DESTINATION MANAGEMENT

We are working with our partners to re-position Torbay as a year-round, popular tourism destination by developing a shared cultural narrative and tools which integrate culture into place marketing and branding. 

In 2017, Torbay adopted a new, five-year Destination Management Plan. Torbay’s tourism industry is already worth £450m and provides 21% of our jobs. Yet the Destination Management Plan highlights an over-reliance on repeat visits (87%) and a sharp drop off in visits outside of peak season. Cultural tourists are a key market and the area needs to address the gap between what people want, and what they expect to find here. Two thirds of non-visitors seek heritage, history and culture, but only half think they will find it here.

The long awaited South Devon Highway opened in 2016, halving travel time from the M5 to Torbay and transforming access to the English Riviera for visitors and businesses. The new road can only deliver its estimated £1billion impact to the area if we work together. 

The Destination Management Plan focuses on market growth and an increased profile for Torbay as a quality destination, with an emphasis on partnership working, product development (including cultural tourism products) and communications. It aims to develop the destination, the visitor experience, local businesses and employee skills.

We worked with partners to deliver key initiatives defined in years 1-3 of the Destination Management Plan and the Great Place Scheme. Actions included:

• Setting up a new, strategic Destination Management Group, bringing together stakeholders with a role to play in developing and managing the English Riviera as a whole destination. The Destination Management Group will lead the implementation of the plan and meet quarterly to review progress.

• New cultural tourism products such as trails, itineraries, experiences and visitor interpretation, to make the most of cultural and heritage assets

• Market development and communication:

  • a new English Riviera website and social media for increased digital presence

  • new cultural tourism marketing and communications.

The Destination Management project will deliver:

• A robust infrastructure for joined-up working on destination management, so the sector as a whole has a greater impact

• A defined cultural offer in Torbay which attracts new visitors (including international visitors) and supports a year-round visitor offer

• A higher quality visitor destination with broader appeal and improved visitor experience.

Our lead strategic partner in this project is the English Riviera BID Company. The Destination Management Group brings together all stakeholders with a responsibility for Torbay as a visitor destination and is co-ordinated by TDA. Canny Marshall worked as Torbay Culture’s cultural tourism product development partner.

Our Destination Management work has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England as part of the Great Place Scheme.

Outline timescales are:

2017: Develop initial cultural content for new English Riviera website and launch the new site www.englishriviera.co.uk 
December 2017 onwards: develop culture and heritage content for the English Riviera website
During 2018: Appoint Destination Management Group co-ordinator and form the Group, commission partner to develop new cultural tourism products, and consult with tourism and culture sector partners on an approach to cultural tourism
December 2018: At Torquay Museum we shared the findings and presented a new vision for cultural tourism in the English Riviera. Read this visioning document below

2019- 2020: Develop and roll out new cultural tourism products - these include Writers On The Riviera celebrating Torquay’s literary creativity, and Speed Up Slow Down all about experiences across the English Riviera.