Guest Comment: Marketing business tourism – most rewarding use of National funds?
Comment by Ken Male, destination management consultant Second in the list of priorities in the England Marketing plan, after leisure breaks, is business tourism. There are a number of issues that make me question this. I admit that this comes as a result of a consultation process but there is a need for the marketing team to assess their role in relation to the results of the consultation, and whether the comments from the industry can help achieve their declared aim – “To grow the value of the domestic market by encouraging key audiences to take additional and/or longer breaks in England”. The funds at the centre should be used to grow the value of tourism to England – not to move existing business around England. Many of those consulted are interested in getting business and, quite rightly, do not care if it is wooed away from their nearest rival destination. Also I question how much ‘Business Tourism’ is discretionary.
Nationally funded Business Tourism marketing should not be about having your AGM in Middle Wallop instead of Blackpool. That is not a good use of national funds – it is a locally funded activity. Whilst the statistics show that the highest value tourism is in the business sector how much of it is actually able to be grown by marketing activity? Attracting events from overseas is not the function of England marketing but of VisitBritain. The business sector also largely misses out a huge proportion of the small businesses which arguably need government support the most. The priorities also are heavily weighted to accommodation rather than the attractions sector. Business tourism does not so readily spread the benefit as widely through the community because delegates have less time for exploring the hinterland of where they are staying. Business pressures demand greater individual participation not nipping off to see the sights. Very few conferences now are about a fictitious programme with all the delegate really there to play golf. Consultation should be used as a tool to inform and not management by a committee of thousands. We cannot all have what we want, nor indeed should we…..we would soon abolish income tax if that were an option! The marketing team at VisitEngland have to have the strength to assimilate the feedback and then make their decision on what their limited funds can best achieve. I would argue that business tourism would be further down the list if had this happened. The Strategy can be seen on their website: http://www.visitengland.com/visitengland/links/visitbritain/tourismindustry.htm.
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