APPENDIX 1
VISITSCOTLAND SLA MONITORING REPORT
Organisation: VisitScotland
Date Monitoring Carried Out:
For period: April 2011 - March 2012
Lead Office DGC:
Funding: £240,000 (£110,000 Visitor Information Centres’s / £130,000 Marketing)
VisitScotland Representative: Paula McDonald
Activity / Measure / Target / Progress and commentsInformation Provision:
As part of a national network of information provision, operate and promote information centres in Dumfries and Galloway all year in Dumfries, Gretna, Kirkcudbright, Stranraer, Southwaite, Moffat (Partnership) and seasonal in Castle Douglas and Newton Stewart
. / Footfall
VIC / Last Yr / This Yr
CD / 23,315 / 17,394
Dumfries / 40,118 / 42,984
Gretna / 42,497 / 47,567
Kirkcudbright / 57,478 / 45,602
Moffat / 10,409 / n/a
Newton Stewart / 4,967 / 2,730
Southwaite / 55,343 / 51,682
Stranraer / 21,175 / 21,062
Total / 244,893 / 229,021
Bookings (Number)
VIC / Last Yr / This Yr
CD / 116 / 93
Dumfries / 468 / 352
Gretna / 172 / 149
Kirkcudbright / 214 / 182
Moffat / 72 / 0
Newton Stewart / 25 / 52
Southwaite / 427 / 347
Stranraer / 119 / 123
Total / 1541 / 1298
Bookings (Value £)
VIC / Last Yr / This Yr
CD / 10,620 / 9,517
Dumfries / 43,173 / 30,016
Gretna / 18,346 / 15,851
Kirkcudbright / 22,081 / 18,456
Moffat / 6,515 / 0
Newton Stewart / 2,758 / 7,247
Southwaite / 47,002 / 37,246
Stranraer / 10,503 / 11,594
Total / 160,988 / 129,927
Information Points, in Partnership
Partner / Last Yr / This Yr
Moffat / 10,969 (Moffat VIC) / 11,597
Gatehouse of Fleet / 29,334 / 43,675
Total / 29,334 (Gatehouse of Fleet only) / 55,272
DGC Contribution towards costs: £110,000 / · Footfall decreased by 6.5% this year (15,872 visitors). Visitor numbers across Scotland reduced by 10% placing Dumfries and Galloway in a slightly better position. Economic Impact figures generated by an independent study show that for every visitor to a VIC an additional £5.35 is spent in the local area (this is an additionality figure and does not include any existing spend or plans the visitor had prior to using a VIC). VisitScotland Informaiton Centres have generated an additional £1,225,262 to the Dumfries tourism economy during the 2011/12 financial year.
· Booking numbers have decreased by 16% reflecting the growing trend for visitors to book in advance of their stay. VIC bookings, despite this reduction generated £129,927.
Key points
· Visitors numbers to Gretna VIC continue to grow and enquiries indicate that this VIC is increasingly becoming a key gateway site for visitors intending to stay in the Dumfries and Galloway area.
· Dumfries VIC saw a small increase in visitors numbers which can be partially attributed to enhanced external signage.
· Kirkcudbright’s visitor numbers dropped significantly due the rebuilding of the public toilets which disrupted access at times. The centre has now been re-branded externally but concerns remain about a member of the local community who continues to park two large campervans outside the VIC. The vans impact significantly on the visibility of the VIC.
· The value of bookings, in line with a drop in demand for face-to-face bookings, resulted in 19% decrease in booking value in 2011/12. Visitors to Dumfries and Galloway, like other areas of Scotland, are now very pro-active in booking in advance and seeking value for money when they do book via the VIC network.
· Anecdotal feedback from front line staff provides an insight into an increase in the use of mobile technology, a greater number of advance bookings and a significant increase in visitors choosing to stay in self-catering units or opting for camping and caravanning parks (of which there are numerous in the Dumfries and Galloway area).
· A successful first year of operation in Moffat. Bespoke partnership kit was installed with local mapping and literature racking. Feedback from the Moffat Mill has been extremely positive and enhanced signage has also helped the performance of the site.
· Gatehouse of Fleet have had an outstanding year. They refurbished the centre and have held more events which has increased visitor numbers and local trade.
Activity / Detail Print Titles / Output
(No printed) / Outcome (Value £ generated and no. bookings) / Distribution % at March 2012 / Cost (indicate cost even if covered by core VS budget)
Print:
Contribute towards the development and production of local print
This activity is funded by VisitScotland Core Costs - details reported for information.
. / Golf Guide 2012 / 15,000 / Due for evaluation 2012 / 2,532 (13%) / £9,858
See & Do Guide 2012 / 70,000 / 7,629 (8%) / £39,559
Where to stay Guide 2012 / 50,000 / 9,850 (14%) / £43,610
Gardens Guide 2012 / 35,000 / 6,164 (18%) / £8,062
Activity / Detail Print Titles / Output
(No printed) / Outcome (Value £ generated and no. bookings) / Distribution % at March 2012 / Cost (indicate cost even if covered by core VS budget)
Print:
Contribute towards the development and production of local print
This activity is funded by VisitScotland Core Costs - details reported for information.
. / Golf Guide 2011 / 20,080 / Evaluation July 2012 / 19,918 (100%)
See & Do Guide 2011 / 69,480 / 52,108 (74%)
Where to stay Guide 2011 / 90,000 / 77,614 (86%)
Gardens Guide 2011 / 35,100 / 35,005 (100%)
Activity / Target / Measurement / Progress and Comments
Website:
Regular updates to content on new regional website
Ensure there is an up to date listing of events
Search engine optimisation activity
New developments in line with regional strategy
This activity is funded by VisitScotland Core Costs - details reported for information. / Web Visits
Month / 2010/11 / 2011/12
April / 7,310 / 8,027
May / 8,056 / 9,312
June / 10,438 / 9,723
July / 9,584 / 9,020
August / 11,379 / 1,439
September / 9,663 / 6,118
October / 5,618 / 8,654
November / 3,957 / 7,533
December / 2.781 / 5,085
January / 5,407 / 9,674
February / 7,803 / 12,119
March / 6,700 / 12, 480
Totals / 88,696 / 99,184
Page Views
Month / 2010/11 / 2011/12
April / 34,674 / 33,637
May / 37,316 / 38,196
June / 45,729 / 40,623
July / 41,357 / 36,492
August / 51,201 / 5,416
September / 42,629 / 24,463
October / 25,429 / 35,036
November / 15,928 / 31,186
December / 9,555 / 19,824
January / 22,050 / 46,397
February / 32,760 / 56,801
March / 27,236 / 61,595
Totals / 385,864 / 429,666
Average Dwell Time
2010 / 2011 / 2012
4.46 minutes / 4.31 minutes / YTD 7.31 minutes
/ D&G Interim Regional Website launched 15 September 2011 following extensive consultation with all key partners.
A rise in activity is recorded following the launch of the updated site.
The August figures are being verified as it was found that there was an error with the analytics. This will be investigated and reported along with the year end report.
Activity / Target / Measurement
UK & Ireland Marketing: / Campaign / Output / Activity / Outcome (value £) / Cost
Explore Scotland - We’ll point you in the right direction 2012 / sales promotions, partnerships, media - press, radio and online.
Media activity includes:
· Dumfries & Galloway supplements and adverts in press including the Daily Record, Sunday Post, The Herald and Scotland on Sunday.
Total readership = over 3 million
· Dumfries & Galloway featured in national press insert and door drop. Titles include Sunday Times Scotland, The Observer and Scotsman.
Total reach = over 1.8 million
· Radio adverts featured on Smooth Glasgow, Real XS, The Bay and Real Radio North East. / 4.9 million total opportunities for consumers to see or hear messages about the region. / £ 42.5k
£17.5K re-allocated from direct mail campaign + £25K from Spring acquisition budget
Explore Scotland - Sales promotion activity - Spring/Summer 2012 / A range of promotional partnerships with key national and local brands to generate immediate interest in each area but with an immediate incentive for response - either fantastic prizes or a useful offer/print item to help respondents plan a trip now.
Partners/activity detailed below:
· Vaude
- banner ad on www.vaude.co.uk
- e-newsletter
· ScoFro Seafood
- On-pack promotion on 216K packs of scampi
· waterstones
- banner advert on waterstones.com
· We Love This Book
- 1 page advert in Spring magazine
- Advert in Bookseller paper at London Book Fair
- Banner ad on www.welovethisbook.com
- Social media coverage
- E-newsletter
· Vango
- Email to database
- Banner on website www.vango.co.uk
- Social media coverage / Total Sales Promotion Opportunities to see = 1.4m / £23k
(was originally partnerships budget)
Spring Direct Mail 2012 / Direct mail pack distribution - circa 50,000 - February 2012 / Due for evaluation in 2012
2011 Spring/Summer campaign generated £3,573,390 additional revenue for D&G
Full evaluation will be available in year end report / This cost to be confirmed in line with projected activity
(DGC allocated £20k to sales/media promotion Spring/summer 2012)
Autumn / Winter 2011
Includes themes of:
Walking
Wildlife
Food & drink / Direct mail pack - 70,000
Promotional partner activity with Uncle Roy’s Comestible Concoctions, Panda Licorice and media actvitiy across regional Northern England websites to promote Dumfries & Galloway in autumn and winter. Activity particularly seeks to promote key area product strengths including food & drink, wildlife and walking.
Media
Fireplace advert appearing on 7 Northern England sites
Websites in the North East include
- Gazette Live
- Chronicle Live
- Journal Live
Websites from North West include
- Liverpool Echo
- Huddersfield Examiner
- Liverpool Daily Post
- Chester Chronicle / Due for evaluation in 2012
Promotional partner activity will be measured using:
-Opportunities To See
-Web visits / analytics
-Prize draw entries
-Voucher download/redemption / £35K D&G Direct Mail budget
£15K D&G Surprise Yourself activity budget which includes roll over spend from phase 1
(£60K allocated by DGC through MoA to Autumn/winter 2011 & Spring Summer 2012 Direct Mail)
Plus further £5k allocated to PR.
Golf Campaign / A below the line campaign - incorporating press, sales promotions and online activity - signposted the campaign site at www.visitscotland.com/surprisegolf where visitor were provided with inspiration on the participating regions, information on the golf passes available, the availability to request regional golf guides and the opportunity to enter competititons. / D&G Competition entries
Golf247 - 832 entries
Golf Magic - 518 entries
D&G Brochure requests
Approved requests - 1468
Page visits - 1639
Click thrus - 216/13.18%
Requests - 85.1%
Golf Pass Sales
Sales to 31/10/11: 1031 / Total budget:
£55,377 (split media £30,000 / SP £25,377)
Covering
· Aberdeenshire
· Borders
· Dumfries & Galloway
· Fife
· Perthshire
(DGC allocated £40K to Golf Campaign /partnerships/key groups support & brand promotions)
Mountain Biking / Gear for Girls
Banner on www.gearforgirls.co.uk for 4 months
Banner on Gear for Girls eDM
Greaves Sports
Banner featured on www.greavessports.com for 4 months
Solus email to Greaves database
In-store promotion in Greaves stores / Total ‘opportunities to see’ the 7stanes, Dumfries & Galloway message at least 357,500 / £4k funding from the Mountain Bike Business Network was matched with funding from D&G Council to achieve this promotional partnership activity, and was delivered as part of the wider Surprise Yourself campaign.
Total spend on Greaves and Gear for Girls activity was £9,014.59
Wickerman Festival (not ERDF) / -Phantom Radio promotion - 55k listeners aged 18-35
-Featured on Surprise Yourself website - average over 27k visits, 21k unique visitors per week
-Featured on main VisitScotland.com website - average over 13k unique page views per month
-Featured on D&G area website - 56k Jan-July
-Article in June & July national eZine - 43k contacts on VS database, Glasgow area
-Featured on Bauer radio under VisitScotland’s festivals theme - 11 spots, 7 stations, 1.7m reach
-Included in 2011 Dumfries & Galloway Where to Stay / What to See & Do guides - print run 160k
Featured in 4 page pull-out special in Sun (April 2012) with readership of 173,420 / Total opportunities to see 2 million + / £5k partnership funding from D&G Council
£2,400 of which Media: £2,200
Prize Blaven 4-Star Guest House, Kirkcudbright; Arnold Clark car hire value of £200 plus negotiated flights courtesy of Aer Arran Dublin to Glasgow return for winners and 2xWickerman tickets courtesy of Wickerman Festival Organisers.
Gretna Weddings / Partnerships budget is available to undertake activity in Spring 2012 / To be reported at year end. / To be reported at year end.
Total / £130,000
Plus £4K for MBBN match funding
Progress and Comments:
Events:
/ Event / Output / Activity / Outcome (value £) / Cost
Tour of Britain
/ · Surprise Yourself website
· Dedicated page within regional content for Dumfries & Galloway as well as Scottish Borders
· Bauer Radio websites
· Featured on 7 sites in total
· Included as part of a gardens feature week which began 15th August
· Surprise Yourself website
· Featured on active events homepage
· Feature panel on homepage
Lockerbie Jazz Festival / · -Featured on main VisitScotland.com website - average over 13k unique page views per month
· -Featured on D&G area website - average over 7k visits, 6k unique visitors per month
· -Currently in discussions on VIC network being used as box office option to increase distribution of tickets and boost attendance numbers
Doors Open Day / ·
Wigtown Book Town / · Featured in Scotland on Sunday Double Page Spread (April 2012) with readership of 158,000