiss SSttoonnee MMTTSSManchester Metropolitan University0161 247 [email protected]

EEkkttaa BBiimmaall KKuunnaall BBiidd MMTTSSAfrican Sojourn Ltd+254 20 356 [email protected]

DDrr CCoonnssttaannttiiaa AAnnaassttaassiiaaddoouu MMTTSSNapier University0131 455 [email protected]

WWeellccoommee NNeeww SSttuuddeennttssBBlleerrttoonn HHyysseenniiUniversity of [email protected]

UUrrmmiillaa CChhoooorraammuunnLondon Metropolitan [email protected]

MMiirraa KKaauuffmmaannnnMiddlesex [email protected]

JJaannee RRooyyUniversity of [email protected]

RRoommiinnaa PPoorrtteellaaUniversity of [email protected]

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of The TourismSociety will be held at the Bloomsbury Hotel, London,WC1B 3NN onThursday 12th July 2012 at 10:00am for the following purposes:

11.. The Executive Director to read the notice convening the meeting.22.. To receive apologies for absence.33.. To receive and, if agreed, to adopt the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held onTuesday 5th July 2011, previously circulated.44.. To receive and consider the reports of the Board and of the Sections Groups andChapters for the year ending 31st December 2011.55.. To receive and consider the Accounts, Balance Sheet and report of the Auditors for theyear ending 31st December 2011.66.. To appoint the auditors at a fee to be agreed by the Board.77.. To elect members of the Board.88.. Any Other Business.

By Order of the BoardGregory Yeoman

Executive Director May 1st 2012

Notice of Annual General Meeting 2012

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Tourism Society Issue 150 Summer 2012

Documents

Transcript of Tourism Society Issue 150 Summer 2012