29th September 2009

Minutes of the Meeting 

Chair: Luke Skinner

Attendees

Charles Drury (CD) Ladywell House B&B

Miguel Ferros (MF) Marches TV

David Gittins (DG) Hay Town Council

Pauline Goodwin (PG) White Haywood Farm

Anna Heywood (AH) Drover Holidays

Alison O'Grady (AOG) Little Quebb S/C cottages

Amy Mackintosh (AM) The Swan at Hay

Luke Skinner (LS) Drover Holidays

Richard Tyler (RT) BBNP

Jim Wesley (JW) York House B&B

1. Apologies

Lisa Marie Badham (LMB) Wye Local

Lyn Parrington (LP)

2. Minutes of Last Meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 16th June had been circulated to the group via email.

3. Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

4. Collabor8

Richard Tyler provided an overview of the Collabor8 project and how it relates to the work of the Hay Tourism Group. Collabor8 is a transnational European project bringing together 9 European partners of which the Brecon Beacons National Park is one. The project aims to contribute to the economic prosperity, sustainability & cultural identity of North West Europe in increasingly competitive global markets. This will be done by forming & supporting new clusters in the cultural, creative, countryside, recreation, local food, & hospitality sectors using uniqueness of place as a binding force & overcoming barriers to regional & transnational collaboration.

Sustainability, quality, sense of place (celebrating the natural and cultural heritage of our area and what makes it unique) and the use of new technologies are core themes of the project. AOG sought clarification on the meaning of sustainability in this context. RT explained that this would largely be about good destination management involving both private and public sector organisational, as well as minimising the environmental impact of individual businesses and the tourism sector as a whole. Identifying and understanding how to preserve the unique aspects of the cultural and natural environment of the Park would also be key. October also sees the launch of the Green Tourism Business Scheme, an eco-certification scheme acknowledging and promoting the green credentials of tourism businesses. More details at http://www.green-business.co.uk. Assistance will also be available for local businesses wanting to join the scheme.

The BBNP is now working with ten clusters throughout the Park, some geographical and others based around a theme.

Although a small amount of money is available for marketing, the key role of the BBNP is to support clusters through facilitation and helping to build relationships within and between the groups. More information can be found on the http://www.collabor8.me/ website or by contacting Richard on Richard.Tyler@breconbeacons.org.

5. Tourism Strategy

RT presented the findings of the Hay on Wye Tourism Promotion and Marketing Strategy, based on a summary prepared by Ian Parkin who, together with Carol Parr, authored the 2001 report. The group felt that a number of the observations and recommendations were still very pertinent almost ten years after the initial report.

A discussion followed to find out to what extent the report's findings were borne out in each of the tourism businesses represented in the group. It was agreed that several potential resources, including the archaeological and historic heritage of the area , outdoor activities and local food and craft produce, were currently underexploited. Businesses also felt that it was important to attract “discerning visitors”, who would be likely to stay longer and spend more, and not focus solely on increasing visitor numbers.

6. Aims & Objectives of the group

LS outlined the importance of having a clear vision for the group, to help achieve a sense of common goals, shared values and clarity of purpose. It was agreed that it would be valuable to hold a workshop with the specific aim of agreeing on the group's role and vision. It would be important to consider the interim findings of the 2009 Tourism Survey (which would hopefully be available in November) to ensure visitor's needs and expectations were central to any projects carried out by the group.

RT offered to organise an outside facilitator, however those present felt that there was sufficient expertise within the group to organise and deliver the session. It was also felt that conducting the workshop “in house” would help to create a sense of ownership and better “buy in” from the local community. It was also felt that the workshop should involve a broad range of stakeholders and that, if at all possible, a member of the bookseller community should be encouraged to participate.

7. Any Other Business

NTR

1. Date of Next meeting

The date of the next meeting was set for Tuesday 27th October at 6.30pm at The Swan at Hay.