Blue Chip Tourism

Consultancy

Consultancy projects take many forms, our overall priority is to work with destinations to maximise their potential, focussing on integration into mainstream economic strategies and networks. We pride ourselves on listening to clients and developing 'fit for purpose' bespoke solutions appropriate to their context and way of working.

Our consultancy services include:

Strategy Development
Destination Management Planning
Business & Operational Planning
Healthcheck and Review
Commercialisation

We also have a number of specialisms (featured below) based on our experience...

Future Funding for Destinations

Following the revolution in UK funding for destinations, many partnerships are looking for new solutions and different ways of working.

Our starting point is to see this as an opportunity to reconsider the roles, structure and responsibilities of a Destination Management Organisation and develop sustainable solutions.

Through its work with the Core Cities Tourism Group and the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) Early Adopters Group, Blue Chip has developed a high level of knowledge and expertise in this area.

Having successfully developed the UK's first countywide DBID with Visit Isle of Wight and advised Marketing Manchester and Visit Essex, we have hands on experience in both BIDs and the alternatives. This is a dynamic and evolving area of expertise and we are constantly refreshing our knowledge.

Cruise and Port Development

Having taken the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal from conception through to opening and operational, award-winning success with consistently high satisfaction ratings, we are ideally placed to work with ports looking to develop or grow their cruise business including:

Feasibility and Business Planning
Capital Build Projects and Funding Packages
Shore Excursion Development
Customer Service and Destination Welcome Programmes
Marketing to the Cruise Industry and its Partners

Blue Chip Tourism has advised ports including Hull, Holyhead and Arran on their potential as cruise destinations.

Our message is a simple one: a port is not a destination until it thinks and acts like a destination.

We can show you how...

Travel Trade/Group Travel

Liverpool was once one of the worst destinations in the country for coaches and group travel.

A targeted range of interventions in the period 2007-2012 turned this situation around to winning Coach Friendly Status from the Confederation for Passenger Transport, being awarded Coach Friendly City of the Year at the 2012 Coach Tourism Awards and Best UK City 2011 by readers of Group Leisure Magazine.

With the ongoing growth in group travel we can help destinations and attractions to emulate this success and capture their share of this increasingly important market.

Keith's operational experience in Group Travel brings an up to date 'hands on' approach. He has worked with Liverpool Football Club Museum & Stadium Tour, Port Sunlight and Marketing Manchester on the development of travel trade/group travel strategies and action plans.

Consultation and Communication

Consultation is fundamental to our approach in all work areas, enabling us to develop consensus and priorities across a huge range of voices and interests. We believe in listening before speaking, placing clients' views at the heart of any solution.

All projects have included some elements of consultation, but particular examples include the Business Survey for Visit Isle of Wight (218 respondents), the Cultural Strategy for Stoke-on-Trent (99 respondents) and the extensive consultation undertaken for the UK City of Culture bids for Leicester and Stoke-on-Trent.

More in depth consultation has taken place with the travel trade and others for Liverpool Football Club, Marketing Manchester and Port Sunlight and Keith also delivered the marketing & communications for the Wellington Rooms consultation event.

Blue Chip Tourism has a professional account with Survey Monkey for online surveys and uses the full range of face to face, online and telephone consultation methods.

World Heritage Tourism

The connection between World Heritage Sites and tourism can be complicated; the designation is given for reasons other than tourism and visitors can be seen as a problem rather than an opportunity.

We have experience from Liverpool and other destinations of how to carefully manage the two priorities of economic impact and conservation to the benefit of both including:

Development and Implementation of Visitor Management Plans
Integration within the overall WHS Management Plan
Use of WHS to develop Heritage Tourism
Brand Development and Roll Out
Interpretation, Events and Experiences

Culture & Tourism

Tourism & Culture are increasingly seen as complementary sectors, the one providing the distinctive and constantly refreshed content to attract new and repeat customers for the other, enhancing viability on both sides. This is a complex relationship and needs care to ensure that growth is mutually beneficial.

Keith's experience as Head of Tourism during Liverpool's European Capital of Culture places him at the interface between culture and tourism, able to work within both sectors and see the mutual opportunities. This rare skill has been of advantage to Worcestershire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council for whom Blue Chip Tourism produced a cultural strategy to complement the UK City of Culture bid.

City of Culture and Bidding

Keith has worked on two successful bids for UK City of Culture: Leicester in 2013 and Stoke-on-Trent in 2016/17 (which he led). Both cities were shortlisted with extremely positive feedback from the judges and DCMS (who praised the quality and clarity of the bid writing).

This experience has given us a comprehensive insight into the success factors and other benefits of bidding for the status. Other successful bids, building on the Liverpool 'wins' of European Capital of Culture and World Heritage Status, include the UNESCO Creative Cities Network status for Liverpool and funding and in-kind support from Liverpool City Council on behalf of Hope Street.