Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy - Essay Example

? Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy (Edinburgh2020) Introduction The following discussion provides an analysis of the appropriateness of the Edinburgh2020 Tourism Strategy. For the past 20 years, Edinburgh has been on the verge of transforming her tourism industry through developing accurate strategies that do not only attract tourists from within and outside the country but also enhances retention of the already attracted tourists. The motivating factors to changing tourism industry within Edinburgh have been the idea of changing social, economical, and cultural perspectives of the industry. Through changing tourism industry, the previously known season and leisure industry has turned into a rich, diverse, and all-year round thereby attracting many tourists, which has eventually transformed Edinburgh in many different ways and perspectives. From the concepts of the aforementioned facts, the following analysis attempts to create an understanding of the appropriateness of strategies applied in a bid to attract tourists within Edinburgh. The appropriateness of Edinburgh tourism strategy is evaluated in terms of suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Synopsis of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Many transformations have taken place within Edinburgh tourism industry over the past two decades. Nonetheless, this has not been by accident. After realizing the significance of tourism industry, Edinburgh decided to develop an effective strategy, which was to enhance the industry in a bid to attracting more visitors and income from the industry. Edinburgh tourism industry developed an effective strategy aiming at making the industry better for the next centuries. The strategy revolved around increasing number of visitors as well as income per visitor. The first step taken by Edinburgh in developing an effective tourism industry strategy was to create a vision, which was aimed at making the business within the industry an all seasoned. Evidently, an all seasoned industry was going to increase the number of visitors as well as income obtained. Edinburgh had two main aims that the strategy aimed at achieving through the vision; increasing tourism value as well as enhancing image and reputation of the city in respect to tourism. Three main objectives was developed and stated concisely in a bid to ensuring that the aims were obtained. These objectives included to increase number of visits, average spending of the visitors, as well as reducing seasonality across the industry of the sector. The main essence of the Edinburgh tourism industry was to achieve and maintain marketing segments mix that had the capacity and capability of delivering good high yield, all seasoned business activities, and promoting ‘virtuous circle’ (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). In addition, the Edinburgh tourism strategy considered some of the track records of success in a bid to making them better and greater. Over the past two decades, Edinburgh has been able to attain specific benefits and success in terms of growth in both the number of visitors as well as the income obtained from the same. It is through future investments that Edinburgh embarked on to achieve specific aims and objectives in the tourism industry. The strategy developed for Edinburgh tourism was to maintain momentum of the growth that has been achieved for the last two decades for the next decades to 2020 and even beyond. Investing into the future as defined by this strategy involved continuous reinvesting in existing products as well as innovating in new product developed and other new forms of marketing. Marketing mix was an important aspect of the strategy aimed at making the tourism industry better and greater. Investing into the future also involved obtaining more resources such as human resource through enhanced employment strategies (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). The Edinburgh tourism strategy also identified strengths and challenges in attaining such visions, aims, and objectives. Product strengths formed the main basis of developing the strategy. Moreover, the strategy identified key challenges in accomplishing the aims and objectives of the vision, which revolved around stakeholders as well as constraints in obtaining required resources. Lastly, the Edinburgh tourism strategy identified current markets in a bid to targeting future markets. Targeting future markets ensured that the tourism industry significantly changed through increased visitors and income. Enablers of growth coupled with the process of delivering strategy and a brand for tourism also formed part of the strategy. Leadership and governance also formed part of the strategy (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy The following discussions attempt to create an understanding how appropriate the Edinburgh tourism strategy has been in respect to Edinburgh tourism industry. According to Tribe (2010), evaluating appropriateness of tourism industry is based on a specific framework that encompasses suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Suitability, acceptability, and feasibility analyses examine three main questions, does it fit our situation, do we want to do it, and can it be done? These questions results into evaluation of tourism strategies through the framework of suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Suitability of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy According to Tribe (2010), suitability framework takes into account fitness of tourism strategy in terms of C-PEST factors, which deals with the environment, resources, and cultural fitness of the said strategy (Tribe, 2010). Edinburgh tourism strategy is considered appropriate in terms of suitability given that it considered the environment, resources, and the culture surrounding the region. Environmental Suitability of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy: Edinburgh tourism strategy as considered to be appropriate in terms of the environment. Previously, the tourism environment could not favor all seasoned tourism activities (Tribe, 2010). One of the ways of developing effective strategy for enhancing tourism industry within Edinburgh was creation of Edinburgh 2020 vision, which aimed at making Edinburgh’s tourism industry unique and higher in comparison to Europe’s tourist destinations. Focusing on the various destinations of tourism was an efficient and effective strategy that led to not only all-seasoned business but also increased sales revenue for tourists (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). The strategy also considered tourism market as a proper environment for enhancing the industry and business. For instance, having considered the tourism market, Edinburgh resulted into a marketing mix strategy, which ensured that high returns were received in addition to making the business to be all seasoned (Beckett, 2006). In order to attain this vision, Edinburgh tourism strategy states that there is need to not only increase the tourism value in both the city and industry as a whole but also to enhance the city’s image as well as reputations, which will attract and retain tourists (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). These activities within attaining aims of the Edinburgh tourism strategy are aimed at increasing number of visits, reducing seasonality, and increasing average spending of all tourists by approximately 10% (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). Having evaluated the business environment, Edinburgh decided to employ the marketing mix, which took advantage of the opportunities and strengths of the region to tap all seasoned tourism activities. Resource Suitability of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy: Other than the aspects of environment, Edinburgh has enough resources to engage in such strategic moves. The tourism strategies that Edinburgh opted for required extensive resources, which the region had acquired from the previous tourism trading (Edinburgh aims…2012). For instance, the idea of increasing the employment opportunities was one of the strategies given that tourism industry required more personnel to provide services and products adequately. In addition, Edinburgh has numerous tourist attraction sites, which added to the many resources that the strategic more required (Acland, 2000). Whilst employing numerous resources, Edinburgh embarked on a tourism strategy that was to see the region acquire more resources through increasing the average income per tourist as well as increasing the tourism business. In terms of resources, Edinburgh developed a better and more suitable strategy, which resulted into increased business as well as income from the many visits throughout the year. With increased number of visit, increased average spending per visitor, and reduced seasonality, Edinburgh is likely to benefit significantly from the Edinburgh 2020 tourism strategy, which will make the region attain the vision of being a high class in provision of tourist services and products. In terms of resources, delivery of high quality products and services to the visitors has been another strategy, which for a long time made Edinburgh a world class destination for tourists. High quality products and services are designed in such a way that they meet specific demands and needs of different consumers or visitors (Edinburgh aims…2012). One of the evidences regarding the idea of high quality products and services that meet expectations of visitors is through domestic markets where there are products and services corresponding to city break. Edinburgh is regarded as the UK’s preferred region for city break destination in addition to being the “Favorite UK City” from the perspective of Conde Nast Readers’ Travel Awards. In 2009, Edinburgh received an award of the “2009 Best Destination Cruise Port” on the perspective of the CruiseCritic. Lastly, from the concepts of high quality products and services, Edinburgh received the 2010 “Favorite UK City from the Guardian & Observer Travel Awards (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). All these are an indication that with proper provision of high quality products and services, Edinburgh has been able to surpass other regions to emerge a world class place or destination for tourists. Cultural Fitness of the Edinburgh tourism strategy: Suitability of a tourism strategy is attained when the proposed moves do not interfere with the existing culture of the region concerned. In the event that culture has to be altered through strategic moves then such alterations must be positive (Barron & Rihova, 2011). Edinburgh has a tourism culture of providing the best services and products in order to attract and retain more tourists. Any strategy developed should either retain such culture or change it for the better. In this perspective, Edinburgh tourism strategy embarked on providing more quality services and products in a bid to increasing the returns through increased average income per tourist and all seasoned activities (Ellul, 2004). Moreover, the Edinburgh tourism strategy did not interfere with the obvious provisions in terms of services and products rather it enhanced their quality and provisions (Acland, 2000). No doubt therefore, this strategy is suitable in as far as the culture of the Edinburgh tourism industry is concerned in terms of suitability therefore, Edinburgh tourism strategy was appropriately developed to improve performance of the industry. Acceptability of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy A tourism strategy is considered acceptable when the missions and visions are profitable, consider all stakeholders, and does not involve so much risk. Every strategy must have reasonable amount of risk in addition to providing profits (Tribe, 2010). In any case, the amount of profitability obtained from a strategic move must be more than associated risks. In the event that the reverse occurs, associated risks are more that profits expected, then it should be noted that such a strategy is not appropriate. Profitability aspect of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy: Profitability entails the aspect of obtaining a positive return from the costs and resources employed within a given industry or business entity and activity. In the process of developing a strategy for tourism industry, Edinburgh tourism strategy had an explicit vision statement, which aimed at making Edinburgh’s tourism industry unique and higher in comparison to Europe’s tourist destinations (Barron & Rihova, 2011). Edinburgh’s tourism vision is not only profitable but considers all the stakeholders. Making Edinburgh’s tourism industry to be the largest and unique in the whole of Europe is likely to attract more tourists. Attraction of more tourists will be accompanied by increased revenue per tourist visit (Acland, 2000). What’s more, the vision aims at making Edinburgh’s tourism to be an all seasoned business unlike in the previous situation where the business had seasons in order to increase profitability obtained in the end. By making the tourism industry to be all seasoned was a move that would increase the profitability for the region. Within the last two decades Edinburgh has seen its tourism industry grow throughout the year in an unprecedented way, which later on resulted into sustainability of the attained or achieved growth. One of the ways through which Edinburgh has grown and sustained its tourism industry is through increasing the scale or portfolio in public sector investment (Barron & Rihova, 2011). Edinburgh increased public sector investment in product development as well as marketing. Product development was done on the basis of visitors’ needs and expectations while the marketing idea of the industry was on the basis of attaining set vision and objectives (Acland, 2000). Amazingly, the private sector has also joined the public sector in investing on product development and marketing. Combination of investments from both the private and public sector has enhanced tremendous growth within the Edinburgh tourism industry thereby ensuring that the vision and mission of the industry are obtained whist enhancing the amount of profitability obtained from the industry (Buxton, 1998). In this perspective, developing strategies that will promote both private and public investments will be appropriately effective. Edinburgh is focused on a strategy that will maintain the momentum of growth attributed to combination of forces from private and public sectors thus attaining vision and objectives of the industry (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). The profitability derived from the Edinburgh tourism strategy makes it (strategy) appropriate. Stakeholders as outlined in Edinburgh Tourism Strategy: Stakeholders refer to all individuals that are either directly or indirectly affected by activities of a given industry or business entity. All individuals who are affected either directly or indirectly by Edinburgh tourism industry in this case comprise of stakeholders. Other than increasing profitability to the region, the vision statement developed for the 2020 strategy ensured that all the stakeholders involved would significantly benefit. Stakeholders involved in this tourism industry include citizens of Edinburgh, tourists, and the government (Moutinho, 2011). Every stakeholder in this business is likely to benefit significantly from the vision of the Edinburgh tourism strategy. For instance, the governing body of Edinburgh will obtain enough or sufficient financial resources for developing the region. On a different perspective, the vision of the Edinburgh tourism strategy is likely to ensure that tourists receive high quality services and products (Beckett, 2006). Citizens of Edinburgh will significantly benefit from the vision in different ways. The first positive impact will be the employment move by Edinburgh in order to increase the number of personnel providing high quality services and products (Hall, 2004). Secondly, the citizens will benefit from public goods and services that the governing body will be bringing in courtesy of the financial resources obtained from the business. Undeniably, all the involved stakeholders will benefit significantly from the strategy. Risks associated with the Edinburgh tourism strategy: In terms of risks associated or involved in developing and implementing the 2020 strategy, Edinburgh tourism strategy ensured that there were little risks especially in respect to changing of the culture (Buxton, 1998). Risks within strategies usually involve financial resources as well as other personnel due to change of culture or the organization of the region. The vision for Edinburgh tourism strategy had little to change on the culture, organization, and personnel providing the services and products. Therefore, there are little risks associated with the vision making it appropriate (Edinburgh aims…2012). Appropriateness of the strategy for Edinburgh tourism is entrenched in the fact that there were little risks associated. Feasibility of Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Tribe (2010) states that feasibility analysis of a strategy involves the aspects of whether there is a possibility for the involved organization or region to muster all required resources for purposes of fulfilling the set objectives or aims. Feasibility framework of evaluating strategies involves logistics, reactions, and resources (Tribe, 2010). All parties involved in setting up a strategy must ensure that they are capable of meeting all resources, logistics, as well as providing positive reactions to all stakeholders. A strategy that fulfils all these necessities in respect to feasibility test is actually considered to be appropriate for the function or objective for which they are developed. Resource aspect of feasibility appropriateness of the Edinburgh tourism strategy: While developing tourism strategy, Edinburgh had all the required resources in terms of personnel and tourist attraction sites. In situations where the region felt that the resources were not sufficient, positive changes were made in order to meet up to the expectations (Hall, 2004). It is obvious that enhancing employment opportunities within the region was one of the ways of meeting up to the expectations of required personnel to provide quality services and products to the tourists (Acland, 2000). Creation of employment opportunities was not only meant for the whole region but specifically targeted the tourism industry thus making it possible for the region to have adequate personnel for meeting the expected increase in the number of tourists within the region. What’s more, there were enough resources to make sure that the proposed all seasoned tourism business was effectively achieved by providing adequate and necessary resources (Beckett, 2006). From the aforementioned strategy for tourism industry in Edinburgh there is no doubt that all the required resources, be it financial or personnel, was adequately taken care of from previous benefits. One of the ideas of enhancing resources was to acquire more human resource through improved employment opportunities. In keeping with the growth of the tourism industry, Edinburgh aims at creating and developing approximately 40,000 new jobs in a bid to facing out unemployment problems. There is no doubt that tourism industry growth is one way of getting rid of increasing unemployment. With creation and development of new job opportunities there are likely to be less social problems associated with unemployment (Beckett, 2006). Unemployment within various regions is attributed to many social problems such as theft, robbery, and other forms of social decay. Increased social decay is likely to lead into high social insecurity, which discourages various individuals or visitors from coming to Edinburgh. Consequently, this leads to low sales of revenue from the tourism industry (Edinburgh aims…2012). Therefore, by creating and developing new job opportunities, Edinburgh will be able to get rid of or reduce levels of social insecurity, which may impact negatively on visitors (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). Edinburgh therefore focuses on the strategy of increasing job opportunities in order to make sure that social insecurity is significantly reduced for purposes of attracting more tourists. Reactions: In terms of reactions, Edinburgh tourism industry may be regarded as an appropriate move for enhancing such trade. The reaction was positive as well as the logistics involved were attainable. Strategic moves where the logistics involved are unattainable are not only inefficient but are also accompanied by many risks especially in the perspective of resources both financial and human (Acland, 2000). Critically looking at the Edinburgh tourism strategy, all the logistics involved were attained in addition to attesting to the fact that there were positive reactions involved within the process. Therefore, it is not disputable that Edinburgh tourism strategy was an appropriate move to enhancing tourism business within the region. In addition, there was positive reaction that the tourism strategy brought in respect to employment opportunities. Notably, employment strategy for Edinburgh in a bid to enhancing tourism industry is structured in a way that all activities are directed and motivated by the expectations of the industry. According to British Hospitality Association Scotland, employment status of Edinburgh is likely to increase from 32,400 in 2010 to approximately 38,800 by 2020 thus providing opportunity of getting rid of social insecurity caused by increasing unemployment. Tourism industry is a component part of Edinburgh’s economy hence taken seriously not only within the city but also throughout Scotland (Beckett, 2006). Primarily, Edinburgh acts as an iconic destination that is capable of attracting different persons from all over the world to Scotland thereby boasting the tourism industry in Edinburgh. Employment strategy for Edinburgh increased the number of persons working in the tourism industry thereby meeting the high demands for visitors (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). Consequently, Edinburgh became a beautiful place where there were high levels of efficiency and effectiveness. Logistics: Edinburgh tourism industry employed appropriate logistics in terms of marketing strategies that ensured balance between costs and efficiency thereby leading to reduced costs and increased profitability. Edinburgh tourism strategy aims at attaining as well as maintaining market segments mix where they will be expectations of high returns, business activities throughout the year, and a ‘virtuous circle’ involving various aspects within the tourism industry in Edinburgh (Edinburgh aims…2012). The virtuous circle will include high occupancy and business throughout, permanent employment coupled with good profitability, numerous repeat businesses and recommendations, meeting all needs of the customers, and developing an ongoing portfolio of investment especially in staff as well as various facilities and environment directly linked to tourism (Beckett, 2006). These aspects of Edinburgh tourism are likely to create a positive impact on the enhancement and development of measures or strategies that attract, retain, and maintain tourists within the region. Moreover, all these aspects of the Edinburgh tourism virtuous circle are aimed at meeting or attaining the visions initially developed in order to ensure that there are high class services and products within the region (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is true that there are many frameworks of determining whether a strategic move is effective and efficient; the main components of appropriateness of the strategies. Nonetheless, the framework encompassing suitability, feasibility, and acceptability is an effective tool for evaluating appropriateness of a strategy. According to the above concepts and facts, it is true that Edinburgh tourism strategy was not only suitable and acceptable but also feasible. In this regards, the Edinburgh tourism strategy was appropriately developed to meet or achieve the aims and objectives set for the industry. Bibliography Acland, H. 2000, Edinburgh grows in corporate standing, London, United Kingdom, London. Barron, P. & Rihova, I. 2011, "Motivation to volunteer: a case study of the Edinburgh International Magic Festival", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 202-217. Beckett, P. 2006, PURSUITS; Travel -- Destinations: Scotlands Battle of the Buzz; Glasgows got hype, but our London bureau chief -- and native Scot -- says Edinburgh has kept its cool, New York, N.Y., United States, New York, N.Y. Buxton, J. 1998, Scots aim to regain competitive edge: Edinburgh and Glasgow: The Scottish capital is striving to provide a cleaner and more friendly appearance for tourists, writes James Buxton, London (UK), United Kingdom, London (UK). 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