BALPPA News
Rise up to the challenging times
ADRIAN MAHON T
h e UK is facing increased taxation
and higher unem- ployment following cutbacks in national and local Government expenditure. And, to cap it all, ‘stagfl ation’ – high levels of infl ation coupled with an economy which showed signs of a slowdown in the last quarter. Food and fuel prices ‘have never been higher’, to quote a recent article, and I anticipate that before long we’ll see indus- trial unrest in many sectors with union leaders getting together to plan their cam- paigns for job protection and compensating increases in pay. Sounds pretty dismal, doesn’t it? Where
does that leave the attractions sector? I take up the chair of BALPPA, as we
embark on a year in which many people in our industry are saying ‘will be our most challenging for some time’. It will be a very challenging year and there is a ques- tion mark over just how much spare cash consumers will have available for days out and holidays. But our great UK attractions industry is very resilient, as we have proven time and again. Yes, we do need to be pru- dent and watch every penny until we see how the year is panning out, but, if we con- tinue to provide great experiences at value for money prices and pay attention to the detail (where customer satisfaction is won – and lost!), the guests will come. A recent consumer survey indicated that
‘the Brits’ will give up their holidays only as a last resort and, with a poor exchange rate against the euro in particular and high prices overseas, in recent years many of them have voted with their feet and hol- idayed in Britain. BALPPA is supporting the Better in Britain Campaign and has had a positive response to encouraging parlia- mentarians to set an example and holiday in the UK this year. Some UK leisure opera- tors are reporting that bookings for holiday accommodation are up again this year, so we must take such opportunities by the horns and capitalise on them. Yes, we will need to work harder, but we
all need to work smarter too and under- stand what really excites our customers, then deliver that consistently, through every minute of every day.
Adrian Mahon, chair, BALPPA 10 New tourism strategy revealed TOM WALKER
England and Wales’ May Day bank holiday could be moved to another time of year as part of the government’s new strategy to increase tourism. St David’s Day (Wales) in March and St George’s Day (England) in April could provide a rescheduled bank holiday, while a ‘Trafalgar Day’ could take May Day’s place in October. T e government said the
moving of the bank hol- iday forward would help Hallowe’en and Bonfi re Night become “larger celebrations”. However, plans to move UK clocks in line
with Central European Time, which would be one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in winter, have been scrapped. Other propos- als set out in the Tourism Strategy include improving the entry visa process for overseas
T e strategy aims to promote domestic tourism as well as inbound visits
visitors and the introduction of more e-Pass- port gates to reduce queuing times. T e government has also set out its ambi-
tions for a £100m (€114m, $166m) marketing campaign joint-funded in partnership with the private sector to attract four million extra vis- itors over the next four years.
Visitor numbers remain stable at attractions TOM WALKER
Visits to leading UK attrac- tions stayed at 2009 levels during 2010, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). The association’s annual
report shows that there was a marginal 0.38 per cent increase in its members’ visi- tor fi gures in 2010. T e report, however, also surveyed attrac- tions’ views on 2011 and most are optimistic that they will experience a bumper year. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents expect their vis- itor numbers to increase or remain the same during 2011, while a third (34 per cent) expect revenues to increase. Robin Broke, director of ALVA, comments: “T e tourism industry is of huge value to the
T e National Gallery in London, part of the ALVA network of attractions
UK economy, and fi nancially it represents an excellent return on investment. “It is a great creator of employment, par- ticularly for young people.”
Saturn launches dedicated imagineering arm TOM WALKER
Bristol, UK-based property and archi- tects company Saturn Projects Group has launched a dedicated exhibition design divi- sion targeting the attractions industry. Saturn Imagineering will be making its debut at the
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
Dubai Entertainments, Amusement and Leisure Show (DEAL) this week. Simon Pickard, Saturn’s managing director
said the company will look to establish itself in the MENA region (Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean and Asia).
AM 2 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
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