II|THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR TOURISMAiming high VisitBritain is the agency responsible for boosting tourism numbers and plans to build on recent successes ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Esme McAvoy reports SANDIE DAWE MBE IS DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVEOF VISITBRITAIN, THE NATIONAL TOURISM AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR STRENGTHENING “BRAND BRITAIN” AND BOOSTING VISITOR NUMBERS. YOU’VE BEEN IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? “I’ve always been good at communications and entered tourism after working in publishing, marketing and PR. I started as press officer for the English Tourist Board [now Enjoy England]. It was the mid-eighties and the industry was thriving. Major urban regeneration projects in cities such as Birmingham and the overhaul of London’s Covent Garden were all driven by tourism. British seaside towns were also enjoying a revival. We almost invented the concept of short breaks, developing the idea that a holiday could be more than your fortnight in France once a year.” HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A BIG FAN OF THE GREAT BRITISH HOLIDAY? “Actually, not at all! I grew up overseas and, while I had backpacked round Europe and flown on a round-the-world ticket after university, the only England I knew was from a coach window travelling between Scotland and London. When I started at the English Tourist Board I was hugely sceptical that there was anything much outside London. It was a steep learning curve finding out how wrong I was!” YOU LATER WORKED FOR THE LONDON TOURIST BOARD (NOW VISIT LONDON). HOW DID IT DIFFER? “There was a blissful focus on London, which meant I could really get to know the capital inside out. The London Tourist Board was a commercial body and so we worked very closely with our commercial members, promoting their products and services to prospective visitors. I got the chance to see all the London attractions, from theatre previews and shows to newly refurbished hotels. There was always something going on.” YOU’VE WORKED FOR VISITBRITAIN SINCE 1991. WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES? “Crisis communication comes with the job. When I joined it was the start of the first Gulf War against Iraq and a very uncertain time. International terrorism concerns meant Americans — our biggest visitor group — simply weren’t travelling. There was Foot and Mouth Disease throughout the summer of 2001 and then, of course, the September 11 attacks in the US that autumn. Tourist figures post 9/11 simply fell off a cliff.” HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE FALL-OUT FROM INCIDENTS? “For every spokesperson on the evening news, there is a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure they have accurate information to hand. We carry out surveys about people’s perceptions of Britain in all countries where we have a presence. We also collate statistics on hotel occupancy, flights and visitor numbers at major attractions. It’s about doing small things too, such as always doing live interviews outside. That was important for international news reports during the July 7 bombings in London in 2005. We wanted to show people overseas that Londoners weren’t hiding in bunkers but getting on with things.” HAVE YOU SEEN ANY BIG CHANGES IN THE SECTOR? “The internet has totally transformed the way we communicate to prospective visitors. As little as five years ago we were still producing millions of guides and information booklets around the world. Now our information is virtually all online. We have around 40 versions of our website in different languages that we can tailor to each country.” HAVE THERE BEEN CHANGES IN VISITOR NUMBERS? “VisitBritain has a presence in 36 countries. The US is still our biggest market, but we’ve seen a big increase in European visitors, particularly from Spain and newer accession countries such as Poland. Visitor numbers from India and China are still small, but the figures are rising rapidly.” HOW DO YOU GET VISITORS TO COME BACK FOR MORE? “In recent years we’ve been very good at getting leverage from the arts. We piggyback exciting cultural happenings to encourage visitors to return and see places from a different perspective. We did a big campaign around the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, and also work with partners such as the Premier League in England and music giant EMI. They all help give the British brand a more contemporary edge. In countries such as China, where students read Dickens, outdated perceptions persist that London is foggy, very formal and everyone’s in deerstalkers.” YOU LED VISITBRITAIN’S SUPPORT OF THE LONDON 2012 BID. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES? “The Australian Tourist Commission [now Tourism Australia] was hugely successful in using the Sydney Games to maximise tourism opportunities. We have since run workshops with its consultants so we can emulate the success. Securing colourful lifestyle features about contemporary London that are pegged to the excitement of the Games will be important in changing perceptions. We also need to focus on the barriers to visiting. With London, these are around price, transport and security. I think the Olympic Delivery Authority has got the transport cracked, but we may have to work to ensure visitors get genuine value for money.” WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY SPOT? “I’m Scottish so it’s got to be Perthshire where my mother lives. It’s beautiful but in a very accessible way. I love north Norfolk, too. Its landscape of huge marshy beaches is a real contrast to typical English countryside.”www.visitbritain.comOLYMPICThe Games are not just about sport — showcasing cultural activities formed a backbone of London’s 2012 bid and COUNTDOWN a host of events are in the pipeline to celebrate the rich heritage, art, music and people of the capital and beyond SPRING 2009 Artists Taking the Lead will bring together 12 artists — one in each of the nine English regions, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales — who will put down a creative marker for 2012 by mounting works in city centres, at Olympic development sites — or even on beaches or hillsides. 2011 Discovering Places will be the largestever co-ordinated “open house” of the UK’s famous buildings, archaeological sites and other heritage locations. Unlimited is scheduled to showcase work commissioned from disabled artists to challenge traditional images of the disabled community. The programme will involve workshops and GETTY; RSCmentoring, covering the nine arts councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and culminate in festivals across the UK. 2012 Festival of Carnivals aims to bring Britain’s outdoor spaces alive with parades and picnics. The festival will culminate in five major carnivals in London and elsewhere. APRIL 2012 The World Shakespeare Festival opens on April 23 — the 448th anniversary of the playwright’s birth — and is scheduled to run until the beginning of the Olympics. Theevent will include the complete works of the Bard performed in a variety of languages in a way designed to “share Shakespeare’s stories with the world”. The festival is to be led by the Royal Shakespeare Company, in collaboration with non-professional theatre groups and schools across the UK. 2012 London 2012 Olympic Games: July 27—August 12 London 2012 Paralympic Games: August 29—September 9 www.london2012.com@JOBS ONLINE: jobs.telegraph.co.uk/ careers-insiderFlying the flag: Far left and above, Lord Coe, David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page at the 2012 Olympics bid and, centre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and a computer image of London’s Olympic stadium
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009CAREERS INThe Daily Telegraph| IJust the job! The satisfaction of serving the community is now being complemented by financial reward and a good work-life balance, reports Thea JourdanWorking in the public sector has often offered rich rewards in terms of j
II|THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR TOURISMAiming high VisitBritain is the agency responsible for boosting tourism numbers and plans to build on recent successes ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Esme McAvoy reports SANDIE DAWE MBE IS DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVEOF VISITBR
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IV|THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHART AND SCIENCE CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTORCherishing the national treasures The Science Museum and Tate Liverpool are both world-class institutions that attract visitors from all over the globe. Gabrielle Collette-White talks to two people fortunate en
