“Valuing The Human Touch In Tourism” Sarah Myers M.A., M.I.T.G. Thursday 8 th September 2005

1. “Valuing The Human Touch In Tourism” Sarah Myers M.A., M.I.T.G. Thursday 8th September 2005 EUTO Conference, Tallinn, Estonia

2. About the presenter • Masters Degree in Tourism Management, University of Westminster, 2002 • TIC Officer for 10 years • Member of the Guest Teaching Team for the University of Boston • Registered trainer for ITG; tutor for Blue Badge Guide course and City of London Guide course • Blue Badge Guide: Association of Professional Tourist Guides (APTG) Member

3. Agenda • Introduction • Current Problems • Identifying the needs • What is the ‘human touch’? • The benefits of human interaction • For the visitor • For the industry • Summary and conclusions

4. Introduction • Despite being one of the world’s largest cities, London is built upon a medieval street plan • Has ancient monuments dating as far back as Roman times • Is typically the starting point for tourist trips to other medieval towns e.g. Salisbury, Oxford, Cambridge

5. Introduction - 2 • Tourism is recognised as an economic regenerator • Increased funding has been made available by the local authoritiesHOWEVER: • Even the best planned marketing campaigns will not fulfil their potential unless the human dimensions have been addressed

6. “Large visitor numbers, poor interpretation, congestion and pollution affect the quality of the visitor experience.” Shackley 1998

7. Current Problems • TIPs versus TICs • Temptation towards over-reliance on automated systems • Inconsistent approach to Tourism Management across the Boroughs • Tourism ‘congestion’ due to lack of awareness • Tourism and its management is a fractured sector • ‘Dwell time’ is not optimised due to difficulties in accessing information

8. Identifying the needs • Additional spoken language skills to address new tourism sectors (e.g. Chinese) • Foreign language publications (free) that reflect those new visitor groups, inc. internet • Obvious and visible TIC’s • Consistent level of training for TIC staff coupled with CPD • Professionally trained tourist guides (ITG standards)

9. What is the ‘human touch’? • Using marketing materials as support & not as the primary channel of dialogue with visitors • Heightening the visitor experience through greater interaction • Enabling visitor ‘footfall’ to be steered • Providing direct customer contact in what is, after all, a people industry

10. The benefits of human interaction • For the Visitor: • Face to face service • Orientation • Impartial advice including local law • Meet & greet • Reassuring and visible public presence • Cultural interpretation • Help All leading to: Improved visitor experience (and repeat visits!!)

11. The benefits of human interaction • For the Industry: • Immediate gauge of visitor trends • Group management, (inc. access) • Cultural broker • Opportunity for direct feedback • Improved steering of visitor ‘Footfall’ and spend • Increased publicity and promotion of lesser known attractions and businesses • Repeat visits as a result of an improved visitor experience • Optimises ‘dwell time’

12. Summary & Conclusions • There is a direct correlation between the visitor experience and tourism revenues • The ‘human touch’ plays a vital role in improving the visitor experience • The service provided impacts directly on the destination’s reputation • Both the visitor and industry benefit from a face to face approach therefore: • Bigger emphasis on strong frontline service provision with qualified staff

13. Thank You Sarah Myers sarah@london-atlarge.co.uk +44 (0)7834 361603