OTG Tourism Strategy

BUSINESS PLAN 2007 – 09

SUMMARY

1. Orkney Tourism Group (OTG) will make a meaningful and measurable contribution to growing the value and improving the quality of tourism in Orkney.

2. OTG will make its contribution primarily by providing effective leadership, assistance and support to tourism operators and by acting as a catalyst that brings local operators together to work on joint activities that will enhance the value and quality of tourism in Orkney.

3. OTG will provide leadership and support to tourism operators by –

1. Representing their interests and their views in appropriate forums.

2. Lobbying other agencies and official bodies on their behalf.

3. Providing them with information and market intelligence that enables them to make informed business decisions.

4. Providing them with networking opportunities that assist the development of their business.

5. Signposting them to sources of support and assistance that best meet their individual needs.

6. Initiating and supporting sustainable joint activities that generate additional visitor spend in the islands.

4. OTG’s main priorities will be to work closely with local operators and partner agencies to deliver key objectives of the Orkney Area Tourism Strategy, primarily –

1. To enhance the visitor experience of Orkney through initiatives that will improve the quality of tourism products and service in the islands.

2. To assist operators to develop their people and their skills through informal networking events and familiarisation visits.

1. To work with other local groups to develop linkages and opportunities for co-ordinated marketing activities.

2. To work with others to ensure greater integration of public transport and enhanced co-ordination of cruise visits.

3. To extend the tourism season out with peak periods through sustainable joint marketing and product development projects that attract additional visitors.

4. To encourage and facilitate the spread of visitors and the benefits of tourism throughout all of the islands.

5. OTG will be an effective and constructive mouthpiece for Orkney tourism, highlighting achievements rather than failures and focussing on solutions rather than problems.

6. OTG will have a confident and proactive Board of Directors that operates efficiently, represents all local interests, and has the skills and resources to manage all activities of the Group.

7. The Board of Directors will be elected from the OTG membership and will meet at least 5 times a year. Directors will undergo training to help them manage the Group’s activities.

8. OTG will increase its membership among local businesses and organisations by delivering an enhanced range of membership benefits that generate additional business for members.

9. OTG will increase its membership fees and other membership income by a small amount each year in order to build up a sustainable funding base that will enable it to expand its range of activities.

10. OTG will promote quality criteria as a condition of membership in order to contribute towards the development of Orkney as a high quality tourism destination.

11. OTG will improve its communications with members, other local businesses and the wider Orkney community in order to raise awareness of the importance of tourism to the local economy and to enhance appreciation of its activities on behalf of local tourism businesses. This will be done through –

1. An enhanced OTG website that links businesses and contains details of all OTG members.

2. Regular member newsletters that provide information on tourism trends, issues and opportunities.

3. Proactive public relations that inform the wider community about tourism issues.

4. Regular members meetings where operators can discuss issues, concerns and priorities.

12. OTG will organise a programme of regular members meetings and events in Spring, Autumn and Winter. These will provide meaningful networking opportunities and focussed training that enables members to develop their skills and so improve their business performance. They- will include a Leaflet Exchange Day and a Familiarisation Visit Day to build up local product knowledge.

13. OTG will work with partners to develop improved visitor reception and orientation facilities throughout all the islands and mainland gateways in order to enhance the visitor’s first impressions of Orkney and encourage increases in visitor spend. An initial priority will be to develop improved reception facilities for cruise liner passengers.

14. OTG will work with other local tourism groups and representative bodies to lobby for improved access and enhanced public transport capacity both to Orkney and neighbouring areas and between the different islands within Orkney.

15. OTG will initiate, lead and support projects to extend the tourism season by encouraging local interests to work together on joint marketing and product development projects that draw on Orkney’s history, culture, environment and hospitality. The Group will lead and co-ordinate applications to secure external funding support for such projects where applicable. Applications will be made to funding sources such as the VisitScotland Challenge Fund and the EventScotland Regional Events Programme.

16. OTG will initially focus on leading and supporting joint projects that aim to attract additional visitors to Orkney in March and October.

17. OTG will develop close working links with area tourism groups in other Scottish and European island destinations in order to facilitate joint lobbying and exchange of best practice.

18. OTG will employ and manage a full-time Project Officer to deliver the priorities of its Business Plan. This Project Officer will primarily work with members to develop and deliver projects that grow tourism out with the main season and improve the quality of the visitor experience in Orkney. This post will be part-funded by Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Enterprise.

19. OTG will significantly expand its annual budget while retaining a small contingency surplus that can be carried forward each year. This growth is budget will largely come from securing external funding support for projects managed by the Project Officer.

20. OTG’s Board of Directors will review this Business Plan every six months to monitor performance against targets and to take on board new opportunities that may arise. The Business Plan will be a flexible, working document.