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Reference No. If you have been given a reference number please add here: DEF

(For DEF Fund use only) Version 1.3 February 2017Date received

DISCOVER ENGLAND FUND APPLICATION FORM YEAR 2 PROJECTS AND PILOTS 2017-18

Please refer to the separate guidance document when completing this form

SECTION A: PROJECT NAME AND LEAD ORGANISATIONThis section provides details of the lead applicant.

Project Working Title

New Markets for the North of England’s Classic ResortsLead Organisation British Destinations

Contact Name Peter Hampson Full Contact Address

Telephone 0151 934 2285 Town HallLord StreetSouthportMerseysidePR8 1DA

Email [email protected]

Company registration number (if applicable): N/A

VAT registration number: 377978079

SECTION B: PROJECT SCOPEDiscover England Fund projects should be solution-orientated and fall into one or more of the following four product development categories which are explained fully in the accompanying guidance notes.

B1) Project Categories- please delete project categories that are not applicable to the project:

Product testing Problem solving Amplification New product

B2) Please describe your product idea and what your project is going to deliver for the international consumer. (200 words maximum)

The project is a collaboration between the main coastal resorts of northern England. It will increase overseas visitors by combining the quintessentially English experiences they offer into joint propositions from which different product itineraries and packages can be booked. These opportunities will be piloted through relations we have established with the travel operators serving the overseas markets we have identified – Holland, Germany and Spain. Similarly, through closer alignment of partner digital channels we will assess the opportunities for cross selling product itineraries to independent overseas audiences.

Integrating the North’s coastal cities to enhance product association will also incentivise dispersal and extended stays. Similarly, partnerships with the region’s key ports of entry and rail operators will

of 16Discover England Fund: Application Form for Year 2 Projects and Pilots (2017/18)

raise product awareness and promote seamless travel between destinations. In essence, the project is intended to deliver a new experience to overseas visitors that we know have an affinity with the experience offered by the seaside resorts of the North, but who have low levels of recall on terms of the offer actually is. In that sense, it will combine the international elements of these experiences into a bookable and quality assured offer that can be replicated across other coastal resorts and towns in England.

This section provides an overview of your project and who is involved. Your project must respond to a clear challenge and deliver a high quality customer-centric solution. Please refer to the Year 2 Projects and Pilots criteria before answering this section.

B3) Please describe how your project fits across the selected project categories (from section B1).

Product Testing

1. Product Itineraries

Through joint packaging and itinerary building between participating destinations, product will be designed around the characteristics and preferences of overseas markets currently being targeted by Visit Britain and the North’s Destination Management organisations (VisitLiverpool, VisitYorkshire etc). Product experiences will target the inbound short break market and be both thematic and geographically focussed. This will enhance choice and create bookable product variations to cater for visitors wanting to experience one part of the north’s coastal resort’s offer, or those seeking a pan regional experience taking in our resorts on the west and east coast of England along with product that sits in between.

Working on this basis, 3 and 4 day short break itineraries have been developed to reflect the strength of product currently being sold at destination/resort level. The rationale for this project therefore is to bring these assets together to create a broader northern experience and undertake product testing to validate the approach and further refine the overall proposition.

The itineraries have been split geographically between the Northwest, Northeast and the North to reflect the breadth of product offer. Three working themes have then been used to build itineraries that in our opinion will enthuse and reflect the needs/aspirations of potential inbound markets, as well as being aligned with the core ports and points of entry into and out of the north.

Itinerary Theme One – Fun and Adventure: Based the traditional seaside resort experience, the theme is intended to appeal to families through the coastal resort’s associations with celebrated myths and legends and the seaside entertainment, attractions and major events they also offer.

Example itineraries for the North West: -

Day One - Arrive in Liverpool by Air, rail or sea. Take the Merseyrail service or drive to Southport where you can explore the Victorian grandeur of Lord Street, visit The Atkinson Art Gallery and Museum and enjoy time at the seafront and beach as well as taking a trip along Southport’s Pier – the oldest iron pier in the UK. Check in and relax at the 4 star Ramada Plaza Southport Hotel and enjoy a relaxing meal on the plaza overlooking the Marine Lake.

Day Two - Leave Southport for Martin Mere Wetlands Centre to see around 100 species of wildfowl as well as beavers, otters and other wildlife. Travel on to Blackpool to visit Blackpool Tower including the Tower Ballroom (as used in Strictly Come Dancing).

Day Three - Spend some time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach home to 125 rides and attractions. Travel on by rail or car to Morecambe to see the TERN project art installations followed by afternoon tea at the Midland Hotel overlooking the panorama of the bay.


Itinerary Theme Two – Resort Cities: Capitalising on the proximity of the North’s coastal resorts to its major coastal cities, the theme is intended to appeal to empty nesters/middle aged/grey markets to experience a mix of the North’s city culture and classic seaside resorts. It provides a mix of culture, heritage, shopping and international northern product.

Example itineraries for the North East: -

Arrive in York by rail, car or bus from Leeds Bradford, Newcastle Airport or P&O Ferries

Day 1 - Check into the 5* Grand Hotel and Spa and then explore York Minister a world-class cathedral on Deangate with medieval stained glass and stone masterpieces and foundations rooted in the nation's earliest history. Walk around the City Walls wander the famous Shambles, one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe. Have lunch at the famous award winning Betty’s Tea Rooms in St Helen’s Square and then visit York National Railway Museum and then catch a show in the evening at the Theatre Royal or The Grand Opera House.

Travel from York to Malton by train, bus or car

Day 2 - Malton is one of Yorkshire’s most renowned foodie destinations with its famous food festivals, food producers and shops, restaurants, cafes, food market and cookery school. In the afternoon travel by car or taxis to Castle Howard, used as a location for many film and television productions. Return and check into The Talbot Hotel, Small Hotel of the year 2014/15 Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards and take dinner in the Brasserie or the Wentworth Restaurant.

Travel from Malton and arrive in Scarborough by rail, car or bus

Day 3 - Spend the morning in North Bay at Alpamare Waterpark, featuring the country’s longest, fastest and even gravity-defying water-rides followed by a stroll along the North Bay promenade alongside the colourful beach chalets. Then hop on the Open Top Bus Tour from North Bay round to South Bay, whilst taking in the wonderful Vista of the bay and Scarborough castle overlooking the headland followed by lunch at Alonzis Harbour Bar in South Bay.

In the afternoon experience a high adrenaline rush on a trip around the South Bay on Scarborough’s Sea Boat Rides. Disembark and wander up past the iconic Donkey rides and amusements to play a game of bowling at Olympia leisure or catch a matinee throughout the summer at the grade II* listed Scarborough Spa.

Itinerary Theme Three – Classic Coast and Countryside: Reflects the scenery, nature and coastal walks that lie on the doorstep of each of the coastal resorts. The theme has been designed for those inbound visitors looking for an alternative base than a city centre hotel and the ability to access unique seascapes and landscapes from a selection of traditional English seaside resorts.

Example itineraries for the North West:-

Day One - Arrive/stay in Liverpool (rail, air or sea) - Merseyrail to Wirral for coast circular walk to West Kirby taking in views across Liverpool bay and the Welsh Coastline. Merseyrail back to Liverpool via Birkenhead Park, designed by Joseph Paxton the first publically funded civic park in the work and inspiration for New York’s Central Park. Arrive back and relax at the 4 star 30 James Street Hotel, the former home of the White Star Line and Titanic.

Day Two – Take the Merseyrail service or drive to Crosby to visit Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ – 100 iron men looking out to sea. Travel on to Formby to enjoy a walk through the Pinewoods and Red Squirrel sanctuary to the beach and the dune system – a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’. Travel on to Southport and enjoy a relaxing evening in one of the many independent restaurants in the town.

Day Three – Travel be rail or car to Lancaster or Morecambe and use this as your base for a days walking or cycling in the Forrest of Bowland, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Itineraries will also be developed for the Northwest and Northeast resorts taking in international of 16

Discover England Fund: Application Form for Year 2 Projects and Pilots (2017/18)

product including Whitley Bay, Whitby Abbey, the world famous North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the proximity of our Northwest resorts to major cities such as Liverpool and Lancaster. Added to this the key tourism cities of Hull and Newcastle and Gateshead demonstrate the mix of modern culture, leisure and heritage experiences that will also create attractive packages for the overseas markets identified.

In terms of the Northern resort offer, it will comprise each of the themes set out above and work with the individual destination offers to develop pan regional itineraries that can be undertaken over a three or four day period. To encourage visitors to take up the pan regional itinerary options, engagement with the travel operators/airlines/ferry operators is planned to assist travel across the region as well as flexible ticketing to enable arrival and depart from different destinations.

It is anticipated that the project will be piloted with a wholesale travel operator specialising in the European independent and group travel markets. Following initial discussion with a two such agents, they have expressed a willingness to test out the itineraries being put forward within the identified markets. Due to the limited development time for this application, a further phase of planning will be required to progress these discussions. As such, this activity has been incorporated into our programme plan and will not jeopardise delivery timescales.

2. Digital Integration – Moving towards bookable product

Feasibility assessments will also be required to establish how technology (new or existing) can be improved to integrate web sites so that visitors can have consistent access to product/itineraries across multiple platforms. This process will be essential in terms of bringing destinations and local businesses together to construct joint itineraries across different destinations, getting product to market and structuring the approach for integration with third party providers to support fulfilment.

Problem solving

The project is founded on joint approach to product development that will integrate technologies to enhance access to the Northern Resort product. Through the programme of product testing it will develop itineraries/experiences (thematic and geographic) that will play to the collective strengths of the area’s coastal resorts, towns and open spaces. This will deliver an alternative, but complementary offer to the North’s main inbound tourism centres.

The proposed joint working with the rail transport operators across the North, will offer the opportunity to ‘join up’ these experiences effectively and enhance the dispersal of overseas visitors across the regions of the north, and the north as a whole. It also builds on the beauty of the English countryside that can be accessed by rail and establishes further incentives for visitors to use the region’s existing transport corridors to access destinations/hidden jewels that are currently lacking visibility in terms of the North’s overall overseas offer.

The project will also help build credibility with overseas tour operators and those consumers booking independently through a more structured, integrated and logical proposition. This includes thematic and geographically based itineraries over a 2, 3 or 4-day period that can be accessed from the array of different ports serving the north. Similarly, through closer integration with the coastal cities of the North, further opportunities will exist for overseas markets to access city/resort breaks. This is intended to extend stays, further evidence the diversity of the North’s overall offer and make best use of our existing internationally focussed sales and product distribution channels in getting product to market.

Amplification

The project intends to build on the Northern Tourism Growth Fund partnership that involved the region’s core cities. Replicating this model, project partners recognise that effective product collaboration will deliver a far more integrated, bookable and diverse offer that has the potential to attract overseas visitors. It is clear that our seaside resorts and towns offer a quintessentially English experience that are popular with domestic markets, but whose appeal has not been fully exploited or tested with international audiences.


This project essentially represents a way of ‘scaling up’ a currently fragmented offer up into a single proposition. This approach is likely to have far greater appeal and resonance with inbound visitors that are either a) looking for added diversity/things to do as part of their city break experience, or b) looking for unique experiences in England based on its rich source of heritage, coastal assets and culture.

In developing this model and way of working, project partners believe the approach could be replicated across other areas England that also have a strong coastal resort offering.

New product

Rather than new product, the project represents a way of packaging and positioning product so it has greater resonance and visibility with inbound markets. The suggested themes we are seeking to develop and test, matched by improved connectivity and the very character our coastal towns bring to England, have the potential to resonate with significant propositions of overseas visitors. Based on Visit Britain research we know that one of the prime motivations for visiting the UK is for its natural beauty and cultural heritage. As such, it is about time the potential of our coastal resorts and towns was realised to bring further diversity and appeal to this offer, as well as introducing new markets that will help breath new life into these destinations, reduce the seasonality of demand and deliver economic growth.

There are also further opportunities to encourage visitor dispersal and extender stays through closer product alignment with the North’s main inbound coastal cities. In the case of Liverpool for example, research (Liverpool Destination Survey 2015) shows that 90% of overseas visitors to the city stay in the city and do not explore the wider region. With destinations like Southport and New Brighton for example easily accessed by public transport, the case for better integration is easy to establish at both a local and regional level.

B4) Please explain the rationale and evidence base for the proposed product.

Rationale

The project intends to build on the investment that has been made in the North’s coastal towns and resorts over the last 10 years to explore the potential of penetrating over seas markets. Visit Britain research shows that c54.2 million inbound visitors nights are spent in UK coastal destinations every year generating £2.8bn in spend (IPS 2011). The North East attracts 31% of this market while the Northwest accounts for only 14%.

With greater awareness and accessibility to product, the project will demonstrate the additionality of North’s ‘classic’ resorts in terms of the distinctiveness they bring to our local areas, their close association with the natural coast and how they can add diversity to the region’s city break offer. Through joint collaborations between these destinations, there is a real opportunity to harness the attributes of the North’s coastal resorts that have the potential to resonate with international markets and develop credible packages and itineraries that are integrated, market facing and bookable.

Based on this rationale, the core proposition combines the quintessentially English experiences and built heritage the resorts of the north offer with the untapped associations they have with celebrated traditions, myths and legends. These include the connections resorts such as Whitby and Southport have with Count Dracula and Napoleon III for example as well as Blackpool’s reputation as the international capital of dance.

The approach is intended to help internationalise the North’s coastal resort offer and create a unique proposal to overseas visitor markets that will help address issues such as seasonality, as well as being easily replicable across others areas of England. It also seeks to capitalise on the inherent strengths the North’s coastal resorts bring to the English tourism offer in terms of their specialist retail, local produce/seafood, the proximity to a diverse coast and countryside and championship golf courses. Importantly, it also seeks to redefine the relationship with the North’s major cities including Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Lancaster and York etc., given that they lie within easy reach and offer further diversity to the city break experience.


Situated amongst some of the most scenic rail journeys in England (Leeds to York, Pennies, East and West Coast East Coast etc.), the project also capitalises on the connectivity that exists between our coastal resorts and cities, ensuring the proposition offers diverse experiences that further evidences the competiveness of the North’s international tourism product.

Through integrated packaging with the North’s key coastal visitor cities, the project will also build city/resort breaks. The intention being to add further depth to the quality and diversity of northern product as well as developing sustainable marketing partnerships and product collaborations that will enhance the opportunities for visitor spread/dispersal and extending stays etc.

Evidence Base and Relevance of International Markets/Target Customers

Limited data exists in terms of over seas visitor markets to northern coastal resorts in terms of the key demographics and their overall profiles. In order to quantify the overseas market opportunities that do exist, partners have interrogated the International Passenger Survey and existing qualitative research to establish the nature and size of the opportunity, as well as the relevance to product being put forward.

In summary, this analysis shows that resorts in northern England are under indexing in terms of the volume of overseas visitors when compared to the resorts in the south. Whilst the profile of overseas visitors to each of the region’s resorts is similar (with the exception of Ireland and Italy, the top five destinations for each of the regions coastal resorts comprised Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands) the volume attracted to the south was eight times higher than in northern resorts (based on a 4 year average compared to performance in 2015). This evidence suggests that there is a clear demand by inbound markets for the English coastal resort offer, there are obviously barriers (potentially awareness, transport, perceptual issues, marketing, packaging) preventing the North’s coastal resorts penetrating these markets more effectively.

Whilst the trend in overseas visitors to England’s southern resort destinations is increasing (23.9% in 2015 measured against average performance over the previous four years), the performance of Northern coastal resorts is reducing. Based on performance in 2015, overseas visitors reduced by 12% when compare to average inbound visitors attracted over the previous four years, and 30% when compared to 2014. Among the top European markets attracted to northern coastal resorts, visitors from Germany and France fell by over 20% and Ireland by 38% in 2015 when compared to average visits over the previous four years. This evidence suggests that whilst northern coastal resorts are appealing to these markets, lack of visibility in the market place and potential issues in the way these experiences are being packaged/taken to market, means they are potentially being overlooked by the travel trade, tour operators and independent travellers.

The core coastal cities of the north (Liverpool, Newcastle, Lancaster, Hull and York) share the same top 5 European overseas markets (Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and France) as the North’s coastal resorts. The Spanish, Dutch and German markets are particularly strong, whilst demand from the French and Irish markets has begun to decline. Despite this, the largest of overseas market for these destinations combined is still Ireland.

B5) Please clearly state and explain your choice of international markets and the customer segment that your project will target.

Following review of the Visit Britain research to establish the volume and type of activity inbound visitors undertook whilst visiting Britain’s coast and country (International Passenger Survey 2011) and the international visitor profiling work for Britain’s nations and regions published in September 2013, we have assessed the motivations of inbound visitors to confirm the international audiences and customers the project will target.

As with the volume analysis (B4), there is no direct inbound research in to the motivations for visiting Britain’s coastal resorts. Where appropriate, we have assessed general trends in the comparator regions stated above, using the identified markets to inform our decision making. In summary, and based on the overseas markets we have identified above: -


Generally, inbound visitors to Britain on a holiday are particularly likely to include activity such as exploring the countryside or coast.

German and Dutch visitors are particularly motivated by the coastline and coastal walks. The French and Irish are not.

In terms of northern product, these markets are also motivated by the rich coastal and countryside offer of Yorkshire. However, their associations with the other areas of the North West and North East offering similar experiences seems to be poor.

Major attractions are essential for attracting the overseas family market. The ability to anchor traditional seaside experiences that are within easy reach of, or home to theme parks, wildlife experiences and iconic attractions are key for influencing their decision making.

Whilst golf is a driver of overseas visitors to the south coast, there appears to be limited recognition of the strength of North’s proposition, particularly that associated with England’s Golf Coast in England’s North West.

These markets, particularly empty nesters, middle aged and those that are in the early years of retirement, are drawn to England’s unique heritage and cultural offer. The nostalgia, built heritage and traditions associated with England’s seaside resorts has not been recognised as being part of these motivating factors. There is an opportunity to position these experiences as being one of the attributes making up the North’s rich portfolio of heritage and cultural assets.

Direct connectivity and ease of access is essential to persuade these markets to travel. In that sense the proximity of the North’s coastal resorts to key ports of entry and the internal connections that support forward journey planning will be integral to their decision-making.

Based on these assessments undertaken in B4, the German market is showing increasing demand for the city break experience of the north, however their desire to want to explore the wider coast via walking trips, golf etc., provides an opportunity for the North’s coastal resorts to reclaim some of the market share lost in recent years through a city/resort break experience. The same also appears to be true of the Dutch market.

The Spanish market is typically younger and will be looking for new reasons to return to the region and discover the wider offer. In that sense, a mix of resort and city break experiences based around specialist shopping, eating out, nightlife and modern culture may help to incentivise new and repeat visits.

Given that these countries can be prioritised as our international market in terms of the potential for growth, we have used the Visit England segmentation model to identify the profile of these audiences. Although there is crossover between all 6 segments determined , it is clear that the greatest correlation resides within the following 3 groups:

Cultural Adventurers - Successful, independently minded young professionals aged 25-39 years, without, or with younger children and with high disposable incomes. They would seek to soak up all aspects of the local culture to escape and unwind whilst enjoying activities and features such as the natural / cultural scenery and shopping. The DEF profiling also identified target markets including the Netherlands.

Outdoor Enthusiasts - Nature lovers who love to get close to nature on active breaks with the family. Discovery and learning are an integral part of their holidays, given their keen interest in local heritage and cultures as well as spending time in the great outdoors. They are families or empty nesters (aged 35-55 years) keen to enjoy natural landscapes, get close to nature and learn about culture /heritage/food. Identified markets include Germany & Spain.

Mature experience Seekers - A more mature and affluent segment, empty nest couples that are best defined by their attitude -‘young at heart’. With greater freedom, money to spend and time to enjoy themselves, travel is a key pastime that includes time outdoors – walking and learning about local heritage & culture. Target markets identified include Germany and Spain.


B6) Please describe how your project will be innovative. How it might test new technologies, techniques and/or business models.

Through product innovation, the project uses the collective characteristics and distinctiveness of the North’s coastal resorts to build integrated, market facing and ultimately bookable proposition that will have resonance with international markets. It also integrates the international experiences offered by the North’s coastal cities such as Newcastle, York and Liverpool, as well as places of outstanding natural beauty (such as the North Yorkshire Moors, the Forest of Bowland and our natural coastline) into thematic and geographic packages. This is intended to strengthen the proposition of the North’s coastal resorts and establish them as a key part of the North’s mainstream contemporary culture and heritage offer.

Furthermore, we have developed relations with the various rail operators servicing the north and are assessing options for integrating point-to-point rail travel with the proposed itineraries. As such, transport will feature as a core element of the proposition in terms of connectivity between destinations, but also as a way of taking in the seascapes and landscapes of the north that are perhaps under exploited as they lie off the main tourism routes associated with our major cities.

Through the repositioning of the North’s coastal resorts in this way, it is intended to develop new business models that will engage new international audiences as well as incentivising domestic visits through the increased exposure. In that sense, the project is a critical for building positive external image perceptions and bringing much needed spend into the North’s coastal resorts to arrest decline and help deal with issues around demand seasonality.

The project also intends to build innovative partnerships with the DMOs of the north, its major coastal cities and ports of entry. The structured and rationalised proposition being put forward has already secure the opportunity to pilot these itineraries with Blue Air and the tour operators they already have relations with into the German and Spanish markets. Further discussion with DFDS Seaways is also progressing in terms of access inbound markets from Holland into the North East.

Finally, the project intends to establish the feasibility of developing highly effective and integrated web platforms across the resort destinations and so that the ability exists to push content through to the international market facing web sites of the North and Visit England/Britain. Whilst this will require further investment from future rounds of the Discover England fund, the alignment is essential in terms of a) promoting northern product options and packaging in a consistent manner, b) integrating booking – hotels, attractions, travel c) centralising consumer data to inform direct marketing activity through an integrated CRM.

B7) Please outline how you propose to ensure that your developed product will be bookable and can be distributed, marketed and promoted to the customer through existing international channels and intermediaries.

As detailed above the project builds on the recognised strengths of the North’s coastal resorts by bringing their product assets together into a selection of themed itineraries that take in the east or west coastal resort experience, or a selection of both. Based on the themes and experiences that have been identified, partners have developed packages with accommodation providers, local restaurants/eateries and the core attractions that will provide the main focus of the proposition. Whilst the options available are wide ranging to reflect the diversity of the resort offer, quality thresholds will be applied to ensure the experience meets the expectations and standards demanded by the visitor markets identified.

In terms of connectivity between destinations, project partners have confirmed support from rail operators such as Merseyrail (Liverpool City Region), Trans Pennine Express and Arriva Rail North regarding the potential for integrated rail travel (local and regional) to be included as part of the overall package.

In terms of distribution, the proposal sets out a period for the further development and refinement, and then engagement with international trade suppliers, however the confirmed association with


Blue Air and the access this will give to their network of overseas tour operators, will enable us to pilot the proposed itinerary options effectively as a means of proving concept. Anecdotal evidence suggest that the broader offer being proposed will provide added incentives for tour operators to boost FIT/group business into the North’s major coastal cities.

In addition to the visibility that will be generated through the distribution channels referenced, the rationalised and developed product will enable greater integration with the geographic/thematic marketing activities of the region’s destinations/DMOs (visitliverpool, visityorkshire etc) and the international marketing efforts of Visit Britain. This will include improved presence of product/itineraries across internationally facing destination web platforms and digital channels as well as inclusion within international consumer and trade buyer events/exhibitions.B8) Please give a monthly timeline with a brief description of what will happen and when over the lifetime of your project.

April – May 2017 Partner confirmations and match funding. Visit England application evaluation and appraisal.

June – August 2017 Project Launch – Destination Partners/Visit England Web integration – Tender brief focusing on technical requirements to improve sharing of

international product content across partner web platforms (inc. back office/CMS, integrating CRM, online booking systems etc).

Itinerary development – Partner confirmation and development of product itineraries against selected criteria.

Tour Operator Engagement – Further refinement of itineraries with selected wholesale operators serving independent and group travellers within the selected target.

Trade integration – Confirmation and alignment of participating stakeholders (accommodation, attractions, travel providers etc) to deliver itinerary/product experiences.

Distribution and Promotion Planning - Confirm third party distribution and marketing channels with project partners including airports and ferry operators service target markets.

Marketing Strategy - International marketing plan is developed and includes procurement of agency to develop design concepts and develop content around itineraries. Includes tool kit for use across digital and printed media.

September – November 2017 Marketing & Sales Plan Implementation – Roll out of promotional collateral/content across

direct and third party channels including destination partners, Northern DMOs, tour operators, ports of entry and travel operators.

Exhibitions Programme – Building additional wholesaler relations through World Travel Market (6-8/11/2017) through partnering with coastal city/DMO stands and maximising opportunities for securing trade press and PR. In addition, confirm opportunities to participate in the hosted buyers programme (large scale GB fam trips) for ExploreGB in March 2018.

December 2017 – January 2018 Web integration – Feasibility assessments and consultation. Marketing & Sales – On-going fam visits through direct enquiries and in conjunction with

Northern DMO opportunities. Mid term review

February – March 2018 Marketing & Sales - On-going fam visits through direct enquiries and in conjunction with

Northern DMO opportunities including ExploreGB. Impacts Assessment – Review of market testing with wholesale travel operators and third

party partners. Web Assessments – Web integration projects completed. Activity Ceases


April - May 2018 Financial Completion Final evaluation review/report and project close.

B9) If applicable, what public and/or private sector organisations are involved in this project?

Briefly explain why they are involved.What skills and assets will these partners bring to the project?

Ian RaynerEast Riding of Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. HU17 9BA

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, East Riding Council will support the partnership through direct investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Phillip WelshBlackpool Borough Council, Town Hall, Corporation Street, Blackpool. FY1 1AD

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, Blackpool Council will support the partnership through direct investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Juggy LandayWirral Borough Metropolitan Council, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside. CH44 8ED

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, Wirral Council will support the partnership through direct investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Mark CatherallSefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Southport Town Hall, Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside. PR8 – 1DA

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, Sefton Council will support the partnership through direct investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Janet DeaconScarborough Borough Council, Town Hall, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. YO11 2HG.

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, Scarborough Council will support the partnership through direct investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Pete WarneNorth Tyneside Council, The Quadrant, The

As a local authority with responsibility for tourism, North Tyneside Council will support the


Silverlink N, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE27 0BY partnership through in kind investment into the project as well as bringing local product knowledge and audience insight. They will also manage relations with local trade/product owners in terms of forming itineraries, facilitate integration with local DMO sales and marketing initiatives and local transport operators to support fulfilment.

Peter SandmanLiverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership/DMO, 11 Princes Parade, Liverpool. L3 1BG

The LEP DMO will work alongside British Destinations to manage co ordination of the over all project. This will include developing tender specifications; managing procurement and ensuring the research and web integration element of the project are being managed to the agreed timescales and are within budget. They will also co ordinate research and manage the final evaluation of the programme in conjunction with the partner organisations.

Peter HampsonBritish Destinations, Southport Town Hall, Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside. PR8 – 1DA

Through their extensive network of members, British Destinations will co ordinate activity with the destination partners and manage the overall programme delivery plan. They will also provide the main point of contact for the overseas travel operators in terms of confirming and shaping product itineraries of the destination partners (regional and pan regional), maintaining management of the project budget, liaising with northern transport operators and providing the main liaison with Visit England.

B10) Have the partners listed already been approached and do you have an existing relationship?All partners have been approached. The relationships have been built through membership of British Destinations.B11) If you are a single organisation applicant, please demonstrate how your project will have broader applicability and impact.

N/A

B12) Please demonstrate how your project has wider stakeholder support.

Whilst the project has been developed through the local authorities with responsibility for the coastal resort destinations of the North, it also fits with the wider strategies of the northern coastal cities given the synergy with their overall proposition. They include Liverpool, Newcastle/Gateshead Initiative, Hull, York and their respective marketing agencies. In broader terms, the project is also aligned with the priorities of the north’s destination management organisations including VisitLiverpool, Visitlancashire, VisitYorkshire, Newcastle Gateshead, VisitHull and East Yorkshire.

The project also has support of northern rail operators Trans Pennine Express and Arriva Rail North as well as other regional transport operators. Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Blue Air and Merseyrail (rail services for Liverpool City Region) have confirmed their support for the programme. Finally, support of the large and small businesses operating within the northern resort destinations has been secured via their local tourism and visitor economy networks.

Letters of support are available on request.


SECTION C: PROJECT FUNDINGThis section is to outline how much your project is going to cost and what activities you propose to spend your indicative budget on, financed in part by the Discover England Fund. Value for money is a key criterion and forms part of the assessment process.

The Discover England Fund will finance projects up to a maximum of £250k. We expect a contribution of at least 20% of the grant’s value in match. Match can be from a mixture of cash and in-kind sources.

Please ensure that all project costs are exclusive of recoverable VAT and that all figures stated are expressed as whole numbers, i.e. £1,200 rather than £1.2 k.

C1) Discover England Fund grant funding applied for: £140,000

C2) Third parties’cash match-funding:

East Riding of Yorkshire Council £5,000

Blackpool Borough Council £5,000

Wirral Borough Metropolitan Council £5,000

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council £5,000

Scarborough Borough Council £5,000

C3) Monetised in-kind support value/ cash match:

British Destinations £5,000

Liverpool City Region LEP/DMP £5,000

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET £175,000

C4) List below the individual budget lines of activity for the Discover England Fund grant applied for:

Note the period of eligible expenditure(Between July 2017

TOTAL


to 31 March 2018) £

Web site/content integration feasibility assessments£20,000

Proposition & Content development£24,000

Design - Toolkit£20,000

Sales and Marketing (including exhibitions and fam visits)£40,000

Programme development, evaluation & overheads£32,000

Contingencies£4,000

Gross Total Discover England Fund grant applied for (should total the response to C1): £140,000

C5) List below the individual budget lines of activity for Third parties’ cash match funding:

July 2017 to 31 March 2018

TOTAL £

Web site/content integration feasibility assessments£5,000

Proposition & Content development£6,000

Design - Toolkit£5,000

Sales and Marketing (including exhibitions and fam visits)£11,000

Programme development, evaluation & overheads£8,000

Gross Total of third parties’ cash match funding (should total the response to C2): £35,0000

C6) Please set out your proposed project management arrangements and previous direct project management and delivery experience.

The project will build on partner’s existing robust financial management, compliance and monitoring arrangements established under previous grant applications including National and ERDF grant funding programmes.

These arrangements will also be agreed through each of the Local Authorities represented and through the board of British Destinations. Suitably qualified and experienced staff will also form a programme management team tasked with the day to day running of the project. As such, it will encompass the existing expertise and experience of the project partners to deliver a tailored project which maximises the opportunities to grow international tourism to the coastal resort destinations of the North.

In terms of managing performance and delivery, the project will be overseen by a programme group comprising senior representatives from each partner and will meet on a monthly basis. The programme group will be established and serviced by British Destinations and work to a robust and measurable programme implementation plan underpinned by a partners agreement setting out roles and responsibilities.

The project programme plan will set out the delivery tasks, milestones and accountabilities of each partner and conform to Prince II project management standards. It will also contain a risk register and mitigation plan to resolve any issues that may jeopardise the project achieving its


desired/stated outcomes.

SECTION D: INDICATIVE PROJECT OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS

Projects and Pilots in Year 2 supported by the Discover England Fund must deliver measurable, solution-orientated outcomes. This section is your opportunity to explain the benefits and potential impact that your project will have. You may find it helpful to refer back to the four product development category descriptions: project testing; problem solving; amplification; and, new product. If this project application involves a single organisation only, it is crucial to show how your project will have broader applicability and impact.

D1) Please describe what outcomes and impacts your project will achieve and how you plan to measure them.

The intended outcomes of the programme will be the development of new structures, working partnerships and insights that will make the North’s Coastal resorts more competitive in driving international tourism in their own right, but also in adding further diversity to the North’s international visitor proposition as a whole. Project outcomes will also help secure new insight and intelligence to enable a better understanding of where opportunities lie so that promotional channels, trade partners and destination marketing (regional/national thematic/ geographic campaigns) can be delivered through commercially sustainable partnerships. Similarly, the outcomes associated with the planned digital integration will demonstrate a clear road map for the development of technological solutions that are informed, and will support improvements to the way content is presented and shared across platforms, irrespective of geographic boundaries.

The impacts of the planned interventions have the potential to be very ‘slow burn’ and not necessarily realised in full over the immediate lifetime of this programme. However in delivering our stated outcomes, impacts are driven by generating new markets for our coastal resorts that in turn will increase international visitor numbers, bed nights, spend and will safeguard jobs. We will seek support from Visit England methodologies in helping to evidence these measures, however the majority of partners have access to supply side performance data such as the volume and value metrics produced by STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Activity Monitor – Global Tourism Solutions) and accommodation occupancy data produced through organisations such as STR Global and LJ Forecaster.

There will also be direct access to the bookings confirmed through the group travel operators participating in the programme and the local accommodation providers. The intention would be to use this opportunity to establish a baseline against which future performance can be measured.

D2) Please explain your communication plan for sharing knowledge and learning when the pilot project is complete.

A full evaluation of the programme will be completed for the programme in April/May. Through British Destinations, the intention will be use the network of UK resort destinations to run a seminar /conference in June 2018 setting out the key learnings and opportunities resulting from the programme. The information will also be made available through online seminars via the British Destinations web site.

SECTION E: INITIAL RISK ASSESSMENT

Discover England Fund Projects and Pilots supported in Year 2 must be wholly delivered and financially completed by 31 March 2018. This requires known potential risks to be identified and effectively managed so that they do not become a barrier to successful delivery.


E1) Please flag any risks which could impact upon the delivery of your project and how you plan to manage them.

Contract Procurement – Using procurement guidelines of the of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership.

State Aid – There are no state issues associated with the project; partner organisations are either not for profit or a Local Authority. Contracts resulting from the project will be subject to a tender procurement process that conforms to the financial guidelines of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and those associated with the other local authority partners.

Time Overruns – The project will be delivered through a programme management plan that will conform to Princes II programme management standards. Performance against the set timescales will be monitored and reviewed through the programme management group that will meet on a monthly basis. Any potential issues that could compromise the delivery of the programme against the stated timescales will be identified and risk rated so the appropriate mitigations can be put in place at the start of the project.

Programme Delivery Resources – Allocation has been made within the project budget to provide additional project management support for the duration of the project. The resource will be used to facilitate project management meetings, manage contracts resulting from the programme and ensure the programme plan is being delivered to timescale. The Liverpool LEP/DMO will also provide ‘in kind’ support to British Destinations in managing the programme, developing tender specifications and with project evaluation.

Budget Overruns – The project budget has been developed and costed with input from industry specialists therefore we are confident the required activity can be delivered within the amount(s) specified. In terms of cost overruns, project partners have agreed a contingency allocation of c3% of the total project budget.

Partner Engagement – The project team has a high level of experience/expertise within the tourism industry and work with the range of DMOs serving their respective resort on a regular basis. They also have existing relationships with a range of overseas travel operators and transport operators that will be crucial to the successful implementation of the project. Through the approach to rationalising the northern resort proposition to international markets and new collaborations the project will encourage, the programme as a whole will leverage relationships to achieve the required penetration across the sales and promotion channels we have specified.

E2) Please read the State Aid Guidance and provide an assessment of how your project activities comply with State Aid Law. Please detail how you will ensure that the Project continues to be structured so it is compliant.

This is a crucial grant condition and projects will not be funded if they are not able provide this. If you are a successful a signed letter will be required describing how you comply.The project will conform to all state aid legislation regarding the allocation of revenue funding as per the existing protocols already used by project partners.

SECTION F: PROJECT TIMESCALESThis section indicates when the project will take place. Anticipated earliest start from July 2017.All proposed activity has to be delivered and financially completed by 31 March 2018.

Project Start Date (DD-MM-YYYY) 01 / 06 / 2017

Project End Date (DD-MM-YYYY) 31 / 03 / 2018

Length of Project (in months) 10 months


SECTION H: DECLARATION By submitting this application form to [email protected] the contact named below agrees that the information contained in this application for funding from the Discover England Fund is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

By submitting this application I declare that this project complies with EU state aid regulations, taking specialist legal advice where necessary.

If the application is successful, you will be asked to provide a supporting signed letter with regards to EU state aid compliance before the project is finally approved and a grant offer letter can be issued.

Name of lead organisation: Date application was completed:

British Destinations 12th April 2017

Contact name and post title:

Peter Hampson, CEO British Destinations

Please send your completed project application form as a Word document by email to: [email protected]

any time before the final deadline of midday on Thursday 13th April 2017.You will receive a response on your application by the end of June.


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

project start date (dd-mm-yyyy) web viewit will increase overseas visitors by combining the...

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