Agenda item - Update on development of City visitor economy strategy

Report of the Executive Director, Economy, Environment & Culture

Resolved: That the committee notes and comments upon the content of the presentation and the plans for consultation and the further development of the Destination Management Plan, together with the intention to bring a report to its meeting on 21 June 2018, seeing approval to adopt the strategy.

59.1    The Arts & Culture Programme Director updated the Committee on the development of the City Visitor Economy Strategy. The Strategy was currently under development before going out to consultation.

59.2    Committee O’Quinn stated that she was pleased to see the strategy incorporate the national park and stated that she hoped the downland would be better utilised as a feature of the city.

59.3    Councillor Cattell expressed concerns that the issue of ad hoc accommodation and party houses would be exacerbated by increased visitor numbers and this would need to be addressed.

59.4    Officers responded that they agreed with Councillor Cattell’s concerns and that some of this would be picked up through accommodation studies.

59.5    Councillor Mac Cafferty stated that in 2013 the previous administration established the Tourism Advisory Board with partners from across the city and suggested that it would be beneficial to establish a similar organisation now to help the council consider how Brighton & Hove is advertised as a city. The Councillor also stated that there was currently a push to promote Local Enterprise Partnership cites such as Bristol and Bath and that Brighton & Hove risked being left behind. 

59.6    The Executive Director, Economy, Environment and Culture responded that although the Tourism Advisory Board had now disbanded the council still worked closely with the Tourism Alliance and with the Hoteliers Association.

59.7    Councillor Morris stated that there was a need to promote different areas of the city rather than focus on the seafront and night time economy. Brighton & Hove was still lacking a gallery of modern art and the Fabrica Gallery was struggling to remain financially viable. Councillor Morris also expressed concern that the night time economy actually created relatively little real benefit for the city.

59.8    Councillor Druitt agreed with Councillor Morris that there was little opportunity for growth in the night time economy and that a focus on promoting it hid the variety present in the city. Visitors were often not aware of attractions in the city which may have a wider audience such as Preston Manor.

59.9    Councillor Druitt asked if officers knew why Brighton & Hove did so well in terms of income per visitor compared to cities like Oxford which attracted more visitors but had lower income from tourism.

59.10  Officers responded that visitors who stayed overnight spent a lot more in the city than day trippers as they purchased accommodation, meals etc. Officers stated that there was an initiative to try to package travel and attractions together which would encourage visitors to extend their stay and see different parts of the city. This already existed in other cities but was not something Brighton & hove currently offered.

59.11  Members of the Committee stated that they felt that Queens Road created a negative first and last impression for visitors coming to the city by train. Councillor Peltzer Dunn expressed concern that the proposed strategy did not address this issue.

59.12  The Chair agreed that Queens Road was not the city putting its best foot forward however 9 out of 10 visitors still said they would return to the city. He also emphasised that taking a strategic view of the visitor economy was the best way to ensure progress was made and that the council did not just keep doing what it had always done.

59.13  Councillor Theobald stated that she felt that the number of major conferences held in the city had fallen. She asked if the disruptions to the Southern Rail service through 2017 had caused a reduction in visitor numbers.

59.14  Officers responded that the data for visitor numbers was only available for 2016 and the impact of rail disruptions would not be known until 2019.

59.15  The Executive Director, Economy, Environment and Culture responded that when Explore GB delegates had come to the city a small budget had been allocated to dress the city which had received positive feedback. A budget had been agreed by Full Council to do more to dress the city for future conferences.   

59.15  Councillor O’Quinn stated that the council should be doing more to ensure event organisers cleared up fully after events highlighting the Pride street party and half marathon.

59.16  The Executive Director, Economy, Environment and Culture stated that the presentation outlined the themes of the strategy and the feedback from Members would be incorporated into the strategy. He also stated that more could be done to exploit Brighton & Hove’s proximity to other destinations and the proximity of Gatwick Airport; although Brighton & Hove was already the second most popular destination for people arriving at the airport.

59.17  The Chair noted that there had been an officer amendment to the recommendations to correct the date of the next committee to 2018 from 2017.

59.18  Resolved: The Committee noted the content of the presentation and the plans for consultation and the further development of the Destination Management Plan, together with the intention to bring a report to its meeting on 21 June 2018, seeking approval to adopt the strategy.