Devizes set for new tourism push (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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Devizes set for new tourism push
8:42am Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Lewis Cowen
Tony Aldridge, David Dawson, Dave Buxton and Becky Wells with leaflets
Devizes is gearing up for the tourist season by pushing out the message of what the town has to offer visitors from across the world.
The Devizes Area Tourism Partnership was set up after Wiltshire Council closed down the visitor centre in the Market Place two years ago. Members have been busy setting up a network of local businesses prepared to guide tourists to the best the area has to offer.
Tony Aldridge, a member of the partnership who runs the Rosemundy Cottage bed-and-breakfast with his partner Zita Delancey, said: “We have been going for 17 months and we have been making steady progress.
“There is now a central phone number for B&Bs so that, if one of us is unable to take someone, we can put them in touch with someone who can, rather than send them away to ring around.”
The partnership will be showing off its wares at a tourist literature exchange meeting in Trowbridge today, when it will be flying the flag for Devizes.
As well as a general leaflet on the partnership and what Devizes has to offer, there is one on bed-and-breakfasts, and one on the Devizes shopping experience. This lists all the businesses in the town centre by street and what they sell.
Mr Aldridge said: “We couldn’t believe it when we started putting this together that there are 242 business premises in the centre, and what they offer for sale is fantastic.”
A calendar of festivals and events in the town has been put together by Dave Buxton of Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts and includes details of the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, the Lions May Day Fair, Devizes Festival, and other beer festivals, carnivals and street festivals.
There is also a leaflet published by Devizes DIVAS, which is a decoration, vintage and antique seller, describing the 15 outlets that deal in antiques, collectables and home furnishings.
The partnership has a number of events planned for English Tourism Week, starting on Monday, March 18, with a series of free
sampler sessions.
There is beer tasting at Wadworth’s visitor centre, a canal boat trip from the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, a walking tour guided by John Girvan and a sneak preview of the new galleries at Wiltshire Museum.
For more details on these and other events that week, click here and follow the link to English Tourism Week.
Municipal says...
4:17pm Thu 14 Mar 13
The business plan of Visit Wiltshire, which was approved by the Cabinet of Wiltshire Council was biased against the TIC’s. They were dismissed in one paragraph which included the bald statement ” we believe that TIC’s should not be our responsibility”.
Unfortunately not only was the business plan biased it contained errors and omissions consequently providing a completely innaccurate picture of the contribution that the TIC’s made to the economic life of the area. Although these errors were pointed out at the time the business plan was not amended.
In particular the Business plan of Visit Wiltshire and the associated report did not draw attention to the economic benefits of the TIC’s to the local business community.
The National TIC Impact study provides the following data giving the consequential affects of visitors attending the TIC's:
• 54% of walk-ins in the South West change their travel plans after visit to a TIC.
55% visited more attraction events etc.
52% visited other areas around destination
38% spent more money
28% stayed to eat at a café/restaurant
• Around a quarter of visitors influenced by the information received at the TIC would have gone on to extend the length of time of their trip.
Day visitors will extend their trip by an average of 2.35 hours.
Overnight visitors will extend their trip by an average of 1.01 nights.
• Changes in activity patterns and extension of trip duration have a positive impact on visitor expenditure.
Day visitors will spend on average an additional £15.53 per person.
An overnight visitor will spend on average an additional £57.24 per person per night.
Source: National TIC Impact study – Visit England, TSE research 2009.
There were 66,000 visitors to Devizes and Avebury TIC’s in 2009 (Visit Wiltshire business plan)
Consequently the economic value to the business community of the two TIC’s can be calculated as being £944,460 at 2009 prices, well over £1m today.
Whilst the relative proportion of extended day and overnight visitors is not certain, based on these figures businesses in and around the Devizes and Avebury Areas will have lost each year in excess of £1 million due directly to the closure of the TIC’s by Wiltshire Council.
I have great respect for the Devizes group trying to fill the gap created by the loss of the TIC's, but they have a long way to go to provide the quality and compehensive service that the TIC's were previously able to provide.
The Visit Wiltshire Business plan showed it was to get most of its money from Wiltshire Council with the remainder coming from tourism related businesses that were to pay a membership fee. The company was to be responsible for marketing Wiltshire via a web site and provide some services to their partner organisations.
A Visit Wiltshire news letter showed that by the end of 2010 Visit Wiltshire had 436 members. Their business plan target for 2011 was 520 with 765 in 2012. Given the recent increase they have achieved year on year is only 15% and with increasing financial pressures on businesses, the business plan would appear to have been unsustainable.
It would be interesting to know whether these targets have been met and whether Visit Wiltshire has agreed a revised business plan with Wiltshire Council.
I have seen press reports that some members of Wiltshire Council believe that residents and Tourists make all their bookings and get all their information over the web either before they step out of their front doors or arrive in Wiltshire.
That assertion is questionable, but, there is nothing wrong with having a web site that markets Wiltshire.
A tourism web site for Wiltshire was maintained by TIC staff prior to the creation of Wiltshire Council. The creation of a web site and its technical maintenance could easily have been contracted out to an existing organisation or Destination partnership saving money for all parties involved.
It is a good example of Wiltshire Council knowing the cost of everything without actually recognising the value of services to the local and business community.