It's time for a shake-up
Respected travel writer Simon Calder has challenged Bath to raise its game if it wants to retain its place among the top tourist destinations in the UK.
The Independent travel editor was the guest speaker at a major tourism conference this week and gave his opinion on the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities facing the city in the coming years.
He accepted that Bath offered an almost unrivalled package of history, heritage and arts, but said more needed to be done to ensure it remained a top tourist city in the future.
He said the state of the River Avon was a particular cause for concern and he argued that it should be celebrated as a positive resource, calling for a pilot park and float scheme where boats transport visitors into the city.
Mr Calder told Bath Tourism Plus's annual Tourism Forum: "The most obvious thing, just as somebody who is looking at the city from outside, is what do you do with the river? The riverside path is a completely underwhelming experience. At the moment, it seems that people are saying 'we have got a river, so what', which I think is a mistake.
"The traffic management is a source of considerable concern for everybody. At the moment, frankly, it is a mess. If anything is designed to put people off, it is gridlock.
"So my suggestion is to look at both of these things and trial a park and float."
Mr Calder also warned Bath's business leaders not to rely on shopping as a tourism magnet at a time when consumers were buying more and more online, and for guesthouse owners to embrace the competition from budget hotels.
He advised the Thermae Spa to put up its prices at peak times, because of the high capacity of visitors crowding in at weekends, and recommended organising a team of volunteer Bath Snappers to take pictures of tourists outside the sights.
He also had a bleak prediction concerning the impact of this summer's Olympics.
Mr Calder said: "I really hope I am wrong, but we were told by (former Olympics minister) Tessa Jowell that there would be a £2 billion boost to tourism for the UK in 2012, but that has now been reviewed downwards to £0. No increase whatsoever and in fact I am hearing there is going to be a massive drop.
"This is not just in London, but for Edinburgh, Chester and Bath. We have been talking ourselves down, talking about the utter gridlock, the hotels have put their prices up. There are no normal tourists coming to visit during the Olympics. This is serious."
His advice for the future also included offering free wi-fi internet access across the city, making the most of the opportunities for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Euro 2012 football tournament, and for the different sectors to work together to provide package holidays including train fares, accommodation and tickets to top attractions.
Mr Calder said Bath had so much to offer tourists, with its hotels, restaurants, shops and museums, but must be careful not to be complacent.
He said: "It will always have a natural advantage over anywhere else in the country, apart from maybe Edinburgh and definitely London, in terms of diversity and the depth of the tourism offering.
"However, this natural advantage does not equate to guaranteed continued success."
22 Comments
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by peterstreater
Saturday, February 04 2012, 10:25AM
“capndave, I respect your entitlement to refuse to enter into further dialogue although I believe this speaks volumes given that you've asked for others' opinions and ideas on the subject, whether they be from those "from those that bother to research and understand" or not.
The least I expected, however, was an apologetic correction of your erroneous comment that I already had and would continue to "keep knocking those that are working damned hard to get things moving." as this was in no way a fair reflection of my viewpoint.”
by airhellair
Friday, February 03 2012, 8:34PM
“Plus a circular bus service that links most of the main attractions...."
It's a good idea. Southampton has a free service that links rail station, shopping centres and ferry terminals. It's paid for by a mixture of public and private funding. More at: http://tinyurl.com/3nos2zb
Also, elsewhere: http://tinyurl.com/6ghjygx”
by capndave
Friday, February 03 2012, 8:11PM
“Do you know Mr Streater I really can't be bothered to enter into more dialogue with your good self.
Life's far too short. So please just think of me as you will for I actually don't give a fig.
And thank you for the vote of confidence Pompey girlie. I'll always take criticism or compliment from those that bother to research and understand.”
by tontrad
Friday, February 03 2012, 1:28PM
“Whoever has instigated and brought forward the use of the river for non-urgent commercial traffic should be congratulated.
Park & Sail - huh ?
All in all though, surely Mr Calder's general point that Bath should look to it's laurels is more than valid.
Councillors should be looking closely at their wards for visitor friendly (or otherwise) aspects, and their general appearance ….............. and submit a report to council officers to hopefully get them off their a***s.
Some parts of the city are an absolute disgrace, brought about by laziness, incompetent management, and a general disregard for responsibilities, on the part of the council, and I'm afraid private individuals and businesses.
Going the extra mile would seem very often to be an alien concept, as would personal pride and civic responsibility.
As far as visitors are concerned, from the use of publicly owned spaces on the approaches by advertising vehicles, through the dreadful state of, and lack of information from road signage, to stumbling and shouting ne'er-do-wells and other general rubbish on the streets, the whole city needs a big shake-up.
The council should do it's job better, whilst simultaneously encouraging the private sector to provide more and better facilities & 'attractions' for visitors.
This will not come from council officers – this has to come from our elected officials especially Conservatives who generally have better ideas regarding cost-effective expansion and commercial effort.”
by Ruddd
Friday, February 03 2012, 12:45PM
“A park and ride east of Bath? That will be Chippenham Station then.”
by Pompeybelle
Friday, February 03 2012, 12:10PM
“I think you'll find, peterstreater, that capndave is a boat-builder, which is what I think you mean by barge-builder and supplier. So he does know what he's talking about. I also think that, by and large, until very recently most of the research has been his. Research does involve talking to experts, so I can't see that invalidates his claim.”
by rogerh3
Friday, February 03 2012, 11:54AM
“Could do with something like the 'I amsterdam' card:
"The 'I amsterdam' card (previously known as the 'Amsterdam pass') is a discount card, which gives you free access to several Amsterdam museums, free ticket on public transport within the city, free canal cruise, 50% discount on P+R parking, and several other small gifts and offers including the 25% discount at several Amsterdam restaurants, car and bike rental, gifts, cheese and haring shops and multiple other tourist attractions..."
http://tinyurl.com/7sxq8ng
Plus a circular bus service that links most of the main attractions. (Both probably impossible under our wonderful deregulated bus system, though.)
-”
by PhilRogers
Friday, February 03 2012, 10:45AM
“One perfect place for a "park & float" would be the old Hollis warehouse on the Lower Bristol Rd in Twerton (next to the bridge in to the Weston Island bus depot. A three- or four-storey car park there needn't have any worse an impact than the current building. It is above the Twerton weir and would allow direct (lock-free) access into the city centre. In-bound traffic would reach it before hitting any of the traffic hotspots in Bath. The only restriction would probably be the size of boat you can get under Churchill Bridge, but something like the tourist boats in Amsterdam would probably fit the bill.”
by peterstreater
Friday, February 03 2012, 10:26AM
“capndave, my previous comment was merely to point out that bath1946's comment was misleading in stating you had personally demonstrated the viability of transporting waste and goods by barge.
At no stage have I objected to the idea in question or intimated that I might "keep knocking those that are working damned hard to get things moving."
My comment was not a personal attack and I therefore think your comments are inappropriate. But as you have made them, help me to more fully understand your position given that reply of 2/2/12...
Are you saying that from 2005, or 2006 (can't be certain), you alone and without assistance have identified the river's commercial transportation opportunities, without reference to lessons of historical river traffic, input from barge makers and suppliers, dialogues with current and/or possible future waste disposal and recycling contractors, British Waterways or B&NES Council (before you were elected) and any other potential stakeholders?”
by MajorFlack
Friday, February 03 2012, 9:38AM
“Now I understand the previously published and amended hogwash about 'improving the value of tourism in the city' - it really couldn't be made clearer than by:
"He advised the Thermae Spa to put up its prices at peak times, because of the high capacity of visitors crowding in at weekends..."
Don't improve the value FOR tourists, just charge them more (rip them off) for the same shopping experience you'd get anywhere else, in the same 'crowded' city. And if they're really lucky they might get to take home a 'valuable' photographic souvenir of their visit because Simon Calder:
"recommended organising a team of volunteer Bath Snappers to take pictures of tourists outside the sights."
Priceless (worthless) advice to get 'more valuable', but 'definitely not more', tourists flocking to Bath.”