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C h A i R m A N ’ s F O R E w O R d

We certainly live in interesting times. Without a doubt, 2012 delivered some of the most awe-inspiring events and anniversaries ever celebrated by this country and created unprecedented opportunities to position England as one of the most exciting destinations on Earth.

During the same year, the industry battled against a complex set of challenges affecting various sectors in a myriad of different ways across the country depending on their offering, location and the fluctuating local delivery landscape.

A look at the numbers is incredibly revealing. The economy remained sluggish, the summer was the wettest for a century and the Olympics, though widely enjoyed, changed the pattern of demand for goods and services. Whilst economic conditions continued to be broadly conducive to growing domestic tourism during 2012/13, prolonged macro-economic conditions impacted on consumers’ willingness to spend their disposable income. Against this background, it is perhaps not surprising that the number of domestic overnight tourism trips remained flat whilst day visits grew by an impressive 12 per cent compared to 2011. Positively, the amount spent on overnight trips increased by a record high of 9 per cent, ensuring overall figures are still well above pre-recession levels.

The events of 2012 provided the best advertisement for England we could have ever wished for. We know from our research that the feel good factor generated by the Diamond Jubilee, Torch Relay and London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games meant that 60 per cent of Brits felt more proud to be British, with 20 per cent saying they planned to take more breaks in England.

Every host nation has concerns that however wonderful the Olympic Games are, they may deter international tourists and induce an ‘escape mentality’ in domestic visitors. With invaluable support from Government we were able to lead the charge to mitigate against this risk with the launch of the biggest ever domestic tourism campaign, Holidays at Home are GREAT. This pan-UK integrated TV campaign, together with the second highly successful English Tourism Week, kicked off the holiday season putting England firmly on the radar of our valued visitors.

Momentum is everything and the implementation of destination and thematic led marketing campaigns funded by the Regional Growth Fund ensured that our commitment to Government to support local economies and grow jobs was executed through thoughtful and targeted local campaigns. Whilst domestic leisure tourism has always been a focus for us we recognised early on that England

provides a very attractive and cost effective destination to host business visits and events from many international markets. VisitEngland is now established in a number of overseas markets and our accelerated efforts have forged close to £10million of confirmed business for England.

Why work alone when in partnership we are stronger and more effective? To this end we have garnered extensive new partnership agreements with other like-minded organisations such as Arts Council England, National Parks England, as well as other Government departments for the mutual benefit of a shared agenda to grow local economies. This has led to opportunities for destinations and strategic partners that simply would not have existed had we followed a solo path.

The blueprint for tourism, England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism is holding true and the country’s tourism industry is delivering on its promise to grow tourism. No matter what opportunities and challenges lie ahead, core to our existence as the national tourist board is our commitment to add value, to remain always supportive and to represent the growth opportunity of this exciting, dynamic and agile industry to Government.

C O N T E N T s

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD03

OUR ROLE

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT 2012/13

CHAMPIONING AND LEADING THE INDUSTRY

STIMULATING CONSUMER DEMAND

SUPPORTING LOCAL GROWTH

DEVELOPING THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE

CAPITALISING ON THE EVENTS OF 2012

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

LOOKING AHEAD WITH JAMES BERRESFORD

THE PEOPLE BEHIND VISITENGLAND

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SUMMARY OF KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 10

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Penelope, Viscountess Cobham Chairman of VisitEngland

O U R R O L E

VisitEngland is England’s national tourist board.

In addition to the industry targets set out in the Strategic Framework for Tourism in England 2010-20, the Government’s Tourism Policy, in conjunction with its localism and economic growth agendas, sets a clear fiscal policy and delivery framework for tourism in England.

Over the last year, VisitEngland has led and supported the sector in a period of unprecedented celebration. 2012 provided the industry with an opportunity like no other to raise awareness both of its products and the diversity and quality of the tourism offer, as well as to raise the profile of tourism as a significant and growing contributor to the UK economy. As a result, UK tourism has enjoyed greater support from national government than it has in many years.

The year, however, was not without its challenges. Changes in the local delivery landscape have continued, with new destination organisations and partnerships emerging and existing ones reducing in size or merging with other local organisations. In almost all destinations, funding and resources have remained tight. Increasingly the private sector locally has been expected to fill the gap but with challenging trading conditions and more public agencies turning to the private sector results are progressively more difficult to achieve. Despite this, there is still a good level of investment and visitor levels of expenditure are continuing to rise.

Quick summary

local tourism organisations200 considered functioning Destination Management Organisations (DMOs)

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As the lead body for tourism in England, our purpose is to ensure that tourism in England thrives, working with industry and government to safeguard the sector’s successful and sustainable future.

In line with the Strategic Framework for Tourism in England 2010-20, we are working towards an industry target of 5% growth per annum in domestic tourism revenue and the generation of 225,000 new jobs. Through capitalising on the events of 2012, focusing our work programme and maximising collaborative opportunities, we have achieved major steps towards these ambitious targets. Taken together, domestic and inbound visitors spent over £84bn in England in 2012. Since 2010, year on year growth has averaged 8.7% - well ahead of both the 5% industry target and performance in the wider economy.

Further information on our role is available

on our website:

visitengland.org

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Our mission is to lead and drive the quality, competitiveness and sustainable growth of England’s visitor economy by providing strategic direction, intelligence and coordinated marketing for the sector.

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VisiTOR sATisFACTiON - England delivers a high quality visitor experience

would “definitely” or “probably” recommend the destination they visited in England to friends and family

85% of domestic visitors say that the destination they visited was “excellent” or “very good”

86%

was spent by inbound visitors who made 26.8m trips and stayed for 203m nights

2012 TOURism VOLUmEs ANd sPENdiNG

was spent by British residents on 105m overnight trips in England, equating to 310m nights away from home

was spent on 1.5bn domestic tourism day trips

£16.3bn

£19.5bn

£48.5bn

A happy family relaxing along the Long Walk

at Windsor Castle on a summer’s day.

Credit: © VisitBritain/Tourism South East

VisitEngland prioritised initiatives designed to maximise the Olympics tourism legacy and worked closely with industry, local Destination Management Organisations and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to ensure that tourism is established as a contributor to both national and local economic and regeneration agendas.

VisitEngland shares the Government’s vision of the sector playing a vital role in generating employment and helping to rebalance local economies through private sector-led economic growth. Our work in championing and leading the industry, supporting business and seeking to influence a wide range of policy reflects this vision.

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

strategic FrameworkAs the custodian of the Strategic Framework for Tourism in England 2010–2020, we published the last of the three- year action plans for the Framework. Leading partners in its delivery, the majority of activity is underway (82%) and 48% of actions have been completed.

Olympic OpportunitiesWe worked to communicate the opportunities surrounding the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to address industry concerns regarding the Games’ potential negative impacts whilst delivering press and media activities to provide further opportunities for businesses in areas outside London.

Forging PartnershipsWe have agreed a three-year Partnership Statement with Arts Council England that sets out joint priorities and identifies areas where alignment of delivery activities at national and local level will achieve greater impact on growth.

A three-year Partnership Statement has been established with National Parks England to ensure that both parties work effectively together to realise the value of the natural landscapes for tourism and work to ensure their future economic wellbeing.

supporting the Growth AgendaWe have supported our sponsor department, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by demonstrating the growth potential through tourism to other government departments. This has included working closely with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (DBIS) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to ensure their programmes and policies support the growth of the visitor economy. Tourism is now a departmental priority for Defra. VisitEngland also represents tourism at key networking events with government, LEPs and local government groups.

The second English Tourism weekWe led the industry in the delivery of the second annual English Tourism Week (ETW) during 16-23 March. Key highlights included:

• His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales confirmed his patronage of ETW for the next five years

• Over 400 events took place across the country, including record numbers of visitors at Kent’s ‘Big Weekend’

• MPs across England showed their support for the sector by visiting local tourism businesses, with many going back to the shop floor to help on a practical level

• A theme of ‘Customer First!’ highlighted the important role of customer care in growing the value of England’s tourism. This included a Tourism Superstar competition focusing on customer care shown by employees at England’s attractions, run in conjunction with the Daily Mirror

Responses to issues Affecting TourismWe provided written responses to consultations and other issues affecting tourism including: the Natural England Paths Consultation; the National Parks Governance Consultation; the EU Sustainability Charter Consultation; the EU Consultation on Quality; the Alcohol Policy Consultation; the Marine Plan Consultation; the Draft Gambling Plan Consultation; Change of Building Use; and the EU Atlantic Action Plan.

Expert support & AdviceWe provided expert support and advice through presentations, reactive statements and consultations on behalf of DCMS and the Highways Agency relating to: Social Tourism; Seaside Towns; Olympic Legacy; Quality of Bathing Water (Blue Flag); changes to the administration of the EU Structural Funds 2014-20; the EU Package Travel Directive; and the Brown Signs Task Force.

C h A m P i O N i N G & L E A d i N G T h E i N d U s T R Y

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0 7C H A M P I O N I N G & L E A D I N G T H E I N D U S T R Y0 6 C H A M P I O N I N G & L E A D I N G T H E I N D U S T R Y

David Kennedy and staff from Kennedy’s Chocolates offer hot drinks

topped with the VisitEngland rose logo and cake to celebrate English

Tourism Week.

To launch English Tourism Week, the Tourism Minister, Rt Hon. Hugh Robertson MP, Lady Cobham, VisitEngland’s Chairman, Dame Judith Mayhew

Jonas, Chair of London & Partners and tourism businesses in London shone a light on the importance of customer service in the industry.

Tourism superstar Competition:

English Tourism week:

£133,000AdVERTisiNG VALUE

£593,000AdVERTisiNG VALUE

Run with Daily Mirror (27.5 million circulation)

663 pieces of press coverage (126 million circulation)

Jeremy Lefroy MP supports English Tourism Week by serving tea at

Stafford’s 16th century tea room - The Soup Kitchen.

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Tourism Minister, Rt Hon. Hugh Robertson MP, Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey MP and Chairman of VisitEngland, Lady Cobham, launch the £3m Cultural Destinations

Fund at an event hosted by Senior Vice President of Hilton Worldwide, Mr Jonas Neihardt, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Westminster.

s U P P O R T i N G L O C A L G R O w T h

VisitEngland supports local areas in growing their economies through tourism by facilitating local partnerships to achieve greater coordination, providing best practice examples and identifying trends and routes to market.

Our work to embed tourism’s role at local levels has continued with a wide programme of activity being rolled out to support local growth for the longer term.

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

Growing Tourism LocallyWe implemented the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) programme Growing Tourism Locally which aims to increase expenditure on local tourism products and services thereby increasing revenue and stimulating job creation.

developing Cultural destinationsDestination organisations working with their local cultural counterparts have access to a £3m Cultural Destinations Fund to support collaborative working in areas where growth can be achieved through developing the cultural tourism offer. This funding is the first key output of our three-year partnership with Arts Council England.

Rural development ProgrammeWe have advised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the £10m Rural Development Programme for England funding secured for tourism as part of the Rural Growth package. We worked to ensure the criteria for this funding supported product development in local businesses and contributed to the industry’s growth objectives set out in the Strategic Framework.

Local Enterprise PartnershipsWe have developed a close working relationship with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills local teams in our work with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)that has generated greater understanding of the role of the visitor economy in driving and supporting local growth.

The Local Government AssociationWe have maintained an effective relationship with the Local Government Association in recognition of the important role that local authorities have in ensuring the conditions for tourism to grow locally.

support Tailored to Local NeedsOur predominant engagement at local level remains with local destination organisations. Much of our activity in this area is face to face and on a one to one basis to ensure our support is tailored to local needs. We send out regular communication and bulletins to all 200 local organisations, combined with twice a year forums for the 40 recognised Destination Management Organisations. This has resulted in close partnership working and the development of Destination Management Planning Guidance and online resources to assist local areas to develop plans in conjunction with the industry and other local stakeholders.

The Visitor Economy ForumThe Visitor Economy Forum took place on 22 November 2012 in partnership with NatWest Bank PLC.

Over 100 senior decision-makers attended the forum from across the sector to debate the issues affecting the industry’s growth. New partners attended from LEPs and the private sector. 100% satisfaction levels were achieved.

The Visitor Economy Forum 2012

Launch of the Pink Book 2012 - Legislation for

tourist accommodation.

T h e P i n k B o o k 2 0 1 2

Over 30 press trips with over 150 destinations.

O l y m p i c G a m e s P r e s s Tr i p s

cottages4you

w i n n i n g m o r e V i s i t o r s

Online guide designed to help destinations provide access information on their websites.

Last Minute.Comlastminute.com

Think Tank Event with York, North Yorkshire and

East Riding LEP.

T h i n k Ta n k E v e n t

CIBTM - Beijing 12-14 September 2012

Launched with DisabledGo

O n l i n e d i s a b i l i t y A w a r e n e s s C o u r s e

‘Fan in a Van’ campaign, a 70 day trip around

England following the Torch Relay route

F a n i n a Va n

Meedex - Paris July 9 & 10th

Royal themed press trips for journalists from the UK, USA and Germany.

h R h T h e Q u e e n ’s d i a m o n d J u b i l e e

‘Welcome’ event for 40 international journalists to highlight access for the disabled visitor market in England.

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Trailblazers – Edinburgh 27-30 July 2012

d e s t i n a t i o n m a n a g e m e n t P l a n

Launch of new guide to destination management planning

Launch of online tool to help restaurants improve access for visitors.

A c c e s s s t a t e m e n t O n l i n e To o l

Launch of the biggest ever domestic tourism campaign.

IMEX Frankfurt - Germany 20- 22 May 2012

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence took place on 22nd May 2012 at the Athena Cinema in Leicester.

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1 1S U M M A R Y O F K E Y A C H I E V E M E N T S 1 0 S U M M A R Y O F K E Y A C H I E V E M E N T S

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Forum focused on the growth of events, venues

and attractions through greater collaboration.

Launch of Destination Intelligence System, an easy-to-use online research tool.

Forum focused on creating conditions for growth through

investment and innovation.

Launch of 101 Things to Do Before You Go Abroad Facebook App.

The Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign scooped Best In-House Consumer Campaign at the 2012 Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) Awards.

Conference focused on regulation and legislation.

New three year partnership signed with Arts Council England.

Second English Tourism Week held in March 16-24th 2013

The Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign scooped the Hotel / Leisure and Travel Award at the 2012 Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Marketing Excellence Awards.

England Rugby World Cup 2015 themed trade and media events across Asia.

APR 13

C i m m a r k e t i n g E x c e l l e n c e A w a r d w i n

d e s t i n a t i o n i n t e l l i g e n c e s y s t e m

P R C A A w a r d w i n

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Forum focused on building and delivering a ‘golden legacy’.

d e s t i n a t i o n m a n a g e m e n t F o r u m

V i s i t o r E c o n o m y

F o r u m

A r t s C o u n c i l E n g l a n d P a r t n e r s h i p

A c c o m m o d a t i o n C o n f e r e n c e

d e s t i n a t i o n m a n a g e m e n t

F o r u m

1 0 1 F a c e b o o k A p p

E n g l i s h To u r i s m w e e k

lastminute.com Blacks

Merlin Entertainments

Stena Line

Cottageline

cottages4you

cottages4you

The Telegraph

Global Radio, Daily Mail and Guardian

Yahoo & Express

Romantic City Breaks

Cultural Cities

Coastal Escapes

Rural Escapes

mAR 13

IMEX America – Las Vegas 9-11 October 2012

Launch of VisitEngland’s Travel Trade Strategy and the first England Expert Training Programme.

ABTA Convention – Turkey 10-12 October 2012

Trade show Presence

Regional Growth Fund Campaigns

marketing & PR Campaigns

Events

K E Y

Business support

Meetopolis – Brussels 16 October 2012

World Travel Market – London

5-8 November 2012

EIBTM – Barcelona 27-29 November 2012

BBT Online – Belgium 17 December 2012

ITB Berlin – Germany

6-10 March 2013

MBT Market – Germany 19-20 February 2013

AIME – Australia 26 & 27

February 2013

International Confex – London 19-21 March 13

Update for key industry

representatives on legislation

changes affecting the accommodation

industry.

R e g u l a t o r y C o n f e r e n c e

h o l i d a y s A t h o m e a r e G R E A T

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

holidays at home are GREATWith backing from the Government, VisitEngland and the host nation tourist boards of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London ran the biggest ever domestic marketing campaign. The campaign, called Holidays at Home are GREAT, was designed to encourage British residents to take more domestic short breaks and holidays in the momentous year of 2012.

VisitEngland, in partnership with the public and private sector, harnessed the events of 2012 focusing its activity on stimulating the demand for England’s tourism products, services and experiences.

A number of campaigns were delivered, aimed at the domestic and international market. Increased emphasis was placed on the business visits and events markets, supporting destination partners to attract international business tourism. By working with the bodies responsible for major events we ensured that the tourism potential is recognised and its economic growth realised in the planning and hosting of major events.

s T i m U L A T i N G C O N s U m E R d E m A N d

social media ActivityWe launched a social media campaign entitled 101 Things to do Before You Go Abroad at the beginning of 2013. Building on the heightened sense of pride following 2012 and aimed at supporting the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) thematic campaigns, this consisted of a map-based application enabling users to recommend their top experience on home turf. In addition to the app, a book has now been published containing this compilation of must-do experiences in England.

international Business Events ActivityIn order to deliver on VisitEngland’s aim to win more international business events, we have now established offices in several locations around the world including North America, Europe and India. These offices are targeted with providing insights into the opportunity to win more business events from their respective markets and providing cost effective channels for English suppliers to reach international event organisers. Working with our English partners, VisitEngland attended 16 trade events during 2012/13 as well as organising our own England showcase events around the world. Amongst these events were leading trade shows such as IMEX, IMEX America and EIBTM. We also brought the buyer to us, educating them on the possibilities for organising events in England through a series of familiarisation visits. The economic impact of business generated through VisitEngland activity in 2012/13 totalled £9.8m.

England Rugby world Cup 2015 ActivityTo capitalise on the opportunities surrounding the Rugby World Cup 2015 we held trade and media events to showcase England’s tourism offer in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, taking advantage of the high profile of the Rugby 7s events in those markets.

marketing Campaigns & Partnership ActivityThe RGF drove the delivery of destination and thematic campaigns during the autumn, winter and spring.

In addition, we secured marketing partnership activity with a number of national partners to extend the reach of activities to stimulate interest in domestic holiday taking including: Blacks, lastminute.com, Merlin Entertainments, Stena Line, and Irish Ferries.

We worked effectively with the private sector to deliver the All England Marketing Plan, one of the action plans of the Strategic Framework for Tourism in England 2010-2020.

Travel Trade ActivityWork to increase engagement with the travel trade was moved to the fore this year with the production of our first online product training programme England Experts to increase promotion of the English product.

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England’s best loved actors lend their support to the Holidays

at Home are GREAT national campaign.

VisitEngland teamed up with outdoor clothing company Blacks in a campaign named ‘Access all Areas’ to inspire people to explore the great outdoors.

The quality of VisitEngland’s work in this area in combination with the corporate communications around the activity was recognised with two awards:

Public Relations Consultants’ Association Annual Award Category: In-house consumer campaign

The prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing Excellence Award Category: Hotel/Travel and Leisure 2012

Awards wins!

in incremental spend was generated by the great2012offers.com campaign

holidays at home are GREAT campaign results

generated by the TV campaign

nights away, based on average spending of £66 per night on English holidays (£300m).

The campaign achieved the highest recall and motivation (people intending to take action as a result of the campaign) of any of our campaigns so far

£60m+

£240m

4.5m

The summer of 2012 presented an unprecedented set of opportunities for marketing tourism in England.

We responded to the challenges with a series of projects, media promotions and tourism development work, focusing our efforts on initiatives designed to generate immediate results and on which a long-term legacy for tourism could be built.

C A P i TA L i s i N G O N T h E E V E N T s O F 2 0 1 2

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

London media CentreWe provided a round the clock service to the huge numbers of media before, during and after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, working closely with VisitBritain to service the London Media Centre, responding to queries and organising over 30 press trips collaborating with over 150 destinations across the country.

high Profile marketing PromotionsBoth before and during the Games, we ran a series of high profile marketing promotions aimed at driving up demand. These included working with: cottages4you to create an early demand for 4-7 night family holiday breaks; Merlin Entertainments to promote England as a destination with unlimited family fun and offering good value for money; The Telegraph on delivering short tactical messages throughout the Games to continue the momentum; and lastminute.com which delivered a post-Olympics message, capitalising on the amazing images of the Games before they could fade from memory by promoting England’s cultural and heritage destinations with hotel offers for various destinations.

Fan in a Van CampaignOur ‘Fan in a Van’ project delivered additional promotion to the destinations in and around the Torch Relay route. The campervan and resident social media blogger attracted local, national and international media interest in the van’s 7,000 mile trip around England. The project continued to inspire people to holiday at home months after completion.

holidays at home are GREAT CampaignThe level of return on investment achieved by the Holidays at Home are GREAT activity indicates that it undoubtedly helped to persuade domestic consumers to holiday at home, whether they were ‘escaping’ from London to other areas or experiencing the sporting, cultural or torch events. This, in turn, has contributed to the continuation of the staycation trend and helped to cement the legacy of the Games by inspiring new and continued interest in England’s tourism assets and experiences.

For further details of our promotions, projects and activities relating to the events of 2012, view the

publication England 2012 securing the Legacy on

our website:

visitengland.org

organised press trips30+destinations across the country visited by press during the Games

150+has been achieved by our consumer PR activity in mainstream and specialist media promoting English destinations and tourism products and businesses

£95m

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VisitEngland hosted international and UK media on the Orient

Express British Pullman with each carriage presenting a different

English destination.

VisitEngland hosted the media on a trip on the royal barge

‘The Spirit of Chartwell’.

VisitEngland’s Fan in a Van, Rachel Kershaw, has tea with a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London.

hRh The Queen’s diamond Jubilee

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee we ran three royal themed press trips for journalists from the UK, USA and Germany. We also held a special media preview of the Queen’s royal barge ‘The Spirit of Chartwell’ and hosted 70 journalists from around the world during the Games to continue the legacy of this momentous occasion.

welcome ProjectWe embarked on a Welcome Project which reviewed visitors’ experiences from booking to arrival in a destination. Fifteen airports took part in the project. Outcomes included greater collaboration with local travel operators to improve onward travel, partnering with destinations to offer enhanced visitor information onsite and customer service training. The City of London Visitor Centre provided a particularly strong example, training up its team and providing out of London tourism information and advice to assist visitors to the Games in making the most of their trip.

disabled Visitor marketOn the day of the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, we hosted 40 international journalists at an event where experts came together to highlight how seriously England takes the disabled visitor market, which is worth £2bn to the economy.

Business supportThe Games presented a great opportunity to further advance the quality of visitor accommodation. We partnered with the British Hospitality Association to provide expert advice on sustainability and accessibility to inform the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Accommodation Checklist.

We also worked with LOCOG to promote key sustainability business support tools such as Green Start and Keep it Real (a scheme illustrating how sustainability can be an attractive selling point).

AdVERTisiNG VALUE

Games Time Activity

d E V E L O P i N G T h E V i s i T O R E X P E R i E N C E

VisitEngland continued to provide specialist business support, expertise and encouragement to the sector at a strategic level to develop the quality of the visitor experience.

This involved developing a new approach to the quality agenda to raise standards for accommodation and attractions, as well as an improvement in the standards and dissemination of market intelligence, enabling the sector to develop and improve its performance by taking advantage of, and readapting to, trends in the marketplace.

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

monitoring & Reviewing ProceduresWe embedded a new approach to driving the quality agenda by developing effective monitoring and reviewing procedures of the accommodation, visitor attractions and associated sectors quality assurance schemes.

VisitEngland Awards for ExcellenceThe new-style VisitEngland Awards for Excellence were held on 22 May 2012 at the Athena Cinema in Leicester. There was a record attendance and number of entries received.

Research & insightsOur Research and Insights services have been in demand across the country and in government. A large time commitment has been devoted to standardising marketing metrics and evaluation methodologies and attending local events to provide expertise. A Destination Intelligence System was launched enabling online access to tourism statistics. The system brings together all available sources of destination information, allowing users to generate summary reports and bespoke analysis.

Tourism intelligence UnitFollowing a request by the English Tourism Research and Intelligence Partnership Steering Group, we held a series of meetings with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, representatives from academia, private sector operators and the Chairman of the Tourism Society’s Consultancy Group to ascertain interest in providing core funding to, or entering into a commercial arrangement with, the Tourism Intelligence Unit which as a Regional Development Agency legacy body was at risk of closure. An agreement has been reached which secures the future of this valuable unit for a further 18 months.

Initial estimate of the PR advertising value £450,000

Pieces of broadcast coverage58

Pieces of regional print coverage and pieces on the BBC website, ITV.com and in the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Independent on Sunday.

270+

The George and Dragon, near Penrith, scoop the silver award for

Taste of England at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

KEY AChiEVEmENTs iN 2012 / 2013

Growth & EmploymentWe share back office business services with VisitBritain. During the year we have worked with VisitBritain to identity further operational efficiencies in this area to ensure that the maximum resources possible are invested in front line activities aimed at creating growth and employment.

England Rugby world Cup 2015Where the organisation has been presented with new opportunities, such as supporting the England Rugby World Cup 2015, we have reorganised to provide a senior project lead absorbing the impact within our existing resources.

C O R P O R A T E d E V E L O P m E N T

We work diligently to deliver effectively within the demands placed on public sector funding, working closely with government departments to ensure that alignment of activities and budgets have a combined impact. Encouraging collaboration between national and local levels and between partners at the local level, has helped to reduce the impact of funding reductions on the delivery activity of our partners. In some areas this has strengthened the understanding of tourism’s importance in local economies but in others the challenges remain.

Assessing Our FocusIt is a key principle within our Corporate Plan to regularly assess that the focus of our activities is on the areas where we can support to greatest effect.

digital TransformationWork was started in 2012/13 to increase our adoption of a more digital approach in the delivery of our activities. We deliver a considerable amount of our consumer facing activity in the digital environment but recognise the need for continuous development in this area. Our current technology platforms need to be more adaptable to the digital world. The goal is to deliver a five year plan enabling us to quickly adapt to emerging technologies.

VisitEngland continues to deliver tax payer value through strong corporate management

V I S I T E N G L A N D A N N U A L R E P O R T

1 7C O R P O R A T E D E V E L O P M E N T1 6 D E V E L O P I N G T H E V I S I T O R E X P E R I E N C E

PR impact of 2012 VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

ThE BOARd 2012/13

BOARd mEmBERs

T h E P E O P L E B E h i N d V i s i T E N G L A N d

Penelope, Viscountess CobhamChairmanof VisitEngland

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ThE TEAm

VisitEngland is a small organisation with a team of 52 staff based at our Headquarters in Westminster, London and 7 staff based in our overseas offices in the US, Europe and India.

Louise stewartDirector of Strategy

& Development

Janet UttleyHead of Industry

Engagement

Ross CalladineHead of Business

Development (Skills & Welcome)

Pam FodenHead of Industry

Development

Jason FreezerHead of Destination

Management

Lyndsey swiftHead of Strategic

Partnership & Engagement

sarah LongHead of Corporate Communications

sharon OrrellHead of Research & Insights

william smartRegional Growth Fund

Project Manager

Phil EvansHead of Policy &

Analysis

Rebecca hollowayHead of Consumer PR

Tim holtHead of Marketing

Anke monestelHead of International

Operations

simon GidmanHead of Business

Visits & Events

Jeremy BrinkworthEngland Rugby World Cup

Project Director

stuart heathHead of Marketing

Partnerships

Jenny mcGeeEnterprise Director

Alex mawerMarketing Director

Nick VarneyChief Executive of Merlin Entertainments Group

denis wormwellChief Executive of Shearings Group

david OrrChairman of Fraser Giles Partnership

John hoyChief Executive of Blenheim Palace

suzanne BondChief Executive of Cornwall Development Company

Amanda Cottrell OBEChairman of Visit Kent

sarah stewartChief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative

sandie dawe mBEChief Executive of VisitBritain

V I S I T E N G L A N D A N N U A L R E P O R T

1 9T H E P E O P L E B E H I N D V I S I T E N G L A N D1 8 L O O K I N G A H E A D W I T H J A M E S B E R R E S F O R D

VisitEngland’s work is focused on growing awareness of England as a highly desirable, top quality holiday destination, boosting tourism, and stimulating jobs to support the Government’s growth agenda. This is our goal – and we never lose sight of it! 2012 was a wonderful advertisement for England, and it is our job to ensure that tourism remains at the heart of the Olympic legacy over the coming years.

L O O K i N G A h E A d w i T h J A m E s B E R R E s F O R dVisitEngland’s Chief Executive

James Berresford Chief Executive

making the CaseMaking the case for tourism is at the heart of our work. Making the case for public sector support for tourism in England, at both national and local level, continues to be a pertinent and important role for VisitEngland. At a time of continuing change within the tourism landscape, VisitEngland will continue to show strong and proactive leadership in championing the industry and ensure that tourism remains high on the government agenda in the lead up to a General Election in 2015.

working TogetherIn addition to maximising returns on public investment, VisitEngland seeks to build new and powerful links with business partners and explores opportunities for new income streams. Partnership remains core to our philosophy. We are committed to develop new collaborations and partnerships with the private sector and across government departments and their agencies to ensure continued support for the sector.

Creating demandThis is a key priority for VisitEngland and the second pan-UK, Government funded ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign aims to invigorate a route to market for the domestic consumer that has been largely dormant for a number of years - namely the high street travel agent. There is a clear opportunity for travel agents and operators to increase their bottom line by selling more domestic holidays. Using loveable characters that resonate a true English spirit of adventure like Wallace & Gromit breaks the mould of the cliché tourist board ad and will serve to continue to capture the imagination of the domestic market. Our national work will be also amplified on a local level by further progress of the three-year ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ campaign funded by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund. An increased commitment to growing the lucrative business visits and events market for England will see us increase our presence internationally.

Raising the digital Bar Raising the Digital bar is the only way to effectively respond to changing consumer needs. Over the coming year our consumer website will be transformed to better represent destinations and better inform the consumer and our corporate website will transform the way we interact with the industry online. By upgrading and streamlining our internal CRM system we will be able to target our communications more effectively and ensure stakeholders are kept up to the minute with opportunities to grow their business.

Adding Value to Local delivery PartnersDestination Management Organisations are key to achieving the growth ambitions for the sector in England. For VisitEngland to be visible at the local level remains a challenge with current resources. The emphasis on digital communications across the business will add value to the face-to-face networking at the Destination Management Forum, Visitor Economy Forum, industry briefings and workshops that we currently run. The interest of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the Visitor Economy and tourism issues varies widely. Communication is our priority, and we will continue with our regular information briefings to LEPs, DBIS Local and attendance at LEP Board meetings and steering groups to influence agendas and activities which are focussed on driving growth in the visitor economy.

OperationsReducing operational overheads by making adjustments to our organisation, relocating offices in central London and continuing to look for operational efficiencies will ensure we always provide best value for money and make our grant in aid work as hard as possible.

We have some fantastic opportunities on the horizon to further position tourism in England at home and on the world stage. Major tourism events like the Tour de France 2014 and the England Rugby World Cup 2015 are firmly in our sights. 2012 was a phenomenal year and its benefit will be far reaching if we continue to work together, adding value to our resources, achieving impact with our activity and pushing for growth.

VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board responsible for driving forward England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism with industry partners. We work in partnership to lead the development of a thriving tourism industry, supporting our national and local partners to achieve economic growth and increase investment and employment by encouraging the development of excellent visitor experiences and effective business practices. For information on the wide range of support and opportunities we offer to the different sectors involved in England’s visitor economy visit visitengland.org and for further information on England, visit visitengland.com

VisitEngland, Sanctuary Buildings,

20 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT

www.visitengland.org

Published by VisitEngland in October 2013

Photography by VisitEngland Images and Britain on View

Designed by fst

© British Tourist Authority (trading as VisitEngland) October 2013