Agenda item

The Corporate Director Communities, Marianne Hesketh, has submitted an update report of the recommendations of the Tourism Recovery Task Group.

Emma Lyons, Communications and Visitor Economy Manager will attend the meeting to answer additional questions from members.

The Corporate Director Communities, Marianne Hesketh, submitted a report that updated the committee on the progress of the recommendations of the Tourism Recovery Task group.

The Communications and Visitor Economy Manager, Emma Lyons attended the meeting and introduced the report.

Emma explained that the Communications and Visitor Economy team had recently created a Visitor Economy Plan that outlined the events and tourism priorities that sat alongside the objectives outlined in the communications plan.

Emma summarised the following priorities:

1.    Provide relevant printed literature to visitors through our own brochures and leaflets from local tourism businesses.

2.    Utilise digital media to increase the reach of our tourism marketing

3.    Create positive news about Wyre’s events and attractions

4.    Increase our outlets for tourist information through information points across the borough

5.    Host and facilitate events across the borough to create opportunities for people to get out in our communities and town centres and to attract visitors to Wyre

6.    Work with Marketing Lancashire to help raise the profile of the county and ensure Wyre is represented in their campaigns

7.    Create an advertising campaign, booking space in relevant, quality publications

8.    To create an open dialogue with local businesses and support them by promoting their tourism offer and providing them with assets to help promote Wyre through their own channels. We will also look into paid advertising/sponsorship options for businesses to allow for enhanced promotion and to generate an income stream.

9.    Reach new audiences by attending exhibitions or providing materials to teams attending events

10.Promote the council’s key tourism assets to maximise use

Councillor Sir Robert Atkins asked for an update on the relocation of the Garstang Information Centre, Emma reassured members that the council was working with Lancashire County Council to finalise the move into Garstang Library, but she expressed some concerns about the progress, particularly concerning the approval mechanism of several decisions. The Chairman suggested that Emma contacted Lancashire County Councillors Shaun Turner and Alan Vincent to raise concerns regarding the progress of the information point as discussed at this meeting.

Councillors asked questions and raised comments regarding:

·         Wyre Council Great Outdoors 2022 brochure

·         List of events across the borough including in the rural areas

·         Indoor venue options in Thornton-Cleveleys

·         King’s Coronation walk

·         Wyre Estuary Country Park event during Love Parks Week

Emma explained that the team were actively looking into expanding the Garstang Walking Festival 2023 including a coronation walk and volunteer drive. She updated members that they were intending to capitalise on social media engagement one example was that they had been approached by social media influencers, Lancashire Lad Walking and Bald Hiker for the Garstang Walking Festival. The recent introduction of online ticket sales for great outdoor events like the Garstang Walking Festival also received praise from the members.

Councillor Emma Ellison asked about the removal of several mapped walks on the Wyre website, Emma explained that for safety reasons the Countryside team removed the walks due to issues with disputes over public right of way routes. Regarding the omitted public right of way, some members advised that the council get in touch with Lancashire County Council to resolve the matter.

Councillor Andrea Kay asked about fees and charges for booking additional rooms within the Thornton Little Theatre. Emma suggested that Councillor Kay contact Marianne Hesketh, Corporate Director Communities for clarification.

Councillor Le Marinel asked questions regarding the front page of the Discover Wyre website and whether there was a possibility that it could include an additional short cut link to cover areas Over Wyre. Emma explained that there was a limited number of links available to show on the front page of the website and that it currently was prioritising town centres. She added that under the Explore Wyre link it included information about rural villages. He also asked about the inclusion of cricket clubs in the Sports in Wyre section of the website. Emma responded that her team had experienced some difficulties with including cricket clubs due to factors such as membership requirements, but she agreed to email Councillor Le Marinel after this meeting to clarify. It was also asked about advertising local businesses on the Discover Wyre website and the introduction of an appropriate nominal fee, Emma acknowledged the recommendation and explained that if resources were available this was something the team could look into in the future.

Councillor Le Marinel updated members about recommendation 10. He explained that the Corporate Director Resources had updated him that funds were available, however, this work was delayed due to staffing capacity within the building maintenance team.

The Chairman asked about the possibilities of large outdoor ticketed events and whether Emma was aware of third party company interested in hosting ticketed outdoor events in the borough. He suggested that the council could invest in marketing opportunities to advertise available space and land for companies to host events.

The Chairman thanked Emma Lyons for her attendance and praised the work of the Communications and Visitor Economy team.