Articles - March 2004

Actions Speak Louder than Scores – the Application of Destination Benchmarking in Shaping Destination Change
By Lynn Thomason and Peter Colling A series of articles featured in past editions of Insights (January 1999; May 1999; November 2000) have followed the progress of the destination benchmarking programme of research, delivered for local authorities by England’s Regional Tourist Boards... more
The French Market
By Jill Trew and Nancy Cockerell In part due to the geographic and climatic variety of their home country, but also due to the long-standing Gallic tradition of spending annual summer holidays ‘en famille’ in France, the French have been a far less dynamic outbound travel market than... more
Making Partnerships Work in Tourism
By John Swarbrooke The concept of partnership is one of the ‘buzz’ words in tourism today. Everywhere, players in the industry are being encouraged to work with partners for their mutual benefit. Yet, as anyone who has ever been involved in setting up and running such... more
Market Opportunities from 'Down Under' - Focussing on Australia and New Zealand
By David Edwards Australia and New Zealand have a combined population of 24 million, and between them generate as many as 840,000 visits to Britain each year, contributing £622m to the British economy. This article examines he market opportunites from both these countries... more
Marketing a Cathedral on a Shoestring
By Therese Heslop Over the last decade cathedrals in England have been more pro-active in marketing themselves as visitor destinations. What sets them apart from other destinations and attractions? What particular difficulties do they face? This article looks at Canterbury... more
The School Visits Market - Change or Decline?
By Phil Keeley In the past three decades schools have been dramatically transformed in both the manner in which they teach and the way in which they are managed. This article considers the nature of these developments and their impact on the pattern and volume of... more
Sustainable Tourism
By Dr Rebecca Hawkins A decade ago, this paper could have claimed “sustainable is the new mass tourism”. Predictions by the World Tourism Organisation and other leading bodies proclaimed significant growth rates for sustainable forms of tourism and any innocent bystander... more
Understanding the Marketplace - New Customer Segmentation
By Crawford Christie Do you prefer a weekend in Paris or a walk in the Lake District? What is most important for you when choosing a holiday or a day out: tranquillity, quality of accommodation, natural and historical attractions, freedom to do your own thing, or a hassle-free... more