Exploring the potential for Natural Resource Tourism

Kieran Swail, GTT Consultancy

Natural Resource Tourism & Local Development Conference, Ballyronan.9th November 2005

www.gttconsultancy.co.uk

OverviewNRT ClarificationTourism Trends Tourism today in Northern IrelandOpportunities – Product Dev & MarketingNew Tools Partnership no longer a choice!

Recent Projects

GTT Client Portfolio

Whos CookingTake The Family Malone HouseBelfast CastleNewry Institute of Fhe Academy of TravelTTC InternationalIron Donkey Cycle ToursIrish Sea Cruises Cameron Cavendish Wines

TTC Projects 04 – 05

Business Plan SatiErne Canal StudyFree Famagusta (Cyprus)Tourism StrategyIreland World Rally Championships 2007NITB Short Breaks A. PlanMaiden City FestivalFoyle Events CompanyNewry & Mourne /Armagh Product Dev StudyCumbria Equine Tourism Study

NRT ClarificationNatural Resource Tourism represents a host of opportunities 30 Activities listed on the CAAN siteAlso includes

Rural TourismFarm, Green, Eco, Agri-tourism

Cultural TourismEvents TourismSports TourismHealth TourismFood Tourism Educational TourismHeritage TourismFilm Tourism……

ProductPlace

People

Simple Definition: The promotion and packaging of the natural resource base for tourism and recreation use.

NRT core branded product & competitively positioned in the following destinations

Wales- www.adventure.visitwales.com

Aberdeen & Grampians-www.castlesandwhisky.com

Iceland Discoveries – www.iectourist.is

Switzerland Experiences –www.myswitzerland.com

Active Orkney -www.visitorkney.com/active.html

Austria You’ve arrived! – www.austria.info

In search of the Pamper Experience

P

A

M

PER

PersonalisedAdded ValueMemorablePositiveExcitingRelaxing

Visitors now have sophisticated needs and high expectations and increasingly are choosing their holiday on “perceived added value”.

Tourism Trends V Marketing Challenges

1.Who are your target markets?

2.Who are your competitors?

3.How do you get visitors to come to Northern Ireland?

The world has literally shrunk for the tourist!

“Tourists are taking more control of the holiday booking process and tailoring trips to individual preferences.

Ireland is uniquely placed to offer this kind of holiday experience” Irish Times 21 Oct 05

Challenge - How do you ensure visitors expectations are met or surpassed? Can you measure this?

“In many cases it is probably the image more than the factual information that produces a tourist destination to travel” (La Page & Cormier 1977)

Natural Resource Tourism Image v Reality

Interest IntentActive

Planning Purchase Loyalty

Intend to goon holiday to

NI atsometimein future

Intend to goon holiday to

NI innext 2-3

years Intend to goTo NI in

next 12 months

Holiday -Makers who

havebought a

holiday to NI

Holiday-makerswho are

re-visitingNI

Purchase Funnel

Challenge - How do you move your visitors along the Purchase Funnel from lookers-to-bookers?

NI Visitor Performance 2004

+7(realterms)£297m£325mVisitor Spend

-39,071,0008,754,000Visitor Nights

+11365,000405,000Holiday/leisureRecreation/Visits

+42,013,0002,093,000Total Visits

% +/-20032004

Comment: NI enjoyed significant tourism growth in 2004 compared to average 2% growth in Europe

Note: 7.7 million people visited the Island of Ireland in 2004, an increase of over 3% on 2003. Tourism Ireland Oct 05

Domestic Tourism

Visits down by 13% -

opportunity?

NITB Targets 2005 - 08+ out-of-state visitor spend by 8.5%+ domestic holiday spend by 6.5%+ NI’s share of all-island visitors by 1% each year

Immediate return segments:• Sightseers and Culturalists:GB, USA, Canada, Australia, France• Couples: NI, ROI• Empty Nesters: NI, ROI• Families: NI, ROI• Business: ROI,GB, USA, Canada

Comment: Strategic focus on close to home market segments

Product GapsFamily Friendly facilities – leisure, crèche and children’s clubsLimited availability of consumer data to make informed tactical decisions on marketing and product developmentLow market profile offline and online in comparison to ROIRelative absence of product linkagesDevelopment of routes & trails as a ‘magnet’ for visitorsAbsence of destination branding and quality accreditation schemes

Hurdles for tourism SMEs•Funding applications

•Skills gap – how to market products

•Sense of isolation post business start-up phase –

•Suitably qualified staff

•E-Commerce facilities -Merchant accounts

•Lack of cohesive multi-agency approach to planning and development of small scale tourism projects

Solutions•Tourism Advice Hub - Tourism4Me (www.tourism4me.com)

•Opportunities for new Regional Tourism Partnerships

•Training – Need to be flexible, focus on Mentoring and Coaching. Examples:

•TWIGS Initiative - www.twigs.ie

•Scot Exchange Network Tourism Training www.scotexchange.net

“E-Marketing Toolkits, Familiarisation visits, and customised marketing partnerships are valued by Tourism SMEs” Canadian Tourism Commission Feb 2005

Time to get online!

"The Internet has become a vital and unique medium in the battle to stay competitive in the international tourism sector" J Byrne, Tourism Ireland, Sep 2005

In the UK there were 27 million people online in 2004. Online travel sales in the UK up 40% on 2003!

Develop the potential of NRT through E-Marketing - Measure through Web Analytics

4

4Tourism

SMEs

Websites Ezines

Emails Ebrochures

IDTV Pay Per Click

Mobile Phones Blogs

PDAs Viral Marketing

See: www.webtrends.com

From Marketing to Sales - How to Bridge the Gap?

Marketing now a dynamic activityListening and building lasting relationshipsTactical ActivitiesSegmentation Reward “the connectors”Apply the P2M ruleGet online!

P2M -How do you get your NRT product to market?

Challenge: How to acquire customers with limited resources?

Traditional Tier 1 NRT Products

GolfingFishingWalkingCycling

Niche NRT products now more popular

“Ireland has everything needed to be a coldwater surfing paradise. Ireland has some of the best surfing conditions anywhere on the planet outside of Hawaii” Irish Times 21 Oct 2005

Health tourism, spas and relaxation

Growing market segment

Women go to spas to be fussed over for hours on end, with the goal of a healthier tone to their skin. Men go with the hope of a quick fix for muscle pain.

“Spa goers feel fitter, more confident and happier with their body image, than those who choose a more traditional type of holiday” Irish Times 21 Oct 05

Food Tourism Emerging NicheMore discerning travellers

Focus on authenticity & origin

Cookery Schools

Farmers’ Markets

Food & Drink Trails

Food Tourism Destination Branding ‘Flavour of Tyrone’, ‘Meath Good Food

Circle’ ‘Fuschia Brand West Cork’

“ Food that is expressive of a region and its culture can be used as a means of differentiation for a destination in an increasingly competitive global marketplace” (Hall:1993)

Find your niche and focusSingles holidaysSingle parent family holidaysLess abled / disabled travellersHolidays for animal ownersYour product, Your location, Your Quality, Your Service, Your target market, Your distribution channel e.g. website or ebrochure - YOU!!Ask your customers what they think of their experience - invaluable

The Shannon Region in Ireland has launched 5 digital ebrochure for angling, touring, horse riding, golf and walking www.shannonregiontourism.ie

CRM – Keep it simple!

Make good friends with customers!

Novel idea to promote natural resources- www.foodskool.ie

Interactive Map of South Belfastwww.visitsouthbelfast.com

Destination Perspective - Leadership, partnership, ownership!

How can the objectives of developing and marketing natural resource tourism opportunities be best met and balanced with the needs of small communities, individual businesses and regional bodies within the region?

ASimple! Only an integrated, multi-agency approach will work -facilitated by partners, BUT co-ordinated locally.

Partnership represents a more complex way of doing business moving from competition to cooperation to collaboration and the task is not an easy one.

“Tourism does not function in a vacuum”(Mintza & Pappadopolus 1985)

Business Perspective -Partnership is the key to sustainability and success

Co-operation and clusters key to competitiveness – product linkages.Erne Canal Charter Boat Association (www.boat-holidays.info) Equestrian Holidays Ireland (www.ehi.ie) Health Farms of Ireland (www.healthfarmsofireland.com) Horse Holidays in Cumbria –www.horseholidaysincumbria.co.uk

Comment: In regions where niche tourism has worked – partnership, networking, collaboration and innovation abound

Challenge: Embrace or reject partnership?

So why do clusters work?

Form value chain built on linkages and interdependencies among playersAchieve synergy and economic advantage in terms of market entry, access and penetrationShopping analogy

Booktowns Concept (www.booktown.net)

Gourmet Towns (www.cork-guide.ie/kinsale/gourmet.html)

Potential for Natural Resource Tourism – now the reality check!

NI is an ideal environment for developing compelling NRT product offeringsNI tangible evidence of visitor growth –plans for sustainable marketing and product development Need for real help to find ‘best fit’ for bringing product-to-marketPolitical will & inertia V vision & leadership

Honestly - this is the end!

•Remember PAMPER •Think Niche Product, Segment, Location•Keep in touch with your customers•Focus on technology - it works!•Apply P2M to your ideas•Embrace partnership & Network

A final thought: “ A Place’s image must be valid in many ways through several channels if it is to succeed and take route” (Kotler 1993)