The Isle Of Wight Chamber Of Commerce’s Tourism Open Day was held at Shanklin Theatre on the 5th March 2014.
The Chamber Of Commerce brought the Island’s tourism industry together for a day of information and discussion. The annual event was the biggest and busiest yet, held at Shanklin Theatre for the frst time. “It’s about the tourism conversation, posing questions for discussion and feedback to help formulate our strategy going forward,” said Zoe Stroud, the Chamber’s Group Marketing Manager. “It was a great success and we were able to accommodate everybody who wanted to attend. It was a really useful day.”
John Allen from the Chamber’s Tourism Advisory Board hosted the event. He began by setting out 2013’s market trends. “The mix of visitors has changed, with more overnight visitors and less day trippers. This is a good thing for the Island because overnight visitors spend a lot more money here and they contribute more to the economy. Our total visitor numbers slipped slightly but we are bucking the trend, out performing the coastal resorts generally. The proportion of short breaks continues to rise, accounting for 71% of overnight visits. A lot of people are staying for the maximum of four nights. From an attractions point of view last year was pretty much on trend with 51% visitors attending an attraction and of those 44% of visitors went to a paid attraction.”
Shirley Smart, the Cabinet member for Tourism and Economy outlined the partnership between the Chamber and the Council.
“The IW Chamber Of Commerce supports and represents the views of the many small and medium sized enterprises that are the engine room of the Island’s economy. The Chamber and its Tourism Development Board do an excellent job in making sure that Visit Isle Of Wight and the council are sighted on the issues facing businesses at the sharp end of the Island’s tourism offering and can therefore respond and help wherever possible. The Chamber has a critical role to play in the development of the Isle Of Wight economy in general and the tourism sector in particular. The Council is committed to working closely with the Chamber to this end.”
Shirley Smart also confirmed the Council’s continued support of Visit Isle Of Wight.
“The Council is committed to its promised investment of £340,000 a year. Much has been said about the security of these funds but I can confirm that the Council has no plans to reduce them.”
David Thornton, Chief Executive, Visit Isle Of Wight acknowledged that 2013 had been a mixed year for the sector. “We need to focus on the periods of the year where growth is proving hard. We need to be building an Island for all seasons. We are making some traction in the spring and the summer. We made an extra £21 million in the summer but we did lose some of that in the last few months of 2013. We performed weakly and we need to address that as an industry.”
In his presentation David Thornton outlined his marketing plans for 2014.
“I see the Isle Of Wight as the ‘ultimate gated community’, surrounded by water. Safe and secure, a wonderful immersive place. We are one resort, all on our own, that you have to pay to get in to, so let’s be upfront about that. We know that the majority of the tourists are not particularly put off by the price of getting across the Solent when you look at it in relation to the petrol to get here, the cost of accommodation and the money they spend here – the ferry fare is a marginal part of that.”
Delegates also heard from Vic Farrow, the Bookings Manager at Shanklin Theatre. “It’s a pleasure to see so many people here. We’re proud to be members of the Chamber. Five years ago it looked like Shanklin Theatre would be a block of flats. That was the Council’s plan but I’m delighted to say that things changed considerably. We managed to take it over, we got the licence to occupy and now you can see the results of the efforts of a lot of people. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked with us over the last couple of years to make it happen. It’s been an enormous help and an emotional ride. We got there, and with your help we’ll stay there.”
Article written by Island Business – April 2014
