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Industry Website of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board
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Summary of Board Meeting 2nd February 2007 NORTHERN IRELAND TOURIST BOARD Present: Mr Tom McGrath (Chairman) In attendance: Mr Alan Clarke, Chief Executive Apologies: Ms Aideen Corr
The Chairman advised that minutes are publishable under Freedom of Information legislation and invited members to declare any interests in relation to agenda items, or gifts / hospitality received since the last meeting. He emphasised that this obligation applies to all those present at Board Meetings. No declarations were made. Minutes of the meeting of 28 November 2006 were agreed subject to a minor amendment. Matters Arising: Complaint – correspondence was raised from the Hostelling International Northern Ireland chair and the Chief Executive is to deal with this (ACTION: AC). NITB 60th Anniversary – a small working group is to be established to consider how best to mark the anniversary and Board Members were invited to take part in this. Ideas for commemorative displays and events are being considered (ACTION: SW). Lonely Planet Coverage - the Board was advised that the weighted PR value of Northern Ireland’s inclusion in the Blue Guide is estimated at £1.4m. Bed & Breakfast Sector – along with senior staff from NITB’s Product Development Division, the Chairman met with the new B&B association’s Chairperson, Irene Adair. Work is ongoing to define its strategic direction. The Chief Executive advised that he had met with Alan Hill of Town and Country Homes, who are looking at theming the B&B sector in the Republic of Ireland. Options are being considered for joint promotion of the product. Favour Royal Golf Resort Project – the Board noted a letter from the promoter which had been copied to the Chairman, regarding Invest Northern Ireland’s reaction to the project. The Board expressed disappointment with the decision and asked if NITB was given an opportunity to comment on the project through its representation on Invest NI’s Case Committee, but the project had not reached the stage of consideration by that group. Belfast Festival at Queen’s - NITB’s Research Department had followed up on the Board’s query about the Festival’s economic value and put its worth at around £1m. The Director of Marketing attended a meeting between the Permanent Secretary (of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure), the Arts Council and Belfast City Council to discuss ways of securing the Festival’s future. Members asked if a case was proven for financial support and were advised that NITB and other partners had previously recommended opportunities for raising the Festival’s profile which had not been taken up by the organisers. The Permanent Secretary would consider all comments and make a recommendation to the Minister. The Board will be informed of any developments (ACTION: SW). Product Development Plan – the Board was advised that public consultation cannot proceed until the end of the purdah period in the run-up to Assembly elections; however this will provide an opportunity to refine the content of the document. Delegated Authority for Tourism Development Scheme (TDS) Approvals – the Board agreed to appoint Lyn Fawcett and Kevin Baird to the group considering TDS projects. Quarter II Reports – Finance – a proposed template for the new Finance report will be circulated to Board Members for comment prior to the next meeting (ACTION: KT). Tourism Ireland – TI’s Great Britain Manager is due to present at the next Board Meeting.
The Chairman, Chief Executive and John McGrillen visited Westminster on 30 January to give evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee’s (NIAC) inquiry into tourism. A key theme emerging from evidence is the high degree of fragmentation in Northern Ireland’s tourism industry, especially in skills and business support; there are many tourism promotion bodies with overlapping agendas within an area comparable in size to Yorkshire. NITB’s concerns were discussed about current arrangements for promoting Northern Ireland in Great Britain. The Committee asked if NITB would prefer to undertake its own marketing in GB and the Chairman confirmed this. The establishment of a skills “super-academy” had been mooted by NIAC but Board Members remarked that adequate training resources exist and simply need to be properly managed. Sea ferry access, planning issues and the National Stradium were also discussed. The Chairman commended NITB’s Policy and Business Planning team for preparing detailed briefing at extremely short notice, and thanked John McGrillen and the Chief Executive for their support at the evidence session. The Chairman also commended Marketing Division staff involved in the production of the NITB Tourism Calendar and Best Prospects publications.
The content of the report was noted and a number of issues were highlighted: VisitBritain – promotional activity in close-to-home markets has been refined to a regional approach to allow further development of new and expanding markets, and there are parallels with TIL’s strategic direction in Great Britain which are worth exploring. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development – the Board was advised that DARD’s new Rural Development Programme potentially an includes a considerable tourism element. Giant’s Causeway Visitor Facilities – the GCVF Board undertook a visit to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre and this was felt to have been very useful. Invest Northern Ireland – the Chairman and Chief Executive had given a presentation at a recent Invest NI Board Meeting, and had taken the opportunity to stress the importance of golf resort projects to NITB’s strategic direction. Members suggested that the Board’s nominee to Invest NI’s Case Committee should accompany NITB officials to any future such meetings. Smithsonian Folklife Festival – details were provided of the Smithsonian Associates Lecture Series showcasing various aspects of Northern Ireland culture, which will take place in May and June. This will be featured on the front cover and in editorial content of the Smithsonian Associates magazine. NITB will be working with the Northern Ireland Bureau and Tourism Ireland on the lectures. Strategic Framework for Action – the Board’s formal approval was sought for a proposal to extend the term of the current Strategic Framework for a further year. This will permit NITB to align the next Framework document with the new Corporate Plan. The Board gave its consent to proceed. Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – the Board was advised that Tourism Ireland is to give evidence to the Committee on Wednesday 7 February.
4 (i) NITB Operating Plan 2007-08 The process of developing the Plan to date and identification of the key objectives was outlined, and a draft Operating Plan for 2007-08 was presented to Members for comment. The Strategic Review has been ongoing in parallel with this and each process has informed the development of the other. The Board asked about staff development and was advised that organisational development (and specifically culture change) was a key priority for 2007/08. The absorption of the Northern Ireland Events Company into NITB was discussed; the skill sets for NIEC work are much the same as those in the Business Tourism and Events team and the focus in transition will be on drawing the synergy between these functions and enhancing the added value in both areas. Members agreed that accountability and measurability are key to delivery of the Plan. Work still needs to be done in improving communications to customers. Members believe that the organisation should grow from the inside and a balanced approach should be taken to the use of consultants to ensure that NITB’s public personality is maintained. It was emphasised that NITB should indicate where it adds influence, especially with regard to the Signature Projects. Strategic leadership is critical and should be based on the use of market intelligence to inform policy. There are also opportunities to take a lead in developing innovation and competitiveness. The Board felt that as Welcome to Excellence is promoted as raising standards for the industry it should be made available as part of induction training for all staff. There is a need to recruit someone at a senior level with organisational development and HR expertise to take forward work on developing staff. The Board was advised that this is in progress. It is proposed to bring a final version of the Operating Plan to the Board on 20 March for approval, and Members were asked to give thought to suggestions for key performance indicators prior to that meeting (ACTION: Board Members). The agenda was reordered to permit discussion of the next item prior to John Mooney’s and Lyn Fawcett’s departure.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) has reviewed NITB activities and funds which might transfer to new local authorities and set out its options in a briefing paper to the Minister. NITB’s view is that the Department’s rationale appears to be to make functions fit the funding, and not enough consideration is given to ensuring NITB retains adequate resources and influence to be effective. The Chief Executive has held the Board’s agreed line in negotiations, arguing that NITB should not surrender any funds. Resources proposed for diversion amount to some £1m, plus business tourism and EU funding structures. Additionally funding for the bed and breakfast sector through Invest Northern Ireland is earmarked for transfer, just when that sector arguably needs more support. These proposals have been drawn up without any further consultation taking place with NITB. The Board expressed grave concern that these proposals go over and above those originally announced by the Secretary of State, and would render NITB ineffective. It was stressed that the industry is becoming increasingly fragmented just as competitor markets such as the ROI and Scotland are seen to be consolidating, a concern substantiated both in evidence submitted to the NIAC inquiry and the findings of the Strategic Review. This contrasts sharply with the ROI model where the government retains responsibility for formulating policy, while tourism agencies are left with a clear mandate to carry on their work. It was suggested that a clear distinction should be drawn between DETI’s policy role and NITB’s strategic remit. Members felt the effect of the RPA proposals would be to increase duplication of effort and waste of resources. The Board emphasised the need to focus on improved leadership and greater efficiency, which a more fragmented sector cannot possibly deliver. Further, this is a time of great opportunity for the tourism sector and forward momentum will be lost if the proposals go ahead. Members agreed that a robust reponse needed to go back from NITB at the highest level and resolved that the Chairman should immediately write to the Minister expressing the Board’s concerns (ACTION: PCU). Members also emphasised that an urgent resolution of NITB’s relationship with DETI needs to be sought. 4 (iii) Cultural Tourism Strategy Anthony Cranney joined the meeting to present an outline of the Cultural Tourism Action Plan. In developing this NITB undertook further stakeholder consultation and research itself, as work by the original consultant, while resulting in a number of sound findings, had not provided any market context. It is estimated that the “sightseers and culture-seekers” segment brings £68m of revenue into the economy and has the best earning potential in terms of spend in relation to visitor numbers. Through its additional work NITB identified three key product areas – Signature Project interpretation, Historic Culture (including elements of built heritage - houses, castles and gardens) and Living Culture (embracing Irish and Ulster Scots languages, political tourism and local food). The Chairman asked how NITB would reassure those seeking resources for niche interests such as the Irish language and Ulster-Scots culture, who feel that their areas are overlooked. NITB has stressed that it can seek to develop links to these from other cultural tourism segments (an example given was traditional music which could have Ulster-Scots or Irish connections); however the groups themselves need to identify and define those specific products that NITB can assist them with marketing, initially online, to motivate visitors. NITB is not in a position to devote a dedicated resource to them, and despite enouraging them to do so, representatives have struggled to define marketable products. In particular, the groups representing Ulster-Scots interests were noted to be disparate and fragmented. The Board was in agreement that these are niche interests within the larger Living Culture segment and it is not feasible to apportion undue resources to these. Members suggested that the best way to deal with these concerns going forward would be to work with their official representative bodies in government, such as the Ulster-Scots Agency. Product audits were suggested to assess the weight and worth of each cultural tourism element and help in prioritising resources. The Strategy will be forwarded to Board Members for approval at the next Board Meeting (ACTION: SW). Members were advised that as the purdah period has commenced it cannot be published immediately. The Board stressed that the document should clearly emphasise those activities which NITB can support and suggested that PR assistance should be engaged to manage the release of the strategy (ACTION: KT). It was emphasised that the culture product is constantly evolving and NITB must continue to manage it carefully. A Northern Ireland Museums Council publication entitled Our People, Our Times was also tabled for the attention of Members. The Board noted that Anthony Cranney would be leaving his employment with NITB shortly. They thanked him for his work on NITB’s behalf over the last few years and wished him well in his future career. Anthony left the meeting at this point. 4 (iv) Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau (BVCB) – Belfast: Gateway to Northern Ireland A request was presented from BVCB for funding for the Belfast Welcome Centre and for Tourist Information Centres at Belfast International Airport and George Best Belfast City Airport. It was recommended that NITB should not increase its assistance but that Welcome Centre should be encouraged to improve its retail management to generate additional revenue. This proposal had been communicated in advance to BVCB. Accordingly the Board approved assistance totalling £160,000 for BVCB for the three centres for 2007-08 and agreed that NITB should assist the Welcome Centre in maximising its commercial potential by undertaking a retail study in conjunction with BVCB and Belfast City Council (ACTION: JR). 4 (v) Mournes National Park Consultation A draft response was presented to public consultation on proposals for the Mournes National Park. Members suggested that timescales for drawing up legislation might be affected by the Review of Public Administration. Members approved the issuing of the response to the Mournes National Park Working Group (ACTION: JR).
5 (i) Report on Tourism Ireland Board Meeting of 12 December Discussions included the reliability of NITB statistics, and in particular a projected decline in Great Britain figures; however it was noted that other sections of the figures were accepted as definitive, and the passenger survey has been shown in the past to be robust. Members were advised that Tourism Ireland is seeking the development of common standards. In relation to the formal New York launch by Minister O’Donoghue of the review of the North American market, Members queried why no Northern Ireland officials had been present. The Board was advised that TI’s Great Britain manager would be presenting at the Board Meeting on 20 March and suggested that he be invited to the Board’s dinner that evening.
6 (i) NITB Dublin Office The Board was advised of ongoing negotiations with the landlord of NITB’s Dublin office, regarding necessary refurbishment work. There had been some difficulty in securing agreement to permit the capital project to go ahead but significant progress has been made in the last few weeks. The Board suggested that this represents an opportunity to review the retail layout of the shopfront and recommended that professional advice should be sought (ACTION: SW). 6 (ii) Migrant Workers The Board asked if any work had been done to quantify the value of tourism revenues that might be generated by relatives visiting migrant workers in Northern Ireland, as this was a new and potentially lucrative Visiting Friends and Relatives market (ACTION: JR). It was emphasised that visitors to these new communities could be useful ambassadors for Northern Ireland.
The next Board Meeting is due to take place on Tuesday 20 March in the Drummond Hotel, Limavady.
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