Feeling Small

World Travel Market is such a spectacle. You emerge from the chaotic transport, cold and rain into a world of colour and energy. There is no doubt that this comes from the new destinations that have embraced tourism with optimism and money - Kazhakstan anyone? What a wonderful contrast to the hard bitten, slightly cynical presence of the old hands. The countries that don't really want to be there, but haven't quite got the courage to withdraw completely. Of all the sights and sounds the message that stays with me came from a poster on the way in - it said, "You are one of 264 million people that work in tourism and hospitality" Wow. After feeling pretty irrelevant for a while this gave me an enormous sense of optimism. Just like the new exhibitors, the industry constantly reinvents itself and this excitement is contagious. We will need this energy to get through the next two tough years, but we will.

O Still Small Voice of Calm

It feels like we are living next to a volcano, the rumbling mountain is the media - spewing out ever more alarming messages about the financial crisis. We can see the smoke and hear the rumbles. We know its bad but we don't know whether we are going to end up like those petrified bodies in Pompei or breathing a sigh of relief as the sea of mud passes us by. The government and the commentators are like seismologists running around telling us what the measurement was yesterday when all we want to know is what is going to happen tomorrow. They say 'cometh the hour, cometh the man' - well I wish he would hurry up and turn up because there has been no sign of him (or her) so far. Where is the leadership that you so badly need in a crisis? The person who speaks the truth and gives confidence to people because of their competence, strength and calm analysis. Your country needs you!

It seems the same in the tourism industry - a growing well of worry and no one really in charge. Yes, some of the messages are positive, yes, people might holiday at home and no, we shouldn't talk ourselves down. But there is a cold front on the way and a bit of hard headed realism and some practical advice might be timely. Step forward Visit Britain/Visit England/Visit Scotland/Visit London/ Visit AnyPlace - I don't think it matters which Visit you are, just step forward and show some leadership.

World survives Big Bang

I came home from a meeting last week the proud owner of an Evening Standard poster with the caption, 'World survives Big Bang'. I plan to frame it and hang it on my office wall. It is a reminder that the things that are most often predicted to be catastrophic rarely are (anyone remember Y2K?) while the real crisis is quietly building up somewhere in the distance. The book, The Black Swan, explains how the most unexpected events are the result of forces coming together that have been building up, unseen over time. As someone who spends a lot of time talking about crisis management this does not mean a counsel of despair. Really good crisis management planning is about an attitude of mind - we really don't know what is coming next but the best people and organisations have an ability to look the unexpected in the eye and feel confident that their systems and their people will cope. Not because they are genuises, but because they have planned and rehearsed and they know it matters. And because they have had advice from me, of course!

Some days are good days

Somehow I find myself as an external examiner for students who are studying a Masters in Tourism. I thought I would need a red pen and a stern expression, but it is much more interesting than that. Best of all I get to meet students from around the world who are busy thinking about what we do. Sometimes this is quite humbling - like today. I met a student doing research for a dissertation and wow! Organised, thoughtful, intelligent and so committed - didn't I just go to parties at that age? It is easy to be cynical about travel and tourism but it has been a fantastic career for me and today I was reminded that it has been a privilege - and one that young bright students have to work so hard to get into. I made a resolution to try and do more to help them - we'll see......

Come back England all is forgiven

The rumour mill is running hot on the tourism review - a move out of London, a new office in Bristol and a new agency - Visit England. Sometimes consultation is so inconvenient - people will give their opinions - and the overwhelming view is that the development of England as a visitor destination is lost in Visit Britain. That's not the fault of the people who work there, they were given an impossible job and it hasn't worked. And so once more to the question of money - who will pay for this? The begging bowl is going around the usual suspects - the private sector, the Regional Development Agencies, 'partners', and they are playing a game of pass the parcel with 'Not me Guv' as the common response. When will they notice in Whitehall that the world has changed and the creation of RDA's and devolution in Scotland and Wales means that its time to draw a new map? What a shame for Christopher Rodrigues - he seems a very able and thoroughly decent man - he deserves better.

Troubled times

Oh dear - the Tourism Minister walking out of an industry reception, the Chairman of Visit Britain on the Today programme bemoaning the lack of funds to do a decent job, the IPS figures showing a slump in visitors, oh and there's ANOTHER review of tourism - its all going swimmingly. It's so easy to get caught up in all of this and think it really matters. One of my favourite videos of all time is called 'The Man who Planted Trees' - in essence a story about the difference one person can make by setting themselves a course that is right and keeping going. Ministers will come and go (and Tourist Boards come and go even faster) but the fundamental point is that quality, enthusiasm and passion is what matters in the end. Yes it would be nice if we had a government that gave a damn, but maybe we should just assume that they don't and they won't. One hour a week less with them and one hour a week more making our own bit of the universe better and maybe we can change the world.

Relaunch of the website

We hope to launch our new look website very soon. One of the new features is this blog, if you're interested in Tourism Consultancy and what we do then please check here often.