Agenda item

The Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the progress of work on the new Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme, outline the proposed commissioning model and advise on next steps.

 

2.0       Recommendation

 

2.1       Committee is asked to:

 

·        Consider the updated findings of the Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme approach as contained within this report

·        Approve the commissioning model detail proposed, and associated next steps.

·        Approve the remaining financial allocation from the £500,000 allocation from the City Deal Reserve for a two year pilot programme with allocations of, £250,000 to Strand 2 & across the two year period. 

·        Note that funding was approved for EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar (previously ‘City Connections Programme’) by Committee on 10^th April 2024. This initial investment programme phase will continue to support the work of both organisations for two years, with support of £62,500 to be released to each per annum via a funding agreement. 

 

3.0       Main Report

 

3.1       Strategic Context:

 

            Council’s ten-year tourism strategy, Make Yourself at Home, commits to developing a Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Fund, recognising that regenerative tourism is driven by the relationship between people and place and that there are strong opportunities to share tourism’s economic benefits beyond the city centre and for local tourism to contribute to the city’s growth.

 

            Members will be aware that investment was approved in June 2023 for a two-year programme to ‘develop and enhance tourism products and experiences across the city, sharing and distributing the benefits of a vibrant tourism sector throughout local neighbourhoods. In April 2024, approval was also granted to fund EastSide Partnership and Fàilte Feirste Thiar under the City Connections programme.

 

            Earlier this year, the Tourism unit oversaw an extensive programme of independent research and engagement with a series of public workshops across the city.  Flowing from this work are recommendations and timelines to inform a two-year investment programme, including considerations to support capacity, skills and visitor servicing interventions.

 

3.2       Engagement process and issues identified:

 

            At April 2024 Committee, Members were presented with an extensive overview of the engagement work undertaken:

 

            Stakeholder motivation for attending the workshops tended to be for one of three reasons:

 

a)     A small number had ready formed ideas or projects in different stages of development. This included plans to expand or diversity an existing product or experience. Others needed market testing, piloting, prototyping, feasibility and other research.

 

b)     Many were at the start of their journey, recognising neighbourhood tourism as an opportunity for their organisation or area or wanting to find out more about potential benefits and opportunities.

 

c)     Others were motivated simply by their pride and passion for their area and a desire to advocate for council or others to do more, rather than by an interest in developing neighbourhood tourism themselves.

 

3.3       Overview of Key Engagement Findings:

 

            Many participants were new to the concept of market segmentation. It was noted that further education and exploration may help focus neighbourhood tourism providers on key markets rather than on local supply or local interest. 

 

            Consultees generally agreed that the key market segments for their areas were from:

 

·        NI: Aspiring families, Social Instagrammers, Natural Quality Seekers

·        ROI: Active Maximisers and Open-Minded Explorers

·        GB: Cultural Curious and Social Engineers

 

            Key visitor groups identified to the city  were Education (including academics and school trips), Spanish and American visitors, LGBTQ+ visitors and those with niche heritage interests.  It was also noted that visiting families are increasingly multigenerational.

 

            Consultees also noted a rise in the number of people coming to Belfast for a special event, such as a concert or a sports match, when they cannot get tickets local to them in ROI or GB.  Once here, they often tap into other cultural, music or sporting activities, but the initial draw has been attendance at a special event.

 

            Feedback also suggested that there should be a focus on local people and supporting them to be tourists in their own city.  For example, one person described their work as ‘selling Belfast Hills to Belfast’ -  in West Belfast, the Glider was seen as a factor in increasing numbers of visitors from East Belfast and the suburbs. 

 

            During the workshops, people were introduced to stories already identified through key Belfast strategies and relevant tourism research:

 

            Authentic:

 

·        Home

·        Emotional, human connections

·        Our people and personalities

·        Road less travelled, beyond the guide book

·        Hands - on experiences

 

            Natural Assets:

 

·        Hills

·        Parks

·        Rivers

·        Sustainable tourism

 

            Culture and Arts:

 

·        Music

·        Festivals and event

·        History and heritage

·        Language

·        Writers, poetry, dramatists

·        Screen tourism

 

            People and Skills:

 

·        Innovation and invention

·        Maritime

·        Industry

 

            Food and Drink:

 

·        Local

·        Sustainable

·        Tasting and making

 

            Peace and Beyond:

 

·        Politics

·        Troubles

·        Regeneration

 

 

            Built Heritage and Attractions:

 

·        Architecture

·        Cemeteries

·        Historic sites

 

            There was general agreement the above thematics are the stories people in neighbourhoods want to tell. Consultees also suggested the following stories should be included: Local humour, Personalities, History and Sport.

 

            Universal support was expressed for employing stories and storytelling as a means of engaging visitors and sharing the authentic flavours and histories of our neighbourhoods. For some, this meant sharing ‘realness and grittiness’, not a sanitised or ‘vanilla’ version of neighbourhood stories. For others, it meant sharing first-person experiences so that, for example, stories of the Troubles could be shared by those who experienced them, although some stressed this should not be at the expense of veracity. It is important that experiences will draw connections to the Belfast Stories Story themes and provide a mechanism for visitors to have deeper, authentic engagement opportunities while in destination.

 

            Products and Experiences:

 

            Some participants struggled with the dual lens of segment and story.  Others were able to identify gaps and opportunities at both a story and market level. 

 

            Many consultees took the opportunity to highlight wider infrastructural, operational or servicing issues and needs such as joined-up marketing and promotion, signage, transport and capacity building.

 

            Consultees generally struggled with new ideas and in all cases found it easier to produce existing products or enhancements rather than new offerings.  For some, particularly those from the cultural sector, this was explicitly attributed to capacity and the need for significant further investment.

 

            People were keen to work across the city, providing visitors with authentic story -based experiences not constrained by geography.

 

            Although interest in neighbourhood tourism was clearly evident, many organisations  acknowledged a low capacity in this area. This currently includes volunteer-led groups, community organisations whose staff have a primary remit other than tourism, sole entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.

 

            Stakeholders noted that centralised support for organisations in training, capacity building, marketing and promotion would be welcome. 

 

            Few consultees expected financial support alone. Rather, there was demand for wrap - around support at all stages from pre-application to post-evaluation. It was also noted that businesses may also need support to utilise local supply chains and become ‘real’ living wage employers.

 

            Many participants noted that they would welcome more opportunity to collaborate further.  It was suggested Council could facilitate this through networking, group training and capacity building.  It could also be incentivised by making larger grants available to consortia. 

 

            This could include enhanced funding for clusters or itineraries that would encourage visitors to remain in neighbourhoods for longer than one product or experience with a half - day being considered a reasonable duration. 

 

            It should also be noted that a minority of consultees, particularly in South and inner North workshops, were not in favour of ‘compulsory collaboration’, citing experience where it had the opposite impact and ‘squashed’ co-operation’ and that it is not sustained beyond the money. 

 

            For the investment programme to be effective and support high quality tourism offerings, an integrated programme is required - one which comprises financial support, wraparound capacity building and business support, effective contract management and partnership working.

 

3.4       Programme Overview:

 

            Following a period of facilitated research and engagement, recommendations have been developed to support an integrated, 3-strand programme; previous Member briefings have noted that the programme would be comprised of 2 strands, however subsequent scoping work undertaken by Officers has indicated the potential benefits of a 3-strand programme, as cited. The proposed programme and investment model which would blend financial investment with holistic business support to meet the strategic objectives of the fund and optimise collaborative working to develop cohesive visitor experiences across the city. The programme will embed reflective learning and evaluation throughout the pilot phase to inform and shape future investment.

 

            The recommended programme will comprise a range of interventions:

 

·        Strand 1: Wraparound skill and capacity building, mentoring and business support for tourism product development, together with tailored, specialist support to develop more mature visitor offers (‘Neighbourhood Tourism Academy’).

 

·        Strand 2: Financial support for new or enhanced tourism products and experiences commissioned via a quotation process. Council proposes to commission 8 to 10 awards of between £25k and £30k throughout the programme across a two year pilot period from a total budget allocation of £250,000.

 

·        Strand 3: Financial support for the work of EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar to deliver interventions which integrate support and capacity building to other Neighbourhood Tourism projects through an agreedprogramme.

 

3.5       Strand 1: Tourism Academy and Targeted Sectoral Support

 

            An opportunity has been identified to optimise the impact and resources of the Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme by working collaboratively with the Go Succeed programme, within the Economic Development Unit.  This programme provides a range of business advice and training opportunities, including mentorship for pre-enterprise and start-ups. 

 

3.5.1     Neighbourhood Tourism Academy:

 

            To build skill, capacity and maximise the quality and viability of a pipeline of developing tourism products, a wraparound business support programme, ‘the Neighbourhood Tourism Academy’, will be co-designed between the council’s Tourism and Economic Development Units and will be delivered via the Go Succeed Programme. It is envisaged that this will provide a range of interventions, including networking and partnership introduction and facilitated workshops, business planning, training workshops and masterclasses, knowledge exchange, networking and partnership introduction and one-to-one mentoring.

 

            An ‘open call’ will be made for applicants to apply directly to the Tourism Academy via existing Go Succeed programme architecture, with oversight and guidance from the Tourism Development Unit. Wraparound support interventions will be delivered by the Go Succeed team, together with mentors and sectoral specialists with tourism industry experience and expertise.

 

            Data regarding applicant baseline capacity, programme outcomes and project progression will be captured and evaluated by the ESS team, with Tourism Officers to provide signposting to further sources of support where appropriate. As a result of Academy support, a pipeline of tourism products will be developed and organisations will enhance their ability to develop and deliver impactful visitor experiences across the city.

 

3.5.2     Targeted Developmental Support:

 

            Tourism businesses with products which have progressed in development but require specific interventions to reach maturity may also apply to the Academy for tailored support and interventions, specific to their business needs. Working in close collaboration, Tourism and ESS officers will deliver targeted initiatives in response to applicant need, skills gaps and market opportunities, identifying sectoral specialists with appropriate skill and experience to support the applicant.

 

            Data regarding applicant baseline capacity, intervention outcomes and project progression will be captured and evaluated by the Tourism and ESS teams. It is anticipated that Tourism Officers may then identify applicants/projects which may be suitable for investment in future programme phases. Projects which are not suitable for future investment will be signposting to further sources of support where appropriate.

 

3.6       Strand 2: Financial Support

 

3.6.1     Proposed Investment Model:

 

            Under this support strand, it is proposed that Council makes 8 to 10 awards of between £25,000 and £30,000 throughout the programme. Grounded in best practice, consultation findings and learnings gleaned from the Belfast 2024 Programme, it is recommended that Council commissions new or enhanced neighbourhood tourism products and experiences via a quotation process, adapted to suit the specific ambitions of this programme. Given the higher value of the awards made by Belfast 2024, the full design commission process is not appropriate to the scale of this pilot investment programme.

 

            Research and consultation with key internal partners and sectoral specialists has indicated that this approach would support more effective delivery of programme ambitions than a grant funding model. The commissioning model would offer increased flexibility to Tourism officers to support, shape and steer project development, resulting in visitor offers which are financially viable, market led, with potential to spread the economic and social benefits of tourism within city neighbourhoods. Lessons learned from the Belfast 2024 team demonstrate that the commissioning model offers Officers agility through the lifespan of the project to  adjust and test projects to ensure they meet expectations regarding quality, viability, budget and timescale.

 

            It is envisaged that all commissioning activity will be managed by the Tourism Development Unit in collaboration with the Central Procurement Unit, with a dedicated Tourism officer appointed as contract manager to oversee performance of each commission throughout the project lifespan.

 

3.6.2     Strand 2: Application Process:

 

            It is envisaged that a two-stage application process will be employed, with bidders submitting an  initial Expression of Interest, followed by targeted invitations to submit project proposals up to the value of £25,000 - £30,000. This will enable council to identify projects which are most likely to meet the aspirations of the investment fund and to maximise resources. The Central Procurement Unit have advised that this process is the most appropriate and efficient process to deliver the ambitions of the investment programme at this stage.

 

·        Stage 1: Expressions of Interest

To enable council to invest in viable, high-quality products which address market need, potential bidders for financial support will be required to submit an Expression of Interest form, including eligibility criteria, outline project proposal and details of project partners/consortia members.

 

·        Stage 2: Invitation to Quote

It is recommended that Council commissions neighbourhood tourism products and experiences via a quotation process, with contracts awarded up to the value of £25,000 - £30,000, supporting between 8 and 10 projects.

 

3.6.3     Strand 2: Eligibility and Programme Criteria:

 

            Full investment criteria and applicant guidance are currently under development.

 

            To be eligible to apply for financial support, bidders will be required to collaborate with other organisations and partners to develop joint proposals for experiences, clusters, packages or itineraries that will encourage visitors to dwell in a neighbourhood or neighbourhoods for at least half a day.

 

            Consortia must comprise at least one for-profit business and one voluntary or community organisation. Social enterprises can be considered as both a for-profit and, depending on their community interest, a community organisation. One partner organisation must be identified as the lead partner throughout the project lifespan.

 

            Bidders will be required to demonstrate how the product or experience:

 

·        Is market - led, likely to appeal to key market segments. 

·        Is authentic - that is tells a story or stories that say something about the local area and are likely to captivate

·        Will be high quality

·        Is bookable and repeatable

·        Will be marketed and promoted

·        Responds to gaps in the visitor offer such as night-time economy, Sunday mornings and shoulder season

·        Will enhance, support or connect to other tourism assets or stories  

·        Has the potential to be regenerative and positively impact on the local area.  

 

3.6.4     Strand 2: Assessment of proposals

 

            Proposals for investment will be assessed by a panel comprising Tourism officers and a number of key partners (potentially Belfast Stories, Economic Development, Neighbourhood Integration managers and Visit Belfast), ensuring there is a blend of business, tourism and local expertise.

 

·        Successful commissions: each commission will be assigned a dedicated contract manager, who will demonstrate agility through the lifespan of the project, adjusting and retesting projects to ensure they meet expectations regarding quality, viability, budget and timescale. However, the contract manager’s role remains facilitative and that accountability and all liabilities will sit with the consortia. 

 

·        Unsuccessful submissions: Unsuccessful applicants will be briefed by Tourism officers on the rationale for non-award of financial support, viability of tourism product and, if appropriate, will be signposted towards sources of developmental support, capacity and skill-building, both within Council and external partners.

 

3.7       Strand 3: Support for EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar (previously City Connections Programme)

 

            Members will be aware that funding was approved for EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar (previously ‘City Connections Programme’) by Committee on 10th April 2024. This initial investment programme phase will continue to support the work of both organisations for two years, with support of £62,500 to be released to each per annum via a funding agreement. 

 

            This uplifted funding will support an outcomes-based model which will integrate development support and capacity building to other Neighbourhood Tourism projects through an agreed delivery programme. In the year ahead, both organisations will utilise their sectoral expertise and learnings to support less mature offers across the city, delivering appropriate interventions, including learning journeys, workshops and targeted support. Given that tourism offers are at different stages of development across many of the city’s neighbourhoods, it is envisaged that Officers will employ a flexible approach to programme delivery, ensuring that the organisations can provide agile, responsive support to address evolving needs.

 

            In coming weeks, Officers will continue to meet with EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar to discuss and inform how strategic alignment can best be facilitated the recommendations of the Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme report and between the agreed programme for delivery in the year ahead, to include at least one collaborative project between both organisations.

 

 

3.8       Programme Monitoring and Evaluation: 

 

            Council will undertake ongoing evaluation and monitoring activity throughout the programme to facilitate continuous improvement to delivery. This will be a continual reflective process of learning with commissioned projects and key partners, including Economic Development and Belfast Stories teams, and will and ensure that lessons learned are fed back in real time to inform future investment.

 

            The evaluation will be ‘live’ and continuous over the 2-year pilot programme to enable Council to pivot and adjust parameters if necessary.  The evaluation will generate key data and analytics to inform the uplift of the programme and future direction beyond the  pilot. The evaluation will in real time identify gaps, issues, lessons learned, areas for consolidation particularly within the context of Belfast Stories.

 

            The approach to evaluation will be three pronged and the appointed provider will ensure that there is a coherent approach and a synergy in the reporting across the three strands identified:

 

·        Strand 1: Analysis of data from Go Succeed programme around numbers referred from Neighbourhood Tourism expressions of interest, types of intervention, hours spent, Go Succeed outcomes and generation of a heat map of future need.

·        Strand 2: Analysis of data from the up to ten commissioned projects

·        Strand 3: Analysis of data via support to EastSide Tourism and Fáilte Feirste Thiar

·        Data from will reflect the performance indicators below and KPI’s will be set around these to ensure synergy.  The evaluation will consider qualitative and quantitative measures of  success in relation to performance indicators, including:

 

o   Impact on visitor numbers

o   Impact on visitor dwell time

o   Quality of experience for visitors including authenticity, emotional connection, memorability, captivation or wonder

o   Impact on organisational capacity and capability particularly in relation to product development, business development and neighbourhood tourism

o   Extent, nature and impact of collaboration between organisations and areas

o   Impact on local people and communities such as job creation, skills development, pride, vibrancy, empowerment and exchange

o   Contribution to local services and infrastructure

o   Contribution to the city’s stories and storytelling infrastructure

o   Local support for and attitudes to neighbourhood tourism

o   Differential impact on section 75 dimensions

 

            In addition, a post-delivery evaluation of this pilot phase will be conducted to reflect impact and learnings and inform investment in future programme phases. with a report and recommendations to be brought back for Committee consideration in due course. A final monitoring and evaluation report will be published March 2026 and brought back for Committee consideration.

 

3.9       Risks and Mitigations:

 

            A comprehensive assessment of potential risks and mitigations has been undertaken, a summary of which is outlined below.

 

·        Variances in maturity of tourism offers in neighbourhoods: The Neighbourhood Tourism report recognises that different destinations and neighbourhoods across the city are at different stages of development.  So too are potential providers, which include businesses, social enterprises, charities, voluntary groups and sole entrepreneurs across the private, community, culture and heritage sectors.

·        Resource constraints: Many providers are small and lack staff, time and financial resources to innovate or take a risk on something new or unproven.  For others, tourism is not a core organisational function or focus. 

·        Scope of investment programme: No scheme in isolation can address all challenges or issues.  Any gaps identified, for example, in terms of geographic spread, stories, market segments, types or scale of product or experience, will be targeted in subsequent calls of the programme.

·        Lack of sectoral knowledge and skills gap: The current primary risk is a lack of tourism knowledge and corresponding skills gap among organisations who are otherwise keen to promote their neighbourhoods and provide offerings which meet visitor needs. 

 

Effective support blends financial investment with holistic business support and therefore, as a mitigation, we will work collaboratively with colleagues in the Economic Development Unit who have resources within the Go Succeed programme to deliver bespoke business interventions. 

 

Additionally, the two-stage application process with a ‘low bar to entry’ expression of interest will enable staff to identify the support required and signpost to appropriate mentors and training providers. 

 

A further mitigation could involve clustering initiatives whereby different organisations work collectively to design and deliver offerings aligned to their particular areas of experience and skill sets.

 

·        Project progression not as anticipated: Successful commissions will be assigned a dedicated contract manager who will act as a single point of contact between the organisation and council.  Payment schedules will be tied to key stages or milestones to ensure the commissions are progressing effectively and viably.  For example, if market testing finds there is no demand for a product or experience, the council may exercise its right not to proceed with the contract.

 

            Contract managers will provide a facilitative role and will exercise discretion should projects not progress as planned.  For example, they will explore if the product or experience be adjusted and retested so that a viable product could still be developed within budget, timescales and to the required quality standard.

 

            During a period of sectoral consultation and research, a further range of potential risks to programme were identified. These moderate and high risk, together with  mitigating actions, are set out at Appendix 1.

 

3.10      Overview of next steps:

 

            Work is ongoing to develop and implement the programme, including the following actions:

 

·        Continued  review the range of wraparound support measures and tailored interventions available under Go Succeed For integration to Neighbourhood Tourism support package

·        Work has been developed in collaboration with Procurement colleagues on a Quotation document to include background information, detailed requirements, how to apply and the assessment procedure.  A comprehensive list of FAQs is currently being developed.

·        Information sessions will be held across the city to provide people with information first hand, this will include criteria, the process, timelines and capacity building support available. 

·        As outlined above, it is envisaged that Expressions of Interest (EOI) will be sought in the first instance.  Interested parties will provide some key information on their organisation and potential partners and outline the product or experience concept. 

·        This initial EOI will help Tourism Officers to assess level of interest, emerging themes and identify potential gaps.  When completing an EOI, applicants will be asked to identify their level of readiness to proceed with the venture and to advise of any support required to enable them to develop and bring to market a high-quality offer. 

·        It is anticipated that not all interested parties will be in a position to submit a proposal for a robust and viable tourism product or experience. The EOI exercise will help identify areas of need and the interventions required to address.

 

3.11      Timeframe:

 

            The anticipated timeframe for development and delivery of the programme is as follows: 

 

·        June 2024 - September 2024: Neighbourhood Tourism Academy, co-designed between Tourism Development and Econ Development Units.

 

·        August to mid - September 2024: Promotion of Opportunity via information sessions/online/in person - include information on criteria, application process, procurement model.

 

·        September to December 2024: Open call for Expressions of Interest for financial support launched; also commence Neighbourhood Tourism Academy and roll out support services to build sectoral capacity and address skills gaps, with associated Communications support to raise public awareness.

 

·        December 2024 to January 2025: following Expression of Interest phase, Invitations to Quote Issued.

 

·       Early November 2025 to end November 2025 (December Committee TBC): Assessment and awarding of commissions. Feedback issued to unsuccessful & further signposting as appropriate. 

 

·        January 2025: Letters of Offer issued.

 

·        January 2025 - March 26: Management of contract performance.

 

·        March / April 2026: Impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation - include learnings from tourism academy participants and commissions and make recommendations for future investment phases.

 

4.0       Financial and Resource Implications:

 

            Support for Eastside and Fáilte Fearste was approved at April CGR committee to the value of £62,500 per annum a total of £250,000 across the two year pilot period for Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme.

 

            Funding for the financial support strand for year 1 (2024 / 25) and year 2 (2025 / 2026) will be provided from Belfast Region City Deal Reserve.  This is a total over the two financial years - £250k. It is anticipated that a total of 8-10 commissioned neighbourhood tourism products and experiences will be supported during this period, with contracts awarded up to the value of £25,000 - £30,000.

 

5.0       Equality or Good Relations Implications/

            Rural Needs Assessment:

 

            The Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme has been screened for:

 

i)       Equality of opportunity and good relations and

ii)     Disabilities duties

 

            On the basis of the answers to the screening questions, it was recommended that the policy is ‘screened out - mitigating actions’ (minor impacts).

 

            Therefore, the consultation and engagement on Neighbourhood Tourism and draft Equality Screening took simultaneously between January and March 2024.

 

            This means that policy development was shaped by the findings of the consultation and screening, allowing any potential negative impacts to be designed out and opportunities to promote equality or good relations to be built in.

 

            Only minor positive impacts have been identified at this stage. Council will continue to monitor for further differential impacts.”

 

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.