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Welcome Airport Seminar. Julia Stuckey, in partnership with VisitEngland 1st February 2012. Background. London 2012 is a catalyst for change. Research identified England’s Welcome does not excel. Welcome mapped along the Visitor Journey to identify priorities.
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Welcome Airport Seminar Julia Stuckey, in partnership with VisitEngland 1st February 2012
Background • London 2012 is a catalyst for change. • Research identified England’s Welcome does not excel. • Welcome mapped along the Visitor Journey to identify priorities. • Opportunities to change visitors’ first and last impressions at Airports. • Airports not traditionally part of the local or national ‘Tourism Family’. • An excellent Welcome includes: • Effective customer service training at all levels. • Excellent customer interactions before, during and after the visit. • Culturally and accessibility aware operations. • A Welcoming sense of place. • Placing the customer at the heart of the organisation.
Welcome Airport project • Developed, tested and promoted the Welcome Airport Audit and Improvement Plan. • Advised by Manchester and Bristol Airports and Julie Blasbery. • A flexible tool for the Airport Welcome team to consider the customer's journey. • Audit themes include: • Visitor Information and destination promotion. • Comfortable facilities and services. • Effective transport links. • Excellent customer service across the Airport. • Monitoring procedures to maintain high standards.
Welcome Airports • 15 English Airports currently participating in the Welcome project. • “We then started to work on the Ports of Entry audit and this made us realise that we had actually achieved a lot … but that we still had a lot to do” East Midlands. • “We found the audit an excellent process … it allows us to benchmark our product against recognised industry standards” Newquay. • Birmingham Airport • Blackpool Airport • Bournemouth Airport • Bristol Airport • East Midlands Airport • Exeter Airport • Gatwick Airport • Leeds Bradford Airport • Liverpool John Lennon Airport • Luton Airport • Manchester Airport • Newcastle Airport • Newquay Airport • Southampton Airport • Stansted Airport
Welcome Airport Legacy • England’s Strategic Framework for Tourism, Welcome Plan. • Excellent practice sharing. • Continually improving Welcome. • Customer Service training. • Visitor Information guidance. • Use of QR codes. • Local tourism and transport partnerships. • Virtual networking group. • Perceptions are improving, 84% of 2010 respondents were net promoters , a 6% increase on 2009 (VisitBritain). • A poor Airport Welcome has the greatest impact on the whole visitor experience, so there is more to do (VisitBritain).