london tourism action plan(21-37)

8/3/2019 London Tourism Action Plan(21-37)

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London Tourism Action Plan2009-13Click here to enter


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London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 1

Mayors oreword 2

Background 4

The importance o tourism to London 6

Leadership in tourism 10

Strategic ramework or tourism in London 13

Key achievements 2006-09 17Strategic priorities or theLondon Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 19


Measures o success 38

Abbreviations 40

Glossary 41

Contents

1. Mayors oreword 2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London

6. Key achievements 2006-09 7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary


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Mayors orewordLondon has been voted the greatest destination in the world and myvision or London is to see it remains as the greatest city, or visitors,workers, students and residents alike. I want it to excel amongst otherglobal cities, providing the highest standard o living or its peopleand dynamism and energy or its enterprises. Londons strength asthe leading visitor destination is based on these qualities alongside itstraditions, its diversity and its heritage.

2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


1. Mayors oreword


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thank you or your comments and support in creatingthis Action Plan and I look orward to continuing towork with all London stakeholders to deliver this

Plan and ensure that our capital continues to be theleading global destination or visitors.

Boris JohnsonMayor o London

Over 26 million visitorscome to London everyyear and our tourism

industry has a key roleto play in shaping thecapitals economy. It isworth over 16 billionper annum and employs285,000 people.

At the time o going to publication, we are acingtough economic conditions and the recession hasaected us all. In response to these challengingtimes I have created a package o practical

measures. Through my Economic Recovery ActionPlan we will reocus resources and build on existingsuccess. This will include extra support andadvocacy or the citys tourism industry, recognisingthe important role that tourism has to play inLondons wider economic recovery.

Through providing additional unding ormarketing, the ocial tourism organisation or thecapital, Visit London, has delivered a number osuccessul promotional campaigns to attract more

visitors to the city and inject new income into thecitys economy. Already, we are seeing the benetso this policy and despite the recession, somesectors o our visitor economy are seeing growthyear on year.

My Economic Recovery Action Plan is one exampleo the new approach and priorities that myadministration has brought to the running o

London. I am also Chair o the London Skills andEmployment Board and direct the London Learningand Skills Council with its 635 million adult skills

budget. Recently, I launched the Promote LondonCouncil to create a more comprehensive and joinedup approach to marketing the capital, particularlyin the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games.

The Games oer us a massive incentive andopportunity to show o the city both to visitorsduring the time they will be here and through themedia to a massive worldwide audience. Londonhas the chance to reinorce its status as a rst class

visitor destination and advance its standing in newmarkets on the back o the Games. This TourismAction Plan has a key role to play in deliveringmy aim o providing an inspirational citywideexperience or everyone in the capital and tomaximise the opportunities or legacy.

The GLA Group has an important role to playin continuing to invest in the citys leisure andbusiness visitor acilities as well as improvingcustomer service standards. It is important that

we provide a quality experience to the hundredso thousands who are exploring the city on a dailybasis. We want visitors to be lured to the culturalgems o outer London as well as to the manyattractions and acilities we all know in the centre.

As Mayor, my role is to set out the broad vision andstrategy but I know we can only ully realise thatvision through partnership with others. I would like to

London has the chance to reinorce itsstatus as a frst class visitor destinationand advance its standing in new marketson the back o the Games.

2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


1. Mayors oreword


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BackgroundAs part o an extensive consultation process in late 2005, a ten yearvision or tourism in London and ve key supporting themes wereidentied. The London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 will support thedelivery o this Vision.

1. Mayors oreword 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


2. Background


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VisionBy 2016, London will be recognised as the leadingglobal city or tourism and as a constantly evolving

destination. London will deliver a high qualityvisitor experience, continually surprising andexciting our visitors with a vibrant, contemporaryand diverse oer in a historically and culturally richenvironment. Tourism in London will contribute tothe economic success o the city and the quality olie or Londoners.

Key themes

A global city

A high quality visitor experience

A sustainable and inclusive city

Proessionalism at every level

Industry support and partnership

The 2006-09 Action Plan established the tourismoundations needed to contribute to the success othe 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.The second Action Plan (2009-13) will ocus on

delivering the tourism elements necessary toensure a successul Games and lay the oundationsor a post-Games tourism legacy. The third(2013-16) will ensure that the tourism legacybenets are captured. Together these plansrepresent the actions that the LDA will support todeliver the London Tourism Vision.

The LDAs restructured Global Competitivenessteam will deliver the Tourism Action Plan througha new commissioning delivery model. The plan has

been developed in line with the LDAs new strategicocus on Growth, Skills and Jobs.

Stimulating economic recovery

Research carried out in early 2009 on domesticconsumer attitudes towards short breaks hashighlighted that, while holidays remain a highpriority consumers are tightening their belts.1For example short breaks could be replaced byday trips, to avoid additional costs. On the otherside o the coin however, London has become an

increasingly aordable destination or marketsin Europe and the USA and this represents a greatopportunity or the industry.

The Tourism Action Plan recognis es the impactthat the downturn has had and sets out ways thatthe capitals visitor economy can meet its growingchallenges in the short term while ensuring thatLondon is well positioned ollowing economicrecovery. In response to the downturn the Mayorpublished The Mayors Economic Recovery Action

Plan in December 2008. This Plan sets out how theGLA Group and other partners will build on currentsuccessul interventions and reocus resources inareas most likely to stimulate economic recovery.This includes extra unding support and advocacyor the citys tourism industry, recognising theimportant role that tourism has to play in Londonswider economic recovery.

Londons 2012 opportunity

This Action Plan is a key part o the process obuilding up to the Games in 2012. The London

Olympic and Paralympic Games provides thechance to showcase the city to visitors duringGames time and through the media to a massiveglobal audience. London has the chance toreinorce its status as a premier global destinationand challenge preconceptions in order to advanceLondons brand on the back o the Games.

London now has a strict timetable in which todeliver a world class welcome or the Games andbeyond and to capitalise on the exposure that

hosting the Games oers. The workstreams thatwill deliver the city experience during Gamestime are set out by the Mayor, London OrganisingCommittee o the Olympic and Paralympic Games(LOCOG) and their partners in the London 2012 CityOperations Strategic Framework document.The London Tourism Action Plan will play a key rolein supporting the City Operations Framework andin delivering its aim to provide an inspirational,world-class citywide experience or everyoneparticipating in the Games in London, to saeguard

the smooth running o London in Games time, andto maximise the opportunities or legacy romthis work.

1 VisitBritain and Visit London, 2009

1. Mayors oreword 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


2. Background


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The importanceo tourism to London

1. Mayors oreword 2. Background 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


3. The importance o tourism


8/44London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 7

Londons visitor economyTourism is a key driver o Londons economy. In2008 London attracted nearly 15 million staying

overseas visits and over 11 million staying domesticvisitors.2 In addition, the LDA estimates, usingexperimental results rom an omnibus survey othe UK population that around 200 million tourismday visits are made to and within the capitalor, amongst other attractions, the shopping,art exhibitions, theatre and historic sites (basedon tourism day visits dened as trips o at leastthree hours duration and not taken on a regularbasis).3 Tourism helped to support 253,000 jobsand resulted in 22 billion o visitor expenditure inthe city, o which 8 billion is generated by stayingoverseas visitors and over hal is the LDAs estimateo tourism day visitor expenditure.4 While mucho the capitals tourism activity happens in innerLondon it has a signicant impact on the city as awhole with the outer London boroughs receiving

just over 30 % o overall visitor spend.5

Londons visitor economy enjoyed a period ogrowth in leisure markets rom 2002 to 2007,recovering rom the setbacks ater 11 September2001. Between 2002 and 2007 total visits andspend grew steadily though the number o stayingdomestic visitors declined. In 2008 the numbero overseas visitors declined rom 15.3 million in2007 to 14.7 million but domestic visitor numbersincreased rom 10.1 million to 11.3 million. Overall,staying visitor numbers rose in 2008 and spend o15 billion was also slightly up on 2007 gures.6

Since the global economic downturn began inlate 2008 there has been a steady decline in thenumber o international arrivals to the UK. The UN

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reports thatalthough tourism initially resisted the economicdownturn, there is now weakening demand overall.Worldwide international tourist arrivals declined ata rate o 8 % between January and February in 2009.Northern, Southern and Mediterranean Europe,North-East Asia, South Asia and the Middle Eastare amongst the regions most aected. Overall,UNTWO expects 2009 international tourism to be inthe range o 0 to 2 % decline. 7

Overseas spending in London depends on thefuctuation o the exchange rate. London began2009 with strong value messages to European andAmerican markets to capitalise on the avourableexchange rates or overseas visits. The domesticmarket has been aected by the economicdownturn although Visit London research showsthat there are opportunities to stimulate themarket i the right incentives and messages arealigned. These trends have created a challengingand rapidly changing business environment or

London visitor industry.

Londons visitor economy has a key role to play inhelping Londons wider economy emerge rom theeconomic downturn. Targeted marketing activity

can provide rapid economic return to London,supporting business, jobs and condence. Tourism,while sometimes dismissed as a low-wage sector,provides local jobs with transerable skills thatinclude thousands o entry level jobs or those withew qualications.2 International Passenger Survey (IPS) 2008 + UK Tourism Survey(UKTS) 2008

3 LDA Omnibus Survey 2008

4 Spend LIPS, UKTS and LDA Omnibus Survey and jobs/employment ABI 2006

5 Local Area Impact Model 2007, LDA

6 IPS 2008 and UKTS 2008

7 UN World Tourism Organisation World Tourism Barometer, July2009






Importance o London to the resto the UKLondon is critical to the health o the UKs visitoreconomy. London plays an important gateway roleor the UK with 75 % o all visitors to the UK comingthrough one o Londons airports. Forty sevenpercent o all overseas visitors to Britain stay inLondon as part o their visit.

In 2008 London accounted or over hal o all spendin the UK by overseas visitors, 20 % o the nationalstock o hotel bedrooms and more than hal o thetop ten charging visitor attractions.8 For all o thesereasons, it is critical that London delivers a

top-quality visitor experience, because whathappens here has a huge impact on our visitorsabiding impressions o the UK as a whole.

The importance o 2012 to Londonand the UKs visitor economyThe 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provideLondon and the UK with a huge opportunity orLondons visitor economy to showcase the city,to solidiy Londons status in traditional marketsand challenge preconceptions in new andemerging markets.

There are two types o tourism impacts expectedrom London 2012.

Games related (athletes, ocials, sponsors,spectators and media visiting in the run up to

and during the Games) Games inspired (additional tourist visits to

and business events in London as a result oheightened interest in the destination)

The size and nature o London oers an opportunityto minimise any displacement eect o the Gamesand attract non-Games related visitors duringthe Games.

The our most recent Olympic Games host cities allexperienced increases in tourism, whether this ismeasured in terms o spend per head in the

long-term (rom a 22 % increase in Atlanta to a 65 %increase in Seoul), the spend o new visitors, or bythe increased numbers o international meetings,conerences and sporting events the cities wereable to attract in the years ater the Games. TheSydney Games in 2000 generated 15 % moreinbound visitors in September 2000 compared to1999 and saw visitor numbers or 2000 as a wholeup by 11 % on 1999. The Athens Games o 2004generated a 10 % increase in inbound visitors in2005 and are expected to generate additional

annual visitors o 5 million a year by 2009.9 OxordEconomics have orecast that the London Olympicand Paralympic Games in 2012 will generate 2.1billion in additional economic benet to the UKas a whole, o which around 1.5 billion will beconcentrated in London.10

8 VisitBritian

9 Review and Analysis o Tourism to Previous Olympic Destinations.Lessons and Implications or London 2012. Kurt Janson 2007

10 The Value o the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to

UK Tourism, Oxord Economic, September 2007






The Cultural Olympiad oers the hosts o theOlympic and Paralympic Games the opportunityto showcase their cultural oer over a our year

period. Research carried out by the LDA intothe pre-Games tourism impacts o the CulturalOlympiad has shown that to date there has beenlimited short term eect on overseas tourism butthat it has had positive medium term impacts ondestination perception.11 The scale and nature othe Olympiad dictate how attractive the eventsare to visitors but it does play a major role ingalvanising local tourism support and bringingthe culture and tourism sectors together. TheCultural Olympiad and other cultural activities and

events will be delivered by a number o partners.The promotion o these events and activities allswithin the overall destination marketing aspect othis Action Plan, but not the staging costs.

During the Games, cultural attractions and eventshave a signicant opportunity to engage and playto larger, new audiences. Cultural events play a

critical role in oering alternatives to sportingevents or the International Olympic Committee(IOC) amily, the resident population and ornon-Games related visitors. Visual art exhibitionsdo particularly well because they are easier topop into during spare moments between sportingevents. In Sydney 2000 30 % o Olympic attendees(visitors and locals) attended cultural events orexhibitions. Perorming Arts could attract Gamesspectators with outdoor and street based events atwell positioned locations.12

11 Tourism Potential o the Cultural Olympiad, 2007, LDA

12 Local Visitors and Tourists at the Modern Pentathlon in Sydney2000 a Contribution on the Internal Dierentiation o anOlympic Spectator, Manred Messing & Norbert Mller & KlausSchormann (no date)

During the Games, cultural attractions andevents have a signifcant opportunity to

engage and play to larger, new audiences.






Leadership in tourism

1. Mayors oreword 2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London


4. Leadership in tourism



Mayor o London

Under the Greater London Authority Act (1999) theMayor o London has the statutory responsibility

or the promotion and development o tourism.This responsibility is devolved to the LDA.The Mayor o London also has responsibility orco-ordinating the work required in London, outsidethe ocial venues, to host an inspirational, saeand inclusive Games, known as the London CityOperations programme.

Leadership in LondonThere are a number o organisations involved in theplanning, coordination and delivery o tourismactivity across London.

The diagram below sets out some o the relationshipsbetween the organisations that provide leadership orthe development o London as a visitor destination.

Promote LondonCouncil Mayor o LondonGLA

LDA

SkillsBusiness support

Product developmentQuality

Visitor welcome

Visit London

Marketing campaignsPublic relations

Branding

Convention bureau

LDA

Local EngagementProgramme

London Councils andLocal Authorities

Tourism industry

Greater London Authority (GLA)

Through the GLA, the Mayor oversees the strategicdevelopment o tourism and the delivery o the

Mayors Tourism Action Plan by the LDA. The GLA alsochampions culture and the arts as well as deliveringan events programme.

London Development Agency

Part o the GLA Group and the Mayors Agencyor jobs, skills and growth. The LDA is one o nineRegional Development Agencies (RDAs) in Englandunded by central Government to deliver economicdevelopment and regeneration priorities. The LDAhas overall responsibility or the promotion and

development o tourism in London and thereoredelivery o the London Tourism Vision and associatedLondon Tourism Action Plans. This responsibility isdevolved to the LDA by the Mayor o London and theLDAs perormance in this respect is monitored by theGLA. The LDA procures the delivery o all marketingand promotional activities in relation to the newTourism Vision and Action Plans.

Promote London Council

The Council will provide ocus on how the capitalcan be promoted to business and as a visitordestination through a new joined-up approachto promoting the capital, in the run-up to theLondon 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. TheCouncil was established in June 2009 and consistso representatives rom Londons promotionalagencies and business groups.






Visit London

Visit London is the ocial tourism marketingorganisation or the capital. Visit London is

currently unded by the LDA to deliver themarketing and promotion sections o the LondonTourism Action Plan. Visit Londons aim is topromote London to domestic and overseas leisureand business visitors, as well as to Londoners. VisitLondon campaigns are also supported by privatesector partners and sponsors.

Olympic Legacy Company

A new company will be set up to deliver the legacyin the Lower Lea Valley or the 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic Games. It will be jointly owned by theGLA and the Department o Communities andLocal Government.

London Councils

London Councils is a cross-party organisation,unded and run by member Local Authorities.London Councils support the signicant role oLocal Authorities in destination management byunding Visit London to work with boroughs to

promote and develop their tourism oer. LondonCouncils also build capacity on a local and regionallevel in order to raise volunteering participationlevels help develop a skilled and diverse workorceo volunteers in preparation or the Games andsupport activity in the capital beyond 2012.

Local Authorities

There are 33 Local Authorities in London. Tourism,as a non-statutory Borough service, is viewed

dierently across the Local Authorities, however,their statutory unctions have a signicant impacton the visitor experience. Some Local Authoritieshave dedicated sta and budget to lead the localtourism agenda while others see tourism as part otheir wider regeneration or cultural services role.Many Local Authorities have produced Olympic andParalympic Games Strategies and Plans to ensurethe boroughs take ull advantage o the benetsthe event will bring.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)London has 17 BIDs, many at key visitor hot spots.BIDs and other area management organisationshave a key role to play in the day to daymanagement o destinations, promotion o theareas and uture development plans.

National leadershipNationally, there are other organisations who areimportant partners in Londons visitor economy.

Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

This is the Central Government Department thatsponsors tourism and the 2012 Games andpart-unds the tourism activity o Visit Britain andVisitEngland. The Government Olympic Executiveis part o the DCMS and is responsible orco-ordinating the Governments work to ensurethat the Games are delivered on time, on budgetand benet the whole o the UK.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland

VisitBritain promotes all o Britain to the rest othe world. Their mission is to build the value otourism in Britain. As a result o the British TourismFramework Review, VisitEngland was created inApril 2009 to coordinate the promotion o Englandto domestic and international visitors. BothVisitBritain and VisitEngland are mainly unded bythe Department o Culture, Media and Sport.

London Organising Committee o the Olympicand Paralympic Games (LOCOG)

LOCOG is the private company that has theresponsibility or preparing and staging the 2012Olympic and Paralympic Games. LOCOG willcommission most o the services to deliver and runthe Games, including ticket sales.






Strategic ramework

or tourism in London

1. Mayors oreword 2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism


5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London



Strategic plan relationshipsThe Mayor publishes a range o statutory andnon-statutory strategies and plans that create the

policy ramework within which this Action Planwill be delivered. Key aspects o these plans are setout below.

The London Plan

The main legal responsibility or planning inLondon rests with the Mayor and the boroughs.The London Plan, published in 2004 andaltered twice since then, is the Mayors spatialdevelopment strategy that sets out planning

policies or Londons growth based on soundevidence and analysis.

A New Plan or London Proposals or the MayorsLondon Plan was published in April 2009 and setsout the Mayors proposals or Londons spatialdevelopment strategy. These proposals include:Recognising the specic opportunities andchallenges aced by Outer London; continuingto support the rejuvenation o the West End asthe UKs primary retail and leisure destination;setting a new London standard or the availabilityo wheelchair accessible hotel rooms; settingthe strategic direction or the Olympic LegacyMasterplan Framework; resisting the provision ourther capacity at Heathrow and exploring thepotential or alternatives in the South East. Thenal London Plan will be published in autumn 2011ollowing an Examination In Public.

Economic Development Strategy

The Economic Development Strategy (EDS) setsout the Mayors ambitions or the economic

development o the capital; provides the GLA groupand other strategic organisations with a clearvision and policy directions or achieving thoseambitions. The proposed aims o the strategy, as setout in the consultation document in May 2009, are:

position and promote London as the undisputedbusiness capital o the world

ensure that it has the most competitive businessenvironment in the world

make it a leading global low carbon capital give all Londoners the opportunity to share in

Londons economic success

invest to ensure growth is spread across London,and in particular outer London

Mayors Transport Strategy

The Mayors Transport Strategy Statement oIntent was published in May 2009 and represents

the initial thoughts on a new transport strategyor London. The Mayors new Transport Strategywill be published in early 2010. Specic areas thatwill impact on Londons visitor economy include:Delivering Crossrail; tube upgrade programme;ensuring that the public transport system iswheelchair accessible; the acceptance o OysterCards at all National Rail stations in London;delivering the London Cycle Hire Scheme; LegibleLondon, a new pedestrian waynding system orthe capital, and greater use o the River Thames.

Cultural Metropolis

Published in November 2008, Cultural Metropolissets out the Mayors initial vision or culture in thecapital and the priorities between 2009 and 2012.Priorities include: Promoting London as a culturalcity; creating a lively public realm through events;improving and promoting the cultural provisionin outer London; improving coach parking; andensuring a strong cultural 2012 Olympic and

Paralympic cultural legacy.






In addition to the GLA strategies above there anumber o other strategies and plans which thisAction Plan complements.

Londons Future: The Skills and EmploymentStrategy or London 2008-2013

The London Skills and Employment Board (LSEB) isresponsible or delivering the long-term strategyor adult skills and employment in London. LSEBsrst strategy sets out the overall labour marketstrategy or London. The LDA will work with keypartners such as Learning and Skills Councils,

Jobcentre Plus, business and Local Authorities toimplement this strategy.

The aims o the strategy are to:

work with employers to better support them inproviding more job and skills opportunities toLondoners, to the benet o their businesses andto keep Londons economy competitive

support Londoners to improve their skills, joband advancement prospects through integratedemployment support and training opportunities

create a ully integrated, customer-ocused skillsand employment system

Winning: A Tourism Strategy or 2012 andBeyond

The DCMS launched Winning: A Tourism Strategy

or 2012 and Beyond in September 2007. Thisstrategy aims to maximise the potential nancialbenets to tourism in the UK o the 2012 Games by:

improving international perceptions o Britain

delivering a rst class welcome to all visitors

improving the skills o the workorce

driving up quality in accommodation

maximising the opportunities or increasing

business visits and events spreading the benets

improving sustainability

The LDA is responsible or implementing theseobjectives in the London context.

London 2012 City Operations StrategicFramework

The Mayor, LOCOG and their partners have

agreed the ollowing vision or the London 2012City Operations programme: To provide aninspirational, world-class citywide experience oreveryone participating in the Games in London, tosaeguard the smooth running o London in Gamestime, and to maximise the opportunities or legacyrom this work. The LDA is closely involved indelivering key visitor experience workstreams.






LDAs role in tourism promotionand development:The LDA is a unctional body o the GLA which

works with the Mayor to create sustainableeconomic development in the capital by:

driving Londons growth and development whilesupporting a switch to a carbon ecient London

ensuring all Londoners are able to access thisemployment by working with business to tacklebarriers to employment and progression

creating the conditions London needs toacilitate business growth, productivity

and employment

The LDA delivers benets or London throughinvestment in six areas.

Regeneration: making strategic investmentsthat maximise Londons economic development

Climate change: helping London becomea world-leading, low carbon capital

Sustained employment: giving all Londoners

the opportunity to take part in Londonseconomic success

Business support: ensuring London has the mostcompetitive business environment in the world

International promotion: helping to positionLondon as the business capital o the world

Olympics: helping London and its communitiesbenet rom the Olympics

To meet these objectives t he LDA invests in themarketing and promotion o London as a topinternational destination. The LDA also invests inimproving the coordination and management oLondon as a destination in order to improve thequality o the visitor experience and ensure wemaximise the economic benets to the city and thequality o lie or Londoners.

The LDAs tourism development and promotionresponsibility orms a key part o the GlobalCompetitiveness Programme. The GlobalCompetitiveness Programme provides the mainsource o LDA support or products, services andpromotional campaigns that are developed topromote London as the leading global city inwhich to trade, invest, visit, study and work. Futureservices in the Global Competitiveness Programmewill be secured using the commissioning modelthat the LDA will apply rom 2009/10 onwards.The commissioning model will enable the marketto decide how best to achieve the required LDAoutcomes and or the LDA to better plan andprocure a value or money buying process.





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Key achievements 2006-09


7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary6. Key achievements 2006-09


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Set out below is a summary of somekey achievements of the 2006-09Action Plan which have informedthe focus of this Action Plan.

A global city

Events or London established or the purposeso attracting, creating and co-ordinatingworld-class sporting and cultural events inLondon. Events or London has helped bring eventssuch as the Tour de France, NFL American Footballand London Pride to the streets o the capital

Visit London re-brand and rst ever globaladvertising campaign ahead o the handoverto London at the Beijing 2008 Olympic andParalympic Games See the World, Visit London

Visit Londons Village Lie campaign createdinternational press coverage while encouragingdomestic visitors to explore the whole o the city.

In 2007/08, Visit Londons marketing campaignsresulted in a direct economic contributiono 488 million through visitor spend, which

represented a return on marketing activity o 48or the city or each 1 invested

A quality visitor experience

The LDAs drive to encourage Londonaccommodation to meet minimum qualitystandards has met its target o 50% growth withover 72,000 hotel rooms in the capital nowstar-rated

Delivery o the Visitor Inormation Provision Planresulted in the training o over 300 communitywardens as London Ambassadors, a trial o newwelcome literature at St Pancras Internationaland the piloting o mobile Visitor Ino-Bikesalong the South Bank

A new Complaints Service was launched tocoordinate responses to visitor complaints and toaddress the cause o complaints where possible


The launch o the Green Tourism or Londonprogramme now enables Londons tourismbusinesses to improve their environmentalsustainability and be recognised or their eorts

The new London Open to All programme haspublished the independently audited details oover 800 wheelchair accessible London hotelrooms on Visit London.com and developeda range o support to encourage tourismbusinesses become ully accessible to visitors

The development o Concordats or CoachTourism and River Passenger Services has

provided a ramework within which agreedactions can be progressed, such as improvedinormation or investment in inrastructure


The nal year o the successul Hospitality, Leisure,Travel and Tourism (HLTT) Programme providedtraining to around 1,400 people and brought newskilled employees into the tourism workorce

The LDA commissioned a study by People 1st, theSector Skills Council or Hospitality and Tourism,to assess the current customer care provisionacross all sectors involved in the visitor economyand evaluate the eectiveness o currentprovision in order to help develop a fexiblequalication or those in customer acing roles

The Personal Best programme has alreadytrained over 800 people in pre-employmentskills oering them the opportunity to becomea Games-time volunteer at the same time asmoving them nearer the labour market throughparticipation in an accredited training course


Londons rst ever tailored tourism businesssupport programme worth 1.65 millionover our years was launched in spring 2007,providing targeted help in quality, accessibility,environmental perormance and contingencyplanning. At the end o March 2009, nearly 500tourism businesses had been assisted in this way

The LDA has developed the Local Area TourismImpact model to provide transparent andcomparable estimates o tourism volume andvalue at the borough level, and the LondonVisitor Survey to better understand visitorperceptions and satisaction with London as atourism destination


7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary6. Key achievements 2006-09


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Strategic priorities or the

London Tourism Action Plan2009-13


6. Key achievements 2006-09 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary7. Strategic priorities or the Plan


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The 2006-09 Tourism ActionPlan laid out the groundwork orthe tourism success and legacybenets o the 2012 Games.

This 2009-13 Action Plan ocuses on capitalisingon the 2012 Games opportunities, deliveringthe tourism elements necessary to ensure asuccessul Games-time experience, and laying theoundations or a post-Games tourism legacy. ThePlan also sets out the actions necessary in Year One(2009-10) to assist the citys emergence rom theeconomic downturn in that year.

Our priorities or 2009-13 are to:

support jobs in Londons tourism businessesthrough targeted marketing campaignsdesigned to maximise economic impact

deliver and promote a world class sense oWelcome throughout the visitor experience

capitalise on the exposure that the 2012 Gamesand Cultural Olympiad provide to ensure London

maintains its position as a leading destinationor international leisure and business tourism

exploit the spotlight o the 2012 Games tomaintain and grow Londons reputation as apremier global sporting, cultural and businessevents city

Over the our years o the Plan the key actions thatwill assist in delivering the above priorities are:

delivering marketing activity in both leisure and

business markets that provide rapid economicreturn to the city in line with the MayorsEconomic Recovery Plan

promoting London as a unique destinationoering history and heritage alongside a vibrant,ethnically diverse and contemporary culture

maximising the global media opportunities or adestination ocus in 2012

developing a seamless Host City Welcome in the

lead up to and during the 2012 Games that tswith the overall Welcome to Britain programme

encouraging tourism businesses to becomemore accessible to those with specialaccess needs

communicating the range o transport acilitiesavailable to visitors across London

promoting the development and delivery o aWorld Class customer service standard or 2012

and beyond

The budget assigned to deliver Year One o theTourism Action Plan (2009-10), within the LDAsGlobal Competitiveness budget, is set out below.This does not include ocer time or salaries.

Theme 2009/10 budget

A global cityLeisure and business marketingEvents or London

16,069,0002,950,000

A quality visitor experience 959,000

A sustainable and inclusive city 360,000

Proessionalism at every level 300,000

Industry support and partnership 31,000

Total 20,669,000


6. Key achievements 2006-09 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary7. Strategic priorities or the Plan


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London Tourism Action Plan

2009-13


6. Key achievements 2006-09 7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13


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1. A global city

London Tourism Vision 2006-16

London will be the number one city o choiceor visitors and the leading world city. Londonsmarketing will be targeted, innovative, competitiveand dynamic. London will be an evolving city whichwelcomes the world.

Strategic Context

The LDA has commissioned Visit London to act asthe ocial destination marketing organisationor the capital. Visit London promotes the cityto potential leisure and business and major

event organisers as the worlds leading visitordestination. Since 2003 Visit London has won 30awards or its marketing and PR campaigns and itsour year contract has now been extended ora urther year.

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games providesLondon with a once in a lie time opportunity toshowcase the capital to a global audience andadvance the citys destination brand. The areaso activity in this section o the Action Plan aimto ensure that Londons visitor economy ullycapitalises on this opportunity but also to ensurethat tourism brings rapid economic return to thecity in line with the Mayors Economic RecoveryAction Plan. This requires Visit London to workacross a number o territories, including the UK.The details o the marketing campaigns andpromotional activities are outlined in Visit Londonsannual marketing plans. The themes and str ategy

that will be used to capitalise on the host citystatus, and the subsequent messages and valuesthat will be used to communicate the post-Gamesvisitor experience will be developed over the earlystages o the Plans lietime.

At the time o publication, the GLA and LDA arelooking more broadly at how London is promotedacross a number o publicly unded organisations toensure maximum eciency and eectiveness. Onceconcluded this work could have a benecial impact

on the promotion o London as a visitor destination.

The 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames provides London with a oncein a lietime opportunity to showcasethe capital to a global audience andadvance the citys destination brand.




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1.1 Market development

Objective: Maintain Londons global position asvisitor destination by implementing evidencebased marketing and PR strategies.

Areas o activity Years

Continue to promote London to core leisure and business markets (NorthAmerica, Europe and UK) to maintain and grow market share

1-4

Work closely with national marketing bodies to ensure a sustainable balanceo visitors, by market segment, territory, value and volume

1-4

Continue to review the balance o resources allocated to business and leisureactivity

1-4

Key year one actions Partners

Deliver marketing activity in markets that provide rapid economic return tothe city in line with the Mayors Economic Recovery Action Plan

GLA

Utilise the 2012 Games to grow market share in the emerging markets oIndia, China and Brazil

VisitBritain

1.2 Campaign planning and positioning

Objective: Capitalise on the opportunities o the 2012Olympic and Paralympic Games and the CulturalOlympiad through the delivery o targeted campaignsacross relevant markets and position London as avibrant and diverse must see now destination.


Integrate sector specic campaign work in markets o greatest potential 1-4

Promote London as a unique destination oering history and heritagealongside a vibrant, ethnically diverse and contemporary culture

1-4

Incorporate the promotion o outer London tourism product in campaigns toencourage a wider distribution o visitors across the capital

1-4

Continue to harne ss PR across markets to raise prole o London 1-4

Maximise tourism opportunities rom London 2012 including displacementstrategy and opportunities or non-host areas

2-4


Continue to promote Value London, Green London and Unique London withan underlying theme o London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

VisitBritain, VisitEngland, local marketingconsortia

Develop a 2012 media relations programme and associated opportunities Local marketing consortia, Local Authorities

Support the promotion o visitor orientated Cultural Olympiad projects, andother key cultural activities, as part o Londons cultural tourism oer

GLA, ACE, Local Authorities, MLA, LOCOG, artsorganisations




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1.3 Branding

Objective: Capitalise on the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games to position and advanceLondon as a leading international tourism brand.


Incorporate the brand values o the London tourism brand model in alltourism marketing activity

1-4

Encourage the tourism industry to utilise the assets o the London brandmodel

1-4

Work closely with Londons overseas oces in China and India to maximiseLondons brand exposure as a leading visitor destination in these markets

1-4

Explore the potential or a London brand that will resonate with, andenhance, the capitals visitor economy and destination marketing

1-3


Continue to improve the brand awareness o Londons visitor destinationbrand

VisitBritain

Capitalise on the opportunity that major events such as Delhi Commonwealth

Games, Shanghai Expo and Vancouver Winter Olympics oer London in 2010

tbc

1.4 Gateway

Objective: Maximise Londons role as a gatewayto the rest o the UK.


Co-ordinate strategic gateway activity to capitalise on Londons role as agateway to the rest o the UK by overseas visitors

1-4


Collaborate with VisitBritain to develop and publish an on-line database oLondon tourism products or a national and international audience

VisitBritain, RTBs




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1.5 Global host

Objective: Harness the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games opportunity to position Londonas a premier global sporting, cultural and businessevents city.


Continue to support the development o London as a major eventsdestination through the Events or London Steering Group and strategy whilstensuring that the delivery unction remains t or purpose

1-4

Develop a business tourism 2012 legacy 1-3

Support the ndings o the International Convention Centre MayoralCommission and continue to explore unding avenues

1-4

Maximise the opportunities to promote a destination ocus to the globalmedia in the run up to 2012 and during Games Time

2-4


Tender London as the 2011 host o the Sport Accord, an annual event or allthe top ocials o the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations osport, and other global sports industry stakeholders

UK Sport, UKTI, VisitBritain, RDAs

Launch the London Accommodation Charter or convention bookings andpromote the Fair Pricing and Practices strategy or 2012 Visit London, LOCOG

Explore the delivery options o a non-accredited media centre tbc

Develop an Olympic Park major events plan Olympic Park Legacy Company, UK Sport, GLA

Pilot and launch a new nationally agreed evaluation methodology o theeconomic impact o major events

VisitScotland, RDAs, UK Sport

Establish a business tourism value and volume baseline and map out theimpact o the sector

tbc

Work with landowners to explore the potential o bringing vacant land into use or cultural activity or coach parking in the build up and during the

Olympics and Paralympics

GLA, Local Authorities, LOCOG




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2. A quality visitor experience


London will deliver a top quality visitor experiencerom pre-arrival to post-departure, ensuring ullsatisaction rom all aspects o a visit to London.

Strategic context

Tourism activity takes place on a huge scale inLondon. On an average day during the maintourism season, there are around 400,000 visitorsin London.13 In addition, it is estimated that up to300,000 Olympic visitors could be in the capitalon any one day during the period o the Games.

Providing a quality visitor experience is an essentialpart o creating an enjoyable experience thatultimately encourages repeat visits and promotesincreased spend. Robust and impartial visitorinormation provided at the point the visitorneeds it is integral to this tourism experience.LDA research indicates that access to reliableinormation on the streets o London is highlysought by visitors and the crux to acilitating aquality visitor experience is helping visitors to makeinormed decisions and make best use o their time.Londons dedicated visitor inormation services arerated as good by visitors. Meeting and exceedingvisitor expectations is becoming increasinglyimportant to London as a destination in order toachieve a competitive advantage and will be a keydeterminant in the success o the 2012 Olympicand Paralympic Games.

The Games will bring unprecedented demands andlevels o scrutiny to the capitals visitor services.London will also provide visitors and residents witha dierent experience during Games time. TheLondon 2012 City Operations Programme aims toextend an inspirational and world-class Gamesexperience across London, ensuring that everyoneis sae, well inormed and involved. The LDA will besupporting this aim by:

bolstering existing dedicated visitor services,such as Tourist Inormation Centres and TLTravel Centres

recognising and supporting the welcome role

o existing personnel patrolling the streets,transport gateways and public spaces o London,through programmes such as the LondonAmbassador Scheme

developing a Games Time Host City VolunteerScheme that will help provide a warm welcomeand create a volunteering legacy or London

inspiring all customer acing sta to raise thestandard o welcome

working with Welcome to Britain to ensure thewelcome stretches rom beore the visitor arrivesto the point o entry and ultimate departure

The LDA will be working in close partnershipwith Visit London, Transport or London, LocalAuthorities, Government Olympic Executive, CityOperations Steering Group and VisitBritain.

London has a number o key accommodationclusters, many o which are around key railwaystations. These clusters are o varying standardsand quality. To ensure that visitors are given anaccurate impartial assessment o quality level oaccommodation beore booking the LDA will beworking with Visit London to develop a Londonquality marque.

The intention is that this marque will recommendproperties which achieve core regulatorystandards and also minimum standards ocleanliness, maintenance, security, services,hospitality and acilities. Visit London will thenuse this Visit London Approved marque to

market accommodation through its web site, andother media, alongside the national schemes.Only accommodation reaching this minimumstandard will appear on Visit London.com andother marketing channels. The LDA will continueto encourage providers to get involved with theNational Accommodation Quality Standards whileworking with Visit London on the new marquewhich will ensure that quality standards reach allmarket levels.

13 Review and Analysis o Tourism to Previous Olympic DestinationsLessons and Implications or London 2012, Kurt Janson Ltd Sept 2007




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2.1 Visitor inormation

Objective: Deliver a high quality destinationinormation network creating lastingimprovements in visitor inormation provision andcoordination or 2012 and beyond.


Work with stakeholders to support a dedicated visitor inormation networkthat provides high quality inormation and support at main gateways andkey visitor touch points, and utilises innovative delivery methods where

appropriate

1-4

Make best use o existing visitor inormation resources suchas Visit London.com

1-4

Establish the requirements or visitor inormation during the period o theGames and the opportunities ollowing 2012

1-2


Continue to support the Britain and London Visitor Centre and deliver trainingto support the Tourist Inormation Centre (TIC) network

VisitBritain, Local Authorities

Expand the mobile Tourist Inormation Network at suitable locations Local Authorities, Destination Mangers, BIDs

Recognise and support inormation services that meet minimum criteria aspart o Londons ocial inormation network BIDs, TL, Local Authorities, business networks




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2.2 Londons sense o welcome

Objective: Deliver an inspirational welcome inthe run up to, and during, the 2012 Games thatshowcases London to a global audience, adds valueto the visitor experience, and leaves a lasting legacyor the citys visitor economy.


Develop a seamless Host City Welcome in the lead up to and during the 2012Games that ts with the overall Welcome to Britain programme

1-3

Continue to work with stakeholders to deliver a high quality and coordinatedwelcome at main gateways and key visitor touch points

1-4

Utilise Londons diverse population to develop and implement an improvedvisitor welcome including greater use o existing oreign language skills

1-4


Scope the need or a volunteer welcome and visitor inormation service orGames-time and explore the delivery options

LOCOG, GLA, London Councils, GOE

Develop and disseminate impartial Welcome to London print atinternational and domestic gateways to the capital that highlights transportand visitor inormation options

TL, Visit London, VisitBritain

Work with partners in Local Authorities, and the transport sector to roll outLondon Ambassadors to key customer acing sta Network Rail, TOCs, TL, Local Authorities

Explore the potential or a community Greeters scheme within the 5 HostBoroughs o the Olympic and Paralympic Games

Host Boroughs Unit, Local Authorities

Audit visitor welcome experience at key major transport gateways, highlightbest practice and improving areas o weakness

Welcome to Britain




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2.3 Quality o visitor accommodation

Objective: Seek to improve the quality oaccommodation in order to stimulate repeat visits.


Encourage Londons accommodation providers to meet minimum qualitystandards

1-4

Only promote accommodation which meets minimum standards 2-4

Monitor and ollow up complaints to ensure improvements are made, callingon Borough regulatory authorities where necessary

1-4


Develop and deliver a London quality marque or the accommodation sectorthat compliments the existing quality standard schemes

Visit London, Partners or England

Visit London to eliminate non-assessed accommodation rom its website andnew partner publications by April 2010

Visit London

Increase number o businesses participating in national quality schemes,mainly through personal visits rom quality advisors

VisitBritain, AA

2.4 Measuring the quality o visitor experience

Objective: Research and monitor the quality o thevisitor experience.


Continue to measure visitor perceptions and satisaction o London as avisitor destination through the London Visitor Survey (LVS) and disseminateresults to partners and stakeholders

1-4


Commission delivery o updated LVS or 2009-13 tbc



d k d h d h k d


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3. A sustainable and inclusive city


London will move towards becoming a sustainable andinclusive tourism destination: Financially, physically,socially and culturally.

Strategic context

Improving the environmental sustainability o Londonis a key Mayoral priority. Through aviation, tourism isresponsible or a signicant share o Londons totalcarbon emissions, and the LDA is working to mitigatethat impact by infuencing the practices o tourismbusinesses and visitors through our Green Tourism or

London programme. We are also encouraging visitorsto use sustainable orms o transport including a publiccycle hire scheme, and making it easier or visitors to ndtheir way on oot through the Legible London project.

The LDA is supporting the Mayors objective oimproving access to the city or all our visitors,including older people, parents with pushchairs andthose with sensory and mobility issues. It is estimatedthat around 10 million people in the UK, 16 % o thepopulation, are disabled to some extent.14We are

committed to improving inormation about thedisabled acilities which are now available, and toencouraging businesses to improve their welcome toall. At the time o publication the capital received agood rating on accessibility rom visitors but we arecommitted to raising standards and helping London todeliver on its promise to stage the most sustainable andaccessible Olympic & Paralympic Games ever in 2012.

London has one o the worlds most extensivepublic transport systems and urther majoradditions are scheduled beore 2012, such as theopening o the East London Line extension and a

step-ree access improvement programme. Nearlyall visitors to London will use public transport atsome point during their stay and visitors view it asiconic and part o the citys identity. As a result it isseen as an intrinsic part o the Londonvisitor experience.

The 2008 London Visitor Survey records visitorsatisaction o the quality o public transportas good. Overseas visitors are generally moresatised than domestic visitors. The cost o public

transport receives a air rating, so there is a needto communicate to visitors how they can get thebest value out o the transport system, in line withthe Londons overall value message. The VisitorOyster Card is available through an increasingnumber o channels, including Visit London.comand as part o the UK visa application process inBritish visa centres in a number o territories. ThisPlan promotes less visitor dependency on theUnderground system and encourages walking, the

use o bikes, buses, trains and the River to exploreLondon. It also seeks to ensure that the group coachtourism market, which brings around 2.8 millionvisitors a year to the capital, operates eectively orthe benet o visitors, operators and residents.15

14 Family Resources Survey 2003-2004, ONS

15 London Coach Study, 2004, LDA



1 M d 2 B k d 3 Th i i 4 L d hi i i 5 S i k i i L d


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3.1 Sustainability

Objective: Improve the sustainability andenvironmental perormance o Londons visitoreconomy.


Advise tourism businesses on how to improve their environmentalperormance

1-4


Support the delivery o the Green Tourism or London programme or hotelsand its extension to attractions and theatres

Visit London, Considerate Hoteliers, BritishHospitality Association, Sociiety o LondonTheatre/Theatre Management Association,Independent Theatre Council

3.2 Accessibility

Objective: Improve the inclusiveness andaccessibility o the visitor experience in the run upto, and during, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic

Games.


Encourage tourism businesses to become more accessible to those withspecial access needs

1-4

Eectively communicate the physical, economic and social accessibility oLondons visitor oer to Londoners and visitors 1-4


Develop a Disability Awareness training module as part o the developmento a cross sector customer service standard

Institute o Customer Service, DCMS,Accessibility Forum

Increase the number o hotels publishing audited access inormation on VisitLondon.com

Visit London

Build the business case or investment by hotels and attractions in accessibleacilities and publicise best practice

DCMS, Tourism or All

Publicise the market opportunity through workshops and one annual

conerence

Visit London, GLA

Undertake urther research in to the requirements o disabled visitors DCMS, GLA

Publish an Open London Guide Book that provides accessibility inormationon Londons visitor attractions and acilities

Tourism or All



1 M d 2 B k d 3 Th i t t i 4 L d hi i t i 5 St t i k t i i L d


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3.3 Transport and the visitor experience

Objective: Ensure that high quality public transportis central to Londons Games time and legacyvisitor experience.


Continue to improve the communication o the range o transport acilitiesavailable to visitors across London and the sale o Oyster Cards beore andduring their visit

1-4

Work with partners to ensure that visitor issues are included in consultationsand development plans as key user groups

1-4

Work with Cross London Rail Ltd, industry and stakeholders to minimisedisruption to the visitor experience in central London during the constructionphase o Crossrail

1-4


Support key actions in the River Passenger Services Concordat, including theimplementation o the River Thames Pier Plan and improved River Serviceidentities

London River Service, Concordat signatories

Work with TL and other stakeholders to ensure that visitor needs are

embedded in the design and implementation o Legible London

TL, Local Authorities

Pilot a visitor riendly cultural cycling route TL, London Cycling Campaign,Local Authorities

Carry out a easibility study into operating a coach voucher system or parkingin London to improve the visitor, resident and coach operator experience inthe capital

London Coach Forum


6. Key achievements 2006-09 7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 9. Measures o success 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-138. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13

1 Mayors oreword 2 Background 3 The importance o tourism 4 Leadership in tourism 5 Strategic ramework or tourism in London


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4. Proessionalism at every level


London will ensure that the tourism industry isrecognised as providing diverse and interesting jobsand careers o choice, which oer opportunitiesor progression and skills development. Visitorsto London will be oered a world class qualitycustomer experience by increasingly successultourism businesses.

Strategic context

The LDAs current strategic ocus is on improvingbasic skills and employability in order to move

disadvantaged Londoners into employment as parto a well-trained local workorce. Working as a keystakeholder in the London Skills & EmploymentBoard, we are supporting programmes suchas the London Employer Accord, launched inMarch 2008 to help more than 5000 worklessLondoners into jobs. Through the Accord employersopen up opportunities to local job seekers inreturn or a more integrated, responsive andbespoke placement service and the provisiono job/training-ready candidates. The tourismand hospitality sector is also benetting romemployment and skills programmes, such asthe LDA European Social Fund co-nancing

programme. The Mayor has an aspiration t hatemployers in the hospitality sector will embracethe London Living Wage as the minimum standardor employee wages in order to help with retention

levels and help promote careers in the sector.

The LDA is ocusing its tourism skills support onimproving customer service training in the runup to 2012. The success o the Games will dependlargely on Londons ront line sta and theircustomer service skills. An LDA commissionedreport produced by People 1st highlighted that 57% o visitor economy businesses surveyed believedthat the customer service skills o their sta couldbe improved.16 VisitBritain research has shown

that the UKs welcome is perceived poorly in somekey markets. The Games can act as a catalyst orimproving customer service skills and ultimatelyimproving the quality o the visitor experience.

The LDA will also help to promote other key projectssuch as apprenticeships and the take up o Trainto Gain as well as the work o a number o otherorganisations that impact on the visitor experiencesuch as People 1st, Sector Skills Councils and theInstitute o Customer Service. These agencies,

operating at a London and national level, playa vital role in providing a world class customerservice in the run up to 2012 and beyond.

In 2008 People 1st launched the London SkillsStrategy, Raising the Bar, which aims toimprove hospitality, leisure, travel and tourismskills in the capital city. The priorities are che

skills, customer service and management andleadership skills

The National Skills Academy or Hospitality waslaunched in early 2009, to design, source anddeliver challenging training programmes or theindustry

The quality o a visitors destination experienceis not restricted to the service received in thehospitality and tourism sectors. We will work

with Welcome to Britain, other Sector SkillsCouncils and Skills Academies to ensure visitortouch points, such as that transport gatewaysand sporting venues, provide excellent customerservice to boost the visitor welcome

16 World Class Customer Serviceor 2012 and Beyond, People 1st,November 2008





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4.1 Access to employment

Objective: Support Londoners into sustainedemployment with the skills to boost Londonscustomer service.


Adapt and deliver pre-employment training programmes that progressworkless, low skilled candidates to job readiness and into customer careoriented jobs in Londons key growth sectors

1-4


Work with employers in tourism related sectors demonstrating capacity orentry level vacancy growth, including retail, hospitality and transport, todeliver pre-employment training programmes to workless Londoners

London Employer Accord

4.2 Workorce development

Objective: Ensure that employees within theindustry have access to skills that deliver trulyworld-class customer service in the run up to, and

during, the 2012 Games.


Promote the development and delivery o a World Class customer servicestandard or 2012 and beyond

1-4

Develop and deliver training units that will provide Londoners with the skillsand knowledge to provide world class customer service and welcome in therun up to, and beyond, 2012

1-4

Support the delivery o Raising the Bar Skills Strategy or the Hospitality,Leisure, Travel an Tourism Sector in London

1-4


Work with the Institute o Customer Service to support cross sector trainingunits, including core units and a disability ocused unit

Sector Skills Councils, DCMS

Develop a cross sector Destination and 2012 training unit that is registeredon the Qualications and Credit Framework

LOCOG, ICS, SSCs, VisitBritain

Deliver inter-cultural skills training to the Tourism and Hospitality industry Regional Language Network

Promote Advanced Apprenticeships and Good Employers Guides toLondon employers

National Skills Academy or Hospitality,People 1st

1. Mayor s oreword 2. Background 3. The importance o tourism 4. Leadership in tourism 5. Strategic ramework or tourism in London




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5. Industry support andpartnership


London will have an innovative, fexible andcomprehensive industry support network whichenables the sharing o knowledge and ideas,resulting in a thriving and diverse range o quality,successul tourism businesses.

Strategic context

The LDA has a key role to play in measuring theeconomic impact o tourism, and advocatingthe case or a proactive approach to visitor

management to all stakeholders both at regionaland at Borough level. We also represent theinterests o London in the national debate ontourism policy. We are closely involved withthe new national English Tourism IntelligencePartnership (ETIP) in scoping their work to improvethe quality o our tourism market statistics.

At the local level in London, the LDA and VisitLondon share best practice in tourism developmentwith Borough ocers and other interested

groups, such as Business Improvement Districts.Visit London have a dedicated post, supported byLondon Councils, to work with boroughs in orderthat they are able to make the best use o theirtourism resources and benet rom Visit Londonsmarketing expertise. The LDA will work with therest o the GLA Group and with the boroughs totake orward the Mayors commitment to ensuring

that outer London is realising its ull economicpotential in relation to tourism. We will work withboroughs and developers to ensure that the growthin the hospitality sector benets both inner and

outer London and that development opportunitiescapitalise on local access to employment initiativesin order that the local benet is ully realised. EastLondon and the Lea Valley are a particular ocuso our work in planning and supporting tourismdevelopment as a key part o the Legacy o the 2012Games, and we are contributing to the work o theFive Olympic Host Boroughs team.

The LDA has a role to play in helping business toengage and benet rom 2012 related opportunities

and providing destination market intelligence asthe context or business plans. The LDA will makeree destination level inormation available throughits website www.lda.gov.uk/tourism and procurecontracts through the CompeteFor.com website.At a national level the LDA will work with VisitBritainto develop a 2012 tourism network business-to-business website that will keep businessesup to date with relevant 2012 inormation andopportunities. The LDA support Business Link to

provide advice to existing businesses and supportthose looking to start a new business.

The LDA will work with the rest o theGLA Group and with the Boroughs totake orward the Mayors commitmentto ensuring that outer London is realisingits ull economic potential in relationto tourism.





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5.1 Intelligence

Objective: Continue to deliver accurate andtimely intelligence on the tourism industry tostakeholders.


Continue to deliver the Local Area Tourism Impact (LATI) model and shareestimates o tourism value and volume with Boroughs and other destinationmanagement organisations to use as a tool to demonstrate the value o

tourism

1-4

Continue to work to infuence improvements in nationally available statisticsthrough the English Tourism Intelligence Partnership (ETIP)

1-4


Rene the methodology used to measure the economic impact o tourismmarketing campaigns

ETIP

Establish agreed orecast methodology and data or visitor numbers in therun up to and during Games Time

City Operations Working Group

Maintain an up to date accommodation census and provide dataon accommodation stock to boroughs and stakeholders

Visit London

5.2 Communication

Objective: Develop and maintain improvedcommunication with the tourism industry.


Provide strong leadership and communication between GLA, LDA, TL, VisitLondon, tourism businesses, business networks and Boroughs on regional andnational issues aecting the industry

1-4

Communicate the Olympic and Paralympic opportunity to local tourismbusinesses

1-4

Represent Londons tourism interests to Central Government, directly, andthrough the RDA Tourism Leads Group, VisitBritain, the new VisitEnglandorganisation, Partners or England, and the English Tourism IntelligencePartnership

1-4


Produce an annual progress report and host a seminar or Borough ocers Visit London, Boroughs, London Councils

Support the use o CompeteFor as the procurement method or Olympic andParalympic related contracts

LOCOG, ODA, GLA

With RDA tourism leads, infuence the development o VisitEnglands strategyand national tourism policies

RDAs, VisitEngland





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5.3 Co-ordination and support

Objective: Improve co-ordination within thetourism industry to enable improvements in theoverall visitor experience in London.


Work with Local Authorities, tourism partnerships and other key partners tohighlight the tourism benets o the London Games and increase communitysupport or tourism in the run up to 2012

1-4

Work with Local Authorities and tourism and regeneration partnerships toensure tourism plays an appropriate role in the economic development oinner and outer London

1-4


Work with the Host Boroughs to ensure a quality visitor experience in therun up to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in line with theStrategic Regeneration Framework

Host Borough Unit, Local Authorities

Work with street markets to urther develop their appeal as visitor attractions Local Authorities, ATCM, BIDs, marketingpartnerships

Set out new arrangements or a Local Tourism Engagement Network London Councils, Local Authorities, BIDs

Develop an on line events calendar or planning and promotional purposes Visit London

5.4 Hotel development

Objective: Facilitate a structured approach toaccommodation development in London.

Key Areas o activity Years

Work with partners to explore the potential or appropriate hoteldevelopment in Outer London, Areas o Intensication and Opportunity andcreate links to local employment opportunities

1-4


Host a seminar on Planning or Visitor Accommodation and produce bestpractice guidance

GLA, Local Authorities, Developers





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Measures o success


6. Key achievements 2006-09 7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary9. Measures o success



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Objective Indicator Measure

A global city

Grow economic benet to London

directly attributable to marketinginvestment

Total economic benet () Return on Investment Methodology

(ROI)

Grow return on Investment on total LDAgrant (X:1)

ROI gures ROI Methodology

Position Visit London as the leadingLondon tourism brand

Percent awareness o Visit Londonbrand

London Visitor Survey

Grow usage o Visit London.com Unique website users Visit London web statistics

A quality visitor experience

Increase number o quality assessedtourism products

Number o rooms quality assessed National Quality AccommodationStandards and Visit London Marque

Maintain or improve visitor satisactionlevels

Percent visitors rating satisaction withLondon as very good or excellent

London Visitor Survey

Improve perormance o TouristInormation Centre network

Customer service standard rating National TIC Mystery Shopping exercise


Increase number o accessibleaccommodation rooms listed on VisitLondon.com

Number accommodation rooms withwheelchair access

Direct Enquiries audits and Visit London.com listings

Improve environmental perormance otourism businesses

Number tourism businesses supportedto improve environmental perormance

Business support programme


Improve the quality o Customer Serviceacross the visitor economy

Number o employees receiving LDAsupported customer service training

Monitoring Customer Serviceprogramme

Support employment access to theHospitality sector

Number o unemployed people intosustained employment

London Employer Accord monitoring


Maintain well supported visitoreconomy

Number o tourism businesses receivingbusiness support

Business support programme

This Tourism Action Plan has a our year lie spanrom 2009-13. Specic actions will be updatedannually but the success o the Plan will bemeasured against the indicators set out below.

The actual targets will also be updated annuallyand available on the LDA website.


6. Key achievements 2006-09 7. Strategic priorities or the Plan 8. London Tourism Action Plan 2009-13 10. Abbreviations 11. Glossary9. Measures o success



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AA Automobile Association

ACE Arts Council England

ATCM Association o Town CentreManagement

BHA British Hospitality Association

BIDs Business ImprovementDistricts

DCMS Department o Culture,Media and Sport

EDS Economic DevelopmentStrategy

london tourism action plan(21-37)

Documents