8

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

13
14

Towards quality urban tourism

CT-24-99-049-EN-C
Towards
quality urban tourism
Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

ISBN 92-828-7543-1
OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
L-2985 Luxembourg
9 789282 875438
 EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Towards
quality urban tourism
Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

Enterprise Directorate-General
Tourism Unit

Brussels, 2000

1
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2000

ISBN 92-828-7543-1

This publication has been prepared in the framework of a study contract. The views expressed may not in any circum-
stances be regarded as stating an official position of the European Commission.

© European Communities, 2000

Printed in Italy
 F O R E WO R D
Foreword
Tourism is essential to achieving the general objectives of the European Union, namely the promotion of the European citi-
zen’s interests, growth and employment, regional development, the management of cultural and natural heritage as well as
strengthening European identity.

The importance that is attached to urban areas can be seen from the communication from the Commission ‘Sustainable
urban development in the European Union: a framework for action’ of October 1998 which aims in particular to enhance
economic prosperity and employment in towns and cities and to improve the urban environment.

Quality tourism can contribute to sustainable development of urban areas by improving the competitiveness of businesses,
meeting social needs and preserving the cultural and natural environment.

To be simultaneously successful in all these different areas at the level of tourist destinations requires a global approach,
focused on tourist satisfaction and based on the principles of sustainable development, which is described in this publication
as integrated quality management (IQM).

Although IQM is a relatively new approach, a certain number of urban tourist destinations are making real efforts in this
direction. They have defined strategies with the key partners, are implementing good practice and are constantly developing
monitoring and evaluation tools for adjusting that approach according to its economic, social and environmental impact. The
purpose of this publication is to draw lessons from the experience of these destinations and to make recommendations use-
ful for urban tourist destinations.

The Commission communication on ‘Enhancing tourism’s potential for employment’ of April 1999, underlines the importance
of a wide dissemination of this kind of work. On the basis of that communication, the Council of Ministers on 21 June 1999
gave a further boost to activities in the area of quality and sustainability in tourism. Moreover, guidelines for programmes in
the period 2000–06, adopted by the Commission on 1 July 1999 recommend that the Structural Funds support tourism
development by pursuing these objectives.

The Commission intends to foster the exchange of good practice in the area of tourism, with the help of all the public and
industry partners concerned.

Erkki Liikanen
Member of the European Commission

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 CONTENTS
Contents
■ INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Who is this publication for?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
What kind of urban destinations have been studied? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Working method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
What does this publication contain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

■ PART 1: Context, findings and recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1 – Basic concepts of integrated quality management (IQM) of
tourist destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
General approach and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Developing an IQM strategy — where to start? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What theories are helpful in developing an IQM approach? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Applying an IQM approach to urban tourist destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Chapter 2 – Urban tourism and integrated quality management . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

The new interest in urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Recent trends in urban tourism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
An IQM approach has to take account of the context of urban tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
IQM in today’s urban tourist destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 3 – The dynamics of partnership and design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Impetus for the plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Finding a lead authority for the partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Very different strategic plans and objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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CONTENTS

Chapter 4 – The dynamics of implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Public authority initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The environment and sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Accessibility and mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
The lead authority’s services and support for professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Internal communication and leadership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
External communication, promotion and the new technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Training of competent personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Tourist services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Tourist information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Visitor care and orientation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Accommodation and catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Attractions, events, combined products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 5 – The dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment . . . . . . . 45

The threefold dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Tourist satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Satisfaction of tourism professionals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Local people’s quality of life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Helping tourists to behave responsibly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Impact on the local economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Impact on environmental quality and sustainable development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Adjusting components of the approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Chapter 6 – Digest of recommendations for urban destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

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 CONTENTS
PART 2: Case studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Amsterdam (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Aix-en-Provence (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Coimbra (Portugal) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Dublin (Ireland) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Glasgow (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Gothenburg (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Leipzig (Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Loutraki (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Malaga (Spain) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Orléans & Blois (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rhodes (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
St Andrews (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Stockholm (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Volterra (Italy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Winchester (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Annex: Glossary and references. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

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Urban tourism
Close on 80 % of Europe’s population lives in towns and
cities, making Europe the world’s most built-up continent (1)
and the urban question one of the major issues for future
years.
Urban conurbations mirror the problems that face European
society as a whole: traffic gridlock, pollution, lawlessness and
unemployment. They are not just the main places in which
wealth is created and the focus of cultural and social devel-
opment, however, but places where people live and work,
shop and enjoy leisure pursuits.
Renewed interest in urban tourism since the beginning of the
1980s has brought about a sharp upturn in this kind of
tourism.
Various interlinked factors have undoubtedly played a part in
this: the need to breathe life back into and rehabilitate the
historic centres of towns, wider-ranging and more diversified
cultural pursuits, consumers’ interest in the heritage and ur-
ban development and their search for things to do and for
spending opportunities.
The fact that people are taking more, but shorter, holidays,
the advent of the single market and the general increase in
mobility have also helped to build up urban tourism in
Europe.
Who is this publication for?
This publication is for everyone, whether in the public or pri-
vate sector, involved in managing urban destinations. Not
just those in charge of, or providers of, tourist services or
products in destinations, but also those responsible for urban
development (planning and urban development depart-
ments, development and environmental agencies, etc.). The
case studies and recommendations may also provide food
(1) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
The broader range of activities and leisure pursuits that visi-
tors are seeking is extending what is on offer. This diversifi-
cation is also due to a growing awareness of tourism among
political decision-makers who are increasingly keen to pro-
mote it as a key factor in economic development bringing
wealth and employment.
Tourism is being seen as a cornerstone of a policy of urban
development that combines a competitive supply able to
meet visitors’ expectations with a positive contribution to the
development of towns and cities and the well-being of their
residents.
Integrated quality management (IQM) offers an opportuni-
ty to act on both these fronts: economic development, on
the one hand, and urban development, on the other hand.
By offering visitors a unique and original experience and by
trying as far as possible to satisfy residents’ rightful aspira-
tions for harmonious economic and social development that
shows concern for the environment.
Taking 15 case studies of European urban tourist destinations
as a starting point, this publication highlights factors that
have helped to make such strategies successful, looks at
methods and procedures and shows what resources have
been implemented and what results have been obtained.
for thought for local, regional and national public authorities,
the tourism industry and in particular SMEs which are the
driving force behind and the cornerstones of an urban des-
tination’s quality initiatives.
The publication also looks at the ways in which tourism en-
terprises can help individually or collectively to improve a
destination’s quality.
9
INTRODUCTION

What kind of urban destinations have been studied?

Urban destinations from the whole of the European Eco-
nomic Area that are being promoted as tourist destinations.
They include small towns and large cities, towns with a tra-
dition of tourism and towns where tourism is a more recent
development, as well as towns active in various urban
tourism markets (cultural cities, leisure centres, business cen-
tres, trade fair and conference towns). Residential towns and
towns with fewer than 20 000 inhabitants were excluded as
case studies.

Working method
This publication is the result of a study conducted by the Bel-
gian contractor OGM (‘Organisation Gestion Marketing’)
for the Tourism Unit of Directorate-General Enterprise of the
European Commission.
Information gathered from European, national and regional
organisations and an assessment of the replies to a self-eval-
uation questionnaire sent out to 171 urban destinations in
the European Economic Area provided a starting point for
identifying and selecting the 15 case studies.
A panel of experts initially selected a long list of 28 destina-
tions which, following further examination, were reduced to
a final list of 15 destinations for detailed study (in particular
through a visit to the destination).
The 15 destinations finally selected reflect the diversity of
European urban tourist destinations from the point of view
of their location, size, openness to and reliance on tourism
and the progress that has been made with quality initiatives
and the ways in which such initiatives can be implemented,
as well as their objectives and strategies.
While these may not be unique situations, they do illustrate
real experiences and can in no way be considered to be
models.

What does this publication contain?

It has two main parts:
• Part 1 includes basic information and the study’s main
findings and recommendations. It is divided into three
strands:
— Chapters 1 and 2 explain what methods were used for
the study and what integrated quality management
means for an urban tourist destination,
low-up of such initiatives by urban tourist destinations
and are illustrated by examples taken from the case
studies,
— Chapter 6 is a digest of recommendations for the im-
plementation of integrated quality management with-
in urban tourist destinations;
• Part 2 looks in detail at the 15 case studies.

— Chapters 3, 4 and 5 look at factors playing a key part

in the successful preparation, implementation and fol-

10
 1

Part 1

Context,
findings and
recommendations

11

Basic concepts of integrated
quality management (IQM)
of tourist destinations
General approach and objectives
Tourism — requiring an integrated approach to quality
Improving quality in European tourist destinations is an es-
sential requirement in satisfying tourists’ needs, in enhanc-
ing the competitiveness of the European tourism industry,
and in ensuring balanced and sustainable tourism develop-
ment.
Quality exists only to the extent that a product or service
meets the customer’s requirements and expectations.
Accordingly, the individual elements making up a strategy
based on quality ‘standards’ must be founded on a thorough
understanding of the customer.
Total quality management systems are a common feature in
the approach developed for specific tourist service providers
(tour operators, travel agents, hotels, restaurants, etc.).
However, as far as the tourist is concerned, the satisfaction
CHAPTER 1
derived from staying at a destination depends not only on
experience of specific tourist services, but also on more gen-
eral factors, for example hospitality, safety and security, sani-
tation and salubrity, traffic and visitor management. A large
number of elements have an impact on the tourist’s percep-
tion of a destination, on the level of his/her satisfaction and,
in consequence, on the tourist’s willingness to make a repeat
visit and to recommend the destination to potential visitors.
The success of a destination in terms of the satisfaction of the
tourist is a function, therefore, of several interdependent
components. This underscores the need for strategic and in-
tegrated planning of tourist destinations, together with the
selective use of specific tools and techniques to address in-
tegrated quality management (including quality control) of
the destination.

What objectives does integrated quality management seek to achieve in tourist

destinations?
The reference framework given by the European Commission for analysing good practice in the area of integrated quality
management of tourist destinations and presenting them in this publication is:

Integrated quality management (IQM) should simultaneously take into account, and have a favourable impact on the
activities of tourism professionals, tourists, the local population and the environment (that is the natural, cultural and
man-made assets of the destination).

The integrated quality management strategy implemented in destinations must have the requirements of tourists as one
of its major considerations.

The purpose of this publication is not to formulate ‘once and for all’ a single and official definition of IQM for tourist desti-
nations but to provide practical recommendations to all interested parties on the basis of this reference framework.

13
CHAPTER 1

Developing an IQM strategy — where to start?

Although IQM is a relatively new idea without an official definition, some existing concepts and instruments may help with
work in this area.

A systemic approach
The focus of most traditional quality management ap-
proaches is the individual tourist enterprise. For a destina-
tion, however, the number and range of actors involved nec-
essarily requires a systemic approach that takes account of:
For visitors, the service provided by the destination then
takes the form of a global experience shaped by multiple,
frequent and varied interactions between all the factors of
the system.

• visitors; Account therefore needs to be taken of the whole of a des-

• those involved in the sector (internally and externally); tination’s tourism system, from visitors’ initial planning to
their return from their stay. Any integrated quality manage-
• local people and their representatives.
ment initiative for a tourist destination will take account of:
Tourism is an abstract, fragile, perishable, extremely diversi-
fied and fragmented product. It requires a ‘quality chain’ • economic development in the broadest sense (including
made up of a large number of links (operators): tour opera- social aspects, employment, etc.);
tors, travel agents outside the destination, passenger carri- • the environment, culture and the heritage;
ers, travel agents in the destination, hotels and other service • the market, in its universal sense;
providers. Visitors will also be faced with a set of stimuli with-
• the professionals as well as the local communities con-
in the destination which, although not specifically designed
cerned.
for them, will have an impact on their perceptions: security,
the state of roads, pollution of all kinds, local services (post,
telephone), etc.

What is a tourist destination?

Two interdependent elements describe a tourist destination: • its external reality, based on its image and perception by
the outside world, i.e. its meaning for the tourist.
• its internal reality, i.e. a given space that is:
– internally coherent (a set of actors working together),
– and makes its own decisions;

Quality and quality management concepts

Quality
Professionals in the tourism industry often see quality as a ability to satisfy (the) stated and implied needs (of the
property of the destination. This kind of assessment, taking user)’.
the form of a value judgment, is necessarily subjective since
Subjective or aesthetic quality should not therefore be con-
it involves one observer and his own points of reference. In
fused with objective quality, i.e. that quality connected with
other words we all are tourists at some time or another and
the satisfaction of users’ needs which is independent of the
we may all have our own personal tastes and preferences.
destination’s prestige.
Standard ISO 8402 (2) defines the quality of a product or a
service as: ‘the totality of characteristics that bear on its

(2) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

14

Quality management
Quality management is closely linked to the concept of on-
going improvement.
Quality management is not like a capital asset, but is a task
– in the sense of making something evolve.
It is implemented within a reference framework, uses tools
and methods and involves repetition and evaluation (we talk
of the quality loop).
Standard ISO 8402 defines quality management as: ‘all ac-
tivities of the overall management function that determine
the quality policy, objectives and responsibilities, and imple-
CHAPTER 1
ment them by means such as quality planning (quality con-
trol), quality assurance and quality improvement within the
quality system’.
This definition applies to all sectors. Several international
organisations (WTO, ISO, CEN) (3) are, however, working to
adapt this definition to the tourism sector.
In other words, while the tourism sector does not have an in-
ternational and global regulatory framework, a number of
recent initiatives are moving in the same direction and reflect
the concern shared by all those involved to achieve progress
in this area.

Integrated quality management

For a tourist destination, IQM can be seen as a systematic quest for internal and external quality, i.e. economic im-
provement in the short term and local development in the long term.

Internal quality is the value that tourists receive throughout the chain of experiences characterising their visit from the
initial information that they receive prior to departure to the ‘after-sales’ service. This chain includes private links (pri-
vate services purchased directly at market price) and public services such as general publicity, road maintenance, water
management, public cleanliness, security, etc. Internal quality has short-term aims.

External quality means the development of sustainable tourism with a rational and renewable use of resources such as
territory, energy, water, natural resources, the heritage, etc., in order to prevent problems of congestion. The aim of ex-
ternal quality is one of long-term equilibrium.

(3) World Tourism Organisation, International Standardisation Organisation, European Standardisation Committee.

15
CHAPTER 1
What theories are helpful in developing an IQM approach?
IQM: a new development with a wealth of different approaches
The integrated quality management of a destination, i.e. of
a coherent tourism system, is relatively new. Most of the ini-
tiatives discussed in this study were launched in the 1990s.
There are at least three reasons to explain why IQM is such
a recent development:
• more intense competitive pressures on both the supply
and demand sides;
• the newness of quality management itself which was de-
veloped during the 1980s in the service sector;
• the complex nature of the integrated quality management
of a tourist destination due to various factors:
– the number and range of agencies involved in produc-
ing and marketing the service, making coordination of
their action very complex,
– finding out who is involved, defining their function
within the tourist service production system and their
respective importance in the service that is provided,
– the problem of pinpointing and characterising tourists’
expectations (since tourists are a very varied group that
is difficult to survey) and therefore of segmenting the
different target groups and adapting services to meet
their needs,
Developing an IQM approach in keeping with tourist destinations
Integrated quality management can be approached in a
number of ways. Most of these approaches originated in the
private sector. If they are to be applied to tourist destinations,
they need to be adapted in two ways. They need:
• to integrate the public dimension;
• to take account of all the public and private agencies in-
volved and their many and complex interactions.
Three considerations shaped the choice of the tools exam-
ined in this study:
• the notion of integrated management;
• a dynamic scheme for defining the service;
16
– the complex problem of measuring the global perform-
ance of the system and ensuring improved living condi-
tions for local residents.
Lastly, European institutional and cultural differences, to-
gether with the lack of a standardised regulatory model for
the quality management of tourist destinations, necessarily
mean that different destinations take different approaches
that may be shaped by:
• whether or not there is a national, regional or local statu-
tory framework for quality plans;
• what stage has been reached with thinking about and the
practice of quality management in destinations;
• the degree of integration of:
– the type and number of agencies involved in the inte-
grated quality management approach,
– the ways in which these agencies are involved and their
degree of involvement in decision-making, the design
and implementation of the quality action plan and its
evaluation,
– the various measures implemented by the destination in
order to meet the objectives of the quality plan, i.e. the
processes.
• target group identification.
Taking these three key areas as a starting point, we initially
chose two management tools or methods of analysis that
have proved to be efficient: the EFQM (European Founda-
tion for Quality Management) model and the quality loop.
We gradually adapted these tools to provide a specific ap-
proach: the ‘chart of the integrated quality management ap-
proach proposed for urban tourist destinations’, which was
used to identify and analyse ‘good practice’ in the case stud-
ies discussed in Part 2.

The quality loop for a tourist destination: pinpointing and closing gaps
Based, on the one hand, on the quality loop concept devel-
oped by E. Deming and, on the other hand, on the AFNOR
standard NF XP X 50-805, this model paves the way for a
dynamic improvement by pinpointing and closing the gaps
between expected, perceived, provided and desired quality
levels.
CHAPTER 1
The level of quality that tourists expect is shaped by their
implicit or explicit expectations, which in turn depend to a
large extent on the type of customer involved, previous ex-
periences in the same resort or in other comparable tourist
destinations, etc. The customer’s expectations and percep-
tions of the quality of a service can be modified by active
communication and by the destination’s marketing policy.

Other gaps can be usefully pinpointed and analysed. For in-

Diagram 1 — The quality loop (4) stance, the gap (Gap 2) between operators’ perception of
Implicit expectations Explicit expectations expectations and its translation into objectives (quality de-
sired). This kind of strategic choice can be set out in a qual-
ity plan.
Quality expected
From the point of view of service production, it is interesting
Promotion and image to look at the gap (Gap 3) between the level of quality de-
policy sired by the destination and what it actually supplies (quali-
Quality perceived
Gap 1
ty provided). This gap shows how well the destination is per-
Gap 4 Objective: to close gaps between forming.
different types of quality
Quality provided
• Monitoring of customer Lastly, the gap (Gap 4) between what is actually supplied and
satisfaction visitors’ perceptions of what is available (quality perceived)
Gap 3 • Standards and quality indicators
• Involvement of operators can be closed by a promotion and information policy and
Quality desired • Implication of operators campaigns about the destination’s image.
• Pooling of strategic information
• Incentive system
Gap 2 This model is interesting as it creates a dynamic and high-
• Appropriate technologies
Perception of • Conservation of tourist lights the points of view of the user (the tourist) and the pro-
resources
quality expectations ducer (the service provider). It highlights different levels and
by operators • Training of industry professionals
expectations of quality, identifies gaps between these levels
and makes it possible to close them.

As the diagram shows, the objective of quality management
based on the quality loop model is continually to close gaps
in order to bring the service supplied into line with the cus-
tomer’s expectations. These gaps are divided by type and
need to be corrected in different ways.
There is an initial gap between the quality level expected by
the visitor and the service provider’s understanding of this
level (Gap 1).
The model is global and can be applied to the (public and pri-
vate) ‘tourist destination’ system.
It also has the advantage of introducing a permanent repe-
tition mechanism which is absolutely essential if a strategy of
ongoing improvement is to be formulated and placed on a
permanent footing.

The EFQM model: a global model for the evaluation of quality management
The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management)
has equivalents in the United States (Malcolm Baldridge) and
in Japan (Deming Price). It is applied in many public and pri-
vate enterprises practising self-evaluation.
Overall, the EFQM model breaks down into three stages:
• strategy: primarily involving the whole of the direction
and management structure leading the project, i.e. that
structure that formulates objectives and policies, in order
to develop available resources in an optimum way while
paying particular attention to human resource manage-
ment;
• practical measures: these are the initiatives and plans of
action for each of the interlinked themes (accommoda-
tion, transport, etc.) through which the policies and ob-
jectives drawn up during the first stage can be achieved;

(4) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

17
CHAPTER 1

• results: expressed through measurement instruments and The weighting system used for the prize (5 awarded by
)

indicators of customer and tourism personnel satisfaction,
not forgetting impact on society in the broad sense.
The EFQM model looks at nine key factors of quality man-
agement. The model criteria are weighted but not ranked.
EFQM has not been used in the case studies (see Part 2). The
analysis and presentation framework for these case studies
has been formulated solely from the broad outline of the
model.

These key factors have been adapted so that they can be

used to analyse the case studies of tourist destinations.

Diagram 2 — The EFQM model

People People
management satisfaction

Leadership Policy and Process Customer Operational

strategy satisfaction results

Impact
Resources on society

Enabling factors Results

Using these two basic models to formulate an IQM strategy

These two models are in no way prescriptive and do not set They also made it possible, following a series of refinements,
out standards. In other words, they do not indicate what to construct and test the ‘chart of the integrated quality
needs to be done or how to do it. management approach proposed for urban tourist destina-
tions’.
They do, however, stress, either through gaps (quality loop)
or through self-evaluation (EFQM), what are to be seen as Like any model, the latter is a way of representing reality and
factors of success in quality management. differs from a method which has a number of stages that
need to be carried out to achieve a desired result.
These global models are in keeping with the diversity which
is one of Europe’s competitive strengths: IQM has to provide It is important to note that the many European tourist desti-
a positive impetus but does not have to be uniform. nations which are launching or developing IQM initiatives
are opting for methods that often differ and that are illus-
In order to identify the factors of success in a tourist desti-
trated in the following chapters.
nation the models were used, on the one hand, to construct
questionnaires evaluating ‘good practice’ during the stage of
pre-selection of the destinations to be shortlisted for the case
studies and, on the other hand, to formulate a standard
analysis grid providing a structure for the good practices of
each destination.

(5) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

18
 CHAPTER 1
Applying an IQM approach to urban tourist destinations:
On the basis of the models discussed above and after com-
paring theory with practice, the integrated quality manage-
ment approach of tourist destinations can be shown in the
form of the following chart:

Diagram 3 — Chart of an IQM approach for urban tourist destinations

Five stages : (1) Identify the partners (2) Decide on action (3) Implement action (4) Measure effects (5) Evaluate and adjust

Each stage Common Strategy and Operations Indicators Results

and key elements
project policies
Dynamics of Dynamics of Dynamics of Dynamics of Dynamics of evaluation
Main concept partnership monitoring
design implementation and adjustment

Analysis of the Public authority Tourist satisfaction Evaluation of results

Lead authority current situation initiatives
(Leading the partners);
Integration

main partners and how Objectives and The lead authority’s

overall strategy services and support Satisfaction of tourism
they are linked professionals
Content for professionals
Recommendations to
Environment and Local people’s the lead authority and
sustainable development Tourist services offered quality of life
by all partners before, public and private
during and after Impact on the operators
the visit local economy
Division of roles Human resources Impact on the
between the partners environment

Partners involved Lead authority Leader,

Leader, public
acteursand Lead authority, Lead authority, Lead authority,
and partners private
publics operators
et privés, public and private public and private public and private
and local people
population locale operators operators operators

Ongoing cycle
Integration

19
CHAPTER 1

The IQM approach relates and integrates the five stages that
mark out the quality management chain applied to a tourist
destination, and attempts to describe, for each of these
stages, its driving force, its content and the agencies and
people that it involves. It provides and therefore requires ver-
tical as well as horizontal integration:
• horizontal integration: the approach can function only if
the five stages are linked by a continuous cyclical process
through which all the elements of the approach being im-
plemented can be adjusted on the basis of the results ob-
tained.

• vertical integration: no stage can function unless the ele-

ments that make it up are closely linked.

The IQM approach proposed for urban tourist destinations

1. In the first instance, a genuine plan is needed, backed by a leader capable of rallying and influencing all the partners
in the destination in question.

2. The strategy and the policies that it requires (human resources, natural resources, quality of life, cultural heritage,
etc.) can then be drawn up and placed on a formal footing by the partners involved, under the supervision of the lead
authority.

3. This lays the foundations for the implementation of measures by the various public and private providers of the dif-
ferent services to be provided, both within and outside the system.

4. The approach is regularly measured, using a set of indicators, by the partners involved and the lead authority in
order to survey the satisfaction of the various target groups, integration into the community and the conservation of
resources from the point of view of sustainable development.

5. In this interactive process, the authority leading the plan ensures that results are analysed and lessons drawn from
them so that those corrections and additions felt to be important can be injected at each level of the chain in order to
ensure the correct functioning of the chain as a whole. It is this ongoing repetition that causes the system to operate
as a loop.

This approach has a number of advantages since: – on the dynamics of implementation in Chapter 4,

• it enables analysis of the information gathered in the des- – on the dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjust-
tinations selected as case studies, in Part 2; ment in Chapter 5,

• it provides a structure for summarising the findings of the (all these recommendations are summarised in Chapter 6);
case studies and for formulating practical recommenda- • it makes it possible to develop steering and self-evaluation
tions: of all the measures taken for the purposes of integrated
– on the dynamics of partnership and design in Chapter 3, quality management of a tourist destination.

20
 CHAPTER 2
Urban tourism and integrated
quality management
The new interest in urban tourism
While urban tourism was one of the earliest forms of Urban tourism is complex, difficult to pin down and define,
tourism, there was a major shift away from this kind of and depends on many factors such as the size of the town,
tourism to coastal, rural or mountain destinations between its history and heritage, its morphology and its environment,
the introduction of paid leave and the beginning of the its location, its image, etc.
1980s. It is not therefore a new kind of tourism, but one

SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: R. RYAN

which is re-emerging and growing and which is also helping
to provide more balanced tourism flows between the north
and the south of Europe.

One of the results of this is that in-depth research is very re-

cent, which undoubtedly explains why there is no real con-
sensus about an unequivocal definition and why the statisti-
cal indicators measuring its extent and its many components
are currently so inadequate (6).

Urban tourism can be seen as a result of the growing mo-

bility of Europeans for whom towns and cities are unavoid-
able stopping-off points. It is also a result of behavioural
changes which are making towns and cities into centres of
culture and places of relaxation where people can shop and
eat or pass their time in lively squares and public areas.

In 1990, G. J. Ashworth and J. E. Tunbridge (7) contended

that urban tourism was incidental rather than intentional.
This view would tend to be borne out by the growth of day
trips (one of the main features of urban tourism), transit
tourism, and visits by tourists on holiday in areas surround- VISITS TO
ing towns and cities. FOREIGN
COUNTRIES HAVE
While towns and cities are in some cases the main focus of TO TAKE IN THEIR
TOWNS AND
the visit, they have in particular become places where peo- CITIES
ple stop off before they move on to visit a foreign country
(or a region). Business people and conference delegates, as
well as holidaymakers, are ‘incidental’ visitors who spend a A survey conducted in 1990 among 835 tourism offices of
little of their time in these towns and cities. European conurbations for the first European Urban Tourism
Workshops made it possible to find out how European
tourism offices perceived urban tourism (8) and to put for-
ward this definition: ‘urban tourism is the set of tourist re-
sources or activities located in towns and cities and offered
to visitors from elsewhere’ (9).

(6) Urban workshop organised by DG XXIII in 1998.

(7) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.
(8) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.
(9) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

21
CHAPTER 2
Urban tourism includes activities such as:
• leisure tourism linked to the particular features of urban
areas;
• business tourism linked to the economic, social and cul-
tural vitality of towns and cities;
• conference tourism linked to the facilities available in and
the image of towns and cities.
Many initiatives intended in particular to pave the way for
in-depth thought, exchanges of data and experiences and
the networking of towns and cities have been set up over the
last 10 years. These include:
• the working party on urban tourism set up by the Euro-
pean Commission (10) in 1998;
• the Community initiative URBAN covering the period
1994–99, which had a budget of ECU/EUR 850 million
through which programmes are being implemented in
some 115 towns and cities, in some cases with an impact
on urban tourism;
Recent trends in urban tourism
A number of new trends are to be found, albeit to differing
degrees, in most European towns and cities. They show why
towns and cities need to combine a high-quality tourist ex-
Main market trends, on the demand side
• urban tourism accounts for 35 % of the international trav-
el of Europeans with an annual average growth of 4 %
over the last 10 years (17);
• according to the ETM (European Travel Monitor), urban
tourism has a market share of 18 % and is a growing trav-
el preference among consumers; this is a Europe-wide
trend which seems to be more marked than for other
forms of tourism;
(10) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-
ences’.
(11) Atlantis is a network of 10 towns on the Atlantic, representing 10 regions
and five countries. The network is a forum for in-depth thinking and ex-
changes of experiences on urban leisure tourism.
(12) Including four European partners, the aim of this project is to show how
information supplied to visitors and efficient marketing could pave the way
for an appropriate tourist management strategy that gives priority to sus-
tainable development.
(13) This intermodal tourist transport management project, including four Eu-
22
• the Standing Conference on urban tourism in France;
• projects and programmes such as Atlantis (11), Sustainable
Tourism Management in Europe (12), Gestratur (13);
• the creation of European networks of tourist offices such
as the European Federation of Tourist Offices (FOTVE) (14);
• marketing initiatives such as Art Cities in Europe or The
Great British Cities Action Plan (15);
• the creation of international themed tourist routes or trails
such as the ‘Culture and water’, ‘Culture and walls’, ‘Ar-
chitecture that shaped the face of towns and cities’ trails.
Many interesting initiatives are taking place in urban tourism
which is nowadays very dynamic. There is substantial poten-
tial for development in Europe since towns and cities are both
the places in which most Europeans live (accounting for 80 %
of the European population) and the places where most so-
cial, economic and cultural activity is concentrated (16).
perience with the sustainable development of the town or
city and the advantages that this may provide for them.
• lengths of stay are short, although there has been a slight
increase in recent years;
• Europeans are taking several holidays a year and are
choosing urban tourism because they are increasingly fa-
miliar with and at home in towns and cities;
• Europe increasingly seems to be a network of towns and
cities;
ropean partners, is intended to improve the Community air transport sys-
tem by planning and managing tourist airports.
(14) Brochure drawn up by the European Federation of Tourism Offices
(FOTVE), surveying the cultural output of 42 European towns and cities.
This initiative is intended to promote and develop urban tourism and to
pave the way for exchanges of ideas.
(15) Club of the major British cities.
(16) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-
ences’.
(17) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical refer-
ences’.

• Europeans are increasingly dividing up their holidays, of-
fering further opportunities for brief stays that mix cultur-
al interests, shopping, events and, more simply, travel
abroad;
• the latter two developments coupled with socio-demo-
graphic changes (increased life expectancy, shorter work-
ing week, continued rise in disposable income) are helping
provide a much broader mix of visitor profiles (different
generations, multilingualism, differing socioeconomic lev-
els, etc.);
• tourists are increasingly looking for flexibility and diversity
and for a wide range of opportunities enabling them to
put together a stay of a few days combining sporting and
Main market trends, on the supply side
• the strategic choice of many towns, cities and regions
looking to improve their economies has been to develop
tourist products based on their historic or contemporary
heritage: history, the monumental or industrial heritage,
gastronomy, art, culture and popular traditions, events
and attractions are all resources that can be customised to
provide a wide range of tourist attractions;
• the wide availability of air transport and the improved
quality of railways (high speed trains), coupled with major
price reductions and almost permanent promotional
offers, are among the driving forces behind the growth of
urban tourism;
• since towns and cities are less and less centres of industry,
tourism is being seen as a key factor in their socioeconomic
recovery and is often one of the priority strategies for their
development and rehabilitation;
• towns and cities are increasingly being seen as products
that complement neighbouring more traditional tourist
destinations, from which cultural or shopping trips may be
offered as an added extra during a relaxing holiday on the
beach, in the mountains or in the country;
• urban tourism is playing a growing role in local, regional
and European development policies, whether from the
point of view of regional development, the environment
or employment;
• urban tourism is undoubtedly becoming an important po-
litical issue requiring an ever greater involvement of the
public authorities because of the economic and social
issues involved and the high-level investment (often pub-
lic) needed for infrastructure, facilities and training. This is
being reflected in practice by attempts to make facilities as
multi-functional as possible and by the appearance,
throughout Europe, of:
– conference centres linked to complexes of hotels offer-
ing a wide range of standards, with large rooms that can
CHAPTER 2
cultural activities, events, shopping, social activities and in
some cases themed activities;
• urban cultural tourism is a mass phenomenon resulting
from the growing demand for cultural activities that are
often concentrated in towns and cities (exhibitions, muse-
ums, historic heritage and monuments, etc.);
• the proportion of package tours is increasing, making it
indispensable to involve travel operators and agents in
initiatives to develop tourism.
be adapted to host concerts, sports meetings or even
commercial events (exhibitions, trade fairs),
– vast leisure facilities in towns and cities or on their out-
skirts (leisure parks and theme parks, tropical swimming
pools, etc.);
• in a context that has become extremely competitive,
towns and cities are working on strategies to differentiate
their image and gain a foothold in the market; their com-
munication policies are increasingly sophisticated and set
out as far as possible a strong image of which their resi-
dents can be proud;
• local officials are becoming aware that it is important to
manage the tourism resulting from upgraded local assets.
They are in particular trying to prevent town and city cen-
tres, where the tourism supply is traditionally concen-
trated, from becoming single-function areas that no
longer reflect authentic urban life;
• management of this type requires monitoring and follow-
up tools and, in many cases, the assistance of the public
authorities in coordinating activities and, in particular, in-
tegrating them into other urban functions; local authori-
ties are also having to find ways of coping with local pub-
lic opinion that is intolerant of the disturbances caused by
a massive influx of tourists. For this purpose, they are
adopting instruments such as a local Agenda 21, applica-
ble to sustainable development in all fields, or charters.
Agenda 21 was adopted by 182 governments at the Rio
Conference on 14 June 1992. After identifying those en-
vironmental and development problems that may bring
about ecological and economic catastrophes, it proposes a
transitional strategy based on modes of development that
are more likely to preserve natural resources. An Agenda
21 applying specifically to tourism has been drawn up by
the World Tourism Organisation, the World Travel and
Tourism Council and the Earth Council;
23
 CHAPTER 2

• the approach that urban destinations are taking reflects • in this competitive context, there is obviously a need for
the need for the overall rehabilitation of their environment constantly improved skills and ongoing human resource
and the need to find a balance, within a framework of sus- training (visitor orientation, knowledge of languages, new
tainable development, between resource management, information and communication technologies, etc.).
economic performance and social aspirations. The issues
of accessibility and mobility can also be addressed in this
way;

An IQM approach has to take account of the context of

urban tourism
The following factors are all to be found, although they may • the urban heritage is made up of historic centres, i.e.
be more intense in small historic towns where tourism occu- areas that are small and fragile in comparison with the
pies a key place than in major European cities where tourism, urban area as a whole; overcrowding of these areas
even though highly developed, may be a secondary priority: obviously has spin-off costs: waste collection, street clean-
ing, policing and security, specific facilities;
• while urban tourism is largely advantageous for towns and • there is a limit on local residents’ willingness to accept the
cities, it may rapidly become a threat. It tends to compli- impact of a development of tourism in their towns and
cate the problems of mobility, environmental protection, cities; hence their rightful demands for policies to manage
security, accommodation and so on, with which most Eu- the town’s resources and policies of integrated urban
ropean towns and cities are nowadays having to cope; management and of control — or even limitation — of
• short and repetitive forms of tourist flows. It is only when this limit is respected that
travel are one of the features of tourism can be developed in a sustainable way;
urban tourism; flows of visitors, • the greatest concentration and variety of cultural resources
most of whom still travel by car is in the urban environment (18). Intense tourist pressures in
to and within towns and cities, small areas may pose a threat to other urban activities and
come on top of residents’ day- may then be viewed unfavourably by residents (price rises,
to-day movements and have an property pressures, transformation of places in which peo-
impact on urban congestion ple live into open-air museums, etc.). One of the main ob-
(traffic, parking and pollution jectives of any destination’s IQM initiative is to ensure that
problems); the capacity of particular areas is not exceeded;

THE CULTURAL
AND
ARCHITECTURAL
HERITAGE OF
TOWNS AND CITIES
IS A MAJOR
SOURCE OF
TOURISM
SOURCE:: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

(18) Idem 7. See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

24

• tourists have different expectations and visit towns and
cities in different ways; an appropriate combination, in
space and time in particular, of those elements that make
up the basic tourism supply and its support services is a key
factor in making what is on offer attractive. The range of
tourist facilities, i.e. the supply, is enhanced by these sec-
ondary factors (souvenir shops, cafés and restaurants, car
parks, etc.) which, while they are not the main attraction,
are no less important in creating an attractive environment
that encourages people to stay (19). Customer care, com-
mercial policy and training policy are all areas of action for
destinations that want to introduce IQM;
• unlike holiday resorts, towns and cities are less sensitive to
seasonal variations, bearing in mind their critical mass, the
segmented demand and the diversity of customers. Cul-
tural, business and conference tourism and simple visits to
friends or relations are all taking place at the same time
with the result that towns and cities need to make their
services and facilities multi-functional and ensure flexi-
bility and mobility;
IQM in today’s urban tourist destinations
An initial table of the starting points of IQM approaches,
based on an analysis of a number of actual situations, can be
drawn up from the 1998 study of the integrated quality
management of European urban tourist destinations.
It should be borne in mind, however, that IQM for urban
tourist destinations is a new concept which is not as yet very
widespread in the European Economic Area. The concept is
largely unknown, even among those who have launched
strategies along similar lines.
Initiatives of this type tend in most cases to be taken by ur-
ban destinations which have decided that they must take
steps to counter a decline in their economic prosperity. An
awareness of current issues and a fear of the problems that
developments in other destinations have brought in their
wake (deterioration of the environment, overcrowding, local
discontent) may also provide the trigger for preventive
initiatives.
The factors that trigger quality approaches within destina-
tions can be grouped under six headings:
• a long-standing and well-established tradition as a tourist
destination, together with a major cultural and historic
heritage, often form the basic capital onto which the qual-
ity approach is grafted. The approach taken by this kind of
destination, which is heavily reliant on tourism, tends to be
most in keeping with the twin objectives pursued by IQM,
(19) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.
CHAPTER 2
• one of the features of towns and cities is the impressive
number of public and private agencies involved in the
tourism sector. Leadership and the involvement of all these
agencies are key elements in a strategy to improve
quality;
• in urban tourism, tourist functions and urban functions are
particularly interwoven and interdependent. Urban devel-
opment will have an impact on tourist appeal and, vice
versa, tourist flow management policies will have an
impact on urban development choices. Tourist policy and
urban policy are therefore closely linked;
• from a geopolitical point of view, IQM makes it necessary
to see the urban area as part of a larger geographical area
for the circulation and management of flows, where over-
all appeal can be improved by town and country or town
and seaside combinations, etc. This vertical integration re-
quires close cooperation with the competent authorities at
every level.
i.e. systematically trying to find a way of satisfying every-
one involved (residents, tourists, tourism industry employ-
ees) and using the destination’s resources in an optimum
way in order to preserve its heritage and environment in
the long term;
• urban destinations have not always fully appreciated the
economic importance of tourism. Everyone now seems to
be aware that it has a key role to play in economic devel-
opment because of the revenue that is generated and the
jobs that are directly or indirectly created by tourist activ-
ities. There is a particularly keen awareness of this in cities
and their regions. There are very few cities that do not pay
considerable attention to economic factors and job cre-
ation or that fail to become aware that they need to im-
prove the quality of their tourism if they are to retain their
appeal and their competitive position;
• public funding, especially from the European Structural
Funds, is also a powerful catalyst. It may bring about ini-
tiatives that include many elements of an IQM approach
because in-depth thought is required, strategy has to be
formalised and action has to be planned;
• the lack of a consistent urban development and land use
policy often causes a gradual deterioration of a tourist des-
tination’s environment. A desire to put a stop to this dete-
rioration or to stave off environmental deterioration and
its future consequences on tourism development may pro-
vide a starting point for IQM;
25
CHAPTER 2
• a destination’s position relative to comparable towns and
regions (competitive benchmarking) or a gradual decline
of tourism is also among the factors that cause a destina-
tion to react. Tourism that is growing at a rate below the
national average or a downturn in a destination’s relative
position in a growing market are both situations that may
highlight the fact that tourism is not an activity that ‘runs
itself’;
26
• lastly, a quality initiative can be run at a reasonable cost
and on a cooperative basis by local authority partnerships.
This type of partnership also paves the way for geograph-
ical synergies in terms of implementation strategies, pool-
ing of resources and development of more attractive com-
bined products that are likely to place this kind of plan on
a stronger footing.

The dynamics of partnership
and design
Integrated quality management for tourist destinations is a
new approach which is not as yet very widespread in the Eu-
ropean Economic Area. This study illustrates what progress
has been made.
Fifteen destinations were selected for a detailed study of
their individual total quality strategies. Part 2 contains a de-
tailed case study of each of these destinations.
As a preliminary to these 15 individual case studies, it may
be useful to pick out a sample of good practices and to pin-
point any original or new approaches that were discovered
during the field studies. This presentation follows, albeit
somewhat flexibly, the study’s working method based on the
IQM approach proposed for tourist destinations discussed in
the previous pages.
As a minimum, IQM makes it necessary to take account, to
different degrees in different destinations, of three levels of
awareness which are ever present in the IQM approach pro-
posed for tourist destinations:
• visitor satisfaction;
• the satisfaction of tourism industry professionals;
• integration into the community measured by:
– the satisfaction of residents and other socioeconomic
agencies in the destination and its neighbouring area,
– environmental protection and the reasonable and sus-
tainable use of natural and cultural resources.
CHAPTER 3
Perceiving quality management in an integrated way makes
it necessary to draw up ambitious plans that cover all the
components of the tourist experience and integrate all the
destination’s tourism and economic development functions.
This chapter, part and parcel of the IQM approach proposed
for tourist destinations, looks successively at the following
issues:
• What is the basic impetus for a quality plan and what con-
textual factors generally lead to a quality plan?
• Is there enough political will (in the broadest sense) to get
the plan off the ground? Is there a resolute and recognised
authority? With which partners will it work?
• What strategy is required? What support policies does it
need and what concrete objectives are to be achieved?
In other words, the first step is to:
• determine what particular problem constitutes the start-
ing point;
• identify that authority able to lead the project and rally
and unite all those involved;
• lay down a strategy and policies, for which the destina-
tion will then formulate methods of implementation
(Chapter 4) and measurement and control instruments
(Chapter 5).
Partnership dynamics (the plan) and design dynamics (strat-
egy and policies) will be examined successively.
SOURCE: GREATER GLASGOW AND CLYDE VALLEY TOURIST BOARD
27
CHAPTER 3

Impetus for the plan

Various situations or contexts may provide an impetus for or Analysis of the 15 case studies highlights six very different
point to the need for a quality approach or a quality plan. All factors that are often combined.
the destinations studied had good reasons for their recent
and in some cases sudden interest in this type of approach;
they seem, however, to be applying this approach more as a
corrective than as a preventive measure.

Table 1: Factors triggering an integrated quality management approach

Reasons/factors Proactive Economic and Safeguarding Problems Threat of Environment
approach development market shares, and need for recession
potential stepping up repositioning or actual
Towns and controlling recession
growth

Aix-en-Provence (F)

Amsterdam (NL)

Orléans and Blois (F)

Coimbra (P)

Dublin (IRL)

Glasgow (UK)

Gothenburg (S)

Leipzig (D)

Loutraki (GR)

Malaga (E)

Rhodes (GR)

Stockholm (S)

St Andrews (UK)

Volterra (I)

Winchester (UK)

Proactive or spontaneous generation of a quality approach

A long-standing and well-established tradition as a tourist sources in order to preserve its environment and ensure its
destination, coupled with a rich cultural and historic heritage, survival.
is often the basic capital onto which a proactive approach is
Good examples of this are the northern European cities and
grafted.
large towns of Dublin (IRL), Glasgow (UK), Stockholm and
This kind of destination, heavily reliant on tourism, tends Gothenburg (S), as well as towns such as St Andrews (UK),
spontaneously to develop approaches that are most in line Winchester (UK) and Orléans and Blois (F) working within
with the theoretical models of IQM (quality loop and the a context of regional tourism.
EFQM model). These approaches are intended systematical-
ly to find ways of satisfying the various actors involved (res-
idents, tourists, tourism industry employees) and of making
optimum use of the destination’s natural and cultural re-

28

Awareness of economic and development potential
Urban tourist destinations, very active in other areas, have
not always seen the genuine economic importance of
tourism. Everyone now seems to be aware that it has a key
role to play in economic development both because of the
revenue that is generated and the jobs that are directly
and/or indirectly created by tourism activities.
Tourism is an economic activity that the host urban fabric
needs, although it may not be essential. Awareness of its po-
tential impact led, in 6 of the 15 case studies, to the need to
find an answer and the introduction of a quality approach:
Stockholm (S), Dublin (IRL), Winchester (UK), Rhodes (GR),
Orléans and Blois (F) and Coimbra (P).
Access to large-scale financial subsidies, such as the Struc-
tural Funds, may also be a powerful catalyst and give rise to
approaches that include many elements of IQM. This kind of
approach is illustrated by the town of Coimbra (P) where,
starting from a strategy of urban renewal and development,
the town:
RESOURCE
CONSERVATION
Maintaining appeal and competitive position
Every urban destination becomes aware at some point that
it needs to improve the quality of its tourism if it is to retain
its market share (business and cultural tourism in Leipzig
The political will to improve quality
Whether the result of a general development (the opening-
up of eastern Europe) as in Leipzig (D), a local situation (ar-
rival of new officials) as in Aix-en-Provence (F) or even a
problem connected with the environment as in Malaga (E),
political will is a factor that helps to get a quality approach
off the ground.
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO
CHAPTER 3
• is asking local people what they feel about the develop-
ment of tourism and what methods should be used;
• is endeavouring to improve the quality of life in the town
centre and to upgrade its cultural and historic heritage for
the benefit of residents and tourists;
• is trying to safeguard the environment through an official
guide that has been widely disseminated among the
public.
Lastly, partnerships between municipalities, provinces or re-
gions may make it possible to launch and manage a quality
approach at a reasonable cost through co-financing, joint
attempts to locate funding, etc. This type of partnership
promotes geographical synergies, shared implementation
strategies, pooled resources and the development of more
attractive combined products, likely to place this kind of plan on
a stronger footing. Orléans and Blois (F) have, for instance,
launched their quality initiative under a State–region planning
contract that uses an approach having common and comple-
mentary strands to forge cooperation links between towns.
(D)), to consolidate its competitive position (Gothenburg (S))
or to control the growth of tourism (Winchester (UK) and
Volterra (I)).
A BETTER
QUALITY
OF LIFE IN
TOWN CENTRES
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE
29
CHAPTER 3

Reviving tourism
One of the six factors that cause urban destinations to react
is their worsening relative position with respect to compar-
able towns and regions and/or a gradual decline of tourism,
when this has not reached a stage that requires some kind of
repositioning.
Aix-en-Provence (F) and Amsterdam (NL), where the
growth of tourism has been lower than the national average
and there has been some stagnation or even decline of their
relative position in a constantly growing market, are both ex-
amples of cities that have become aware that tourism is not
an activity that ‘runs itself’. Their respective attempts to
tackle a major recession due largely to a parallel reduction of
prices and service quality and to put a stop to uncontrolled
urban development also place Rhodes (GR) and Loutraki
(GR) in this category.

Environmental protection
The lack of a cohesive urban development, land use and flow The approach taken by Malaga (E) has been to combine a
management policy often causes a gradual deterioration of strategic plan setting out an environmental protection poli-
an urban tourist destination’s environment. Awareness of cy with a local Agenda 21 and an URBAN Community ini-
this deterioration and its future impact on tourism develop- tiative supported by the European Union and intended to
ment and residents’ quality of life may generate reactions upgrade infrastructure and environmental conditions.
that ultimately lead to the introduction of a quality policy.
Loutraki (GR) (where there has also been a natural disaster)
and Rhodes (GR), are both towns where tourism plays a key
role in economic development.

Finding a lead authority for the partners

Who are the main partners and how are they linked?
Quality plans are managed and organised in a whole range A wide range of management and organisational formulas
of ways and urban tourism involves a whole range of agen- are reported in the 15 case studies:
cies: public and private authorities having different levels of
• a single person responsible at destination level for imple-
responsibility for tourism, tourism and tourist information of-
menting the tourism management plan in St Andrews
fices, enterprise associations, chambers of commerce, public
(UK) and Aix-en-Provence (F);
and private enterprises in various sectors (travel agents out-
side and within the destination, tour operators, hoteliers and • a foundation with a few hundred members, mostly enter-
restaurateurs, curators of museums and attractions, tourist prises, supported by the local government in Amsterdam
guides, etc.) and local communities. Whatever formula is (NL);
chosen, the ability to rally the various agencies involved in • the municipality itself, supported by public bodies, in
tourism around a common plan is a key factor in success. Malaga (E);
Public bodies, non-profit-making associations and mixed or • the regional authorities of Coimbra (P) and a local gov-
private enterprises may all have these rallying and leadership ernment department in Winchester (UK);
abilities.
• a private mixed association along the lines of a consor-
Whatever formula is chosen and however it is organised, tium, uniting the majority of enterprises in all economic
there has to be strong leadership, i.e. an authority that is and other sectors in Volterra (I);
recognised and accepted, at all stages of the plan — design,
implementation and evaluation and monitoring. In the ab-
sence of such an authority, there has at least to be a widely
accepted consensus as to the division of prerogatives be-
tween the agencies involved.

30

• an ad hoc steering committee uniting, under regional su-
pervision, the main proponents of the quality approach
and representatives from the private and public sectors in
Orléans and Blois (F).
The status of these leadership bodies is therefore very differ-
ent, ranging from a private enterprise in Leipzig (D) to a non-
profit-making association and a consortium in Rhodes (GR)
Division of roles between the partners
The degree of horizontal and vertical integration of the vari-
ous partners also differs, although there is always some kind
of local authority involvement:
• the destination’s municipal authorities are always in-
volved;
• neighbouring municipal authorities are in some cases in-
volved in the various plans, especially when local
authority associations have been set up;
• the regional and/or national authorities in most cases play
a particularly active role (in Spain, France, Italy, and the
United Kingdom).
Some organisations are particularly complex. In Glasgow
and St Andrews (UK) public bodies at different levels are in-
volved alongside private enterprises, national professional
associations, etc. Other organisations are very simple, with a
single authority leading all the public and private partners,
such as the Dublin Tourism Agency in Dublin (IRL).
All these organisational formulas make provision for close or
fairly close involvement of the private tourism industry, at
least on a consultative basis, through ad hoc associations or
Very different strategic plans and objectives
Strategies that clearly refer to quality as one of their key
elements are fairly uncommon. Urban destinations’ strate-
gies are in most cases set out in a tourism development
and/or marketing plan.
It is very important for destinations to draw up this kind of
plan, i.e. a written reference document with a degree of per-
CHAPTER 3
and Volterra (I), a local authority department in Winchester
(UK) and Aix-en-Provence (F), a municipal enterprise in
Loutraki (GR) and even a mixed company with balanced
public and private sector representation in Gothenburg (S).
Cooperation with the private sector seems to be extremely
advanced in some cases such as Stockholm (S).
organisations with differing degrees of formality and
through the willingness of the various partners to cooperate.
What they all have in common is a genuine and dynamic
leader, who may or may not have been officially appointed
and who has often been the initiator of the quality approach.
There can be no integrated quality management without
strong leadership.
Lastly, it is interesting to note that the structures set up in
Glasgow and St Andrews (UK) and their quality plans are rel-
atively similar. What this shows is that the separate imple-
mentation of plans of this kind by different tourist destina-
tions in the same region or in the same country may ulti-
mately lead to standard approaches to certain key aspects of
IQM. In these cases there is, however, fairly advanced, re-
gional or national, vertical integration of management
(Quality Plan for Scotland in this particular case).
manence. This plan will, depending on the case, be drawn
up with varying degrees of participation by tourism industry
professionals and local people. It can then provide an official
basis and is a strong political gesture that affirms the key
choices made by the town.
31
CHAPTER 3
Analysis of current situation
Introducing integrated quality management for urban tourist
destinations makes it necessary to provide all the partners
with a detailed analysis of the current situation of tourism in
the destination (SWOT analysis (20)): position with respect to
main market trends; potential for, and limits of, sustainable
development; strengths and weaknesses.
In this analysis it should be borne in mind that:
• meeting customers’ expectations and ensuring their satis-
faction is crucial to the success of an IQM strategy. These
can be analysed and measured by surveys and enquiries
among industry professionals, intermediaries and service
providers;
Objectives and overall strategy
Quality approaches are being developed in the tourism in-
dustry to meet a wide range of objectives or combinations of
several objectives:
• the priority of some destinations is to increase visitor
numbers and extend the tourist season in order to max-
imise tourism’s economic impact;
• the main concern of other destinations, such as Dublin
(IRL), is quality of life and the environment;
• the priority of other destinations, such as Volterra (I), is to
extend the length of stay and systematically to develop
high-quality visitor orientation;
• other destinations, such as Amsterdam (NL), are gradual-
ly transforming what they have on offer by adding new
tourist services or upgrading existing resources.
The case studies show strategies and objectives that are as
different as they are original and that are set out in action
plans intended:
• in the area of development
– to protect and improve residents’ quality of life:
tourism management at St Andrews (UK), tourism
strategy in Malaga (E) (city redevelopment plan) or
strategic objectives (formal declaration of the district
strategy) in Winchester (UK),
– to create and improve the quality of jobs in the indus-
try and to improve the quality of the visitor experience
in Glasgow (UK),
– to upgrade the area within a context of economic de-
velopment that is likely to be of benefit to both local
(20) Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
32
• customers’ requirements and expectation levels may
change over time: comparative analyses should help to
pinpoint basic market trends on both the supply and the
demand side;
• originality, overall consistency and respect of the authen-
ticity of places and local people (traditions, culture, daily
life) play a part in positioning an urban destination;
• assessment of the potential for sustainable use of natural
and cultural resources defines the boundaries within which
those in charge of tourism can put together their supply,
especially in the area of flow management.
people and tourists in Coimbra (P) (urban strategic
plan) and in Rhodes City (GR) (municipal action pro-
gramme),
– to coordinate the use of resources in order to underpin
the harmonious development of an area in Orléans and
Blois (F);
• in the area of image
– to improve the destination’s image by high-quality
marketing and communication measures in Amsterdam
(NL) (three-yearly surveys),
– to create a strong brand image for a particular type of
tourist product in Loutraki (GR), Stockholm (S) and
Leipzig (D).
It should also be noted that, at national level, only France
and Spain explicitly mention quality: ‘Quality Approach’ in
France, ‘Excellence and Quality
Plans’ in Spain.
SOURCE: AMSTERDAM TOURIST OFFICE
THE QUALITY PLAN
IS A BASIS FOR
COMMUNICATION
 CHAPTER 3
SOURCE: ORLÉANS TOURISM OFFICE/CREDIT: JÉRÔME GRELET, MUNICIPALITY OF ORLÉANS

ENVIRONMENTAL
PRESERVATION
AND
IMPROVEMENT
IS A PRIORITY

Environment and sustainable development

Considerable importance is attached to the environment in trict closely mirrors the 13 general themes of this Agenda
many quality approaches, for instance: 21;

• an environmental workshop has been set up and an envi- • a 10-point Agenda 21 has been drawn up in Gothenburg
ronmental charter drawn up for the period 1996–2000 in (S) giving priority to the environment (environmental
Aix-en-Provence (F); areas where vehicle traffic is restricted);

• a Green Charter has been introduced in Malaga (E) as well • the tourism and environment task force in St Andrews
as a local Agenda 21 covering all areas of development (UK).
and of the URBAN programme for the period 1995–99;
• a local Agenda 21 has been adopted in Winchester (UK),
where the strategic tourism development plan for the dis-

Human resources: training schemes

Any strategic plan for tourism development has to empha- – support for the self-evaluation of training needs by
sise the importance of vocational training. It needs, for this personnel in the sector or the creation of a monitoring
purpose, to include: system by the authorities in charge of tourism intended
to help enterprises better to identify their weaknesses
• full and high-quality information:
and to work out what remedies are needed;
– for tourism professionals, covering the various training
• the organisation of specific training for:
institutions in the town, region or even country as well
as the programmes of training that these institutions – tourism professionals, especially in the areas of man-
offer, agement, foreign languages, information and reserva-
tion systems and new technologies such as the Internet,
– for local people and people in neighbouring areas, in
interactive terminals and electronic mail,
particular jobseekers, covering all tourism trades and
the career opportunities offered by the sector, vacan- – occasional and seasonal workers (guides, reception per-
cies and the initial training schemes available, sonnel, cashiers, waiters and cleaning staff in the hotel
and catering sector, etc.) covering general information
– measures to encourage enterprises to train their per-
on the town, its history and principal natural and cul-
sonnel by awards of certificates, diplomas, standards or
tural attractions, seasonal events, curiosities and culi-
prizes that recognise qualifications or by block release
nary specialities, etc.
training schemes, apprenticeship contracts and work
experience,

33
CHAPTER 3
The various quality strategies of the destinations studied in-
clude a number of these vocational training initiatives:
• training in craft work for women in Rhodes (GR);
• training seminars to improve services in Loutraki (GR);
• particular attention is being paid to the training of tourism
professionals in the United Kingdom where a national pro-
gramme called ‘Investors in People’ is being implemented
by local agencies supporting the development of enter-
prises, including tourism industry enterprises, as in St An-
drews and Glasgow. To obtain this quality label, enter-
SOURCE: ST ANDREWS TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
(21) WINGS database: ‘Work in new goal settings’.
34
prises have to undertake to train their personnel, to help
them to achieve their career objectives, regularly to review
their training needs, to implement the necessary pro-
grammes and lastly to evaluate the results of such train-
ing;
• a variety of training schemes that are open to everyone in
Leipzig (D) (marketing, use of computer systems, lan-
guages, visitor care and orientation, telephone skills, pub-
lic relations, etc.);
• the WINGS targeted training database (21) in Gothenburg
(S).
CONTINUING
TRAINING HELPS
TO IMPROVE
QUALITY
 CHAPTER 4
The dynamics of implementation
Implementing integrated quality management makes it nec- Depending on these priorities, each destination formulates a
essary to move on from the ‘before’ to the ‘during’; the set of actions likely to help overall and/or individually to im-
process then enters the dynamic stage of implementation: prove the quality of all aspects of tourism: visitor satisfaction,
putting operations and actions into practice. satisfaction of residents and tourist enterprise employees and
rational use of the destination’s resources.
When drawing up and implementing their integrated quali-
ty management plans, destinations’ choices of priority are
shaped by the reasons that have set in motion their initial
thinking about the need for a strategy of this kind.

These measures take different forms:

• public authority initiatives relating chiefly to:

– the environment and sustainable development,
– accessibility and mobility,
– security;
• support by the leader for tourism industry professionals including:
– internal communication and leadership,
– promotion and external communication, new technologies,
– training of personnel;
• services offered to tourists including:
– information, orientation and signposting,
– accommodation and catering,
– combined products.

Public authority initiatives

The wide range of forms of tourism is reflected by a wide
range of interests and practices of the various segments of
the tourist population.
Any urban destination that wishes to optimise the econom-
ic impact of tourism in a sustainable way, while safeguarding
the quality of life of its local people, has to find answers that
match the expectations of these different market segments.
The ability of an urban tourist destination, on the one hand,
to make the most of the assets represented by its natural re-
sources and cultural and historic heritage and, on the other
hand, to organise visits to them in ways that are most in
keeping with target customer needs, is a key factor in
success.

35
 CHAPTER 4

A destination’s public authorities therefore tend to introduce as far as possible to meet customer expectations, while main-
a range of initiatives to upgrade existing resources in order taining the quality of life of local people.

The environment and sustainable development

Policies to develop tourism are placing increasing stress on
sustainable development, especially its environmental di-
mension. Practical measures in most cases cover a very wide
range of aspects of the destination and are part and parcel
of a general policy of environmental protection and man-
agement.
Some of the urban destinations studied have already adopt-
ed measures, for instance:
• Coimbra (P) decided in 1990 that it needed to improve
public areas and to revitalise the town centre by recon-
necting it with the river (which had previously been regu-
lated by an upstream dam) and by integrating its outlying
areas as far as possible. In order to achieve these objec-
tives the town drew up a town plan that took account of
existing tourist attractions and their future development.
The development of a tourism centre on one of the banks
of the river (hotels, golf course and conference centre)
helped to structure flows and the urban tourist area in a
different way;
• Rhodes (GR) offers an example of another kind of tourism
development linked to the social development of the
town. Faced with a progressive desertion of the old town
due in particular to a deteriorating environment, the local
authority launched a vast programme of reconstruction
and maintenance of derelict buildings in order to convert
them into low-rent accommodation and breathe new life
back into the heart of the town;
• Gothenburg (S), concerned to safeguard the environment,
started to sort and recycle waste.

Accessibility and mobility

HIGH-QUALITY Personal transport, in particular the car, is occupying an ever • public transport networks that combine several methods
PUBLIC
growing place in our society. Cars are still the form of trans- of travel (train, underground, bus, tram, boat, taxi, bicycle,
TRANSPORT
NETWORKS ARE port most widely used by tourists in Europe. These urban foot, etc.) and that are high quality and competitively
NEEDED tourist flows exacerbate day-to-day problems and generate priced (or even free in some cases);
traffic and parking prob- • park-and-ride schemes, on the outskirts of towns and
lems that are increasingly cities and close to public transport, that are easily accessi-
difficult to resolve, and ble, sufficiently large and reasonably priced or free with a
substantially increase shuttle service connecting them to the town centre;
pollution in towns and
• specific products and services for tourists: inclusive pub-
cities.
lic transport passes, package tours including travel passes,
Acceptable limits have in practical guides to towns, entrance fees for attractions,
many cases been exceed- shopping discounts, guided tours, etc.;
ed and have made peo- • promotion of these specific products and services among
ple aware of the dangers middlemen (travel agents, tour operators, trade journal-
that threaten some urban ists, etc.), hotel managers, restaurateurs, conference
destinations. organisers and auditorium managers, potential tourists,
local people, etc., in order to encourage as many people
If a long-term and uni-
as possible to buy them;
versally acceptable solu-
tion is to be found for this
major problem, the prob-
lems of accessibility and
mobility have to be tack-
led overall, with a range
of practical incentives
and deterrents including:
SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

36

• specific training in reception skills, foreign language skills,
knowledge of tourist resources, travel products developed
by transport concerns, etc., for personnel in contact with
tourists, from taxi drivers to railway inspectors;
• areas in which certain types of travel have priority, for in-
stance:
– pedestrian zones in the destination’s centre,
– cycle paths and pedestrian routes to and from tourist at-
tractions,
– provision of bicycles,
– a return to old modes of transport such as carriages,
boats, etc;
• management of tourist coaches and their passengers as
soon as they arrive in the town (special parking areas,
monitoring of the movements of their passengers, calls to
drivers when passengers are ready to embark, etc.);
• specific measures for residents and suppliers delivering
goods that enable them to move around their town but
encourage them to restrict the use of their personal vehi-
cles (reserved parking spaces, restricted hours for access to
the town centre and for daily deliveries, but also special
public transport passes, etc.).
Particular attention needs to be paid to the problems of dis-
abled people, from the point of view of public transport
(buses and trams with lowered floors, special vehicles oper-
ating to a regular timetable or available on request, etc.) and
of accessibility of the main tourist sites and monuments,
auditoria and other public buildings (access ramps, specially
designed toilets, organised visits, etc.).
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM
Security
The actual or perceived security of a destination is a key, but
delicate, aspect of a tourist destination’s image and reputa-
tion: good security may improve its appeal to and success
with the public at large. Perceptions of security can be
strengthened by:
• a range of preventive measures helping to reassure resi-
dents and visitors:
– setting up, with the participation of residents’ associa-
tions, working parties to look at the problems of crime
prevention,
– close cooperation between tourism professionals and
local authorities,
CHAPTER 4
There are a number of examples of such measures:
• Gothenburg (S) has an on-line information system for
public transport in the town and the region, giving depar-
ture times, with information on arrival times at the desti-
nation in the vehicles themselves;
• Volterra (I) is planning to build parking areas in order to
cope with the problems of saturation and dissatisfaction of
visitors and local people;
• Leipzig (D) offers an inclusive intermodal public transport
pass;
• St Andrews (UK) is looking at a short and medium term
transport plan including parking areas, flows, public trans-
port and the environment;
• Aix-en-Provence (F) is implementing an urban develop-
ment plan for the integrated and ongoing management of
arrivals in the town;
• Dublin (IRL) is working on a number of coordinated trans- TAKING AN
OVERALL
port development and infrastructure projects intended to APPROACH TO
improve accessibility and traffic flows. THE PROBLEMS
OF ACCESSIBILITY
AND MOBILITY
– a poster and message dissemination campaign in a
number of languages to prevent petty crime and detail-
ing the precautions that need to be taken in public
places and attractions, etc.,
– improving and integrating the lighting of streets and
public monuments to take away any subjective feelings
of insecurity; street cleaning, re-allocating deserted
buildings, cleaning buildings, etc., may also be of help
here,
– various kinds of surveillance of public or private areas,
car parks, monuments, parks and gardens,
– visible police, municipal workers, community police of-
ficers;
37
CHAPTER 4
• an assistance service for victims of petty crime or acci-
dents which provides moral, physical and possibly finan-
cial support for victims;
• training for local police in tourist care and the rapid pro-
cessing of their complaints.
Some of the destinations visited have taken initiatives in the
area of security:
• Stockholm (S) has stepped up its police presence;
The lead authority’s services and support for professionals
Every destination’s lead authority, whose task is to provide
leadership, also has a part to play in implementing a wide
range of measures involving all the actors concerned in
order to place the quality approach on a concrete footing.
Participatory approaches involving the support of the local
authorities, tourism professionals, other economic operators
and the whole population of the destination are a key factor
in success.
Internal communication and leadership
There needs to be communication with groups such as:
• political structures;
• members or partners of the structure leading the integrat-
ed quality management plan for the tourist destination;
• industry professionals who are not members of the lead-
ership structure;
• local residents.
This kind of communication helps to:
• ensure that the leadership structure is seen as valid;
• forge strong links between all those involved;
• make the industry dynamic;
• create an identity for the destination in particular through
a logo, a slogan, a graphics design, etc.;
• ensure that information is circulated between the various
levels of power and the various agencies involved;
• ensure local people’s support for tourism development
schemes.
As a minimum, it should include:
• drafting, regular updating and dissemination of a practical
guide to the tourist services available in the destination;
38
• the tourism office at Winchester (UK) is a member of the
local authority’s crime prevention group;
• Rhodes (GR) has replaced its motor-borne police by
mounted police and set up a special beach surveillance
service;
• Amsterdam (NL) has taken an integrated approach to
public lighting and tourist illuminations in order to give a
greater impression of security, and offers assistance to
tourists who are victims of crime.
This kind of support includes:
• communication with those involved and general leader-
ship of the destination;
• external communication, promotion and the use of the
new information and communication technologies;
• personnel training.
• information, possibly supplemented by training, on urban
tourism and its economic prospects and on particular
themes that may be of use to the industry;
• dissemination of the strategic plan to develop tourism in
the destination and information on measures and devel-
opments that are under way;
• publication:
– of the outcome of measures and of a review of the
quality management structure’s work (objectives, re-
sources, results obtained, financial statements, new
partnerships, etc.),
– of the findings of studies, surveys, statistical analyses,
etc., on urban tourism in the destination itself and in
other comparable destinations, and of any other infor-
mation that may be useful in developing new products.
From the leadership point of view, the lead authority should
endeavour to:
• organise and lead meetings with local people for the pur-
pose of forward thinking about the harmonious develop-
ment of tourism in the destination;
• make local people aware of tourism as a factor of local de-
velopment and of the role that they need to play in for-
mulating and implementing the strategic plan.

Various examples of participatory approaches and internal
communication and leadership measures by the lead au-
thority and tourism professionals are given below:
• in Aix-en-Provence (F) the focus is on concerted action
and communication between local authorities in order to
promote exchanges and the dissemination of good
tourism practices. Particular efforts have been made to en-
courage exchanges of opinions on environmental prob-
lems (active participation by local people in a workshop);
• Dublin (IRL) and Gothenburg (S) organise regular consul-
tation meetings between tourism professionals and local
residents;
• Rhodes (GR) publishes regular press releases explaining
its tourism development policy;
External communication, promotion and the new technologies
The quality, availability and accessibility of information on a tourist destination are all important aspects of its policy of pro-
motion and external communication.
External communication and promotion
Every tourist destination must ensure that it is known to and
visible among tourism professionals in particular by:
• taking part in trade fairs, congresses and conferences at-
tended by tourism professionals and the public at large;
• disseminating promotional materials (brochures, cata-
logues, leaflets, CD-ROMs, etc.) to tourism professionals;
• ensuring that it is included in tour operators’ programmes;
• supporting the town’s ‘cultural ambassadors’ (orchestra,
opera, ballet and theatre companies, travelling exhibi-
tions, etc.) when they travel and perform abroad;
• inviting professionals to visit and find out about the urban
destination.
The range of approaches being taken can be seen from a few
examples of external communication and promotion.
• Stockholm (S) very actively promotes its tourist attrac-
tions. It uses a range of materials, including some which
are very original such as a CD-ROM containing digitised
photographs; a tourist guide to the city available in 12 lan-
guages; an information bulletin on events and activities in
the city; free promotional materials; free visits for travel
agencies; 350 public and private, accredited and audited,
information centres, etc.
CHAPTER 4
• Coimbra (P) has published a 300-page reference manual
in which local tourism professionals can find answers to al-
most any question;
• Blois (F) has a highly developed and diversified internal
communication plan involving various local groups
(tourism professionals, primary school children, town res-
idents, trade associations, hoteliers, etc.) in order to pro-
vide them with information on a whole range of topics
(the town’s tourist attractions, tourism issues and the im-
portance of tourist care, traders as providers of tourist in-
formation, town development projects, flower displays in
the town, the fight against pollution by pigeons, etc.).
• Glasgow (UK) organises information trips for tourism pro- TARGETED
fessionals. PROMOTION
TOOLS
• The logistical approaches and materials used
by other destinations are more traditional:
– Leipzig (D) has opted for a
wide range of general and
thematic brochures, an Inter-
net site, and extensive partici-
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO
pation in tourism trade fairs,
etc.,
– Amsterdam (NL) runs annual
campaigns (‘Amsterdam, city of
the world’, 1997),
– Volterra (I) has produced videos in four languages that
are sent out to foreign partners,
– Coimbra (P) produces thematic leaflets on products or
groups of products,
– Aix-en-Provence (F) runs a promotional campaign
focusing on an annual event or a specific feature of
the destination (opera festival),
– Loutraki (GR) sponsors major sporting events.
SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI
DEVELOPING AN
IMAGE POLICY
39
CHAPTER 4
The new technologies at the service of external communication and promotion
The lead authority of an urban destination should encourage
tourism professionals to use the new technologies in order
to help with its promotion and external communication en-
deavours. These technologies should help:
• automatically and continuously to supply information
within or outside the destination (interactive terminals,
bulletin boards, Internet site, etc.);
• to streamline interactive booking: speed, low cost, prod-
uct display, etc.;
• to record tourists’ complaints and comments about their
experiences before, during and after their visit;
• to disseminate proactive (unsolicited) information to pro-
fessionals and tourists who have already visited the desti-
nation (calendar of activities and special events, special
offers, etc.).
Priority needs to be given to the development, introduction
and rational use of an automated information and booking
system which is:
• user-friendly and enables information to be passed on to
host facilities;
• readily accessible from outside (travel agencies, Internet
site, electronic mail) or on arrival at the destination (air-
ports, stations, ports, tourism offices, tourist information
centres);
• sufficiently exhaustive to meet the needs of all types of
visitor;
• specific to the urban destination or incorporated in the sys-
tem of a region, a country or a set of European regions.
Training of competent personnel
The lead authority should encourage the design and intro-
duction of training programmes to improve the skills of
tourism industry personnel that target all personnel in the
destination involved in tourism and para-tourist activities,
whether in the public or private sector. The relationships
forged between visitors and tourism industry personnel and
contacts between visitors and local people generally have
much to do with the quality of a tourist experience. Tourism
is a service activity where the number and frequency of con-
tacts between service providers and visitors is high. The risk
of ‘poor quality’ is therefore also high.
High-quality care and friendliness, knowledge of foreign lan-
guages, skills specific to particular activities, knowledge of
40
While they are an important factor in perceptions of the
quality of the welcome that a destination extends to visitors,
these new technologies can also be used to find out about
the particular expectations of different customer segments.
For instance:
• Dublin (IRL) has developed a reservation network (Gul-
liver network) with an Internet connection that can be ac-
cessed from all the city’s tourist information offices and
from six self-service units at various points of arrival such
as the airport and ferry terminal. There are plans for 22
self-service units in the near future;
• Hampshire, of which Winchester (UK) forms part, is one
of the pilot regions of the TourISt project chosen by the
European Commission to test and demonstrate how inter-
active information and communication technologies can
be used in the tourism industry;
• Stockholm (S) has a centralised reservation system cover-
ing most hotels in the city and its region which can be ac-
cessed by fax, telephone or e-mail, while Rhodes (GR) is
planning to develop such a system jointly with Cyprus with
financing from Interreg II;
• Leipzig (D) (Tourbu-Sachsen system), Glasgow (UK) and
St Andrews (UK) all have integrated reservation systems in
most cases covering the destination and its surrounding
region or the country as a whole;
• Gothenburg (S) has a reservation system (Bokser system)
linked to an information system on public transport in the
city and its surrounding region.
the destination’s resources and events, involvement and mo-
tivation and the ability to help visitors to organise their stay,
are all areas requiring appropriate staff training and commit-
ment by local residents.
These training programmes should cover, among other
things:
• reception techniques and practices;
• foreign languages;
• complaint management;
• use of new technologies;
• the quality of the various tourist services.
 CHAPTER 4
Training schemes of this kind are being run in: • Malaga (E), where the hoteliers’ association has devel-
oped training programmes for employees in the industry.
• Glasgow (UK), through a project called Tourism Business
Partnership Programme which deals with the problems of
enterprise development in the various sectors of tourism;

Tourist services
Whatever their background, tastes, interests, lifestyles and the end of their stay and in all their possible forms, starting
behaviour when they travel, all visitors’ perceptions will in- with their arrival and throughout their stay, so that their
evitably be shaped by their first contact with the tourist des- opinions remain positive.
tination (22). This contact may take different forms depend-
The solutions that tourist destinations have found for each
ing on how they travel to the destination (plane, car, train,
of the objectives pursued by their integrated quality man-
boat, etc.), their place of arrival in the destination (airport,
agement plans show that a very wide range of measures is
major roads entering the town, station or port), the first per-
possible. Balanced and consistent implementation of these
son that they meet (flight attendant, information and
measures contributes to the success of a tourist destination
tourism office, etc.).
largely because there is a perceptible improvement in the
Integrated quality management must therefore pay particu- quality of the services on offer.
lar attention to the needs of tourists, from the beginning to

Tourist information
The destination should endeavour to design a tourist infor- • provide clear, honest and full information on the re-
mation system based on: sources and services offered by each tourist destination;

• permanent public access, through the use of the new • be in keeping with visitors’ expectations, making it nec-
technologies, and in particular the creation of an Internet essary to ensure that local people (permanent residents as
site, through which the destination can: well as traders and tourist service providers) support the
information supplied;
– supply overall or selective information on the destina-
tion’s attractions to all industry professionals and potential • be consistent and complete, in terms of both form (sign-
customers, posting) and content;

– provide access to an efficient reservation system, • attract as many tourists as possible to special events,
while leaving space for active participation by local people
– answer potential visitors’ questions,
(direct links between these events and components of
– keep in contact with tourists who have visited the des- local identity or local economic activity, attractive prices,
tination (database, satisfaction questionnaires, calendar incorporating linked and/or complementary measures
of events, special promotions, etc.); into these events, etc.).
• a high-level presence of all the destination’s spokesmen,
promoters and permanent ambassadors (police officers,
taxi and public transport drivers, traders, etc.).
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

VISITORS NEED
The information supplied should: PERMANENT ACCESS
TO INFORMATION
• be differentiated, from the point of view of content and
materials used, for the various categories of tourists, the
various themes of visits, combined products, etc.;

(22) These considerations also apply, mutatis mutandis, to final contact with
the destination.

41
CHAPTER 4

Lastly, any information and reservation system should pro- For instance:
vide general information (details, descriptions, price, reser-
• Stockholm (S) is endeavouring to step up the quality of the
vation methods, etc.) and specific information (classification
services provided by its tourist information centres (ForTur
of hotels and restaurants, calendar and timetable of events,
certification system) and is giving priority to personal con-
opening hours and types of visit to natural and cultural
tact with tourists;
attractions, itineraries and timetables of transport from, to
and within an urban destination, etc.). • Glasgow (UK) is setting up a new network of nine infor-
mation centres and is looking into the possibility of auto-
matic distribution of tourist information;
• under the Cicerone project, Malaga (E) is recruiting sea-
sonal personnel to help and guide visitors.

Visitor care and orientation

High-quality visitor care and orientation, among other cooperation with tourism professionals, ‘Visitor care
things: quality’ label based on practices in Aix, the AFNOR
standard (23) and certification regulations,
• has to be user-friendly and visible: use of standard
acronyms, local parking, good signposting; – the ‘Visitor care quality’ codes being drawn up for
hotels and restaurants,
• should be underpinned by efficient and extensive reser-
vation services: hotels, restaurants, entertainment or oth- – since 1996, particular attention has been paid to the re-
er events, entrance to natural, cultural and leisure attrac- development of entry routes into the town which had
tions, guided tours, organised tours of the destination, up to then done little for the town’s image;
excursions, travel tickets, etc.; • improvement of the quality of customer care by extend-
• means that the specific information and materials (maps, ing the opening hours of tourist information offices and in-
brochures, videos, etc.) supplied by tourist service creasing staff numbers in Dublin (IRL);
providers in the public and private sectors have to be of a • mobile team of people circulating in the town to provide
high quality; help and information for visitors at any time in Winches-
• requires these service providers to be courteous and help- ter (UK);
ful, not just from the point of view of opening hours, but • opening of a visitor orientation office at the motorway toll
also from the point of view of contacts between local au- booth in Blois (F);
thorities or residents and visitors; • study of signposting in Loutraki (GR) and specific four-

SOURCE: ST ANDREWS TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

• means that tourists should be able to pay in a range of language signposting system in Amsterdam (NL).
ways, especially with the euro.
High-quality visitor care and orientation must be evident at
all strategic points:

• places of arrival at the destination (airports, motorway

tolls, stations, ports);
• tourism offices and information points;
• conference, exhibition and trade fair facilities;
• hotels, guest houses, youth hostels, camp
sites, restaurants, shops, attractions, sites,
etc.
A few examples show what steps are be-
ing taken in the area of visitor care and
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

orientation:

• the approach in Aix-en-Provence (F)

focuses on the quality of care:
– renovation of the tourism office,
customer care charter drawn up and
endorsed by the local authorities in

(23) See ‘Documents cited in this publication’ under ‘Bibliographical references’.

42

Accommodation and catering
The quality of accommodation and catering services plays a
large part in the image of towns and cities, most of which
offer their visitors a large number of options: hotels, guest
houses, B & Bs, self-catering apartments. The fact that so
many options are available requires standardisation, moni-
toring and supervision to ensure the quality of the services
supplied and to enable tourists to be fully informed when
they make their choices and fully aware of the services that
they are entitled to expect.
For these establishments, there needs to be:
• a classification based on a nationally recognised system
that gives all potential customers a guide to the
price/quality ratio that they can expect;
• comparative evaluation of the classifications given in dif-
ferent tourist guides so that trends in the classifications of
these various establishments can be monitored while the
quality plan is being implemented;
• quality labels, codes of conduct (for instance, the use of
environmentally friendly techniques and products) specific
to a town, a region or certain types of establishment,
which ensure that services are of a particular quality and
help the urban destination in question to differentiate it-
self from its national and foreign competitors. Compliance
with these schemes should be optional and will, for in-
Attractions, events, combined products
An urban destination often has a wide range of resources
and it is precisely its ability to link them and turn them in-
to combined products that will to a large extent determine
the appeal of the town or city and the extent and quality
of the positive impact generated by tourism. What is need-
ed is an integrated approach based on the following prin-
ciples:
• upgrading of the town’s resources in ways that allow for
a better distribution of tourist flows and curtail any risks of
overcrowding or saturation of individual sites and, in par-
ticular, of the historic centres of towns;
• visitor flows can be better channelled, limited and orient-
ed by supervising routes into the town and access routes
to all its major attractions;
• a town’s natural and cultural resources must remain open
to local residents;
• opening hours must be fairly extensive and flexible;
CHAPTER 4
stance, involve abiding by various quality standards in the
areas of hygiene, cleanliness, development, tranquillity,
respect of the environment, energy consumption, etc.;
• help in making the most of the culinary heritage of the
destination and its region (quality labels, organisation of
festivals of local cuisine, etc.) in order to breathe new life
into the local production of quality products;
• specific training for their personnel in order, in particular,
to improve their customer care and customer information
skills;
• incentives to make any changes that may be needed to
accommodate disabled people.
A number of examples illustrate this kind of initiative:
• many hotels in Rhodes (GR) are working towards ISO cer-
tification;
• the quality plan of the Costa del Sol’s Hoteliers’ Associa-
tion in Malaga (E);
• the hotel classification system that has been devised and
implemented by the Quality Assurance Department of the
Scottish Tourist Office in St Andrews and Glasgow (UK);
• the label awarded to environmentally-friendly hotels in
Gothenburg (S) or the code of conduct for accommoda-
tion providers in Winchester (UK).
• a correct balance between the different products and serv-
ices offered by an urban destination has to reflect the ex-
pectations of all the target groups:
– business people and conference delegates: services and
attractions open throughout the year, outside of office
hours, short organised tours,
– individual visitors and organised groups: limits on num-
bers visiting some attractions, hours set aside for one or
other category,
– families, cultural and leisure tourists, etc.
If this balance is to be found, account also has to be taken
of:
• weather conditions: a mix of open-air attractions and in-
door activities (visits to monuments and cultural and his-
toric sites);
• visitor entertainment: a spread of activities in keeping with
their expectations.
43
CHAPTER 4

From this point of view, some destinations have opted for • Aix-en-Provence (F) offers a passport issued by the Euro-
‘organised’ visits: pean Academy of Music for tourists wishing to attend re-
hearsals;
• alongside traditional visits and walking or car tours,
Leipzig (D) offers a very wide range of products including • Volterra (I) is very active in visit organisation and offers
over 30 different holiday programmes focusing on cultur- various formulas such as a card for discounts in shops, a
al themes (musical festivals, book fair, opera, etc.), linked single pass for museums and theatres and a craft trail;
to festive occasions (Christmas and New Year visits, festi- • Rhodes (GR) and Coimbra (P) organise educational tours
val of laughter, etc.) or focusing on the town’s curiosities and themed visits as well as cultural and sporting events.
(inner courtyards and public gardens, historic sites, etc.);
• Orléans and Blois (F), Winchester (UK) and Amsterdam
(NL) offer visitors high-quality information for individual
or group visits, with or without guides, in themed or un-
themed buses, in carriages, on foot or by boat. Every op-
tion is described in brochures, plans and information avail-
able from tourist agencies, hotels, and tourist sites. Most
destinations combine this information with specific sign-
posting for each type of travel (walking, cycling, cars,
etc.);

SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA

ATTRACTIONS AND
MUSEUMS ARE A KEY
PART OF ANY VISIT
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO

44

The dynamics of monitoring,
evaluation and adjustment
The threefold dynamics of monitoring, evaluation and adjustment
It is not enough to formulate and implement a quality ap-
proach. The process also needs to be monitored, and the ‘af-
ter’ examined when the ‘before’ and the ‘during’ have been
completed. This threefold dynamic of measurement (moni-
toring of indicators), evaluation (processing and analysis of
results) and adjustment (adjustment of strategy and policies)
is one of the main responsibilities of the authority leading the
project.
Many people may think that quality measurement goes
without saying. Instruments for measuring quality are, how-
ever, relatively undeveloped and are not widely used by ur-
ban destinations. Quality management is based on the prin-
ciples of feedback and repetition within a cyclical process
of ongoing improvement. Quality measurement is therefore
a necessary point of transition between an ad hoc approach
and a permanently evolving system.
In other words, the system functions as a loop, permanent-
ly producing antidotes and corrections, provided of course
that the latter are put into practice.
A measuring and surveying system within an urban destina-
tion and its neighbouring area should make it possible:
• to gather the data needed to identify and describe the dif-
ferent segments of urban destinations’ tourist markets;
• to identify the destination’s target segments;
• to formulate an IQM approach that is in keeping with
these targets and has both quantitative and qualitative ob-
jectives;
• subsequently to compare the results achieved with these
objectives;
• to interpret these results and to redefine the strategy by
incorporating the appropriate adjustments.
CHAPTER 5
A system of this kind, which is a key factor in a quality plan
as it enables monitoring and evaluation of the outcome of
the approach, targets visitors and tourism professionals as
well as the local community and should be based on:
• the collection of a wide range of simple statistical data
through which the results of the quality approach can be
quantified;
• traditional qualitative surveying techniques (telephone or
face-to-face interviews, questionnaires, analysis of com-
plaints received, suggestions and comments received
through suggestion boxes, visitors’ books, etc.) from
which it is possible to evaluate preferences, the impor-
tance attached to each variable and the level of satisfac-
tion with each service provided, etc.
A monitoring system, based on indicators, needs to be set up
as soon as an IQM approach is launched, in order to:
• measure visitor satisfaction (surveys, etc.) and socioeco-
nomic impact on the town or city;
• control the impact of tourism on the local community and
on the environment;
• keep abreast of changes in the environment (supply and
demand), emerging trends and market changes;
• compare the destination’s situation with other similar
towns and cities and pave the way for dialogue and ex-
changes of good practice within a network of urban tourist
destinations;
• analyse all the data gathered in this way and publish and
disseminate a summary of findings among all the actors,
and, in the case of certain information, among visitors as
well (quality indicators for instance);
• listen to reactions to these findings so as to build up par-
ticipation and set in motion the repetitive IQM cycle.
45
CHAPTER 5

Tourist satisfaction
It is impossible to pinpoint the quality of a tourist destination Most of the destinations visited do not have a system for
unless visitors’ expectations are surveyed and their level of measuring visitors’ expectations and opinions. The systems
satisfaction with services regularly monitored. being used range from a simple register of complaints to sys-
tematic surveys among visitor samples. The scientific value
Quantitative indicators are the first type of indicators need-
of these systems and the methods that accompany them
ed to evaluate the performance of the tourism sector by
varies, as does the rigour with which they are applied.
category of visitors and service provision. These indicators
provide information on: Some destinations do, however, have plans to introduce a
comparative system of analysis (benchmarking) of tourist
• the number of visitors classified by target market seg-
destinations: Winchester (UK), Gothenburg (S) and Leipzig
ments, for instance: by geographical origin, age and sex,
(D).
type of tourism (business, conference, leisure, cultural,
etc.), method of organisation (individual, family, group Studies and surveys are conducted only occasionally, or on a
travel, etc.), type of accommodation, length of stay, trans- regular but fairly well-spaced basis, or even on an ad hoc ba-
port used (air, sea, rail or road, car or coach), for each of sis when the need for a quality plan has become evident. The
the town’s sites and attractions; content, frequency and use of the results of these surveys
• the revenue generated by tourism by category of service vary greatly from one destination to another, pointing to the
(accommodation, catering, attractions, cultural and his- lack of a method or a consensus as to whether they are gen- EVALUATING
toric sites, entertainment and events, individual or public uinely necessary. Regular (at least annual) in Gothenburg (S), TOURISM
PERFORMANCE BY
transport, etc.); TYPE OF VISITOR

• the number of tourists visiting tourist information centres

and points, types of questions asked, complaints re-
ceived, suggestions and ideas put forward.
More qualitative indicators are then needed to measure the
endeavours that professionals in the various branches of
tourism have made to comply with the standards and quali-
ty labels developed and implemented by their professional
associations and/or the authorities in charge of implement-
ing the IQM approach. These indicators provide, among
other things, information on:

• trends in the classification of establishments in the vari-

ous sectors, compliance with classification systems, stan-
dards and programmes specific to each sector:
– general or specific European, national, regional or local
standards,
– quality labels, authenticity labels, charters,
– environmental protection incentives such as the Blue
Flag;
• trends in visitors’ satisfaction with each of the service cat-
egories that they have used and consumed;
• efforts made by professionals to train their personnel in
order better to meet visitors’ expectations.
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

46

Volterra (I), and Dublin (IRL) or periodical (every four years)
in Stockholm (S), they in most cases cover aspects of visitor
motivation and satisfaction.
The direct use of these results to formulate or update IQM
programmes is still fairly uncommon.
Malaga (E) studied the profile of its visitors for the first time
in 1997. It became evident from this survey that the main
causes of dissatisfaction were traffic, lack of cleanliness and
noise.
Leipzig (D) has identified seven factors of success for its in-
tegrated quality management policy: reliability, helpfulness
of tourist service providers, ability to inspire confidence, to
understand tourists’ expectations and to adapt to them, gen-
eral appearance and quality of the environment offered by
service providers and their personnel. Leipzig regularly com-
pares its results with those of 10 other German towns (the
Magic 10): Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt,
Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart.
CHAPTER 5
Winchester (UK) also monitors levels of visitor satisfaction
very closely. The town conducts various semi-permanent
surveys in various locations within the district of Winchester.
These surveys cover various aspects such as the quality of
customer care, cleanliness of streets, quality of the services
offered by the tourism office, range and quality of shopping
areas, the price/quality ratio of the services on offer, public
transport, signposting, etc. Winchester also compares its
measurements of some of these aspects with other tourist
destinations in the region. Similar approaches are currently
on the drawing board and will be tested and implemented in
1999.
As part of the European Sudecir project, Rhodes (GR) is look-
ing at the sustainable development of European towns and
regions and the impact of tourism on this development.

Satisfaction of tourism professionals

While most destinations are concerned with the qualifica- Analysis of the 15 case studies shows some interesting ini-
tions of tourism employees, too few destinations are gen- tiatives in this area:
uinely aware of the advantages offered by competent and
• in Coimbra (P), the Região Turismo Centro and the Na-
motivated people who can help to improve the quality of the
tional Tourism Training Institute (INFIT) are working on
tourist services offered to customers and who need to be
training plans for businesses in the sector. This training is
made aware of their role as ‘tourist ambassadors’.
part and parcel of an annual training plan which is regu-
In some cases, however, schemes to measure satisfaction larly evaluated;
and to detect training and/or recognition needs have been • under the national Investors in People programme, Glas-
implemented as part of the quality approach: gow and St Andrews (UK) conduct regular checks of em-
• surveys of personnel satisfaction in enterprises providing ployee satisfaction;
tourist services; • the United Kingdom’s Springboard initiative has made it
• evaluation of training needs, organisation of appropriate possible for Glasgow to open a careers promotion office
training and measurement of any changes that such train- in the hospitality and tourism industry.
ing has generated;
• internal evaluation of personnel responsible for imple-
menting the quality plan in order to find out about their
needs and take the appropriate steps.
Tourism is an industry in which jobs are precarious and work-
ing conditions are poor. Seasonal contracts, part-time work,
low wages and lack of career prospects are the most visible
signs of this. One of the key objectives of any IQM approach
must be to evaluate the quality of the jobs and careers of in-
dustry employees. This evaluation should cover employees
of public institutions as well as employees of tourism busi-
nesses.

47
CHAPTER 5

Local people’s quality of life

In a concern for the well-being of their residents, the urban Measures of this kind allow residents and traders to express
tourist destinations studied have used various methods to opinions on the ways in which their towns are evolving and
find out what their residents think of tourist flows, to prevent on their perceptions of tourism and its impact on the local
any worsening of problems or the appearance of new prob- quality of life. Once these results are processed, they provide
lems and, as far as possible, to meet residents’ demands. a valuable input for strategic and development policy choic-
es in sectors directly or indirectly connected with tourism.
Few resources are used to measure the results of quality
plans and they vary from one destination to another. They
are often limited to informal meetings between local officials,
traders and residents as in Malaga (E), an ad hoc survey of
residents as in St Andrews (UK) in 1995, or telephone sur-

SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

veys of the local population as in Leipzig (D). Other desti-
nations such as Loutraki (GR) have a complaints office for
residents. Lastly, Gothenburg (S) has conducted a study and
drawn up a report on the importance of the environment for
the city’s residents.

LISTENING TO
RESIDENTS AND
TRADERS

Helping tourists to behave responsibly

In parallel with schemes to improve the quality of services of-
fered to tourists, some destinations and tourism businesses
are drawing up tourist charters or codes of conduct. The aim
is to make tourists more responsible for the implications of
tourism and to make them aware that the natural and cul-
tural resources and lifestyles of the residents of the destina-
tions in question need to be respected. Although directly in
keeping with quality policies and approaches promoting sus-
tainable development, there are still few examples of this
very recent kind of action by tourist destinations.
Informing tourists of the environmental and sustainable de-
velopment objectives that a quality approach is seeking to
achieve is also a way of developing more responsible behav-
iour among tourists:
• Malaga (E) has set up travelling embassies in countries
from which tourists come,
• As part of its environmental charter, Aix-en-Provence (F)
is planning to produce a leaflet setting out its environ-
mental policy. This leaflet is aimed at tourists.

Impact on the local economy

One of the main reasons for launching an IQM strategy in
urban tourist destinations is to find out about the real or po-
tential impact of tourism. An analysis of the impact of this
kind of approach on the local economy can therefore be seen
as a key indicator for these destinations.
While most of the destinations studied are taking practical
measures to step up and broaden the positive impact of
tourism on the local economy, measurement of this impact
is not as yet widespread enough.

48

Impact on environmental quality and sustainable development
All the urban destinations visited were concerned to preserve
the environment from any harm that might be caused by
flows of visitors and the substantial and constant increase of
tourism.
The quality approaches of many destinations therefore in-
clude measurements of the positive or negative impact of
tourism on the environment.
This kind of measurement makes it necessary:
• to know what parameters need to be examined:
– natural resources (water, air, soil, space, landscape, nat-
ural sites, biodiversity),
– the cultural heritage, including buildings,
– legislation in force,
– the public budget allocated to the environment,
– enterprises and public services directly and indirectly
connected with tourism,
– specific environmental policy incentives for enterprises,
– enterprise schemes,
– associations active in the protection of the environment;
• to select indicators and to measure the impact of tourism,
whether mass or occasional, on the environment and to
evaluate this impact. A number of relevant indicators need
therefore to be formulated in order to measure, inter alia:
– the capacity of destinations and natural and cultural
sites,
– water, air and soil pollution levels,
– the proportion of developed land,
– deterioration of the landscape,
– waste management and urban cleanliness,
– association dynamics,
– the dynamism of enterprises, in particular SMEs,
– the local benefits of tourism,
– innovation,
– residents’ quality of life;
ENSURING THAT ALL
AREAS OF THE CITY
ARE CLEAN
CHAPTER 5
• to feed the data gathered back into policies and strategy.
A number of the problems encountered and analysed relate
to pollution by noise, grime or the saturation of the urban
area by tourists. Almost all the quality plans drawn up by the
various destinations are trying to find at least a partial solu-
tion by addressing problems of accessibility and mobility
(park-and-ride schemes, pedestrian streets, pedestrian or
cycle paths, etc.). Similarly, several destinations have inte-
grated the strategic objectives of their local Agenda 21 into
their integrated quality management plan and vice versa.
The following examples show some of the ways in which en-
vironmental problems are being addressed:
• in Aix-en-Provence (F), residents take part in an environ-
mental workshop;
• a study of the potential of tourism in Volterra (I) should
make it possible to find out in detail about the impact of
tourism on the local environment;
• Amsterdam (NL) is conducting a survey of the impact of
leisure tourism in the city centre;
• Dublin (IRL) is launching an environment plan and twice-
yearly monitoring of salubrity in all areas of the city;
• Gothenburg (S) has an environmental protection office
and a Blue Flag for its beaches;
• St Andrews (UK) assesses tourism plans against the 10
principles of environment protection drawn up by the Re-
gional Council (Fife Council);
• Glasgow (UK) has published a report on tourism and the
environment and set up a team responsible for improving
the city’s natural and cultural environment.
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM
49
CHAPTER 5

Adjusting components of the approach

It is at this stage of the process, which is nevertheless essen-
tial since lessons need to be drawn from situations measured
in the field so that corrections can be incorporated into the
system, that the quality approach proves to be either at an
embryonic stage or to be defective.
Very few destinations have developed systematic procedures
for processing results and very few have made the players in
this process aware of their responsibilities in this area.
Stockholm (S) carries out systematic planning and adjust-
ment, Leipzig (D) has defined the seven stages of improve-
ment of service quality, Aix-en-Provence (F) has gradually
refined its targets, Orléans and Blois (F) have introduced an
action plan to correct any weaknesses measured (Quality
Commission) and Glasgow (UK) provides training to
remedy any shortcomings observed.

BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT

SOURCE:

IQM IS A CYCLICAL
PROCESS OF ONGOING
IMPROVEMENT

50

Digest of recommendations
for urban destinations
The recommendations set out below are chiefly aimed at
public and private agencies working in tourism keen to play
their part in the harmonious development of the tourism in-
dustry throughout the area of their town or city and its sur-
rounding region by achieving the best possible impact on
tourist satisfaction, socioeconomic development and the
quality of life of their fellow citizens.
They are based on an analysis of those factors that seem to
play a key role in the success of integrated quality manage-
ment in urban tourist destinations. These recommendations
cover the stages of design of the approach, strategies and
practical measures and of implementation, resources, meas-
urement and results.
They are practical and designed to meet the actual needs of
those involved in tourism, who often hear the integrated
quality management of the tourist destination spoken of,
without really understanding its issues and implications or
how to tackle and introduce an approach of this type.
The following should, however, be borne in mind:
• the recipes proposed are neither universal nor exhaustive,
but illustrate successful practices, the guiding threads of
which can be transposed;
• integrated quality management is a new managerial
approach for tourist destinations: its pioneers are in most
cases on a learning curve where successes are often
matched by failures;
CHAPTER 6
• many of those involved are unaware of the actual concept
of integrated quality management: destinations other
than those selected are undoubtedly launching this kind of
approach without ever having felt the need to link it to the
concept of integrated quality management;
• the findings of this study should be seen as a contribution
to European policy to promote quality and quality strate-
gies in order, among other things, to disseminate good
practices within the Member States.
It has been possible, through this study, to develop a chart
for an IQM approach proposed for tourist destinations which
has provided a framework for the presentation of the case
studies. This chart is global and systemic and flexible and
adaptable: in some ways it is an evolving and repetitive
framework.
It has been decided to present the conclusions and recom-
mendations using a framework similar to that of the chart
which itself provided a framework for the presentation of the
case studies and for Chapters 3, 4 and 5.
51
CHAPTER 6

The dynamics of partnership: paving the way for an integrated

quality management approach
There is no recipe for the successful introduction of a quali-
ty plan in an urban tourist destination. A sustainable quality
improvement will be more likely, however, if a number of
basic conditions are satisfied.
Generally speaking, integrated quality management is a
repetitive and participatory process (24).
In tourism, particularly in towns and cities, this process in-
volves an integrated management policy, i.e. a policy that
concerns everyone involved in the basic services and prod-
ucts supplied to tourists, which is the source of attraction for
the visitor, as well as in secondary services, which are an im-
portant part of the overall tourist experience.
Six criteria are helpful in creating, maintaining and progress-
ing a dynamic partnership between all those involved.
They are as follows:
• establishing a strong, well-structured, institutionally-
based management that has resources (financial and hu-
man) for action, autonomy and responsibility and the sup-
port of the public authorities, the private sector and local
people;
• from the formulation of the plan right up to the monitor-
ing of its implementation, forging a partnership approach
based on close and cohesive cooperation between all
those involved at local, regional, national, and even inter-
national level, thereby making the most of the resultant
synergies, spin-offs from measures and economies of
scale;
• working towards a common vision of tourism develop-
ment by consulting the agencies involved and local peo-
ple and establishing a high-quality internal system for the
circulation of information;
• looking for a balanced distribution of the positive impact
of urban tourist development between visitors, industry
professionals, their personnel and local people. The foun-
dations need to be laid for a positive outcome that offers
added value for everyone;
• drawing up a consistent policy and coordinating, in the
field, the activities of services responsible for tourism and
other services responsible for urban development which
have a major part to play in the quality of the visitor ex-
perience (public transport, public cleanliness, police, etc.);
• introducing incentives to promote the emergence and en-
courage the development of private initiatives to improve
tourism quality. These incentives may be constructive or
repressive and can take a whole range of forms (tax con-
cessions, aids and subsidies, information and promotion,
prizes and awards, training, etc.).

Finding a strong leader for the partners:

integrated quality management requires a strong and recognised authority.

Who are the main partners and how are they linked?
The strategic development plan should: • set up structures for concerted action, consultation and
information of the various partners and describe their
• identify the various partners, representatives of political
methods of operation (working groups, neighbourhood
and administrative authorities at all levels (local, regional,
meetings, surveys, methods of monitoring and evaluating
national, European), tourism professionals in the public
results, etc.).
and private sectors (public tourism bodies, professional as-
sociations, owners and managers of tourist enterprises),
representatives of civilian society (non-governmental or-
ganisations, local people’s representatives, residents);

Division of roles between the partners

The strategic development plan should precisely define the of the stages of the integrated quality management ap-
role, responsibilities and rights of each of the partners in each proach.

(24) See Chapter 1, the chart of the IQM approach proposed for urban tourist destinations.

52

The dynamics of design
Strategic plans and objectives
The choice of objectives depends on factors connected with
the context, positioning and orientation of tourist develop-
ment policy. Ideally, these objectives should be formulated so
that they are in keeping with urban development policy. Im-
plementing integrated quality management in urban tourist
destinations requires in-depth work to:
Analysis of the current situation
The partners working in an urban destination should carry
out a detailed analysis of the SWOT type on the position of
tourism with respect to the main market trends, its potential
Defining the objectives and overall strategy of the approach
The reasons for introducing an integrated quality manage-
ment approach need to be clearly set out in order to avoid
any subsequent frustration of the expectations of public and
private partners and the local community. These reasons
should preferably be positive and preventive rather than
negative and corrective.
The environment and sustainable development
These objectives should be part and parcel of an overall strat-
egy of urban development whose aim is to make the most
of local socioeconomic impact and to optimise the quality of
Human resources and training schemes
The human factor is one of the keys to the success of an ur-
ban tourist destination. It is the quality of the contacts that
visitors make that they will most often remember and speak
about to their friends and family. The objectives chosen
CHAPTER 6
• analyse the current situation;
• define the objectives and overall strategy of the approach;
• examine the environment and sustainable development;
• improve human resources and training schemes.
and the limits on its sustainable development, its positive im-
pact and its constraints.
The objectives should be operational, possible to evaluate
and staggered over time. If they are few in number, they can
be readily communicated which should help to unite the
partners, step up the internal mobilisation of the destination
and provide visitor information that is increasingly sensitive
to consumer notions.
life of current and future generations. Account should be
taken here of Agenda 21 themes.
should therefore always include personnel satisfaction
underpinned by a wider range of opportunities for personal
enhancement through a policy of continuing training and
improvement of working conditions.
53
CHAPTER 6

The dynamics of implementing integrated quality management

Public authority initiatives
When implementing an integrated quality management • the environment and sustainable development;
plan, every urban destination will choose its own priorities. • accessibility and mobility;
These choices, often shaped by the reasons that provided a
• security.
starting point for initial thinking about quality and tourist
resources, will take a whole range of practical forms, often
involving public authority initiatives in particular in the
fields of:

The environment and sustainable development

Policies to develop tourism should include practical measures
covering a broad range of aspects of the destination and
should be in keeping with a general policy of environmental
protection and management. These measures should in-
clude, in particular, links between tourist infrastructure de-
velopment or programmes to rehabilitate the environment in
town and city centres and town planning, waste collection,
etc.

Accessibility and mobility

The urban tourist flows generated by the use of personal
vehicles exacerbate the day-to-day traffic and pollution prob-
lems of towns and cities. Local authorities need to develop a
global approach based on both incentives and deterrents. The
main components of this approach should include:
• high-quality, competitively priced, intermodal public
transport;
• sales of products and services that encourage tourists and
residents to use public transport;
• park-and-ride schemes and zones in which access and
traffic are restricted.
Particular attention should also be paid to the needs of dis-
abled people.

Security
A real and subjective improvement of the security of a des-
tination improves its image and tourist appeal. Preventive
measures, services to help victims of crime and training for
local police in tourist care and rapid processing of their com-
plaints should all help to improve perceptions of security.

54

The lead authority’s services and support for professionals
Any urban destination implementing an integrated quality
management approach has to provide support for tourism
professionals through a range of services including:
• internal communication and leadership;
• promotion and external communication;
Internal communication and leadership
Internal communication should:
• ensure that the managing structure is recognised and that
its tourism development plans receive the active support
of local people;
• target different groups, ensure exchanges of information,
forge links between all those involved and make the
tourism sector dynamic;
• consolidate the destination’s identity.
Promotion and external communication
All tourist destinations should develop their policy of pro-
motion in two ways:
• ensuring that tourism professionals are constantly aware
of the destination, by making particular use of the new
technologies, setting up an Internet site, etc.;
The new information and communication technologies
The leader of an urban destination will encourage tourism
professionals to use the new information and communica-
tion technologies to:
• supply, automatically and online, useful information in and
outside the destination;
Training
The lead authority will encourage tourist industry personnel
to consolidate their skills and to improve interpersonal skills
and the quality of visitor care. Training should be available in
a variety of fields including customer care, helpfulness, per-
CHAPTER 6
• the new information and communication technologies;
• training.
Internal communication should include:
• analyses of the current situation of urban tourism and its
economic prospects;
• the organisation, with all the partners, of working and
consultation meetings on the development of tourism in
the destination;
• the strategic plan for tourism development and the out-
come of initiatives and endeavours;
• a practical guide to tourist services in the destination.
• ensuring that the destination is well represented by its lo-
cal promoters and occasional ambassadors (police officers,
taxi drivers, public transport drivers, traders, etc.).
• pave the way for interactive reservation;
• encourage dialogue by recording complaints and com-
ments by tourists and local people.
sonnel involvement and motivation, foreign languages,
knowledge of the destination’s resources and events, help-
ing visitors to organise their stay, etc.
55
CHAPTER 6

Tourist services
Particular attention needs to be paid, in an integrated quali- Action should be taken in the areas of:
ty management approach, to the needs of tourists when
• information and visitor care;
planning their trip, throughout the visit itself and after they
return home. • accommodation and catering;
• attractions, events and combined products.

Information and visitor care

Information should be available at any time, using the new
technologies or from partners in the destination.
It should be consistent, complete, attractive and in keeping
with visitors’ needs.
High-quality visitor care:
• requires friendly, helpful and skilled tourism professionals;
• will be consolidated by the active participation of local
people;
• will make use of the new technologies (payment methods,
dissemination of and access to information, etc.).

• should be apparent at all strategic points of the destina-

tion;

Accommodation and catering

• introduction of:
– national or local classifications,
– quality labels and codes of conduct,
– comparative evaluations of classification systems;
• upgrading of the culinary heritage of the destination or its
region;
• specific training in tourist care for personnel in the accom-
modation and catering service sectors;
• modifications to meet the specific needs of disabled peo-
ple.
These are all elements that play a part in the positive image
of a tourist destination; tourists will then calmly and confi-
dently be able to gauge the quality and range of accommo-
dation and catering services.

Attractions, events, combined products

The diversity of an urban destination’s resources and its • optimum accessibility for both visitors and residents;
ability to link attractions and events will to a large extent • organised visits for different target groups.
determine its appeal and the extent and quality of the posi-
tive impact generated by tourism.

An integrated and diversified approach is needed here:

• upgrading of the destination’s resources;

• control and channelling of flows in the town;

56

The dynamics of monitoring
Integrated quality management is based on the principle of
repetition. Relevant information on results obtained in the
Tourist satisfaction
Various types of indicators should be devised and as much
information and numerical data as possible gathered before,
during and after the tourist’s visit to and/or stay in the tourist
destination.
An initial set of surveys before and during the visit should
help to:
• anticipate the main trends in the urban tourism market
and determine the town’s position with respect to these
trends;
• identify visitors’ profiles and behaviour;
• fix the image of the destination in the minds of visitors and
likely and unlikely visitors;
• find out about visitors’ and likely visitors’ expectations;
Satisfaction of tourism professionals
Quantitative and qualitative indicators need to be devised in
order to:
• evaluate the performance of the tourism sector by cate-
gory of visitors and service provision;
• measure the endeavours that professionals in the various
branches of tourism are making to meet the standards and
quality labels formulated and implemented by their pro-
Measuring the impact of tourism on the economy, the environment and residents’
quality of life
Quantitative and qualitative indicators are needed, through
which it should, among other things, be possible to measure:
• local people’s perception of the effects of tourism, its
drawbacks and its benefits;
• socioeconomic impact, creation of jobs and revenue
(wealth), new infrastructure and improvements of public
facilities and services as a result of tourism;
• the positive impact of the integrated quality management
approach on the actual and subjective quality of life expe-
rienced by the residents of towns and cities and their
neighbouring areas;
CHAPTER 6
area of satisfaction, on changes in the context and on trends
must be regularly fed back into the process.
• check the image of the destination that opinion makers
and retailers are passing on to people likely and unlikely to
visit the destination.
A second set of surveys should be carried out on departure
or after the visit. They should help to:
• evaluate the extent to which visitors’ expectations have
been met and their levels of satisfaction;
• evaluate whether the image of the destination has been
modified by the visit;
• measure the impact that this change of image has had on
visitors’ satisfaction and what they are likely to tell friends
and family when they return home;
• quickly gather visitors’ comments and suggestions.
fessional associations and/or the authorities in charge of
implementing the integrated quality management ap-
proach;
• evaluate the quality of employment contracts and the
career opportunities open to employees in the sector.
• the real positive or negative impact of any development of
tourism on the quality of the environment and the impact
of the approach on sustainable development.
These measurements of subjective and objective impact will
require detailed thought about which parameters to take in-
to account, which indicators are the most relevant and how
the data collected can then be fed back into policies and
strategies. Impact on neighbouring areas, especially rural
areas, should also be measured by these indicators.
57
CHAPTER 6
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment of components
of the approach
Quality management is based on the principle of feedback
and repetition within a cyclical process of ongoing improve-
ment. Measuring quality is therefore a necessary step in
converting an ad hoc approach into a permanently evolving
system.
Conclusion
The task of the lead authority is to:
• lead the integrated quality management approach for the
urban tourist destination;
• unite the various partners by establishing facilities for con-
certed action and consultation;
• initiate specific measures likely to improve the quality of
the services and products offered to visitors;
• integrate this approach into the broader framework of the
general development of the destination and its neigh-
bouring region;
• put forward a policy of sustainable development of
tourism based on the optimum use of the destination’s re-
sources.
Public and private tourism service providers should:
• work with the public authority to design, implement and
monitor the integrated quality management approach;
• comply with standards and quality labels (as well as envi-
ronmental labels) and constantly endeavour to improve
the services and products offered to tourists;
• listen to visitors and to their staff in order to provide food
for thought and feedback for the integrated quality man-
agement approach;
• help, through individual and collective initiatives, to im-
prove the destination’s appeal;
58
The measurements of impact provided by the qualitative and
quantitative indicators will make it possible to evaluate per-
formance and take appropriate corrective action if needed,
while giving the partners involved a view of their perform-
ance and ensuring that the integrated quality management
approach is permanently rooted.
• ensure that visitors have a positive image of the urban des-
tination and are aware of its specific nature.
Local people should:
• take part in consultation meetings and surveys organised
by the public authority as part of the design, implementa-
tion and monitoring of the integrated quality manage-
ment approach;
• play an active part in improving visitor care through their
attitudes, friendliness and helpfulness to visitors;
• abide by and help to implement the measures and regu-
lations drawn up by the public authority in areas such as
cleanliness, the rehabilitation of buildings, respect for the
environment, use of public transport and security.
For this purpose, tourists should be encouraged to behave
in a responsible way and:
• be made aware of the well-being of the local population;
• respect the traditions and cultural features of the destina-
tion’s residents;
• abide by measures to minimise the negative impact of
tourist flows on the environment.
 2

Part 2

Case studies

List of destinations

Amsterdam (Netherlands) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Aix-en-Provence (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Coimbra (Portugal). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Dublin (Ireland) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Glasgow (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Gothenburg (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Leipzig (Germany) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Loutraki (Greece) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Malaga (Spain). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Orléans & Blois (France) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Rhodes (Greece). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
St Andrews (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Stockholm (Sweden) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Volterra (Italy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Winchester (United Kingdom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

59
What does each case study contain?
Each case study describes the destination’s general quality
approach, starting with a brief overview. Some key figures
and information on main attractions then help to provide a
picture of the destination. The structure of the case study
How is the information on each destination presented?
The study’s five dynamics are illustrated by five original pic-
tograms that readers may interpret in their own way: some
The dynamics of partnership
THE PLAN
The letter Q bearing and enhanced by a circum-
flex accent means that quality is to be found un-
der the same roof and is systemic and holistic.
Quality must, however, be managed.
The dynamics of design
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
The letter Q in the form of a target with an ar-
row in its centre reflects the concern for accurate
and consistent strategic thinking. The target’s
concentric circles represent policies radiating out
from the strategy pinpointed by the arrow.
The dynamics of implementation
OPERATIONS
The letter Q with a trowel passing through it rep-
resents practical work to put the plan into action.
The trowel, like the arrow, points towards the
future.
matches the five dynamics of the chart of the IQM approach
proposed for urban tourist destinations. The methods and
practices illustrated in Chapters 3 to 5 are fleshed out and
located in the destination’s specific context.
idea of the thinking on which they are based is nevertheless
given below.
The dynamics of monitoring
INDICATORS
The letter Q is progressing up a graduated scale
helped by an arrow in its centre that is moving it
in the direction of progress.
The dynamics of evaluation and adjust-
ment
RESULTS
The letter Q is free from any external devices
here; it is full and complete, forming a dynamic
loop whose permanent self-motivating force is
shown by the arrow.
61
 Amsterdam

Amsterdam
Overview
The plan • Triggered by a decline in popularity
• Co-financing by a mixed (public/private) foundation

A msterdam, which has 715 000

SOURCE: VVV

inhabitants, is a very popular

• Annual tourism award
tourist destination known
Strategy • Strategic marketing and communication plan (three-yearly throughout the world for its multicultural
and policies surveys)
atmosphere, tolerance and
• Customer questionnaires and discussion forums
• Policy of integrated tourism development and diversification
broadmindedness.
• Regular training, visitor information and visitor care services
Most of the main attractions are
Operations • Assistance for tourist victims of crime concentrated in the city’s historic centre,
• Integrated maintenance plan for urban areas including a network of canals dating from
• Materials and forums for internal communication (among the 17th century, quays and some 400 or so
businesses) and information
• Image campaigns and themed campaigns
historic sites and monuments. Amsterdam
• Four-language signposting also offers a wide range of entertainment,
• Permanent information offices and roving ambassadors cultural activities and internationally
renowned festivals and events. It is also a
Indicators • Municipal research and statistical office
• Tourist barometer major business centre for many national and
• Local impact survey international enterprises from all sectors.

Results • Coordination of the work of private and public associations and Amsterdam suffers, however, from traffic
organisations (to optimise resources) congestion problems due largely to tourist
flows that remain constant throughout the
year.

63
 Some figures (1996) Main attractions
• 300 accommodation establishments of all Amsterdam’s reputation is built • the wide range of
categories with over 37 000 beds on: entertainment, cultural
• 35 000 jobs generated by tourism, i.e. 6 % of all • its old town and network of activities and internationally
jobs in the conurbation canals dating from the 17th renowned festivals and events
• 3.2 million visitors, with a recorded figure of century, its quays, its historic that it offers;
some 6.4 million overnight stays sites and monuments (close • its conferences and
• Approximately 6 million overnight stays are not on 400) and its famous congresses. Amsterdam is one
recorded museums (Rijksmuseum, Van of the top 10 world
• 15 million day visitors (chiefly Dutch) Gogh Museum, etc.); destinations.
• 25 % increase in visitor numbers over 6 years • the legendary tolerance and
friendliness of its residents;
• Visitor expenditure of NLG 3 300 million (EUR
1 500 million) • its rich folklore;
• 70 % of visitors are leisure tourists

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and • offer private businesses in the tourism industry help with
management and staff training and assistance in main-
who is leading it? taining high-quality products and services;
Following a regular growth of tourism from the 1950s to the • monitor the quality of new tourist facilities.
mid-1980s, Amsterdam’s popularity declined sharply with
Since 1996, VVV has been working with the national tourism
the result that it was ranked in only eighth place among
promotion office and, since 1998, with the national airline to
European urban tourist destinations in 1994.
promote international tourism.
In order to regain its former market position, the Amsterdam
To promote national tourism, VVV works with AVN, a leisure
local authority, through a mixed foundation, the VVV, com-
and tourism foundation whose members include the main
missioned various studies whose findings provided a starting
national tourism bodies. It also works at federal level with the
point for action to revitalise the tourism industry.
provincial tourism office of North Holland and the tourism
offices of municipalities close to Amsterdam.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked? Making the industry more dynamic
The Amsterdam local authority decided to draw up a Since 1991, VVV has awarded a yearly tourism award to a
tourism development strategy and policies to implement it. person, institution or organisation who has helped to im-
The main focus of this strategy and its policies is to organise, prove tourism in Amsterdam.
coordinate, promote and market tourism in Amsterdam and
to provide assistance and advice for enterprises and for local,
regional and national public authorities.

The local authority works through the VVV, a foundation

which it helped to finance with the assistance of the Ams-
terdam Chamber of Commerce and its 1 300 or so public and
private sector members. The foundation’s remit is to:

• advise the local authority;

• promote Amsterdam as a tourist destination, both in the
Netherlands and abroad;

64

The dynamics of design:
Analysis of current situation
Aware that the city no longer had its former appeal, the lo-
cal authority commissioned VVV to conduct studies that are
used to draw up three-yearly strategic marketing and com-
munication plans that provide an overall framework for any
quality improvement measures that need to be taken.
These studies, often the result of proposals from VVV, focus
on:
• market research and analysis (analysis and evaluation of
customers, markets, competition: analysis of Amsterdam’s
strengths and weaknesses, of threats and opportunities in
the tourism industry and of threats posed by the tourism
development and promotion strategies of rival European
cities);
• visitors’ expectations of Amsterdam;
• the methods and criteria by which visitors choose an ur-
ban tourist destination and Amsterdam’s ability to meet
these criteria;
• visitors’ expectations of Amsterdam and the image that it
puts forward.
Tourist accommodation establishments and various private
sector businesses also help to provide this information by
asking their customers to fill out questionnaires and taking
part in forums and conferences organised by VVV.
Objectives and overall strategy
The main objectives of the tourism development policy for-
mulated in 1994 and updated for the period 1998–2000 are
chiefly to:
SOURCE: VVV
AMSTERDAM
STRATEGIES AND POLICIES
• achieve an annual growth of tourism of 4 % (arrivals,
overnight stays, expenditure);
• increase the number of jobs in the tourism industry to
42 000;
• generate a turnover of EUR 1 930 million;
• remove the city’s negative image by:
– improving access to its historic centre and attractions,
– redeveloping and revitalising the city’s historic centre,
– building new car parks,
– improving urban areas and public transport,
– providing high-quality information for tourists,
– making the city centre more secure,
– cleaning up the city and reducing pollution;
• draw up regulations for hotel accommodation;
• diversify what is on offer, with an eye to cultural tourism,
off-peak tourism (entertainment and events) and cruise
tourism in the port;
• provide incentives to organise international events along
the lines of the Van Gogh and Rembrandt exhibitions;
• focus marketing more on the customer than on the prod-
uct and offer a very broad range of options able to meet
the requirements of the increasingly diversified and exact-
ing demand from customers;
• attract tourists rather than day visitors;
• promote cooperation between national and regional part-
ners.
ONE OF THE
MAIN AIMS OF
TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
POLICIES IS TO
IMPROVE URBAN
AREAS
65
 Human resource policy
Regular training schemes are organised for staff in direct
contact with visitors. They focus chiefly on service, informa-
tion and visitor care. These training schemes are very popu-
lar among hotel managers and the number of participants
has continued to grow. VVV itself employs highly qualified
The dynamics of implementation
Public services
A research group is working to improve safety and its per-
ception by tourists, in particular by:
• better public lighting in the city centre;
• assistance for tourists who are victims of crime in the city
centre and, in the near future, throughout the conurbation
(project led by the local authority in partnership with pri-
vate businesses).
The crime rate linked to tourism is also regularly monitored.
The local authority has introduced an integrated mainte-
nance plan for built-up areas in the city centre that includes
the maintenance of roads and public areas, waste collection,
street cleaning, the removal of graffiti from walls and the
protection of the built heritage.
Services for industry professionals
Communication with industry professionals takes place
through articles in the professional press, an information bul-
letin, a magazine and informal contacts between VVV and
professionals. Many meetings are reg-
ularly organised at VVV’s headquar-
ters and are in some ways a platform
for the tourism industry and the cul-
tural sector. These meetings tackle
issues such as the planning of co-
operation structures, contacts be-
tween private business managers
and local authority representa-
tives, problems generated by the
development of tourism, etc.
V
SOURCE: VV
66
personnel (further education certificate as a minimum re-
quirement). VVV also carries out surveys to monitor indus-
try employees’ performance in terms of the service that they
offer visitors.
OPERATIONS
RENOVATION OF
MANY MUSEUMS
AND TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS
SOURCE: VVV
Tourist services THERE ARE
Two new communication cam- VARIOUS TYPES
paigns were launched in 1997 to im- OF TRANSPORT
ON
prove the city’s image and to build up
AMSTERDAM’S
customer loyalty by pro- CANAL NETWORK
viding a more consistent
link between the prod-
ucts on offer and their target markets. The first, worldwide,
campaign was based on the slogan ‘Amsterdam, capital of
inspiration’. The second campaign targeted domestic
tourism and was based on the concept ‘Amsterdam, city of
the world’.
More specific campaigns relating to the arts, history, winter
and cruises are also run. The recent European Summit in
Amsterdam was also part of a cultural programme.
VVV is trying to extend the tourist season as far as possible
by diversifying the tourist products on offer and to reduce
overcrowding in the historic centre by orienting visitors to-
wards new centres of interest on the outskirts of the city.
These diversification measures include, for instance, the de-
velopment of a new cruise ship terminal, the construction of
a cultural complex and leisure centre and, as part of the
Fashionable Heart of Amsterdam campaign, the renovation
 AMSTERDAM
of a number of the city centre’s museums and attractions.
The national campaign on the themes ‘A sea of culture’ and
‘Tourism means work’ provides a framework for 25 or so
smaller-scale projects. These include, for instance, improving
access to the seaside resorts surrounding Amsterdam.

In order to make the city more accessible and, in particular,

to improve mobility in its historic centre, the local authority
has reviewed, improved and extended a four-language sign-
posting system from the main access route (A10) to the city
centre.

A high-speed train (the Thalys) connects the city centre with

the airports of Schiphol and Orly, Brussels, Paris and
Cologne; Schiphol Airport is also increasing its air traffic ca-
pacity and the number of passengers that it can accommo-
date.

The local authority has also installed a circular tram line, of- SOURCE: VVV

fers various types of transport on its canal network (water

buses, museum boats, public transport, tourist transport
connecting the main tourist attractions, water taxis, pedalos)
and has extended the north–south underground line.
Visitors can also obtain a ‘culture and leisure’ pass.
VVV provides visitor care and orientation through its six of-
fices in the city, at Schiphol Airport and on the A10. City am-
bassadors circulate in the historic centre and around the
main attractions. Their task is to provide tourists with assis-
tance and answer their questions.
From the point of view of accommodation, the local author- MORE FLEXIBLE
OPENING HOURS
ity has drawn up and implemented legal instruments en-
IN CITY CENTRE
abling it to: SHOPS
• ensure that the principles of a diverse and high-quality
supply are respected;
• give priority to the opening of new hotels in districts that
it is attempting to revitalise or rehabilitate;
• promote 2- and 3-star hotels rather than 4- and 5-star
hotels of which there are now enough.
Extended opening hours in city centre shops have provided
more opportunities for evening and weekend shopping.

67
 The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS
Knowledge of markets and visitor These surveys also mean that Amsterdam can be compared
with other European destinations such as Rome and Vienna
satisfaction to obtain a representative image of the European urban
Information is gathered and analysed by the local authority tourist.
research and statistics office. It covers, among other things:

• quantitative aspects such as numbers of arrivals, depar- Satisfaction of local people and
tures and overnight stays, volumes of expenditure, break-
down by nationality and attendance figures for museums, integration into the community
attractions and events organised in the city; A survey of the impact of tourism has been conducted
among local people and visitors. One of the findings of this
• more qualitative aspects such as visitors’ profiles, motiva-
survey was that the concentration of leisure tourism in the
tions and expectations, their levels of satisfaction and their
city centre undoubtedly raised problems for residents, but
preferred types of activity;
that these problems were tolerated and accepted because
• the tourist service supplies (SWOT (25) analysis); tourism generates, in return, a wide range of facilities that
• the city’s image. are of benefit to local people as well as tourists.
The findings of these surveys are input into a database that
VVV uses to publish regular reviews and reports of the tourist
barometer type on the development of tourism in Amster-
dam.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

A 1996 study conducted among 81 European destinations
by the European Federation of Tourism Offices showed that
Amsterdam had moved up to fourth place among the most
visited towns of Europe, behind London, Paris and Rome.
Recent studies (1996–97) show that:
The local authority and VVV coordinate the activities of
many private and public sector associations and organisa-
tions working to develop tourism, in order to optimise the
use of the local resources of the region and the city within a
framework of integrated development.

• customers appreciate the high quality of the services and

products on offer, in particular Amsterdam’s museums;
• visitors appreciate the city’s atmosphere and the friendli-
ness of its residents as well as the efforts that are being
made in the city centre to improve:
– domestic waste collection,
– accessibility,
– cleanliness (less graffiti and rubbish in the streets),
– public areas.

(25) Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

68
 Paris

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence
Overview
The plan

L
• Triggered by a critical audit and a new municipal team’s keenness
to reorganise the industry
ocated in the centre of the
SOURCE: AIX-EN-PROVENCE TOURISM OFFICE

département of Bouches-du-Rhône,
• Two-tier local authority cooperation structure
• Pioneer in quality of visitor care (charter) and its certification Aix-en-Provence is bounded to the
north by the Durance valley, to the west by
Strategy and • Quality plan and adoption of standards
the banks of the Etang de Berre and to the
policies • Climatic charter
• Environmental charter 1996–2000
south by the Marseilles conurbation.
• High percentage of permanent staff
Aix-en-Provence is made up of a dense
Operations • Development plan for access routes into the town urban core and a number of villages. With a
• Plan of action (50 measures) under the charter typically Mediterranean relief and climate, it
• Concerted action and local authority cooperation has a variety of landscapes, soils and
• Creation of an environmental workshop
• Support for the regional urban ecology programme
vegetation, cultivated land and hilly areas
• Tighter management of the International Opera Festival and underground (hot springs) and surface
• European Academy of Music (with tourist passport) water networks.
Indicators • Monitoring system in keeping with the AFNOR standard Aix-en-Provence draws its name from its
• Processing of complaints received by hotels Roman baths.
• Local people’s participation in the environmental workshop
A new spa centre, a health centre and a new
Results • Modelling and certification
• Reduction of complaints hotel opened in 1998.
• New targets
• Increased number of tourists

69
 Some figures (1997)
• Population: 130 000
• Number of tourists per annum:
700 000, including 200 000
foreign tourists
• Close on 3 000 hotel rooms
• Annual number of overnight
stays: 2 558 000
• Average length of stay: 5 days
• 1 conference centre and 26
meeting rooms
• 98 conferences attracting 11 208
delegates
Main attractions
A town of water, art and conferences,
Aix-en-Provence’s reputation is built on
its historic and cultural heritage:
• more than 60 mansions from the 15th
to the 18th century;
• public buildings such as the Town Hall
and its belfry, the former Archbishop’s
Palace, the modernised Palace of
Justice, the Tour des Augustins, and
the Pavillon de Vendôme;
• fountains are one of the town’s main
features;
• churches including the Cathédrale
Saint Sauveur and the Madeleine and
Saint Jean-de-Malte churches;
• modern and daring buildings such as
the Cité du Livre and the Vasarely
Foundation;
• sights and curiosities such as the
Joseph Sec Mausoleum, the Mazarin
district, the cours Mirabeau and the
traditional Provençal santons
(Christmas crib figures);
• traditions such as a gastronomy based
on olive oil, fruit and vegetables,
calissons (almond sweets), and
popular traditions such as the
Provençal Christmas crib and the Drum
Academy.
As Cézanne’s town, Aix-en-Provence
offers:
• visits to his studio at Les Lauves;
• an exhibition of his paintings in the
Granet museum;
• a Cézanne trail, 3 km long, marked
out by 2 500 bronze nails and passing
via the Sainte-Victoire mountain which
reaches a height of 1 000 metres.
The town also has many museums, art
galleries, theatres and cinemas and sport

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
The arrival of a new municipal team in 1989 provided the
trigger.
At that time, tourism in Aix was not as successful or growing
as fast as in comparable French towns. The new mayor’s
deputy in charge of tourism then carried out a critical audit
of the situation, suggesting that the sector should be over-
hauled and reorganised.
An initial study in 1990 examined the feasibility of a confer-
ence centre. It found that, to get things going again, the first
step was to restructure the tourism office in order to provide
high-quality visitor care. Other questions were raised about
Aix-en-Provence’s role in health and spa tourism and the re-
lationships between tourism and the environment.
To find an answer to these questions, the mayor’s two
deputies in charge respectively of tourism and the environ-
ment began to work together informally but very efficiently
in order to make sure that tourism was rapidly included in
plans for Aix-en-Provence’s sustainable development.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
The tourism office manages the quality initiative and acts as
a forum for the various public and private partners involved.
In order to ensure that full account is taken of its natural and
human environment, Aix-en-Provence has a two-tier local
authority cooperation structure:
• fourteen municipalities are members of the Association of
the Municipalities of the Region of Aix which has limited
powers over culture, the economy, spatial development,
the environment, living conditions, waste management
and the Mediterranean Europe Arbois plan where the
Mediterranean high-speed train is due to stop in 2001;
• six municipalities are members of the Association to safe-
guard and develop the Region of Aix.
Both these associations are members of the Aix Region Town
Planning Agency (AUPA).
Making the industry more dynamic
While there is no IQM in the strict sense, Aix-en-Provence is
a pioneer in the area of high-quality visitor care and its cer-
tification.

In 1993, the tourism directorate suggested that the director

of the tourism office should launch a quality initiative and
draw up a visitor care charter to be signed by industry pro-
fessionals in Aix.

70
 AIX-EN-PROVENCE
This document, which is a kind of profession of faith and of seums and other tourist activities) to provide better visitor
the moral undertaking of the tourism office and profession- care, is available to anybody who requests it.
als (hoteliers, restaurateurs, taxis and public transport, mu-

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLICIES

Aix-en-Provence’s plan has four main strands:
• drawing up a quality plan and adopt-
ing standards for visitor care;
• the climatic charter;
• re-organising the International
Opera Festival which celebrated its
50th anniversary in 1998;
• implementing measures to protect
the local environment and setting up
an environmental workshop.
Analysis of current
situation
Committees worked for a year
with a quality engineer from
AFNOR (26). They interviewed pro-
ADOPTION OF A fessionals from each of the five branches concerned
VISITOR CARE who described their services to these committees which then
STANDARD IN
AIX-EN-PROVENCE drew up desirable performance levels and examined what
resources needed to be implemented to achieve them. These
reference standards were then submitted to and endorsed by
a panel of consumers.
Objectives and overall strategy
The 1993 quality plan included plans to draw up and imple-
The re-organisation of the International Opera Festival was
underpinned by the notion that the festival should improve
the town’s image and be a driving force behind the devel-
opment of cultural tourism, with particular support from the
European Academy of Music.
Plans for the implementation of a local Agenda 21 were not
accepted during a call for projects by the French Minister for
Territorial Development and the Environment. The munici-
pality of Aix-en-Provence has nevertheless drawn up a
1996–2000 environmental charter along the lines of the
Aalborg Charter that sets out 50 environmental measures
relating chiefly to rural areas and landscapes, nuisances and
pollution, the urban environment and general policies,
organisation and resources.
Human resource policy
Tourist enterprises in Aix-en-Provence employ a high per-
centage of permanent staff. Despite initiatives to step up
staff training and the fact that staff have a relatively positive
view of the reference standards for ‘hotels’ and ‘catering’,
the problem is still one of improving their working conditions
and career prospects, especially in the area of wages.
THE AIX-EN-
PROVENCE
CLIMATIC CHARTER
AIMS TO IMPROVE
LIVING
CONDITIONS

ment five ‘Visitor care quality’ reference standards: tourism

office, museums, hotels, restaurants, transport.

Aix-en-Provence’s climatic charter is intended to improve

living conditions by monitoring air quality to:

• boost health tourism;

• comply with the French law on air quality up to 1 January
2000;
• make sure that account is taken of health tourism in urban
planning documents.

(26) French Standards Association.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE TOURISM OFFICE

71
 The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS
Public services Most of the 50 measures included in the environmental char-
ter for 1996–2000 have a direct or indirect impact on the
Access to a town and its various access routes provide visi-
sustainable development of tourism in Aix-en-Provence and
tors with an initial image that may shape the remainder of
the municipalities with which it is linked.
their visit.
They include, for instance:
One of the problems that Aix-en-Provence and the Munici-
palities of the Region of Aix had to tackle was the negative • developing walks and public areas;
image of their access routes due to factors such as lack of
• implementing a municipal landscaping plan;
road safety, high concentrations of noise pollution, air pollu-
tion and uncontrolled growth. • incentives to walk or cycle;
• limiting noise linked to infrastructure;
The resultant development plan for access routes to towns
• monitoring of the quality of drinking and spa waters;
of the Region of Aix Association received the French Na-
tional Prize for Town Access Routes, a prize awarded jointly • control of unauthorised visual publicity;
by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of In- • improving travel in the town and between towns;
frastructure, Housing, Transport and Tourism. • introducing the climatic charter;
This development plan makes provision for ongoing and in- • environmental education;
tegrated management of the town’s access routes and in- • training of local authority officials;
cludes: • introducing good communication practices.
• systematic cleaning to maintain roadside areas;
• redevelopment of plant beds and networks;
• redevelopment of existing access routes to improve visi-
bility and security;
• permanent monitoring of the location of advertising
boards;
• permanent monitoring of unauthorised building.

THE REGION OF
AIX ASSOCIATION
HAS DRAWN UP A
REDEVELOPMENT
PLAN FOR ACCESS
ROUTES INTO THE
TOWN
SOURCE: AIX-EN-PROVENCE TOURISM OFFICE

72

In 1999, a health resort will be con-
nected to the town centre by an en-
vironmentally-friendly minibus shut-
tle and by a cycle path.
Services for industry professionals
Concerted action is a key aspect of Aix-en-Provence’s qual-
ity initiative.
Under its environmental charter, the town has set up an en-
vironmental workshop involving active associations in a
process of:
• concerted action as regards local authority schemes in the
environmental area;
• searches for partners (public or private institutions) likely
to provide assistance in carrying out these schemes.
The town has also endeavoured to improve inter-municipal
cooperation in the environmental area, in particular as
regards:
• monitoring of air quality;
• management of the four local authority cooperation plans
for forest conservation and development and road noise.
In 1998, the municipal policy to promote health tourism and
its policy to promote pedestrian and cycle travel between the
urban area and the town’s natural areas led it to join the re-
gional urban ecology programme run by the regional envi-
ronmental agency (ARPE).
(27) Prefiguration of an AFNOR ISO (1999) certification system.
AIX-EN-PROVENCE
Tourist services
Promotion of Aix-en-Provence take traditional forms:
• brochures on thematic trails;
• the distribution to tourists of a leaflet setting out its envi-
ronmental policy;
• the creation in 1996 of an Internet site.
Under its quality plan, Aix-en-Provence is committed to re-
organising and tightening up the management of the Inter-
national Opera Festival to improve the image of
Aix-en-Provence and make the festival into the driving force
behind large-scale cultural tourism; the town is also organis-
ing a larger number of events.
The European Academy of Music, in addition to its teaching
work, is also to become a training centre for young singers,
instrumentalists and composers. Lastly, to promote closer
links between the residents of Aix and the festival, the Acad-
emy has devised a passport for tourists wishing to attend
any of the rehearsals and working sessions that it organises.
In 1994, the tourism office launched a feasibility study of the
five ‘Visitor care quality’ reference standards (27) envisaged in
the 1993 quality plan.
TIGHTER
MANAGEMENT OF
THE
INTERNATIONAL
OPERA FESTIVAL
SOURCE: AIX-EN-PROVENCE TOURISM OFFICE
73
 The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS
Knowledge of markets and visitor Satisfaction of local people and
satisfaction integration into the community
Tourist expectations were identified from surveys conducted Local people have welcomed the environmental workshop,
in 1993. These surveys have not been repeated. since they can play a part in schemes launched by the town
to improve the quality of living conditions which concern
Visitor satisfaction levels can, however, be assessed indirect-
them as much as tourists.
ly from:

• the AFNOR quality standard which has its own monitor-

ing system;
• customer complaints received by hoteliers relating chiefly
to:
– noise and traffic,
– lack of adequate signposting,
– dirtiness,
– petty crime at night (often close to discotheques).

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

The initiative has had some significant results:
• the drafting of the five ‘Visitor care quality’ reference stan-
dards;
• the drafting of an AFNOR quality standard which has
made it possible to model and certify the service and vis-
itor care activities of French tourism offices by determin-
ing the performance levels to be achieved and the re-
sources to be implemented.
As a result of Aix-en-Provence’s initiative, another future
success may well be the standardisation of visitor care in
French museums. This success may then be applied to other
branches of the hospitality sector such as transport, hotels
and restaurants.
The initiative, of moderate cost (some EUR 60 000 co-
financed by the French Tourism Engineering Agency, the
municipality, FIDAR and the General Council of the Bouch-
es-du-Rhône), has provided a number of benefits for the
town of Aix-en-Provence:
• a significant increase in tourist numbers;
• a continuing decline in the number of complaints to the
tourism office about visitor care;
• new target customers have been identified: eco-tourists,
health tourists, businessmen and conference delegates;
• hotels have an average occupancy rate that is higher than
the national average.

74
 Coimbra

Lisbon

Overview
Coimbra
The plan • Triggered by an urban renewal and development
strategy
• Leadership by the region and strong consensus
C oimbra is situated in the heart of Portugal’s
central region (Região Centro), halfway
between Lisbon and Oporto. This very historic
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO

between the public authorities, the private sector and

local people about development objectives town’s university, founded in 1290, is one of the
• Partnership spirit oldest and most prestigious universities of Europe. The
Strategy and • Strategic town plan
remains of Holy Queen Isabel, the town’s patron, rest
policies • Ecovie plan (park and ride schemes on the town’s in the Santa Clara-la-Nova monastery and are the
outskirts) focus of the famous festival of the Holy Queen
• Extensive training plan between 3 and 12 July.
Operations • Improvement of the quality of life and of the urban The town’s main attraction is its wealth of history and
area
• Professional manual (300 pages)
culture on which its reputation is founded. The old
• Training/information town, in which restoration started in 1990, has
• Annual promotion strategy based on the wide range winding streets, some of which have been
of regional products pedestrianised. Architectural styles range from the
• Visitor care and information offices, interactive
medieval to the 19th century.
terminals
• Improvement and modernisation of hotels Coimbra is also a lively town, largely because of its
Indicators • Monthly barometer university, its famous hospital centre, and the
• Management and arbitration of complaints conferences and conventions that provide a large
• Growing success of Ecovie number of visitors. One of Coimbra’s main attractions
Results • Continuity of the overall plan (700 000 visitors per annum) is the ‘Portugal dos
Pequenitos’ theme park, a miniature village
illustrating the architecture of Portugal’s towns and
cities and former colonies.

Coimbra has a young population (34 % aged under

25). It is a town with little industry. Employment is
largely in the service sector (72 %) largely because of
the university and the emphasis placed on tourism.

75
 Some figures
• 140 000 inhabitants (1997), including 30 000
students
• 160 000 arrivals (1997)
• 416 000 overnight stays (1997), chiefly German,
Spanish and Dutch tourists
• Average length of stay of 2.6 days (1997)
• 17 hotels with a capacity of 1 560 beds (1998)
• Occupancy rate of 73 % (1997)
• Direct employment in tourism: 12 to 14 % of total
employment
The dynamics of partnership
What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
At the outset, the town’s strategy was chiefly one of urban
renovation and development. As the region was eligible for
the Structural Funds, several major urban development proj-
ects had been set in motion and the town had published an
urban development plan in order to ensure that initiatives
were consistent.
This plan, published in 1990 after wide-ranging consultation
and concerted action with local people, sets out key aspects
of urban development, land use, areas for renovation, plans
for structural infrastructure and investment. Its guiding
thread is one of improving the quality of public areas.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
The Região Turismo Centro (Central Tourism Region) is an
association of 24 local authorities with a management board
made up of local politicians, State representatives and repre-
sentatives of the private sector and civil society. This associ-
ation has the same tasks as the 18 other regional tourism
associations in Portugal, i.e.:
• leadership and coordination of initiatives directly or indi-
rectly connected with tourism and promotion;
• leadership of, and active participation in, the town’s think-
ing about issues concerning tourism;
• promotion of the town;
• development of horizontal tourist products, training and
information and management documents;
• mediation between businesses and the public authorities
to create new activities and put together investment pack-
ages.
76
Main attractions
• The university of Coimbra, its
library and the Saint Michel
chapel;
• The old Roman cathedral;
• Churches, including Santa
Cruz which contains the
remains of Alfonso
Henriques, the first king of
Portugal;
• The Santa Clara monastery;
THE PLAN
The Região Turismo Centro is a key player in policy decisions
about tourism because of its structure and its public and pri-
vate sector composition, its method of financing, its remit
and its management team.
Three main aspects underpin its undoubted leadership of the
tourism industry:
• it has financial resources because it splits revenue from
VAT levied in accommodation establishments, restaurants
and cafes with local authorities; these own resources are
proportional to tourist industry activity which is important
from the point of view of motivation and cooperation;
• it is clearly perceived that its remit is one of coordination
and leadership of tourism; its structure brings together
public and private partners from various backgrounds in-
terested in the development of tourism;
• it has achieved significant results in recent years in terms
of product improvement and increased tourist numbers.
The spirit of partnership between public and private sector
operators encouraged by the region has also functioned par-
ticularly well in cases where cooperation and synergies were
being blocked by internal competition and mutual distrust.
The municipality of Coimbra is another important partner
both in including tourism in plans for the town and in imple-
menting measures to encourage new infrastructure and
events.

In view of the region’s original financing system and the very
high hotel occupancy rate, the hoteliers’ association is also
one of the key partners in Coimbra.
Other partners include:
• the National Tourism Training Institute (INFIT) run by the
Portuguese Ministry of Tourism which provides training
schemes for businesses in the industry;
The dynamics of design
Objectives and overall strategy
While the initial strategic plan of 1990 was not exclusively a
tourism development plan, it should be borne in mind that:
• it laid the foundations for the use of space, placing the em-
phasis on the upgrading of the heritage and the improve-
ment of the quality of life in the town (pedestrian area,
renovation of the main cultural buildings mentioned
above, vehicle traffic and public transport in the town,
strategy to develop the left bank, etc.);
• it was a plan, i.e. a written and to some extent permanent
reference framework drawn up with the participation of
local people and widely disseminated.
It therefore provided an official basis and
was a strong affirmation of the town’s
commitment to building on its past and
its heritage and to improving the quali-
ty of life for the benefit of local resi-
dents and visitors.
This initial strategic plan of 1990 pro-
vided the basis for a second plan entitled ‘Plano Estratégi-
co da Cidade de Coimbra’ (strategic plan for the town of
Coimbra) drawn up in 1998 with the main objective of ‘as-
serting the urban value of Coimbra as a centre of dissemina-
tion of knowledge and culture, a regional development
centre and an alternative to the metropolitan areas of Lisbon
and Oporto’.
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO
COIMBRA
• the Portugal Promotion Office (ICEP) answerable to the
Ministry of Tourism;
• the Tourism fund administered by the Ministry of Tourism
and set up to support investors in the industry.
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
This plan has four main strands, directly or indirectly linked
to tourism development:
1. establishing a competitive urban/regional community
through cooperation between local authorities, the devel-
opment of regional structures and integrated economic
development;
2. making Coimbra into a centre of innovation and scientific
and industrial development;
3. making Coimbra into a city of culture by upgrading its his-
toric, archaeological and museum resources and by sup-
porting and injecting a new dynamism into cultural
tourism;
4. making Coimbra into a town with a good quality of life
and work by revitalising its centre and integrating the
river into the town and by integrating outlying residential
areas and improving access and mobility in its centre.
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
The Ecovie project, co-financed by the European Union, is
currently a key factor in the sustainable development of
tourism. Under the project, the historic centre of the town is
served by minibuses from two park and ride schemes on the
town’s outskirts.
Human resource policy
One of the areas in which the destination has been most ac-
tive is human resource management. A number of schemes
have been launched to step up the number, skills and or-
ganisation of tourism professionals.
77
 The Região Turismo Centro drew up a training plan which,
in cooperation with INFIT, was run for one year and then
evaluated. This plan includes both long training courses and
very short and very specialised modules. It is run with the as-
sistance of schools, independent trainers and/or specialist
companies. Training takes various forms and has helped to
improve employees’ skills in the branches of accommoda-
tion, restaurants and cafés, local travel agencies, site man-
agement, etc.
It also includes a remarkable example of horizontal training
involving several aspects of integrated quality management:
the training scheme for hotel managers which looks at the
environmental impact of hotel construction and equipment
choices.
High quality staff can be recruited from Coimbra’s tourism
schools and university. The growth of tourism has helped to
make careers and business initiatives in this sector more at-
tractive.

The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS

Public services
The town has a traffic plan and has made major efforts to
ease traffic problems and improve mobility in general.

Through the Ecovie project, co-financed by the European

Union, the town centre is served by minibuses from two park
and ride schemes on the town’s outskirts. The service is very
frequent and inexpensive for users. A number of car parks
have also been built in the town centre and some main roads
have been closed to traffic.

Services for industry professionals

A manual produced by the Região Turismo Centro contains
all the practical information that the various industry profes-
sionals are likely to need. It has some 300 information sheets
classed under 13 main headings: general information, mon-
uments and museums, hotels and rural tourism, restaurants,
conference and banqueting facilities, campsites, travel agen-
cies and car hire, sports, banks, post and telecommunica-
tions, trains/buses/taxis, emergency services (ambulance,
police, fire brigade, etc.), and miscellaneous.

This file of over 300 pages is distributed to all tourism pro-

fessionals and is regularly updated. It is an exhaustive source
of information from which visitors can be supplied with up-
to-date, accurate and standard information.

The region organises training and information for business-

es in order to teach them how to handle tourists’ questions.

SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO

MAJOR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN
MADE IN COIMBRA TO EASE
VEHICLE TRAFFIC

78

Participation in many trade fairs and promotional events (32
in 1997) provides valuable information on changes in the
supply and trends in the market and in customer profiles.
The region is paying particular attention to the conference
segment and is envisaging a substantial investment in a new
conference centre. Twenty thousand of the 25 000 confer-
ence delegates who come to the region come to Coimbra, in
particular for medical conferences.
Tourist services
The town’s annual promotion strategy is decided by the Re-
gional Council. The latter coordinates promotional measures
by taking part in national and international trade fairs and
distributing a great deal of general and specific information,
available in several languages, that highlights the region’s
wealth of opportunities for cultural, coastal and rural
tourism.
COIMBRA
The region organises themed guided tours for visitors. Boat
trips on the river are one of the latest attractions devised by
the region and the municipality, working with private busi-
nesses.
Coimbra does not have its own airport but is readily accessi-
ble from the Lisbon–Oporto A1 motorway, and plans are
currently being drawn up to improve the road network with
Spain. Trains from Lisbon and Oporto stop at Coimbra B sta-
tion which is connected by a shuttle to Coimbra A station in
the town centre.
Two visitor orientation offices managed by the region, two
municipal information offices and a number of multimedia
and multilingual interactive terminals are available for
tourists. Staff at these offices speak several languages and
can provide a wide range of documentation.
PROMOTION
FOCUSES ON THE
REGION’S WEALTH
OF RESOURCES
FOR CULTURAL
TOURISM
SOURCE: REGIÃO TURISMO CENTRO
79
 The dynamics of monitoring
The Região Turismo Centro has full and detailed information
on all accommodation establishments in its 24 municipalities.
It does not, however, act as a central reservation office.
The hotel stock has been improved and modernised in recent
years. Two hotels are in fact built into the town’s architec-
tural monuments and heritage. Restaurant menus are in
most cases translated into several languages. Staff of the dif-
ferent categories of tourist establishments generally speak
English or French.
The town’s pedestrian centre also feels clean and secure dur-
ing the day and, because of high-quality public lighting, at
night.
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
In recent years, there have been several ad hoc studies of
tourists’ needs and their levels of satisfaction. There are no
plans, however, for systematic surveys.
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
The most significant results have been:
• a quantitative (from 4 to 10 hotels) and qualitative (reno-
vation of four ruined hotels) improvement of hotel
accommodation;
• dynamic investment and private and public initiative in the
industry;
• increased hotel occupancy rates;
80
INDICATORS
Information on hotel occupancy is closely monitored, on a
monthly basis, by the region through a monthly barometer
(occupancy level, length of stay, etc.).
The Região Turismo Centro processes complaints. It medi-
ates between complainants and the businesses involved.
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
After a slow start, the Ecovie project is becoming increasing-
ly popular with local people.
Most tourism development schemes in Coimbra are part and
parcel of an overall plan drawn up after wide-ranging con-
sultation of local people and providing a foundation for lo-
cal authority policy choices.
Tourism is not seen as something external but as an integral
part of reasoned choices that are accepted by most residents.
There is a broad consensus between the public authorities,
the private sector and local people about the development
of tourism and the forms that this should take.
RESULTS
• the preservation and, in some cases, creation of jobs in
tourism;
• the active part played by tourism development in improv-
ing quality of life in the urban area (new tourist facilities).
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM

Dublin

Overview
Dublin
The plan

Strategy and
• Triggered by a specific initiative to make the city more
competitive
• A strong official agency uniting the public and private sectors

• Specific award system

• Five-year development plan 1994–99, regional strategic plan
policies • Harmonious and controlled development of the entire region,
improvement of quality of life and of the urban area
• Environment strand for 2000 and following
• Programme of tailor-made continuing training
Operations • Infrastructure projects (national conference centre, development
of a ring-road)
• Urban renovation projects and initiatives
• Co-financed and sponsored programme of environmental
protection incentives (Tidy Town and Blue Flag)
• Practical discussion forums for members
• District meetings (meetings with local people)
• Grouping of tourist attractions (7)
• Cooperation and greater responsibility of professional
associations
• New image (logo)
• Gulliver tourist information and reservation system (hotels and
entertainment)
• Assistance service for tourist victims of crime
• Organisation of internationally renowned events
Indicators • Annual studies providing tourism performance indicators
• Quality control of tourist products
• Complaint management
• Annual monitoring and regular follow-up of the classification of
establishments
• Solutions taking account of residents’ grievances
D ublin, capital of Ireland, includes
four local authorities along the
island’s eastern coast. Its
surrounding area includes green valleys,
fishing villages, beaches, parks and golf
courses.
The city’s origins date back over 1 000 years
to the time of the Vikings.
With a wealth of history and a cultural
heritage made up of literary, architectural,
musical and artistic traditions, Dublin is a
lively city that is pleasant to visit.
A major stopping point for cruises, Dublin is
the home of Guinness, the birthplace of
famous writers such as Shaw, Yeats, Joyce
and Beckett and the home of contemporary
musical groups such as U2, The Dubliners
and stars such as Chris De Burgh.
Dublin organises many concerts, fairs, and
festivals, is a major trading centre and a
preferred destination for business and
conference tourism. In 1996, 76 % of the
international conferences hosted by Ireland
were held in Dublin.

Results • Identification of main problems (signposting, hygiene)

81
 Some figures
• 1 058 000 inhabitants (1997)
• 3 million visitors (1998) chiefly
from the United Kingdom (46 %),
other European countries (27 %)
and the United States (20 %)
• Average stay (1998): 5.6 nights
• 7th among the most visited towns
and cities of Europe (1996)
• Close on 400 establishments with a
capacity of some 14 200 rooms
(hotels, guest houses, B & Bs)
Main attractions
• Castles; pubs;
• Museums such as the Dublin Writers • The river, walks in the neighbouring
Museum, the National Museum of mountains, gardens, etc.;
Ireland and the James Joyce • Tourist port (43 cruise ships visited
Museum; Dublin in 1996);
• Historic sites such as Temple Bar, • 18 public parks, 51 golf courses.
Trinity College, the birthplace of
Bernard Shaw;
• Festivals such as St. Patrick’s Festival
and the Dublin Theatre Festival;
• Attractions: Dublin’s Viking
Adventure, Dublin Zoo, the Guinness
Hopstore and Old James Distillery;
• Art galleries, theatres and traditional

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
Dublin Tourism (the regional tourism authority) is the official
agency responsible for developing, promoting and supplying
tourism services.
Its management board has representatives from:
• the Irish national tourist office (Bord Fáilte);
• neighbouring municipalities and counties;
• the various professional associations in the tourism indus-
try (1 000 or so members in the Dublin region).
Dublin Tourism is involved in a wide range of projects to im-
prove the quality of tourists’ experiences when they visit
Dublin; these include monitoring accommodation establish-
ments, developing new projects and protecting traditional
resources.
Dublin Tourism is also a focus for the local authorities in-
volved in tourism. They generally have few responsibilities
for the planning and promotion of tourism development.
Their task is merely to support the policies of Dublin Tourism
and to create the environment needed for tourism by pro-
viding appropriate public services and infrastructure (water,
sanitation, roads, parks, gardens, etc.).
The Farm & Country Standard Ltd, Total Quality Service and
the Quality Approved Bed & Breakfast Association Ltd are
responsible for drawing up regulations and registering ac-
commodation establishments. Working together with Bord
Fáilte, they help to maintain a good level of quality among
these establishments.
Dublin Tourism is clearly responsible for strategy and policies
to develop tourism in the city and region of Dublin, which is
Ireland’s main port and tourist attraction.
Dublin Tourism, with efficient support from Bord Fáilte, also
works with over 40 of the region’s associations, committees
and other institutions and provides a central focus for their
work in the area of tourism.
Making the industry more dynamic
Dublin Tourism has established its own awards for private
companies or persons who have shown initiative in the var-
ious branches of tourism (bed & breakfasts, hotels, pubs, air-
line staff, tour operators, etc.). In the near future, Dublin
Tourism will also sponsor an award for high-quality sign-
posting information.

82

The dynamics of design
Analysis of current situation
The regional development plan for 1994–99 includes a
description and a SWOT analysis of trends in the tourism
market and in the tourist services offered by Dublin and its
region.
Objectives and overall strategy
The five-year plan for 1994–99 sets out Dublin Tourism’s
choices as regards:
• the development of accommodation, new
attractions and tourist infrastructure;
• the marketing of the destination: market
position, target market, promotion, etc.;
• investment;
• the financial resources needed to imple-
ment the development plan.
The plan also details the infrastructure and
environmental needs entailed in the imple-
mentation of the plan.
Since 1988, Dublin Tourism has set great store by the sus-
tainable development of high-quality tourism. Its main
1994–99 objectives are:
• to increase the revenue generated by foreign tourist ar-
rivals by 10 %;
• to create over 12 300 full-time jobs in order to achieve a
total of 33 500 jobs in 1999;
• to develop new products likely to attract visitors through-
out the year (objective: 75 % of visitors outside the
months of July and August).
A strategic regional development plan supplements this five-
year plan. It has three main strands:
• developing new ideas and initiatives (the Temple Bar
Quarter and Viking Dublin projects);
• tourist trails combining nature and popular attractions that
stress the protection of the environment;
• extending the range and quality of products aimed at new
markets (cultural heritage, golf, special events, etc.).
DUBLIN
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Although there is no local Agenda 21, any tourist develop-
ment undertaken by Dublin Tourism is based on the notion
of sustainable development. In 1998, the new tourism de-
velopment plan included an environment strand for 2000
and the years following based on the following concepts:
‘ … A development policy that leaves the physical and social
environment intact or, ideally, improves it, and that makes
this environment into a resource for future pleasure …’.
Human resource policy
CERT is a public agency responsible for training in certain
trades: café waiters and waitresses, tourist guides, recep-
tionists, supervisors, etc.
CERT work is largely tailored to individual requirements:
after detailed diagnosis of the needs of an enterprise or sub-
sector of tourism, it designs specific courses, trains trainers
and sends them to enterprises so that they can provide prac-
tical on-the-job training. CERT carries out permanent evalu-
ation of its training courses.
Permanent consultation between Dublin Tourism and CERT
makes it possible to anticipate training needs linked to
tourism development plans.
The training programme is therefore tailored to needs.
Dublin Tourism and CERT regularly exchange information on
training needs.
A DEVELOPMENT
POLICY WHICH
LEAVES THE
PHYSICAL AND
SOCIAL
ENVIRONMENT
INTACT
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM
83
 The dynamics of implementation
Public services
Dublin has started to build a national conference centre with
funding from the ERDF. This centre will provide a new impe-
tus for tourism.
Several infrastructure projects involving public transport,
pedestrian areas, road safety, information, traffic manage-
ment and the city’s accessibility are being implemented to
improve access to Dublin. These include:
• projects to extend railway lines that should help to im-
prove the town’s accessibility;
• a ring-road development project intended to ease traffic
problems in the city.
Dublin Tourism supports a range of urban renewal projects
and initiatives, particularly in disused industrial areas such as
the quays of the port. Some of these projects have already
been completed, while others have been or are being
planned.
Considerable efforts are made to inform the general public
about issues connected with the environment and schemes
such as the Tidy Town competition or the European Blue Flag
programme which recognises and rewards clean beaches
and encourages environmental protection.
The Tidy Town Competition is a programme co-financed by
the public and private sectors. First run 40 years ago, the
competition encourages local councils to protect the overall
environment of villages, including buildings, landscapes,
wildlife, facilities, the cultural heritage, access routes, waste
management and law and order. Account is taken of all these
aspects for various awards sponsored by national and inter-
national enterprises.
This national and regional competition has four categories:
the best kept town of Ireland, the best village, the best town
and the best city.
Services for industry professionals
Dublin Tourism:
OPERATIONS
forum for exchanges of views and thinking about new
products and policies;
• leads meetings on more specific aspects such as personnel
training, promotion, communication networks, etc.;
• visits Dublin’s various districts to hold public information
meetings (nine per year) at which local people can put
forward their opinions on and/or criticisms of tourism de-
velopment and the schemes being implemented.
Dublin Tourism has a network of five tourist information of-
fices through which it implements policies for its members.
These members, generally private enterprises working in
tourism, help to finance Dublin Tourism and to promote
Dublin through initiatives such as Dublin Tourism Enter-
prises which brings together seven of the city’s tourist
attractions. In return, members receive help with promotion
and marketing.
Tourist services
Dublin is promoted chiefly in foreign destinations that have
a direct air connection with Ireland.
Dublin Tourism:
• takes part in 30 international tourism fairs;
• adopted a new logo in 1996;
• publishes a range of brochures, leaflets a
nd posters;
• has an Internet site.
Dublin Tourism is trying to diversify ways of vis-
iting the city and its region. It helps to devise
new tourist routes and trails and is always on
the lookout for new ideas. This has led to various organised
tours for tourists.
International access routes to Dublin are by air (internation-
al airport 12 km outside the city) or by sea (two ferry termi-
nals, one to the south and the other in the centre of the city).

• has published its environment plan for 2000;

• organises discussion forums among its members in order
to inform them of its latest initiatives and to provide a

84

Within the country, an express train travels along Dublin Bay
and rapid road routes connect the town to the remainder of
the island.
Dublin Tourism has a budget from which local authori-
ties that undertake to improve tourist signposting can be
funded.
Shopping streets, as well as the sites of tourist attractions,
have in most cases been pedestrianised. The centre of Dublin
is also concentrated in a small area where almost everything
is accessible by foot.
Dublin Tourism manages a network of five information cen-
tres; considerable efforts have been made to ensure that
their opening hours, staff numbers and staff training are in
keeping with the growing visitor demand.
A new tourist information and reservation system (the Gul-
liver network) for hotels and entertainment was launched in
1995. Reservations can be made on a 24-hour basis from the
five tourist information centres and six other tourist infor-
mation points with terminals located in particular at the
airport and ferry terminal. There are plans to introduce a
further 22 reservation points in the near future; the network
also has an Internet connection.
The growth of accommodation capacity reflects the growth
of tourism in the destination: over 30 hotels have opened in
Dublin and its region within the space of a few years. At
present, most new accommodation tends to be in the city
centre where a new hotel opens every week.
Bord Fáilte uses existing regulations to record and classify es-
tablishments.
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM
DUBLIN
SOURCE: DUBLIN TOURISM
DUBLIN HAS AN
ACTIVE POLICY OF
EVENT
ORGANISATION
The Farm and Country Standard Ltd and the Quality Ap-
proved Bed & Breakfast Association register, plan and mon-
itor residents offering their homes as accommodation. They
work in cooperation with Bord Fáilte and local authorities.
The crime rate fell sharply between 1990 and 1994. Dublin
Tourism has regular meetings with the local police in order to
improve visitor security in the city centre. In 1991, Dublin
Tourism also set up an assistance service for tourist victims
of crime.
Dublin has an active policy of organising international
events. In 1998, the city was the starting point of the Tour
de France cycle race and the Cutty Sark race, both of which
have helped to improve Dublin’s image. Dublin Tourism is al-
so working on products or projects that can be combined to
form tourism development poles that take account of all as-
pects of the built and natural heritage, culture, folklore, etc.,
of Dublin and its region.
85
 The dynamics of monitoring
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Dublin Tourism and Bord Fáilte conduct a range of visitor
surveys throughout the year.
The results provide indicators of tourism performance, for
instance numbers of arrivals and lengths of stay by origin of
arrivals, visitor profiles, their motivations and levels of satis-
faction, etc.
The raw and processed data are not published: they are used
internally to provide a basis for decisions about policy, pro-
motion, infrastructure, training of employers and employees
in the tourist sector, etc.
The tourism development plan makes provision for qualita-
tive evaluation of tourist products (accommodation, attrac-
tions, infrastructure, etc.). This evaluation is carried out
through quality control measures by Bord Fáilte, Dublin
Tourism and local authorities.
Complaint management is left to the discretion of individual
enterprises. Dissatisfied tourists can lodge complaints at the
tourist information centres which will then forward them to
Dublin Tourism which, in turn, forwards them to the busi-
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
Since 1992, numbers of foreign visitors have grown on
average by some 8 % every year generating an average
increase in revenue of 10 % per annum.
The average annual occupancy rate of hotels has increased
from 75 to 77 % over the last three years, while hotel ca-
pacity – taking all forms of accommodation together – has
increased by 108 %.
There were close on 26 000 full-time jobs in tourism in 1996,
an increase of 82 % between 1991 and 1996. Dublin is
therefore the European destination where the growth of
tourism has been highest.
86
INDICATORS
nesses in question and intervenes directly only when there
are repeated complaints about the same business: following
an inspection, the business may be removed from Dublin
Tourism’s lists and no longer recommended.
Annual checks help to maintain high-quality regular moni-
toring of registered and classified establishments.
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
Although it listens to local people, Dublin Tourism does not
reply to individual complaints from local people about the
development of tourism. Complaints are considered overall
so that appropriate solutions can be found (forum and guar-
antee seminars).
There are, however, a number of statistics on the impact of
tourism on the quality of life. Dublin has received European
awards for its high scores in respect of European standards
on the cost of living in general and the cost of food and ac-
commodation in particular.
RESULTS
Although the results of visitor surveys are not made public,
Dublin Tourism’s report, published as part of its development
plan, indicates a high level of visitor satisfaction. The main
problems, however, are hygiene and signposting of tourist
attractions.
Dublin Tourism has been awarded a special prize by the
Finnish tourist press for its support for tourist development,
and the city of Dublin has been awarded various architec-
tural and British Travellers’ Guild prizes.
 Glasgow

London

Overview
Glasgow
The plan • Triggered by a concern for progress and improvement
• Very strong local partnership dynamics
• Strong organisational structure, broken down by different
geographical levels of power
• Clear distribution of responsibilities
• Good integration of the public and private sectors and high-
G lasgow, Scotland’s largest city, is
often described as the best example
of a Victorian town. It lies on
Scotland’s west coast, on the banks of the
River Clyde.
quality partner searches
• Environmental project and award Its historic and cultural heritage are its main
tourist resource: Glasgow is the birthplace of
Strategy and • Strategic development plan based on sustainable development
policies • A whole range of complementary objectives, resources in keeping the famous architect and designer Charles
SOURCE: GREATER GLASGOW & CLYDE VALLEY

with market segments Rennie Macintosh and has many historic

• Team working to improve the environment and the heritage –
joint working party on tourism and the environment
• Good policy of human resource management and training, based
in particular on the Investors in People programme
• Promotion of training schemes and provision of free training aids
• First careers promotion office in the industry
• City monitoring system
monuments and interesting architectural
styles.
The town hosts international popular music
and jazz festivals as well as the famous May
festival.

Operations • Integrated approach (management assistance project) for tourism
professionals based on the key areas of their operational tasks
• Efficient promotion policy
• Action plan broken down into five main strands
• Centralised and high-quality reservation system
• Measurement of employees’ satisfaction
For sport lovers, there is a variety of golf
courses (45). The town has two rival football
teams, Celtic and Rangers, who meet at least
four times a year and attract large numbers
of spectators.

Indicators • Complaint processing In Gaelic, Glasgow means ‘Beautiful green

• Regular measurement of visitor satisfaction place’, a name justified by its 70 parks and
• Performance monitored with respect to strategic objectives gardens.
Results • Training: to remedy any shortcomings identified

87
 Some figures (1996) Main attractions
• 625 000 inhabitants, declining by some 1 % every year • 27 museums and art
• 1.6 million British tourists (including 600 000 galleries: (Burrell Collection,
holidaymakers) and 510 000 foreign tourists, Kelvingrove Museum, Art
• respectively 4.7 and 3.5 million overnight stays, i.e. a Gallery, McLellan Galleries,
total of 8.2 million overnight stays Gallery of Modern Art);
• tourist expenditure of, respectively, EUR 261 million • 16 theatres and concert
and EUR 232 million halls (Citizens Theatre,
• in 1992, 24.5 million day visitors spending Kelvin Hall International
approximately EUR 266 million Arena, Royal Concert Hall,
Tron Theatre, Scottish
• 67 % of overnight stays by British visitors are at the
Opera, Scottish Ballet, Royal
homes of friends or family
Scottish National
• 59 % of visitors arrive by car, 10 % by plane and 15 % Orchestra);
by train
• 23 historic monuments and
• visitors throughout the year (approximately 25 % every other centres of interest
quarter) such as the cathedral,
• 141 hotels, 183 guest houses (including ‘bed & Crookston Castle, the
breakfasts’), 40 apartment blocks, 9 caravan sites and Glengoyne distillery, the
12 university halls of residences make up a total of zoo, the City Chamber and
9 153 rooms with 17 742 beds George Square, as well as
• 21 000 jobs generated by tourism the (art nouveau)
architecture of Charles
Rennie Mackintosh which is
to be found everywhere (for
instance: Glasgow School of
Art, Hill House, House for
an Art Lover, the
Mackintosh House, the
Martyr’s Public School,
etc.);
• festivals such as the May
festival, the Popular Music
Festival in June and the
International Jazz Festival
in July;
• 45 golf courses, two major
football clubs, sport centres
and swimming pools, 70
parks and gardens, many
walking or cycle excursions
from Glasgow, etc.

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
Scotland’s tourism industry is organised ‘nationally’, with re-
gional and local offices responsible for implementing policies
at the various local levels.
Nationally, there is the Scottish Tourism Coordination Group
(STCG) which draws up the strategic tourism development
plan. It identifies and undertakes strategic measures to im-
prove the tourist supply, organises debates on tourism and
implements those measures that it considers appropriate.
The group is chaired by the Scottish Minister for Tourism.
Separate from the Tourism Forum Scotland, STCG member-
ship includes only public bodies directly or indirectly involved
in developing the industry.
At national and at local level, marketing and developing the
tourism industry is always the responsibility of three main
types of body.
Organisations specific to the tourism
industry
The Scottish Tourist Board (STB) is the main tourism agency
for Scotland. Its main responsibilities are:
• to promote Scotland as a leisure or business tourist desti-
nation in the United Kingdom and, in cooperation with the
British Tourist Authority (BTA), abroad;
• in cooperation with Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands
and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to develop tourist products;
• to develop quality initiatives for tourist services and pro-
mote them among visitors;
• to assist Area Tourist Boards (ATB) in particular with the
creation of Tourist Information Centres (TIC), local mar-
keting and the introduction of information technologies.
The British Tourist Authority, set up in 1969, has a network
of 42 offices throughout the world that encourage foreign
tourists to visit the United Kingdom. The STB calls upon its
high-level expertise to help with its international marketing
work.

88

Economic development agencies
The particular remit of these agencies is to find appropriate
ways of improving training (skills and knowledge) and the
economic environment and infrastructure:
• Scottish Enterprise (SE) is lowland Scotland’s economic de-
velopment agency. The task of its Glasgow offices and 13
Local Enterprise Companies (LEC) is to create jobs and in-
crease local people’s prosperity by encouraging enterprise
creation and development, attracting external investors
and increasing exports;
• in parallel, the Inverness-based Highlands and Islands
Enterprise (HIE) and its 10 Local Enterprise Companies
carry out the same tasks in the north and north-west of
Scotland.
The authorities
Under the umbrella of the Convention of Scottish Local Au-
thorities (COSLA), which provides national coordination of
local authorities’ tourism work, these authorities play a large
part in financing the strategies implemented by the Area
Tourist Boards (ATB). Local authorities are responsible for de-
veloping and maintaining facilities and infrastructure, which
make up a substantial part of the tourist product, and en-
suring that they can be used by the local community. As
owners of land and infrastructure and as local authorities re-
sponsible for planning, they also play a key role in develop-
ing initiatives in the tourism industry and in ensuring that
these initiatives are in keeping with local people’s needs.
Other members of the national STCG all play a part in the
protection and upgrading of Scotland’s historic, cultural,
artistic and sporting heritage. They include: Historic Scot-
land, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Museum Council, Scot-
tish Natural Heritage, Scottish Sports Council and Tourism
Forum Scotland.
At regional level
At this level, Scotland has 14 Area Tourist Boards (ATB) (in-
cluding the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board responsible for St
Andrews and its region and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Valley Tourist Board responsible for Glasgow and its region).
GLASGOW
The ATBs, whose members include most enterprises involved
in the tourism sector, provide these enterprises with the in-
formation and support that they need in fields such as local
strategy, marketing and public relations and quality assur-
ance.
At local level, lastly, there are 22 Local Enterprise Companies
(LEC) and 32 local authorities for Scotland as a whole (28).
In addition to the main partners working at both national
and regional level, each destination has local partners who
play a key role both in general economic development and
in tourism.
The Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) has a dual mis-
sion:
• with its partners, to make Glasgow one of the best cities
in Europe;
• to become and be recognised as one of the best local eco-
nomic development agencies.
The GDA is the most important supplier of funds for enter-
prise creation or development and training programmes.
For its part, the Glasgow City Council offers a wide range of
services to enterprises and the local community (especially fi-
nance): roads, health and safety, public infrastructure such as
museums, theatres, parks, sport centres, etc., used both by
visitors and the city’s residents. It is also the main source of
funds for Glasgow’s Area Tourist Board, the Greater Glasgow
and Clyde Valley Tourist Board (GGCVTB), which is the main
point of contact for visitors and enterprises in the tourism in-
dustry.
The three organisations work together to promote and de-
velop the city’s tourism industry.
Other partners play a smaller, but nevertheless important,
role in the destination, in particular the Scottish Hotel School,
the Greater Glasgow Hotel Association and some major tour
operators who are in some cases in competition with the
Tourist Board.
(28) At St Andrews, the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) and the local author-
ity are called Fife Enterprise and Fife Council respectively, while at Glas-
gow Development Agency and Glasgow City Council.
89
 The dynamics of design
Objectives and overall strategy
The most recent strategic tourism development plan and its
corresponding action programme were drawn up in 1995.
This programme, drawn up by the Tourism Development
Group and covering the period 1995–99, is intended to
strengthen and improve Glasgow’s position as a major inter-
national tourist destination and as the gateway to Scotland.
Developing and promoting world-class infrastructure, devel-
oping innovative products and high-quality cultural activities
and providing high-quality services are all ways of achieving
this objective.
The detailed objectives of this strategic plan and programme
are:
• to attract more visitors to Glasgow;
• to increase the length of stay of visitors to the city;
• to encourage visitors to spend more in the city’s econom-
ic circuits;
• to increase the number and quality of jobs connected with
tourism;
• to increase visitor satisfaction so that visitors return to and
promote the city;
• to attract more investment for projects involving the
tourism industry;
• to promote Glasgow in its national and international tar-
get markets as the gateway to Scotland and as one of the
leading urban tourist destinations.
If these major objectives are to be achieved, steps need to be
taken:
• to improve the quality of information available in the
tourism market in order to provide help with investment
decisions;
• to improve the quality of the information and services sup-
plied to visitors as well as the quality of existing infra-
structure;
• to increase the number and range of attractions and
events that the city offers to its visitors;
• to attract more visitors from Europe and North America,
curb the decline in the number of visitors from the United
Kingdom by offering short trips or trips linked to a partic-
ular event and to attract day visitors through better tar-
geted promotions;
• to build up Glasgow’s appeal for conference delegates in
order to make it more competitive on the national and in-
ternational markets;
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
• to improve the quality of the services offered to visitors by
developing a culture of training and by building on good
practices in the tourism industry;
• to improve and extend the range of accommodation avail-
able in the city.
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Following the publication of a White Paper entitled ‘This
common inheritance’, the STCG drew up a report on
tourism and the environment entitled ‘Tourism and the
Scottish environment: a sustainable partnership’.
In 1992, following proposals from the STCG, a nation-
al Tourism and Environment Task Force was set up as
part of a new tourism management initiative (TMI).
This initiative has to be implemented locally through
tourism management programmes (TMP) which
provide a link between local and national priorities.
The remit of the Task Force is to ‘promote a reason-
able and rational use of Scotland’s natural resources
and cultural heritage in order to make the most of
the very wide range of opportunities open to the
Scottish tourism industry’.
The Task Force includes representatives from the various
public agencies such as STB, SE and HIE and from 10 or so
of the other organisations mentioned above.
The Glasgow Development Agency (GDA) also has a team
responsible for improving the city’s natural environment
and cultural heritage. An impact study is conducted prior to
any change, chiefly by this team which contacts local people
and visitors to discover what they think about the proposed
changes.

90

ENCOURAGING AND
HELPING TOURISM
BUSINESSES TO
TRAIN THEIR
PERSONNEL
PEOPLE
ESTORS IN
SOURCE: INV
Human resource policy
The United Kingdom, and Scotland in particular, is very ac-
tive in the area of human resource management and train-
ing.
The United Kingdom has developed a national programme
called Investors in People (IIP). Based on the practical expe-
rience of the best-performing enterprises, IIP is implement-
ed in Scotland via the LEC (Local Enterprise Companies).
Under this programme, it is possible to encourage and
supervise enterprises which commit themselves to training
and individual development schemes for their staff in order
to improve their profitability and performance levels.
This national programme sets out four basic principles with
which any enterprise launching an initiative of the Investors
in People type publicly undertakes to comply. These prin-
ciples are:
• to enable and help every staff member to achieve his or
her career objectives;
• regularly to re-evaluate individual training and personal
development needs;
• to take any training or individual development measure
for any employee when he or she has been recruited and
throughout his or her working life;
• to evaluate the results of this investment in training and
individual development schemes in order to improve their
future results.
GLASGOW
In spring 1997, a tourism and hospitality organisation in St
Andrews and six organisations in Glasgow met the require-
ments and were officially accredited under the Investors in
People (IIP) programme.
Investors in People is also one of the key components of the
Tourism Training in Scotland (TTS) initiative. Set up in 1992
at the joint initiative of the public and private sectors, this ini-
tiative brings together many Scottish tour operators, the
main tourism industry associations, training institutions, ed-
ucational establishments and the main public agencies in the
industry.
Its task is ‘to make Scotland more competitive as a tourist
destination by ensuring that all its visitors receive services of
world-class quality, by promoting high-quality training and
opening up career prospects for all industry employees’. The
IIP programme is very widely applied in the tourism industry
in Glasgow.
Other training initiatives include:
• Scotland’s Best, two training programmes looking at ways
of offering visitors services that exceed their expectations
and at methods of resolving difficult and confrontational
situations;
• Tourism Business Success targeted on the owners and
managers of SMEs who wish to improve their skills;
• Scottish Quality Retailing which offers effective staff train-
ing and development measures to improve the perform-
ance of individual enterprises in the industry;
• Natural Cook which promotes tourist cuisine based on the
use of Scottish resources;
• Welcome Host which is intended to improve levels of serv-
ice in hospitality and tourist accommodation (over 24 000
people have taken part in these one-day seminars since
1994).
The TTS also supplies information for the general public
about the very wide range of trades and career opportuni-
ties offered by the tourism industry.
91
 Human resource policy in the
destination
The IIP programme is very widely applied in the tourism in-
dustry in Glasgow.
Financed by the GDA and working from GGCVTB’s offices,
Glasgow’s Tourism Training Unit promotes training schemes
available in the tourism industry: accommodation, trans-
port, arts and entertainment, retail trades, attractions, cater-
ing, etc.
It offers enterprises a range of services including:
• detailed information on the training available;
• a database containing details of training in the areas of
business management, sales and marketing, tourist hospi-
tality, languages, information techniques, etc. This service
is free;
• a library and videos and free materials for in-house train-
ing;
• regular publications on the latest developments in train-
ing;
• training schemes tailored to the needs of the local tourism
industry;
• local access to national training initiatives developed by
Tourism Training Scotland.
It offers trainers:
• targeted and effective promotion of trainers specialising in
the tourism industry;
• the inclusion of advertising and references in the training
database;
• publicity via training units to promote the quality of train-
ing;
• a quarterly bulletin informing trainers about national and
local developments.
92
The Springboard initiative, launched in the United Kingdom,
is intended to promote careers in the hospitality and tourism
industry as first career choices in order to try to offset the
chronic lack of qualified personnel and recruitment prob-
lems. In June 1998, Glasgow opened the Springboard initia-
tive’s first Scottish office which will be financed for its first
three years of operation before being taken over by the pri-
vate sector.
Springboard operates at three levels:
• promoting the tourism industry as an industry offering
genuine career opportunities;
• helping potential employees by providing them with high-
quality information and specialist opinions on potential
career opportunities in the industry;
• working with employers to help them to attract the best
possible employees for successful and long-term careers
and assisting them as they try to improve recruitment,
training and employment conditions.
As a regional centre, Glasgow is connected to a network of
satellite centres which constantly provide updated informa-
tion. Jobseekers can use the new technologies – interactive
CD-ROM and Internet site – to access information on local
and national Springboard initiatives.
Promotional campaigns are targeted on a number of social
groups such as school leavers, graduates, employees looking
to change their jobs, the unemployed, part-time workers,
etc. The aim of these campaigns is to encourage such peo-
ple to visit and discuss their options with vocational guidance
centres and job centres and to make them aware of the wide
range of opportunities offered by tourism.
 GLASGOW
The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS
Public services SOURCE: GREATER GLASGOW & CLYDE VALLEY

Glasgow has recently introduced a new city surveillance

scheme in order to improve security, and is attempting to
make the city cleaner by improved domestic waste collection
and better street cleaning.

Services for industry professionals

Improved cooperation between the three public agencies
has meant that promotional measures are better targeted
and more effective; they are helping to improve Glasgow’s
appeal as a conference city and to reach particular niche
markets.

The GGCVTB has:

• produced and distributed 1 275 000 brochures and

leaflets;
• taken part in 42 trade fairs and exhibitions specialising in
tourism;
• dealt with 32 000 replies to promotional campaigns;
to the development of hotels, restaurants, cafés and other
• improved awareness among 440 professionals (largely
catering establishments, attractions and other sites; this pro-
travel agencies and conference organisers) invited to Glas-
gramme focuses on key areas of their operation such as
gow to study and familiarise themselves with Glasgow’s
training and human resource management, business devel-
main resources;
opment and improving the quality of businesses.
• generated over 2 000 requests for information from trav-
el agencies and 800 from conference organisers. Under this programme, successes recorded to date are used
In 1995, the GDA launched the Tourism Business Partnership as illustrations and the major problems of enterprise devel-
Programme which aims to provide an integrated approach opment are tackled in an integrated way. Business managers
then commit themselves to a programme of enterprise de-
velopment assistance under the direct supervision of a GDA
partner or a consultant.

Rapid help with management is available for any concern

employing less than 50 people that is not part of a chain or
a major enterprise.

THE PLAN AIMS

TO IMPROVE THE
CITY’S APPEAL
SOURCE: GREATER GLASGOW & CLYDE VALLEY

93
 Tourist services
The goal was to achieve all the objectives of the strategic
tourism development plan in three to five years through the
five main strands of the action plan:
• improving and upgrading the tourist product, in particu-
lar attractions, events, accommodation and the general
environment;
• improving visitor services, the quality of tourist informa-
tion and infrastructure, in particular information services,
transport, signposting and retail trade;
• improving and coordinating efforts to market the town;
• improving staff training and enterprise performance;
• improving research and development in the tourism in-
dustry.
This plan sets out various practical measures:
The town has high-quality museums and art galleries that
have a good reputation; improving some centres of attrac-
tion (for instance, the Burrell Collection), creating a science
centre as part of plans for the millennium, organising major
events and promoting Scotland’s largest shopping complex
are all helping to improve the city’s appeal.
Glasgow is readily accessible by air, sea, rail or land. The in-
ternational airport is 13 km from the city centre (5.5 million
passengers in 1995), while its two stations serve all the UK’s
major destinations. Ferries connect Glasgow with 23 Scottish
islands, Ireland and Iceland and with some European desti-
nations. The town is also surrounded by a major road net-
work.
A new network of nine tourist information centres (TIC) was
set up in 1996; this network responded to close on 720 000
requests for information during the 1996–97 season alone.
Following a study of the possibilities of automatic distribu-
tion of tourist information, a new information point (with a
free telephone connection to the closest TIC) has also been
installed and is currently being tested.
These information centres offer a centralised and high-qual-
ity reservation system for all GGCVTB’s member businesses
and are connected to the national Book-a-Bed-Ahead reser-
vation system.
The growth of medium-price hotels and the development
and gradual implementation of the new national classifica-
tion system for accommodation establishments (29) devised
by the Scottish Tourist Board’s quality assurance service
means that visitors are able to choose and find the quali-
ty/price ratio that best suits them.
In the catering sector, Glasgow offers supplementary one-
day training schemes for staff of hotels, restaurants and cafés
to help them to find out about local products, offer them
new ideas and improve their professional skills. A quality
insurance scheme is to be implemented to highlight busi-
nesses that offer a good price/quality ratio.

There is a vast network of public transport including trains,

buses and an underground. Various one-day to three-day
multimodal transport passes are available for the public. The
city has around 1 450 taxis and 23 offices where cars can be
hired with or without drivers. Guided tours are possible by
car, taxi, boat or on foot.
SOURCE:: BRITISH TOURIST AUTHORITY

(29) Identical to the system in use at St Andrews — see that case study for
more details.

94

The dynamics of monitoring
Personnel satisfaction
IIP plans include measurements of the satisfaction of staff
of accredited enterprises in order to evaluate what progress
has been made and in particular to find out whether em-
ployees’ attitudes have changed after training, whether they
are more motivated, whether they are willing to pass on their
new expertise or take part in new training schemes, whether
they have a better understanding of enterprises’ objectives,
whether working relations have improved, whether per-
formance in some activities has improved, whether there is
less absenteeism, etc.
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
A complaints processing procedure has been set up. Com-
plaints are dealt with as soon as they are received. Contact
with owners of the businesses in question is very rapid.
The TDG has commissioned a private consultancy company
to carry out a study of visitors to the city of Glasgow chiefly
to:
• draw up a detailed profile of these visitors;
• study and analyse their characteristics and types of activi-
ty and the behaviour and perceptions of visitors to the city;
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
Development seems to be well integrated into the organisa-
tional structures of Scottish tourism and is based on efficient
cooperation between the public and private sector. This is
borne out by the score of 7.2 awarded by Tourism Express
for performance with respect to strategic objectives.
Courses are organised by the Glasgow Tourism Training Unit
for employers and their employees in order to offset any
GLASGOW
INDICATORS
• provide data whose results can be compared with those of
a 1982 study by the District of Glasgow of a small num-
ber of attractions.
Between April 1992 and March 1993, over 3 300 visitors to
the city were interviewed, people living or working in the
area accounting for a maximum of 25 % of this figure. The
sample was completed by questionnaires handed out at con-
certs or theatre performances (3 539 people in total).
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
The GDA does not feel that it is necessary to carry out meas-
urements of local people’s satisfaction. It considers that any
improvements to infrastructure or the services available to
visitors also help to improve the well-being and quality of life
of residents.
The GDA is, however, aware that there is a substantial im-
pact on local people during the peak season or during major
events such as the 1997 Rotary Conference. Local people
need to be well informed in advance and the impact of these
events monitored.
RESULTS
shortcomings that come to light when complaints are
processed and better to meet customer expectations.
An initial evaluation of the Tourism Business Partnership Pro-
gramme was conducted in 1997–98 and provided results
that were positive overall.
95
 Stockholm

Gothenburg

Gothenburg
Overview
The plan • Triggered by a twofold concern to strengthen its position and to
preserve its residents’ quality of life
• Public/private sector company responsible for urban tourism
development
• Strong political support
F ounded by the Dutch in 1621, at the
request of King Karl IX, Gothenburg
(Göteborg in Swedish) rapidly
became a prosperous trading centre.
Although most of the old town has
Strategy and • Benchmarking initiative and drafting of standards
policies • Four priority segments: private tourism, business tourism, events,
nowadays disappeared, Gothenburg’s canals
SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

commerce and industry still provide a reminder of the city’s Dutch

• Partnership and cooperation strategy
• Strategic monitoring and Vision 2010 report
• Environmental protection as a priority
• 10-point local Agenda 21
• ‘Environmental areas’ where vehicle traffic is restricted
• Participation in EU programmes: Effect project, European cities’
network, Blue Flag
• Certificate awarded to enterprises whose environmental action
plans have been successful
• WINGS database for targeted training
Operations • Sorting and recycling of waste
• Formal and informal internal communication
• Free services, accessible information, accommodation facilities
improving the city’s appeal
• Better supply of public transport
• Qualification certificates for tourist guides
• Specific reservation system
influence.
Gothenburg, which is Sweden’s second town
and capital of the county of Västra, lies on
the banks of the River Göta and is the
gateway to Scandinavia and its 25 million
inhabitants.
Gothenburg is an important administrative,
commercial and university centre, the home
of many national and international
enterprises, has been well known as a
conference centre since the construction of
its conference centre in 1917 and is also
Scandinavia’s largest port.

Indicators • High quality tourist information centres

• Complaint management
• Working party for the permanent evaluation of trends in the
tourism industry and market
• Environmental report
Results • Qualitative and quantitative surveys providing a basis for
quarterly and six-monthly forecasts

97
 Some figures (1997) Main attractions
• 290 000 inhabitants (454 000 in Greater Gothenburg) • the old canals; • botanical garden
• 5.4 million day visitors • museums, opera and covering 175
• 174 hotels offering 10 359 beds, with 1 626 000 overnight stays in theatres, symphony hectares, with 35 km
1997 orchestra; of paths;
• Average length of stay: 2.75 days • antiques market, • many golf courses;
• Average daily expenditure of some EUR 52 fish market, auction • the west coast
• Tourism accounts for 7 % of GNP rooms; islands close to
• the Liseberg Gothenburg which
• 31 % of visitors are foreign
Amusement Park are well worth a
• Business tourism accounts for 63.4 %, conference tourism for 12 %, visit;
(2.5 million visitors
and leisure tourism for 17 % of arrivals
a year), the largest • many festivals in the
• 25 congress and conference centres, including the famous Swedish amusement park in summer.
exhibition and conference centre, have a capacity of 10 000 to Scandinavia;
12 000 seats, 40 000 sq. metres of space for exhibitions and trade
fairs and a banqueting hall that can accommodate 1 200 people.

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
The city of Gothenburg’s quality initiative was triggered by a
concern to:
• preserve and even consolidate its position in the business
and conference tourism market where international com-
petition had become increasingly cut-throat;
• develop tourism in a sustainable way while preserving res-
idents’ quality of life, in particular by stepping up envi-
ronmental protection.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
The main partner in Gothenburg’s IQM initiative is the mixed
public/private sector company Göteborg & Co which is re-
sponsible for tourism development in the urban area of
Gothenburg. The company is jointly owned by the munici-
pality (55 %), the region of Gothenburg (15 %) and private
sector representatives who share the remaining 30 % be-
tween them (including the Chambers of Commerce and In-
dustry, the Swedish exhibition and conference centre, Stena
Line Ferries, traders’ associations including Cityföreningen
and the city’s various hotel groups such as Storhotellgruppen
and Göteborg’s Hotellen).
Göteborg & Co is the only tourism organisation which has sub-
stantial financial standing, works throughout the urban area of
Greater Gothenburg and enjoys the support of the region’s
main economic and social partners who are also its members.
The tourism industry enjoys strong political support as the
president of the regional council is also the chairman of
Göteborg & Co. This strong political support is a driving force
behind the development of tourism and the results that have
been obtained in Gothenburg although, for some people,
the length of time required for decision-making brought
about by this strong political involvement is a drawback.
Göteborg & Co has four departments working in different
areas:
• the private tourism department is responsible for design-
ing and marketing products for individual or group tourists
and works closely with businesses supplying tourist prod-
ucts;
• the business tourism department (Gothenburg Conven-
tion Bureau – GCB) whose task is to develop Gothenburg
as a city of trade fairs and conferences. For this purpose,
the GCB has signed agreements with over 75 enterprises
and key partners in tourism in the city and its region;
• the events department whose task is to increase activities
of this type within the city. This department works with the
main municipal departments and services responsible for
attractions, roads, cleaning, the environment, the police,
traffic, etc. It is also in charge of various festivals and
events such as the Göteborgs-Kalaset, the Science Festi-
val, the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races, etc.;
• the trade and industry department which has close links
with 21 of the city’s largest enterprises and is responsible
for supplying information on the strengths of the city’s
commercial and industrial sectors.
Göteborg & Co also has four divisions offering logistical sup-
port for its four main departments:
• a strategic monitoring division responsible for ongoing im-
provement and development of tourist products;
• a tourist information division;
• a press relations division;
• an administrative and financial division.

98

Several national partners, including the Swedish Travel and
Tourism Council, the Swedish Tourist Authority and the
Swedish Travel and Tourist Industry Federation, play a direct
or indirect part in the above-mentioned initiative through in-
formation, promotion, representation and coordination
schemes and through schemes to regulate or organise the
industry.
GOTHENBURG
There are also various regional bodies, although a major re-
form on 1 January 1999 should make Västra Götaland into
a new European region. The institutional framework may
therefore be somewhat modified.

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLICIES

Analysis of current situation – A DEVELOPMENT
Benchmarking STRATEGY BASED
IN PARTICULAR
In 1999, a new cooperation project with Stockholm’s infor- ON THE
ORGANISATION
mation service (Stockholm Tourist Office) should pave the
OF EVENTS
way for exchanges of general and specific information on
various aspects of tourism. The project in particular covers
statistics on and detailed studies of various tourist attractions
and events, improvement of the quality of these statistics
and the drafting of standards.

SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

Objectives and overall strategy
Göteborg & Co is trying to make Gothenburg better known
among, and to sell it as a tourist destination to, the four
priority segments of the tourism market.
The private tourism department’s main targets are, on the
one hand, Swedish customers, followed by Norwegian,
Danish and German customers and, on the other hand,
customers from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the
United States and Japan. The department actively looks for
cooperation agreements between major Scandinavian cities
and maritime passenger transport companies. Families are
the main target group during the summer while adults look-
ing for rest and relaxation are the main focus throughout the
rest of the year. Day visitors are a third category of customer.
The business tourism department, through the GCB, is at-
tempting to:
• involve tourism professionals in Gothenburg’s surrounding
area in business tourism activities;
• focus public and media attention on any congresses or
conferences held in Gothenburg;
• forge permanent links between the political authorities
and economic sectors in order to help set such activities in
motion;
• improve security.
The GCB is dealing with some 200 potential customers or-
ganising events up to 2007.
The events department concentrates on organising events
that:
• are larger and generate a better economic return for the
city;
• are more attractive, appeal to a wider public and are like-
ly to create new jobs;
• are more specific and have a real development potential;
• help to improve Gothenburg’s brand image and help with
its marketing.
The work of the trade and industry department focuses on:
• national and foreign investors who might decide to set up
businesses in Gothenburg’s urban area;
• young Swedes, providing them with information on
Gothenburg as a university city and as a city of learning;
• public opinion-makers;
• residents themselves, making them into ambassadors for
their city.

99

SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO
IMPROVING
GÖTEBORG’S
APPEAL: THE
Göteborg & Co’s strategy is also to:
‘VISION 2010’
• build up and consolidate partnerships with the private
REPORT
sector;
• encourage its partners to play an active part within its or-
ganisation;
• draw up long-term cooperation agreements with its
strategic partners.
A report entitled ‘Vision 2010’ is being prepared by Göte-
borg & Co’s strategic monitoring service in order to make
Gothenburg into an even more attractive tourist destination
by encouraging the private sector, investors and the author-
ities to play a part in this development which includes:
• ongoing development of the port area and the archipela-
go;
• creation of new museums;
• ongoing development of ‘the avenue of events’ (exten-
sion of existing infrastructure and sites, construction of
new hotels, development of public areas, improvement of
public transport, etc.);
• gradual integration of hotel and conference facilities with-
in the city and the outlying suburb of Norra Älvstranden.
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Environmental protection is a priority in Gothenburg. All
committees, administrative units, private and public enter-
prises and employees must abide by the city’s directives.
Gothenburg is a member of the European cities’ network
that signed the Aalborg Charter on the local Agenda 21.
100
Taking the experience of the business world, universities,
non-governmental organisations and local authorities as a
starting point, everyone, in all sectors, must implement a
strategy and a policy of sustainable development in order to
preserve the quality of life of future generations. A 10-point
local Agenda 21 provides a framework for this environmen-
tal policy:
• using natural resources sparingly;
• respecting man and nature;
• planning together for a better environment;
• participation by everyone;
• informing and educating;
• long-term planning of measures to safeguard the environ-
ment;
• purchasing environmentally-friendly products and ser-
vices;
• cooperating with private organisations and enterprises;
• cooperating beyond frontiers;
• cooperating with research and development.
The Environmental Policy Delegation ensures that the city’s
plans are part and parcel of this overall policy and that the
results of an annual audit and of annual monitoring are dis-
seminated and used to improve the situation.
None of this is possible without sound management of
vehicle traffic. On 1 April 1996, Gothenburg made some ar-
eas where traffic is likely to cause problems of pollution into
‘environmental zones’ where restrictive measures are imple-
mented. Under regulations on road traffic, the city council
can prohibit diesel-powered lorries and buses weighing more
than 3.5 tonnes. The aim is to reduce traffic nuisances by
30 % for the over 100 000 residents of these areas.
In order to improve air quality, a tunnel is to be built (the
Lundbytunnel) to divert 90 % of traffic from the city’s main
road, thereby reducing air pollution by 50 % and noise lev-
els by 15 dBA in neighbouring residential areas.
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION IS A
PRIORITY

A member of the International Council for Local Environ-
mental Initiatives, Gothenburg is taking part in the European
Effect (Environmental forecasting for the effective control of
traffic) project together with other towns and cities in the
United Kingdom and Greece. This project includes on-line
measurement of air quality and evaluation of the effective-
ness of measures to reduce pollution in specific areas.
Gothenburg’s environmental protection office works with
other municipalities in the region to encourage enterprises to
make changes to their working methods in order to help to
improve environmental quality.
GOTHENBURG
Human resource policy
Göteborg & Co and the other organisations involved in the
development of tourism run various training programmes for
their own or their members’ employees.
There are also close training links between tourism profes-
sionals and the University of Gothenburg, in particular
through lectures and the supply of case studies to students.
These programmes are aimed in particular at information of-
fice employees, particularly those who provide front-office
services for customers.

Enterprises wishing to launch environmental management
schemes draw up a plan of action; if they achieve the objec-
tives that they have set, they are awarded a certificate. This
certificate has been awarded to 65 hotels and restaurants in
the tourism industry since 1995.
Lastly, three of Gothenburg beaches have received a Blue
Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education in
Europe (FEEE).
A database called WINGS (work in new goals settings) in-
cludes high-quality information on a vast range of targeted
training that industry employees can consult to find answers
to their particular training needs. This database has consid-
erable potential but is proving difficult to develop because of
a lack of time.

The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS

Public services
Gothenburg has one of the lowest crime rates of European
towns and cities, which is all the more remarkable as it is a
stopping-off point and has a major sea port.

Gothenburg’s reputation as a very clean city has been con-

solidated by improved waste
collection and cleaning and in-
centives to sort and recycle
waste (tin cans, glass, paper,
batteries, plastics, etc.).
SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

To improve mobility, the mu-

nicipality of Gothenburg’s poli-
cy is to increase public trans-
port; under this policy, a wider
range of public transport that is information system) to provide passengers on the urban and
easier to use is being intro- regional network with clear and full information on services
duced and, in parallel, the as well as precise times of arrival at the various stops.
number of parking places in
the city centre is being re-
duced. Use is also being made Services for industry professionals
of the new information tech- Internal communication is organised through Göteborg &
nologies (GLAB on-line traffic Co whose four departments forge formal links (agreements)
SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO

101

SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO
and informal links (working groups, contacts) with the main
partners in tourism development in the city. The information
service is responsible for distributing promotional materials
to businesses in the industry (hotels, restaurants, etc.).
Tourist services
External communication is organised in cooperation with the
national and regional bodies responsible for information and
promotion. Information on package tours to the city and a
calendar of events is available and tickets can be purchased
on the Internet.
Public transport improvements, free visitor services, access to
information and accommodation facilities for young people
have improved Gothenburg’s appeal to students among
whom it has become a preferred destination. Festivals and
other summer events are also among the city’s main attrac-
tions. They are concentrated along two of the city’s main
roads.
Environmental policy and the guidelines set out in the local
Agenda 21 provide the main framework for any upgrading
of resources.
The city of Gothenburg is a crossroads between continental
Europe and Scandinavia: transport is well developed both by
SOURCE: GÖTEBORG & CO
102
sea (largest Scandinavian port) and by road and rail. Gothen-
burg has an international airport 25 km from the city centre
which is well served by public transport (buses and taxis).
Free information is available locally from information centres
and all tourist accommodation facilities (hotels, restaurants,
cultural and leisure attractions).
The local tourism offices award qualification certificates to
officially recognised tourist guides.
The city has a wide range of stores and shops, in particular
the Nordstan complex (the largest commercial centre in Swe-
den with over 150 shops under the same roof) and Nordiska
Kompaniet (luxury and branded products).
To improve mobility, the municipality of Gothenburg’s poli-
cy is to increase public transport; under this policy, a wider
range of public transport that is easier to use is being intro-
duced and, in parallel, the number of parking places in the
city centre is being reduced. Use is also being made of the
new information technologies (GLAB on-line traffic informa-
tion system) to provide passengers on the urban and regional
network with clear and full information on services as well as
precise times of arrival at the various stops.
Göteborg & Co’s Bokser reservation system enables cen-
tralised reservation of hotel rooms, self-catering apartments,
theatre tickets, etc. The reservation system can also be ac-
cessed via the Internet.
Gothenburg offers a very wide range of accommodation
facilities and restaurants including, in particular, a well-es-
tablished network of youth hostels, whose quality exceeds
international standards, and catering based on traditional
seafood recipes.
A WIDE RANGE OF
SHOPS AND RETAIL
OUTLETS

The dynamics of monitoring
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Göteborg & Co conducts regular surveys of expectations
among all categories of tourists. Market trends and ways of
improving services are also surveyed.
A recent survey found a 98 % satisfaction level among
tourists visiting tourist information centres.
Considerable stress is placed on monitoring customer satis-
faction and, in particular, on complaint management; case
information is immediately forwarded to all professionals in
the branch concerned through both formal and informal
channels.
Göteborg & Co’s strategic monitoring service permanently
monitors and evaluates trends in tourist activity and market
trends. It operates internally as a reference group and in
some cases calls upon an external panel of experts, officials
or academic authorities.
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
Göteborg & Co’s regular qualitative and quantitative sur-
veys mean that quarterly and six-monthly estimates of
tourism can be regularly updated.
Several factors seem to be paving the way for an IQM ini-
tiative in Gothenburg:
• the establishment of a strong authority, with political sup-
port, rallying the public and private and the regional and
local, and working to develop well-defined target markets;
GOTHENBURG
INDICATORS
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
The degree of satisfaction of residents is estimated by Göte-
borg & Co’s strategic monitoring service, especially during
the Göteborgs Kalaset festival, on the last Saturday of each
month (when shops are open later) and during important
events.
A market study, whose results have been published in a re-
port entitled ‘Gothenburg and the environment’, also made
it possible to find out what importance the residents of
Gothenburg attached to the environment.
The main topics surveyed were the sea, air pollution by in-
dustry and vehicle traffic and environmental education for
schoolchildren.
RESULTS
• the political priority given to the quality of the environ-
ment through a global strategy that covers all economic
and social partners and includes participation by local
people.
The priority that has been given to the business tourism sec-
tor (congresses, conferences) is a powerful incentive to im-
plement an IQM initiative, in view of the highly competitive
nature of this sector and the high information requirements
of this very professional and demanding clientele.
103
 Berlin

Leipzig

Overview
Leipzig
The plan

Strategy and
• Triggered by the opening-up of the East and the need to
maintain a competitive position in business and cultural tourism
• Strong management involving the public and private sectors
• Accreditation and quality award

• Quantitative and qualitative objectives clearly set out in the

policies ‘Leipzig model’
• Modular strategy focusing on communication and marketing
• Importance attached to environmental protection
• A variety of training schemes open to everyone
• The ‘Leipzig Info-Taxi’ label
Operations • Innovative practices in targeted, internal and external,
communication
• Measures covering the entire tourism chain: image, publishing,
wide-ranging supply, accessibility, mobility (inclusive pass),
intermodal transport, information, reservation, accommodation,
catering, cleanliness, security, etc.
Indicators • Quality control of the products and services offered to visitors
• Classification by customer contact criteria
• Active processing of complaints and praise
• Monthly statistics on demand
• Customer surveys
• Benchmarking practices and active participation in several urban
destination networks
• Telephone surveys of local people
Results • 5 service quality factors
SOURCE: LEIPZIG TOURIST SERVICE
L eipzig, founded in the seventh
century, has a rich historic and
cultural past and is nowadays one of
the former East Germany’s most popular
destinations.
Long known for its trade fair, known as ‘the
mother of trade fairs’, Leipzig’s new
conference and trade fair centre was
inaugurated in 1996 and is, now more than
ever, a crossroads between the markets of
the east and west and an important
destination for conference tourism.
With its many cultural venues which make it
into a kind of ‘Little Paris’, the city also has a
major architectural heritage ranging from the
baroque to the modern. Many buildings are
currently being constructed, bearing witness
to the city’s economic dynamism.
This intense economic activity, coupled with
a wide range of cultural events during the
peak season (from March to June and

• 5 strategies for quality dynamics September to December), gives the city a

• 7 service quality improvement stages very cosmopolitan atmosphere.

105
 Some figures (1997)
• Close on 500 000 inhabitants
• 10 000 beds in 67 hotels and similar
accommodation establishments
• Close on 40 million day visitors
• 557 391 tourists, of whom 12.4 % were
foreigners
• 1 240 390 overnight stays
• Average length of stay: 2.2 days
Main attractions
• Musical groups, including the • Architecture and buildings,
Gewandhaus Orchestra and the including the former Town Hall,
Thomaner Choir; the St Thomas and St Nicholas
• The Mädler-Passage trading arcade churches, the Leipzig Opera, etc.
and its famous Auerbachs Keller
wine cellar;
• Museums: art, natural history,
municipal history;

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
German unification in 1989 meant that local public and pri-
vate operators were suddenly faced with worldwide compe-
tition, while continuing to work within the old structures of
the tourism industry.
Unquestionably the leader, LTS nevertheless coordinates its
work with that of the Dezernat Kultur (the city’s cultural de-
partment) and the Leipziger Messe GmbH (private company
for the Leipzig trade fair).
A number of other partners in Leipzig, in the Land of Saxony
and throughout Germany, work with LTS. They include:

In order to tackle the problems generated by this sudden
change and having decided to preserve Leipzig’s position as
an international business and cultural tourism destination,
the municipality formulated a new marketing plan in 1995.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
Leipzig Tourist Service (LTS) is an association of 140 mem-
bers from the public and private sectors who support it fi-
nancially through contributions. Succeeding the former
tourism and conference office in 1996, LTS is chiefly respon-
sible for the international marketing of the city, for its pro-
motion and communication and, where necessary, for creat-
ing new products.
LTS is a communication platform for all the city’s tourism ac-
tivities; in this respect, it coordinates programmes, gathers
together and pools the necessary resources and looks for
synergies between the various partners involved.
• the city’s main tourist attractions (orchestra, choir and
opera, cabarets, museums, libraries, etc.);
• tourism agencies offering guided visits to the city, confer-
ence and entertainment organisers, the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, the city’s conference centre and
various municipal departments;
• regional and national bodies such as the Landesfremden-
tourismusverband Sachsen (Tourism Office of the Land of
Saxony), Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus (German Na-
tional Tourism Office), German Convention Bureau, etc.
LTS is also a member of many European networks and
organisations.
Making the industry more dynamic HIGH-QUALITY
AND
LTS has developed a quality label, various kinds of accredita-
ENVIRONMENT-
tion and an award for people or enterprises performing well FRIENDLY TOURISM
in the industry, all of which are intended to encourage qual- IS IMPORTANT FOR
LEIPZIG
ity improvement.

LTS also conducts market studies, including: ‘A vision of

tourism for Leipzig’, ‘Leipzig, a tourist metropolis?’, ‘Leipzig,
conference destination’, etc.

106

The dynamics of design
Objectives and overall strategy
Leipzig’s strategy is based on an active, competent and high-
quality tourism organisation, Leipzig Tourist Services (LTS),
that will help it to become a major and strong partner in the
international cultural tourism and trade fair markets.
LEIPZIG
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
This strategy is implemented by developing consistent poli-
cies on products, prices, distribution and promotion that re-
quire good external and internal communication if they are
to be effective.

Based on a concept that it calls ‘the Leipzig model’, LTS’s
strategy involves channelling most of its efforts into promot-
ing and marketing Leipzig and outsourcing other tasks to lo-
cal partners, thereby helping to develop the local economy.
As it runs Leipzig’s tourist information centres, LTS is also di-
rectly involved in finding answers to tourists’ needs by pass-
ing them on to the partners that it has selected, who are re-
sponsible for hotel and entertainment reservations, ticket
sales, organisation of guided tours, etc.
As a communication and marketing agent, LTS focuses its ef-
forts on its main target, i.e. the key tourism industry actors
in the markets that it has selected: travel agencies, tour op-
erators and other actors who have an impact on demand and
a genuine influence on decision-making.
LTS’s qualitative and quantitative objectives are as follows:
• to make Leipzig known throughout the world as an inter-
national centre for cultural and conference and trade fair
tourism;
• to make Leipzig one of the most popular urban tourist des-
tinations by 2000;
• with the help of its partners, to make Leipzig into a town
offering high-quality tourism that respects all the various
aspects of the environment (green city, local people, sus-
tainable development, etc.);
• to develop the image of ‘Leipzig, city of culture’ (the home
of Bach) and of Leipzig as a centre of history (city of
change);
• unique tourism (unique selling proposition).
Its strategy to achieve these objectives is modular and based
on the principles of:
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Leipzig attaches considerable importance to the respect of
the environment, although many European standards have
yet to be achieved. Following a raft of measures in 1994–95,
Leipzig set itself new environmental protection and quality
standard objectives in 1996.
Priority areas of concern are:
• protection of health and quality of life: air and water qual-
ity, noise, toxic and hazardous substances, radioactivity,
artificial lights, etc.;
• protection of nature: fauna, flora, landscapes, soil, run-
ning water, etc.;
• resource conservation: energy, water sources and
aquifers, waste, etc.;
• hazardous substances and indirect damage generated by
the city: waste waters and sewers, exhaust gases, imports
and exports of hazardous substances, etc.
Human resource policy
Staff training is one of LTS’s main concerns and there is a
yearly budget for this purpose. Everyone receives informa-
tion on and can attend the training programme that LTS runs
for its own staff. A wide range of modules are offered, in par-
ticular in the areas of marketing, use of computer resources,
languages, visitor hospitality, telephone contact, public rela-
tions, etc.
LTS particularly recommends the use of taxis bearing the
Leipzig Info-Taxi label: this label is awarded to drivers who
have attended tourism training schemes.

• segmentation of target markets and of the approaches

used;
• competitiveness based on the quality of the tourist desti-
nation and the services that it offers;
• a customer-oriented approach;
• improving Leipzig’s customer appeal, in particular in terms
of the price/quality ratio.
SOURCE: LEIPZIG TOURIST SERVICE

107
 The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS
Services for industry professionals • accompanies foreign tours by Leipzig’s ‘cultural ambassa-
dors’ (its orchestra, choirs, opera) and is represented at
LTS communicates with its members in a variety of ways. In
any event bearing a message about Leipzig;
addition to its marketing plan, which is systematically sent
out to each member, LTS: • publishes a wide range of brochures and leaflets setting
out Leipzig’s various attractions in several languages.
• publishes an information bulletin (LTS-Intern) on LTS’s
These brochures provide visitors with information on tourist
work and its new brochures;
services (hotels, accommodation establishments and camp
• publishes a monthly review of the international profes- sites, including those that are not DEVELOPMENT
sional press (LTS-Pressespiegel); members of the Tourbu OF 32 THEMED
PACKAGES
• runs monthly breakfasts (Tourismus- Sachsen reservation sys-
frühstück) on various topics relating to tem, restaurants and cafés,
the development of tourism (lectures, cultural events and various
round tables and discussions); attractions, etc.) and on the
• runs the ‘Service offensiv’ and different ways in which peo-
‘Leipzig lernt’ schemes which help ple can visit Leipzig and en-
joy its various attractions ac-

E
RIST SERVIC
members to improve their notions of
customer service: workshops and cording to their own tastes

ZIG TOU
working groups on topics such as and preferences.

SOURCE: LEIP
foreign tourists’ needs and expecta-
E
RIST SERVIC

For this purpose, LTS has

tions, their habits and behaviour, helped to develop a number of
ZIG TOU

translation of menus into various programmes and itineraries for

foreign languages, etc.;
SOURCE: LEIP

visits to Leipzig and its sur-

• organises ‘Leipzig inspires’, rounding area. These 32 inclusive tours are sold throughout
lectures given by specialists on a very wide range of the year by tour operators and travel agents. Visitors can al-
MONTHLY
REVIEW OF THE
tourism topics; so purchase walking or carriage tours (in some cases on par-
INTERNATIONAL • publishes a quarterly report that includes an evaluation of ticular themes).
PROFESSIONAL
results against the objectives of the marketing plan as well
PRESS Built at the intersection of two European trade routes, the Via
as quantitative and qualitative monitoring of prices.
Imperia and the Via Regia, Leipzig is a bridge between west-
ern Europe and the countries of the east. The city can be
Tourist services accessed from many motorways and has one of the largest
LTS is keen to promote its own image and the image of the railway terminals in Europe as well as a major international
city through its logo and an overall slogan ‘Leipzig, see you airport (close on 50 000 flights and over 2.2 million passen-
there’. gers every year).

The city’s annual marketing plan describes all the promo-
tional activities planned for the year. For promotion pur-
poses, LTS:
• takes part in the main tourism trade fairs, conferences and
major trade fairs outside the tourism industry;
• targets journalists, VIPs and decision-makers both at a
whole range of events and by sending out specific mail-
shots;
In the area of intermodal transport and mobility within the
destination, a combination of trams, buses and trains ef-
ficiently links all areas of the city ACCESSIBILITY
and its surrounding area, in par- FOR EVERYONE
ticular the new Leipzig trade fair
complex.
Leipzig’s visitors and residents can
purchase an inclusive, individual or
group, one-day to three-day travel
pass covering all the city’s public
transport. The various itineraries
E
RIST SERVIC

available for tourists include this

pass.
ZIG TOU
SOURCE: LEIP

108

LTS runs the tourist information centre. Located opposite
the main station and open every day of the year, the centre
offers high-quality information. It stocks and distributes pro-
motional and information brochures on the city, sells the
inclusive city transport passes and helps tourists with their
accommodation, entertainment and guided tour reserva-
tions.
Tourbu-Sachsen, Saxony’s central information and reserva-
tion, works with LTS. This reservation system is also com-
patible with the DIRG-System, a national information and
reservation system that can be accessed from almost all Ger-
man travel agencies.
In the accommodation and catering sector, LTS works with a
number of partners including:
• the local section of the national association of accommo-
dation and catering trades (Dehoga);
• a grouping of five of the main conference hotels (Con-
friends Leipzig);
• a grouping of 16 of the largest hotels which meet period-
ically to swap experiences and work closely with LTS
(ERFA-Gruppe);
• the ERFA II union of hotel managers/owners.
Most hotels take part voluntarily in the German hotel classi-
fication system based on international standards and sea-
sonal tariffs.
The dynamics of monitoring
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Tourist information centres log contacts with customers on
the basis of criteria such as type of question, reasons for vis-
it, type of accommodation chosen, etc. These statistics are
then used for mailings.
LTS also follows up the trade fairs in which it takes part so
that it can keep in contact with as many visitors as possible
and inform them selectively about events that the city is
planning.
LTS logs and analyses all the complaints and praise that it re-
ceives and draws up statistics. The director of the informa-
LEIPZIG
In the catering sector, the magazine Kreutzer has published
its third good food guide, entitled Leipzig Tag & Nacht 98/99
– Der kulinarische Führer, covering around 130 of the 800
such establishments in Leipzig. Service, food, drinks and
quality/price ratio are all taken into account in the score of
one to five awarded by the magazine.
The municipality feels that it is very important to keep the
city clean, maintain its parks and gardens and ensure that
residents and tourists are secure.
Alongside the local police, Leipzig has therefore taken a
number of steps to improve security involving private secu-
rity companies, private car park guards, a private enterprise
that protects restaurants, bars and discotheques (The Black
Rainbows) and closed circuit television monitoring of areas
where drug trafficking is known to take place.
INDICATORS
tion centre has been trained in complaint processing and is
personally responsible for replying to and processing every
complaint. LTS makes every effort to bring complainants and
offenders together so that the reasons for the complaint can
be analysed and an answer found. The aim is for every cus-
tomer to leave Leipzig with a positive memory of their visit.
The government of the Land of Saxony draws up monthly
statistics on demand (arrivals, overnight stays, expenditure,
etc.) and conducts an annual questionnaire survey of cus-
tomers. LTS can take part indirectly in these surveys by in-
cluding particular questions to evaluate strengths and weak-
nesses in various fields (accommodation, gastronomy, retail
trade, cultural, recreational and sporting activities, guided
109
 tours and trips, landscapes and nature, environment, etc.) in
the questionnaires, although it has to pay a fee.
Since 1998 LTS has been carrying out its own customer sur-
veys.
LTS has a number of general indicators of the intensity of the
impact of tourism on local people: overall, tourism is felt to
be a positive force as it improves the standard of living of lo-
cal people and provides a better choice of shops, restaurants
and cultural and recreational activities.

Satisfaction of local people and Positive impact on the environment

integration into the community LTS considers at present that tourism does not pose any ma-
LTS conducts telephone surveys among representative sam- jor threat to the environment.
ples of the population. In 1998, LTS conducted its third tele-
phone survey of 1 000 residents, asking them ‘Is Leipzig a
tourist city?’:

• 63 % considered that Leipzig was a tourist city in com-

parison with only 55 % in 1996;
• 79 % suggested possible improvements;
• only 43 % said that they knew of LTS.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

LTS feels that it is too early to evaluate the results of its strat- – defining the role and place of tourism in local econom-
egy which was put in practice only in 1996. The first overall ic development,
evaluation of results is planned for 1999. – ensuring that tourism is accepted at all political levels,
The experts agree, however, that the ‘Leipzig model’ has – helping to pave the way for institutional cooperation in
been an overall success, and LTS feels that the success of its the tourism industry;
IQM initiative is due to: • seven stages that should help to improve the quality of
tourism services:
• five factors that ensure the supply of a high-quality
service: – formulating, describing and bringing about a common
vision of tourism in the minds of visitors and local
– reliability,
people,
– friendliness,
– learning better to understand visitors’ expectations,
– confidence,
– developing criteria for measuring customer satisfaction,
– ability to understand,
– encouraging dialogue with customers,
– respect for the environment and general presentation of
– establishing quality standards for the services offered,
personnel;
– encouraging customers to express their opinions of the
• five strategies that support a quality dynamic for German
services that they have received,
tourism:
– ensuring permanent and critical monitoring of the serv-
– improving public and political perception of tourism as
ices offered by the destination and by its competitors.
an inescapable part of local economies and local life,
– augmenting, centralising and making better use of all
knowledge of tourism,

110

Overview
Loutraki
The plan • Triggered by the need to reconstruct the town after a
natural disaster and to consolidate it as a tourist
destination
• Quality initiative led by a municipal enterprise for tourist
development of the thermal baths
• Participation in the European Recite and ECOS
SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI
Ouverture programmes
Strategy and • Strategy based on a detailed study of Loutraki as a
policies tourist destination
• Three town development policies: equipment and
infrastructure, cultural events, environmental protection
• Provision of financial resources for the development of
tourism
• Training seminars to improve services
Operations • Complete infrastructure modernisation plan
• Maintenance, restoration and renovation schemes
• Internal communication: lectures/debates before and
after the season
• Free bus transport service for residents and tourists
• Municipal beach monitoring service
Indicators • Regular monitoring of tourist flows
• Direct and indirect satisfaction surveys
• Tourist capacity monitoring system
• Municipal complaint service for residents
Results • Completion of strategic plan
• Increased number of arrivals
Thermæ - Loutraki
(D.E.T.A.L.P.)
Athens
Loutraki
Rhodes
L ocated in the gulf of Corinth, Loutraki is
both an internationally renowned spa town
and a seaside resort. These assets,
combined with its extremely good climate and
unique natural environment, make it a popular
tourist destination throughout the year.
Loutraki, known in ancient Greece as ‘Thermai’,
was renowned for its hot springs. It first became a
genuine tourist destination in 1855 when the
municipality decided to exploit these hot springs
and built suitable facilities for tourists.
There has long been scientific and medical interest
in Loutraki’s waters, whose benefits are now
recognised. This water is also bottled and
distributed both in Greece and abroad.
Loutraki lies on the road intersection connecting
Attica to the Peloponnese and is not far from
Athens (80 km); since the Second World War it has
been very popular among Athenians as a location
for second homes.
Its casino and its many ancient remains (Greek,
Roman and Byzantine) are two further centres of
attraction.
Largely destroyed by an earthquake in the 1980s,
Loutraki has since undertaken a vast programme of
reconstruction.
111
 Some figures (1997) Main attractions
• 55 accommodation • spa waters and health facilities; 2 500 people, etc.;
establishments with close on • its natural site, climate and beach; • the cemetery;
3 000 beds • archaeological treasures from Roman • the casino.
• 2 000 beds in apartments and and Byzantine times;
bed and breakfast • many sports facilities: football
accommodation grounds, athletic grounds, tennis
• 78 899 arrivals and 325 985 courts, water sports, a covered
overnight stays gymnasium that can accommodate

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
In the 1960s, Loutraki faced three major problems:
• chaotic urban development due largely to the proliferation
of second homes;
• a sharp drop in international tourism as a result of the gen-
eral market trend towards coastal destinations;
• pollution due to the lack of a biological sewage processing
station.
Even though the growing reputation of the benefits of
Loutraki’s waters had increased the resort’s popularity, the
1988 earthquake temporarily destroyed any hopes of further
development.
Paradoxically, this natural disaster and the town reconstruc-
tion plan should help Loutraki to consolidate its position as a
tourist destination.
In 1990, the award of an operating licence for a municipal
casino breathed new life into the town. The town is a share-
holder in the company that manages the casino and receives
substantial revenue that it channels back into tourism.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
The municipal company for tourist development of the
Thermai-Loutraki thermal baths is the leader of the quality
initiative. Thermai-Loutraki, set up in 1988, works on behalf
of the municipality to implement tourist development
schemes and market the destination. Only construction and
infrastructure works are directly supervised by the munici-
pality.
Thermai-Loutraki is supported by various local associations:
• Loutraki hoteliers’ association;
• restaurateurs’ association;
• traders’ association;
• local union of tourism employees.
Making the industry more dynamic
Under the Recite programme, financed by the European
Union, Loutraki is being linked to the E9 European road.
It is also a member of the Coasts network and the Eurospa
network under the European Union’s ECOS Ouverture pro-
gramme.

112

The dynamics of design
Analysis of current situation
The municipality has conducted a detailed study of resources
of tourist interest. The aim of this study was in particular to
pinpoint development priorities and to find better links be-
tween the resources of the town, its surrounding area and
possibly resources located beyond municipal boundaries.
Objectives and overall strategy
Although there was a very piecemeal initial plan for tourist
development in 1990–91, it was only in 1995 that a genuine
strategy was developed from the study of Loutraki as a
tourist destination.
LOUTRAKI
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
• special measures on street cleaning, regular collections of
household refuse and reduction of noise pollution during
the peak tourist season;
• rational use of energy, in particular by installing beach
showers using water from the hot springs;
• developing a nature reserve in the mountain region of
Gerania;
• financing action groups for the prevention of forest fires;
• protecting underground waters.

The municipality’s goal is to achieve international recognition

of Loutraki as a leading spa destination within 10 years. SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI

Three types of measure have been adopted to achieve this

objective:

• general improvement of the town’s facilities and infra-

structure and, in particular, its spa and thermal bath facil- INSTALLATION OF
BEACH SHOWERS
ities; USING WATER
• the creation of a range of cultural events; FROM THE HOT
SPRINGS
• protection of the environment and, more specifically, of
the underground waters that are the region’s main eco-
nomic resource.
Two studies provided a basis for Loutraki’s integrated
tourism development strategy: Human resource policy
• the first, conducted in 1996, entitled ‘Tourism develop- In cooperation with training centres, the municipality runs
ment strategy’; seminars to improve services that are aimed at industry em-
ployees.
• the second, conducted in 1998, entitled ‘Loutraki, desti-
nation for the Olympic games and athletes’ training
centre’.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21 THE BLUE FLAG

HAS BEEN
The municipality pays close attention to the environment AWARDED TO
and has set itself a number of priorities: LOUTRAKI’S
BEACHES EVERY
• cleaning of beaches and the promenades that border them YEAR SINCE 1985
by the municipal service; Loutraki’s beaches have received
a Blue Flag every year since 1985;
• installing floating dams to improve and accelerate the
biological treatment of waters and waste;

SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI

113
 The dynamics of implementation
Public services
An infrastructure modernisation plan is under way. It in-
cludes a number of projects:
• reconstructing the town’s main access route: works to
widen this road to 40 m, plant a tree border, create a
cycle path and renovate squares are scheduled for com-
pletion in 1999;
• improving beaches: rebuilding of a pumping and biologi-
cal treatment station, development of a promenade with
open air theatres;
• restoring an old drinking water fountain supplied by ther-
mal waters;
• extending the sea promenade by two kilometres and de-
veloping an Olympic pool, a discotheque, a bar and a
restaurant at the end of the promenade;
• developing a marina as an extension of the current port;
• constructing a three-level thermal swimming pool com-
plex.
The municipality makes major efforts to maintain the desti-
nation, in particular through:
• daily and morning cleaning of beaches;
• the installation of waste bins throughout the town;
• collection of waste by lorries that use water to clean con-
tainers and dustbins in order to prevent smells.
In recent years, the municipality has been running a pro-
gramme to clean façades and renovate the town’s parks,
main streets, thermal baths and promenades.
114
OPERATIONS
Services for industry professionals
For internal communication purposes, the municipality or-
ganises a conference at the beginning and end of the tourist
season in order to present its strategic objectives and action
plans to its partners. This provides a forum for exchanges of
opinion and detailed discussion of tourism development.
Tourist services
Generally speaking, tourism functions are handled fairly con-
ventionally in Loutraki.
Conventional mediums are used for promotion: catalogues,
brochures, public relations and participation in trade fairs and
exhibitions both in Greece and abroad (Milan, Berlin,
Moscow and Copenhagen).
The municipality also helps with this promotion work by:
• sponsoring major sporting events (the Greek national
team at the 1998 European Basketball Championships,
Formula 3 car racing, and since 1988, the Loutraki Cup, a
regional annual race for Optimist yachts);
• poster campaigns on Athens trams.
Loutraki is accessible by road (Athens–Corinth–Patras
route), by train (direct connection to the Athens–Pelopon-
nese network) and by plane (84 km from Athens airport).
Although there are no regular sea lines, Loutraki is also ac-
cessible by sea (plans for a marina on the gulf of Corinth) by
small-tonnage boats.
The town’s small size and the pedestrianisation of some
streets mean that mobility is not a problem. This good mo-
bility is helped by a free environment-friendly urban bus
service that was set up by the municipality as a result of vis-
itors’ criticisms of taxi services. A traffic regulation and visi-
tor parking plan is being studied and should be completed in
1999.
The municipality runs two information kiosks, one on the
Corinth canal bridge (a popular tourist site) and the other in
the town centre. They can sup-
TOURIST
ply tourist maps giving details of INFORMATION
the town’s main attractions and MAPS ARE
AVAILABLE FOR
accommodation possibilities, but
VISITORS
do not make reservations.
Following a study of signpost-
ing, new orientation and loca-
tion panels for attractions, facili-
ties and tourist services were in-
stalled.
SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI
 LOUTRAKI
The town has a wide range of medium-level accommodation
(and a few top-flight hotels on its outskirts). Service quality
is ‘good’ but not exceptional.

SOURCE: THERMAI-LOUTRAKI
A local travel agency works with six hotels in the town to
offer a package tour called ‘Loutraki 6+1’, which includes
accommodation, catering, excursions, etc. A special
brochure giving details of this package has been published.

Hotels often do not have their own restaurants, leaving

tourists free to choose between a wide range of good to very
good restaurants. DESIGN OF
PACKAGE
Loutraki is not a destination known for the wealth and vari- HOLIDAYS
ety of its shops; the range is, however, sufficient to satisfy all
types of visitor.

The municipality has set up a beach monitoring service. nication with coastguards, the town hospital and the munic-
Three monitoring stations (with plans for a fourth) are ipal ambulance. There are plans for a jet ski ambulance to
already in operation. Lifeguards are in direct radio commu- complete this system.

The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS

Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Tourist flows (arrivals, overnight stays, etc.) are regularly
monitored by the municipality when it is collecting data for
the national statistical office.
Visitor satisfaction is surveyed in two ways:
• ad hoc surveys of visitors’ motivations and satisfaction
conducted in cooperation with foreign tour operators;
• regular surveys of satisfaction levels among visitors to the
thermal baths conducted by the municipality.
The last surveys for which results have been published were
in 1995. According to the foreign tour operators’ survey
Loutraki is a satisfactory destination with negative points
that include traffic problems, lack of taxis, too few boat ex-
cursions and telecommunication problems.
Lastly, the municipality has established a tourist capacity
monitoring system in order to prevent overcrowding of the
thermal bath facilities that it manages.
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
The municipality has set up a residents’ complaints service
that handles problems connected with tourism. Complaints
from residents and visitors are subject to statistical process-
ing and the results are published. There is, however, no
proactive follow-up of complaints.
Half-price entry to the town’s thermal baths has helped to
improve visitor satisfaction.

115
 The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
The strategic development plan for 1990–95 has in practice
been completed.
RESULTS
In 1997, the municipality recorded a 7.18 % increase in
national arrivals (4.90 % of overnight stays) and a 10.52 %
increase in international arrivals (5.64 % of overnight stays)
in comparison with 1996.

116
 Madrid

Malaga

Overview
Malaga
The plan

Strategy and
policies
• Triggered by municipal environmental policy
• Leadership shared by three public bodies under the supervision of

•
•
the municipality

Green charter of Malaga (local Agenda 21 and URBAN 1995–99)

Tourism and cultural development plan (municipality)
• Strategic plan to rehabilitate the town of Malaga (tourism office)
• Quality plan for the Costa del Sol’s tourist establishments
SOURCE: SPANISH NATIONAL TOURISM OFFICE
M alaga is the capital of the Costa
del Sol. Located in the south of
the Iberian peninsula and
sheltered from cold north winds, it enjoys a
Mediterranean climate.
Surrounded by immense tree plantations, the

including standards, accreditation and labelling (AEHCOS)

Operations • Town-region integration (tourist markets, quality management)
• Separate plans of action (cleanliness, security, port, begging, etc.)
• Training programme for hotel employees
• Key aspects of the strategic plan: external promotion and
communication, mobility, accommodation
• Many initiatives and endeavours to improve the quality of visitor
care
Indicators • Identification of main motivations and dissatisfactions
(monitoring and analysis of visitors and markets)
• Particular use of the Internet site
• Regular informal meetings with town councillors
region has an annual rainfall of only 600
mm.
The maze of narrow arcaded streets that
makes up the centre of Malaga has a strong
Arab feel with many Moorish remains and
remarkable buildings. The modern part of
the town, started in the 19th century,
extends south towards the Malaga basin
which leads to the airport and the tourist
area of Torremolinos.

Results • Municipal statistics (calls for information, occupancy levels, etc.) For a long time, Malaga was Spain’s third
port because of its trade with the Americas.
Declining trade caused it to fall to 13th
among Spanish ports and its 5 000 m of
quays gradually became a wasteland that
tourism is making it possible to rehabilitate.
Economic life is based on services,
commerce, tourism and small-scale industry
chiefly in the areas of intermediate goods
and the new technologies.

117
 Some figures (1997)
For the town of Malaga:
• 532 711 inhabitants
• 19 hotels offering a total of 2 400 beds
• Approximately 3 million visitors per annum
• Unemployment rate: 31.3 % (first quarter)
For the province of Malaga:
• Approximately 77 000 rooms of all categories and over
15 000 camp/caravan site places
• 5.78 million visitors from Spain (43 %) and abroad
(57 %)
• Average length of stay: 5 days
• Jobs linked to tourism: 47 760, including seasonal jobs
• Gross value added of tourism: EUR 325 million
• Total expenditure by visitors: some EUR 800 million
The dynamics of partnership
What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
Despite its assets, tourism development in the town of Mala-
ga is fairly recent since the municipality drew up its first
strategic development plan, placing the emphasis on envi-
ronmental policy, only in 1993.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
Led by the municipality, three bodies are actively involved
in tourism and quality management initiatives:
The dynamics of design
Analysis of current situation
In 1993, the municipality published an initial strategic plan
for Malaga which:
• was set only in the context of coastal tourism in the Cos-
ta del Sol;
• gave priority to environmental policy;
• divided the town into four urban areas: problem areas, de-
ficient areas, areas with normal facilities and quality of life
118
Main attractions
• the cathedral;
• the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro, a fortress and citadel of Arab
origin;
• the Marine square and the Atarazanas market;
• the Picasso Foundation;
• the baroque Pantheon of the Counts of Buenavista;
• the Roman theatre;
• the town centre’s old inns, seafront and magnificent
historic remains;
• the mountains of Malaga, dotted with ‘ventas’ – inns of a
popular Andalusian architectural style.
THE PLAN
• the task of the municipal public enterprise Pro-Malaga,
set up in 1995, is to improve the town’s productivity, in
particular by helping traders in the historic centre to reno-
vate their shops and stalls and to start to include tourism
in their plans;
• the municipal tourism office;
• the Costa del Sol’s provincial tourism office (Patronato de
turismo).
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
(60 % of the town including the historic centre) and last-
ly areas with high-level facilities and a high quality of life
(with green areas).
This initial plan was rapidly followed by a Green Charter for
Malaga including a local Agenda 21 and an URBAN Com-
munity Initiative for 1995–99 (some EUR 150 million, 70 %
co-financed by the European Union with the remainder
coming from the municipality).

The URBAN Community Initiative has four strands:
• improving infrastructure and environmental conditions
(environmental education and awareness, improvement
of green itineraries, tourist signposting of itineraries, reha-
bilitation of decayed urban areas, upgrading of the Gibral-
faro park, rehabilitation of infrastructure);
• improving social services and security;
• incentives for the rehabilitation of the most important sites
in the town’s historic centre;
• measures to promote employment, training and enterprise
investment (including improved resources to promote pro-
duction and development).
Objectives and overall strategy
The municipality launched a genuine tourism and cultural
development plan in 1995; this plan included promotion of,
and information on, the town centre and plans to restore the
main monuments and buildings such as the Gibralfaro gar-
dens, the Cister convent museum, Picasso’s birthplace in the
Plaza de la Merced, Malaga’s municipal museum, the Taurin
museum and the Our Lady of the Victory sanctuary
museum.
In parallel with this plan, the municipal tourism office drew
up a strategic plan to rehabilitate Malaga as a tourist desti-
nation. The plan included quality management and was part
and parcel of the Excellence Plans of the Spanish Secretariat
for Tourism.
The aim of this strategic plan is to develop cultural tourism
and to introduce notions of quality into the town’s image,
the information that it disseminates and its visitor care and
tourist services.
The main strands of this strategic plan involve:
• encouraging tourism development by the public authori-
ties;
• improving tourist products;
• promoting the town and making it more dynamic as a
tourist destination;
• carrying out major projects;
• upgrading the town’s heritage;
• improving public services.
The plan also includes measures to help private enterprises
in the tourism industry:
MALAGA
• to improve their management systems;
• voluntarily to draw up quality standards for the services
that they offer;
• to modernise enterprise facilities and infrastructure;
• to improve professionalism and innovation in tourist en-
terprises.
As part of the Excellence Plan programme, AEHCOS, an as-
sociation of Costa del Sol hoteliers, has drawn up a ‘quality
plan for Costa del Sol tourist establishments’, covering
hotels and apartments.
This plan includes quality standards drawn up on a consen-
sual basis and a system of accreditation leading to the award
of a quality label.
At the beginning of 1998, this plan was being applied in 36
establishments with over 15 000 beds: it was to be extend-
ed to 300 establishments by the end of the year.
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Adopted in February 1995, Malaga’s Green Charter, refers
to the Spanish Constitution, the Rio Agenda 21, the Green
Paper on European Towns and Cities, the Charter of Euro-
pean Cities and Towns towards Sustainability and the Euro-
pean Commission’s fifth environmental action programme.
The Green Charter sets out a number of principles in relation
to the rights and duties of Malaga’s citizens and the harmo-
nious development of the town of Malaga. It combines
greater social justice with sustainable economic develop-
ment that respects the environment.
It deals with urban planning and mobility, protection and up-
grading of the natural environment, water and waste man-
agement, pollution, energy management and environmental
education for citizens.
Human resource policy
The strategic development plan includes training of tourism
industry personnel.
119
 The dynamics of implementation
Implementation of the 1995 tourism development plan and
the strategic plan to rehabilitate the town of Malaga has now
started and is helping to improve awareness of the links be-
tween the town and its surrounding area from the point of
view of tourist markets and notions of quality management
in tourist establishments.
Public services
The strategic development plan includes:
• a cleanliness plan for the town;
• a security plan;
• more social welfare programmes to prevent begging;
• links with the Spanish AVE high-speed train;
• a plan for the port;
• construction of sports infrastructure;
• improvement of the town’s commercial potential;
NEW SPORTS • establishment of a green patrol to monitor noise pollution.
FACILITIES ARE
PART OF THE
PLAN
SOURCE: SPANISH NATIONAL TOURISM OFFICE
120
OPERATIONS
Services for industry professionals
The URBAN Community Initiative programme was drawn up
in 1994. In 1998, for instance, grants were made for:
• the rehabilitation of shop fronts in the town’s historic
centre;
• improved shop management (purchases of computer
equipment in particular).
The strategic development plan also includes:
• awareness campaigns targeted on local people and pro-
fessionals;
• awards of subsidies to SMEs;
• in the area of personnel management in the tourism in-
dustry, AEHCOS has developed training programmes for
hotel employees. In 1997, 790 employees from 104 Cos-
ta del Sol concerns attended over 2 855 hours of classes
divided between 20 programmes.
Tourist services
The strategic development plan has several strands. Its main
aspects include:
• promotion and external communication:
– organising visits to Malaga by professionals (technical
visits);
– consolidating the ‘Picasso’s birthplace’ and ‘capital of
the Costa del Sol’ brand images;
– taking part in trade fairs and professional tourism events;
– setting up roving embassies in tourists’ home countries.
• communication materials are available: brochures,
leaflets, videos and books.
• mobility:
– more parking areas for coaches;
– improved public transport.
• accommodation:
– redeveloping the criminal court as a luxury hotel;
– using sailing boats and yachts as tourist accommodation.
The strategic plan also includes:
• the organisation of international sporting and cultural
events.

From the point of view of visitor care, a number of initiatives
are now starting to provide results, in particular:
• an Internet site providing information on the town’s de-
velopment strategies and the results achieved;
• the Seneca reservation system, developed by the Au-
tonomous Community of Andalucia, which will soon be
operational for the town of Malaga;
• the renovation of the tourist information kiosk on the Park
Promenade and the Casita del Jardiniero public informa-
tion office;
• a van acting as a mobile tourism office that meets cruise
passengers on the quays or dispenses information at ma-
jor events (concerts, festivals);
• a resource centre at the Gibralfaro set up to provide infor-
mation on the town’s history;
• the Cicerone project, under which 43 young people
speaking several languages have been recruited as sea-
sonal workers to provide visitors with free help and guid-
The dynamics of monitoring
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
An initial survey of tourism in Malaga was conducted in Feb-
ruary and March 1997. It covered four aspects: tourists’
socio-economic profiles, infrastructure, visitors’ expecta-
tions, tourism organisation and personnel skills.
The survey found that most tourists came to Malaga for its
climate and for rest and relaxation and that the main areas
of discontent were traffic, dirtiness and noise.
MALAGA
SOURCE: SPANISH NATIONAL TOURISM OFFICE
CULTURAL
EVENTS ARE PART
OF THE PLAN
ance; these young people have been trained in visitor care
alongside staff of the local police, the British and German
consulates and the tourism and social welfare departments
of the municipality of Malaga;
• the recruitment of a team of volunteers for visitor orienta-
tion in the cathedral, the Cister convent and Gibralfaro.
INDICATORS
A wide range of information on strategic developments by
the municipality as well as the findings of visitor satisfaction
surveys can be consulted on an Internet site.
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
Hosted by the municipal public enterprise ‘Pro-Malaga’, one
of the project partners, there are frequent informal meetings
with town councillors at which residents and traders can ex-
press their opinions of changes in their town and the impact
of tourism.
121
 The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
It is too early to predict whether the strategies adopted will
provide the anticipated results, although expectations are
high:
• increased tourist numbers;
• investment in resources to preserve the historic heritage;
• development of new products, crafts, music, folklore, etc.;
• demonstration effect;
• creation of additional facilities;
• conservation of the historic heritage;
• improvement of the environment;
• dissemination of the cultural heritage;
122
RESULTS
• strengthening of the role of social workers;
• cooperation between public and private partners.
The municipality also has various statistics which show that;
• at certain times of the year, there has been a more than
threefold increase in the number of people visiting the
tourist information offices;
• hotel occupancy rates have increased, even in the low sea-
son;
• while these occupancy rates are lower than the average
for the province, they show fewer seasonal peaks and
troughs.
 Paris

Orléans
Blois

Orléans & Blois Centre region

Overview
SOURCES: ORLÉANS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO CREDIT: JÉRÔME GRELET, MUNICIPALITY OF ORLÉANS/BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT

The plan

T
• Triggered by regional plans to launch an urban tourism
quality initiative to optimise economic impact by extending
and enhancing existing resources
• Pilot experiments with the application of its regional tourism
development plan
• Local strategy and steering committee common to both
he Centre region, also known as the
‘Garden of France’, is one of the
country’s leading tourist destinations. The
region is known throughout the world for its
cultural heritage, its châteaux and its natural
towns heritage that includes the Loire. The Centre
Strategy and • Exploiting the direct and indirect economic impact of tourism region has 6.4 % of France’s listed historic
policies • Examining all components of the town and of visits to the monuments, making it third among French
town to find ways of extending resources and enhancing the regions in terms of numbers of listed sites.
tourist image of the region and the two destinations
• Globalising the supply Formerly home to the kings of France and the
• Making all those involved directly and indirectly in tourism court in the 16th century and nowadays capital
aware of tourists’ needs
of the département of Loir-et-Cher, Blois lies on
• Increasing numbers of visitors to all the town’s tourist sites
the banks of the Loire, 170 km from Paris. It is a
Operations • Awareness campaigns among residents and schoolchildren small picturesque town with an important
conducted or • Competition for ideas for the development of a pedestrian
heritage, in particular its château which is
planned area
• Coach parking and special coach service visited by 400 000 tourists every year.
• Service areas for camper vans
Orléans, capital of the Centre region and of the
• Tourist reception office at the motorway tollbooth
• Industrial tourism guide département of Loiret, also lies on the Loire.
• Public transport tourism Known for its cathedral and its Joan of Arc
• Parking badges festivals, its art museums (water colour
• Tourist assistance charter
exhibition), its history and archaeology (Neuvy
Indicators • Surveys of purchasing patterns and satisfaction en Sullias treasure), its museum and its Floral
• Annual seminar on the quality results’ review Park, Orléans is often seen as the starting point
Results • Action plan to correct any shortcomings observed (quality for visits to the châteaux of the Loire. The town
commission) is also a destination for business and conference
tourism and industrial tourism and hosts a
number of festivals (jazz, cinema, etc.).

123
 Some figures (1997)
Blois
• 53 000 inhabitants
• Some 650 000 tourists, including
400 000 visitors to the château
• Foreign tourists account for 60 % of
arrivals
• 1 690 tourist accommodation beds
and 387 camp-caravan sites
• Hotel occupancy rates of 66 %
during the summer months and 34 %
during the rest of the year
• Annual tourism indicator: 7.5
Orléans
• 108 000 inhabitants within a
conurbation of 250 000 inhabitants
• 350 000 visitors (tourism office
estimates)
• 2 500 tourist accommodation beds
• Hotel occupancy rates are 60 %
during the eight most active months
and 40 % for the rest of the year
• Annual tourism indicator: 2.9
• 2 800 tourism jobs, i.e. 3 % of all
local jobs
Main attractions
• Blois’ château;
• Blois’ house of magic;
• Blois’ Sauvegarde district;
• Blois’ museum of magic;
• Orléans cathedral;
• the old town of Orléans;
• the annual Joan of Arc festival in
Orléans;
• the Orléans-La Source Floral Park;
• the Loire valley with its charming
landscapes, châteaux, museums and
monuments

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
Following a diagnostic review by the Regional Committee
for Tourism and Leisure of the Centre region (CRTL) in
1993, the 1994 regional development plan set out a number
of priorities for the improvement of the Centre region’s re-
sources. The main tourism problems identified were:
• a growing, but geographically very disparate, tourist
accommodation capacity;
• a major international reputation, but a limited economic
return largely due to low lengths of stay;
• an exceptional heritage of extremely well-known monu-
ments, but very few major monuments other than those
along the Loire;
• concentrations of tourism in certain areas of the region ex-
acerbated by promotion based solely on the ‘Château
Country’ concept and disregarding other regional re-
sources;
• fragmented and inadequately marketed regional tourism
resources;
• absence of any overall development projects;
• the need to satisfy a demand, both more exacting in terms
of quality and more varied, in a highly competitive con-
text.
The CRTL therefore decided to launch an urban tourism
quality initiative. Seven towns, including six of the region’s
departmental capitals (Orléans, Chartres, Tours, Blois,
Châteauroux, Bourges) and the town of Vendôme, were
then asked whether they wished to take part in the initiative,
with partial funding from the State–region planning con-
tract.
The region’s real tourist potential is provided by its towns
which have a much stronger tourist image and identity than
its departments. Tourism in the region necessarily includes
visits to these towns. The quality initiative therefore aimed to
forge real cooperation links between these towns based on
common initiatives and a tourism and promotional develop-
ment policy having common and complementary strands.
Only two of these towns, Orléans and Blois, have up to now
introduced a quality initiative.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
The CRTL, an association financed by the regional council, is
responsible for tourism promotion and marketing strategies
for the region. Set up in 1993, its task is to assist everyone
involved in the tourist economy.
The French Tourism Engineering Agency (AFIT), a public in-
terest grouping supervised by the French Ministry of
Tourism, offers advice to the industry and mobilises it to
match its output to changes in demand. Its remit is very
broad and includes analysis of market trends, help in formu-
lating development strategies, development project meth-
ods and technical advice on putting such projects together,
research to improve marketing systems and lastly, research
and development in the area of quality.

124

AFIT has assisted with many French quality initiatives in ur-
ban, coastal, rural and mountain tourism. These initiatives
are chiefly intended to improve visitor care and tourist serv-
ices.
In addition to providing technical and financial support for
initiatives (financial assistance for 50 %), AFIT also publishes
works (thematic analyses, method guides, etc.), organises
workshops and meetings and has a documentation centre
that can be consulted by its members.
The main partners in Blois are the municipality, in particular
the mayor’s office and the tourism office. Other partners
such as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Blois
Federation of Commerce, the Cœur de Blois Association, the
Blois Urban Transport Company, hoteliers’ and other traders’
associations, are also represented in working groups.
In Orléans, the External Relations and Tourism Directorate
and the tourism office are also key partners. The hotels’
union, Orléans Radio Taxis, the national police, the urban
transport company, the Loiret Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, the Chamber of Trades, the Chamber of Agricul-
ture, the road hauliers’ union and residents’ associations
have been invited to take part in working groups (although
this list is not exhaustive).
The dynamics of design
Analysis of current situation
The 1993 diagnostic review of the region by the CRTL and
the adoption of the regional tourism development plan set
a number of priorities for the improvement of the Centre re-
gion’s resources.
The urban tourism quality initiative was also divided into
four stages:
• knowledge of customer demand and of problems in satis-
fying this demand;
• report on critical diagnosis for each town;
• drafting of a plan of action in order to bring resources
into line with demand;
• implementation of the plan of action.
Knowledge of customer demand:
• market environment: schedule of resources and figures on
tourism in the Centre region;
• urban tourism customers: analysis of macro-economic
data, data relating to Orléans and Blois, individual cus-
ORLÉANS
BLOIS
The two municipalities are contractors and have commis-
sioned AFIT to devise methods and draw up specifications
for a research office; AFIT will also be consulted on the
choice of this office whose task is to lead and support the
strategy.
The municipalities of Blois and Orléans (mayors’ offices and
tourism offices) are responsible for implementing the quality
initiative locally and have full powers over any schemes that
are implemented.
A steering committee common to both towns has been set
up to supervise each stage of the initiative. In addition to rep-
resentatives (politicians and technical staff) from the two
municipalities and their tourism offices, representatives of
the CRTL, the Centre Region Council, the Regional Tourism
Delegation (representing the State in the region) and AFIT
also serve on this committee.
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
tomers, residents and group and business customers,
either through focus group meetings or through tele-
phone interviews preceded by consultant questionnaires.
Objectives:
• pinpoint motives for visiting the towns of Orléans and
Blois;
• identify why people choose leisure tourism in urban areas
and what changes need to be made and what major prob-
lems need to be corrected to increase numbers;
• identify sources of dissatisfaction and the particular ex-
pectations of group and business customers.
Diagnosis of resources by analysing tourist services through:
• anonymous tourist stays (inspectors acting as customers);
• interviews with elected officials and administrative per-
sonnel responsible for sectors given priority after analysis
of customer surveys, i.e.: transport, traffic, parking, serv-
ices and businesses, environment and development, infor-
mation and cultural and tourist activities;
125
 • consultation of partners and service providers from the
two towns through working groups.

Objective:

• to draw up an overall report, analyse problems and put

SOURCE: BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT

forward appropriate proposals.
A full analysis of all the above themes was drawn up for each
of the towns: problems, reasons for these problems, com-
ments, working group proposals, public and/or private part-
ners involved in implementing such proposals and timetable.
A collective diagnosis identified solutions that could be
sought jointly by the two municipalities or at another deci-
sion-making level (department, region).

Objectives and overall strategy

The region’s priority objectives are:

• to exploit tourism as an industry that has a direct and in-

direct impact on the economy and therefore to develop
complementary solutions based on the quality and diver-
sity of the region’s resources;
• to enhance its tourist image by extending what is on of- TRYING TO
MAKE THE MOST
fer; the idea is to use existing centres as a starting point for
OF EXISTING
discovering the range and diversity of resources (discovery RESOURCES
trails, green tourism and relaxation, business tourism and
hiking, parks and gardens tourism).

Action policies cover various aspects:

• developing the resources needed for a consistent and con-

certed tourism policy (marketing plan, monitoring of
tourist activity);
• upgrading existing tourist resources, i.e. accommodation,
the heritage and leisure infrastructure (modernising infra-
structure, etc.);
• help for key partners in tourism in the region (vocational
training, consultancy, awareness campaigns, etc.).
These critical field diagnoses led CRTL and the municipalities
to adopt the following as their main areas of work: organis-
ing all the partners and introducing permanent quality eval-
uation, setting up a communications policy, upgrading exist-
ing resources, improving the quality of services through
quality initiatives among industry professionals and drawing
up a development policy.
Human resource policy
The municipalities of Orléans and Blois provide training in
foreign languages, hospitality and target group sales.

126
 ORLÉANS

BLOIS
The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS (30)
Public services

SOURCE: ORLÉANS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO CREDIT: JÉRÔME GRELET, MUNICIPALITY OF ORLÉANS

Blois
In order to develop the town:

• ways of redeveloping and maintaining roundabouts at the

town’s entry points are being discussed;
• a joint municipal quality policy to regulate advertising dis-
plays and publicity boards is being devised;
• a programme to restore façades and upgrade buildings in
the tourist centre is being drawn up;
• an ‘Illumination Plan’ is being formulated for façades in
the historic centre;
• as well as focus studies, a competition is being run to find
new ideas for the town’s development (urban furniture,
signposting, pedestrianisation);
• domestic waste collection has been extended to rest days
RENOVATING
during the peak season; THE TOWN
• the opening hours of public conveniences have been ex- CENTRE’S
HERITAGE IS
tended.
PART OF
ORLÉANS’
PLAN
Orléans
Town development:
• plans to set up a foundation to help to renovate the pri-
• plans to improve the quality of lighting (in particular vate heritage in the town centre;
through the ‘Illumination Plan’) and signposting around • plans to build public conveniences around tourist sites.
the station;
• changes to waste collection and street cleaning times to
prevent nuisances;
Services for industry professionals
• plans to redevelop the northern route into the town;
Blois
The municipality is particularly keen to communicate the at-
tractions of the town and its surrounding area, in particular
through information and promotion measures among
tourism professionals. Campaigns to make residents aware
of tourism issues and of the importance of visitor care are be-
ing run in the form of an information and improvement
guide in the town’s magazine. Similar schemes focusing on
tourist resources are planned for schools. Residents are also
to be better informed about plans to develop and restore the
town.

The municipality holds annual planning meetings with

traders to organise the town’s flower displays. A working
party is to define the role to be played by traders in infor-
BLOIS MAKES mation provision and the recruitment of two liaison officers
PARTICULAR
EFFORTS TO
should make it possible to improve relations between the
INFORM TOURISM municipality and traders. A ‘town centre trading quality’ ini-
PROFESSIONALS tiative should, among other things, make it possible to bring
ABOUT THE
opening hours in line with tourist patterns during the season.
TOWN’S
ATTRACTIONS

(30) At the time of drafting of these case studies, the urban tourism initiative
had reached the stage of presentation of the action plans.
SOURCE: BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT

127
 Valuable discussions are also taking place between the
tourism office and hoteliers in order to find ways of devel-
oping conference and seminar tourism during the low sea-
son.
In the area of promotion, a graphic is being designed to pro-
vide an image/identity for the town and a campaign is be-
ing run to communicate the town’s advantages to seminar
and conference organisers.
In catering, quality restaurants are being promoted, efforts
are being made to improve service in restaurants not yet
recognised as quality restaurants and to find a better match
between the opening hours of restaurants and attractions,
an inventory of local products and local country recipes is to
be published and distributed and, lastly, better signposting of
restaurants is being installed.
Orléans
A think-tank is working on communication issues.
Schemes aimed at traders:
• plans to make the issuing of authorisations for traders to
use their forecourts into an obligation to provide flower
displays and plans to set up flower display competitions
with traders and residents’ associations;
• making traders aware that opening hours should be in
keeping with peak tourism patterns;
• inventory of all existing commercial operations to improve
the supply (quality and distribution through the year) with
the publication of a yearly calendar of commercial events.
Schemes in the area of visitor care in particular include a
project to make residents into ‘ambassadors’ for the town. A
glossary is also available for professionals who are in contact
with foreign tourists and there are plans to draw up a tourist
assistance charter.
Many quality initiatives are being run in accommodation and
catering:
• working party responsible for inventorying regional prod-
ucts, their sources and regional recipes;
• plans for a competition for regional products and recipes
to promote ‘local dishes’;
• promotion of regional recipes;
• educational schemes and advice for hoteliers and restau-
rateurs to improve what they offer in the way of services
(in particular menu translation).

UPGRADING
RESOURCES,
ESPECIALLY
THE HERITAGE

SOURCE: BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT

128

Tourist services
Blois
To make the most of resources, there are plans for rental
packages and events at the château, new themed trails and
the organisation of a think-tank and coordination group for
sporting tourism and business tourism.
In partnership with private companies, the tourism office is
offering various new activities (organisation of a market for
regional products, guided visits to national stud farms) and
is diversifying types of transport and tours (31).
• carriage rides in the town and along the banks of the Loire
(tourist commentary provided by specially trained coach-
men);
• helicopter flights over the châteaux and boat trips along
the Loire;
• tours of the château with multilingual audio guides, etc.
To improve mobility, there are plans to draw up a pedestri-
an and cycle traffic and signposting plan, to improve links be-
tween the youth hostel, the campsite and the town centre
and to install specific signposting for religious sites.
In practice, these include a park for coaches where passen-
gers are supervised by stewardesses with walkie-talkies who
can inform drivers when they should return to their cus-
tomers. The coach park is supervised; stewardesses are
recruited by the municipality and have attended training in
visitor care given by the tourism office.
A written translation service has been set up and an ele-
mentary communication document has been drafted in sev-
eral languages. There are also plans for a visitor orientation
office with an interactive terminal at the motorway tollbooth
and for an information point in the station.
ENVIRONMENT-
FRIENDLY
MOBILITY IN
ORLÉANS
SOURCE: ORLÉANS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO CREDIT: JÉRÔME GRELET, MUNICIPALITY OF ORLÉANS
ORLÉANS
BLOIS
SOURCE: BLOIS TOURISM OFFICE/PHOTO: J. P. THIBAUT
A CARRIAGE
RIDE IN BLOIS’
TOWN CENTRE
Orléans
Plans to make the most of resources include:
• plans for an industrial tourism guide;
• plans for a document giving information on restaurants
open on Sundays and late evening and on weekly closing
days;
• improvement of existing events and attempts to find new
ideas;
• extending and harmonising museum opening times;
• improving tourist signposting.
The tourism office offers guided visits (32) in several lan-
guages, carriage tours and small tourist train trips and
encourages cycle traffic and is in particular studying the
possibility of providing cycle parking.
A pedestrian traffic and signposting plan limiting vehicle ac-
cess and improving tourist signposting is to be implemented
in parallel with the construction of a tramline. Plans for cycle
paths and a better pricing policy for car parks are being de-
veloped and implemented and a document on public trans-
port tourism is being drawn up.
Practical schemes have already been implemented, such as
the design and distribution of parking badges for hotel cus-
tomers enabling them to park and unload outside hotels and
then to park in pay-and-display car parks at preferential rates
for customers of the town’s hotels, whose details are given
on the reverse of the badges.
(31) (32) Not part of the quality plan.
129
 The tourism office is looking for a site for a branch in the
town’s historic centre in order to improve information provi-
sion.
The dynamics of monitoring
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Blois and Orléans both conduct regular surveys of tourist be-
haviour and expectations and of their levels of satisfaction
(annual review).
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
Genuine cooperation has been forged between the public
and private sector as a result of the impetus given to the ini-
tiative by CRTL and its subsequent development by AFIT and
the research office selected after a call for tender. The glob-
al and participatory nature of the initiative has made it pos-
sible to involve all partners directly or indirectly linked with
tourism in it.
Thematic working groups have achieved positive results and
have involved a wide range of participants from different
backgrounds and hierarchical levels. This shows the impor-
tance of concerted action to find coordinated and common
quality schemes and initiatives.
As a result, the quality committees have been able to draw
up corrective action plans that the towns can implement.
130
Orléans is also trying to improve, through an ‘Illumination
Plan’, night visits of tourist sites by tourists.
INDICATORS
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
Blois is planning to organise an annual seminar for the town’s
partners and professionals in order to review quality results.
RESULTS
Tourism in Blois and Orléans has developed in different ways.
Blois is a destination where tourism is fairly long standing and
occupies an important place in the local economy. Tourism in
the town is seasonal and similar to that of a coastal destina-
tion with peaks in the summer and a low season in the win-
ter that generate congestion, flow management and infra-
structure profitability problems. The action plan adopted re-
flects these problems. For Orléans, leisure tourism is a tran-
sitional activity as the town is a starting point for tours of the
Loire Valley. The town is more active in business tourism and
tourism is better distributed throughout the year.
These two pilot experiments show that pooled integrated
quality management initiatives and methods can provide ap-
propriate solutions.
 Athens

Rhodes

Overview
Rhodes
The plan

Strategy and
policies
• Triggered by problems of seasonal tourism, combined with a
recession (1994)
• Non-profit-making mixed municipal and hotel association

• Municipal action programme (re-launch, restoration,

attractiveness)
R hodes, the largest of the
Dodecanese islands, has been a very
popular tourist destination over the
years. Rhodes is a smallish picturesque town
with seaside resources, a major historic and
• Five-year freeze on new building
• Codes and regulations (environmental quality)
cultural heritage and the infrastructure
• Restoration of buildings in the old town needed for conference tourism.
• Craft training for unemployed women and provision of facilities
50 000 of the island’s 90 000 or so
Operations • Municipal code of conduct and good practice inhabitants live in the town of Rhodes. Over
• Provision of public conveniences throughout the town one quarter of the town’s visitors come from
• Mounted police
• Beach monitoring system
cruise ships and private yachts. The medieval
• Blue Flag for clean beaches and sea water part of the town is the main attraction with
• Efficient water management measures its fortifications, its old port and its
• Manual of good energy consumption practices for hotels magnificent restored buildings that are
• Regular press information for residents
nowadays being used by various public and
• Extensive participation in tourism trade fairs
• Organisation of educational tours, themed visits, cultural and private bodies.
sporting events
• Organisation of mobility
SOURCE: PROTOUR

• European network of car-free towns

Indicators • The findings of impact studies under the European Sudecir

project have had major repercussions
• Public price control and product quality agency
• Participation in the Ecomost benchmarking project

Results • Extension of the tourist season

131
 Some figures (1996)
• Conference town with 80
conferences in 1997
• Approximately 1 000 000 visitors
every year
• Tourism accounts for 65 % of the
GRP and provides employment for
one third of residents
• Average length of stay: 4 to 5
nights for Greek tourists, 9 to 10
nights for foreign tourists
• Average daily expenditure of EUR
50
Main attractions
• the medieval town, combining an • the bay and port;
upper town and a lower town, has • beaches and sheltered coves.
winding streets and alleyways
punctuated by small squares;
• four kilometres of ramparts dating
from the 14th century surround the
entire upper and lower town;
• the main historic monuments are:
the Palace of the Grand Masters, the
Inns of the Knights, the ‘Borough’
Hospital and the Islamic monuments
of the Turkish quarter;

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and Who are the main partners and how
who is leading it? are they linked?
The issues raised by the seasonal nature of tourism and by The municipality of Rhodes, the association of municipali-
mass tourism provided a starting point for the quality ini- ties of the island of Rhodes, the island’s hotels association
tiative. and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry worked to-
gether to set up the non-profit-making association Protour
Three aspects of tourism in Rhodes played a major part in the
and have commissioned it to draw up and implement a pol-
creation of Protour, the Rhodes tourism promotion agency,
icy and a strategy to promote tourism in Rhodes.
and the development of a tourism policy including a quality
initiative: Protour has both political support since its board of man-
agement is chaired by the town’s mayor and industry skills
• the highly seasonal nature of tourism, often viewed with
since its management committee is directed by the chairman
fatalism and resignation by the local population and caus-
of the hotel association.
ing most hotels to shut for five to six months of the year;
• the excessive debts of many hotels that were starting to Under this policy and strategy, the municipality of Rhodes:
fall under bank control; • is drawing up its own plan of action for the town;
• a major recession in 1994, caused to some extent by re- • is providing assistance with infrastructure and equipment;
ductions of accommodation prices and the quality of the
• is developing a range of codes and regulations.
services offered as part of a policy to promote mass
tourism.
Protour’s strategy was initially intended to extend the tourist
season from 7 to 12 months and to reduce the mass influx
of tourists and resultant overcrowding during the peak sea-
son.

A parallel initiative by the municipality of Rhodes is part and

parcel of this overall policy for the island as a whole.

132

The dynamics of design
Analysis of current situation
Studies by the hotels’ association and its tourism research
institute, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
local tourism schools made Rhodes aware of its main weak-
nesses.
Their main conclusions can be summarised as follows:
• the old town is over-marketed and is increasingly becom-
ing a ‘dead’ monument;
• Rhodes has no life during the low tourist season which
lasts five to six months;
• the ‘sun, sea and sand’ image which has long made it pos-
sible to sell the destination is no longer enough to main-
tain high levels of tourist flows.
RHODES
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
Local development
The municipality wanted to find employment for unem-
ployed women. It is working with the Greek Association of
Small and Medium-Sized Craft Enterprises to offer training
for these women and has provided them with a fully-
equipped workshop and exhibition room in which local craft
products such as weaving, gold and silver work and wood
sculptures can be produced and sold.
Human resource policy
Rhodes has three tourism schools covering aspects of man-
agement, vocational training and training for guides. Close
on 90 % of people leaving these schools work on the island
or in the Dodecanese region.

Objectives and overall strategy

The main aims of the plan of action launched by the munic-
ipality of Rhodes are therefore to:

• redevelop the old town;

• restore and upgrade the town’s cultural and historic her-
itage;
• develop new infrastructure making it possible to offer a
tourist product that is attractive throughout the year.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21

To achieve these objectives, Rhodes has:

• decided to impose a five-year freeze on the construction

of new accommodation facilities, authorising only im-
provements to, and renovations of, existing establish-
ments and additions of new services;
• implemented various ‘codes’ and regulations to improve
environmental quality in general;
• launched an annual programme of rebuilding, renovation
and maintenance of buildings in the old town.

RHODES
IMPLEMENTS AN
ACTIVE POLICY
OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
PRESERVATION
PROTOUR
SOURCE:

133
 The dynamics of implementation
Public services
In order to provide an environment likely to promote the de-
velopment of high-quality tourism, the municipality has
drawn up and implemented a set of rules and codes of good
practice in the following areas:
• sanitary facilities;
• shop fronts in the old town;
• use of public areas in the old town for commercial pur-
poses;
• urban traffic and parking;
• mains supply and removal of water and processing of
waste water;
• monitoring system for bathing areas on the beaches.
The municipality has paid particular attention to sanitation:
in addition to drawing up regulations on this issue, it has built
modern and well-maintained public toilets in most public
places (the old town, beaches and other public places).
In the old town, the replacement of motorised police by
mounted police has also introduced environmental issues
into security measures. On the beaches, bathing areas are
supervised by marshals and lifeguards and a municipal am-
bulance regularly monitors the beaches.
Environmental impact:
The municipality of Rhodes is very active in the environ-
mental field, especially as regards:
OPERATIONS
– of old mills by multinational groups of workers. Under
the Euromill project being run in association with Ma-
jorca (E) and Gotland (S), Rhodes provides masons; one
of the three old mills of the port of Rhodes, which can
now be visited, produces flour;
• beach cleaning: beaches are maintained by municipal de-
partments and have received a Blue Flag for their cleanli-
ness (water and beaches);
• water management: as water is a rare and highly sought-
after resource, the following measures have been taken:
– improvement of a closed network of wells using solar or
wind energy for irrigation of many of the town’s parks,
– establishment of an automatic monitoring system for
reservoirs and pumping stations,
– daily and remote monitoring of each reservoir’s water
quality by a chemical analysis laboratory.
• rational energy consumption: a manual of good practices
is distributed to hotels;
• vehicle traffic and air quality: Rhodes is a member of the
European network of car-free cities. It regularly monitors
levels of air pollution largely as part of preventive meas-
ures to protect and maintain the porous stones of the
medieval fortifications;
• the conservation of rare species in particular areas such as
the ‘valley of butterflies’.

• the revitalisation of the old town where it has undertaken

a vast programme of restoration:
– of the habitat through a programme to restore 50
ruined houses which, when repairs are complete, will be
rented out to workers and their families for a low rent
(30 houses) or will be converted into apartments for
students (20 houses) that can be used as tourist ac-
commodation during the summer,
RESTORATION
– of the original paving of streets that have largely been OF OLD MILLS IN
pedestrianised, while streets accessible by vehicle traffic THE PORT OF
have been covered by a paving which prevents fast RHODES
driving,
SOURCE: PROTOUR

134

Services for industry professionals
The municipality and Protour regularly issue press releases to
the three local newspapers to inform local people about
their plans and the measures that they wish to implement.
Tourist services
The Dodecanese Region (and its tourism office) and the mu-
nicipality (three information centres at the airport, port and
in the town centre) manage their information centres effi-
ciently. Local travel agencies look after groups of tourists.
The external communication and promotion of Rhodes, for
which Protour is responsible, includes:
• Rhodes’ active participation in 23 tourism fairs, in both
Greece and abroad, for which there are promotional ma-
terials in six languages;
• organising trips to Rhodes for tourism journalists and pro-
fessionals, with the help of the Dodecanese branch of the
Greek National Tourism Organisation;
• the publication of two brochures presenting the island’s
attractions and tourist products – one for summer and one
for winter. These brochures are distributed to tour opera-
tors and other tourism professionals.
There are a number of guided coach or walking tours of the
main sights of the town and the island of Rhodes, covering
themes such as castles, churches and monasteries, nature,
graphic arts and pottery, medieval sites, etc., and the munic-
ipality, in cooperation with tour operators, organises a num-
ber of cultural and sporting events.
Rhodes is accessible by air (regular flights by Olympic Air-
ways and Air Greece as well as many direct charter flights
from a number of European destinations) and by sea from
the main ports of Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Cyprus and other
Aegean islands.
There are a number of plans to improve mobility in the town:
• developing a pedestrian area including many of the old
town’s streets which have, moreover, been returned to
their original state;
RHODES
• paving of streets with special bitumen that prevents vehi-
cles from driving too fast;
• an urban bus network that supplements taxis;
• a rental service for mopeds that can be used to travel the
island and visit neighbouring sites;
• channelling revenue from car parks into the purchase, by
the municipal public transport company, of air-condi-
tioned buses and an easy access system for people of re-
duced mobility.
Initially geared towards seasonal tourism, Rhodes nowadays
has sufficient hotel and other infrastructure to host confer-
ence tourism (80 conferences and congresses were held in
1997).
Many hotels are also envisaging obtaining ISO certification
and most traders in the town centre are complying with the
municipality’s code of good practice.
Every fortnight during the peak season, the information cen-
tres conduct a telephone survey to find out what accommo-
dation facilities are available so that they can provide visitors
with appropriate information.
Reservations can be made via an Internet site. They are then
automatically faxed to the accommodation facilities con-
cerned. A common reservation system for Rhodes and
Cyprus is to be set up under the Interreg II programme (at a
cost of EUR 300 000).
Rhodes, like many Dodecanese islands, benefited from ‘tax-
free’ status until Greece joined the European Union. This sta-
tus made it into a genuine paradise for designer clothing and
alcohol. Rhodes still has a very wide range of shops.
Most shops in the old town comply with municipal regula-
tions on trading streets and public places.
Sport and leisure facilities are available in the town, on the
beaches and in hotels.
135
 The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS
Knowledge of markets and visitor Satisfaction of local people
satisfaction and integration into the community
Surveys have been conducted in the past on: Generally speaking, local people feel that tourism is a
favourable factor for the region and its economic develop-
• customer segmentation as a function of styles of holiday;
ment. They approve of the policies implemented.
• reasons for choosing the destination and visitor satisfac-
tion levels;
• perceptions of the prices of various products and services; Benchmarking
Rhodes is taking part in the Ecomost project to compare sta-
• tourist complaints (as part of the Ecomost project).
tistical results with Majorca.
The municipal council works with the public agency respon-
sible for supervising the price and quality of products and
penalises offenders by fines or withdrawals of operating
licences.

Various surveys were conducted between 1996 and 1998

under the European Sudecir (Sustainable development of Eu-
ropean cities and regions) project. Their findings should
make it possible to evaluate whether tourism has had a pos-
itive or negative impact on:

• the economy;
• society;
• culture.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

The tourist season has gradually increased from seven to The findings of the surveys conducted under the European
twelve months with a better distribution of tourist arrivals Sudecir project have been forwarded to the various industry
throughout the year. organisations so that they can be taken into account in
strategic tourism development.

136
 St Andrews

London

Overview
St Andrews
The plan • Triggered by the concern to make St Andrews into a top-quality
tourist destination through a pilot tourism management
experiment
• Strong organisational structure, broken down by different
geographical levels of power – clear distribution of responsibilities
• Good integration of the public and private sectors and search for
S t Andrews, located 80 km from
Edinburgh on the east coast of
Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife,
takes its name from Christ’s disciple whose
remains are reputed to have been brought
partnerships there. In the Middle Ages the town was an
• Environmental project and award
important religious centre and its bishops
Strategy and • Long-term economic development exerted considerable influence on the
SOURCE: ST ANDREWS TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

policies • Integrated partnerships
• Tourism and environmental action group
• Complete plan of action for tourism development
• Original policy on human resource management and training
Operations • Implementation of practical schemes in the areas of accessibility,
visit organisation, mobility, reservations, accommodation and
catering
country. The first Scottish university was also
set up in St Andrews in 1410–11. Known for
centuries for its market, St Andrews became
a royal borough in 1620. The appearance
and activities of the town centre have
changed little in recent centuries.

Indicators • Complaint processing and follow-up
• Targeted thematic studies (economy, environment,
communication, etc.)
• Drafting of a general survey framework for future comparative
analyses
• Perception of and impact on local people
Results • Evaluation by the action group and multi-strand comparisons
• New model for measuring the economic impact of tourism
• Bottom-up approach involving all the partners in a steering
committee
The town’s main attraction is not its beach
but its golf course which, according to
estimates, accounts for 30 to 50 % of the
687 000 annual visitors who call it ‘the
home of golf’. Records show that the first
golf club was founded in 1553, when the
town’s residents were authorised to play
golf. The Company of Golfers of St Andrews
was founded in 1754 and 80 years later
became the ‘Royal & Ancient Golf Club’ that
is considered to be the supreme authority on
the rules of golf throughout the world (apart
from North America and Mexico).

137
 Some figures (1996) Main attractions
• 14 410 inhabitants • six golf courses, national • the castle, the university,
• 1 285 jobs linked to tourism, i.e. over 10 % of the working and international the two colleges, St
population competitions; Salvator and St Mary;
• 687 000 visitors, including 505 000 day visitors • the beach, Craigtoun • the Kate Kennedy
• 1 280 000 overnight stays. The average length of stay Country Park and the Procession at the end of
(excluding day visitors) is 4.3 days area around St Andrews spring.
• Nationality of tourists: 47 % Scots, 17 % English, Welsh and which includes ports,
Irish, 20 % foreigners estuaries, cliffs and
sandy banks, a wealth of
• Expenditure: some EUR 76 million, 45 % between July and
fauna, walking
September. Average expenditure per visitor varying from
opportunities, etc.;
some EUR 82 to some EUR 91 (1995–96)
• the churches of St Mary
• 18 hotels with 788 beds
on the Rock, St Rule’s
• 70 guest houses and B & Bs (516 beds) Tower, Holy Trinity, the
• 278 bungalows (1 625 beds), 10 student halls of residence cathedral, etc.;
(2 951 beds) converted into tourist accommodation from
June to September
• 3 caravan and camping sites (877 places)

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
A tourism management plan (TMP) was launched in 1993
by the Scottish Tourist Board as a pilot experiment.
Financed and implemented by the Fife local authority, the
local development agency (Fife Enterprise) and the tourism
office (Fife Tourist Board), the TMP is chiefly intended to
improve the quality and economic benefits of tourism, while
improving and protecting residents’ quality of life and the
urban environment.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
Scotland’s tourism industry is organised ‘nationally’, with re-
gional and local offices responsible for implementing policies
at the various local levels.
Nationally, there is the Scottish Tourism Coordination Group
(STCG) which draws up the strategic tourism development
plan. It identifies and undertakes strategic measures to im-
prove the tourist supply, organises debates on tourism and
implements those measures that it considers appropriate.
The group is chaired by the Scottish Minister for Tourism.
Separate from the Tourism Forum Scotland, STCG member-
ship includes only public bodies directly or indirectly involved
in developing the industry.
At national and at local level, marketing and developing the
tourism industry is always the responsibility of three main
types of body.
Organisations specific to the tourism
industry
The Scottish Tourist Board (STB) is the main tourism agency
for Scotland. Its main responsibilities are:
• to promote Scotland as a leisure or business tourist desti-
nation in the United Kingdom and, in cooperation with the
British Tourist Authority (BTA), abroad;
• in cooperation with Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands
and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to develop tourist products;
• to develop quality initiatives for tourist services and pro-
mote them among visitors;
• to assist Area Tourist Boards (ATB) in particular with the
creation of Tourist Information Centres (TIC), local mar-
keting and the introduction of information technologies.

138

The British Tourist Authority, set up in 1969, has a network
of 42 offices throughout the world that encourage foreign
tourists to visit the United Kingdom. The STB calls upon its
high-level expertise to help with its international marketing
work.
Economic development agencies
The particular remit of these agencies is to find appropriate
ways of improving training (skills and knowledge) and the
economic environment and infrastructure:
• Scottish Enterprise (SE) is lowland Scotland’s economic de-
velopment agency. The task of its Glasgow offices and 13
Local Enterprise Companies (LEC) is to create jobs and in-
crease local people’s prosperity by encouraging enterprise
creation and development, attracting external investors
and increasing exports;
• in parallel, the Inverness-based Highlands and Islands En-
terprise (HIE) and its 10 Local Enterprise Companies carry
out the same tasks in the north and north-west of Scot-
land.
The authorities
Under the umbrella of the Convention of Scottish Local Au-
thorities (COSLA), which provides national coordination of
local authorities’ tourism work, these authorities play a large
part in financing the strategies implemented by the Area
Tourist Boards (ATB).
Local authorities are responsible for developing and main-
taining facilities and infrastructure, which make up a sub-
stantial part of the tourist product, and ensuring that they
can be used by the local community. As owners of land and
infrastructure and as local authorities responsible for plan-
ning, they also play a key role in developing initiatives in the
tourism industry and in ensuring that these initiatives are in
keeping with local people’s needs.
Other members of the national STCG all play a part in the
protection and upgrading of Scotland’s historic, cultural,
artistic and sporting heritage. They include: Historic Scot-
land, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Museum Council, Scot-
tish Natural Heritage, Scottish Sports Council and Tourism
Forum Scotland.
ST ANDREWS
At regional level
At this level, Scotland has 14 Area Tourist Boards (ATB) (in-
cluding the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board responsible for St
Andrews and its region and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Valley Tourist Board responsible for Glasgow and its region).
The ATBs, whose members include most enterprises involved
in the tourism sector, provide these enterprises with the in-
formation and support that they need in fields such as local
strategy, marketing and public relations and quality assur-
ance.
At local level, lastly, there are 22 Local Enterprise Companies
(LEC) and 32 local authorities for Scotland as a whole.
At destination level
In addition to the main partners working at both national
and regional level, each destination has local partners who
play a key role both in general economic development and
in tourism.
One person is responsible for developing tourism in St An-
drews. She takes decisions, decides on policy and evaluation
methods, directs the implementation of the TMP and con-
ducts surveys among visitors as well as any other scheme to
evaluate results. She works under the supervision of the mu-
nicipal council (Fife Council), the local development agency
(Fife Enterprise) and the tourism office (Kingdom of Fife
Tourism Board) with the support, where necessary, of the
STB.
Other partners play a minor but nevertheless important role:
associations and groups of traders and shopkeepers, the
hotels and inns association and the bed and breakfast asso-
ciation. Meetings are organised every six months or more
often, depending on projects under way.
Making the industry more dynamic
One of the initiatives being developed under the TMI is
called the Green Tourism Business Scheme.
139
 The aim of this initiative is to encourage accommodation en- dertake to carry out (selectively and with a limit) and on the
terprises to take more responsibility for the environment. The basis of which they conduct a self-evaluation and receive,
scheme encourages participants to improve management where appropriate, an award (gold, silver or bronze).
methods by reducing costs, extending potential markets and
The 10 aspects covered are a general undertaking to protect
improving their image by respecting laws on the environ-
the environment, wastage, energy, water, transport, suppli-
ment, thereby helping to improve protection.
ers and works enterprises, personnel, storage and fauna.
The Green Award which they receive covers 10 aspects of
environmental protection, each aspect being divided into a
certain number of practical measures that participants un-

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLICIES

Analysis of current situation • to improve the quality of visits and visitor satisfaction;
The tourism management plan, launched in 1993, followed • to optimise the economic return from tourism for the town
two reports: and its region, while respecting the first two objectives;
• to manage tourist pressures in the town through an inte-
• the first, drawn up in 1990, entitled ‘St Andrews 2000: an
grated partnership.
integrated approach to planned development’;
Leaving aside the various aspects of human resource man-
• the second, published in 1992, entitled ‘Study of tourism
agement and training, which are for the most part dealt with
in St Andrews’.
under a general policy for Scotland as a whole, St Andrews’
tourism officers have drawn up an action plan. This plan
Objectives and overall strategy addresses all the problems that have been identified and is
The aim of the strategic plan is to make St Andrews into a intended to pave the way for a tourism industry which
town whose environment and ambience achieve a globally guarantees environmental protection and sustainable econ-
recognised level of quality, for tourists as well as the town’s omic development.
residents, in order to generate substantial long-term eco-
This action plan includes the following points:
nomic benefits for the town and its region.
ST ANDREWS • visitor transport: reduction of the number of vehicles in the
HAS A In 1992, the main objectives were to:
STRATEGIC
town centre, improvement of access routes and pedestrian
PLAN • improve the quality of the visitor and cycle traffic;
experience in order to increase the • local economic impact: increased length of stay, increased
economic return for St Andrews; numbers of visitors outside rush hours and the peak tourist
• improve and protect residents’ season, promotion of the other attractions of the region of
quality of life; Fife, improvement of tourist enterprises’ performance;
• protect the environment and • protection of the urban and natural environment: improv-
ME
T PROGRAM

the urban heritage. ing environmental protection measures by tourism enter-

In 1995, new objectives were set prises, improving the appearance of streets, signposted
MANAGEMEN

for a three-year period: walks, lighting, the quality of signposting and enterprise
signs and stepping up awareness of environmental pro-
OURISM

• to protect and improve social tection schemes;

NDREWS T

life and the particular charac- • ensuring that the development of tourism provides local
ter of the environment and
SOURCE: ST A

people with cultural and social benefits through more ac-

the urban heritage by adopt- tive participation by residents and traders in forums for
ing the principles of sustain- concerted action and working groups on particular topics;
ability;

140
 ST ANDREWS
SOURCE: ST ANDREWS TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
• implementing a permanent tourism management system
through which all partners can be more closely involved
with the strategy being implemented, maintaining good
communications and good coordination with these part-
ners and developing closer links with universities;
• making the town into a model of good tourist manage-
ment that could be adopted elsewhere in the Fife region
or in Europe, by:
– publishing information on the St Andrews experiment,
– helping with the development and implementation of PROMOTING
other TMPs in the region, THE RATIONAL
USE OF
– making optimum use of the Internet site,
RESOURCES
– publishing newspapers to disseminate the results
achieved,
– improving existing links with other organisations such The Task Force includes representatives from the various
as the ‘Walled Towns Friendship Circle’; public agencies such as STB, SE and HIE and from 10 or so
• devising a monitoring system based on economic, envi- of the other organisations mentioned above.
ronmental and quality of life indicators;
The importance that St Andrews and the Kingdom of Fife at-
• developing a long-term tourism strategy and ensuring that
tach to the sustainable development of tourism can be clear-
all the people and partners involved support this strategy;
ly seen from:
• evaluating the results of the TMP against Fife Council’s
objectives. • the inclusion of St Andrews’ TMP in the TMI initiative
launched nationally by the Scottish Tourism Office;

Environmental policy – Agenda 21
Following the publication of a White Paper entitled ‘This
common inheritance’, the STCG drew up a report on tourism
and the environment entitled ‘Tourism and the Scottish en-
vironment: a sustainable partnership’.
• Fife Council’s sustainability policy which takes up many of
the key principles of the local Agenda 21.
All plans are evaluated against a set of 10 criteria, drawn up
under the Kingdom of Fife’s sustainable development policy,
divided into three categories:

In 1992, following proposals from • the environment:

ME
T PROGRAM
NDREWS T
OURISM M
ANAGEMEN the STCG, a national Tourism and – reducing consumption of limited resources,
SOURCE: ST A
Environment Task Force was set up – preserving biodiversity,
as part of a new tourism manage-
– preserving and upgrading landscapes and villages,
ment initiative (TMI). This initiative
has to be implemented locally – promoting environmental education;
through tourism management • local residents:
programmes (TMP) which pro- – promoting social equity,
vide a link between local and na-
– developing concerted action and participation,
tional priorities. The remit of the
Task Force is to ‘promote a reasonable and – promoting high standards of health,
REPORT ON
TOURISM AND rational use of Scotland’s natural resources and cultural her- – promoting and improving quality of life by meeting
THE itage in order to make the most of the very wide range of people’s needs for local attractions and services,
ENVIRONMENT opportunities open to the Scottish tourism industry’. – improving security and ensuring a thriving community,
– promoting access to productive and useful jobs;

141
 • visitors:
– promoting social equity,
– improving public consultation and stepping up public
participation.
This grid can be used to measure and monitor the impact of
tourism on the town of St Andrews.
Human resource policy
The United Kingdom, and Scotland in particular, is very
active in the area of human resource management and
training.
The United Kingdom has developed a national programme
called Investors in People (IIP). Based on the practical expe-
rience of the best-performing enterprises, IIP is implement-
ed in Scotland via the LEC (Local Enterprise Companies).
Under this programme, it is possible to encourage and
supervise enterprises which commit themselves to training
and individual development schemes for their staff in order
to improve their profitability and performance levels.
This national programme sets out four basic principles with
which any enterprise launching an initiative of the Investors
in People type, publicly undertakes to comply. These princi-
ples are:
• to enable and help every staff member to achieve his or
her career objectives;
• regularly to re-evaluate individual training and personal
development needs;
• to take any training or individual development measure
for any employee when he or she has been recruited and
throughout his or her working life;
• to evaluate the results of this investment in training and
individual development schemes in order to improve their
future results.
In spring 1997, a tourism and hospitality organisation in St
Andrews and six organisations in Glasgow met the require-
142
ments and were officially accredited under the Investors in
People (IIP) programme.
Investors in People is also one of the key components of the
Tourism Training in Scotland (TTS) initiative. Set up in 1992
at the joint initiative of the public and private sectors, this ini-
tiative brings together many Scottish tour operators, the
main tourism industry associations, training institutions, ed-
ucational establishments and the main public agencies in the
industry.
Its task is to make Scotland more competitive as a tourist des-
tination by ensuring that all its visitors receive services of
world-class quality, by promoting high-quality training and
opening up career prospects for all industry employees.
Other training initiatives include:
• Scotland’s Best, two training programmes looking at ways
of offering visitors services that exceed their expectations
and at methods of resolving difficult and confrontational
situations;
• Tourism Business Success targeted on the owners and
managers of SMEs who wish to improve their skills;
• Scottish Quality Retailing which offers effective staff train-
ing and development measures to improve the perform-
ance of individual enterprises in the industry;
• Natural Cook which promotes tourist cuisine based on the
use of Scottish resources;
• Welcome Host which is intended to improve levels of serv-
ice in hospitality and tourist accommodation (over 24 000
people have taken part in these one-day seminars since
1994).
The TTS also supplies information for the general public
about the very wide range of trades and career opportuni-
ties offered by the tourism industry.
 ST ANDREWS
The dynamics of implementation OPERATIONS
Tourist services

SOURCE: ST ANDREWS TOURISM MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

A range of practical measures have been taken in areas such
as:

Accessibility: only 10 % of visitors consider that parking is

problematic in St Andrews. The local authority is trying to
deter people from using cars in the town centre by building
car parks on the town’s outskirts and cycle paths and pedes-
trian walkways. There are plans to improve connections with
the station.

Visit organisation: a small brochure called ‘St Andrews: a

NEW PARK-
kaleidoscope of attractions’ helps visitors to find their way
AND-RIDE
about the town and contains information on the town and SCHEMES ON
its attractions. spread and encouraged. Accommodation facilities are ap- THE TOWN’S
OUTSKIRTS
proved solely when they meet the criteria of the national
Mobility: Fife Council has drawn up a short- and medium-
classification system (1 to 5 crowns) which are based on the
term transport plan, taking into account car parks, pedestri-
standard of room quality (luxury, highly recommended, rec-
an, cycle and other vehicle flows, public transport and the
ommended, approved) and on the range and extent of fa-
environment in order to reduce the number of vehicles in the
cilities that the establishment offers.
town centre and thereby to protect it and improve its appeal.
Catering: 44 % of visitors eat in St Andrews and 84 % say
Reservations: there are two systems: one, which is electron-
that they are satisfied by the quality offered by restaurants,
ic, covers the Kingdom of Fife and the other, the ‘Book a bed
cafés and pubs. Festivals that have food as their theme are
in advance’ scheme, for which a fee is paid, is used through-
widespread throughout the region. A national quality stan-
out Scotland. Lists of accommodation meeting the specific
dard is being developed by the Scottish Tourist Board.
criteria selected by visitors can also be printed. Accommoda-
tion establishments included in the database must be mem-
bers of the Scottish Tourist Board quality assurance pro-
gramme.

Accommodation: St Andrews has a wide range of accom-

modation from guest houses to five-star hotels. Services are
generally of high quality and occupancy levels are above the
Scottish average. The classification system devised by the
Scottish Tourist Board’s quality assurance service is wide-

The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS

Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
The Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board (KFTB) has set up a pro-
cedure for processing complaints, most of which are about
the quality of service that visitors have received. Under this
procedure, the establishment in question may be inspected
and may have its membership of the KFTB terminated. The
competent authorities deal with problems concerning health
or hygiene.
In 1995 and 1996, a two-stage survey of visitors to St An-
drews was conducted as part of the TMP. This survey was in-
tended to provide:
• information enabling a measurement of the impact of
leaflets attempting to influence visitors’ behaviour;
• a general survey framework to be used for comparative
analyses in the future;
• information on the TMP’s impact on visitors’ economic
and environmental behaviour, data from which are also to
be used as a reference point for a similar regional survey.
In 1997, a further survey was conducted to supplement the
above data. Partly financed by DG XXIII, this survey is part
of an 18-month work programme to evaluate whether two
new leaflets setting out self-guided walks have had any im-
pact on visitors’ behaviour.

• information on visitors’ needs;

143
 The survey findings show, among other things, that:
• only 2 % of visitors consider attractions to be of poor qual-
ity, in comparison with 43 % and 34 % who feel they are
respectively very good and good;
• shops are generally well kept (74 % in comparison with
15 % who consider them to be no more than ‘accept-
able’);
• 80 % of the products sold in shops are of very good qual-
ity;
• 4 % of purchasers consider prices to be reasonable, while
15 % have no opinion.
Most interviewees (96 % in 1995 and 91 % in 1996) said
that they would revisit St Andrews and 96 to 98 % of visi-
tors said that they would probably recommend a visit to St
Andrews to their friends and family.
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
The Tourism and Environment Task Force conducted its own
evaluation of the TMP and compared it with a number of
other national and international plans. It found that:
• the construction of car parks on the town’s outskirts and
the installation of parking meters in the town centre has
enabled considerable progress to be made with traffic
management;
• considerable attention has been paid to signposting (in-
formation posters, printed materials, entertainment, etc.)
and the content of information about the town and its cul-
tural and historic heritage;
• children have not been forgotten (special guides);
• public areas have been improved (floral decoration, pub-
lic lighting, improvement of pedestrian areas, street fur-
nishings, etc.);
• considerable progress has been made in the areas of the
environment and security (beaches and coastal paths, Sea-
side Award);
• coordination between the various organisations and agen-
cies of the Fife region is better, although progress remains
to be made with some of these organisations;
• local people are regularly questioned about their percep-
tion of tourism and informed about the actions being un-
dertaken;
• an effective partnership has gradually been built up, mak-
ing it possible better to target the problematic aspects of
tourism development and improve the chances of success
of schemes implemented under the TMP.
144
Satisfaction of local people and
integration into the community
A study was conducted among the residents of St Andrews
in November and December 1995 to obtain data on the im-
pact of tourism on local quality of life and on local people’s
perception of tourism. The questionnaire, published as part
of a review of the TMP and occupying a whole page in the
local newspaper, was also distributed free of charge to resi-
dents and copies were available in tourist information offices
and other public places. The survey showed that most resi-
dents were aware of the added economic and social value
generated by tourism, but had concerns about traffic and
parking problems and the overcrowding of pedestrian areas.
RESULTS
The economic impact of tourism is still difficult to evaluate
although a new model (STEAM), formulated for Scarbor-
ough, is being introduced for the Kingdom of Fife. This
should make it possible to draw up a longer-term vision of
potential tourism development in St Andrews.
The quality plan seems to be well integrated in the town of
St Andrews, mainly because it is based on the in-depth think-
ing that paved the way for the TMP and on other initiatives
taken elsewhere in the Fife region or nationally by the STB.
What is striking is that:
• the key aspect of the plan is sustainable, reasonable and
supportable development rather than promotion and
marketing as in other destinations;
• essential features are the quality of services, accessibility
and mobility in the town and the provision of appropriate
information.
Implementation of the TMP involves a bottom-up approach,
i.e. starting from the bottom and involving everyone work-
ing in the tourism industry. Led by a steering committee that
meets every six to eight weeks, the TMP is implemented
through a democratic process that includes consultation
meetings with representatives of the public and private sec-
tors and residents of the town and its surrounding area.
 Stockholm

Overview
Stockholm
The plan

Strategy and
policies
• Triggered by an awareness of the potential of tourism
• Three-year strategic plan to develop tourism in cooperation with

•
•
the private sector

Single tourism platform and high-level cooperation

Efficient cooperation between the public and private sector
C apital of Sweden and European City
of Culture in 1998, Stockholm is a
welcoming city of many contrasts:

• an archipelago of 14 islands combined

• Platform for the development of sustainable tourism with a large city;
• Rational use of energy (private and public initiatives)
• Service-oriented training for the various tourism trades • a wide range of tourist attractions and
cultural and sporting activities combined
Operations • Promotion and development of new tourist products
with a restful, sympathetic and friendly
• Dissemination of manuals and CD-ROMs for professionals
SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: R. RYAN

• 12-language tourist guide for trade fairs and exhibitions environment.

• Mobility plan and cycle network
• 350 accredited and audited public and private information
centres
• Discontinuation of automated information in favour of personal
contact
• Shop guide
• Hotel and guided tour reservation service
• Incentives for hotels to gain ISO certification and undertake
quality initiatives
• ‘Clean town’ programme and eco-park
Indicators • Regular measurement of the industry and its growth
• Monitoring of market and competition trends
• Surveys of motivation, satisfaction, themes (conferences),
geography (supplier markets), analyses of tourist expenditure
• Collective and individual complaint processing
Known throughout the world for the Nobel
Prize and its famous annual marathon,
Stockholm’s tourist attractions can be
summed up in a few words: islands, water,
clean city, long sunny summer days, green
spaces, entertainment, sport, museums and
efficient public transport.
Very sensitive to environmental issues, the
Swedes are also keen on open air activities
and sports: the options that Stockholm has
chosen to promote and develop tourism
clearly reflect these two aspects.

Results • Systematic planning and adaptation

• European recognition

145
 Some figures (1996)
• 200 hotels with 33 000 beds
• Hotel occupancy rates varying from
90 % in the city centre to 70–75 %
in the city as a whole
• 1 500 restaurants
• 70 museums and 100 art galleries
• 80 cinemas
• 75 golf courses
• Close on 200 conferences every year
• 75 % of foreign tourists (summer
months)
Main attractions
The city’s main attractions are:
• the Vasa Ship Museum;
• the old town;
• Birka Island;
• the Tivoli leisure park;
• the archipelago with its 24 000 islands;
• the eight royal palaces in the surrounding area.

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

What was the impetus for the plan and • conferences and business tourism;
• events of all kinds (cultural, sporting, etc.);
who is leading it?
• development of products and services (cleaning, security,
An awareness of the economic potential of tourism provid-
museums, mobility, etc.);
ed a starting point for the quality initiative.
• visitor services via tourist information centres.
At the beginning of the 1990s, unemployment was high in
The projects that SIS organises in cooperation with the
Stockholm. At that time, tourism was seen as no more than
private sector are run as semi-autonomous operations with
a secondary industry, far behind the forestry, mining and au-
financial liability for their results. Over 100 projects were
tomobile industries. Few resources were allocated to
being put into practice in the second half of 1998.
tourism.
Other national tourism industry bodies, working closely with
Business, and in particular conference tourism had fallen to
SIS, also play a part in developing tourism in the city of
27th place in Europe, placing many hotels in a difficult situ-
Stockholm.
ation.
They include:
In the light of this rather perturbing situation, the city au-
thorities decided to develop a strategic plan including a cer- • the Stockholm Conference Centre, a private company set
tain number of quality aspects relating chiefly to tourist up 25 years ago;
products and services and the integrated promotion of the • the Swedish Tourist Authority (STA), a government organ-
destination. isation which monitors and regulates tourism;
• the Swedish Tourism Council (STC), which is responsible
Who are the main partners and how for promoting Sweden abroad;
• the Swedish Federation of Tourism and Travel Trades,
are they linked?
whose membership includes most professional associa-
Set up in 1979–80, at the initiative of the Stockholm local au-
tions in the tourism industry. There was also an ad hoc as-
thority, the Stockholm Information Service (SIS) has some 70
sociation ‘Stockholm, European City of Culture’ that was
members who provide its financial resources. SIS is involved
particularly involved in cultural projects and wound up its
in promoting tourism and developing new tourist products
activities at the end of 1998.
for the city of Stockholm.

SIS draws up and also offers its members three-year strate-

gic tourism development plans. These plans chiefly include
projects to be conducted jointly with the private sector in five
particular areas:

• development of leisure tourism;

146
 STOCKHOLM
The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLICIES
SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: R. RYAN

Objectives and overall strategy

The main objectives of the strategic plan can be summarised
as follows:

• increasing the number of overnight stays to 8 million in

2000 (6 million in 1997);
• organising at least one major annual event; a programme
has been drawn up for the next five years and includes
Alfred Nobel’s centenary in 2001;
• increasing the number of conferences and congresses so
that Stockholm is among the 10 most popular conference
destinations by 2002.
To implement this strategic plan, a wide range of organisa-
tions and enterprises in the private sector are cooperating
with the single tourism platform coordinated by the STA
and accepted by tourism professionals: PRESENTATION OF
A SUSTAINABLE
Rational use of energy
• Sweden is a very beautiful country; TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
• Sweden’s past and history remain to be discovered; Hotels have drawn up energy saving measures and the city PLATFORM
• Sweden has a superb capital. authority is planning to purchase 300 electric vehicles.

Environmental policy – Agenda 21 Human resource policy

Land use and environmental protection:
In 1997, the Swedish tourism authorities put forward a ‘plat-
form for the development of sustainable tourism’ covering a
range of aspects such as tourist activities, hotels and restau-
rants, land and forest properties, protection of nature, fish-
ing, etc.
Outside the training offered by State education pro-
grammes, SIS offers various training programmes for hotel
receptionists, taxi drivers, airport personnel, etc.
All these programmes are intended to improve attitudes and
behaviour and to orient personnel more towards customer
service.

This platform plans to add some 500 hectares to existing na- SIS also trains guides and awards an official licence.
ture reserves; it also takes account of the Swedish law under
which individuals can profit fully from nature on both public
and private land, in particular for walking, camping, collect-
ing wild berries and flowers, sporting activities such as skiing
and even starting fires.
SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: C. LUNDIN

147
 The dynamics of implementation
Public services
The cleaning of streets, buildings and other public places
helps to create a comfortable atmosphere, while the discreet
presence of police around the main attractions and in un-
derground stations provides a feeling of security.
Services for industry professionals
SIS works with the private sector on projects to promote or
develop new tourist products, based on particular themes or
available in the low season, that are likely to attract new vis-
itors. Examples of this cooperation include:
• an agreement with SAS Airlines to build up arrivals from
foreign destinations where SAS is well-established and
generally has excess capacity: United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Switzerland;
• the Santa project on the Saint Nicholas theme, under
which private Swedish enterprises are working with a
British tour operator to try to attract foreign visitors dur-
ing the low season in November/December.
New product development is also discussed at meetings and
round tables to which private businesses are invited. Cruises
around Stockholm’s archipelago are an example of a product
developed in this way.
Lastly, the distribution of manuals for industry profession-
als and travel agents, on the one hand, and conference and
congress organisers, on the other hand, helps with internal
communication. A free information bulletin is sent out to in-
dustry professionals.
Tourist services
In order to promote the city in a better way, SIS is working
on a set of integrated plans based on the slogan and logo
‘Stockholm, Beauty on Water’. Schemes
include:
• the free distribution to tourism profes-
sionals, including foreign tour operators,
of high-quality promotional materials in-
cluding a CD-ROM with 100 or so digi-
tised images of the city that can be freely
used and reproduced in publications;
• international promotional campaigns in daily newspapers
and magazines highlighting new products for target mar-
kets;
148
OPERATIONS
• the publication of a 12-language tourist guide for distri-
bution at all international tourism trade fairs.
In the town itself and during Stockholm’s year as the Cultur-
al Capital of Europe, SIS:
• collected 6 000 suggestions for projects that were used to
draw up a programme of activities;
• installed display racks for leaflets, brochures, maps,
guides, etc.;
• published a free quarterly broadsheet newspaper (the ini-
tial circulation of 20 000 copies has now risen to 200 000
copies);
• distributed 700 000 copies of a monthly magazine to
tourists and residents.
Stockholm is accessible by train, road (bus or taxi) and boat
from the international airport of Arlanda or by road or train
from other towns and cities in the country.
Mobility in Stockholm is excellent: there are no traffic prob-
lems in either the city centre or residential areas. The city is
also continuing to build an extensive network of cycle paths.
Stockholm is a welcoming town for tourists, not only be-
cause of its highly professional tourist information services
run by SIS and located at the central station and the Swedish
House, but also because of the friendliness and helpfulness
of residents who often speak English or German.
Whether private or public, Sweden’s 350 or so tourist infor-
mation centres (TIC) are subject to a rigorous accreditation
system, managed by ForTur, that includes audits and annual
inspections of approximately 5 % of these offices. Figures for
1996 show that the two SIS information centres received
650 000 visitors and took 1 300 reservations for guides and
7 500 cabin reservations for boat excursions. Stockholm’s In-
ternet site also receives some 2 000 information requests
every day.
 STOCKHOLM
SOURCE:: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: H. NELSÄTER

Camp sites are awarded one to five stars depending on the

facilities that they have available.

The city, the sea and beaches are very unpolluted and
water and air quality is very good:

• the town is very clean. A particular project entitled ‘Clean

STOCKHOLM
PUBLISHES A
SHOPPING GUIDE
FOR TOURISTS
Keen to give priority to personal contacts between tourists
and information centres, SIS has closed the 14 on-line infor-
mation kiosks that it had installed in the city’s streets.
Most shops are in a very central pedestrianised area and are
listed in a shop guide providing visitors with a wide range of
information, especially on local crafts (glass, crystal, pewter
and furniture, design objects).
town’ has also been implemented as part of the ‘Stock-
holm, European City of Culture’ programme; this project
includes training schemes intended to change mentalities,
make traders more aware and ensure that they keep their
shop fronts clean without waiting for municipal offices to
visit them;
• the cleanliness of beaches and the sea is exemplary, par-
ticularly in the islands of the archipelago of Stockholm;
even very small beaches have public toilets and dustbins;
• the quality of lake and sea water, used to supply both the
city and the paper industry, is excellent, largely because of
sound management of waste water;
• there is almost no air or noise pollution.
Conservation of species: the Swedish are very sensitive to
nature; Stockholm has a eco-park and a zoo specialising in
the fauna of Northern Europe.
Environmental information: the Swedish environmental pro-
tection agency publishes a number of information brochures.

SIS runs a hotel reservation service that includes most hotels

in the city and its surrounding area. Located at the central
station, this service accepts reservations by telephone, fax
and electronic mail. It also offers organised tours, called ‘Des-
tination Stockholm’, at inclusive prices.

Like any capital, Stockholm has a wide range of accommo-

dation and restaurants; some accommodation is highly orig-
inal (sailing boat converted into a hotel) or specialises in a
clientele of young people with little money.

Sweden does not have a hotel classification system. Close on

one third of the city centre’s 150 hotels are nevertheless ISO
certified and the Swedish hotel association encourages its
members to launch quality initiatives that include training for
SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: R. RYAN

hotel staff on the issues raised by the conservation of a high-

quality environment, looking in particular at saving measures
(limited replacement of bath towels, special low-consump-
tion light bulbs, etc.).

MAKING STAFF MORE

AWARE OF THE
IMPORTANCE OF
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS
ONE OF THE AIMS OF
STOCKHOLM’S QUALITY
INITIATIVE

149
SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INFORMATION SERVICE/PHOTO: R. RYAN
 The dynamics of monitoring
SIS regularly measures tourist activity and development
through indicators such as:
• air traffic;
• shop turnover;
• numbers of visitors to museums;
• volume of jobs in the industry;
• profits of private enterprises in the industry;
• the revenue obtained from taxes on tourist activities.
Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
SIS regularly undertakes a number of surveys of tourism in
Stockholm. The results of these surveys are generally confi-
dential and are used to update and adjust strategic tourism
plans.
The main surveys include:
• surveys of visitor motivation and satisfaction every four
years or so;
• specific surveys of conference customers;
The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
SIS’s regular surveys help it to plan and adjust tourism policy
and tourism development strategies.
Over the last four years (1994–97), results have been posi-
tive and have in particular been reflected by a parallel growth
of numbers of overnight stays (14 %), employment (14 %)
and revenue (32 %).
The city is highly rated throughout the world as a cruise des-
tination, and a Viennese tourism research institute has given
150
INDICATORS
• collection of information on tourism businesses in the city;
• analysis of business tourist expenditure;
• studies of the main tourist supply markets (Germany, Rus-
sia, United States, etc.),
SIS also handles complaints from tourists, which are logged
during surveys and then individually processed (a letterbox
for complaints has been tested, but without success).
The director of SIS and the other members of its board of
management also take part in the meetings of at least 12 or
so organisations directly and indirectly involved in develop-
ing and upgrading tourist policy in the Stockholm region.
Satisfaction of local people
and integration into the community
The Swedes set great store by quality with the result that cer-
tification and awards are not generally needed.
RESULTS
Stockholm top place among European cities, in front of Paris
and Prague.
As a result of the runaway success of ‘Stockholm, European
City of Culture’ (34 % more package tour visitors), the city
is planning to organise one major event every year.
 Volterra
Rome

Overview
Volterra
The plan • Triggered by the need to preserve the town and its image from
the adverse impact of rapidly expanding tourism
• Widespread cooperation and good distribution of tasks between
the private and public sectors
• Efficient centralisation of management tasks within a consortium
T he high Val di Cecina surrounds the
town of Volterra, lying in the
province of Pisa in Tuscany. This
region has an impressive historical, cultural,
artistic and archaeological heritage as well as
Strategy and • Extending lengths of stay rather than increasing numbers of
policies arrivals
beautiful countryside. The area includes five
SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA

• Diversifying resources and making customers loyal
• Labelling project for quality of hospitality facilities
• Training for tourism professionals and involvement of all local
people in initiatives
Operations • Plans to build car parks to avoid saturation
• Sustained marketing
• Promotional campaigns
• European funding: centralised reservation system and tourist
assistance, marketing of tourist resources, rationalisation of
tourist services
• ‘Hospitality week’
Indicators • Annual surveys of tourist motivation and satisfaction
• Ongoing monitoring of market trends
• Study of the potential of tourism
Results • Tourist satisfaction and loyalty
• Substantial growth of visitor numbers
• Extension of the tourist season
local authorities which form the Val di
Cecina Mountain Community. Landscapes
range from the metal-bearing Lardello hills
to wooded areas dotted with Mediterranean
shrubs and low hills offering splendid views.
The Val di Cecina is located between two of
the Italian peninsula’s main north–south road
routes: the Tyrrhenian route (the national Via
Aurelia) and the Apennine route (A2
motorway). The region is therefore readily
accessible (65 km from Florence, 53 km from
Pisa, 37 km from Siena and 30 km from the
Tyrrhenian coast). At 550 metres above sea
level, Volterra, which is an old Etruscan,
Roman, medieval and Renaissance centre,
dominates the Val di Cecina and offers views
with the sea as a backdrop. The town,
surrounded by two walls (one Etruscan and
the other medieval), is one of Tuscany’s
major heritage centres.

151
 Some figures Main attractions
• Population of approximately 50 000 inhabitants • major historic and cultural • exceptional natural resources:
• Tourist numbers (1997): 147 417 overnight stays resources: Etruscan, Roman, hills and charming countryside
• Substantial increase in tourist flows (1994 to medieval and Renaissance for walkers and cyclists;
1996): arrivals increased by 24.5 % between 1994 remains; • gastronomic tradition;
and 1995 and by 26.2 % between 1995 and 1996 • three major art and historical • conference centre.
• Majority of foreign tourists (1997–98): 62.8 % in museums;
comparison with 27.2 % of Italians over the last • craft and alabaster (from
30 months surveyed neighbouring mines);
• Nationalities: mainly German, followed by
Americans and British
• Average length of stay (foreigners and Italians):
2.9 days (1996) in comparison with 2.4 days
(1994)

The dynamics of partnership THE PLAN

Ways of preserving the town and its image provided a start- The local authority is chiefly responsible for studying and
ing point for the quality initiative. planning tourism. It has conducted a number of major stud-
ies of tourism in Volterra, in some cases with help from the
Volterra has in recent years seen a substantial increase in
Centro Studi Turistici of Florence. At present, the Centro Stu-
numbers of tourists in general and in transit tourism in par-
di Turistici is studying the limits of Volterra’s tourism poten-
ticular, which may well harm the town’s image as well as the
tial in order to help the local authority better to target its ini-
town itself.
tiatives.
In order to prevent the destruction of its natural and historic
Another major partner is the Volterra Savings Bank, a pub-
resources, Volterra is implementing various action plans to
lic law body which finances a wide range of events and ac-
try to promote quality tourism based not on numbers but on
tivities. It invests in a wide range of businesses.
the loyalty of its customers.
Relations with the Volterra local authority are excellent. The
fact that the local capital is close by and helps with its devel-
Who are the main partners and how opment is a major plus point.
are they linked? An important feature is that this division of power allows for
The Consorzio Turistico, a private company, is an umbrella efficient and autonomous action: the local authority is re-
for 90 % of the area’s enterprises and includes representa- sponsible for planning, research and studies and the Con-
tives from the economic and social world and from the pub- sorzio is responsible for managing tourism. Leadership of the
lic authorities of the eight local authorities concerned and the initiative is therefore undoubtedly in the latter’s hands. There
Val di Cecina Mountain Community as well as hoteliers. This is a very high level of integration between all departments
company maintains ongoing and efficient links between the thanks to a good understanding between the local authori-
public and private sectors and extremely high-level cooper- ty and the Consorzio.
ation between these two sectors. The Consorzio has been in
existence for four years and manages all tourism issues (pro-
motion, information materials, information office manage-
ment, tourist hospitality, reservations, etc.). It has an office
in Volterra and links with neighbouring local authorities. The
Consorzio is in practice the sole tourism agency. It is contin-
ually stepping up its activities but is facing a number of statu-
tory difficulties because of a lack of regulations on tourism.

152

The dynamics of design
Objectives and overall strategy
The main strategy of the Consorzio and the local authority is
to preserve the town and its image intact.
It is summed up by the following slogan: ‘Volterra, at the
heart of Tuscany for 3 000 years’. In other words, the strat-
egy is one of preserving the town’s features and establishing
Volterra as a focal point of tourism in Tuscany. The typical
type of tourism in Volterra is individual tourism of a medium-
to-high economic and cultural level.
Attempts are being made to address problems (arising chiefly
from the lack of beds, problems of accessibility and the
town’s remoteness from routes promoted by tour operators)
and to convert them into opportunities. The town’s major
cultural and historical resources and its surrounding area’s
wealth of natural resources mean that a full visit of the des-
tination requires more than one or two days.
One of the strategies is therefore to encourage tourists to
stay longer rather than to try to increase numbers of visitors,
for instance by attracting new tourist target groups.
The Consorzio Turistico is therefore:
• improving the quality of its visitor care in the town
(through its hospitality and tourist information office);
• entering into cooperation agreements with the eight
neighbouring local authorities to ensure that they are
aware of its plans and activities;
• offering visitors attractive alternatives such as hiking
tourism, agrotourism, conference tourism, etc.
The dynamics of implementation
Public services
The local authority is currently evaluating plans for a new
parking area for cars and coaches to resolve the current
problems of saturation. The local authority is taking a pru-
dent approach here, however, as one of its strategies, as
mentioned above, is not to increase numbers of tourists but
their length of stay.
V O LT E R R A
STRATEGY AND POLICIES
SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA
A STRATEGY
GEARED
TOWARDS
ALTERNATIVE
FORMS OF
TOURISM
There is also a quality plan, under which a quality label and
a standard are to be devised to offer a better service and
make customers more loyal, so that transit tourism becomes
less of a problem.
Human resource policy
As part of its strategy to improve quality, the Consorzio is al-
ready organising vocational training courses for industry
personnel in order to provide businesses with new ideas. It is
also trying to make local people working in the industry more
aware of the ‘customer culture’ by involving them in various
events.
OPERATIONS
Services for industry professionals
The Consorzio is implementing a major promotional plan
which includes, among other things, a common structure for
the whole region (Volterra and Val di Cecina), participation
in tourism trade fairs, advertising in specialist journals, an In-
ternet site and large-scale production of materials such as
postcards to be sent out to its partners, posters for distribu-
tion at trade fairs or for sale, production of a four-language
video by the local authority, etc.
153
 Investment needs (services and training) led the Consorzio
to submit three applications for funding from the European
Union’s programme for regions suffering from industrial de-
cline (Objective 2). All three applications have been accept-
ed and will be financed by the EU (under measure 2.2 ‘serv-
ices for tourist enterprises’):
• centralised reservation services and tourist assistance: this
first project, already under way, has accounted for 10 %
of hotel reservations. Additional help is also available
(booking of taxis, cycles, tourist guides, bus tickets, etc.,
via the Internet);
• marketing of the tourist supply: this project includes mar-
keting studies, publicity campaigns and the production of
leaflets and brochures. There are also plans to organise
tourist events and hospitality for national and Communi-
ty tour operators and to attend international trade fairs. All
businesses are likely to benefit from this project;
• rationalisation of tourist services: this project is intended to
rationalise various services by introducing the following:
1. a Volterra card for discounts in shops and restaurants;
2. consultancy services for enterprises;
3. provision of tourist information in hotels and restau-
rants;
4. improved road signposting in Volterra and its surround-
ing area.
SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA
154
Tourist services
Volterra’s very high-quality hospitality and information serv-
ices are highly rated by tourists. The Consorzio’s new offices
have been built in a strategic location. Employees are friend-
ly and helpful and leaflets are well produced.
The Consorzio offers a single reservation service for tourists
(at the office or by Internet, telephone and fax).
The Consorzio and the local authority are running various
major initiatives in the area of tourist visit organisation:
• a single pass for all museums and theatres which can be
purchased at the information office or in museums;
• a craft trail, covering a whole range of craft workshops
where craftsmen can be seen at work;
• the Volterra card offering a range of discounts in various
shops that is distributed to tourists either by the Consorzio
or by hoteliers;
• a map of the town including museum opening hours and
prices and details of monuments worth visiting;
• a wide range of materials providing high-level visitor ori-
entation. There is little demand for package tours to
Volterra.
The picturesque nature of the destination is one of its
strengths. Residents are aware of this and therefore help to
keep it clean.
Efforts are being made to adapt hotel and restaurant open-
ing times to demand (hotels should, for instance, be open
seven days a week during the season).
BETTER PUBLICITY
CAMPAIGNS THAT TRY
TO MAKE THE MOST OF
THE CULTURAL
HERITAGE
 V O LT E R R A
Until recently, event organisation was the re-
sponsibility of the local authority and resi-
dents’ associations. Events are now organ-
ised by the Consorzio, not just for residents

SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA

as was the case with the local authority, but
also for tourists.

The Consorzio runs an annual ‘Hospitality

week’ to entertain tourists by organising var-
ious events in which local people take part.

VOLTERRA’S
NEW ‘CRAFT
TRAIL’

The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS

Knowledge of markets and visitor
satisfaction
Motivation surveys are carried out annually by the Con-
sorzio; visitors are asked about the reasons for their stay
and their levels of satisfaction with the various hospitality
services.
The Centro Studi Turistici of Florence has conducted other
similar surveys for the local authority which plans systemat-
ically to finance such surveys (there has been an agreement
between the two institutions since 1996). The aim is regu-
larly to monitor demand so that strategies and plans can be
drawn up for the tourism industry.
A study of the potential of tourism in Volterra is due to be
completed in 1999. The local authority hopes that this for-
ward study will pinpoint strategic areas in which investment
is needed (car parks, hotels, etc.) to improve quality.
The Italian Touring Club was commissioned by the local au-
thority to study Volterra’s image throughout the world; this
study was subsequently published.
Positive impact on the environment
The fact that the tourist season runs from March to October
and that tourists are dispersed through the area as a whole
substantially reduces any environmental impact.

Through its Internet service, the Consorzio, which manages

some 10 % of reservations, has an on-line barometer of
market trends.

The Consorzio also handles customer complaints and tries to

follow them up. There are no statistics on this issue, but com-
plaints are rare. Complaints generally concern restaurant
prices, especially the fact that they are not always given. The
Consorzio’s financial autonomy means that it can intervene
whenever necessary.

155
 The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment
The continuing increase in visitor numbers (especially
foreigners) over the last 10 years bears witness to Volterra’s
success.
A visitor satisfaction survey conducted during the 1997
peak season showed high levels of tourist satisfaction.
RESULTS
These data show that the essential aspects of cultural tourism
are of good quality.
In 1995, the season was spread over seven months. Since
1996, increased activity in March has tended to extend the
season.

Tourism connected with hiking and agrotourism is already

Satisfaction survey (1997) booming. The results of the study on the potential of tourism
in Volterra should make it possible to find out about markets
Tourist information 75 % satisfaction and to bring what is on offer in line with the strategies that
Museums 73 % are drawn up.
Car parks 57 %
Accommodation 53 %
Restaurants 52 %
Banking services 51 %
Ease of access 45 %
Shopping 44 %
Entertainment 40 %
Price/quality ratio 37 %

SOURCE: CONSORZIO TURISTICO VOLTERRA

156
 Winchester
London

Overview
Winchester
The plan

Strategy and
• Triggered by the need to control the growth of tourism and
prevent any adverse impact
• Largely centralised within the city council

• Development of a comparative analysis framework for tourist

O ver the centuries, Winchester was
popular with the royal family as a
place of rest and relaxation in
between commitments of State and for
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

policies destinations
• Strategic tourism plan connected with the local Agenda 21
• Formal statement of the district of Winchester’s tourism strategy,
making express reference to the quality initiative
• Strong consensus between the public and private sectors about
development objectives
• Harmonious development of the district as a whole
• Annual training plan for staff of the city council’s Department of
Leisure
Operations • Improving quality of life and of the urban area, preserving the
heritage
• Developing cycle and pedestrian routes
• Thematic working groups bringing together the public and
private sectors
• Cooperation with the European TourIST project
• Visitor assistance programme
• Code of conduct for tourist accommodation
Indicators • Regular evaluation of visitor satisfaction
• Surveys of motivation and image
• Processing of complaints (reply within 10 days)
meetings with personalities from the worlds
of religion and art. The city’s architectural
heritage bears many traces of these famous
visitors.
Winchester’s first tourists started to arrive
when a railway line was built in 1840. Since
then it has been a popular destination for
one-day tourism.
Surrounded by green countryside and many
charming villages, Winchester is nowadays
promoted as:
• the old capital of England, with an
exceptional cultural heritage,
• a centre of cultural, historic, religious and
educational excellence,

Results • Great care is taken by the council’s Department of Leisure to

• an attractive place because of its pleasant
ensure an IQM approach ambience, its wide variety of shops and its
• Policy of meetings and exchanges cleanness.

157
 Some figures (1996)
• tourism generates revenue of some EUR 123 • monuments: the cathedral,
million, i.e. 25 % of GDP
• 3 200 jobs generated directly by tourism
• 305 000 British tourists (12 % of arrivals), 81 000
foreign tourists, (3 % of arrivals) and 2 244 000 • museums: the City Museum,
British and foreign day visitors (85 % of arrivals)
• a tourism growth rate of 4 % per annum
The dynamics of partnership
What was the impetus for the plan and
who is leading it?
In 1992, a new team at Winchester City Council’s Depart-
ment of Leisure (WCCDL) drew the attention of local politi-
cians to the adverse impact that an uncontrolled growth of
tourism in Winchester could have on the environment and
local people. Prior to that date, the City Council had never
considered that tourism required promotion and there had
been no management of tourism. In 1992, an initial docu-
ment setting out a strategy to develop tourism was therefore
drawn up by the Leisure Department along with an initial set
of quantitative and qualitative visitor studies.
In the city council’s strategic plan for 1999–2001, tourism is
now seen as the top factor in the district’s economy.
Who are the main partners and how
are they linked?
Winchester City Council’s Department of Leisure, has the
task, through its tourism office, of developing tourism in
Winchester district. WCCDL’s tourism department has four
units responsible for carrying out this task:
• a marketing unit responsible for promoting the district na-
tionally and internationally;
• a tourism services unit, in particular including the Tourism
Information Centres and Tourist Information Points, re-
sponsible for visitor hospitality and assistance;
• a conference unit that manages the Town Hall as a centre
for seminars, conferences and festivals;
158
Main attractions
Centre;
the Great Hall and Round • many walks in the
Table, the College, the mill countryside and
and Wolvesey Palace; neighbouring villages;
• many retail outlets.
the Military Museum, the St
Cross Hospital, the Westgate
Museum, the Royal
Hampshire Regiment
Museum and the Heritage
THE PLAN
• an event and coordination unit that harmonises and coor-
dinates local events organised by the city council, the pri-
vate sector and local people.
Since 1992, WCCDL’s tourism office has become a key part-
ner in the development of tourism. Its mission statement
clearly sets out its desire to be the industry leader and at the
same time to find a common vision of tourism development.
WCCDL’s tourism office has set up various thematic and in-
ter-sectoral working groups:
• the Visitor Management Group (1996) which attempts to
maximise the economic return from tourism;
• the Discover Winchester Group (1997) which is responsi-
ble for promoting Winchester. Members of this promotion
group jointly finance an annual PR campaign in the local,
regional and national press. This group also acts as a fo-
rum for exchanges of ideas and tries to find areas com-
plementing one another in order to design combined
tourist products;
• the Future of Winchester Group (1998) which discusses
future plans for tourism in Winchester;
• the Town Centre Management Group (1997) which is
working on a strategy and initiatives to improve the town
centre to make it into a place where it is pleasant to live,
work, shop and visit.

Representatives from the city council’s relevant departments
or from Hampshire County Council and from a range of pri-
vate-sector tourist businesses serve on all these working
groups.
WINCHESTER
WCCDL’s tourism office also organises quarterly forums
where tourism professionals (managers of attractions, hote-
liers, managers of B&Bs, tourist guides, etc.) can discuss
quality issues.

The dynamics of design STRATEGY AND POLICIES

Analysis of current situation –
Benchmarking
The Southern Tourist Board and WCCDL’s tourism office
have developed a comparative analysis framework for tourist
destinations. The Southern Tourist Board used studies of
number of tourist destinations to develop a set of criteria
enabling tourist destinations to be compared with one
another.
• to recognise and coordinate all organisations and individ-
uals involved in tourist activities when such activities are
being planned;
• to ensure that any visitor management programme has
the best possible impact on the local community and econ-
omy and minimises the pressures generated by visitors;
• to endeavour to set up partnerships bringing together the
public and private sectors and any local community group;

This type of comparison: For the town of Winchester:

• helps to analyse strengths and weaknesses, to decide on
priority actions and to identify strengths that have in some
cases been ignored and on which promotion can be based;
• paves the way for industry emulation and helps to make
residents aware of the results of investment.
It should enable fruitful exchanges of knowledge and expe-
rience between tourist destinations with similar facilities. In
1998–99, three target destinations are to take part in Hamp-
shire’s benchmarking project.
It is interesting to note that the English Tourist Board and the
national government have tested the analysis framework in
14 pilot sites throughout Britain. The results of this test are
to be used to draw up standard methods that can be used by
all local authorities.
• to offer visitors an opportunity to enjoy Winchester’s his-
toric heritage and share it with the local community;
For the district of Winchester:
• to ensure that any development of tourism in rural areas
has recreational and heritage conservation aims;
• to use tourism to strengthen and diversify the rural econ-
omy through direct job creation in the tourism industry
and the provision of added value for other enterprises in
rural areas;
• to ensure a high-quality visitor experience when tourist
facilities and infrastructure are being developed;

Objectives and overall strategy

The principles are:

For the city of Winchester and its district:

• to protect the historic heritage and the ambience of the

city and its district so that future generations can benefit
from it;
• to respect, and ensure that tourist activities are in keeping
with, the needs and interests of residents;
• to ensure that tourist activities respect Winchester as a
place where people live and do not treat it solely as a place
that people visit;
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

159
 • to promote harmony between residents and the tourist
environment, by ensuring that all the partners concerned
invest adequately in facilities and manage and maintain
them appropriately.
Winchester’s quality initiative is nowadays set out in a docu-
ment entitled ‘A tourism strategy for Winchester district’.
This strategy document for 1998–2001 takes up the reins
from a similar document for 1992–95.
Environmental policy – Agenda 21
The new tourism strategy for 1998 is based on the 13 topics
of the local Agenda 21 and on the city council’s strategic ob-
jective of coordinating new tourist services with the neces-
sary changes and modifications of the 1992 strategic plan:
• energy consumption and wastage;
• pollution (traffic, alternative forms of transport);
• fauna and flora;
• focus on local aspects (tourist infrastructure, communica-
tion systems, visitor information centres, examination of
the destination’s image, etc.);
• principle of equity (diversity to meet all budgets,
price/quality balance);
• economy and employment (local jobs, promotion and de-
fence of market position, training);
• health (promotion of open-air activities, dietary cooking,
non-smoking areas);
• ready access for everyone (disabled access to public
places);
The dynamics of implementation
Public services
The city council is responsible for street cleaning and for
maintaining and protecting the built and natural heritage,
whether public or private, in accordance with an appropriate
heritage conservation policy. The district has 40 or so listed
sites.
Public conveniences are available for tourists.
WCCDL’s tourism office plays an active part in thinking
about, and regulations on, security as it is a member of the
local authority’s crime prevention group.
160
• security (non-hazardous tourist products, proactive and
reactive information system for managing mobility, assis-
tance points);
• education and information (information systems, informa-
tion centres for visitors and residents);
• local democracy (communication between visitors and
residents, representation of industry professionals in polit-
ical circles);
• culture and leisure (providing products reflecting local cul-
ture, promoting leisure activities in the district, special
events connected with the historical heritage);
• specific local features (promoting the destination’s specif-
ic features, marketing its appeal, targeting visitors who re-
spect the environment, giving priority to tourism rather
than light industry).
Human resource policy
WCCDL’s tourism office attaches considerable importance to
training. Annual staff audits make it possible to identify their
training needs. A training plan is then decided for the fol-
lowing year. The following training is planned in 1998:
• management skills: continuing training for some posts
such as marketing director, tourism services director;
• information technologies as part of the development of
the TourISt project;
• special hospitality training under the ‘Winchester Host’
programme.
OPERATIONS
Winchester is encouraging environment-friendly mobility
and has introduced high-quality public transport in order to
reduce traffic. Cycle paths and cycle parks have been con-
structed. Some streets have been pedestrianised and have
their own signposting. Parking in the city is reserved for res-
idents, but public car parks, which are very inexpensive, have
been built at the city’s entry points. An assistance service for
people of reduced mobility has been set up in the shopping
centre. Particular efforts are made to facilitate access by peo-
ple of reduced mobility.
 WINCHESTER
Services for industry professionals demonstrate good practice in the use of the new communi-
cation and information technologies. The aim is to find ap-
There is internal communication with other local authority
propriate solutions, especially in the area of reservations, that
departments concerned directly or indirectly by tourism and
achieve savings and improve marketing.
with the regional authorities, the private sector and resi-
dents. This project is undergoing a two-year test by the County of
Hampshire and six other European regions. It is the most im-
portant European project on interactive information in the
Tourist services tourism industry.
For the last three years Winchester’s tourism promotion has
been managed by WCCDL’s tourism office, thereby ensuring A visitor assistance pro-
consistent and high-quality promotion. gramme, ‘Winchester Host’, is
set up during the peak season.
The tourism office is constantly looking for new products A team of town ambassadors
such as themed trails in the work in the town centre and of-
SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

town or its surrounding fer tourists free assistance and
area. WCCDL’s tourism of- answer their questions. Visitor
fice manages the Town information is available in sev-
Hall and organises events. eral languages from the infor-
Winchester has a pro- mation centres and points.
gramme for floral displays
in the city. Most attractions Visitors’ second main activity is
are free of charge. shopping. Through its Town
Centre Management Group,
The town is readily acces- WCCDL’s tourism office pro-
sible by air (an hour’s drive tects small local shops in the
MAKING from London Heathrow and 15 minutes from Southamp- town centre and encourages
SURE THAT ton), by train (less than one hour) and by the M3 motorway
ATTRAC-
new shops to open.
(bus, car) from London. THE
TIONS ARE IMPORTANCE
ACCESSIBLE In addition to the national classification of hotels and ac-
OF
— TOWN Tourist information is available from information centres and commodation establishments, WCCDL’s tourism office has SIGNPOSTING
POLICY points: leaflets, guides, brochures and maps are also avail- adopted a code of conduct for tourist accommodation. The
able from hotels and guest houses. A very practical and code covers aspects of security, hygiene, service, quality of
detailed hospitality guide is distributed to visitors. The town promotion, respect of prices, cleanliness, accommodation,
also has an Internet site. etc. Hoteliers and private guest houses must undertake to re-
Winchester is cooperating with the TourISt project which has spect this code.
been selected by the European Commission to test and

AN ANNUAL TRAINING
PLAN IS DRAWN UP FOR
INFORMATION CENTRE
STAFF

PARTICULAR EFFORTS
ARE BEING MADE TO
IMPROVE ACCESS FOR
PEOPLE OF REDUCED
MOBILITY

SOURCE: WINCHESTER CITY COUNCIL – DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE

161
 The dynamics of monitoring INDICATORS
Visitor satisfaction Satisfaction of local people and
Visitors’ and residents’ satisfaction is regularly surveyed in integration into the community
many areas of the district by WCCDL’s tourism office. Inter-
Residents’ satisfaction is regularly surveyed in many areas of
viewees are asked to give their opinion on aspects of their
the district by WCCDL’s tourism office (see Visitor satisfac-
visit such as the quality of service received, hospitality, pub-
tion above).
lic areas, the general atmosphere, the price of parking, secu-
rity and public transport.

WCCDL’s tourism office undertakes to reply to any com-

plaint within 10 days.

There are also regular studies of the market, the economic

impact of tourism, tourist motivation and the image of Win-
chester. These studies make it possible to adjust strategy and
to find new products that are more in keeping with market
demand.

The dynamics of evaluation and adjustment RESULTS

According to a 1996 visitor survey:
• 99 % of visitors found the hospitality guide ‘very useful’
or ‘fairly useful’ for their stay;
• the reservation system was considered to be very good;
• shops were highly rated;
• hotels and guest houses were considered to have a good
price/quality ratio; hotel occupancy rates were high;
• the quality and choice of food had improved since 1994;
• 83 % of visitors arriving by car were satisfied with car
parks and their prices; 36 % considered prices to be ‘av-
erage’; 12 % ‘cheap’ and 5 % ‘expensive’;
• public conveniences were adequate and well maintained.
Winchester’s successful approach to integrated quality man-
agement is evident from its ability to guide and orient visi-
tors from the beginning to the end of their stay. This success
is largely due to the enormous energy deployed by WCCDL’s
tourism office.
This office has helped to rally the public and private sectors
to achieve a realistic and professional vision of tourism. Its
success is in particular due to its coordination of all the
forums at which people meet and exchange ideas – a coor-
dination which has been of benefit for everyone.

162
 ANNEX
Annex:
Glossary and references
Glossary of terms related to integrated quality management
(IQM) for tourist destinations
The purpose of the glossary is not to provide all the official quality management (IQM) of tourist destinations to be clear
and standard definitions but rather to help readers who are about the meaning of some of the words and expressions,
not familiar with some of the issues related to integrated with a short explanation using simple words.

ABOUT TOURISM
Tourist
A tourist is a person who is travelling and spending at least
one night away from the area where he usually lives or
works, whether for private or professional reasons.

Tourism
Tourism covers all activities undertaken by tourists during
their travel and stay away from the area where they usually
live or work, whether for private or professional reasons.

Tourist destination
A tourist destination is an area which is separately identified the tourism product is coordinated by one or more identifi-
and promoted to tourists as a place to visit, and within which able authorities or organisations.

Urban tourist destination

An urban tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists
who come to enjoy towns and cities and related activities as
a primary motivation.

Coastal tourist destination

A coastal tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists
who come to enjoy the seaside and seaside-related activities
as a primary motivation.

NB: For statistical purposes, detailed explanations are given in the Community methodology on tourism statistics, Eurostat (1998); see under ‘References’.

163
ANNEX

Rural tourist destination (with reference to agrotourism)

A rural tourist destination is an area which attracts tourists In this type of destination, agrotourism covers the provision
who come to enjoy the countryside and countryside-related of small scale tourist facilities, especially accommodation, on
activities as a primary motivation. an agricultural holding or equivalent private rural property,
conveying an experience of the countryside.

Visitor management
A process of seeking to influence the movement, activities
and impacts of visitors and associated traffic in an area.

ABOUT QUALITY AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN TOURIST DESTINATIONS

Quality
The quality of a product or service is its ability to satisfy the In a tourist destination, the tourist must be regarded as a
needs of the consumer. consumer.

Quality standard and certification

A quality standard identifies a level of quality for goods or A certification is a document delivered by an official body
services. proving that a product or a service complies with a quality
standard.

Quality management
Quality management covers all the activities undertaken to
satisfy the needs of the consumer.

Integrated quality management (IQM) of a tourist destination

IQM is an approach which simultaneously takes into ac- The IQM strategy implemented at destinations has the re-
count, and has a favourable impact on, the activities of quirements of tourists as one of its major considerations.
tourism professionals, on tourists, the local community as
well as on the environment, i.e. the natural, cultural and
man-made assets of the destination.

Tourism strategy (with a view to IQM)

A clear written statement of objectives for tourism develop-
ment, marketing and management, with identified targets,
which forms the basis for an action programme.

NB: For the norms, concepts and theories related to quality and quality management, see under ‘References’.

164
 ANNEX
Leadership (lead authority)
One or more organisations providing a focus for activity,
which is clearly recognised by all partners, and which com-
municates effectively with them.

Local community
All the local residents of an area, as individuals or groups.

Local produce
Food and other natural materials grown or produced within included within local produce but are associated with this
the identified local destination. Handicrafts are not strictly term.

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATED

QUALITY MANAGEMENT (IQM)
Environment
The natural resources and cultural heritage of an area, in- versity, built heritage, historical associations, arts and crafts
cluding water, air, soil, space, landscape, natural sites, biodi- and local traditions.

Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a broad political objective, en- sure an adequate quality of life for present and future gen-
compassing an intention to avoid activities that will cause erations. Sustainable development has economic, social and
long-term damage to the environment and a desire to en- environmental dimensions.

Sustainable tourism development

Sustainable tourism development is about keeping a balance
between the needs of the visitor, the environment and the
host community for current as well as future generations.
Tourism can contribute to the three dimensions of sustain-
able development as follows:
• in economic terms, sustainable tourism development can
improve the competitiveness of the enterprises, in partic-
ular SMEs, directly and indirectly related to tourism, and
bring benefits to the local economy,
• in social terms, sustainable tourism development can make
it possible at the same time to meet the needs of and to
encourage responsible behaviour among tourists, people
working in tourism enterprises and the local community,
• in environmental terms, sustainable tourism development
can ensure the protection and rational management of
natural and cultural resources.

NB: For other information on the environment and sustainable development, see under ‘References’.

165
ANNEX

Link between environment, sustainable development and IQM

In brief, these three concepts are not identical but cannot be
dissociated.
Sustainable development is a broad concept of which the en-
vironment is one dimension beside economic and social di-
mensions. Integrated quality management is an approach
focused on consumer satisfaction but based on the three di-
mensions of sustainable development.

Bibliographic references connected with integrated quality

management for urban tourist destinations
The purpose here is not to present an exhaustive list of references but to mention documents cited in this publication as well
as some documents about tourism, quality and sustainable development helpful in relation to IQM in urban destinations. Some
Internet addresses are also given.

Documents cited in this publication

Introduction
1 European Commission, Towards an urban agenda in the
European Union, Communication from the Commission,
COM(97) 197 final.
Chapter 1
2 ISO, International Standards ISO 8402, second edition,
ISO, Geneva, 1994-04-01.
4 European Commission, OGM, Quattro: Quality approach
in tendering/contracting urban public transport operation
– Fourth Community R&D programme, Contract
UR-96-SC-1140.
5 EFQM, European Quality Award, 1997.
9 Vighetti, J.-B., ‘Qu’est-ce que le tourisme urbain?’,
Cahiers Espaces, 39, Tourisme Urbain, Paris, 1994.
10 European Commission, ‘The sustainable development of
the European Union’s towns and cities: a framework for
action’, Communication being prepared.
16 European Tourism Forum, ‘Integrated quality manage-
ment in tourism’, Mayrhofen, Austria, 9–12 July 1998.
17 Cazes, G. and Potier, F., Le tourisme urbain, Collection
Que sais-je?, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris,
1996.
19 Janssen-Verbeke, M., in: Cazes G. and Potier F. (eds),
Le tourisme et la ville: expériences européennes, L’Har-
mattan, Paris, 1998.

Chapter 2 Chapter 4
7 Ashworth, G. J. and Tunbridge, J. E., The touristic historic 23 AFNOR, NF Service: 3 tourism offices certified, Press re-
city, Belhaven Press, London, 1990. lease, 1997.
8 First Urban Tourism Workshops, Municipality of Rennes,
Tourism Office, 1990.

General documents about tourism

European Commission, The role of the Union in the field of European Commission, DG XXIII, ‘Facts and figures on the
tourism, Commission Green Paper, COM(95) 97, 4 April Europeans on holidays’, Eurobarometer, 48, Brussels, 1998.
1997.
European Commission, Eurostat, Community methodology
European Commission, Community measures affecting on tourism statistics, 1998, and Commission Decision No
tourism, Report from the Commission, COM(97) 332, 1999/34/EC related to tourism statistics, December 1998.
2 July 1997, and Commission staff working paper,
European Commission, Enhancing tourism’s potential for
SEC(97) 1419, 11 July 1997.
employment, COM(1999) 205, 28 April 1999.
European Commission, DG XXIII, Employment and tourism:
Palmer, A., Tourism destination marketing alliances,
guidelines for action, Final report of the conference organ-
http://cobweb.utsa.edu/FACULTY/VHELLER/readings/
ised by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union
dest-mkt-alliance.html
and the European Commission, Luxembourg, November
1997.

166

Documents about quality and quality management in tourist destinations
AFIT, Démarches qualité et tourisme, Guide de Savoir-faire,
AFIT, 1998.
Allouard, C. et al., Certification et management de la qual-
ité: Démarches, méthodes et outils pour maîtriser et mettre
en œuvre la qualité à tous les niveaux de l’entreprise dans
le système ISO 9000, Editions WEKA, Paris, 3ème trimestre
1995.
Balfet, M., L’audit marketing touristique, Editions Economi-
ca, Paris, 1997.
‘Benchmarking y calidad total en empresas turistica’, Jorna-
da sobre la calidad, AVT, Valencia, 1996.
Bieger, T., Management von Destinationen und Tourismu-
sorganisation, R. Oldenbourg Verlag, 1997.
Boniface, P., Managing quality cultural tourism, Routledge,
London, 1995.
Delvosalle, C., ‘Les vrais défis de la qualité’, Chaire Qualité,
Gembloux, 1994/1995.
Espaces (Revue), Dossier: ‘La qualité dans le tourisme’, 125,
Paris, January–February 1994.
Estudios Turísticos, Nine articles about quality in tourism,
Edition No 140, Madrid, 1999.
European Commission, The European way to excellence, DG
III, Brussels, 1996.
European Commission, Integrated quality management in
tourism, Proceedings of the European Tourism Forum or-
ganised by the Presidency of the Council of the European
Union and the European Commission, Mayrhofen, Austria,
July 1998.
Feigenbaum, A. V., Comment appliquer le contrôle total de
la qualité dans votre entreprise, Les Editions de l’Entreprise,
1984.
Go, F. and Govers, R., ‘Achieving service quality through the
application of importance performance analysis’, in Quality
management in services, published in the proceedings of the
EIASM Workshop, Agder College, Kristiansand, Norway,
28–29 April 1997.
ANNEX
Godin, P., ‘Quality, environment and sustainable develop-
ment in tourist destinations: towards an integrated ap-
proach, English version in: IITF Integra, 2/99, Vienna, June
1999; French version in Cahier Espaces, 61, Paris, July 1999.
Handszuch, H., ‘Quality and communication with tourists’,
World Tourism Organisation News, Madrid, January 1998.
Hoffmann, H. B., Integrated total quality management : a
seeing approach – An Emerald Isle case study, European
Postgraduate Programme 1994/95 in Environmental Man-
agement, 1995.
ICHE, Normas para la calidad hostelera espanola, Madrid,
ICHE, January 1998.
Ishikawa K., Le TQC ou la qualité à la japonaise, AFNOR,
1984.
Keller, P., Quality management in tourism, Reports, 47th
Congress 1997 Thailand, Editions AIEST, St Gallen, 1997.
La lettre de l’AFAQ, No 15, October 1996.
Lanquar, R., La qualité : un défi pour le tourisme moderne,
Centre des Hautes Etudes Touristiques, Série C, No 125,
Aix-en-Provence, 1988.
Lanquar, R., La qualité et le contrôle de qualité, Rapport du
programme de travail 1986–1987, WTO.
Laws, E., Tourism marketing: service and quality manage-
ment perspectives, Stanley Thornes Publishers, Cheltenham,
1991.
Moriconi-Ebrard, F., Geopolis, pour comparer les villes du
monde, Collection Villes, Economica, Paris, 1994.
Murphy, P., Quality management in urban tourism, John Wi-
ley and Sons, Chichester, 1997.
Spector, T., ‘La prospective urbaine, un état des lieux’, Fu-
turibles, No 229, March 1998.
‘Tourisme urbain’, Cahier Espaces, 39, cahier réalisé avec le
concours de l’AFIT, December 1994.
167
ANNEX

Documents on the environment and sustainable development

Charter of European Cities and Towns towards Sustainability
– Aalborg Charter, 1994.
Council of Europe, Recommendation No R(94) 7 on a gen-
eral policy for sustainable and environment-friendly tourism
development, 1994.
Cultural Tourism Charter (Icomos), 1978.
European Commission, Sustainable urban development in
the European Union: a framework for action, communica-
tion from the Commission, COM(1998) 0605, 28 October
1998.
European Commission, Towards sustainable development:
from concept to implementation, working paper, Confer-
ence ‘Towards a new development approach’, Brussels, No-
vember 1994.
European Commission, Fifth environmental action pro-
gramme, 1992, and Progress report, 1997.
European Commission, A European Community strategy to
support the development of sustainable tourism in the de-
veloping countries, communication from the Commission,
COM(1998)563, 14 October 1998.
Germany: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusamme-
narbeit und Entwicklung, Sustainable tourism as a develop-
ment option – Practical guide for local planners, developers
and decision makers, Eschborn, 1999.
Hoffman, H. B., Les défis du tourisme pour le prochain siè-
cle: de l’intérêt d’un tourisme durable, The IPTS Report, Eu-
ropean Commission, Joint Research Centre, No 28, October
1998.
Middelton, V., and Hawkins, R., Sustainable tourism – A
marketing perspective, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998.
Spain: Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda, Ministerio de
Medio Ambiente, Spain – A sustainable tourism (in English
and Spanish), Madrid, 1999.
United Kingdom, Department for International Develop-
ment, Changing nature tourism – Developing an agenda for
action, London, 1999.
United Nations, Unesco, World Tourism Organisation, Char-
ter on sustainable tourism, Lanzarote, 1995.
WTTC, WTO, Earth Council, Agenda 21 for the travel and
tourism industry, 1997.

Some addresses on the Internet helpful in relation to IQM

AEIDL/Leader United Nations, Commission on Sustainable Development
http://www.rural-europe.aeidl.be (CSD)
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd.htm
Cenorm (European Committee for Standardisation)
http://www.cenorm.be United Nations Environment Programme, Industry and Envi-
ronment (UNEP IE)
European Commission, DG XXIII.D, Tourism Directorate
http://www.unepie.org/tourism/prog.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg23/tourism/tourism.html
WTO (World Tourism Organisation)
Council of Europe
http://www.world-tourism.org
http://www.coe.fr

WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), including the

EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management)
ECoNETT site
http://www.efqm.org
http://www.wttc.org

ISO (International Standardisation Organisation)

http://www.iso.ch

168
European Commission

Towards quality urban tourism — Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

Enterprise Directorate-General — Tourism Unit

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

2000 – 168 pp. – 21 x 29.7 cm

ISBN 92-828-7543-1
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Integrated quality management (IQM) of urban tourist destinations

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