To receive an update on tourism in Windsor post-pandemic.

Julia White, Visitor Manager introduced her RBWM Place Marketing presentation to the forum.

Julia White began by giving a general outline of the UK’s tourism industry as a whole. She stated that before the pandemic, inbound visits to the UK were increasing rapidly, however this was of course halted due to the pandemic. She said that travel was the UK’s third largest service export, therefore the pandemic hit the industry hard.

Julia White then informed the forum on tourism levels pre-pandemic, which included 11% of the RBWM population being employed as a result of tourism. Julia White followed this up by showcasing the impact that this had on tourism in Windsor. International visitor numbers were down as much as 80%. She added that there was a high rate of furlough in Windsor compared to the rest of Berkshire due to the high levels of tourism that usually existed.

Julia White stated that 2021 saw a good post-pandemic recovery with a surge in leisure bookings for accommodation providers and weekend rail travel and a high footfall in Windsor high street.  She added that the Omicron variant had caused a devastating effect on corporate Christmas parties, meetings, and rail travel.

Julia White said that the overall goal was to deliver real terms expenditure growth. She said that this needed to be done in a way that maximised the benefits of tourism for the local community, minimised the impact on the community and with an aim to create a sustainable destination with visits all year round. Julia White added that the main focus remained on getting overseas and domestic holiday makers to stay overnight within the borough.

Julia White then discussed the marketing strategy that had been adopted by the borough. This was labelled as Re-engage, Remind, Repackage and Re-present ‘Windsor: Beyond the Castle’. The aim of this was to increase the volume and value of group visits and independent traveller bookings to the borough’s attractions, events, tour guide and accommodation providers.

Julia White stated that the borough’s primary market was identified as being London and other areas within 2.5 hours of Windsor. The secondary market was identified as being the UK nationally and international visitors.

Julia White then discussed a range of other focusses that the borough had when it

came to tourism. These included things such as:

·       Providing leadership for businesses who were looking to increase their exposure to the market.

·       Develop a proposition that focussed on the domestic travel market.

·       Providing relevant digital content and a digital strategy.

·       Increasing exposure through various partnerships.

·       Attending trade exhibitions, networking events and to deliver a programme of educational visits to travel, trade and media.

Julia White then informed the forum of the borough’s plan for tourism moving forward. This included events such as the Platinum Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games. This also included increased social media activity, campaigns and a renewed focus on accessibility and sustainability.

Finally, Julia White concluded by stating that it was anticipated that it would be a mixed outlook for 2022. Currently there was a strong return of meetings, events, weddings and corporate bookings, an appetite from the travel trade to expand their itineraries to Windsor and that there was now an increase in visits from US visitors.

On the other hand, Julia White confirmed that it was predicted that tourism levels in the UK were not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2025. Inflation and the effects that the current war occurring in Ukraine, were also things that could potentially have massive impacts on tourism going forward.

Councillor Rayner acknowledged the hard work that Julia White and her team had done throughout the pandemic when it came to tourism and projects that were being implemented. She added that the travel trade conference was a great occasion to put Windsor on the map and showcase it to other boroughs. Councillor Rayner added that there were lots of things occurring in celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee. The Council themselves were hosting things along with facilitating additional events also. The Council was also imploring residents to attempt to be plastic-free during the celebrations.

Councillor Baldwin asked about the undertaking of a cumulative impact assessment of Windsor town centre and if Julia White was involved in any of the discussions around this new interdisciplinary group that was replacing the assessment and if she was, could she share any information with the forum. Julia White replied by stating that she was not involved in these conversations. The Chairman admitted that he had knowledge of this however stated that it was not appropriate to discuss at a public forum.

Ed Wilson asked if Julia White received regular comments from residents about the cost of parking in Windsor and when it came to accommodation. Julia White replied by stating that accommodation providers were encouraged to make it clear that they had no onsite parking and that they recommend visitors travel by train or other forms of public transport.

In 2017 a visitor survey was conducted, which included questions on the cost and availability of parking. Compared to neighbouring boroughs, the availability scored highly, and the cost sored low. The Chairman said that his recent trip to Exeter showed that parking costs were high, which suggested that this was a national issue.

Councillor Hilton asked about the grants between £10,000 and £25,000 that were offered to businesses during the pandemic and if there had been any noticeable changes. Julia White admitted that feedback had been very positive on this and that the help was massively appreciated by businesses.

Councillor Cannon addressed Councillor Baldwin’s comments on the night-time economy strategy and said that conversations were ongoing and could be publicised in due course when an update could be provided. This was a borough wide night-time economy strategy.

Councillor Bateson asked if there was anything in place to ensure that when hotels in Windsor were at full capacity, would visitors be directed to other areas within the borough to stay, rather than being forced to visit other areas such as Slough Borough. Julia White responded by saying that borough businesses would always be prioritised before visitors were offered accommodation outside of the borough but that the customers’ requirements were the key factors in any booking or recommendation.

Councillor Tisi expressed her excitement that a budget hotel was to be coming to Windsor as she believed that this would encourage more visitors to visit the town centre. Families would also be attracted to the town when visiting Legoland Windsor also. Councillor Tisi also asked if there was any information on public toilets in Windsor and their availability.

Julia White said that from memory, visitor feedback on the cleanliness and availability of public toilets in Winsor, was rated quite highly in the 2017 public survey. A changing places toilet was also due to be installed in Windsor with additional temporary toilets being brought in for the Jubilee events on the Long Walk.