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Agenda 12/10/2002 WCOLLIER COUNTY GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY DEVFJ ~OPMF. NT AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION Operations Department Collier Business Plaza, Suite 210 3050 North Horseshoe Drive Naples, Florida 34104 December 2, 2002 Members of the Collier County Board of Commissioners Members of the Collier County Tourist Development Council RE: Joint Board of County Commissioners/Tourist Development Council Workshop Dear Board and Council Members: The joint workshop regarding Collier County Tourism is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, December I 0, 2002, in the Board Meeting Room. The workshop will be facilitated by Ms. Elaine McLaughlin of McLaughlin Tourism Management, and is expected to last until noon. In early 2002, the Collier County Lodging Association and Visitors Bureau of Naples, Inc. engaged the services of Ms. Elaine McLaughlin, McLaughlin Tourism Management, to conduct a series of three visionary workshops regarding tourism k, Collier County. The workshops were held in January, February, and March and were attended by local government leaders and staff, and members representing different aspects of the tourism industry. In April 2002, Ms. McLaughlin released a final report regarding the workshops. This Final Report will be the focus and backdrop of the joint BCC/TDC workshop. A copy of the Final Report is enclosed with the noticed agenda. Please direct requests for additional information and questions to me at (239) 659-5717 or email ql~weywallace~colliergov.net. D.ince/yl -/ '//- -E. "BLEU" WALLACES -~~~/ Director Phone (239) 403-2302 www. colliergov.net Fax (239)434-5066 NOTICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS/ TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL JOINT WORKSHOP Tuesday, December 10, 2002 9:00 A.M. Notice is hereby given that the Collier County Board of County Commissioners will hold a joint informational workshop with the Collier County Tourist Development Council on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2002, at 9:00 A.M. in the Board Meeting Room, Third Floor, Harmon Turner Building (Administration) at the Collier County Government Complex, 3301 East Tmniami Trail, Naples, Florida. The informational topic(s) will include, but may not be limited to, an overview of the following subjects: Opening and Welcome - Commissioner Coletta, Chairman Operating a County Tourism Office - Ms. Elaine McLaughlin, Facilitator Marketing a Destination Partnering with the Industry to Leverage our Resources Goals and Objectives - January - September 2003 Goals and Objectives - Fiscal Year 2004 The meeting will be open to the public. Any person who decides to appeal a decision of this Board will need a record of the proceedings pertaining thereto, and therefore may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record indicmes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA James N. Coletta, Chairman DWIGHT E. BROCK, CLERK By:/s/Maureen Kenyon Deputy Clerk Collier County Tourism Final Report Submitted to: Collier County Lodging Association and The Visitors Bureau of Naples Inc Prepared by: McLaughlin Tourism Management April 2002 Collier County Tourism Final Report April 14, 2002 Jerry Thirion, Chairman The Visitors Bureau of Naples, Inc. and Darren Robertshaw, President Collier County Lodging Association Dear Mr. Thiron and Mr. Robertshaw, Further to our advisory agreement letter, and subsequent workshop series, please find enclosed the Collier County Tourism Final Report. The report was prepared to assist the members of both of your organizations, the Collier County government, the new Collier County tourism office and all other parties within the county who have an interest in the health of the community's tourism economy. The conclusions, recommendations and directions contained in this report reflect the hard work done by all the workshop participants over a three-month period. I have tried to organize and distill these into an easily readable format for use by the new tourism office director, the Tourist Development Council, the County and all industry leaders. I trust that you find this report valuable and I am pleased to hear from you, ifI may be of assistance in the understanding or application of the findings and conclusions contained within. Sincerely, Elaine M. McLaughlin 2 Collier County Tourism Final Report Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 4 Key Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 5 Goals ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Research ............................................................................................................... .. ............ 7 Product Development: ...................................................................................................... 7 Marketing and Promotion ................................................................................................. 8 Support Facilities .............................................................................................................. 9 Community Advocacy ...................................................................................................... 9 Partnering and Leadership .............................................................................................. 10 Vision 2011 ........................................................................................................................ 10 Core Community Values .................................................................................................... 11 Guiding Principles .............................................................................................................. i 2 Positive Characteristics to Attract Leisure Tourism .......................................................... 13 Positive Characteristics to Attract Group Tourism ............................................................. 13 Negatives That May Deter Leisure and Group Business ................................................... 14 Competitive Positioning that Makes Collier Unique Within Florida ................................ 14 Competitive Positioning that makes Collier Unique within Southeastern USA ............... 14 Competitive Positioning that makes Collier Unique within US and Internationally ........ 15 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 15 3 Collier County Tourism Final Report Executive Summary Collier County tourism and community leaders participated in a series of three workshops during the first quarter of 2001. The purpose of these workshops was to explore a better working relationship between the County government and the local tourism industry and to set strategic direction for the future of tourism in Collier County. The workshops were held on January 18, February 28 and March 28. Participants included the owners/managers of hotels, attractions, and restaurants; state and county park managers; leaders from the cultural arts and historical non-profit attractions; the county's film commissioner; County Commissioners and county staff; the Naples City Mayor and several city council- members. The Collier County Lodging Association and the Visitors Bureau of Naples, Inc hired Elaine McLaughlin of McLaughlin Tourism Management to facilitate the workshops. Ms McLaughlin has had extensive experience with Florida local government and with the Florida tourism industry. While the workshops were being held to determine the future direction of tourism promotion for Collier County, the County acted to terminate the contract agency responsible for this activity and to bring the marketing and promotion in-house. This action in advance of a solid plan has left a void and has many in the industry worded about 2002 summer and off-season business and the county's tourism economy. It is critical that the County now implement the recommendations made during the workshop in order to salvage local businesses and the jobs provided to Collier County citizens. Workshop participants identified the following challenges facing the local tourism industry today: · Educating the citizenry and government leaders on the economic impact of tourism in Collier County. · Partnering with the cultural and service industry to improve the offering to visitors who chose this destination. Preserving and improving the quality of life for all residents. This would include those employed in the service industries. Maintaining the health of the local economy. Maintaining a competitive position with other tropical beach destinations that target our visitor base. We need to increase the investment funding for competitive marketing. Developing and maintaining a trained labor force. 4 Collier County Tourism Final Report · Building the low or quiet season tourism economy to reduce seasonality and protect jobs. · Provide for resources that keep pace with the cost of inflation (cost of advertising, collateral production costs, etc.) Key Recommendations The Tourist Development Council should meet on a monthly basis. Currently the Council meets quarterly. The gap between meetings has meant that the Council has not been able to be responsive to changing market conditions in a timely and effective manner. Decisions about market and budget planning, collateral and brochure printing, etc. need to be evaluated with greater frequency given the marketplace volatility created by the events of 9/11/2001. During this transition period, where the responsibility for marketing is moving in-house, it is important that the County and the tourism industry have a regular and frequent forum for discussion and joint decision-making o The new county tourism office should become the Collier County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Naples Chamber of Commerce now owns this name and Chamber representatives have expressed willingness to let the County use the name. Convention and Visitors Bureaus are recognized nationwide as the official agencies responsible for destination management and marketing. By adopting this name and joining IACVB, the in-house county promotion team will have access to information and support in establishing market plans, organizational standards and a wealth of other resources. e The new county tourism office should create an industry-based panel of experts to assist the director in marketing planning and implementation. The Collier County Tourist Development Council will be the policy body recommending final expenditure of all tourist tax, but a panel comprised of representatives from hotels and attractions can provide the best input on strategic market planning. The goal is insure that Collier County is the destination of choice for low or quiet season business. The new director and his/her team will need this assistance if the County is to be successful in leveraging limited public funds to achieve this goal. e The County needs to work with its current research firm to establish a benchmark to measure return on investment. Future marketing activities should produce a rate of growth that is measurable against this benchmark (i.e. Market-share as compared to other destinations making comparable investments). Collier County Tourism Final Report 5o County management needs to be open-minded to the professional advice of the new staff and industry representatives. The industry is hopeful that by bringing thc marketing activity in-house, communication between the County and thc tourism business community will bc greatly improved. A management team with no transportation engineering experience should not design roads. Likewise county managers must listen to the staff and industry experts who will be in charge of tourism promotion. Issues like the value of cooperative advertising need to be quickly resolved. Collier County should not be the only county creating regulations that inhibit the community's ability to compete in a highly competitive market environment. 0 Industry representative strongly recommend a stand-alone county department that reports to the County Manager directly. There is evidence that this model has worked well in other communities to raise the profile of tourism as a critical economic contributor to the well- being of thc county and its citizens. Given the downturn in tourism and its effect on State and County revenues, it is very important that the County Manager be directly involved in the recovery of the community's economy just as he/she would be involved in thc physical recovery after damage from a hurricane. It is also important that the new director be a participant in management team meetings so he/she can understand the challenges facing Collier County government, can help the other departments understand the challenges facing the tourism industry and can better bridge the communications chasm that has developed between the County and its tourism industry businesses. e Industry representatives would like the County to increase the investment dollars allocated to growing the low-season tourism economy. Of the 43 counties that collect tourist tax Collier County allocates less tourism promotion that any other urban area. In fact only rural Putnam and Indian River counties allocate a lower percentage to this industry investment activity. Given Collier County's dependence on tourism for the community's economic health, this does not appear to be a good decision. Workshop participants all expressed a desire that the industry and County government leaders come together for a workshop update at least once each year. Industry representatives were encouraged by the participation of four County Commissioners, and city representatives in this workshop series. They wish to continue the dialogue on a regular basis to insure that positive communication between the industry and County and City govemments continues. Following are lists of goals identified by the participants and organized into specific categories. It is recommended that the new Executive Director work with the Tourist Development Council and others as appropriate to prioritize these goals. They should then be organized into a plan of work and submitted Collier County Tourism Final Report together with the 2002/03 budget proposal to the Board of County Commissioners. Funding to accomplish the recommended goals should be requested. It is important that the TDC and tourism staff work on at least 2-3 goals in EACH category. Each area of responsibility is important to the overall success of the bureau in the community and in the marketplace. Goals Research 1. Determine visitor mix by season 9/30/03 2. Determine visitor impact by season and create program to inform community and local government of tourism impact on ALL revenues. 9/30/03 3. Explore state and federal resources to fund or match some of the activities currently being funded with tourist tax dollars. 9/30/03. 4. Do a comparative analysis of tourism promotion funding and destination marketing efforts for similar communities in the USA. 9/30/03 5. Continue the current research program to collect accurate demographic and psycho graphic visitor data with improved and expanded collection sources. 4/30/03. 6. Conduct annual focus groups to evaluate effectiveness of marketing campaigns including most cost efficient media and promotions. Product Development: Develop a new target market and establish baseline visitor data and measures to evaluate growth and success of marketing effort on three-year cycle. 9/30/02 Create a more comprehensive calendar of events for marketing and packaging current off-season events to attract overnight tourism.4/30/03 Collier County Tourism Final Report o o Establish stronger partnerships with event and attractions managers to create better communication for marketing to visitors.4/30/03 Work with County and City parks and recreation to host at least one new statewide, southeastern regional or national youth sporting event each (annual). Create targeted collateral material including CD, DVD and print. Enhance web site and enhance marketing of this tool Work with cultural community to create a series of quiet season cultural event with potential to attract overnight tourism (annual). Work with cultural community to create a new quiet season weeklong signature festival event. (within 5 years) Work with Parks and Recreation and Economic Development to create or provide private incentives to create family oriented attractions (i.e. water-park, environmental learning center). 10. Develop better marketing collateral to promote the Botanical Gardens Marketing and Promotion o o Collier County Tourism Office must participate in all annual major and market-appropriate national and international trade shows to position the County competitively. Partner with Visit Florida to do cooperative marketing with overseas tourism offices. Expand the media/pr campaign to insure the Collier County receives a minimum of $1.5 of advertising equivalent editorial coverage each year. Collier County must support a unified public/private advertising program that uses cooperative advertising campaign strategies to leverage public funds and create the greatest market impact. Immediate priority. Create a more targeted and measurable program to attract specific special interest individual and group visitors (i.e. golf, tennis, birdwatchers, horticultural, art lovers, historical interest groups). Explore new international market opportunities, i.e. Latin America (within 2 years) Collier County Tourism Final Report o Build increased business by working to develop stronger destination recognition with targeted domestic and international tour operators, travel agents, airline representatives and incentive travel houses. Support Facilities o Build local partnership participation for writer, tour operator etc. familiarization and education trips. Track the in-kind benefit of this industry contribution and report it to the public and private partners annually. These valued contributions will include: hotel accommodation, food and beverage, transportation services, guide services, admissions to attractions and many others. Budget to annual create intern opportunities in the tourism office to support special short-term projects identified by the TDC. Invest in a stronger volunteer program to welcome visitors at the airport and work the Visit Florida interstate welcome centers to increase the drive market. (within two years) Work with local clubs, organizations and businesses to develop a "bring your meeting home" program. (9/30/03) 5. Investigate the benefit of locating a visitor center adjacent to the interstate. Community Advocacy Create a strategic community-wide education program to identify the benefits of the tourism industry. This would include: speakers bureaus, press communications, regular attendance at County Commission and City Council meetings and examples of employee career success stories. (9/30/03) Create an industry newsletter to communicate the work being done to build the tourism economy. This newsletter could be offered electronically through the web-site to all industry partners and other interested parties. (9/30/03) Share the research information with local media, industry partners and local governments so they will have a better understanding of the value of tourism on a month-to-month basis. This research could be placed on the industry web newsletter identified above. (9/30/03) 4. Continue the monthly column now being hosted by the Naples Daily News business desk. Collier County Tourism Final Report Partnering and Leadership 1. Host an annual workshop with elected community leaders to review the "State of the Tourism Industry" and increase awareness as to the value and benefit enjoyed by the local communities. Strengthen the partnerships between the industry and City, County and State Parks and Recreation departments as well as the local cultural community. Identify mutual goals that will help each entity and work together toward those specific projects or markets. 3. Work to insure that by the year 2005, the Tourist Development Council and the County's tourism office will be seen as the leaders of this critical part of the community's economy. Vision 2011 The goals shown above were developed through a process that created a "vision" for what the Collier County tourism industry will achieve by the year 2011. The consensus vision statement reads as follows: "Collier County is recognized as the premiere Florida beach and golf resort area on the Gulf of Mexico. World- class convention and leisure resorts, provide quality services and cater to an upscale clientele. These visitors value the small town charm and laid-back natural environment that is protected by businesses and residents alike. People come from all over the world to enjoy the cultural and historical amenities, the variety of outdoor activity, the wildlife and the natural areas. Others have discovered that the quiet season offers wonderful value and businesses are thriving year round with the injection of visitor dollars. Tourism is respected by the local citizenry as a critical and integral part of the economy producing jobs and tax money that benefits all areas of the county community. County and city governments work closely with leaders in the tourism industry to increase off-season business and stabilize the economy for the good of all. The efficient, well-funded and research-based marketing program has gained stature in local government and is recognized statewide as a model public and private partnership." 10 Collier County Tourism Final Report Core Communi ,ty Values These values, beliefs and assumptions should be the foundation for the vision of tourism and convention activity in the future. In developing this vision, the workshop participants first identified the core values and principles that drive the Collier County community. There was general agreement that tourism promotion efforts should fit the community strengths and adhere to community values rather than changing the community's character to attract specific visitors. The core values identified were: 1. Care and sensitivity for the environment and natural attributes of the county. 2. Protection of the "small town" feel, in each of the separate communities (managed growth) and a desire to be less developed than east coast urban areas. 3. A community that wants to protect the current ambience and lifestyle for year-round residents and businesses. 4. An "upscale" image of Naples and Collier County. More affluent people live in and visit the area. The community is proud of its "world class" reputation. 5. The image of the community as an "outdoor recreation" destination anchored by the climate, beaches and nature. 6. A community that supports the arts and culture. 7. A community that values personal safety and is a good place to raise a family. 8. A community where businesses and local residents support many of the social programs needed for the less fortunate. Volunteering is an activity valued by the community. 9. A community that cares about its image. This is demonstrated by the extensive investment in public right of way landscaping and beach maintenance 11 Collier County Tourism Final Report Guiding Principles These are the guidelines that should be set for those responsible for making decisions to realize the future tourism vision. The participants went on to identify the guiding principles that should drive future tourism development for the community. These are listed as follows: o o Elected and appointed leaders who demonstrate they recognize that tourism is important for the economy of the community and therefore for all citizens who live and work here. Tourism helps to build community pride, provide job opportunity and reduce the need for social service assistance. Leadership that recognizes that tourism can help create a balanced economy and provides opportunity for those who are not living on invested wealth. There is a significant relationship between a healthy economy and lower crime-rates. Marketing efforts need to focus on building shoulder and low-season business in order to better stabilize local business and employment. Elected leaders need to understand that marketing costs money and that tourist tax should be an investment that produces private and public return for the community. Efforts need to be made to improve the year-round tourism economy while protecting the natural and small-town environment that makes this a "special place" to live and work. Marketing efforts should focus on all regions of the County and support economic growth and opportunity for all communities within the County. We should work with other adjoining counties to establish a regional identity. Tourism marketing should be research-based and focus on markets that can produce the best return on investment. The next small group session centered on identifying strengths and weaknesses of attracting leisure visitors and groups to Collier County. Ms. McLaughlin asked the groups to first list the positive attributes of Collier County for individual and family visitors and then for groups/conventions. She asked that the participants then discuss the negatives or things that might deter visitor and group tourism business. The following lists reflect the participant input. ~ll] Ii l II,[1II1 12 Collier County Tourism Final Report Positive Characteristics to Attract Leisure Tourism Attributes Beaches Golfing Shopping Cultural Offerings Tennis Archeology Nature/Wildlife Family Activity Safety Cleanliness Climate/Sunshine Fishing Gambling Spas Good Value Air Service Art galleries Exotic plants Diversity of Accommodations Diversity of Dining/Eating Out Boating/Water-sports Historical Attractions Location Birding Friendly service Road Accessibility Swamp buggy tours Special Events World Class Resort reputation Charming small town ambience Ten Thousand Islands Proximity to Everglades National Park National, State and local parks and preserves Positive Characteristics to Attract Group Tourism The participants agreed that all of the fundamental characteristics that attract leisure visitors also help in attracting groups. The additional destination features listed below help to attract convention/group business. Excellent and diverse meeting space. (General Session and break-out) Easy access to airports and good air service (SWFIA, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale) Wide range of hotel options. Good highway accessibility from major Florida urban areas. Wide range of group activities: boating, fishing, golf, tennis, wildlife tours, cultural activities, etc. Popular winter residence for business/corporate executives · Lower off-season rates. · Experienced destination management services. · The destination is experienced and specialized in meetings for 500 and under attendees. · Outdoor sports facilities: major golf course facilities, soccer, baseball and other youth sports facilities. · Cooperative efforts between parks department and industry, and different hotels to accommodate group needs. 13 Collier County Tourism Final Report Negatives That May Deter Leisure and Group Business · The lack of a consistent, well-funded marketing program that tells the Collier County story to potential visitors and conference/group attendees and organizers. · Destination perceived as too expensive. · A perceived lack of nightlife. · Beach restrictions for some desirable group activity. · Limited international direct air service to SWFIA · Perception of higher costs to fly to SWFIA · Lack of basic tourism infrastructure in eastern Collier County · Perceived elite community that doesn't want outsiders. The participants were then asked to define the attributes that make Collier unique and competitive within specific geographic contexts. Competitive Positioning that Makes Collier Unique Within Florida · Proximity to Everglades and other natural areas · Cultural amenities (number and variety of music, arts and historical attractions). · Streetscape maintenance and landscaping in commercial areas of community. · Number and variety of golf courses and tennis facilities · Agricultural areas including orchid farming · World Class, full-service resorts on the Gulf of Mexico · Small town charm and sophistication in quiet, safe environment · Tranquility of the Gulf of Mexico (sunsets) · Proximity to the Florida Keys · Comfortable drive from major Florida markets and attractions · Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Competitive Positioning that makes Collier Unique within Southeastern USA · Proximity to the Everglades · Small town charm and sophistication in quiet, safe environment · Streetscape maintenance and landscaping in commercial areas · Agricultural areas including orchid fanning · Proximity to the Florida Keys Collier County Tourism Final Report · 13 flights per day fi.om Atlanta to the International Airport. · Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary · World class resorts on the Gulf of Mexico · Number and variety of golf courses and tennis facilities · Climate, winter weather Competitive Positioning that makes Collier Unique within US and Internationally · Proximity to the Keys · Small town charm and sophistication in quiet, safe environment · Proximity to major airports ( SWFIA, Miami and Fort Lauderdale). · Orchid capital of the US · Proximity to the Florida Everglades · Number of residents of international origin · User-friendly and welcoming · Clean, un-crowded beaches, clean air, warm winter weather · World class resorts on the Gulf of Mexico · Number and variety of golf courses and tennis facilities Summary It is important to recognize and thank all of the participants who took time from their busy schedules to work on this project. There was a good cross-section of business leaders representing all facets of the tourism community. Government leaders participated also and we are especially grateful to the four County Commissioners, the Mayor of Naples and the Council-Members from Marco and Everglades City who joined in some of the sessions. This report can be put on a shelf, or, with continued leadership can provide the foundation for a new era of cooperation between the County and the community's tourism leaders. I leave you with hope that you will choose the latter. lt~ r'tl IHll Pa ri h ii !1]11 i I.I iili~ ltl iRis[Iii I[q iI ,~ulli~llIlll 15