Open Championship Loss to Scotland

With the news that The Open will be out of Scotland for a gap of four years because of The Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games, The Scotsman's comments section had some numpty from Flakirk just simply saying "Aw. Diddums!"

Aw Diddums? Perhaps not unsuitable but certainly reflective of a lack of undestanding of the impact of this on Scottish tourism and revenues.

Zero it in yet further and look at it from an Ayrshire tourism perspective and it becomes a highly significant factor in tourism investment in the years to come. From having two Open championships a decade to having a gap of at least seven, perhaps more is of major concern to an area that is already suffering. It was always likely that Troon wouldn't get The Open Championship because of the combined effects of the Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup but it was never (publicly) factored into the economic benefits of hosting them.

The idea that The Ryder Cup is now to be seen as a replacement for an Open Championship that would have been held here certainly removes some of the economic benefits for the country as a whole.

It may not seem such a big deal to aw diddums from Falkirk but with an Open contibuting anything between £10 and £15 million to the local economy and perhaps double that figure for Scotland as a whole. That excludes the television exposure and column inches generated worldwide. A single Open Championship in Ayrshire could eclipse ten years of Homecoming Scotland events.

"Aw diddums" seems a slightly strange reaction to such an economic impact...

Japan Day for Scotland? Great Idea

Seems to be a week for great ideas. Just read on the BBC website about plans for a Japan Scotland day to help strengthen links between the two countries.

Sakura Scotland has approached the Japanese Consulate General in Edinburgh about the event which is planned for the autumn, the company hopes to invite fashion students to come up with and then display clothing designs on a Japanese theme.

Now I'm not sure how this is going to be lead and what angle it's going to take but a couple of years ago myself and a colleague found ourselves arriving at the train station in Dusseldorf (if truth be known en route to a Kiss consert in Nijmegen!).

Now with kilts on (no face paint) you may have thought that we would have been subject to some rather strange looks. Nope. It was Japan Day in Dusseldrof and the whole of the city's youth was in Manga Fancy Dress costimes and make up. Made us look entirely normal.

The point however was that Dusseldorf was celebrating the culture of the largest population of Japanese in Europe and it was one helluva party. The banks of the Rhine were given over to Japanese stalls with traditional food and drinks, stages with entertainment and recitals and all in all a tremendous atmosphere of history and cultural respect with an estimated 1.2 million visitors.
One of the highlights of the traditional Japan Day is a fantastic fireworks display after nightfall, conjured up in the sky over the river by Japanese pyrotechnicians.

With the strong air connections between Dusseldorf and Scotland such a cross cultural celebration could actually have tremendous impact on restimulating the Japanese market for Scottish tourism and indeed exports.

Good luck to Sakura Scotland - would love to help if we can.

Political Candidate With Tourism Ideas Shocker!

Just been scrolling through some of the tourism articles I've missed while out of the country and really liked this one about Tory candidate Maurice Golden who's standing in the next General Election in Central Ayrshire. Okay it's worth noting that the Tories will need to overturn a 10,000 majority but the point is actually identifying genuine attainable ideas that could benefit Ayrshire tourism in both the short and long term.

According to the local paper he wants to see the area cash in on its tourism potential and has written to the Olympic 2012 organisers urging them to bring the torch to the area.

He said: “We need to play to our strengths in Ayrshire, for example in tourism where we have so much to offer. I think Ayrshire can capitalise on the opportunities presented by the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games coming to the UK over the next four years. I have written to Lord Coe to request that the Olympic torch comes to Ayrshire and also that a Golf Olympics event is held in Ayrshire as a pre-cursor for golf becoming a fully fledged event at the next Olympic Games in 2016.”

Now you have something there Mr. Golden and we're right behind you. This October is the 150th anniversary of the first Open Championship at Prestwick and what beeter way for the BOA to recognise the sports emergence as an Olympic pursuit than an event in Ayrshire? There are a number of events taking place this year that could provide a platform. What about The British Boys Championship at Barassie - what a fantastic PR opportunity.

Tie the visit of the Olympic Torch to an amateur international Junior Golf event in Ayrshire?

The idea is both sound and attainable. Something the whole of Ayrshire can get behind - all we need now is Mr Mather, Mr Bush at EventScotland, Mr Roughead at VisitScotland and Mr Coe to push the idea forward as a way of interesting Scotland in what is still seen as London's Olympics.

We'll write the promo brief!

You know what Mr Golden? I think I'd vote for you.

VisitBritain ties with British Airways and EasyJet to promote Scottish cities

According to a press release, the national tourism body VisitBritain is partnering with airline brands British Airways and EasyJet to encourage visitors to travel to cities across the country and as part of the tie-up, British Airways and EasyJet will offer discount flights to 10 cities in the UK from 12 European countries. The cities include both Edinburgh and Glasgow and is promoted by a micro site www.visitbritain.fi/cities.

Glasgow will be promoted with the line "trend-setting vs traditional", highlighting the Scottish city's style credentials as well as its historical attractions, whilst Edinburgh is sub titled "Darkness vs Light!. Don't ask us...

Laurence Bresh, marketing director at VisitBritain, said: "The 'Cities Campaign' will not only help make visitors' money go further but it raises awareness of 10 key cities around Britain which offer great value for money."

Willie Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said: "British Airways is in a perfect position to send out the message that the 'Cities Campaign' arrives at a good time for tourists, with the value of the pound sterling still low."

Last year, a Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) report recommended VisitBritain should act as a co-operative agency supporting the five brands of Britain, England, London, Scotland and Wales.

Fly Oxford to Edinburgh - A Varsity Challenge

All the very best of luck to a new air route linking Oxford and Edinburgh which is expected to attract 6,500 passengers over its first 12 months.
Flights to the Scottish capital will begin on Monday, March 1, with the journey taking 90 minutes compared to the average rail journey of six hours.
New airline operator Varsity Express hopes to tap into the tourism market of people visiting both historic cities.Prices will start at £49 one way, including taxes and charges.Varsity, which will fly 18-seat British Aerospace Jetstream planes, said it expected to carry 6,500 passengers in the first 12 months.

Commercial director Will Gilligan said: “Oxford is the third most visited English city by international visitors, with 10 million per annum, and Edinburgh is the second most popular destination after London in the UK.

“We have been looking to start a regular shuttle service on this route for some time.We have watched with interest the developments and investment at Oxford airport and believe it is a perfect, untapped market with plenty of potential, offering splendid facilities designed for private jet clients, enabling us to offer our passengers quick check-in times.”
Airport marketing manager James Dillon-Godfray said: “This is the first daily flight from Oxford and very much begins a new era, where we have something of direct benefit to the business community and tourists who can take a trip to Edinburgh and return within a day.
“This is a fundamental leap forward and is the jewel in the crown of all the routes and operations we now have.
Tim Gill, an aviation consultant contracted to Varsity, said: “Edinburgh is the most requested domestic route from Oxford, which by train can take over six hours with at least one change, sometimes three.
“Any day return combination would typically take 13 hours in transit.”
Flights will leave Oxford Monday to Friday at 8am.The return flights leave Edinburgh at 5pm.
For more information and to book flights, go to the website flyvarsity.com

VisitScotland’s £150,000 bonus bill to taxpayer !! Wow

Exclusive article in The Herald has exposed that Visitscotland has paid nearly £150,000 in bonuses to its senior management. VisitScotland has also confirmed that the taxpayer handed out about £75,000 in performance-related enhancements to its chief executive Philip Riddle.

The Herald requested the figures under a Freedom of Information exercise. Apparently under VisitScotland rules, the PUBLIC SECTOR directors are entitled to bonuses worth 10% of their salary, while the chief executive is entitled to a 15% increase. It would seem that Visitscotland are reluctant to talk about the specific targets but did say "that five corporate objectives were relevant when awarding increases based on performance." These included generating income and “in kind” contributions to support the public body’s core activities, helping build a positive corporate reputation, and promoting a successful tourism brand.

The figures reveal Mr Riddle received nearly £75,000 worth of bonuses since 2004, which took his remuneration package last year to nearly £220,000. Part of his latest pay deal included around £36,000 of retrospective bonuses from between 2005 and 2007 whilst his bonus for the last financial year has not yet been approved.

Riddell Graham, director of strategy, partnerships and communication, has benefited from about £9500 in bonuses since 2005 whilst Eddie Byers, director of business engagement, received nearly £14,000 in performance add-ons in the same period. Malcolm Roughead, director of marketing, got almost £29,000 in bonuses since 2004, while Ken Neilson, director of corporate services, received about £11,000. Paul Bush, the chief operating officer of EventScotland, has benefited from payments of about £9000 in the last two years.

The Herald states that the bonusses are controversial because "VisitScotland’s performance has not always pleased MSPs."

 

Not pleasing MSP's?

 

Let's put this in perspective here. This covers a period where restructuring saw the removal of area tourist boards and in spite of promises a much greater centralisation of control, it is also the period where the flagship policy of developing a world class online booking strategy failed, it is a period where the call centre function was criticised and ultimately was removed. 

If it doesn't please MSP's how do you think the tourism industry are going to take it!

Even regardless of the merits of VS strategies over the past five years, the revalation that bonusses have been paid whilst our market share has declined will be to many in the industry quite odious.

The industry has never felt more disenfranchised than it does currently and the revalations might just be good timing. If the public sector purse requires tightening then the role and status of the national tourist board must be questioned. Whilst the rest of us are worried about Return on Investment and how we can spend our money more wisely there remains a lack of leadership, of direction of strategy to take Scotland's tourism and hospitality sectors forward in the nedct ten years.

Instead strategy and long term planning appears to have been replaced with short term promotional activity - yes for sure there will be loud shouts about work in emerging markets and the success (sic) of Homecoming Scotland in developing our world profile - but the truth is that the role of VisitScotland, and indeed the public sector as a whole in the second decade, needs a reality check and radical scaling back.

It must get back to basics understand that it's role is in defining the destination and working with other agencies such as SDI to develop a consistent message about Scotland being a great place to live, to invest and to visit.

A single message consistently promoted across the necessary multiplicity of channels. 

Visitscotland should not be a promotions business, it should not be a booking agent, it should stop producing product as if it's a tour operator. It needs to have a simple role in marketing Scotland. The rest, in our opinion is the role of the private sector - hoteliers, attractions, restaurateurs, destination management organisations, marketing associations. 

According to the article, Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald said people would be “very surprised” at the revelations, which “need to be investigated” and a spokeswoman for VisitScotland said: “Any bonuses paid at VisitScotland are based on robust performance measures which have to be achieved to a very high standard.” My goodness if I hadn't read the article I would have thought it was the PR company for RBS...

Mr Mather there has never been a better time for a radical review of what Destination Marketing for Scotland really means.

More Rooms Required for Open Champiosnhip

Homeowners in Fife are being urged to offer bed and breakfast accommodation to visitors flocking to the area for this year's Open Championship at St Andrews.
National tourism agency VisitScotland is encouraging homeowners within a 50-mile radius of the Home of Golf to register to take in guests between July 9 and July 25 this year.

Households who are interested in participating in the temporary scheme will be given a short assessment to ensure their accommodation meets VisitScotland’s minimum standards.

Richard Pinn, regional director for VisitScotland, said: "The Open Championship attracts more than 200,000 people to the area and VisitScotland markets this event worldwide.

"It is the only event in Scotland where there is a requirement to source additional accommodation in this way and with this temporary scheme in place we can be confident visitors are booking into a property that meets minimum standards.

"This is a great opportunity for local homeowners to make some income and also an opportunity for us all to showcase our famous Scottish hospitality during this world class golfing event.”

Councillor Tony Martin, Chair of Fife Council’s Environment, Enterprise and Transportation Committee, added: "We are keen to ensure that Fife maximises the opportunities presented by The Open’s return to St Andrews.

"In 2005 the event brought in £37million to Fife and supported 615 jobs. If we can help bring more people to The Open and provide more accommodation in Fife, the greater the benefit to the whole Fife economy."