REGIONAL VICTORIA TOURISM IN DECLINE

SPECIAL REPORT

Comparison of destination marketing operations of

Yorkshire Tourism, England
and
Tourism Victoria
Yorkshire Tourism is a world leader in tourism destination marketing operations. It is
operating at a level which is far above Tourism Victoria. The big differences are
 Yorkshire Tourism is focused on contributing to the economy of Yorkshire while
Tourism Victoria serves the political needs of the Brumby Government and the
bureaucratic needs of the Tourism Victoria public service,
 Yorkshire Tourism is managed by a Board and management with business and
tourism expertise with no political control of any kind. By comparison, Tourism
Victoria is tightly managed by the bureaucracy.
 Yorkshire Tourism is very professional with its destination marketing, very focused
in targeting business for tourism and other enterprises to boost the economy while
Tourism Victoria has no interest in targeting business for the private sector, it has
a public sector background only a bureaucracy. It also enjoys the support to of a
Minister who shows no interest in the commercial success of the private sector
either
 Yorkshire Tourism is a pro-active, focused commercial organisation. Tourism
Victoria is an insular bureaucracy showing no interest in the l business success of
the Victoria’s regional tourism industry.

Attached is the Executive Summary of Yorkshire Tourism’s very successful Tourism Marketing
Strategy for Yorkshire & Humber 2006–2010. It has been obtained to show the Victorian
community just how badly Victorian tourism is being managed. It also highlights why Victoria’s
tourism industry is in decline due to Tourism Victoria’s performance being so poor.
Issued 22 October 2010
The Yorkshire plan provides an indication
With the as to
compliments of how
NormTourism Victoria would be operating if it
White, Director
were a private sector managed destination
Advancemarketing organisation and not a bureaucracy.
Tourism
www.advancetourism.com.au
Ph (03) 9888 1572 Mob 0409 198 531 E-mail advtour@netspace.net.au

Issued 1 November 2010

With the compliments of Norm White, Director
Advance Tourism
www.advancetourism.com.au
Ph (03) 9888 1572 Mob 0409 198 531 E-mail advtour@netspace.net.au

1
 The Tourism Marketing Strategy
for Yorkshire & Humber 2006–2010

Executive Summary

Contents

Introduction 2 Setting the Strategy 8

Vision 3 –.Identifying Target Markets 8
Our Goal 3 – Delivering a World Class Experience 9
Tourism Today 3 – Inspiring and Securing Visits 10
Tourism Trends 4 Putting it in practice 11
Keeping Ahead of the Competition 5 Making it Happen 13
What Yorkshire & Humber Has to Offer 5 Measuring Success 13
Setting the Objectives 6

This document is a summary of an in-depth tourism marketing strategy for Yorkshire & Humber prepared by
Yorkshire Tourist Board in consultation with the tourism industry and key stakeholders. Designed to have a
significant impact on the region’s economy, the strategy will deliver measurable increases in tourism-generated
revenue. By working together, targeting high value markets and focusing on customers’ needs, we have the
potential to become England’s number one, regional destination.

Partnership is key to reaching this ambitious, yet achievable target. Everyone involved in the region’s future in
both the public and private sector – across tourism, culture and all elements of the visitor economy – has a role
to play.

Fortunately, we have an excellent foundation on which to build. Big, beautiful and extraordinarily diverse.
Steeped in history and tradition yet also vibrant and dynamic with an exciting mix of city and rural destinations

And a strong regional brand, known for being straight talking, warm and welcoming. This strategy
illustrates how tourism will contribute towards building a sustainable future for the region’s economy,
community and environment.

2
Vision

The vision for 2010 is to place Yorkshire & Humber as England’s ‘leading edge’ region. Growth will outstrip the
national average and other regions will aspire to the region’s high quality, innovative offer and increase in
earnings. Importantly, the first class experience offered by the Yorkshire brand will be reflected in the high
spend generated per trip.

The region’s treasured landscapes, world class attractions and cosmopolitan cities will increase their
contribution to visitor enjoyment, and local communities will be proud to play their part in bringing additional
economic success to the region. The environment, local communities and the economy will all benefit from the
balanced and sustainable approach to developing tourism.

Partnership is the key. All stakeholders will play a part in improving the visitor experience offered by Yorkshire
& Humber – bringing the Yorkshire brand promise to life, and delivering excellence every step of the way.

Our Goal
Note 1
Our Goal
The overall aim of the marketing strategy is to increase the value of tourism earnings in Yorkshire & Humber by
5% per annum from £4.2 billion in 2003 to £5.9 billion by 2010.
The Goal is to lift industry
earnings so as to grow the
Major changes to the way in which tourism is managed in Yorkshire & Humber will need to be made. This
Yorkshire economy.
ambitious target will only be achieved by all stakeholders working together to surpass both Yorkshire &
Humber’s expected growth forecast (based on performance over the last five years) and the national tourism
Emphasis is on all stakeholders
growth forecast of 3–4%.
working together not a
master/servant relationship as
practiced by Tourism Victoria
Tourism Today
The national picture
 Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK, worth £74.2 billion and accounting for 3.4% of GVA.
 UK currently ranks sixth in the international earnings league.
 The expenditure, between domestic and inbound tourism, is circa 70:30.
 During 2003 UK residents spent £26.4 billion on domestic overnight trips.
 The volume of UK trips has decreased in recent years, yet the value has not decreased to the same extent.

3
 In 2003 international visitors spent £11.9 billion on trips to the UK. Note 2
 Both the volume and value of inbound tourism has decreased over the past 5 years. Tourism today
 Domestic business visitors generated £6.2 billion expenditure in the UK in 2003 while international business visitors
spent £3.7 billion. The “Tourism Today” section is
all about business and
The regional picture contributions to the economy.
 In 2004 tourism contributed £4.1 billion to the regional economy, of which domestic tourism represented 92% and
international 8%. There is no priority focus given
 UK day visitors and staying visitors each contributed £1.9 billion to this figure, and international visitors contributed to product development,
£346 million. overseas visitors (other than
 Whilst recent growth has been promising, the region is underperforming in relation to its potential. At 59.1%, average
their contribution in economic
regional room occupancy is well below the national average of 72%.
terms) and political issues.
 International visits are recovering from the drop caused by foot and mouth disease and the threat of terrorism, and are
increasing rapidly.
 Business tourism has increased in value over recent years and represents 23% of the value of domestic tourism and Revenues, revenues, revenues
29% of inbound, but there is still potential for significant growth within this sector. are what matters in Yorkshire
 Domestic trips are spread fairly evenly throughout the year, however international trips continue to peak during the unlike Tourism Victoria which is
summer season. more about spending money,
 The region is relatively unconnected in terms of international routes, but growth in new scheduled services to Robin not “making money”
Hood Airport and Leeds Bradford International Airport is opening up the region to overseas markets.
 Should be noted that the spread of earnings differs across the region. North Yorkshire currently earns the dominant
share of revenue with respect from overnight trips, although its relative share is declining, while West Yorkshire has
the greatest day visitor spend. Both South Yorkshire & the Humber are lagging behind but offer significant growth
potential.
Note 3
Tourism Trends
Tourism Trends THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT PASSAGES IN
Many factors and trends will impact on the region’s tourism industry over the next five years. Continuing changes in the THE WHOLE DOCUMENT.
structure of households and the demographic make up of the target markets will have an impact on trip taking, and the
increasingly important concept of value for time will accelerate the trend towards short, experiential breaks. ATTENTION GIVEN TO THIS
IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT BY
Growth in the use of the Internet and mobile technology will impact on how information is sought and breaks planned and THE TOURISM MINISTER AND
purchased. The global travel website market will become increasingly dominated by a few large players offering dynamic TOURISM VICTORIA IS ZILCH,
packages. ZERO, NIL, NOTHING. THEY
ARE STILL LOCKED INTO THE
It is essential to understand and have the ability to respond quickly to these changes in order for the region to remain 1990s AND NO ACTION IS BEING
competitive. TAKEN TO COPE WITH
CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES

4
Keeping Ahead of the Competition
LEISURE TOURISM COMPETITION Note 4
Research has benchmarked the region against European and UK competitors, in terms of visitor numbers, perception and Competition
satisfaction. Although Yorkshire & Humber performed well overall, the performance level differs greatly when analysed by ALSO ONE OF THE MOST
market segment. For instance, the region scored well above average with respect to its competitive advantage with recent SIGNIFICANT PASSAGES IN
visitors, demonstrating that improvements are being made and in many cases reality is better than perception. THE WHOLE DOCUMENT.

Domestic short-break competition BOTH THE TOURISM MINISTER

The strongest regional competition for short breaks within the UK comes from Scotland, Wales, the Lake District and AND TOURISM VICTORIA PAY
South West England. Brand research indicates that all these areas are ranked above Yorkshire & Humber when target ZILCH, ZERO, NIL, NOTHING, NO
market consumers consider short-break destinations. Tourism represents a major revenue source for all these ATTENTION TO VICTORIA’S
destinations and hence investment is high, making effective competition against them challenging. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

International competition THEY ACT AS IF VICTORIA HAS

Competition for Yorkshire & Humber on the international stage is, in most cases, influenced by competition at a Britain- NO COMPETITION WHEN IN
wide level. As new destinations enter the market, and product and service standards improve rapidly across a range of FACT IT IS COMPETITORS WHO
emerging markets, international competition is set to intensify. ARE TAKING AWAY
CUSTOMERS THAT REGIONAL
A Business Travel section was deleted because Tasmania has a separate Business Travel organisation VICTORIA BADLY NEEDS.

Note 5
What Yorkshire & Humber has to offer Yorkshire & Humber
Yorkshire & Humber has a diverse range of experiences to offer visitors across city, countryside and coastal locations. With this passage, the words
The urban offering is increasingly strong, providing a range of cultural and historical experiences across the five key cities. “Yorkshire and Humber: could
The landscape is outstanding, with a large proportion of the region having protected landscape status: three National
be replaced with “Victoria” and
Parks and a number of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The region also boasts over 120 miles of heritage coastline it would be equally as true.
plus a number of established coastal resorts.
It is just that Yorkshire is better
There are nearly 3,000 accommodation establishments inspected under the national quality assurance scheme, and over than Victoria at getting its
400 visitor attractions, including a wealth of creative, heritage and sporting attractions and facilities. message across to customers.

Research amongst target markets highlights that the following elements of the regions tourism experience It is also better at using its
are regarded as particular strengths: variety of products to attract
 Interesting villages and market towns to visit more visitors year round
 Visitor attractions

5
 Interesting cities to visit
 Quality serviced accommodation
 Beautiful and unspoilt countryside
 Opportunity to explore several locations by car
 Coastline
 Historic environment
 Historic attractions, castles, stately homes and gardens

Yorkshire & Humber’s business tourism offer is extensive and diverse. There are at least 142 venues which can
accommodate conferences of more than 200 attendees in theatre style, plus numerous, easily accessible city centre
hotels able to accommodate meetings of between 200 and 500 delegates.

Yorkshire & Humber’s stock of unique and unusual venues is also particularly strong. However there is a lack of large,
purpose-built convention facilities with the capacity for more than 1,000 delegates in plenary session.

Setting the Objectives

Several key challenges need to be addressed if Yorkshire & Humber is to achieve the growth objective of increasing the
value of tourism earnings by 5% per annum from £4.2 billion in 2003 to £5.9 billion by 2010.

To do so, will require the region to outperform national growth levels and improve its competitive position within the
tourism market. Specific marketing objectives have been identified to address each challenge.

Note 6
Challenge Return on Investment
Delivering the best return on investment
These would be strange words
The regional growth objective is challenging and it is therefore absolutely vital that product development and marketing for the Tourism Minister and
expenditure across the region is optimised. Marketing efforts must be targeted towards those markets which offer the Tourism Victoria. These are
greatest potential to deliver high value in return for marketing expenditure. This will require a very strong and focused words they never use.
partnership approach, with key stakeholders working
together to develop a balanced customer base for the region, which is capable of delivering sustainable growth. The words are “return on
investment” are very important
Objective to the private sector especially
Attract a greater proportion of business tourism and international visitors, while seeking to grow the return from the core intending investors.
domestic market by focusing on high value visitors.

6
Challenge
Delivering a world class experience Note 7
Branding
In an increasingly competitive market Yorkshire & Humber must be able to deliver the range of quality and compelling
tourism experiences promised by the destination brands and demanded by an increasingly sophisticated market. This is Tourism Victoria is married to
crucial if the region is to compete effectively for visit for visits and encourage repeat visits. 1990s advertising and promotion
style activities. Tourism Victoria
Objective public service management has
Develop a world class experience for visitors which will consistently exceed all expectations. demonstrated many times it does
not understand that tourism is
about business.
Challenge
Tourism Victoria is still not
Developing a compelling brand position focussed on market driven
policies, it is very focused on
The tourism environment is defined by ever-increasing competition, greater product parity and consumer choice. In this
market emotional elements play as much a part as the actual physical offer, in determining the choice of destination. The product driven activities.
development of a set of consistent and compelling destination brands will therefore be vital in order to differentiate the
region from its competitors, both within the UK and on an international stage. The old-fashioned bureaucracy at
Tourism Victoria are still in the
Objective 1990s and are not aware of
Position the Yorkshire brand as a destination of choice for priority target markets with respect to key competitors and modern impulse buying trends of
achieve measurable increases in awareness of key sub-regional destination brands. travellers so regional Victorian
businesses just have to miss out.

Challenge
Inspiring and securing visits in a competitive market
Note 8
The tourism market is highly competitive and demands a customer focused approach, and use of the latest and most Customer focused approach
appropriate professional marketing techniques across all campaigns and communications. It will be necessary to use a
variety of customer-focused delivery channels, including the Internet and emerging technologies, to provide a smooth, Tourism Victoria activities are
convenient transition from initial interest to booking a visit. “product driven”, very 1990s
whereas industry leaders today
Objective are business driven with
Implement a customer-focused communications programme to convert awareness and understanding to visits. marketing that targets business
from customers, not promoting
the destination per se.

7
Setting the strategy
In order to achieve the marketing objectives four key strategic themes have been identified:
1. Identifying Target Markets
2. Delivering a World Class Experience
3. Developing Brand Strength
4. Inspiring and Securing Visits

Identifying Target Markets

To ensure long-term sustainability it is important for the region to tap into growing markets with the potential to deliver a strong share of Note 9
the revenue growth required. For the region as a whole this will mean focussing on high value segments. Target markets
Target markets have been identified based on both their ability to deliver against the growth objective and in relation to Yorkshire & Tourism Victoria activities are
Humber’s ability to deliver the required tourism experience. mostly about promoting
Business tourism and international tourism are two high value markets that require a greater emphasis and concentration of resources. Melbourne. Apart from some
In addition, it will be necessary to continue with and strengthen the current strategy of targeting high spending domestic segments. token products for the top end of
the market, Tourism Victoria do
It is essential that the region focuses its efforts on a balanced portfolio of visitor segments to ensure long term sustainability. Marketing not plan their programs to target
investment should be balanced across segments, to maximise short and long term revenue potential. The following, specific target
markets have been identified:
markets to drive customers into
Victorian businesses. How can
the industry capture increased
DOMESTIC LEISURE MARKETS revenues when these policies
apply?
Staying visitors
 Affluent short-break takers from outside Yorkshire & Humber, particularly focusing on the London, South
 East and Midlands areas.
 Affluent short-break takers from within the region.
 Special interest markets – wherever there is potential to generate a high return on investment.
(The staying visitor market will be targeted more closely based on the Ark Leisure segmentation used by VistBritain)

Day visitors
This is the primary market and important source of income for many of the region’s destinations and
attractions. A high proportion of day visitors are family groups from within Yorkshire & Humber or close by. Day visitors
represent a loyal market and are attractive in terms of their potential to take repeat visits and even convert to overnight
stays.

8
Delivering a World Class Experience
The entire experience that a visitor to Yorkshire & Humber receives must be world-class. The intention is to exceed visitor
expectations at all stages including: Note 10
Availability of information
 Availability of information
Ease of booking
 Ease of booking
 Choice and quality of accommodation The two items marked are today
 Range of facilities and attractions very important if business is to be
 Excellent transport links captured in a competitive digital
era environment.
A bold, outward looking and innovative approach is required to improve the quality of the tourism offer.
Sustainability must be a primary consideration i.e. making the most of the region’s inherent qualities and assets in a way Under Tourism Victoria these
that conserves and enhances them for future generations. arrangements are a complete
mess. Tourism Victoria has never
Strategic priorities are to: understood the commercial
 Improve quality of place, recognising that overall visitor satisfaction is reliant on satisfaction with the importance of these functions
 destination’s general environment, as well as the more tangible tourism elements such as accommodation and and refused to listen to
attractions. experienced private sector
 Increase the quality of the tourism offer, by improving and upgrading existing visitor accommodation and attractions. advice. “They are Government
and they know everything”, they
 Accomplish selective yet innovative new product development across the tourism and cultural offer which will create
fresh appeal and a renewed interest in the region. For example, developing the region as a host of major sporting, think. The only problem is that
business and cultural events and festivals. business performance of the
private sector continues to
 Improve quality of service within and beyond the tourism industry to ensure visitors encounter exceptional service
wherever and whenever they interact with the Yorkshire brand. decline

PUTTING IT IN PRACTICE

Physical development

Identifying and prioritising physical product development requirements are not within the scope of this strategy. However
research has identified a number of areas where the product offering could be improved to meet customers’ requirements.

These include resort infrastructure, quality of self catering accommodation, quality of catering establishments,
opportunities to consume local produce, availability of country house and boutique hotels and availability of conference
break out facilities.

9
A regional product audit will be undertaken to fully understand the current tourism offer. This will be followed by further
strategic analysis to define development requirements.

The focus will be on raising the quality of existing products, with new product development recommended
only in instances where there are clear gaps in provision or special interest opportunities supported by proven market
demand.

Special events and festivals have already been highlighted, by a separate research project, as an area
where there is clear demand. A Major Events Strategy (MES) has been produced, which identifies specific subregional
strengths based on the interests, assets, and potential competencies of the areas identified; the existence of appropriate
infrastructure; and existing events or prospective events which could provide a basis on which to build.

Focusing on quality

The aspiration is for Yorkshire & Humber to be synonymous with quality and to deliver quality at a range of levels; quality
of place; quality of product; and quality of service. This will be a key factor in positioning Yorkshire as a credible, premium
destination brand.

In order to achieve this there will need to be:

 Investment in public realm
 Improvements in visitor management Note 11
 Improvements in integrated public transport systems Inspiring and securing visits
 Continued improvements in accommodation quality
This whole section has been a
 Continued improvements to quality of access for all
huge success for Yorkshire
 Improvements to quality of business tourism venues Tourism and a complete failure
 Significant improvements to quality of service via skills development initiatives. by Tourism Victoria.

Inspiring and Securing Visits Yorkshire Tourism today is an

industry leader whereas Tourism
A world class marketing and communications programme will be required to ensure the region is promoted with
Victoria is at the other end of the
consistent brand messages that will attract and effectively deliver bookings from the region’s target markets.
scale as recent results have
All communication and campaigns will be customer focused and address the needs and desires of the target shown particularly for regional
audiences – marketing propositions and experiences that are carefully crafted to have maximum appeal. areas.
 Continue to build on the success of the current ‘Make Yorkshire Yours’ campaign by implementing targeted
domestic marketing campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of Yorkshire and of key destination And there is no sign of
brands; convert this awareness into bookings focusing on achieving greater growth in the period from improvement ahead
November to March.

10
 Target key international markets with campaigns, in partnership with England’s North Country (ENC) and
VisitBritain.
 Develop convenient, effective ways for leisure visitors to book, including a comprehensive, co-ordinated online
booking facility.
 Make it easier for visitors to access dynamic information, including strengthening the region’s presence online.
 Develop effective business tourism campaigns to generate additional business from target segments.

PUTTING IT IN PRACTICE
DOMESTIC LEISURE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Yorkshire brand campaigns

High profile domestic campaigns will be implemented to:

Note 12
Putting it into practice
 Raise awareness and understanding of the brands; Yorkshire brand and destination brands.
 Increase positive perception of the Yorkshire brand and destination brands. Keeping in mind Yorkshire
 Convert awareness and understanding to bookings among identified target markets. Tourism is only a Regional
Tourism Organisation, it is
A number of themes emerged within the Yorkshire brand, which can be strongly aligned to the types of visitor experience interesting to compare their
demanded by the target markets. These themes will be interpreted across campaigns. commercial approach to tourism
The visitor propositions will be based on knowledge of the motivations and decision making processes of our target marketing with the bureaucratic
markets.
approach of Tourism Victoria, a
Customer fulfilment channels will be user-friendly and streamlined to allow the customer to make a booking in as few state tourism organisation.
steps as possible from initial interest.
One marketing organisation is
Destination brand campaigns very successful while the results
of the other marketing
Those destinations which have a strong brand identity in their own right among priority target markets will continue to organisation are in decline.
promote themselves with destination branded campaigns reinforced by regional level activity.

Day visit campaigns

Appropriate and effective campaigns to increase the day visit market will be implemented at a sub-regional level. CRM
(customer relationship management) campaigns. Campaigns will focus on providing previous visitors with additional
reasons to visit the region, focusing on the use of online media and email communications. A regional data and CRM
strategy will also be implemented.

11
Special interest campaigns

Where there is an opportunity to attract specific special interest markets – i.e. where a particular experience can be
offered at a good return on investment – campaigns will be implemented at regional or destination level as deemed
appropriate.

Travel trade campaigns

Note 13
The organised group travel market will be targeted by regional and sub-regional campaign activity using appropriate and
relevant media This shows, in a nutshell, why
Tourism Victoria’s website is a
failure and Yorkshire’s
INFORMATION AND BOOKING CHANNELS websites are so successful

Each campaign will utilise the most appropriate mix of communication channels to deliver its message Yorkshire’s modern approach will
and particular consideration will be given to: always win over the old-
fashioned approach of Tourism
Online Booking Channels Victoria. The bureaucracy has
made no effort at all to provide
Access to dynamic tourism information and ease of booking is vital in today’s competitive tourism environment. The
provision of information at the right time, and in a manner that the customer chooses, will play a key role in their decision leadership to achieve a
making process and smooth the transition from initial interest to booked visit. coordinated state-wide network of
destination websites which
A regional information management system will be developed and implemented to consolidate data effectively. This is interface at all levels.
vital if the region is to provide comprehensive tourist information and facilitate visitor bookings. The proposal is to merge
the systems that exist at subregional and destination level, so that they also feed their data directly into the Yorkshire Contrary to the belief of the
Nexus system. This will then feed through to the national Englandnet system, giving access to a wide range of national bureaucracy, many customers go
and international third party distribution channels. direct to websites for individual
destinations they are visiting and
Such an approach will allow companies to reach, previously inaccessible, new business and new markets
not the state website.
without the need for significant investment. With the added facility of online booking, it offers a cost effective way for each
organisation to change manage its on-line product information.
Tourist Information Centre Network With Victorian destinations they
are likely to find regional websites
The Tourist Information Centre (TIC) network has traditionally played a key role in the provision of visitor and not competitive. Often they
information, both on-site and via telephone enquiries from potential visitors. are designed only to provide
information, not to “sell” the
An analysis of the effectiveness of the TIC network has been undertaken and a number of recommendations made that destination with motivational
are designed to improve the effectiveness of the network and its ability to act as a distribution channel for the region’s presentations and easy booking
tourism product. facilities

12
Making it happen
A comprehensive set of action plans will accompany this strategy, highlighting how responsibility for delivery is split Note 14
between Yorkshire Tourist Board, area tourism partnerships, regional agencies, local authorities and the private sector.
Measuring results
Measuring success
In the private sector it is
The strategy intends to make a real difference to tourism generated revenue and its success will be measured against the mandatory to also always
following targets: measure results. This is vital for
 Achieve 5% growth per annum of the value of visitor revenue. performance assessments and
future planning. In tourism it
 Increase the value of domestic staying visitor tourism from £1,930 million in 2003 to £2,493million by 2010.
helps to assure funding sources
 Increase the proportion of staying business tourism from 23% to 27% of the overall value of staying visitor revenue. that their money has been used
 Increase the proportion of international tourism from 13% to 20% of the overall value of staying visitor revenue. to produce productive results.
 Increase visitor satisfaction by 1% per annum to 2010.
 Improve upon Yorkshire’s current position as 3rd place amongst English regional brands in terms of awareness and Tourism Victoria strongly
consideration to visit by our key target market segments opposes any program that can
measure their performance. They
Measurement and evaluation of all activity will form an integral part of the delivery and be detailed in the just spend taxpayer funds and
action plans. Key performance indicators will be identified for each planned activity. Monitoring will be rigorous and on- not use them productively. While
going, ensuring that all activity is achieving the objectives and generating the best return on investment. this ridiculous situation continues,
Victorian taxpayers and the
Victorian tourism industry will
An Exciting Time Ahead continue to suffer poor results.
Yorkshire is a vibrant, thriving region with a wonderful mix of people, places and attractions.

This marketing strategy signals the start of an exciting time for our region. It’s a blueprint for Yorkshire’s future that, Note 15
through partnership, will increase the quality of the visitor experience leading to new opportunities, and greater tourism- An exciting time ahead?
generated income.
Under Tourism Victoria
Moreover, it maps the journey by which Yorkshire will become England’s number one, regional destination.
bureaucratic management, there
is no way such a claim can be
forecast.

13
 HAS THIS PLAN BEEN SUCCESSFUL?

Yorkshire Tourism has gone from strength to strength during this plan.

Yorkshire Tourism has an advantage over the Victoria’s tourism industry because there is no equivalent state body like Tourism
Victoria. Tourism Victoria’s equivalent, the England Tourist Board was abolished by the Blair Labor Government in 2001. Today
Yorkshire Tourism is an organisation managed as a business unit by successful business and tourism executives responsible
mainly to the industry and Yorkshire Forward.

Yorkshire Forward is the Regional Development Agency, charged with improving the Yorkshire & Humber economy. The
primary role of Yorkshire Tourism is to focus on economic development, not promote the destination as Tourism Victoria does.

British Government funding is routed into Yorkshire Tourism through Yorkshire Forward.

Three key differences between Yorkshire Tourism and Tourism Victoria are as follows
1. Yorkshire Tourism is a Regional Tourism Organisation while Tourism Victoria is a State Tourism Organisation
2. Yorkshire Tourism is managed by experienced private sector tourism and business executives, not public service
bureaucrats like Tourism Victoria and Victorian Councils, and
3. To continue to get support from Yorkshire Forward, local Councils and the Yorkshire tourism industry, Yorkshire Tourism
is accountable for results just like any other commercial organisation managed by the private sector. Tourism Victoria
vigorously opposes any professional standards of accountability. Their poor performance would be discovered leading to
wasted taxpayer funds on useless advertising campaigns ceasing.

Three significant differences between Yorkshire Tourism and Tourism Victoria

1. Yorkshire Tourism is committed to building a strong, growing, prosperous tourism industry whereas Tourism Victoria is
committed to control of the tourism industry by maintaining a strong bureaucracy. Even their recent attempt to introduce
Regional Tourism Boards is still an extension of the bureaucracy. The new Regional Tourism Boards are driven more by
bureaucracy than commercial needs. They are not proving successful and never will be because, unlike Yorkshire
Tourism, they are designed to meet bureaucratic criteria, not commercial outcomes of the private sector
2. Yorkshire Tourism uses public and private sector funding to drive more customers into Yorkshire businesses to grow
local economies. Tourism Victoria has long limited activities to wasting taxpayer, Council and industry funds on useless
advertising and promotion that delivers little for the Victorian community as the downturn in visitor numbers shows
3. Yorkshire Tourism is entrepreneurial and business driven. Tourism Victoria is a government department more interested
in political policies than helping the private sector to be autonomous and more commercially successful.

14