A company limited by
guarantee and without share capital
REPORT OF THE
DIRECTORS
TO THE MEMBERS
OF THE TOURISM PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
NOVEMBER 2003
The directors submit a report for the period up to the
date of the Company’s seventh Annual General Meeting.
Principal Activity
The Company’s principal activity consists of giving
advice and direction to the Head of Tourism Services on the promotion and
marketing of the Isle of Wight for tourism purposes and advising the Isle of
Wight Council on various tourism issues.
The Company has met on four occasions since the last
AGM.
The 2002/03 period has proved particularly testing for
both Isle of Wight Tourism and the tourism industry on a wide range of
issues. New challenges have come to the
fore, as well as new opportunities.
The Regional
Agenda –
Tourism South East has come into being and the Isle of Wight recognised
officially as a sub-region. Officers
from Isle of Wight Tourism have been working with officers of the new Tourism
SE to further develop tourism on the Island and as part of the region. In addition, discussions are in progress to
ensure a new mechanism for the delivery of tourism to fully reflect the new
regional agenda.
Membership – the Island Tourist Industry
Association has been in ongoing discussions to redevelop Membership as a
stand-alone function. Discussions with
the IW Chamber of Commerce and other bodies are in progress and it is expected
that a new arrangement will come into being in the immediate future. At the
same time Isle of Wight Tourism is looking at how they will offer their
services to everyone in the industry, subject to quality grading as required by
the Ombudsman.
Marketing – the tourism industry has
performed well during this period against an indifferent backdrop. The build-up to the war in Iraq and the war
itself, severely depressed holiday-taking.
However, results to be reported at the Full Members Meeting in November
will show further improvements in performance with visitor numbers up and
tourism income up. Amongst other
successful factors were the 2003 Walking Festival and the second annual Music
Festival. Both events have now become
firmly established and are able to further highlight the relevance of the Isle
of Wight to potential holidaymakers during shoulder months. A TV commercial was aired during the pre and
post-Easter period and a significant rise established in short break holiday
taking. New publications have been
launched and an entirely new UK initiative on the assessment of Eating Out
Establishments is underway.
Agreement has now been reached deferring
externalisation and on the appointment of a new Head of Tourism Services.
DMS - The procurement of the ‘VISIT’ Destination Management
System is now in its final stages with implementation of the system currently
taking place. The system is expected to
go live in January 2004 and will offer the tourism industry added value to the
existing services provided by Isle of Wight Tourism.
Essentially, VISIT is all about helping local tourism
businesses and the wider tourism industry to improve the marketing and sales of
their services and products, while at the same time enhancing the impact of
tourism for the local economy. Exploitation
of the system will be the focus of IWT for 2004, combined with the development
of the islandbreaks website and
on-line activity.
Membership of Isle of Wight Tourism has been static at
820 members and Isle of Wight Tourism budgets have been balanced.
The regeneration process in Sandown Bay is now in full
swing with the consultants’ final strategy report due in December 2003, and the
Tourism Development Plan, as part of Island Futures, is moving forward.
Finally, a new marketing campaign for 2004 is in the
final stages of development and will play on the wide range of activities on
the Island as evidenced via the network of brown signs on the Island.
Rita Williams
Acting Head of
Tourism Services
17 November 2003