www.nitb.com Summary of Board Meeting 15th June 2006 Attendance Present: Mr Tom McGrath (Chairman) Mr Kevin Baird Ms Aideen Corr Mrs Mandy Martin Mr John McGrillen In attendance: Mr Alan Clarke, Chief Executive Ms Sue Ward, Marketing Director Mr John Rubery, Director of Special Projects Mr Philip Pentland, Director of Industry Development Mrs Kerrie Sweeney, Regions and Signature Projects Manager South (part) Mr Bob McMillen, Policy and Business Planning Manager Mr Jim Daly, Policy & Business Planning Unit Apologies: Lyn Fawcett Andrea Hayes John Mooney Jim Speers Kathryn Thomson 1. Papers for Discussion – Continued From 14 June Opening this second session of the June Board, the Chairman advised that the meeting would conclude at noon to allow Members to travel to the Destination Fermanagh launch at Castle Hume. 1 (i) Product Development Division – Operating Plan 2006-07 Priorities for the coming year were detailed. Central to the Division’s activities is delivery of the Signature Projects. A Special Adviser has been appointed to provide input on their development and workshops were conducted throughout March and April to agree the overall vision for the Projects. Critical success factors were identified to help assess progress towards delivery, measuring the Projects’ capacity to generate not just value and volume, but distinctiveness for Northern Ireland within the international marketplace. Potential risks were also outlined and it was emphasised that NITB’s overall role will be in guardianship of the tourism element of the projects. Individual Signature Projects were discussed. A “destination scorecard” exercise undertaken for the Giant’s Causeway indicated that further work is needed on the visitor experience. Recent work on the Mournes suggests that the Signature Project should be “de-coupled” from the National Park issue, in order to generate momentum for the scheme. Issues with current and future funding schemes were outlined. The new TDS scheme will launch formally next month, with a £1.5m allocation for 2006-07. This will be open to applications for eight weeks and a programme of communication to the industry is getting underway. The Board emphasised the need for clearly communicated eligibility criteria and suggested that NITB should organise a mail shot as soon as possible, to notify relevant figures within local authorities (ACTION: PP). The process from application to approval was outlined. Members remarked the tight deadlines and suggested that in future it might be useful simply to provide advance notice of a competition and outline the eligibility criteria,
NITB, St Anne's Court, 59 North Street, BELFAST, BT1 1NB | Tel +44 (0)28 9023 1221 | Fax +44 (0)28 9024 0960 | Textphone +44 (0)28 9044 1522
www.nitb.com
while stressing that the amount of available resources is not known – prospective applicants would have more time to weigh options and work up initial application proposals. Proposals likely to attract assistance are those which add to the Signature Projects; initiatives addressing issues identified in the Visitor Satisfaction Survey (for example, things to do on Sunday); and innovations such as “learning journeys” undertaken recently in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation. Members suggested that channelling funding through RTPs would help to set the strategic context in which the Partnerships are expected to develop. An update was given on the Division’s Industry Competitiveness team. Additional accommodation inspectors have been engaged to ease pressures on staff resources and ensure that NITB delivers on its statutory obligations. The revised certification scheme is being finalised in conjunction with DETI. Members suggested outsourcing this function and were advised that the upcoming strategic review will consider this and other areas of core business. One proposal arising from the review of certification / classification schemes had been that some categories of accommodation would not require annual inspection. It was also suggested that certification should move away from a rigid assessment of individual details towards more flexible consideration of the overall quality. This could be achieved by employing terminology similar to that used by Building Control, where premises are “deemed to satisfy” requirements. DETI has expressed a desire to see NITB charging fees for classification work as government requires public bodies to recover the costs of any services they provide. Members suggested that the role of Quality Assurance could be expanded beyond accommodation to cover food and drink outlets; however given resource issues it was felt that a preferable alternative could be a scheme operated by representative bodies such as the Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade, in agreement with NITB. The work of NITB’s Research team was highlighted and activities in the coming months include assessment of the economic impact of tourism and a Causeway Visitors Survey. The team has also done much work on the Product Development Strategy. The Board raised the issue of the Planning Policy Statement on tourism. Planning Service had indicated to NITB that this could no longer be treated as a priority because of current resource issues in the wake of the review of Public Administration. The Board expressed concern that there would be no clear planning policy guidance available. The current draft of PPS 14 (Sustainable Development in the Countryside) had extended the area where exceptional benefit to the tourist industry and special tourist need had to be demonstrated. This was effectively a blanket ban as no-one had been able to satisfactorily define these terms. Members suggested that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister might have guidance which could be used in the absence of a PPS and NITB should investigate this alternative, while continuing to push for a PPS specifically for tourism (ACTION: KT). 1 (ii) TIDInet An update paper on the TIDInet online bookings system was circulated. Members were advised that in addition to its superior capabilities, TIDInet costs less to operate than the Gulliver system; spending is also 1/3 of Tourism Ireland’s comparable IT expenditure. TIDInet provides all tourist information for Tourism Ireland, VisitBritain and the Regional Tourism Partnerships. While the response from users overall has been very positive, some operators have had problems in adapting to the routine of updating their own availability online. An education programme is underway with teams of advisers visiting providers to offer practical guidance and advice. The new CRM Manager will oversee this ongoing programme and provide an interim report on the future strategic direction. A presentation will be delivered to the Board in the autumn (ACTION: SW).
NITB, St Anne's Court, 59 North Street, BELFAST, BT1 1NB | Tel +44 (0)28 9023 1221 | Fax +44 (0)28 9024 0960 | Textphone +44 (0)28 9044 1522
www.nitb.com
1 (iii) St Patrick’s Trail and Survey of Touring Routes Kerrie Sweeney joined the meeting to outline proposals for a St Patrick touring route, identified as a key priority in the three-year Action Plan for the Christian Heritage Signature Project. Three prospective routes were detailed. A checklist was drawn up for 22 sites identified as potential stops along the proposed trails, scoring each on existing visitor facilities, access arrangements and Disability Discrimination Act requirements. Routes need to be safe to travel as well as having scenic quality; in the view of Roads Service, scenic routes are more successful than “product” routes such as (for example) the Carleton Trail. One long-term aim is to join the Causeway Coastal Route with a similar Mournes route, linking the Signature Projects. For the St Patrick Signature Project, the goal is to develop a trail linking Downpatrick and Armagh. Factors assessed included the total distance, the number of sites and time which visitors could reasonably spend at each of these. Links to Slemish were also discussed but while it is felt this cannot realistically be included in the route, it will feature in “softer” marketing of the St Patrick product. Roads Service, subject to some further negotiations, has accepted signage options in the feasibility study. Costs of three options for the St Patrick Route were detailed. The next stage is a technical study of proposals both for this route and a scenic Mourne Coastal Route, scoping these in detail to see how they fit together. The Board felt that the proposed coastal route was a little long, with few existing facilities to serve it. Members suggested that a better option might be an inland St Patrick route linked to a short, scenic coastal spur. Discussions with stakeholders had also flagged up some comments about quality and the coastal route. The Board also asked about links with Christian heritage sites in the ROI and promotion of these in the USA. More development work is needed but there have been some initial discussions with Fáilte Ireland but it was noted that an “all-Ireland” message might dilute the strength of the Signature Project brand. The Board agreed that option “B” should be taken forward. This trail would run from Armagh – Newry / Mournes – Downpatrick, covering 102 miles and with an estimated cost of £366k (ACTION: PP). The next step will be to map out details. The Board thanked Kerrie Sweeney for her presentation and she left the meeting. 1 (iv) Product Development Plan Following on from the paper delivered at the last meeting, the Board received more detail on the process to create a new integrated strategy for product development. This strategy will be centred on the Signature Projects, and is intended to create stand-out and differentiation for Northern Ireland in the marketplace. Further work had been done to identify the immediate priorities for 2006-07. The paper would provide the basis for discussions with DETI and set the terms of reference for consultancy work. The Board agreed that the proposals outlined in the paper deserved more detailed consideration and requested that the paper should be deferred to the next Board Meeting, to allow adequate time (ACTION: JR). 2. Papers for Noting 2 (i) Bed and Breakfast / Guesthouse Associations An update on elections to a single representative body was given. A group of 20 delegates has been elected; these will meet with Mediation Network NI by the end of June. Funding will now need to be sourced to establish the new body. NITB has agreed to assist with the development of a business plan for the new body and will be represented at the inaugural meeting of the new association, after which it will step aside. Some delegates had suggested that NITB might provide a secretariat for the new body but the Board agreed that involvement of this nature would not be appropriate.
NITB, St Anne's Court, 59 North Street, BELFAST, BT1 1NB | Tel +44 (0)28 9023 1221 | Fax +44 (0)28 9024 0960 | Textphone +44 (0)28 9044 1522
www.nitb.com
2 (ii) Competitive Positioning A further update was given on Northern Ireland’s position in the marketplace relative to the activities of key competitors. The Board had requested an indication of per capita spend and this is to be forwarded to Members for information (ACTION: SW). 2 (iii) Cultural Tourism Strategy Update A comprehensive report on the Strategy will form part of the agenda at the July Board Meeting. The Board was advised that DCAL has appointed Fire IMC to develop a brand identity for Northern Ireland’s participation in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The Chairman thanked Sue Ward for taking part in a recent BBC Radio Ulster news interview on golf tournaments. 3. Chief Executive’s Report The content of the report was noted and the following items were highlighted: Marine and Water-Based Tourism Conference – the Chief Executive and Regions North Manager had attended this cross-border conference at the Stormont Hotel on 18 May. Papers from the event are to be forwarded to Aideen Corr (ACTION: PP). Freedom of Information – details of recent FOI requests were provided. The Board noted that a request had been received in relation to the Cultural Tourism Strategy. 4. Any Other Business There were no other items of business. 5. Date of Next Meeting The next Board Meeting is due to take place at NITB Headquarters, St Anne’s Court on Tuesday 25 July. The Board agreed that this would be treated as a Special Board Meeting with just three items for discussion – the Product Development Plan, the Cultural Tourism Strategy and People 1st / Industry Human Resources. For this last item the Board will be joined by Mr Brian Wisdom, Chief Executive of People 1st.
NITB, St Anne's Court, 59 North Street, BELFAST, BT1 1NB | Tel +44 (0)28 9023 1221 | Fax +44 (0)28 9024 0960 | Textphone +44 (0)28 9044 1522