By the Visitor Manager, Julia White.

The Visitor Manager gave Members the highlights since the last meeting.

The Visitor Manager informed everyone present that the Tourism Development Day had taken place at the Ascot Racecourse on the 6 October.  It was noted that around 100 businesses had attended and that the Visitor Manager had received excellent feedback including from partners who had already had business from the event.  Members were informed that the Visitor Manager planned to set a date for the 2017 Tourism Day in the New Year and it was noted that the Visitor Manager would be happy to return to Ascot Racecourse if it was available. 

With regard to refurbishment of the Visitor Information Centre the Visitor Manager explained that it was coming together and installation was planned for week commencing 9 January 2017.  It was noted that the Visitor Information Centre would be closed for five days whilst installation took place.  The Visitor Manager informed the Forum that a package of advertising on both the feature wall and the digital screens was available and had been circulated to the visitor attraction partners.  It was noted that Legoland had already signed up to the package. 

The Visitor Manager informed everyone present that a new welcome sign was being produced for the Coach Park and two train stations.  It was noted that the furniture at the Coach Park would be refreshed in time for the start of the new season.  Members were informed that the Council was investigating a digital sign within the monolith on Station Approach to help show what the town had to offer. 

The Forum were informed that the Visitor Manager was working on a new Visitor Management Strategy.  It was noted that consultation had started last week and that the Visitor Manager had to date met with 18 hotels and 5 major visitor attractions.  The Forum was informed that the Visitor Manager would be seeing other attractions on Wednesday at the Windsor Castle later on this week.  The Visitor Manager explained that a lot of work had gone into evaluating the previous strategy and the results of our economic impact assessments and visitor surveys over the last five years.

The Visitor Manager informed the Forum that copies of the new visitor guide were now available.  It was noted that the accommodation guide and venues directory were nearing completion and should be printed before Christmas. 

The Forum was informed of the Visitor Survey 2016 key findings which were as followed:

o   The highest proportion of visitors indicated that the main purpose of their visit to Windsor was for ‘leisure / holiday’ purposes (86%).  7% were in Windsor primarily for the purpose of visiting friends or relatives, 3% were on a special shopping trip, 2% were visiting for business purposes, 1% were language students and the remaining 1% were there specifically for eating out. 

o   The majority (80%) of the visitors surveyed this summer were visiting Windsor independently, with the remaining 20% indicating that their visit was with an organised group or tour.

o   Of the visitor groups staying overnight in Windsor, 78% were using serviced accommodation (compared to 71% last year), including 69% who were staying at a hotel and 6% who were staying in a B&B or guest house.  12% of all staying visitors were accommodated in the homes of friends or relatives in 2016.

o   That half of all visitors had travelled to Windsor by private vehicle.  26% of all visitors had used public transport and around 19% had arrived in Windsor as part of a coach tour. 

o   That only 2% of the visitors who travelled to Windsor by private motor vehicle used the Park & Ride facility with most using the town centre car parks, parked on the street or at their accommodation base in Windsor or had parked elsewhere.

o   That cafes, restaurants, pubs (visited by 85% of visitors) and shops (visited by 73% of visitors) were the most frequently mentioned attractions visited in 2016. 

o   That as in previous years high levels of visitor satisfaction were reported for many aspects relating to the visitor experience in Windsor.  General atmosphere, quality of service at the Visitor Information Centre, usefulness of information at the Visitor Information Centre, upkeep of parks and open spaces and the feeling of welcome were aspects rated particularly in 2016. 

o   Ease of parking and cost of parking were rated lower than 3 out of 5.

In the ensuing discussion the following points were noted:

Ø  That no feedback had been received regarding taxi’s and the availability of taxis in Windsor.

Ø  That the refurbishment of the Visitor Information Centre would be based on the mid-range option. 

Ø  That the Visitor Manager would inform local businesses and local attractions if there was an additional cost to the standard membership cost with regard to advertising.

Ø  That none of the content of the Visitor Information Centre had been decided to date and that random graphics had been used in images of what the Visitor Information Centre could look like.

Ø  That the Council had had a live aim to grow the economy as part of the Visitor Attractions Strategy and that this financial aim had been achieved over the eight years. 

Ø  That visitors to Windsor could use the Park & Ride facility at Legoland and also the Centrica car park (weekends only) to do their Christmas shopping.

Ø  That a question regarding the take up of the Queens 90^th birthday celebrations was not asked in the survey.

Ø  That the Economic Impact Assessment next year would show if there had been a significant increase in 2016.

The Chairman encouraged everyone present to attend the Tourism Day in 2017 and thanked Ascot Racecourse for hosting the 2016 event.

The Chairman thanked the Visitor Manager for her update and for all her hard work throughout the year.