5D: Alternative Delivery Options
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This section outlines a number of alternative delivery options, including:
- relocation
- co-location
- shared council services
- sub-letting
- contracting out
- franchising
- neighbouring area agreements.
Visitor flow is the most important aspect to consider in relation to Tourist Information Centre (TIC) location. Ideally it should be:
- well signed
- highly visible
- positioned near the greatest concentration of visitors.
The internal layout should offer sufficient space for customers to have access to staff, retail areas and general information displays. There needs to be sufficient work and storage space to meet needs.
Opening hours should be geared to customer demand. They should not be restricted to standard office hours which involve closure at peak visitor times such as weekends and Bank Holidays.
In light of the above and the drivers for change outlined in 5A: Visitor Information Services, T/VICs may need to periodically review their:
- location
- opening hours
- opportunities for providing an enhanced service.
This may result in considering practical alternatives to the current situation.
There are good examples of TICs moving to premises offering a better location, greater visibility and increased footfall. The newly-located TIC would expect to handle more enquiries, influence more visit planning and enable more retail transactions.
The new location may provide enough space for commercial tenants, be more accessible or offer a greater range of commercial services to visitors. It may be closer to a transport interchange or well-known attraction.
Potential disadvantages to relocation include:
- higher rental or premises fees
- more staff needed to cover a wider range of services or longer hours of operation
- the length of time to set up a relocated service and to deal with any initial technology glitches.
A best value review prompted the relocation of Canterbury’s VIC. The existing service in a council owned building was inadequate and in need of refurbishment; any resulting commercial income from the building would be used to offset part of the relocation rental.
A preferred location area near the city’s cathedral and main visitor attraction was identified and within six months, a building became available with the requisite floor-space for commercial viability. The relocation offered opportunities to rethink the overall staffing structure and required skills to deliver existing and planned services.
Specifically, a retail manager was recruited and new services introduced, including a call centre and bureau de change alongside the existing travel desk, box office and information areas. Each income generating area has a team leader responsible for meeting team targets.
All fixtures, fittings and technology requirements were tendered and ordered for the new location. Nothing was transferred, meaning installation could proceed without interfering with service provision.
Within five years of relocating, Canterbury VIC:
- closed a revenue funding gap
- deals with over twice as many visitors as before
- offers state of the art ICT
- has increased Sunday openings.
The commercial cost of premises means relocation into stand-alone premises may not be economically viable for some destinations. However co-location with an existing visitor attraction, museum or retail centre with higher (or potentially higher) visitor numbers can offer opportunities for shared staff costs and increased footfall to benefit both parties.
Other potential advantages include extended opening times and a broader user profile. Possible disadvantages include space restrictions and loss of visibility or identity.
Originally located in an historic building close to Banbury Cross in the town centre, the joint TIC and museum service had no IT, and visitor footfall was declining as the focus shifted away from the town’s historic centre. By 1996, the museum had outgrown the available space and a £5m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was made. The TIC was a beneficiary.
A new shopping centre was built alongside a boatyard protected by Scheduled Ancient Monument status and a small piece of land owned by the district council was earmarked for the new museum building. The TIC would connect the retail shopping centre with the museum and boatyard. It was expected to be the museum’s main entrance and to function as the front of house and gift shop. The new floor area was six times larger than the existing floor space. Opening hours were extended to seven days a week with longer winter opening. The TIC is closed on only four days a year.
A retail consultant with specialist knowledge and a museums and heritage background was brought in to advise on layout, stock ranges, display techniques, till systems and to make introductions at trade shows. Existing ranges were analysed and supplemented with Banbury souvenirs and local craft partnerships. Display space was provided free of charge to non-for-profit organisations.
The new location brought a change in customer profile from people aged 50-60 to family groups in their 30s. This was due to the overall shopping centre location and popularity of the museum café.
Five years after co-locating with the shopping centre the TIC reports:
- 300% more customers
- 900% increase in income generation
- extended opening times
- significantly higher profile.
Some funding organisations choose to make use of the high-quality customer care skills of T/VIC staff by offering a combined service delivery for local residents and visitors at reception areas, libraries, sports centres and art galleries. In the case of local authorities this can mean jointly offering parking permits, leisure cards and bus passes alongside general visitor information; they may take bookings for sports pitches as well as accommodation.
Additionally T/VIC staff can use their specialist knowledge to provide the organisation’s core travel and accommodation booking services, which are often outsourced to third parties.
Premises, staff and overheads are shared and can result in service availability beyond the standard 9-5 office hour provision which is increasingly at odds with today’s multi-faceted consumer.
Potential disadvantages include:
- loss of service focus
- inappropriate mix of services
- space restrictions
- commercial restrictions
- confusion for tourism businesses
- staff lacking specialist knowledge.
In Hastings the local authority wanted to consolidate a number of existing council reception areas into one and to move the existing TIC to a better location.
Hastings Information Centre was required to deliver an enhanced service for all residents and visitors which focused on high quality customer care. Only compatible council services are provided within the centre; those requiring confidential or difficult one-to-one interviews (eg housing benefits, rent reviews) are provided elsewhere. A wide range of council and community services is provided alongside destination information, leaflets, maps and displays, so the centre retains the look and feel of a T/VIC.
Use of the service increased from 45,000 to over 350,000 with a ratio of 60% local people to 40% visitors. The arrangement has not created savings. However revenue growth enabled increased staffing and opening times. The improved location, expansion of available services and longer hours delivers a politically valued service which is mutually beneficial for residents and visitors.
Council services are available to local people seven days a week and residents benefit from access to traditional visitor services such as coach trip bookings. The information service sits at the heart of the council’s communication with local council tax payers, making it less vulnerable to closure threats.
A T/VIC in the right location and with plenty of space might face funding pressure, or seek to relocate into a building bigger than the service needs. Sub-letting or leasing part of the premises to a third party could prove a solution for generating income.
Ideally if the space is accessible to the general public the service can be complementary to the T/VIC. For example a café, shop or ticket agency can increase footfall. Alternately if office space is being sub-let, the T/VIC can provide a reception service for the operator. In smaller T/VICs with periods of staff working alone, the availability of an additional person on site can be a source of re-assurance.
For example, the Britain and London Visitor Centre offers a range of third party booking services on the ground floor, and Internet access and literature displays on the first floor. Rochester, Oxford and Canterbury also sub-let part of the T/VIC premises.
Sub-letting might entail a loss of floor space, but planned properly it can increase:
- revenue streams
- customer dwell time
- retail opportunities
- new custom.
One method of reducing core service costs is delivery of the existing T/VIC service by another organisation, using new or existing staff. This approach offers:
- potential economies of scale
- increased commerciality
- the ability to respond quickly to new opportunities
- access to specialist staff and expertise.
Where the operator manages several TICs it can lead to a more efficient service and significant economies of scale.
The funding organisation retains a financial contribution but achieves an overall saving through reductions in overheads and more flexible arrangements for pay and conditions.
This option delivers a locally-based service. However, it may be less responsive to the community it serves, and lack of long-term commitment to the destination is a potential risk.
In areas with little or no tourist information provision, or where there is a need for alternative T/VIC provision (such as at a key visitor location, retail centre, transport interchange or attraction) franchising may be a viable option.
The service provider meets certain criteria in terms of location, opening hours, staff training and provision of display and information materials. In return they are permitted use of the ‘i’ symbol with appropriate sign-posting.
A measure of service support is generally provided through setting up, training, marketing and telephone helpline. Financial arrangements are negotiated according to circumstances and usually wholly or part funded by the operator. This option offers the opportunity to provide an information service at significantly lower cost than for an independent TIC.
Franchise arrangements are in place in the Highlands of Scotland. In Bristol, four information desks are provided at main shopping centres and attractions, areas of high visitor flow. The benefits include:
- reduced operating costs
- increased footfall
- new routes to market
- a broader user profile.
In certain cases the franchise agreement assists a vibrant high street economy. Potential downsides include:
- losing the focus on information
- inconsistent staffing
- possible loss of identity.
These should be safeguarded as part of a service level agreement (SLA) negotiated with the provider.
Neighbouring area agreements work well in sub-regional areas primarily focused on a strategic/gateway destination. Agreed core services are handled on behalf of the others by the T/VIC best placed to do so.
An example would be telephone calls routed to an existing call centre. This frees up staff for face-to-face counter work and ensures the call centre works to capacity.
Generally better resourced and staffed, the larger service takes responsibility for supplying the other services such as information, handling communications, attending national and regional meetings and training.
The benefits include creating customer service centres of excellence and a body of support staff to cover annual leave, sick leave, etc. Areas to address include adequate financial re-imbursement and potential loss of political support for the supported T/VICs.
Oct 2008