What is needed ? The de Bois Review : an independent review of Destination Management Organisations in England lays out 12 recommendations , both for the visitor economy and the Government . “ If they ’ re implemented , I believe the events industry can reach its full potential and play a major role in the recovery process ,” de Bois says .
What , then , does the Government need to do in the wake of this report ? “ There is no coherency to the landscape . There is effectively no lever that the Government can pull ,” he adds .
“ I introduced coherency by saying the Government should introduce a tiered system , where we will have anywhere between 17 and 20 DMOs . They would effectively be a coalition of the willing , where areas have come together , where they have common interests and can clearly work together in collaboration .”
In this instance , de Bois says that these DMOs could develop sustainable tourism , not just in terms of the green agenda , but by ensuring that visitors are dispersed across the wider area of that locality , and not centred on the hotspot . Within these top tier DMOs would be a series of intermediates . “ So structural change is key , because of the appalling standards of finance , in the sense that they are all different ,” says de Bois . “ Some get a bit of funding from local governments , some get it from private enterprise , they ’ ve evolved where there ’ s a market failure .”
Money is the key to unlocking the UK ’ s potential . To restructure the nation ’ s DMO so that they can drive
THE 12 RECOMMENDATIONS
1
Bring coherence to England ’ s DMO landscape via a tiering approach , using an accreditation process . Rename DMOs as Tourist Boards .
2a
The national portfolio should then be split into two tiers – a top tier of accredited Tourist Boards acting as ‘ Destination Development Partnerships ’ and a second tier of accredited Tourist Boards acting as members of these Partnerships .
to provide core funding to each Destination Development
2bGovernment
Partnership . The funding should be focused on activities that ensure their destination remains sustainable , competitive and responsive .
3
DMOs that do not meet the national accreditation criteria should be automatically considered as part of a
‘ third tier ’.
4
The Government should charge VisitEngland with responsibility for creating , maintaining and supporting this new tiered structure with funding .
5
Elevate Tourism Minister to a Minister of State position and either reallocating responsibilities from other departments to sit under that Minister or making the
business , de Bois is calling on £ 50m core funding .
“ I ’ m asking for a core funding of £ 50m over three years . This would be bid for by people coming together to form these tier one DMOs ,” he says . “ If they are successful and are awarded the money , they then have a clear set of objectives they must meet , and they are accountable to VisitEngland . Each DMO would therefore be accredited .”
Accountability is key , and there are examples of existing operations
Minister responsible for the activities of teams within multiple departments .
6
In order to help DMOs and Local Authorities take decisions on how best to develop the visitor economy in their local area , the Government should improve access to quality data by introducing the proposed Tourism Data Hub as a matter of urgency .
7
DMOs
8
DMOs
9
DMOs
“ I ’ m asking for a core funding of £ 50m . This would be bid for by people coming together to form tier one DMOs .” will need to take a less territorial approach and have a greater focus on collaboration .
should seek to diversify their income streams , and should share and learn from examples of best practice .
should have a rigorous focus on keeping the skill sets and expertise of their own staff up-to-date .
should have more diverse boards that fully represent their communities
10DMOs as well as their businesses and visitors .
Enterprise Partnerships must realise the value of tourism and ensure
11Local
the visitor economy is fully integrated into their economic strategies .
12
Local government must also realise the value of tourism and should strive to play their part in supporting their accredited Tourist Board and Destination Development Partnership .
which make it work . “ A good DMO can pull its partners together , which would be an example of Tier One . You can see places like Manchester , Liverpool , and London are very good attack brands with a compelling brand offer .
“ By being accredited , we introduce cohesion , and we would avoid duplication . It would encourage collaboration , and I ’ ve asked they would then be responsible for developing and delivering a destination development plan .” CN www . conference-news . co . uk