Agenda item

Objective : To consider CBC’s current tourism and town marketing provision, how effective is it, how is success measured and what plans there are for further development?

Helen Mole (Head of Place Marketing and Inward Investment)

Cllr. Max Wilkinson (Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing)

The Chair opened the item by giving his thanks to the Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing as it was the last Overview and Scrutiny meeting that he would be attending prior to the elections in May when he will be standing down.

The Head of Place Marketing and Inward Investment explained that her department is responsible for the following:

-       Destination management and marketing to support the visitor economy.

-       Events – both delivery and support for external organisers.

-       Inward investment and the promotion of Cheltenham as a place to do business.

-       Commercial income generation

-       UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme management.

The published report focused on the first point.

It was explained to the committee that travel and tourism is hugely important to the economy, worth an estimated £237 billion to GDP.  Cheltenham welcomed approximately 2 million visitors in 2022 which supports around 4% of all employment in the town and many businesses.

As travel and tourism is such a competitive business, exciting promotional campaigns are a powerful way to persuade visitors to choose Cheltenham.

Within the seasonal campaigns, the team follow the objectives listed below:

-       Communicating what is on and where to go – attracting visitors and residents.

-       Working with local business partners – especially businesses in the visitor economy.

-       Presenting a positive image of Cheltenham.

-       Encouraging people to stay within the area for longer and engage in multiple activities whilst here.

There is also year round marketing activity which includes: daily posts and engagement on social media, a fortnightly newsletter, the Visit Cheltenham website, the printed town guide and printed posters in town.

Destination or place management is the ‘behind the scenes’ work of the team. It contributes to the public perception and experience of the town and looks at the overall visitor experience.

The team are looking at ways to provide a Tourist Information service. The details of which are set out in the report. Success of the team is measured against organisational performance, for example, social media followers or website visitors.  Details of the outcomes are in the report.

The Head of Place Marketing and Inward Investment explained that each year the council commissions an independent assessment of the volume and value of tourism and the impact of visitor expenditure on the local economy. Year-on-year comparison figures are a fairly reliable indicator of the current position of the sector. Data for 2023 will be available in November.

While the figures look at first glance to be outstanding – and this is of course a good thing – these figures have to be seen in the context of the recovery from the impacts of the covid pandemic. Visitor numbers had not quite recovered nationally by 2022 and Cheltenham is broadly in line with national figures.

The following points were made:

• KPIs should reflect attracting people to move to the town. The officer confirmed that this one of the KPI’s for the wider team and were not included in the report.
• The officer acknowledged that there was a blossoming relationship between marketing Cheltenham and twinning but there was potential for more.
• The marketing Cheltenham newsletter was sent to people who sign up for it on the website and customers who had purchased ice rink tickets were given the opportunity to opt in.
• The static signs that are in the town centre, Bath Road, the Brewery and Montpellier are all being renewed, these are the maps in the metal signs as other signs are the responsibility of the County Council.
• The wheel which is currently in Imperial Gardens, is operated by the Cheltenham BID; information on revenue from this was currently not available.
• The Minster Exchange (MX) was highlighted as a place to host some form of tourism information. When CBC leave the Municipal Offices there will be tourist information in the public area of its new home.
• Recognising that not all people have access to digital technology, the officer explained that there is a balancing act between printed media and online media due to the carbon footprint and cost.  However, 70,000 printed town guides are printed and reprinted if required.
• A Member highlighted that the younger generation will only use digital when looking for information and at some point the old ways might have to be sacrificed.  The officer confirmed that her team were undertaking training on Artificial Intelligence.

The Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing addressed the committee and acknowledged that the format of information provision was a key issue.  He recognised that digital was not the default for all and printed media is still distributed.  The previous Tourist Information Centre, and latterly the pods, have only attracted a handful of visitors and they have been mainly residents and there needed to be a way to attract both residents and visitors alike. The Cabinet Member wished to bring Members’ attention to the reduction in the carbon footprint of the Christmas ice rink compared to the previous year. 

When asked how day visits to the town are monitored, the officer explained that this was currently not available, but it was down as a priority to look into.

The Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing commented that he had recently been present at a well-attended event with social media followers who in tagging the event would have reached out to a large audience.

With regard to a question on UKSPF funding, the officer explained that this was council wide and not limited to tourism. The Cabinet Member Economic Development, Culture, Tourism and Wellbeing stated that when the country left the EU the UKSPF was the funding promised by the government, although this represented only one third of the amount promised.

The Chair thanked the Head of Place Marketing and Inward Investment and the Cabinet Member for their welcome contributions.