As background information, the meeting has also been provided with:

a)    Minutes of the previous two meetings of the Review Group

b)    A background report concerning tourism in Oxford

c)     A scoping document which sets out the purpose of the Review.

Confirmed external guests include:

·       Joanna Simons, Chair of Experience Oxfordshire Board

·       Hayley Beer-Gamage, Experience Oxfordshire Chief Executive

·       Leslie Redwood, Visit Bath Head of Business Development and Partnerships 

·       Tim Jenkins, VisitBritain Policy and Public Affairs Manager

·       Rachael Farrington, VisitBritain Senior Policy and Public Affairs Executive

The meeting will be structured around key themes including, but not limited to:

a)    Coach parking and access management

b)    Improving wayfinding, pedestrian flows and tour group management

c)     Opportunities for a tourism tax and increasing day visitor revenue

d)    Opportunities for digital innovation to improve the visitor experience

This will also be an opportunity for members of the Review Group to discuss any early ideas for draft recommendations with our external guests.

Tourism Levy

The Chair asked Tim Jenkins, VisitBritain Policy and Public Affairs Manager, and Rachael Farrington, VisitBritain Senior Policy and Public Affairs Executive, to set out the position of VisitBritain and Central Government on the notion of introducing an overnight tourism levy.

Rachael explained that the Government were not currently looking to introduce such a levy. VisitBritain would be visiting a number of locations over the coming months to gather feedback on the issue, before it formed its official position and advice to Government. Tim said he understood the principle two reasons the Government were not currently pursuing a levy were:

1.     The UK is perceived to be an expensive destination already. This is in part due to high air passenger duty and VAT costs. When coupled with an overnight levy, the cumulative costs may dissuade a small number of visitors, in an international market where the UK is already struggling to compete. In recent years, the UK’s market share in international visitors has either been static or declining. Any currency fluctuations associated with Brexit were unlikely to have a significant bearing of visitor numbers because this was not a common consideration for international visitors.

2.     The UK has a difficult task in demonstrating that it is a welcoming and visitor friendly destination, in light of the Brexit vote and ongoing political narrative. The introduction of an overnight levy may have the potential to damage international perceptions of the UK’s welcome; perhaps more so than the actual price of an overnight fee.

For these reasons, the notion of introducing an overnight levy was considered a closed issue to government at this time. Some members questioned whether these issues would have a measurable effect on the local visitor economy. Councillor Fry added that he was concerned that local hotels would indirectly end up bearing the bill of an additional levy, rather than visitors.

Rachael explained that VisitBritain has previously visited Cumbria to discuss sustainable tourism. Rachael went on to explain that tourist taxes had the potential to discourage overnight visitors, who spend more in the city (£45 day domestic visitor average, vs £151 overnight domestic visitor average). The city should be encouraging the conversion from day to overnight visits, rather than penalising high spending visitors.

She said that the Discover England £40m fund from Central Government (managed by VisitEngland) had been used to drive innovation in partner led product development, which can in turn support visitor dispersal and tackled seasonality; these were issues that residents were often concerned about, and tackling them may negate the need to some extent for a tax. Good examples included itinerary driven rail travel products for international visitors, which streamlines their experience. The heritage cities itinerary by rail for example, which takes visitors to London, Lincoln, York, Durham and Edinburgh.

In response to questions, it was explained that the introduction of an overnight levy in Scotland was a devolved matter, and a yearlong consultation is due to begin this summer on whether to introduce the levy.

It was explained that In November 2018 the Government announced they will be entering into an official negotiation with the tourism industry for a tourism sector deal, to help the sector drive productivity, boost skills recruitment and retention and deliver tourism zones. The bid to Government was being facilitated by VisitBritain, and it was currently awaiting sign off. There were four priorities for the sector deal:

1)    A 10-year tourism and hospitality skills campaign to boost recruitment, skills and long-term careers providing the industry with the workforce it needs;

2)    Boosting productivity by extending the tourism season year-round and increasing global market share in the business visits and events sector;

3)    Improve connections to increase inbound visits from more markets by 2030 by making it easier for overseas and domestic visitors to not only travel to the UK but explore more of it; 

4)    Creating ‘tourism zones’ to build quality tourism products that meet visitors needs and expectations, extending the tourism season and fixing localised transport issues to improve the visitor experience.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, Chief Executive of Experience Oxfordshire, explained that becoming a tourism zone would be a very competitive process, and resources would need to be put into it. She highlighted that the Council’s Head of Community Services was on the Board of Experience Oxfordshire, as were other regional representatives with significant local influence.

Rachael and Tim also highlighted that one of the key criteria for Tourism Zones would be proven leadership and collaboration between local stakeholders, including (but not limited to) DMOs, LEPs and Local Government.

Coaches

The Chair briefly set out the context of discussions had to date in relation to coach management. Rachael explained that the best organisation to coordinate and manage this matter would be the local destination management organisation (DMO), Experience Oxfordshire. Again, the Discover England Fund, whilst in the closing stages, is the type of fund that could provide for innovative practice in this area where there is local leadership. DMOs were the organisations who worked most closely with tour operators.

One principle way to manage coach congestion would be to market Oxford as an off-season destination also, to help with dispersing peak visits. By promoting an out of season market, this would also have positive implications for local productivity, in terms of less seasonal jobs, and more stable income streams for businesses. It was explained that VisitBritain delivers a return of investment of 1 to 25, meaning that for every £1 of public money invested VisitBritain, a visitor spends £25 in the British economy. 

There may be a case for promoting rail travel for independent travellers as the preferred entry method to the City, as this would reduce the demand for coaches. The Great West Way Pass was a good example of a rail itinerary that works well and features Oxford. Rachael said she would speak with colleagues to see if there were any other best practice examples of coach management in similar cities.

The meeting briefly touched on the value of coach congestion charge, but it was explained by VisitBritain that for the same reasons as the overnight levy, this may not be the most effective means – additionally road traffic management is not something VisitBritain was in a position to advise on. Instead, in agreement with Experience Oxfordshire, boosting the length and number of overnight stays would bring about benefits to the City in terms of growing its business tax base, economic productivity, and less subsidy to public transport.

Wayfinding

The Chair asked about best practice, in terms of wayfinding and city navigation. Rachael explained that Manchester had partnered with Easyjet and Expedia to bring together itineraries and packages that disperse people throughout the wider North West/North Wales region. There may be opportunity to market Oxford as a hub and a gateway to wider itineraries. Hayley explained that Experience Oxfordshire had been working with Birmingham Airport on similar terms, and work was in progress to establish links with a major airline and showcase the county.

It was explained that various local partners needed to work together to produce itineraries and products that were new and exciting, and not consider themselves as isolated destinations. Leeds provided a good example, where their bid had been involved in employing welcome ambassadors, as in York. The gardens and gourmet itineraries were popular visitor products being used across the UK, as were night time economy packages. It was highlighted by Joanna however that sufficient funding to the DMO was needed to make many of these additional activities happen.

Councillor Donnelly asked how the City can be more competitive with other similar destinations in the region. Tim said that Oxford could be better framed as a gateway and a hub of access to other key attractions. There was already good transport links and international passenger announcements at train stations, which supported taking this approach. Hayley explained that there was an unfortunate legacy issue of Oxford being considered for a pit stop, rather than a long term stay. The increasing hotel stock is slowly making Oxford a more affordable destination from an accommodation perspective.

In response to questions, Tim explained that VisitBritain worked with companies such as Trip Advisor, AirBnB and Expedia to provide content for their recommended itineraries and travel products. 87% of all travel to the UK was booked online, so it was important to interface with the large operators to promote the best of destinations. DMOs can do this is a similar way, and Hayley explained that Experience Oxfordshire were partnered with Trip Advisor. This involved helping with content, rather than formally endorsing their work. 

The Chair remarked that the evidence showed that a well-resourced DMO was key to coordinating much of the issues discussed, and VisitBritain representatives were in agreement. The meeting noted that the Council had no officer resource dedicated to tourism matters. Tim said that local leadership and partnerships were needed on these matters, and this will be key when making bids for Government Funding. Joanna said that the DMO can leaver in significant income for the City, with a little more investment from local authorities. She said one of the opportunities here would be for the review group to make clear the priorities for the City.

The meeting discussed previous and current funding arrangements for Experience Oxfordshire. It was clarified that the Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District and Oxford City provided funding (the latter of which was being phased out over three years). Hayley said the previous model, which received more funding from the City Council, delivered a number of services for the City which other areas did not receive.

Joanna said more could be done to align the Council’s and Experience Oxfordshire’s view on the need for events in the City, and that the events programme needed more investment. Laurie-Jane Taylor, City Centre Manager, explained that the Council was principally reactive to existing events, rather than having the resources to innovate and produce new events.

The meeting also discussed how to better regulate unofficial walking tours, some of which do not provide a positive experience. Tim said that some areas have made use of the talent at the local universities, where students can be trained and bilingual guides employed.

The Chair asked guests from VisitBritain what they would be recommending if they were in the position of the review group. Tim said:

1)    Working effectively with Experience Oxfordshire and ensuring there was adequate support to them.

2)    Investing in culture and tourism to ensure there is a strong sense of place and pride in the City, with year wide product offering, which will also have much wider economic benefits.