Destination Check Up

The Destination Health Check is a tool to help destinations understand their current situation and identify areas that need development. By taking a short amount of time to consider each element, a holistic approach can be considered.

Future Aspirations

What does the destination aspire to be and how does it intend to get there?

A formal vision statement

Articulating a clear and succinct vision, that is understood and agreed with all stakeholders, helps the destination to work together with a common purpose.

Destination Resources

What are the main reasons visitors come to the destination? What is the range, quality and value of the product offer?

Number and quality of primary attractors

This is the destination’s “must see” - and the key reasons people visit. Think about the images that are used in branding and promotional materials, and the factors that make the destination unique. Consider the quality – what measures are recognized by the industry and visitor e.g. does the beach have blue flag status?

Number and quality of secondary attractors

These may not be the main reasons to visit but will play a significant role in the overall visitor experience.

Bedstock audit

An understanding of the number, type and grade of accommodation spaces will help product development and identify new market opportunities.

Number of conference / event venues and capacity

To aid major event planning and if a destination is considering growth in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) sector, thorough up to date knowledge of the capacity for conference and meeting spaces is vital.

Number of festivals/events and type of audience attracted

Consider: How many events, who are they attracting, who could they be attracting and how could they be changed or grown? Are they well-known locally, regionally, nationally? Are there many smaller events or a few large scale?

Visitor Experience

Likelihood of personal recommendations. Are visitors satisfied enough with their experience to do this?

Likelihood of repeat visits. Has the experience motivated visitors into returning?

Overall satisfaction

Has the entire experience provided quality customer service from beginning to end?

Market Analysis

Consider: What is the destination’s market profile? What are its sector strengths? What is the value to the destination, and the growth potential, of each sector?

• Volume & value of tourism (annual) for each market segment
• Economic impact – what’s the total value of tourism to the destination?
• Estimated tourism - what’s the Gross Value Added of the visitor economy?
• Visitor spend - what’s the value of different market segments to tourism economy?
• Hotel occupancy (vs England Occupancy Survey)* - useful for monitoring seasonality and to balance supply and demand.

RevPAR*

Revenue per available room (room revenue divided by rooms available) an indicator of the strength of the serviced accommodation sector.

*data provided by T-Stats if the destination participates

Destination Management Review

Does the destination have an aligned Destination Management Plan? Who is responsible for its delivery? How is it funded?

• Structure / organisational model and governance of the accountable body
• Funding streams – for all destination management and marketing activity
• Existence of formal Destination Management Plan - A shared statement of intent to manage, develop and promote a destination and how this will be achieved.
• Visitor spend - what’s the value of different market segments to tourism economy?
• Stakeholder groups (eg BIDs, local authority, tourism associations)

Skills & Capability Review

How important is tourism to employment in the destination? Is the destination’s workforce equipped to deliver a satisfactory visitor experience?

• Level of reliance on tourism (% employment in tourism)
• Ratio of visitors to residents – the scale and impact of visitors
• Seasonality (percentage of businesses closing in winter, percentage of seasonal jobs Is it a year-round destination?
• Direct / indirect employment by sector
• Specific skills gaps (if known) to inform investment in training and business development

Industry Review

What businesses own and deliver the visitor experience? How well are they performing? How committed are they to success at destination level?

Number and type of tourism businesses

Gauges the composition of the local visitor economy and identifies the proportional importance of industry sectors.

Formal performance measures (benchmarking schemes)

Demonstrates the extent to which businesses collectively monitor performance in order to benchmark within sectors locally or nationally.

Business Engagement - (% of businesses with DMO/convention bureau/trade body membership)

Demonstrates the reach of trade engagement by the DMO.

Destination Hospitality Measure

Gauges resident acceptance of / support for tourism, and the extent to which residents welcome visitors, by existence of resident hospitality development programmes.

Target Markets

What are the destination’s current target markets? What are their expectations and how well is the destination meeting them? Are these market sectors growing or declining?

• Clear definition of target markets - who is being targeted in marketing activity?
• Level of market segmentation level of total marketing expenditure and effectiveness of marketing spend (ROI)
• Relationship between destination and travel trade.

Destination Branding

What is the destination brand? What is the brand’s positioning relative to competitor destinations? How do non-visitors perceive the brand? Is there a gap between expectation (brand image) and perception (brand experience)?

• Brand essence and identity – the destination’s core values.
• Perceived destination cluster – consumer perceptions.
• Image gap – are non-visitor perceptions in line with the destination’s formal vision statement?