destination marketing - gwent county approach

streamlined if I’u~osiavia is to achieve its p!anned target of CSS 4.4 X 10

from tourism by 1990. John Sal/now

Senior Lecturer !n Geography Department of Geographical Sciences

Piymouth Polytechnic. Plymouth Devon. PL4 8AA, UK

Notes ‘J. Sallnow, ‘Yugoslavia: tourism in a socialist federal state’, Tourism Manage- ment. Voi 6, No 2, 1985, pp 113-124. %‘&emji List, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, No 8010. 18 September 1985. 31!?id %lo%dna Dalmacija, Spiit, Yugoslavia. No 12559, 18 Seotember 1985. %ohodna Dalmkija, Split. Yugoslavia, No 12561, 20 September 1985.

season this would mean a higher total than last vear at approsimatriy CSS 1119 x 10’. but not the planned target of USS 130 x 10". Data on tourists

on holiday in mid-September point to a faster tailing off of the 19% season as mid-September figures for ail tourists on the Adriatic coast resorts and islands wers 36jOOO in 19% but 310000 in 19Sj.‘Thus there could be a sharper fall as the season ends. but total numbers of both domestic and foreign tourists will again be a record.

Condusion

There is still much that could br done

to tmprove the tourist industry in Yugoslav-ia, eg the mechanism and facilities for the exchange of foreign currency into dinars could be re- formed. The system is slow and labo-

rious as the official consults exchange tables for every transaction, completes the form and then performs the obligatory ritual of stamping the forms. This bureaucratic procedure causes long delays and frustration to tourists and the officials operating the system appear totally indifferent to their potential customers. At times visitors are simply ignored while the official conducts a personal telephone call. These facilities will have to be

Destination marketing - Gwent county approach

This report is based on a paper presented to the Seminar on Destination Marketing at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham, UK, in March 1985, by Alan Clarke who until recently was Principal Officer (Tourism) with Gwent county council. He is now Tourism Development Officer with Devon county council, County Hail, Exeter, Devon EX2 400, UK. The concept of what comprises a tourist destination area is subject to considerable debate. In the UK increasing involvement in tourism by local authorities has increased the importance of administrative boundaries in defining destination areas. The author describes a county approach to destination marketing in Gwent, a Welsh county where joint marketing between the public and private sectors is seen as the key to success.

The concept of a tourist destination area is subject to considerable debate. Balmer and Crapo have devised a set of criteria for the identification of areas to include the natural resource base, population, transport. attractions/events. image and cohe- siveness and services and facilities.’ Although administrative boundaries need to be recognized, they consider that these should not be paramount when clarifying a cohesive image for marketing development. Xeverthe- less. in the UK more and more local authorities see tourism as a means of creating local income and employment, increasing the importance of the administrative area in destination marketing. This article seeks to de-

scribe a county approach to tourism marketing as illustrated by Gwent.

The county of Gwent

The county of Gwent. formerly Mon- mouthshire. is strate_eically placed in the south east corner of Wales en- joying excellent communications both to the Midlands and the south east of England. The county is quite small - only 7-2 miles from east to west and 17 miles north to south - but has a remarkable variety of tourism resources, increasingly being developed. Eastern Gwent with its small attractive market towns, heritage of castles and abbeys and outstandins river scenery, including the Q’ye Valley,

contrasts markedly with the former mining valleys of west Gwent, now being developed for their industrial heritage and outdoor activities potential. Both, however. are felt to be strongly interlinked in the product they offer. In the near future the success of developing tourism in west Gwent will depend on the accommodation and catering facilities in east Gwent.

Background to tourism policies

The current activities to develop and promote Gwent tourism have evolved from Gwent county council countryside recreation policies of the early 1970s and the increased recognition of the actual and potential importance of tourism to the local economy while preparing the Gwent Structure Plan in the mid 1970s. The implementation of countryside recreation p4icies laid the foundations for much of the joint working now used in tourism. Country Parks, leisure centres and visitor centres were largely developed on a joint funding and management basis between county and districts. The Gwent Structure Plan contained nine policies encouraging tourism and in 197s the

TOURISM MANAGEMENT December 1985 297

Council adopted more specific policies to which further commitments have since been added. eg on marketing.’

Implementation and approach

In implementing tourism policies, the Gwent county council’s approach is based on the belief that it is the remarkable variety of the county as a whole which makes it worthy of a visit. Visitors to the better known parts. such as the 1Vye Valley, are enticed to explore the less well known but equally attractive areas. The value of linking with surrounding areas is, however, recognized and increasingly the area is being sold as a touring base linking with such surrounding destina- tions as Cardiff, the rest of the Brecon Beacons National Park and Bristol.

The cornerstone of the approach is joint working- working together with-

in Gwent and externally with the Wales Tourist Board (WTB) and the South Wales Tourism Council (the regional office of WTB). Within Gwent joint working involves the Gwent county council, the five borough and district councils, the local tourist associations and marketing consortia. the tourist trade and statu- tory bodies active in Gwent such as the Forestry Commission and British \Vaterways Board. Working together the approach is to develop and promote a viable, quality tourist industry. The reasons for joint working are

three-fold (all interlinked):

l to ensure more effective market penetration through cooperation and pooling of resources;

l to minimize duplication in producing print, advertising, etc; and

l to ensure that Gwent receives a large share of WTB resources for joint marketing.

The Gvvent county council role has been to act as a catalyst in stimulating development and promotion, to develop initiatives and follow these up by coordinating efforts to achieve successful and effective implementation.

The approach is also one of service. The council’s approach to economic development is Service to Business” and this applies equally to tourism and

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industriai dev-elopment activities. Aware that tourism is a competitive business we aim to beat our competi- tors through a “Service” approach to our tourist industry - this means advice and assistance to both the industry within Gwent. and to potential investors and potential business sources, such as tour operators.

Development of marketing activities

A fundamental basis for the Gwent county council’s marketing activities was to undertake some form of product and market appreciation - a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknes- ses. opportunities, threats). From this we identified major problems and key opportunities and then decided on priorities. \Ve concluded that our product was not adequate for major promotion - we lacked good quality hotels, our farm tourism was relatively undeveloped and our customer services were not satisfactory.

Product development

Hence in the early years following the preparation of our Structure Plan emphasis was on product development (too often divorced from the hlarket- ing Process). This involved considerable effort in developing a network of good quality Tourist Information Cen- tres (TIC), all offering a bed booking service. The system of funding the TIC network in Gwent still remains unique in Wales. The seven TICS are financed by the Gwent local authorities and managed on our behalf by the South Wales Tourism Council. We meet each autumn and decide on our network, opening periods and esti- mated costs for the forthcoming season. Once agreement has been reached costs are divided on a pre- viously agreed funding formula, based on area and rateable value. and now operational for four years. This mini- mizes the annual haggling experienced in other parts of Wales. Fundamental to the success of this arrangement has been the acceptance that TICS in one part of Gwent provided a valuable service for other parts and that it was more important to have literature

displayed in the main destination areas rather than TICs within each district council area.

Investment in tourist attractions has also taken place. Most significant has been the development of Big Pit &fin- ing Lluseum at Blaenavon where over 21.25 x IO” has been coordinated and invested by a variety of organizations including the Gwent county council, the local borough council. the Welsh Development Agency-. the IVales Tourist Board. the Xational Coal Board and the European Regional Development Fund. Sow the top visitor attraction in Gwent. Big Pit has a key role to play in the tourism development of west Gw-ent.

Considerable effort and success has also been achieved in the development of accommodation. The Gwent county council, with the assistance of the district councils, coordinated and promoted a prospectus of sites and properties (often without planning consent) suitable for tourism development. Promotion was based on the potential for both holiday and business tourism and this together with our “Service” has reaped rewards with five major hotel schemes implemented over a three-year period. Through our advisorv service to tourism we have also stimulated the small business sector and organized training seminars for the local tourist industry.

Related land reclamation. tree

planting, urban enhancement and countryside interpretation schemes, again often carried out jointly. have been important in improving our en- vironment and infrastructure.

Tourism promotion

As product development took place we gradually increased our promotional activities. A range of information publications was produced with the Gwent county council producing countywide publications or publications on countywide themes, such as industrial heritage, and the districts and boroughs, aided by local tourist associations. producing local publications such as town leaflets and “What’s On” leaflets. Similarly with tourist information points, those on strategic routes were provided by the

TOURISM MANAGEMENT December 1985

Gw2nt county council and those in town c2ntr2s by the relevant district

andlor tourist association. Only in 19S?-83. how2ver. did the

Gw2nt county council specifically allo- cate a budgst for tourism promotion - active promotion of Gwent outside its own boundaries. This followed some of the major product devslopm2nt schemes ref2rrsd to above.

N’ith limited resources, and based on our SWOT analysis. ths initial strategy was to concentratz on the specific markets of coach tours and short break holidays and this broad stratsgy is still active.

Coach tours, despite being a static or declining market we felt had potential for an increased market share. Gwent had good locational advan- tages, a wide variety of attractions and scenery and good quality hotels able to accommodate coach parties at attractive group rates. Short holidays and special interest holidays wer2 increasing nationally and Wales was a popular short holiday destination. Gwent had a variety of attractions within a small geographical area which could be included in a weekend visit, good hotels with low weekend occu- pancy rates and good communications with major markets. Effort was primarily directrd at ABC1 visitors from the English South East and Midlands. Th2 National Tourist Boards were also developing heritage themes and promotional campaigns which could be exploited to Gwent’s advantage - the Festival of Castles in Wales in 1983, and Britain’s Heritage Year in L9S-t.

“GO Gwent” promotions

With both the above markzts in mind we developed our “Go Gwent” promotion in 19S3. Thz objectives of this low cost promotion were:

0 To develop and promote special interest inclusive weekend breaks in Gwent concentrating on those areas of the county less well developed in tourism terms, but with increasing potential for visits, ie the traditional mining valleys of west Gwent with their industrial heritage and other attractions, and the attractive scenery and history of

the Vale of i’sk. Th2 A’ye Valiey was therefore ssduded from th2

promotion. No inclusive packags holidays had hithsrto b22n d2v2lop2d vvithin the South %‘a& L’alleys and the initiative by the Gwent county council was to encourage local hoteliers and tour oprrators of the potentiai for inclusiv-e special interest

breaks. To secure media coverags for Gwent .

Based on these objectivss, an agreement was r2ach2d \vith the Wales Tourist Board to develop the prog- ramme as a joint promotion with the Board funding th2 costs of brochure production. and Gwent county council undertaking the annual running costs. At a total promotion cost of f7 000 two weekend packages were developed based on a Newport hotel - an Industrial Discovery weekend featuring major industrial heritage attractions, and a Heritage Weekend featuring castles, historic houses and folk museums. Enrichment Travel of York were engagsd as handling agents for th2 promotion. and 15 000 leaflets were produced for each of the two weekends, to be distributed using all elements of th2 promotional mix.

Evaluation of the 1983 promotion showed the number of ‘group’ weekends sold to be relatively low but the promotion was successful in that the itineraries were taken up by tour operators and received press cover-

age. It was never the intention of the Gwent county council that the benefits of the promotion be confined to one Newport hotel. the objective being to sow s22ds of this type of promotion amongst local hoteliers. Perhaps the most encouraging and successful aspzct of th2 promotion was that several other Gwent hotels developed similar themed packages.

Several problems were, however, experienced du2 to the facts that the weekend breaks were ‘intensive’, leav- ing little visitor free time, that they were ‘group orientated’, and that they wer2 based on one Newport hotel. In 19S-t. therefore. a more widely based “Go Gwent” promotion was intro- duced appealing to the independent traveller. Throughout Gwent 33 spe-


ciai interest inciusivr short stay breaks

were offered at 16 sstabiishm2nts - one third of which included attractions in th2 Gwcnt Valleys. Th2 inclusive

packages were bookablz by thz pub!ic, through trav21 agents. and wzre available to tour operators. Special rail fares and car-hirs rat2s were negoti- atsd.

Th2 low cost promotion was first discussed with ths LVai2s Tourist Board (WTB). district councils and the local trade, all of whom agreed to support it and a budget of f7 000 was raised mad2 up of fl 400 from the Gvvent county council, til31 from districts and fl 600 from th2 trade. all of which was then doubled by WTB. This budget allowed us to produce and promote -lO 000 copies of the 1984 brochure. Significantly the Givent county council’s contribution was increased five times through joint working. and promotion was also under- taken as part of WTB and Gw2nt county council gen2ral promotional activities.

In 19S5, despite a reduction in WTB grant to 30%, the promotional budget was increased to 576 000 made up of f7 000 from th2 Gwent county council, f8 000 from WTB. f? 000 from districts and $9 000 from the tourist industry. Overall, thersfore, the tr2nd has been to an enlarged promotional budget with increasing district council and trade support.

Other promotional activities

The “Go Gwent” inclusive package promotions hav2 only bsen one aspzct of overall promotional activities. The Gwcnt county council has continued

approaches to tour operators through preparation of an annual Tour Opzr- ators Manual, through familiarization tours for both travel writers and tour operators, and direct mail shots. Two general promotional publications on Gwent have been jointlv produced with WTB and the district councils and these are available for overseas distribution by the British Tourist Authority.

Equally significant has been the development and coordination of seven tourist associations and marketing consortia within Gwent. The

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Gw2nt counts councii assists local tourist associaiions through an annual discretionary grant and had also taken the initiative to coordinate two marketing groups - the Gwent Asso- ciation of Tourist Attractions. and Gwent Farm and Country Holidays. r\lthough modest finance was provided to both groups. more important was the coordinating and advisory role of the Givent county council in their establishment. The Gwent county council‘s advisory senice to the tourist industry includes advice to individual establishments and associations on their marketing activities, and the latest venture to improve links with the trade comes with the publication of an informative tourism newslstter.

Mechanism for joint working

The mechanisms for joint working

vary from informal groups to formal company mechanisms such as marketing bureaux. In Gwent the former is the cas2 with informal meetings held as and when required. One major meeting with districts and tourist associations is. howev2r. held in early spring. after the beginning of the new financial year, when plans for the forthcoming calendar year are discussed and agreed. An equally valuable role of the group is to act as a pressure group on the policies of other tourism organizations, notably the national Tourist Boards. The Gwent group, for example, has made representations to WTB on the Board’s publications policy, its marketing campaigns and its system for the verification of tourist accommodation.

Future plans

Future plans are to continue to im-

prove and upgrade the product offered to tourists. This will include widening the variety of accommodation available within Gwent and espe- cially to encourage good quality, self- catering holiday accommodation in line with market demands. Similarly with attractions. we realise that both the holidaymaker and local residents seek enjoyment. Attractions based on education and exercise can of course be designed to be enjoyable, but we

300

are continually seeking wavs of ds- veloping attractions that are both in- novative and entertaining.

Promotion will continue to bs con- centrated on the tour operator and short break markets, but given adequate resources othsr market ssgments may be considered. eg the educational and ths conf2renceismall meetings markets. Givvent will be increasingly promoted as a touring bas2 linking with surrounding areas, and lOOa of the editorial copy of the 1985 “Go Gwent” guide is given to attractions outside Gwznt.

Joint working will bs assisted by the preparation of a Gwent Tourism blarketing Strategy. to be published jointly by the Gwent county council and district councils and with an input from the local tourist industry. The strategy will identify potential market segments for G\vent and coordinate efforts to achieve effective market

penetration.

Probtems

Despite considsrablz achievements in tourism development and promotion over the last five years. several problems remain. The Gwent county council tourism budget of f40 000 in 1985 was doubled through joint schemes but additional funds are required to approach new market segments and improve awareness of what could be termed a ‘new’ or ‘undiscovered’ destination. In an area with a tradition of employment in heavy industries the commitment of elected members to tourism remains lukewarm and, when given, preference is for dzvelopment rather than promotional ventures

where direct employment on the ground can be more readily appreci- ated. Cutbacks in local authority ex- penditure have resulted in standstill budgets and a slowing of decision- making processes, making forward planning and the taking of new initiatives more difficult. Gwent still suff2rs from an image problem - both in terms of identity and as part of a distorted image of South Wales, but the answer to this problem must partly remain the responsibility of the Wales Tourist Board and South Wales Tour- ism Council. However it is hoped that

ths Gwent Tourism ?.farketing Strategy wi!l suggest soiutions to man!

of these problems.

Lessons

Several lsssons emerge from my 2x- perience of joint working in Gwent:

a

e

l

To be successful joint working must bsgin at the planning stage. AI the potential partners in a specific campaign, including the trade, must play a part in the decision-making process to ensure

their full cooperation. throughout the campaign. In Gwvrnt th2 norm has been for the Gwent county council to prepare a draft campaign plan for discussion and agreement detailing the aims of the promotion, the target markets, timing. print requirements. the promotional mix including advertising sche- dul2, costs and initial brochure design. Successful implementation requires a detailed allocation of responsibilities - what is being done jointly and what is being done

separately. The catalytic role: of national and regional Tourist Boards in the process is vitally important. primarily through financial support schemes. In Gwent the Wales Tourist Board had a crucial role to play in the development of our “Go Gwent” promotions. hIore recently formal- ized as their Joint Marketing Scheme, the WTB encourages ap- plications from local authorities. preferably in association with other authorities or marketing groups. Hence the emphasis is on ‘joint‘ schemes and support normally de- clines from 50% in ysar one to 90%

in year three, enabling promotions to get off the ground in the earl) years when trade support may be at its lowest. To be successful local authorities and their partners must, however, prepare their case in a professional manner and go to their Board with a detailed campaign plan stating the marketing objectives and proposed strategy. budgets, and methods of evalua-

tion. There is a general n22d for psrs- pective - a Gwent county council


perspective on the role of distrin councils and xice versa. 51~s: important. however. is that counties and districts both have a perspective of the needs of their ratepayers and potential tourists. neither of whom will benefit from duplication of efforts. Personal contacts and good working relationships are in- valuable and can be aided by the need to achieve commonly identified objectives. In this. a joint]!- produced and published tourism strategy can greatly assist by producing agreement on objectives. strategy (including target market segments) and methods of implr- mentation.

To be successful. joint working requires considerable commitment. en-

thusiasm and perseverance from aii parties. it could be argued that Gwtnr being a ‘new’ tourist destination with relatively low county and district tourism budgets. found joint working a necessity and that this ma\: not be the case in more traditional tourism areas with more resources. ?Such will depend on the definition of the destination area but in a!! situations the cost effective use of resources within the area can only be improved through joint working. The essential role of the public sector must be to help coordinate and support what is a fragmented industry and assist it to compete for visitor spending. The question of exactly who should define the destination area remains un- answered but it is seen that the needs

and perceptions of visitors must remain paramount and locai authorities will continue to play a major role.

Alan Clarke Tourism Development Officer

Devon Counry Council County Hall, Exeter

Devon, EX2 4QQ, UK

Notes

‘Balmer and Crapo, Tourism Development in Ontario: A Framework for Opportunity, Balmer and Crapo, prepared for Province of Ontario, 1980. 2Gwent county council, Structure P/an Written Statement of Policies and Propos- als, GCC, Cwmbran, UK, 1978.

Report Cornering the Japanese market

Carol Sage, Training Director of the Sheraton Center, New York City, presents an account of a training initiative in a New York City convention hotel - aimed at improving relations with Japanese guests, with a view to increasing the hotel’s share of the Japanese tourist market. Training in cross-cultural awareness improved staff services for Japanese visitors, to such an extent, that the Japanese market share of the hotel has already increased.

The Sheraton Center is a convention hotel located in the heart of mid-town New York City, USA. The majority of the hotel’s guests are US business people and tourists. The hotel, however, operates in a highly competitive market. There are at least four hotels with similar rate structures and facilities located within a two mile radius.

Japanese rourist market

In an effort to increase its share of the international market, particularly the Japanese, the Sheraton Center hired a Japanese sales manager who under- stood the needs of his clients. As a result of his work, over 60 Japanese groups were booked into the hotel during the forthcoming summer months.

In anticipation of the groups’ arrival management began wondering what steps. if any, could be taken to improve the Japanese guest experience thereby assuring a solid Japanese client base. Management approached the training department with their idea and asked for their recommenda- tions.

Bearing in mind the importance of cross-cultural relations when dealing with the international market. I decided to inten;iew several members of staff who had dealt with Japanese guests, hoping to gain some insight from their experiences. The comments I received suggested that, kvhile it would seem that the Japanese guest would require special attention in some ways, the hotel’s staff found

them to be unremarkable in their demands and their expectations. In the words of one staff member: .‘Oh. people are all alike. They’re all look- ing for the same things”. He added. “Maybe they look different or the language barrier creates a problem, but let’s face it, folks is folks”.

Yet. I couldn’t help reminding my- self that if any kind of language barrier existed, it was our job to get round it, not simply take it for granted. Indeed. this could be one of the key ingre- dients standing in the way of increasing our share of the Japanese market. The question remained. How could we make our Japanese guests’ visits more pleasurable, more ‘hassle-free’?

Cultural miatlces

Through such discussions. and with the help of our Japanese sales manager. it became clear that our job was to educate our staff in the cultural nuances of the Japanese. This meant

scratching deeper than the surface of staff-guest relations. Comments such as “The Japanese are always happy. they smile a lot“, did not reflect the true nature of their ways. The

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destination marketing - gwent county approach

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