Business Insight - UK City of Culture 2013

Strabane, 19 June 2012

Deirdre Harte, Derry City Council

Accommodation for 2013

Outline of presentation:

1. Context

2. Accommodation audit

3.Case studies

4.Approach and temporary options

5.Opportunities

Projected Demand/Growth•UK City of Culture 2013

+100% increase in visitor numbers + 25% increase in demand for accommodation

Legacy in other areas:• Liverpool European CoC 2008:

+26% increase in rooms sold in 2008 v 2007+23% in 2009 and +40% in 2010 (Jan to Jun)

CoC ProgrammeTotal projected audiences by month (local, regional, overseas)

Month Number Month Number

Jan 15,200 Jul 104,050

Feb 19,700 Aug 415,200

Mar 36,200 Sep 35,450

Apr 42,600 Oct 84,800

May 154,300 Nov 232,400

Jun 85,200 Dec 88,600

Fleadh Doire 2013

• Estimated 400,000 visitors and £40M income

• Cavan Fleadh 2011:

294,000 attendees over 8 days

39.6M to local economy

Approx 20,000 overnight visitors (10k in private homes)

34% of spend – overnight accommodation

•

Accommodation Audit

Key Facts:

• Number of bed spaces (hotels, B&Bs, self-catering, hostels):

2,012 within Derry City Council area 7,530 within 30 mile catchment area 14,382 within 60 mile catchment area

• Additional 1,751 in NW student accommodation

• 61.5% hotel occupancy in Derry in 2011 (NI average 59%)

• 100% occupancy in peak season/major events

• 10 hotel proposals (8 new and 2 expansions) - 1 on site.

Case Studies

Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy)

• International annual 2 week event - 26 May to 8 June 2012

• Population: 80,000

• Visitors: 30,000

Temporary/additional accommodation options:

• Camp sites (football clubs and land owners)

• Homestay scheme – residents rent out rooms

• Portable hotels ‘Snooze Boxes’ in TT Village - 240 hotel rooms

‘Snooze Boxes’

Pop-up hotel pods

Cargotecture

Hay-on-Wye Festival Wales

• Annual 10 day literature & arts festival: 31 May -10 June 2012

• Population: 1,450

• Visitors: 80,000

Temporary/additional accomm options:

• Temporary camp sites

• Glamping – pre-pitched tents, gypsy caravans, yurts etc

• Many locals move out and rent house for festival

Glamping – examples used at Hay-on-Wire Festival in Wales:

Approach

Approach:

• Support sector – expand existing, develop new and temporary

• Allocate accommodation in Derry City Council area first

• When 100% occupancy - peak season and large-scale events

Temporary options

Widen catchment area (Donegal, Strabane, Limavady etc)

•Avoid displacement of existing providers

•Accommodation section on CoC website – signpost to DVCB

Options to grow accommodation:

Most feasible options:

Camp/caravan/motor-homes sites (inc Council parks)

Spare rooms as B&Bs

Vacant properties as self-catering

Other options:

Portable solutions e.g. pop up hotels

Home exchange etc

Challenges

• All new tourist accommodation must be certified by NITB

• Cost and timescale

• Potential displacement of existing providers

• Leakage to Donegal where certification not required

• Accommodating visitors outwith ‘camping season’

• Fleadh visitors preference for near accommodation

Opportunities for Strabane

• Potential overspill accommodation when 100% occupancy

• Peak periods – May, summer season, November 2013

• Derry Fleadh – 11-18 August 2013 (peak 17/18 August)

• Provision of transport?

• Membership of Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau?