Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Tourism South East

INTROUDCTION TO TSE

  Tourism South East is a Company Limited by Guarantee formed from the merger of the South East England and Southern Tourist Boards in 2003. We are a not-for-profit enterprise, acting as the regional tourism agency for tourism, working closely with our public sector and commercial partners in the region. We are funded by grants from the regional development agency (SEEDA) and from membership subscriptions from 58 Local Authorities and from 2,000 Commercial Members. Part of our remit is to act as a the voice of tourism for the region.

SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS

  Our submission is fairly brief, though backed up with appendices (not printed here) should the committee wish to consider these in more detail:

  1.  Research suggests that the main economic benefit from holding the Olympics is to be derived from the tourism sector. Evidence sourced by Visit Britain estimates that 50-75% of the income generated from recent Games has come from tourism growth.

  2.  The UK is poorly placed to capitalise on this with patchy funding and poor integration. Despite the fact that tourism generates turnover of £75 billion pa and supports close to two million jobs, the Government is equivocal about the value of the sector:

    —  Funding for VisitBritain has not been increased since 1997, and we are informed that they face a potential funding cut of 7% for next year. This is at the time when critical investment work in overseas markets needs to be actioned so that the country is able to harvest the benefits in 2012 and beyond. This is short-sighted.

    —  The South East region, being next to London has the most to offer to visitors regarding the Olympics. However, due to regional funding policies we have significantly lower resources. Funding tends to prop up smaller tourism economies rather than invest in the tourism engine-rooms. Appendix 3 (not printed here) shows the effect of regional policy on tourism funding. The measure of investment per head of population employed in tourism is instructive.

  3.  There is an opportunity to boost high-value business and conference tourism to the UK in the next four to five years prior to the games. It is important for the SE region that up-dated facilities are provided in Brighton without delay. London also needs a new facility. The Conferences and Meetings industry is international in nature, and we are not competing effectively with overseas alternatives.

  4.  Some believe that it is unlikely that the Quality Assurance targets suggested by DCMS will be achieved in the timescales. Some of our partners believe that serious consideration should be given to statutory registration of accommodation to ensure that a minimum standard is achieved in order to trade. This does not mean statutory grading or assessment which could remain voluntary. There are early indications that web-based information is superseding the need for formal classification and grading systems.

  5.  As the South East is a region of entry to the UK (Ports, Airports and the Channel Tunnel) we are concerned to ensure that the infrastructure, entry systems and procedures, and the quality of the welcome are all first class. We cannot say this at the moment.

  6.  In general the SE has a deficit of infrastructure investment, especially in transportation, which could be improved given the stimulus of the Games.

  7.  In most circumstances the expertise generated around a big event like the Olympic Games evaporates after the closing ceremony. We would like to see some effort made to retain expertise and bid for other major international events. TSE and Sport England SE have recently launched a Major Sports Events Strategy and appointed a co-ordinator to attract significant events to the region.

  8.  Local government in the SE is concerned to ensure that the 2012 Games live up to their promise to be the "green games". Attached as Appendix 2 (not printed here) is a paper provided to us by West Sussex County Council, which illustrates the issues for local Authorities and their main priorities. (Please not that this part of the submission is confidential unless advised by WSCC).

  9.  Skills are a key issue to ensure that the South East can gain a lasting legacy from the Games:

    —  Inspiring young people: We are working to ensure that young people (particularly those currently aged 14-19, who will be 19-24 come 2012) have the opportunity to develop skills relevant to the tourism industry/visitor economy sector and understand the potential of a career in this field.

    —  Skills for business: Coordinated activity to address tourism related skills would maximise the potential tourism related benefits that DCMS recognise. We would highlight the potential of "Welcome Host" to support the development of customer service skills, so critical to this area.

    —  Action for communities: There may be potential to engage people in supporting local visitor attractions through volunteering. We should encourage this and promote skills development and employment opportunities to these volunteers. This may be a useful mechanism for targeting individuals who may not respond to more traditional learning and employment opportunities.

  10.  TSE is responsible for the national Welcome Host programme of customer care training. We are working closely with British Colombia (the venue of the 2010 Winter Olympics to ensure consistency of customer service to international standards. Appendix 4 (not printed here) gives more information about Welcome Host.

  11.  We do not expect the 2012 events themselves to generate huge amounts of additional business for the South East region, largely due to the effect of substitution, except in a number of transport corridors which offer fast transit to the main venues. These are:

    —  The Kent corridor centred on the new high-speed rail links;

    —  The M23 corridor, including Gatwick;

    —  The Surrey/North Hampshire, East Berkshire and Southern Buckinghamshire arc; and

    —  The area around Eton Dorney for the canoeing and rowing events.

  12. The larger gain will be from re-positioning the Britain brand as a whole and London and the SE in particular, in the media and reaping the benefits over the 2008 to 2016 period. We expect 80% of the long-term benefit to accrue to London, 10% to the SE, and 10% to the rest of the country.

5 October 2006





 
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