Cumbria Tourism Windermere TIC 19th November 2009 Cumbria Tourism Windermere TIC 19th November 2009

Current TIC Network Structure Cumbria’s 27 TICs Local Authority (16) directly managed Windermere, Kendal, Ulverston Barrow Grange Penrith, Alston, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby Silloth, Workington, Cockermouth Whitehaven, Millom Carlisle, Brampton

Current TIC Network Structure Cumbria’s 27 TICs Visit Scotland (1) Southwaite Local Authority (16) directly managed Windermere, Kendal, Ulverston, Barrow Grange Penrith, Alston, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby Silloth, Workington, Cockermouth Whitehaven, Millom Carlisle, Brampton National Park Information Centres (3) directly managed Keswick Bowness Ullswater

Current TIC Network Structure Cumbria’s 27 TICs Visit Scotland (1) Southwaite Local Authority (16) directly managed Windermere, Kendal, Ulverston Barrow Grange Penrith, Alston, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby Silloth, Workington, Cockermouth Whitehaven, Millom Carlisle, Brampton National Park Information Centres (3) directly managed Keswick Bowness Ullswater Private Sector (7) Ambleside Broughton Sedbergh Coniston Egremont Maryport Rheged

TIC Classifications Strategic: Geographical gateway, transport hub, strategically important to destination Destination:High footfall visitor destination eg town centres, visitor attractions Local: High % local users with footfall < 50k pa

Strategic & Destination TICs Cumbria’s Key Strategic & Destination TICs Bowness, Keswick & Ullswater Kendal, Ulverston & Windermere Barrow, Carlisle, Penrith, Whitehaven Ambleside, Coniston, Rheged

Visitor Throughput Average footfall 206,000 Average bookings value £482,000

SLDC ~ current situation as we know it  Significant budget problems  Total TIC Budget appox £700k (gross)  Windermere TIC  Expenditure £337k  Income £115k  Net cost £222k (£100k central management costs)  Premises owned by SLDC, little investment since 1985  Final decision on future of TICs due 9 th December  Deadline for other organisations to deliver the service extended to March 2011  Grant scheme for next 3 years

Cumbria Tourism’s Role 1.Guidance on new partnerships, new methods of delivery and better use of public funding 2.Modernise and invest in key centres (eg Bowness) 3.Continue and improve staff skills and training programmes 4.Gather and disseminate intelligence and best practice 5.Supporting new countywide Cumbria Visitor Information Partnership Face to face still a high priority LAs and LDNPA to play an active and continuing role

Windermere Business Survey November 2009 Online survey 30 th October – 12 th November Purpose:  Identify importance of Windermere TIC to the local and wider economy, and to individual businesses  Explore the future vision of the TIC 370 businesses contacted 98 responses (27%)

It provides an important feeling of welcome to visitors to Windermere Town (62)

It plays an important role as an information point at the gateway of the Lake District

How important is Windermere TIC for your business? Divide between businesses who rely mainly on the internet and those who receive business from the TIC

How important is the TIC to Windermere Town and the visitor economy Very few businesses (9%) rated Windermere TIC’s impact in the local and wider economy as unimportant

Do you think the TIC should close? Overwhelming majority of respondents feel that not keeping the TIC open is a clear message from the county to visitors that ‘they are not welcome’

Pay a greater commission on accommodation bookings?

Pay a commercial rate for advertising space?

Could the TIC be better situated?

Who in future should be providing the service?

Survey Conclusions 1.Perception that a TIC presence is vital, regardless of whether it delivers direct value to businesses ‘…it provides a shop front for the whole area to visitors coming to this unique part of the UK.’ 2. Majority of respondents prefer current location 3. BUT 272 (73%) businesses didn’t complete the survey

Your views and feedback?