Partners for England Update Tourism South East DMF 28 April 2009 Lyndsey Swift Partners for England Manager

1. Partners for England Partners for England Update Tourism South East DMF 28 April 2009 Lyndsey Swift Partners for England Manager

2. Background • Dynamic partnership focussed on the prosperity of England’s visitor economy • Strong emphasis placed on effective engagement and communication at national / regional / sub regional / local level and opportunities to benefit from economies of scale • Forum currently meets twice per year Partners for England

3. Forum objectives • Informs, influences, supports, monitors and helps to evolve England’s tourism strategy • Offers guidance on all aspects of tourism in England and suggests priorities based on consensus views of members, acting as an expert advisory panel for VisitEngland • Ensures stakeholder buy-in and cohesion and actively involves the industry • Promotes outcomes with the tourism communities it represents • Maximises the value of resources and aligns activity

4. Partners for England – specific action areas • Leadership / Strategy • Intelligence • Marketing • Place Making Charter

5. Leadership • Helped to develop a stronger national framework for tourism through supporting and advocating a stronger voice for English Tourism • VE Board created in 2007. Strategic remit to develop and grow England’s visitor economy (was more marketing focussed under EMAB) • Influenced, through active engagement and consultation, the outcomes of the BTFR. New tourism organisation created for England – VisitEngland. This went live on 1 April 2009.

6. Strategy • Influenced tourism work plans and strategies at national, regional and local level • Through VE, a new England strategy and action plan, endorsed and owned across our industry and which will ensure a sustainable future, is in development. • P4E has played a key role to date and is the mechanism by which this strategy and action plan will be developed, delivered and monitored.

7. Intelligence • Created ETIP, funded by the nine RDAs and VE for 3 years to 2011, to work towards improved data collection and robust and timely evidence and intelligence • ETIP agenda driven by what the industry and users want – ETIP commissioned the Tourism Company to do a robust and thorough review, published in November 2008 • A dedicated resource established in the ONS. The Tourism Intelligence Unit is responsible for delivering ETIP’s work programme.

8. Intelligence • Progress being made on ETIP’s key deliverables: • Improvement in coverage and reliability of national statistics • Guidance and tools for measuring tourism regionally, sub-regionally and locally • Improved communication about, and access to statistics • Improved co-ordination of activity, data and methods • Sustainable legacy

9. Marketing • Encouraged greater joining up and alignment of marketing activity and funding • First P4E Marketing Planning Day held in November 2008 – bringing together over 60 experts from each region to discuss priorities and share best practice and information, identify common objectives and consider alignment of activity. • Agreed to establish a P4E Marketing Sub Group to work jointly with, and in support of VE on England’s marketing strategy.

10. Tourism’s profile, advocacy and improvement • Raised the profile of tourism with LAs; nationally advocated the role of LAs in tourism delivery; greater cohesion between regional and local tourism strategies through development of the Place Making Charter • Yorkshire Forward Charter launch event – Leeds, 10 March. Ideas for how the Charter translates in the region were – importance of pride and place; need to fully understand and respond to visitors’ needs , and capitalising on the regions economic, social and environmental assets. • VE has identified local government as a key stakeholder and local advocacy to form part of England’s tourism strategy. Publication to be launched in July on reasons to invest in tourism locally – aimed at local politicians.

11. Tourism’s profile, advocacy and improvement • Implementation and roll-out of the Charter piloted in the South West late 2008 / early 2009. • Learning from this has led to consideration of a new model that focuses on raising the profile of the visitor economy locally and continuous improvement in the Charter principles (inform, invest, improve, innovate, integrate)

12. Key Charter outcomes • Raise the profile of tourism and the visitor economy • Develop and improve the evidence base that underpins support for the visitor economy • Clarify roles and responsibilities for all agencies involved • Join-up activity and delivery in a cross-cutting way • Link the local, sub-regional and national levels • Continuously improve the visitor experience and the economic returns for tourism, by sharing best practice and learning

13. Positioning and delivering culture and sport: the main drivers Positioning culture & sport in Community Strategies & LAAs Delivering excellent services (Culture & Sport Toolkit) Leadership & governance Policy & Strategy Awareness & understanding the context we are working in. Political and managerial leadership. Community Engagement Partnership Working Resource Management Effective partnership working. Evidence of impact & performance measurement People Management Customer Service Performance Achievement & Learning

14. Partners for England – Contact For further information please contact: Lyndsey Swift Partners for England Manager 020 8563 3192 lyndsey.swift@visitengland.org http://www.partnersforengland.com