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| Welcome to 'Time for Tourism' Autumn 2009 from Norfolk Tourism - featuring the latest marketing news, training, business and quality advice issues, news from the team, regional activity from our partners and a seasonal round-up. Please use the Time for Tourism links on the right for more items. We start with an introduction from Norfolk Tourism Chairman, Michael Timewell, who reflects on the 'staycation' vogue and the challenges ahead to maintain the consumer’s interest in the county. |
 "It’s going to be a barbeque summer" said the man from the Met Office who then had to eat humble pie or in his case cold sausages after admitting that they got it slightly wrong. That may be true for much of the country but in the east and for Norfolk in particular the weather was really quite kind to us.After barbecues and Met Office the other ‘in vogue’ word of the year was ‘Staycation’, and like the word or not Staycation certainly focused the mind and ensured that many more column inches were written about our domestic holiday product than ever before, helping persuade doubting consumers that it is ok to holiday at home. Norfolk certainly benefitted from increased staying visitors and day trippers this year and I would argue that whilst external factors have added to visitor numbers there is far more to this success than that. |
| Norfolk's biggest industry |
| Norfolk does very well out of tourism regardless of these external fluctuations. Tourism is Norfolk’s biggest industry worth a staggering £2.45 billion and generating some 47,000 tourism related jobs; but you don’t just turn on the tap of customers and wait for them to pour in. We must reflect on the excellent work that has been done by the tourism departments of district councils, Norfolk Tourism and the other tourism agencies, all underpinned by a strong and helpful private sector. This promotional work has been ongoing for many years, sowing seeds in the consumer’s mind that Norfolk is indeed a fine place to visit. |
| Protecting the tourism industry |
| Now as we head in to the winter months and, reverting back to the weather, there is a wind of change blowing-in more uncertainty. Not just on a possible economic recovery, which is still is too close to call, but also from the inevitable political backwash from next year’s general election. Added to this are the budget restraints faced by local authorities that we have all been reading about in the national and regional press, which look likely to impact on all of us, as funding decisions are made. Spending on tourism is not statutory and we must make sure that we remind those who make decisions just what has been achieved and what the true value and benefit of tourism is to the well-being of the Norfolk economy. In difficult times you must protect the things you value most. It is therefore essential that we get the message out that tourism matters most of all and that we must all work together, in both private and public sector, to ensure that this may continue. In many parts of the country this year the barbeques did fizzle out; but not for Norfolk. But beware, a shower of funding cuts may extinguish the messages we are sending and will make it far harder to reignite the flame of interest in the consumer’s mind… no matter how excellent the quality on offer in this fine county of Norfolk. |
| Addendum |
| Editors Note: On 12 October a ‘budget summit’ was convened by the Chairman with tourism representatives from both the private and public sector to review support and encourage more collaborative working. It was an encouraging and productive meeting and we are taking a range of activities forward. However, it was also acknowledged that we must each take every opportunity to emphasize the importance of the Tourism sector as a key industry and major employer to decision makers across the county. They must never lose sight of the role Tourism plays as a dynamic driver behind the Norfolk economy. |
| Keep Me Updated |
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| Time for Tourism Autumn 09 articles |
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