Brighton and Hove Council calls in consultants over tourism restructure (From The Argus)
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Brighton and Hove Council calls in consultants over tourism restructure
1:14pm Tuesday 6th November 2012 in Business News By John Keenan, business editor
Consultants have been hired to try to find new ways to market Brighton and Hove. Suffolk-based consultancy Stepping Out has been brought in to look into how the tourism attractions in the city are marketed.
But Jason Kitcat, the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said that the structure of Visit Brighton, the council’s tourism promotion arm, does not need to change to save money.
The council has been ordered by central Government to save £51 million over the next two financial years. Stepping Out bills itself as offering expert and supportive input to local authorities who are considering a “public service spin-out”.
Craig Dearden Phillips, the founder of the firm, said his company had been briefed to provide a report of the future shape and structure of tourism marketing in Brighton and Hove.
One idea is to form a destination management organisation (DMO). It would mean the work currently done by Visit Brighton would be taken on by a private company funded by businesses and the public sector that would be set up specifically to increase tourism.
Coun Kitcat said the move was not connected to the local authority’s need to make savings. He said: “The structure of Visit Brighton is based on a fee-income model so it is not a burden on the council tax payer. “I do not think a destination management organisation is the way forward. I think that businesses are busy – they already have a lot to do.
“I know there has been a lot of debate about the future structure of tourism marketing. I think an advisory board structure is the best way forward. We certainly value the input of tourism businesses.”
Max Leviston, the boss at the Sea Life Centre in Marine Parade, said a DMO structure could benefit the city. He said: “I am fully supportive of the private sector having a greater influence in tourism marketing in the city. But there is no big enterprise to take this on at this time. It’s a gut feeling I have that the money will not be forthcoming from the private sector and we will still need the involvement of the public sector.”
One prominent member of the city’s tourism sector, who asked not to be named, said a DMO structure would help reduce the doubling up of services and allow people to see who was making which decisions.
Comments(17)
Crystal Ball
says...
1:48pm Tue 6 Nov 12
chilliman
says...
1:50pm Tue 6 Nov 12
s&k wrote:That used to be Worthing in the sixties when just about everything closed by 10.30pm.
What about marketing Brighton as a place to have a nice, quiet, sober night out, free from any threat of violence or abuse?
I used to come over to Brighton where things were a bit more lively. It still seemed a fairly safe place though so long as you weren't looking for trouble.
Chieftain11
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3:05pm Tue 6 Nov 12
bug eye
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3:49pm Tue 6 Nov 12
HJarrs
says...
5:08pm Tue 6 Nov 12
Chieftain11 wrote:I thought that tourism and retail were a minority in B&H? Amex is the biggest private employer, B&H council the biggest public sector employer. There is a flourishing IT sector, two universities etc.
Brighton, along with most of the South Coast, is almost exclusively dependent on tourism and retail. For fear of getting kicked off this site, I dare not mention why I think so many tourists now avoid Brighton. Retail in the City is too big, contraction is unavoidable due to internet shopping, recession and parking costs. Brighton and Hove need more diversity in their economy or both will slip gently beneath the waves over the next 30 years. Stamping ruthlessly on drugs and crime may help but such measures tend to be unsustainable.
Seagulls2
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5:36pm Tue 6 Nov 12
HJarrs wrote:and I thought that the NHS was the biggest public sector employer. of course these are big organisations, and tourism and retail is made up of many many small and medium size businesses, who together may outstrip them.
Chieftain11 wrote:I thought that tourism and retail were a minority in B&H? Amex is the biggest private employer, B&H council the biggest public sector employer. There is a flourishing IT sector, two universities etc.
Brighton, along with most of the South Coast, is almost exclusively dependent on tourism and retail. For fear of getting kicked off this site, I dare not mention why I think so many tourists now avoid Brighton. Retail in the City is too big, contraction is unavoidable due to internet shopping, recession and parking costs. Brighton and Hove need more diversity in their economy or both will slip gently beneath the waves over the next 30 years. Stamping ruthlessly on drugs and crime may help but such measures tend to be unsustainable.
HJarrs
says...
5:57pm Tue 6 Nov 12
Seagulls2 wrote:It is somewhere on the council website if anybody can be bothered to look!
HJarrs wrote:and I thought that the NHS was the biggest public sector employer. of course these are big organisations, and tourism and retail is made up of many many small and medium size businesses, who together may outstrip them.Chieftain11 wrote: Brighton, along with most of the South Coast, is almost exclusively dependent on tourism and retail. For fear of getting kicked off this site, I dare not mention why I think so many tourists now avoid Brighton. Retail in the City is too big, contraction is unavoidable due to internet shopping, recession and parking costs. Brighton and Hove need more diversity in their economy or both will slip gently beneath the waves over the next 30 years. Stamping ruthlessly on drugs and crime may help but such measures tend to be unsustainable.I thought that tourism and retail were a minority in B&H? Amex is the biggest private employer, B&H council the biggest public sector employer. There is a flourishing IT sector, two universities etc.
localboy78
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6:33pm Tue 6 Nov 12
???? Also, the website refers to Brighton this, Brighton that, Brighton city this etc?!? It should be changed to refer to Brighton & Hove not just Brighton! Hove was forced into the union so that a new city (Brighton & Hove) could be created so it is not acceptable to keep on dropping the '& Hove' part of the city's title all the time!
If Brighton wants to market itself as a city then it should allow Hove to break free and apply for city status again on its own merits (although it will be refused as the population of the town of Brighton is not large enough to pre-qualify as a city)!
Kate234
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10:04pm Tue 6 Nov 12
Dealing with idiots
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9:44am Wed 7 Nov 12
localboy78 wrote:Apparently a focus group decided that it was too confusing to have the word Hove in the promotional literature. Hence the Visit Brighton rather than visit Brighton and Hove. Despite Hove businesses payng a fair chunk in business rates we get no town centre manager, no Xmas lights. How about no taxation without representation? Freedom for Hove!
Why is it called visitBrighton and not visitBrightonAndHove ???? Also, the website refers to Brighton this, Brighton that, Brighton city this etc?!? It should be changed to refer to Brighton & Hove not just Brighton! Hove was forced into the union so that a new city (Brighton & Hove) could be created so it is not acceptable to keep on dropping the '& Hove' part of the city's title all the time! If Brighton wants to market itself as a city then it should allow Hove to break free and apply for city status again on its own merits (although it will be refused as the population of the town of Brighton is not large enough to pre-qualify as a city)!
Tallywhacker
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9:59am Wed 7 Nov 12
brightonbunny
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10:41pm Thu 8 Nov 12
Thumper Hove
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4:34pm Mon 12 Nov 12
m the cultural hotspot of Suffolk no less!!! Brighton is fortunately not Great Yarmouth.
I also thought the NHS was the largest public employer. It is abit of a worry if it really is the council (though hardly surprising bearing in mind how wasteful and out of touch the Greens are with reality and what the city really needs).
pleasantlydisturbed
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1:23pm Tue 13 Nov 12
ModelCitizen
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2:25pm Tue 13 Nov 12
tonybee
says...
1:25am Mon 19 Nov 12
We have challenged, Idiots. morons. & imbeciles & then there is The Lucas Moo
(methinks she is but an empty vessel)
aided by the choccy bar kid of equal stature. For pity's sake lets get rid of the Green Communist Party.
Perhaps Kitcat & Lucas could emigrate
to Outer Mongolia & set up a Green partnership selling chocolate bars & car batteries. Mind you, they would screw
this up as well !!
s&k says...
1:23pm Tue 6 Nov 12