1.
Securing a Successful
Future for Rural Tourism
Jason Freezer
Head of Destination
Management

2.
To lead and drive forward the
quality, competiveness and
sustainable growth of England’s
Visitor Economy
Our Mission

3.
● The sector is currently
worth £106bn
● It provides 2.6m jobs
● Projected to be £217bn
(2025)
● It benefits every part
of the country
The Visitor Economy is
Big Business in England

4.
Visitor Economy?
• Visitors
• Leisure/ Business/
VFR
• Day/ overnight
• Supply chain
• Core
• Accommodation
• Attractions
• Bars/ restaurants
• Related
• Retail
• Transport
• “other” services –
laundry, petrol
stations, food
suppliers

5.
Countryside Trips Represents a Big Part of Tourism
36%
43%
21%
Countryside
City
Seaside
£8.1bn
£3.9bn *
*Includes small towns
£6.7bn
Source: GB Tourism Survey 2013

6.
City and countryside breaks are two of the key drivers of the staycation trend
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Domestic Holidays by Social Grade 2006-2013
Seaside Countryside/ village Large city/ large town
Trips
(m)
-6%
+26%
+16%
-20%
2006 vs
2013
Seaside
City / Large Town
Countryside
Source: GB Tourism Survey 2013

7.
33
24
16
13
10
27
40
10
9
12
Holiday camp / camping /
caravanning
Hotel / motel
Self-catering
Other serviced
accommodation
Friends / relatives
33% of all domestic countryside holidays which
involve an overnight stay include camping /
caravanning sites
Almost three quarters of overnight stays at countryside destinations
take place in spring and summer (Apr-Sep), although there are still
notable off-peak trips
12
29
42
17
14
28
38
20
Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec
Overnight Domestic Holiday Trips
Countryside trips % All trips %
Source: GB Tourism Survey

8.
Our world is changing fast!

9.
• If the consumer is king,
we need to understand
how his (or her) needs
and wants are changing
• Spending on culture and
leisure grown
• Work-life balance
remains a challenge
The changes start
and end with the
customer

10.
Source: ONS Population prospects
65-79s +11.2%
80+ +19.2%
Under 18s +10%
18-34s +1.2%
35-49s -3.4%
50-64s +10.5%
More younger people
More older people (NB – baby
boomers are now retiring – a
different mindset than
previous generations!)
Fewer ‘squeezed middle’
UK population change 2013-2020
As the population structure changes…

11.
Source: ONS Population prospects
65-79s +11.2%
80+ +19.2%
Under 18s +10%
18-34s +1.2%
35-49s -3.4%
50-64s +10.5%
More younger people
More older people (NB – baby
boomers are now retiring – a
different mindset than
previous generations!)
Fewer ‘squeezed middle’
UK population change 2013-2020
…the current baby boom will also have an impact

12.
Source: ONS Population prospects
65-79s +11.2%
80+ +19.2%
Under 18s +10%
18-34s +1.2%
35-49s -3.4%
50-64s +10.5%
More younger people
More older people (NB – baby
boomers are now retiring – a
different mindset than
previous generations!)
Fewer ‘squeezed middle’
UK population change 2013-2020
...piling pressure on the squeezed middle

13.
At the same time, families aren’t what they were

14.
69%
66%
71%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
18-34 35-54 55+
‘I like to find bargains, even when I
don’t need to save the money’
After the recession… “discretionary thrift” is a habit that’s
likely to stay with us
“This is habit forming, rather
than just a blip. For younger
people, a significant proportion
of their life has been spent in
this climate - it’s seen as weird
to pay over the odds”
Gavin Flynn, Senior VP, IHG

15.
Holiday trips are getting shorter and shorter
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
4
Apr-06
Jun-06
Aug-06
Oct-06
Dec-06
Feb-07
Apr-07
Jun-07
Aug-07
Oct-07
Dec-07
Feb-08
Apr-08
Jun-08
Aug-08
Oct-08
Dec-08
Feb-09
Apr-09
Jun-09
Aug-09
Oct-09
Dec-09
Feb-10
Apr-10
Jun-10
Aug-10
Oct-10
Dec-10
Feb-11
Apr-11
Jun-11
Aug-11
Oct-11
Dec-11
Feb-12
Apr-12
Jun-12
Aug-12
Oct-12
Dec-12
Feb-13
Apr-13
Jun-13
Aug-13
Oct-13
Dec-13
Domestic Holiday Trips in England – Average Length (Nights)
Source: GB Tourism Survey
3.65
3.33“It doesn’t feel right
spending too much
on holiday just now”
“I am self-employed… I can’t be
away for more than 5 days in case
a job comes in.. If you’re not here
to do it you wont be asked again”
It means we can make most of a long weekend
…and means we can have more short holidays
rather than longer ones

16.
Last minute bookings make it hard for businesses to plan ahead –
but offer opportunities to capture spontaneous trip takers
Source: GBTS: All holidays with firm booking
15%
21%
18%
20%
26%
32%
29%
14% 14%
11%
More than 3
months
2-3 months About a month 2 - 3 weeks 7 days or less
Period between booking and taking domestic holidays
1 - 3 nights 4+ nights

17.
...online booking has grown by over 100% in recent years...
10.2
11.9
12.4
16.5
16.8
19.5
21.6 22
14.3
13.3
12
13.7
11.4 10.8 10.5 9.9
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Domestic Holiday Trips (m)
Booked Online Booked Offline
Source: GB Tourism Survey
Source: GB Tourism Survey

18.
50%
16%
60%
28%
72%
51%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Owns smartphone Owns tablet
2011
2012
2013
..and we’re seeing a massive change in how people access
the internet...
According to Mediacom,
around one in five of the
UK population ONLY
access the internet using
a mobile device
Source: Trajectory

19.
38%
25%
11%
24%
18%
11%
9%
7%
11%
Uploaded photos Chatted on Social Media Posted a review
18-34
35-54
55+
...and in how they tell others about their holiday
Social media activity after last domestic holiday
Age Groups
Source: VE Brand & Communications Tracker

20.
Barriers

21.
27%
28%
43%
51%
56%
57%
39%
40%
40%
50%
58%
57%
Easy to get to by public transport
Ease of getting around by public transport
Reasonably priced car parking
Availability of independent local shops
Wide range of attractions and things to do
Doesn't take too long to get to
All English Destinations Countryside Destinations
% Describing Destination as Excellent or Very Good
Access issues relate to public transport rather than time /
distance
Source: VisitEngland Brand & Satisfaction Tracker

22.
The unknown countryside.
• A blurred picture despite evocative
perceptions
• Holidaymakers can imagine appealing
countryside images (when asked to
visualise)
• Don’t always have a clear image of
what they can do
• Pre-family most likely to feel it’s boring
• They’re also often unsure where to find
this appealing countryside
“The countryside is just
green and boring.”
(London: Pre-family)

23.
A few words about the weather.
• Most people know the weather can be
changeable
• The English know you can’t count on the
weather!
• Rural areas it is perhaps a greater barrier
• Messaging needs to focus on:
 Still lots to do and enjoy if it rains
 Lists/ reminders of wet weather activities
 If your dressed appropriately it’s still fun
to be outside
 Fun to be had inside “No such thing as bad
weather, just bad clothing.”
(York: Family)
“Mention a pub and everyone's’ happy.”
(York: Family)

24.
We need to provide 3D inspiration and
information to build consideration – and
eventually, action
Where to go?
Heard of places or
have vague appealing
image, but not always
both
Where Is it?
People's geography can
be quite poor, and
location and proximity
steers are helpful
What’s there to
do?
Beautiful scenery is not
always enough,
especially for longer
trips (and if it rains…)
Need a sufficiently 3D
view to be compelling
Source: Motivations and Barriers Research

25.
The climate is
changing!
• Challenges &
opportunities
• Often dismissed as not
“not my problem”
• Reality: it is a joint
responsibility…now

26.
Opportunities?
Make Rural Tourism SEXI

27.
Increasingly urbanised population keen to get away from towns and cities
80%
Of the UK population live
in urban areas
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

28.
JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)
Examples in the hospitality sector of venues offering discounts for
those who surrender their phones at the door or hotels that make
a point of NOT offering Wi-Fi
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

29.
FOMO (Fear of missing out)
FOMO
The ease with which people can
share their leisure activities with
family or friends increases our
exposure to different experiences
People will become increasingly
reluctant to miss out – and they
won’t want their peers to be
having more fun than they are
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

30.
Sedentary lifestyles and sense
that life is ‘too easy’ – driving
consumers to push themselves
and seek adventure
43%Say that ‘adventure and
taking risks’ is important to
them
54%Say that ‘trying new things’
is important to them
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

31.
Quality of the Experience: Distinctive and Local.
• Tourism is more than just selling!
• Need to ensure the visitor experience
excellent
Higher spend, higher returns and more
recommendations
• Creating destination distinctiveness
Local activities and events
things you can’t or wouldn’t do closer to
home
Mixing with the friendly locals
Independent shops, restaurants, etc.
• Local produce, food and drink
(specialties)
enjoying good produce and food is
increasingly key to holidaymakers

32.
Health conscious consumers look
for breaks that exhilarate and
help them keep fit
Healthier older people means that
consumers are active for longer
into retirement – not just for
younger consumers
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

33.
This trend will be driven by the consumer desire to increase their cultural capital
media promotion of new skills (antiques, cooking, baking)
• people do a wide range of leisure activities and are keen to try new things
49%
Say that art or
culture is very or
rather important
to them
Source: Trajectory Global Foresight

34.
But first who is VisitEngland

35.
Jason Freezer
Jason.freezer@visitengland.org
www.visitengland.org
@visitenglandbiz
Thank you for listening!