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The Promise of 2012

The third Winchester Tourism Summit took place on Tuesday 15th July 2008 at Winchester Guildhall, with over 70 people in attendance including delegates from local businesses and residents.

The summit formed a key stage of the evidence-gathering process that will lead to the development of a new tourism strategy for the district. Subtitled 'The Promise of 2012', the purpose of the day was to examine the district's aspirations as a tourist destination leading up to 2012 - the year of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for the Economy and Tourism, Cllr George Beckett, explained:

"The coming four years will be an exciting time for the UK, in tourism terms. The country has an unprecedented opportunity to show itself off to the rest of the world. We need to do this by ensuring our tourism products and marketing campaigns can compete with the best - without any additional cost to the council tax payer.

The Winchester District has a £230 million tourism industry, and welcomes around 4.25 million visitors each year. We want to help grow this business in a way which is both sustainable and profitable."

Keynote Speakers on the day included:
1. Ken Robinson CBE FTS, chair of the national Visitor Attractions Forum and chair of the Tourism Society Think Tank. Just days before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Ken spoke about the opportunities, the challenges and the myths surrounding the London 2012 Olympic Games.

2. John Buckett, Head of Highways and Transport Policy at Hampshire County Council, who took a broad-ranging look at public and private transport issues around the district at this time of high fuel prices and increasing concern for the environment. To download John's presentation, 'End of the Road? The Great Transport Conundrum' click here.

3. Eloise Appleby, Head of Cultural Services at Winchester City Council. Download her presentation, 'Winchester Tourism: An Update' by clicking here.

In order to contribute a range of perspectives on what constitutes Winchester's offering as a tourist destination the delegates attended a series of workshops during the afternoon. By clicking on the links below you can find out more about the day itself, view the detailed notes from each workshop, or see a summary of the main actions that were suggested from all four workshops.

AGENDA: Winchester Tourism Summit: The Promise of 2012 Click here to download a copy of the summit's agenda.

PRESS RELEASE: Click here to view the press release sent after the third Winchester Tourism Summit.

WORKSHOP 1: Welcoming the World - an action planning session for 2012
Facilitators: Sean Mannie/Sher Kent
Click here to view detailed notes from the session.

WORKSHOP 2: The Green Experience - making a real contribution to climate change
Facilitators: Elaine Robbins and Alison Woods
Click here to view detailed notes from the session.

WORKSHOP 3: Making the Winchester Brand Work Harder - strategic marketing
Facilitators: Ellen Simpson and Rachel Abbott
Click here to view detailed notes from the session.

WORKSHOP 4: Being the Best - skills, training and recruitment in a competitive sector
Facilitator: Kate Crawford
Click here to view detailed notes from the session.

SUMMARY: Click here to view a document summarising the main suggested action points from all four workshops