Key Priorities

In 2003 a North East Tourism Strategy was commissioned, laying out the blueprint for developing tourism in our region.

The report detailed how the various organisations in tourism would work together to provide the best services for businesses and visitors, and identified what the key areas of focus were, in order to make tourism successful in North East England.

For the Executive Summary of the report, click here.

Working together

There are five key organisations working to promote and develop tourism in a responsible way. They are One North East Tourism - the regional organisation - and the four Area Tourism Partnerships: County Durham Tourism Partnership (CDTP), Northumberland Tourism, visitTeesvalley and Tourism Tyne and Wear. Together they make up Tourism Network North East and they deliver the tourism strategy for our region. Together they focus on:

Marketing
Improving quality, competitiveness and success
Training, information and skills
Encouraging investment and development
Liaising and lobbying

The five main priorities are:

To raise quality
Tourism and leisure is a growth market, but, at the same time, the competition is increasing. It is the quality businesses and the quality destinations that are winning business. Raising quality in tourism businesses and across the destination in order to meet and exceed customer expectations is the primary goal of almost all UK tourism organisations.
To improve our image and profile and make the most of our assets
Of all the English regions we attract the lowest numbers of visitors. Yet we have such a fantastic region: coast, countryside, cities, heritage, culture, shopping, nightlife, commerce, great transport and warm people! Since 2003 One North East has been working hard to promote the image and the profile of our region, with great success. This continues to be a top priority. We have so much to offer and we all (the regional development agency, the tourism organisations and the businesses) have a role in making sure potential visitors understand what a great place the North East is, to live, work and play in.
To increase visitors
Another top priority is to increase the number of visitors, the months of the year they visit, the length of time they stay and the amount they spend. As well as raising the profile of our region, we will do this by:
1. working harder to really get the most from our existing markets - improving marketing, creating packages and special offers, making it easier to find information and book
2. opening up and developing new markets, not just new areas like China and Australia but also new niches like Cruise and Luxury Group Travel
3. developing our tourism businesses to make sure we meet these markets needs and expectations.
To improve the workforce
Tourism is a people business. The way people who are employed in tourism respond to visitors - with warmth, friendliness, customer care, professionalism and interest - has a huge impact on the way visitors view our region and whether they want to come back or recommend it to friends. Yet, traditionally, these important staff are amongst the lowest paid, the least skilled and have the least secure jobs of workers in any industry. Providing training, skills and proper career paths goes some way to improving this situation. Bringing more visitors to the region and extending the months of the year they visit will also help create more secure jobs, with better pay.
To improve the use of e-commerce and e-marketing
The internet has had an enormous impact on the way customers search for holiday and leisure activities, the way they research and the way they book. Making sure that tourism organisations and tourism businesses use the internet to its fullest potential, is one way to ensure we are competitive and wining a better share of visitors and business.

The ten main objectives and their targets

The plan lays out how the Tourism Network North East goes about improving and growing tourism. The ten main objectives are summarised here:


Objective	Target
1 Attract more domestic and international visitors to the region	Increase market share to 5% of domestic visits and 3% of international visits by 2010. Based on 2003 figures, this represents an increase of 1.3 million domestic visits and 0.7 million international visits.
2 Increase tourists' average spend and increase day visitor spend	Increase domestic visitor average spend to £180 per trip by 2010 (in 2003 prices), international visitor average spend to £500 per trip and day visitor average spend to £28 per trip by 2010. It is essential to attract more high yield visitors and therefore increase average expenditure rates.
3 Increase visits throughout the year, not solely in the main holiday season	Increase average occupancy rates to at least 50% in each quarter. A consistent distribution of visits throughout the years will spread the economic benefits of tourism. This will encourage the development of quality employment and business opportunities.
4 Increase employment in tourism and tourism-related businesses	Increase direct, and indirect employment by 2010. Tourism is a key growth area for the regional economy. Increased visitor numbers will generate a proportionate increase in employment.
5 Improve the productivity of the regional tourism economy	Increase tourist income per head of population by 2010.
6 Accelerate the rate of investment in the tourism product	Increase investment above inflation. Increased investment in the tourism product, by both the public and private sector, will drive up quality standards and improve the competitiveness of individual businesses and the regional tourism economy.
7 Improve the quality of the tourism product in the North East	85% of accommodation participating in national accommodation inspection schemes and 50% participating in the Visitor Attractions Quality Assurance Scheme by 2010. Driving up quality standards will improve competitiveness.
8 Improve the quality of the tourism workforce in the North East	Number of qualifications achieved at each skill level increased by 2010.
9 Improve levels of visitor satisfaction in the North East	Improvements in visitor satisfaction with accommodation, attractions, Tourist Information Centres, services, eating out as well as overall satisfaction with the region.
10 Enhance and conserve the region's natural, heritage and cultural assets	This environmental objective underpins the whole of the Strategy.