Agenda item

Consider report by Corporate Transformation and Services Director outlining how VisitScotland is responding to the way visitors are now accessing information and making holiday decisions and how this is impacting on the performance of the manned visitor information service throughout Scotland. (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Corporate Transformation and Services Director outlining how VisitScotland was responding to the way visitors were now accessing information and making holiday decisions and how this was impacting on the performance of the manned visitor information service throughout Scotland.  The report explained that VisitScotland currently operated and managed five VisitScotland Information Centres (VICs) in the Scottish Borders, providing face to face information services, including an accommodation and ticketing service.  The VisitScotland Information Centres were partially funded via an annual Minute of Agreement (MOA) between Scottish Borders Council and VisitScotland. The report provided information on the performance of the VICs in the Scottish Borders.  Visitors were accessing information from a wide range of sources when they were in Scotland.  Trends indicated that online usage for visitor information and booking would continue to rise.  In line with this trend, Scottish Borders VisitScotland Information Centres had experienced an overall decline in footfall in recent years – apart from slight increases in Hawick and Kelso - while there had been a significant rise in website visits and digital referrals to Scottish Borders businesses.  Recognising the change in consumer behaviour and demand, VisitScotland was undertaking a national review of information provision and the overall customer experience, looking at the best way to ensure that information was delivered to more people in more places using the channels that visitors used the most.  The Chief Officer Economic Development, Mr McGrath, advised that VisitScotland was currently carrying out a national review on how it provided information through all its channels.  It was proposed to hold a briefing session for all Members late in 2015 or early 2016 – depending on the availability of Visit Scotland senior managers - to provide an outline of the new strategy and options for future visitor information provision being considered.   A further report on tourist information would also be presented to Executive Committee once the VisitScotland review had been completed.  Members discussed the report and highlighted that co-hosting VICs was perhaps the way forward to deliver visitor information, for example the VIC partnership with the Heart of Hawick had increased footfall.  It was acknowledged that there was a significant change in the way in which consumers accessed information and made bookings.  It was hoped that the VisitScotland briefing would include detailed analysis of declining footfall and what plans would be put in place to optimise resources to maximise benefit and visitors to the Scottish Borders.   The Chairman advised that that the Council provided funding to VisitScotland partly to cover marketing and visitor information provision.  It was important that there was good attendance and engagement at the briefing session.   

DECISION

AGREED:-

(a)          to invite senior managers from VisitScotland to provide a special briefing for all Elected Members on the new VisitScotland Customer Experience Strategy and its developing approach to information provision in the Scottish Borders and the rest of Scotland; and

(b)          that a further report on tourism information be  brought to the Committee in 2016 once VisitScotland had finalised its review.

MEMBER

Councillor Parker left the meeting prior to consideration of the following item.