VISITOR ECONOMY Strategy and Destination Management Plan An Action Plan for Jobs and Growth in Liverpool City Region - Meetings ...
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November 2014 VISITOR ECONOMY Strategy and Destination Management Plan An Action Plan for Jobs and Growth in Liverpool City Region
Contents
01 Introduction 03
02 The National Strategic Context 04
03 Long Term Strategy 06
and Targets to 2025
04 How to Accelerate Growth in 09
Liverpool City Region Visitor Economy
05 Where Are We Now? 10
06 The Destination Management Plan 12
– Next Five Years
07 Destination Management Plan 2015-20 14
– Opportunities and Challenges
08 Destination Management Plan 2015-20 18
– Priorities for the Next Five Years
09 Destination Management Plan 2015-20 22
– Investment and Activity Plans
Destination Development and Management 23
Destination Marketing 2015-2020 27
Major Events 2015-2020 28
Conference and Business Tourism 2015-2020 30
10 Destination Performance Targets 32
11 Monitoring and Further Information 33
02
Introduction by Chair
of the Visitor Economy Board
Sara Wilde McKeown
1
The Visitor Economy Board endorses this plan and will play its
part, alongside others, in its delivery. Specifically it is committed
to improving engagement and communication with sector
businesses and stakeholders, sharing best practice and inspiring
innovation across our sector.
The Visitor Economy Board was created programmes which have attracted
in September 2013, at an exciting time worldwide media attention. Whilst our
for the Visitor Economy with the setting retail experience, especially Liverpool
up of Marketing Liverpool by Liverpool ONE, perfectly complements the
Vision and the prospect of a busy year cultural, sporting and business
to come. In 2014, the City Region tourism offer.
hosted not only the first ever
International Festival for Business in More cruises than ever before are
the UK but also the Open Golf including Liverpool in their itineraries
Championship in Wirral and a major and our business tourism is further key priorities, activities and projects
World War 1 commemorative spectacle, boosted by increasing conference that stakeholders collectively feel offer
seeing the return of the Royal de Luxe numbers and Liverpool’s success as the best prospects to increase the
Giants. a film location. competitiveness of our City Region and
maximise the wealth (or GVA) that the
The Visitor Economy Sector has Alongside Superport, Low Carbon and tourism sector can create. It sets targets
enjoyed sustained growth in recent the Knowledge Economy, the Visitor for growth and provides a clear rationale
years and is now worth £3.6 billion to Economy is recognised as one of the for investment in the Visitor Economy and
the local economy supporting 49,000 four growth areas of the local economy. should influence investment decisions
jobs. Since Liverpool’s landmark year made by the private and public sector.
as European Capital of Culture in 2008, The Liverpool City Region Local
nearly 3000 additional hotel rooms have Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in its Local The Visitor Economy Board has recently
opened and the cultural offering to Growth Plan continues to recognise the set out its own priorities which it will be
visitors has simultaneously grown. importance of the Visitor Economy focusing on during coming months.
Recent additions include the Sector and its ability to drive jobs and You will find those on pages 18 - 21.
magnificent award winning Central growth both in its own right as well as
Library in Liverpool and the splendid in the local economy as a whole. There Growth will not come automatically
Atkinson in Southport. The new are a myriad of opportunities to attract - our Visitor Economy sector still
Everyman has opened whilst the even more visitors and create even more requires intervention and support if we
Philharmonic is currently completing a jobs and wealth but funding remains a are to reap the economic benefits set
makeover and extension to its facilities. significant challenge. More than ever out in this plan.
The Royal Court is to continue to before, the private sector, through
the Visitor Economy Board, must take The Action Plan now incorporates
expand and improve its facilities.
charge of this agenda and ultimately the Vision and Strategy for the Visitor
Meanwhile, work on the Exhibition
play a central role in funding destination Economy of the Liverpool City Region
Centre at ACC Liverpool continues
marketing activity. to 2025 and is designed to reflect and
apace and the Royal Institute of British
complement more detailed strategies
Architects is developing its second
This is not a business plan for the and action plans prepared by partners.
national architecture centre, RIBA
Visitor Economy Executive of the LEP Links to relevant documents are
North, at Mann Island.
or Marketing Liverpool, nor should it be. provided at the back of this document.
Thanks to funding from Europe this year That is the role of the annual business Sara Wilde McKeown
it has been possible to stage major plans for those organisations. Rather, Managing Director, Influential
events and high quality cultural this document sets out a number of Chair of the Visitor Economy Board
03
2 The National
Strategic Context
The Government’s tourism policy,
published by the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
in 2011 sets out a clear ambition to
grow both overseas and domestic
4
tourism to Britain.
Million
Extra It aims to:
Visitors • Fund the most ambitious marketing campaign ever to attract
visitors to the UK in the years following 2012. The £100m campaign,
co-funded by the government and the private sector, aims to attract
4 million extra visitors to Britain over the next 4 years. That equates to
£2 billion more spend in our economy, and 50,000 new jobs. The GREAT
campaign is now in its third year and has attracted approximately £30m
support per year. The Government announced a further £90m of funding
to be spent on the GREAT campaign between now and 2016
• Increase the proportion of UK residents who holiday in the UK to match
those who holiday abroad each year. For longer stays (4 nights or more)
this would mean 29% of travellers holidaying in Britain rather than just
20% today (creating 4.5m extra domestic trips each year, £1.3bn more
spend and 26,000 new jobs). And if we can replicate this scale of
improvement for shorter stays as well, we will create a further £750m
of spend and 11,000 new jobs
• Improve the sector’s productivity to become one of the top 5 most
efficient and competitive visitor economies in the world
The Government has recently Skills and Enterprise at the Department
established a Tourism Industry Council, for Business, Innovation and Skills
co chaired by Tourism Minister, Helen (BIS)) and Simon Vincent from Hilton
Grant, Matthew Hancock (Minister for Worldwide.
04
The Council comprises 22 members In achieving this vision, the Strategic for 20 core markets which, in turn, are
from across the Tourism industry and Framework aims to achieve four categorised as markets that VisitBritain
has a remit to improve skills, increase interdependent objectives designed will either “Defend” (e.g., USA and
the quality and quantity of jobs to address the opportunities and Germany), “Grow” (e.g. Saudi Arabia
available and boost enterprise in the challenges for England’s Visitor and Russia) or “Make” (e.g. China and
tourism industry. One of the key themes Economy. Brazil) – although a number of markets
will be for the Council to build on the span different categories.
work already announced by BIS who THEy ARE:
earlier this year announced tourism
• To increase England’s share of
and hospitality would be part of the
global visitor markets THERE ARE FouR
trailblazers programme – an initiative
designed to develop clear and concise • To offer compelling destinations STRANDS To THE
apprenticeship standards throughout of distinction VisitBritain STRATEGy.
many industries in the UK.
• To champion a successful, 1. Enhance Britain’s
thriving industry Image by building on
England’s national tourism body,
VisitEngland, is currently reviewing its • To facilitate greater engagement key strengths such as
Strategic Framework for Tourism 2010- between the visitor and the heritage, traditional and
2020. The aim for the framework is to experience contemporary culture
provide the “basis for the public and
private sectors to continue to enhance A number of Action Plans have been 2. Ensure that Britain is
the quality of product on offer and for developed to take forward the Strategy packaged and sold more
Government at all levels to encourage and these can be found on this link. widely by working with the
such investment”. http://www.englandtourismframework. travel trade in key markets
co.uk/strategicframework.aspx
The framework highlights that the next 3. Broaden Britain’s strong
decade offers the tourism industry VisitEngland and national tourism product offering so that
some significant opportunities equally agencies such as the Tourism Alliance it continues to meet the
matched by a number of challenges. are calling on government to review expectations of new
arrangements for local destinations visitors from growth
to ensure a ‘functioning network’ of markets
THE NATIoNAL VISIoN IS:
destinations for English tourism.
4. Making visiting Britain
“To maximise VisitBritain published its strategy in easier by addressing
tourism’s contribution 2013 – Delivering a Golden Legacy limiting factors such as
– a growth strategy for tourism to aviation capacity and the
to the economy, Britain for 2012 to 2020. The strategy current visa process
employment has a headline target to increase
and quality of life visitor numbers from 30.8m to 40m
and revenue from £18bn in 2011 to
in England.” £31.3bn by 2020. This headline target
is then divided into individual targets
05
3 Long Term Strategy
and Targets to 2025
Visitor Economy We set out a shared, ambitious vision for
Targets for 2025 Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy.
£35% Increase in
Realising this ambition will require a strong
partnership between the public and private
sectors to deliver the right structures and
the right levels of investment.
visitor value Since 2008, we have been in the throes of a deep rooted
recession and yet Liverpool in particular has weathered the
storm well thanks to ongoing investment in its visitor offering.
We have also benefitted from the ‘staycation’ effect, the
popularity of city breaks and our appeal to emerging
international markets particularly Brazil, Russia, India and China
(the BRIC countries).
49%
Our targets are challenging but achievable and demonstrate our ambition and
determination to grow the sector over the next 10 years. Later we set out the
priorities that the Visitor Economy Board is adopting for the next five years which
will take us on the journey to realise our longer terms aims.
Increase in Visitor
Economy Jobs
06
© Aintree Racecourse © Wirral MBC © VisitBritain
WITH CoNTINuED INVESTMENT • The City Region will promote,
AND A Co-oRDINATED APPRoACH create and shape distinctive visitor
THE VISIoN IS THAT: quarters, such as Hope Street,
each with a strong sense of identity,
By 2025: individual market appeal, quality
offering and sense of arrival
• The City Region’s Visitor Economy
• Southport will build on its reputation
will be worth £4.9 billion and
as England’s Classic Resort, and
support 72,000 jobs
as a successful national conference
• Liverpool will always be featured in destination
the UK’s top 5 cities for domestic
• England’s Golf Coast will be
and international visitors
internationally acknowledged as
• Liverpool will be a top 4 UK city for the finest stretch of championship
international conference tourism, golf in the world and host to
with ACC Liverpool a leading UK major golfing events – attracting
conference venue high spending staying visitors to
Southport and the Wirral Peninsula
• Liverpool will become one of the top
as well as the city
UK cruise ports
• Wirral’s aspiration is to have the
• Liverpool will be world famous
fastest growing Visitor Economy in
for its exceptional and distinctive
the region, and be the destination
culture, music and sport; for its city
of choice for discovering quality;
centre including UNESCO World
whether it is accommodation, coast,
Heritage Site and iconic waterfront,
countryside, cuisine or golf, both for
the Mersey Ferries, two cathedrals
short breaks and day trips
and architecture and, of course,
the Beatles and Premier League • Day visitors will continue to play
Football an important part in the Visitor
Economy with the region’s coast
• The City Region will be recognised
and countryside as well as the
for its high quality hotels, fantastic
attractions of the urban area
shopping, unrivalled public
encouraging thousands of visitors to
transport, digital connectivity and
discover the wider City Region
unique visitor welcome
• There will be a stronger food
offering and better awareness
of fine local produce
07
THE STRATEGIC AIMS oF THE CITy • Secure public and private
REGIoN’S LoNGER TERM VISIToR investment to improve the quality LoNG TERM TARGETS
ECoNoMy STRATEGy ARE To: and range of hotels, restaurants,
attractions, conference, exhibition Shared targets for the Liverpool
• Promote the City Region through a and cultural venues and to attract City Region for 2025 are:
single, integrated marketing agency, major events • Annual visitor impact of
delivering innovative and effective £4.9 billion (up from £3.6
• Make visiting the City Region easier,
marketing activity, with a clear focus billion in 2013)
especially for international business
on our destination brands (principal
visitors, by ensuring Liverpool John • 23% growth in the number of
brand Liverpool, secondary brands,
Lennon Airport reverses recent ‘bed nights’ spent annually in
Southport, Wirral and England’s
declines in passenger numbers and the Liverpool City Region from
Golf Coast ), key themes and
develops its routes and reception 12.4 million in 2013 to
well defined target markets. This
facilities and that connectivity with 15.2 million
will complement the marketing
Manchester Airport improves
undertaken by local destinations • 10% improvement in Liverpool
such as Southport and Wirral • Help businesses in the Visitor City Region room occupancy
Economy by working with them (up from 71% to 78%) and
• Place the Visitor Economy at the
to improve their performance average or better room yield
heart of a broader place marketing
and productivity and share best than UK city competitors
strategy that promotes the wider
practice. Identify the next generation
economic assets and key growth • To maintain top 5 UK ranking
of growth businesses for the sector
sectors of SuperPORT, Low Carbon for international visitors
and provide them with bespoke
and Knowledge Economy
support • 49% more tourism supported
• Capitalise on Liverpool City Region’s jobs from 49,000 in 2013 to
• To further integrate and align
global business and personal 72,000 in 2025
Transport and Visitor Economy
connections to ensure those
policy and market opportunities • Attainment of a top 75 place
individuals with connectivity to the
area are encouraged to revisit • Promote the Visitor Economy as in the ICCA rankings for
an aspirational career choice and international conference
• Deliver the highest quality business (up from 159th in
address skills gaps in the hospitality
experience for visitors by investing 2013) and a top 4 place in
industry as identified in the Skills
in public realm, transport, visitor the UK (7th in 2013)
For Growth Agreement. Ensure
information and destination
training providers focus on the skills
welcome with a particular focus on
gaps and shortages and equip their
becoming a digital destination
students with the requisite skills for
• Ensure the leading assets of the a fulfilling career within the Visitor
City Region continue to meet Economy
the expectations of new visitors,
• Develop the Visitor Economy in a
particularly those from growth
sustainable and responsible way
markets
and spread the benefits across the
City Region
08
How to Accelerate Growth
in Liverpool City Region
Visitor Economy
4
The Visitor Economy covers a myriad of activities. Not all activities have the same
impact on the City Region Economy however and it is important to understand
which activities create real growth rather than simply redistribute existing revenues.
Taking the long term strategic targets for 2025 the table below highlights those
activities that have the most impact on each of the key indicators
Table 1: Contributors to longer term visitor economy growth to 2025
Key Additional Destination Destination Events Conferences/
Indicator Growth Development/ Marketing Business
Target Management Tourism
by 2025
Value of £1.28 • New attractions & cultural • Destination and tactical • Major events • Large, high-
Tourism investment campaigns resulting in more that attract large profile association
£billion • New hotels midweek visitors, longer stays, numbers of non conferences over
• Destination Welcome repeat visits and higher spend residents several days
• New air routes to LJLA • Corporate
• Improved rail and road conferences
connectivity (1) • Independent
• New Company HQs and Business Travellers
Northshoring
Staying 2.8m • New quality hotels that • Destination and tactical • Major midweek • Large-scale
visitor complement existing campaigns resulting in more events requiring conferences
nights provision hotel nights sold especially overnight stay and exhibitions
– Liverpool • Improved midweek midweek e.g.Golf, requiring range of
City Region occupancy International accommodation
• Destination Welcome Business Festival, over several days
blockbuster cultural
exhibitions, and
performances
Hotel 9% • More selective policy on new • Destination and tactical • Major midweek • Large-scale
Performance improvement hotel development especially campaigns resulting in more events/ European conferences
Average room in room with regard to budget hotels hotel nights sold especially football and exhibitions
occupancy/and occupancy/ (2) midweek requiring range of
room yield average accommodation
position out of or better over several days
9 similar cities room yield • Corporate business
than UK city travel and meetings
competitors
Liverpool’s Maintain top • Growth of LJLA • Further development of the • Events with • Major international
position five position • Growth of international Liverpool brand especially with international conferences
- Most visited UK achieved in brands e.g. Beatles, LFC, BRIC markets draw
towns (international 2013 Tate, Liverpool Waterfront
tourist visits) • International Welcome
• BRIC markets penetration
Tourism 23,000 • New quality hotels, • Destination and tactical • Major events • Major conferences
supported restaurants and attractions campaigns resulting in higher attracting overnight and exhibitions
jobs such as Kings Dock leisure midweek occupancy and yield visitors to hotels with widespread
developments enabling business to expand with widespread economic impact
• Improved yield and business • Development of Liverpool brand economic impact
performance leading to • Further build of other
re-investment and job destination brands including
creation Southport, Wirral and England’s
Golf Coast
ICCA Ranking 31 additional • New Exhibition Centre • More focussed conference • IFB 2016 • Successful bidding
world wide (3) international Liverpool at ACCL sales activity and expansion for internationally
conferences • Destination Welcome leading of the ambassador programme rated conferences
per year to serial bookings leading to attraction of major • Subvention Fund
international conferences
(1) Examples of the rail and road connectivity required we set out in Gateway / (3) International Congress and Convention Association measures events of at least
Transport Improvements on page 25. 50 delegates that rotate around the globe.
(2) Proposed Hotel Development Policy is set out in the Hotel Futures Report see page 33. 09
5 Where Are We Now?
£ 22%
Key destination performance
indicators point to modest but
steady growth in the last 3 years
Increase in
visitor impact
reputation as a visitor magnet. • Hugely successful Liverpool Biennials
Recent accolades include third 2012 and 2014
place in Rough Guides Top 10
5th 5th places to visit in the world during
2014 (behind Rio de Janiero and
Sarajevo), and 4th place in the UK
• Liverpool hosted the largest WW1
commemoration event which
attracted 1m people continuing the
Liverpool
legacy of 08
Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice
Awards (behind London, Edinburgh • Securing Cultural Destination funding
and Torquay) as well as Group Travel from The Arts Council / VisitEngland
5th best performing retail
destination in UK Organisers’ best overall destination
• Waterfront Events including the Battle
5th most popular city in for Groups
of the Atlantic 70th anniversary,
England for domestic visitors
• Southport has experienced a slight the Mersey River Festival and the
increase in both staying visitor Liverpool International Music Festival
Recent performance
numbers and day visitors in 2013
• 50th anniversary celebrations
• Overall value of tourism has
• Wirral has seen growth in both overall of the Beatles marking their first
increased from £2.97 billion in 2010 to
value of tourism (up from £293m in appearance in the US
£3.64 billion in 2013 with an additional
2010 to £327m in 2013), day visitor
6,300 jobs created • Completion of work on new Everyman
numbers (up from 5.8m in 2010 to
Theatre which also won the RIBA
• The number of staying visitor nights in 6.3m in 2012) and staying visitors (up
Stirling Prize 2014
Liverpool City Region has increased from 737,000 in 2010 to 780,000 in
from 11.0 million to 12.4 million 2012) • Completion of Phase 1 Philharmonic
Hall extension and improvements
• Average annual hotel occupancy
The City Region’s tourism offering
has risen from 69.2% in 2010 to 71% • Re-launch of the former Neptune
continues to develop and in the last
in 2013 but average room yield has Theatre as The Epstein
12 to 18 months has seen:
increased only marginally from £40.49
• Opening of The Atkinson in Southport
in 2010 to £41 in 2013
Cultural Legacy
• Redevelopment of the Observatory
• The number of hotel rooms sold
• Increasing popularity of the new at Catalyst Science and Discovery
across Liverpool City Region has
Museum of Liverpool which opened Centre, Halton
increased from 2.2 million in 2010 to
in 2011 and is now the most popular
over 2.6 million in 2013 • Improvements to the waterfront and
museum in the UK outside of London
South Docks and completion of
• Liverpool is now the 5th best (National Museums Liverpool)
public realm works at Mann Island
performing retail destination in the UK
• Blockbuster exhibitions including
and the 5th most popular UK city for • Redevelopment of award winning
Turner Monet Twombly, Chagall:
overseas visitors Central Library
Modern Master, Mondrian (Tate 2012,
• Liverpool is also the 5th most popular 2013 and 2014), Titanic and Liverpool
Sport
destination in England for - the untold story (Maritime Museum
domestic visitors 2012 and 2013) and David Hockney: • The best attended Grand National at
Early Reflections (Walker Art Gallery Aintree in 2013 with 154,000 visitors
• Third party endorsements continue
2013) to name but a few and 139,000 visitors in 2014
to underscore Liverpool’s growing
10• Hosting the Ricoh Women’s Open • ACC Liverpool voted UK’s Best TRANSPoRT
Championship in Hoylake (2012) Conference Venue at Meeting and
• Passenger numbers at Liverpool
and Birkdale (2014), the Open Incentive Travel Awards 2014
John Lennon Airport hit 5.25m a year
Championship in July 2014 in
• Exhibition Centre Liverpool, adjacent in 2011 but have experienced some
Hoylake, announcement of Birkdale
to ACC Liverpool now on site decline since then with 2013 figures
as host for 2017
including new 4 star Pullman hotel to of 4.2m
• New home of the Saints RLFC, open in 2015
• Completion of Lime Street Gateway
Langtree Park continuing to develop
• Opening of Rum Warehouse,
its offer. Alongside Widnes Vikings • Completion of redevelopment work at
Stanley Dock
Rugby League attracts an attendance Central station
of over a third of a million per year • Delivery of International Festival for
• Government support for the Mersey
Business in June-July 2014 - the
• North West National Golf course now Gateway river crossing at Runcorn
biggest showcase for business
fully open (St.Helens) with work getting underway
since the Festival of Britain in 1951,
attracting 75,000 delegates from 88
CRuISE ACCoMMoDATIoN
countries. Government support for
• 47 Cruise calls in 2014 bringing IFB 2016 announced • Opening of new hotels and
£3.8m of Visitor Spend aparthotels in the city centre including
LEISuRE AND RETAIL Travelodge Central Exchange,
• Liverpool Cruise Terminal won ‘Best
Adagio, Ibis Styles, Epic Aparthotel,
Port of Call’ by Cruise Critic 2013 • Ongoing success of Liverpool ONE
The Richmond, Signature Hotel,
and 2014 bucking the national retail downturn
Hoax, Travelodge Strand, 30 James
and maintaining footfall of 26 million in
• Further development of turnaround Street Titanic Hotel, Stanley Dock and
2013. Attraction of major retail brands
cruises from City of Liverpool cruise Aloft
to the city including Harvey Nichols
terminal with the return of Fred Olsen
Beauty Bazaar and a new Forever 21 • New Travelodge in Southport, new
cruises
store on Church Street Premier Inn in Birkenhead
• Securing the 175th anniversary
• Attraction of new brands to newly
commemoration for Cunard in 2015 GuIDED TouRS
opened leisure developments in New
when all three ‘Queens’ will appear
Brighton (Marine Point) and Widnes • A large number of tour operators now
on the Mersey in May and the first
(the Hive) offer guided tours of Liverpool with
transatlantic Cunard crossing since
many new business start ups in this
1968 takes place in July • Expansion and improvement of the
market
eating out offer with the opening of
BuSINESS TouRISM new independent restaurants as • A new open top bus tour to Anfield
well as well known signature brands started in 2014
• Continuing success of both the Echo
- including Browns, Sustenance,
Arena and the BT Convention Centre • 37 new Blue Badge Guides trained
Trattoria 51, Fazenda, Salthouse
with hosting of major conferences -
Bacaro, Frederiks, Everyman Bistro, • Royal Institute of British Architecture
securing return of the Labour Party
Button Street Smokehouse, The Art (RIBA) Tours commenced
Conference in September 2016 and
School, Claremont Farm Deli, Upstairs
2018
at Sheldrakes, and Wro Loft to name
but a few
116 The Destination
Management Plan
Next Five Years
© VisitBritain
Visitor Economy Section 3 set out the long term vision and targets for 2025.
Targets for 2020 Sections 4 and 5 looked at what the key drivers are and our
recent performance. Section 6 looks at the next five years and
key milestones towards that longer term vision. Sections 7,8 and
9 look at opportunities and challenges over the next five years,
priorities and key actions to 2020.
Given the levels of recent visits and steady growth, Liverpool City Region is
28%
poised to take advantage in the upturn of the economy as we come out of the
depths of the recession.
Short term targets 2015-2020
Increase in Visitor • To increase overall visitor value from £3.65 billion per year in 2013
Economy Jobs to £4.4 billion per year by 2020
1
• To increase staying visitor nights in Liverpool from 5.6 million in 2013
£££
to 6.4 million in 2020
• To support the creation of a further 13,000 new jobs in the visitor economy
by 2020 from 49,000 to 62,000
• To improve average hotel occupancy from 71% to 76%
and to grow room yield at least in line with our competitor cities
20%
• To increase day visitor impact from £2.5 billion to £2.8 billion
2
• To improve our ICCA UK ranking by at least two places (currently 7th)
Increase in (1) Whilst targets reflect growth aspirations right across the City Region, it is likely
that Liverpool, as the strongest attack brand of the City Region, will be the focus
visitor value of much of the growth between now and 2020 hence a target for staying visitor
nights in Liverpool specifically, has been included.
(2) International Congress and Convention Association ranking for regularly
occurring, internationally rotating association meetings of 50 or more delegates.
12© Wirral MBC
Table 2: Summary: Short term growth targets
for liverpool city region
Actual DMP
Target
2013 2020
Value of Tourism (£billion)
1
3.6 4.4
14%
Tourism Supported jobs
1
49,000 62,000
Staying visitor nights (m) 1
Liverpool 5.6 6.4
Hotel Occupancy 71%
2
76%
Visits to Attractions
131 145
based on 2007 index of 100
Cities ranking for liverpool Increase in
Liverpool
3
for international visitors to the UK 5 5
ICCA ranking
World/UK
159/7
4
100/5 visitor nights
The targets are based on assumptions around the pace of hotel development,
hotel occupancy, the timely completion of investment projects and the staging of
particular large scale events and attraction of conferences. There are some real
opportunities to be built on and some significant challenges to overcome if we are
to achieve our vision.
11%
A full list of performance indicators set out year by year
through to 2015 can be found on page 32.
1
STEAM 2013 Economic Impact Model
2
STR GLOBAL, LTD. Republication or other re-use of this data without Increase
the express written permission of STR GLOBAL is strictly prohibited.
in visits to
3
4
International Passenger Survey attractions
International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings
are for regularly occurring internationally rotating Association meetings
of 50 or more delegates.
137 Destination Management
Plan 2015 - 2020
Opportunities and Challenges
There are a number of key opportunities and challenges
that the Visitor Economy will face over the next 5 years.
See Section 9 for planned investments and activities that seek to address these issues.
Table 3: key opportunities and challenges: Next five years
Opportunities Challenges
funding funding
• The LEP has secured a further £2.15m of European ERDF funding • Public Sector funding is reducing, particularly in the next few
towards Place Marketing which runs to June 2015. There is an years. A change of culture is therefore required which will see
opportunity to bid for further funding albeit at a lower level for introduction of a more commercially focussed business model to
place marketing activity from 2015 to 2020 support activity that was previously publicly funded
• Liverpool is a recognised destination brand for VisitEngland and • Local Authorities working on austerity budgets with tourism related
VisitBritain with opportunities to feature in national campaigns funding reducing
such as the Britain’s GREAT campaign and potentially future • Finding funding to sustain the Visitor Economy Executive of both
opportunities in China Liverpool Vision and the LEP post June 15 remains a challenge
• Liverpool is a prime destination partner in VisitEngland’s Regional • Diminishing public funding threatens continued capital
Growth Fund, Growing Tourism Locally Campaigns, now in its infrastructure and revenue programming investment for cultural
final year. This provides match funding to support activity such as institutions and no obvious allocation for such activity within the
Liverpool Attractions Group campaigns new ERDF programme
• Visitor Economy Board helping to develop new commercial • Private Sector funding is still difficult to secure with only a small
business model for Visitor Economy Executive funding number of larger businesses putting significant funding into
• Local Growth Plan funding for transport improvements will aid destination marketing
connectivity • Further work to integrate Transport and Visitor Economy funding
bids is required
Governance Governance
• Visitor Economy continues to be a recognised growth sector by • The new private sector Visitor Economy Board has to take a longer
the Liverpool City Region LEP and is well represented within the term strategic view of their role
City Region Growth Plan. The Tourist Board function continues to • Future structures need to take account of potential funders
be part of the LEP remit
• The private sector needs to drive and support destination
• A new Combined Authority came into being in April 2014 and has marketing activity to unlock the potential of Liverpool and the City
the opportunity to focus on the Visitor Economy if it so chooses Region to grow market share
• The Visitor Economy Board is more engaged in sector leadership
• A ground-breaking partnership is in place between the LEP and
Liverpool Vision which sees responsibility for marketing delivery
undertaken by Marketing Liverpool - current arrangements expire
in June 15 and discussions underway about what form a future
agreement might take
• The alignment of resources with Marketing Liverpool has
benefitted the sector
14Opportunities Challenges
Brand Brand
• Liverpool’s brand is getting stronger and better known amongst • Persistent low awareness of broader product offering, ease of
key markets access and reasons to travel now among key UK segments.
• Uniqueness of architecture offer and the opportunity to build our • London continues to dominate international visitors’ perceptions of
architectural brand as Chicago has done the UK
• World Heritage City brand • Lack of brand coherence for Liverpool
• Making more of organisations that ‘export’ the Liverpool brand
such as Liverpool Football Club, The Beatles, the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra and Tate Liverpool
• Further brand development of Waterfront and St George’s Quarter
as set out in the City Centre Strategic Investment Framework
• Further brand development of Wirral, Southport and England’s
Golf Coast
investment investment
• Interest in hotel and hospitality investment in the City Region, and • BPRA ends in 2017
in Liverpool in particular, remains buoyant due to strong evidence Product gaps
of weekend leisure business and improving midweek business.
• 5 star city centre hotel to complement Wirral’s Hillbark, the only 5
Opportunities for at least 18 further hotels by 2025
star hotel in Liverpool City Region
• Relatively attractive opportunities for re-use of redundant office
• Backpacker /youth group accommodation
buildings through Business Premises Renovation Allowance
(BPRA) • Touring Camping and Caravan site close to Liverpool
• City Region has rich heritage assets capable of delivering • City centre townhouse and B&B accommodation
authentic and distinctive experience to visitors • More animated water spaces
• Potential for enhancing Beatles experience • More high end restaurant brands as well as quality independents
• New attractions that keep Liverpool City Region in the vanguard of • Family orientated commercial leisure operations
consumer, media and travel trade interest • Joined up and improved Beatles experience
• More investment in public realm, gateways and visitor welcome
Events Events
• A strong Events programme for 2015/6 will keep the City Region • Finding new ways of funding innovative events, including via
profile high Business Improvement Districts (BIDS)
• Cunard 175th anniversary 2015 • The attraction of major world-class events requires significant
• International Festival for Business 2016 funding
• Making more use of Liverpool Waterfront as a major events stage • Lack of European funding for events
• Major Events Group brings together key players • Clearer strategy on prioritising attraction of off season and midweek
events with high economic impact that do not disrupt normal trade
• Capacity of public transport networks around the larger street
events
business tourism business tourism
• Liverpool and Southport have opportunities to become • The corporate business market remains weak and can undermine
international and national conference destinations of excellence in strong leisure and conference performance
their respective markets • More inward investment from professional services and
• Conference Ambassador scheme and the opportunity to work ‘northshoring’ of back office functions from London and the SE and
with key growth sectors of the City Region economy to bring more overseas is required
conference events and aid inward investment • The conference and exhibition marketplace is hugely competitive
• The new Exhibition Centre at ACC Liverpool opens up with new facilities opening all the time – only sustained and
opportunities for consumer and trade exhibition business substantial marketing and PR investment will guarantee success
over the next five years
• Film Business – Liverpool City Region offers huge locational
advantages for filming with a well reputed Film Office that
generates demand for hotel accommodation and other services
• Capitalising on the strength of our universities and their
international reach
leisure tourism leisure tourism
• The City Region’s high quality and diverse product is well placed • Domestic demand still compromised by the impacts of the recession
to attract a larger share of the UK and European Short Break • International leisure visits could be impacted by the decline in
Market passenger numbers at LJLA
• Targeted leisure markets e.g golf, retail, culture and heritage • Day visitors markets are growing very slowly
markets can help fill empty midweek rooms
• Coach strategy for Liverpool needs developing and implementing
• Evidence of increasing midweek leisure business driven by Online
Travel Agents
• UK Travel Trade especially coach trips and overnights have
untapped potential
• The return of European football
15Opportunities Challenges
DEVELOPING ENTERPRISE, EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS DEVELOPING ENTERPRISE, EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLs
• Opportunities abound for new business start-ups in the sector to • To develop and retain sufficient high quality talent in key skills
help address the City Region’s shortfall in new businesses areas e.g chefing and future sector leaders/managers
• Various national and locally specific funding schemes available • Promoting skills and career opportunities
for employability and skills training
• Skills are improving within the sector but more people need to view
• Skills for Growth Agreement in place for the Visitor Economy the sector as a first choice career
• WorldHost City Region status attained – the first in Great Britain • Persuading sector businesses to maximise the use of apprentices
• In principle extension to Skills for Growth Bank model with a focus as a means of supporting business growth and to take advantage
on supporting SMEs of the National Apprenticeship Service as a recruitment pathway
• Careers in the Visitor Economy are successfully promoted • Raising the profile of skills development with both employers and
through initiatives such as Jobs for Tomorrow and the Skills Show employees
Experience • Encouraging providers to be more responsive to industry needs
building on the Skills for Growth agreement for the Visitor Economy
as a catalyst to drive change
• Nurturing new Visitor Economy businesses
• Access to finance for SMEs in the sector remains a challenge
Online activity Online activity
• Advances in technology provide significant opportunities for new • Ensuring we have the online marketing skills and understanding
business and income generation to exploit online channels and conversion to business
• The more responsive VisitLiverpool website • Alignment of partners’ digital resources
• Social Media provides a low cost effective way of promoting the • Developing better CRM
destination • Ongoing resource costs of smart card operations
• Visitor focussed smart card linking transport and attractions
Area-based partnerships AREA BASED PARTNERSHIPS
• A myriad of self-sustaining area-based partnerships are • Greater engagement of a wide range of private sector
beginning to take responsibility for developing the quality of their stakeholders is required
visitor offering. These are important gateways for visitors and offer • Capacity of such groups remains limited and competition for
the opportunity to reinforce the character of the destination, assist scarce private sector funding between groups could be a
orientation and connectivity challenge
• Liverpool Quarters Group brings together each of the area
partnerships to take forward common initiatives
Access, sustainability and inclusivity Access, sustainability and inclusivity
• Successful destinations will provide for a diverse population • The private sector needs to embrace these issues widely and see
in terms of age, ability, gender and sexual orientation and will them as mainstream commercial opportunities rather than niche
address environmental concerns such as climate change and markets
impacts on the host community
• A focus on more mature markets will prompt an accessibility
response
Connectivity Connectivity
• Further potential for growth exists at Liverpool John Lennon • Visitor Economy stakeholders need to support LJLA to develop
Airport (LJLA) to replace lost routes. This will open up new new routes that will attract inbound business and conference
markets that are essential for the growth of international business visitors
tourism, particularly from Europe
• Funding for transport and infrastructure schemes remains tight
• Implementation of short-term LJLA Delivery Plan and Surface
• Connectivity with Manchester Airport remains an issue
Access Delivery Plan for LJLA
• Road and rail access to Southport requires further improvement
• The opportunity to work more closely with Manchester
Airport on developing better routes from new and emerging • HS2/HS3 - Strong lobbying required to ensure Liverpool
overseas markets. connectivity
• Virgin, as the holder of the franchise for the West Coast main line • Resources required to support visitor friendly services such as
service, are supporting the destination more actively and making CityLink and airport bus
improvements to rail services
• Other rail/transport improvements such as the Halton curve,
Wrexham to Bidston line, smart ticketing
• HS2 -Extending high speed rail link beyond Crewe to Liverpool
• HS3 - Connecting cities in the North across the Pennines
• The new Mersey Gateway
• Development of a second Cruise Terminal
• Implementation by Merseytravel of new Customer Transport
Information Strategy brings advances in availability of digital
public transport information
16Opportunities Challenges
Visitor Management Visitor management
• Most destinations within LCR have the capacity to absorb more • As we become a more successful visitor destination we need
visitors to manage visitor flows and potential negative impacts better
Market intelligence market intelligence
• Up to date and consistent data will inform market share growth • Consistency and communication: Benchmarking nationally is
• Improved intelligence through ONS/VisitEngland Tourism not always consistent in terms of participation
Intelligence Unit • Finding effective ways of sharing intelligence across Liverpool
• North West Research - Significant opportunity to provide added City Region
value research services • Benchmarking - Liverpool City Region has performed well
• Hosting conferences for sector professionals will help promote but so have our competitors - More regular benchmarking
Liverpool City Region and share best practice against high performing core cities in the UK (e.g. Manchester
/ Glasgow) and worldwide (e.g. Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne,
Vancover) is required including ‘Best in class’ in conferences
(e.g. Vienna, Paris), waterfront cities (e.g. Toronto, Cape Town,
Sydney, Shanghai), World Heritage cities and architecture
(Chicago)
178 Destination Management
Plan 2015 - 2020
Priorities for the Next Five Years
© VisitBritain
Growth is at the heart of this strategy.
Growth in both the value of the Visitor
Economy sector and what it contributes
to the overall GVA of the City Region but
also growth in jobs and the opportunities
the sector offers to our young people
in particular.
Previous sections have outlined our long term vision to 2025 and our short term
targets to 2020. The key ‘accelerators’ of growth have been explained and the
opportunities and challenges facing the City Region have been discussed.
The Visitor Economy Board (see page 2) is charged with producing this strategy
and monitoring its implementation. Before determining which of the opportunities
should be prioritised, substantial consideration was given to international and
domestic market trends and forecasts.
It is essential to prioritise activity around those opportunities with greatest
sustainable economic impact and therefore the Visitor Economy Board is
focusing its attention initially on three market growth opportunities:
• International and national conferences and exhibitions
• Staycations (overnight domestic visitor markets)
• International leisure visitors
In addition there are four enabling priorities which will help deliver sustainable
growth. These are:
• Brand distinctiveness
• Digital Connectivity
• Transport Connectivity
• Welcome
18International and National Where are we now? Why?
Conferences and Exhibitions • Conferences performing well but low
• ICCA Ranking 159th globally business base is inhibiting overall growth
• ICCA Ranking 7th in UK of business tourism. However, significant
• Liverpool 5th city in the UK for growth potential for conferences,
international business visitors exhibitions and major events
• 6th in the UK for British business visits • High spending visitors £242 per head
per trip compared to £183 for leisure
visitors
Where do we want to be by 2020? • Brings influential business audience to
• We aim to maintain our ranking as 5th who may relocate or invest here
city in the UK for international business
• Boosts midweek business – critical for
tourism visits and a top 100 ICCA world
sector Gross Value Added (GVA) growth
ranking with hotels achieving 76% annual
and employment
average occupancy and room yield
above average for core cities • Benefits widely spread
What is the priority? • Makes sense of capital investments
• We aim to improve midweek occupancy
from 70% to 74% e.g. Exhibition Centre Liverpool (ECL)
To attract more national and
international conferences and • Award winning Convention Bureau
exhibitions to LCR.
Staycations – Culture and Where are we now? Why?
Heritage Visitors • 5th in England for all domestic • To grow jobs and GVA need more
tourism behind, London, Manchester, midweek business
Birmingham and Bristol • Demographic changes mean that there
• 6th in England for pure holiday trips will be more active older people looking
behind London, Scarborough, Blackpool, to take breaks with the flexibility to travel
Manchester and York midweek
• We need more visitors who will enjoy our
Where do we want to be by 2020? culture and heritage assets
• To make a contribution to improved hotel
occupancy target of 76% and revpar
above average of core cities
• Improve midweek occupancy from
What is the priority? 70% to 74%
• Increase visits to heritage and culture
To capitalise on the staycation attractions especially midweek and 12
market and drive more overnight months a year
domestic leisure visitors 7 days a • Improve midweek retail traffic
week targeting more mature visitors • Improved awareness of world heritage
interested in our culture, music, site
heritage, golf and retail.
International Leisure What is the priority? Why?
Visitors • Overseas tourism is London centric but
To attract more international leisure Liverpool performs relatively well
visitors to LCR using our international • High spending visitors
assets to drive business to the wider • Growing more strongly than domestic
LCR. • Plays to our cultural, Beatles, sporting
strengths
• Less image issues overseas than at
home
Where are we now?
• Supports Liverpool John Lennon Airport
• Liverpool 5th in the UK for overall (LJLA) growth
international visitors (behind London,
Edinburgh, Manchester , Birmingham) • Supports Liverpool City Council and
Liverpool City Region international
• Liverpool 4th in the UK for ‘other’ visits ambition
(sporting events etc)
Where do we want to be by 2020?
• We aim to always be in top five cities in
the UK for international visits with more
international tour operators featuring
Liverpool
19Brand Distinctiveness What is the priority? Why?
• Forecast tourism growth will be city
To further develop the distinctiveness driven
and awareness of the Liverpool • Liverpool is already a distinctive,
brand for the benefit of the wider city powerful brand, well known overseas
region. • Deepening and broadening awareness
of brand Liverpool will benefit wider
city region growth beyond the Visitor
Where are we now? Economy
• Overall international public awareness • Wider city region benefits from that
of the Liverpool brand is high but one success providing it connects to brand
dimensional. We are not yet on the radar Liverpool
as global city brand according to Anholt.
Where do we want to be by 2020?
• To be the most positively recognised
English core city brand amongst
international visitor audiences.
Digital Connectivity Where are we now? Why?
• VisitLiverpool unique visits – 150k per • The future is digital and with increased
month pressure on resources, this is the
(3rd of core cities) only affordable way to promote our
• Email sign ups approximately 10,000 destination and offer a seamless visitor
per year experience
• Twitter followers - 21,000 • Broadband access is generally good
• Facebook likes - 14,600 • Visitliverpool.com is one of the best used
visitor websites in the UK
Where do we want to be by 2020? • Easier to work collaboratively digitally
• Significant reduction in print • Target markets are digitally savvy
• Ask – inform – book by mobile universally
available in LCR
• Digital city dressing
What is the priority? • City centre free Wi-Fi
• LCR recognised as best in class digitally
To be the best digitally connected for visitor connectivity
and promoted visitor destination in
the UK.
20Transport Connectivity What is the priority?
Where do we want to be by 2020?
To provide excellent transport • Best performing transport system in
connectivity with key visitor markets the UK
and visitor friendly gateways and • Visitor friendly ticketing and information
transport on arrival. • Positive resolution re HS2
• Reversal of decline at LJLA
Where are we now?
• Air, road, rail and sea connectivity Why?
generally good but Manchester and • Good access to City Region is key
Transpennine connectivity is poor. prerequisite to tourism growth, especially
• Danger of Liverpool being excluded from international business tourism
HS2. • Easy to use public transport will attract
• Internal transport and transport information more visitors and persuade others to leave
services are not organised around the their cars behind, keeping our destination
needs of visitors more sustainable
• Decline in passengers at LJLA is a • Visitors using public transport makes
concern services more viable for residents
Welcome Where are we now? Where do we want to be by 2020?
• Liverpool overall Visitor Satisfaction rate • To outperform all competing UK
at 97 is above England average of 94 destinations on warmth of welcome and
• Liverpool’s score is higher than all other destination recommendation indicators
Core Cities (Manchester 85, Newcastle 88, • To build on and retain WorldHost
Leeds 84, Birmingham 73, Nottingham 94 accreditation for the LCR
and Bristol 80 (Source Visit England Brand • Excellent customer service and attitudes
& Satisfaction Tracker) embedded in managers and front line staff
• TripAdvisor most friendly destination in • Great destination knowledge by
2010 and 2011 front line staff
• Many attractions and other visitor facilities • Young people equipped with the
have won awards and certificates of welcome and customer service skills
excellence to work in our sector
• ‘Best Port of Call’ - Cruise critic • Win more ‘destination friendly’ accolades
• Coach friendly city
What is the priority? • Won ‘Best UK Destination’ at Group Why?
Travel Awards 2014 • Competitive advantage already
To be recognised as the UK’s • First WorldHost accredited City Region • Harnesses power of the people
most welcoming and friendly in Great Britain
• Can encourage word of mouth
visitor destination. recommendation and repeat visits
219 Destination Management
Plan 2015 - 2020
Investment and Activity Plans
© VisitBritain
The following tables summarise planned
developments and activities for the next
five years.
14,000
They are intended to:
• Address the challenges and exploit the opportunities outlined in Section 7
• Highlight the key Visitor Economy Board priorities from Section 8
Jobs
• Reflect priorities and plans of partners
• Maximise the City Region’s performance against targets in Table 1, page 9
Successful visitor destinations are rarely created by chance. They are usually
the product of:
• The development and management of the destination including public and
private investment in the product, the quality of the visitor experience and
access to that experience
• Innovative and sustained marketing of that offer
• Staging major events
• Developing a successful business tourism offer
This maximises use of capacity and resources and creates a balanced Visitor
Economy. This section outlines intended activity in each of these areas.
22Destination Development and Management
The next five years will see a
continuation of austerity conditions Strategy Link and aims
for local authorities and other public
sector agencies which will naturally • Develop a new delivery funding model which is less dependent on the
curtail the development of new public sector
visitor facilities provided through
public funds. Local authorities may • The City Region will create, promote and manage distinctive quarters,
well need to make further savings each with a strong sense of identity - market appeal, quality offering and
which could impact on destination sense of arrival
management services and the • Make the City Region more accessible for visitors and easier to get
maintenance of the public realm. around when they are here, promoting the use of public transport and
However, private sector investments investing in our gateways to create a sense of welcome
leading to sustainable job creation
are still likely to receive support • Ensure the leading assets of the City Region continue to meet the
through various government and expectations of new visitors
European funding initiatives. • Promote the Visitor Economy as an aspirational career choice and
address skills gaps in the hospitality industry
Liverpool City Region has benefitted
from significant levels of investment • Deliver the highest quality experience for our visitors by investing in our
in recent years, helping to create public realm, our transport, visitor information and destination welcome
the climate for further private sector with a particular focus on becoming a digital destination
investment. • Secure public and private investment to improve the quality and range
of our hotels, restaurants and attractions, our conference, exhibition and
Following the success of the cultural venues and to attract major events
International Festival of Business,
its legacy will help build the • Help businesses in the Visitor Economy by working with them to improve
Liverpool brand and further position their performance and productivity by sharing best practice. Identify the
the Liverpool City Region as a next generation of growth businesses and provide them with bespoke
credible investment location. support
Management of resources will need • Develop the Visitor Economy in a sustainable and responsible way and
to be smarter and more aligned and spread the benefits across the City Region
growth will be achieved through • To further integrate and align Transport and the Visitor Economy Policy
increasing utilisation of existing and market opportunities
facilities.
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