Case Study 1

Social tourism in practice:

bringing in

new business and

creating a win-win-win

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

SummarySummarySummarySummary

This case study shows how a third sector social tourism organisation can help bring new business to the tourism industry and create a win-win-win for social tourists, the tourism industry and wider society.

The Family Holiday Association was established in 1975 and is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to promoting social tourism services through the provision of breaks for families in need. The organisation works in partnership with others to improve the quality of family life for those children and their parents/carers who experience disadvantage as a result of poverty. More than two million families in the UK cannot afford a holiday and 2.5m children live in families that can’t even afford a day trip.

Since 1975 more than 150,000 people have been supported with a break through the charity. This is thanks to the extended support of the tourism industry (in kind, through discounts and cash contributions) and by partners who underwrote the Social Tourism Declaration of 5 June 2007, which states:

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From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

ApproachApproachApproachApproach

The Family Holiday Association provides financial

support to families in need of a break who meet the

following criteria:

•are referred by health and welfare professionals

who know the family in a professional capacity

•have a least one dependent child aged between

three and 18 years at the time of the holiday

•are on a low income

•have not been on holiday in the last four years.

The charity considers a ‘family’ to consist of

dependent children and those who care for them.

Carers can be parents, grandparents, guardians or

others with caring responsibilities such as an older

sibling. The diagram shows how families can access

a break thanks to the help of their referring agent,

the funder and the holiday provider.

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

How it worksHow it worksHow it worksHow it works

The referring agent assists the families with their grant application to the association, which then assesses it against the published criteria. If the family meets these criteria and funds are available, the family will receive a grant. The referring agent will be the family’s first point of contact throughout the holiday process from receiving a holiday voucher, helping to book and prepare for the break, and reporting back on the holiday experience and its impact after the break.

The holiday voucherholiday voucherholiday voucherholiday voucher entitles the family to a free break for a specified number of nights (three, four or seven) in self-catering accommodation at certain dates during the year. It enables the family to book their break directly with the holiday provider, thereby empowering families and keeping administration time and costs down.

The holidays are mostly self-catering breaks and include free accommodation, linen (when available) and holiday insuranceholiday insuranceholiday insuranceholiday insurance (subject to medical conditions) kindly provided by City Bond Insurance.

The charity may also offer a small contribution towards the cost of travel and treats for the children. First Great Western Trains has been supporting this social tourism provision with free travelfree travelfree travelfree travel for families during the low season on its railway network and recently the Welsh Highway Railway has offered discounted day trips in Wales.

The majority of breaks are in UK holiday parks, such as those run by Haven and Butlins (part of the Bourne Leisure group), Pontins, and YHA (England and Wales). The remaining breaks are taken with other small & medium sized accommodation providers.

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

FundingFundingFundingFunding

The Family Holiday Association relies on

donations from individuals, companies such

as TUI, trusts and local groups to carry out its

work.

Every year the Association raises funds in a

variety of ways, through a range of events in

the UK and abroad, and with the help of travel

industry partners.

The social tourism provision is strongly

supported in kind by free and/or heavily

discounted offers from Citibond Insurance,

First Great Western, Haven Holidays, Pontins

and the YHA for England & Wales.

In 2008 the charity became the designated

charity of TUI UK & Ireland. Since 2009, coin

collections have been taken on incoming

Thomson Airways flights and thanks to this

support more families can be supported with

a break.

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From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

Measuring successMeasuring successMeasuring successMeasuring success

In 2002, a Problem Statement and a Programme Strategic Plan were formulated

through a logical planning exercise to consolidate, research and expand social

tourism provision in the UK.

The number of beneficiaries of holiday grants (social tourists) has steadily increased

over the years: in 2011 the charity supported 2,000 families (8,500 ‘social tourists’)

with a break compared to just under 1,000 families in 2002.

New types of breaks have been developed with key partners to address particular

elements and specific issues, such as feeling good, eating well and being active in

Feel Good Breaks, and extending the educational visit agenda in Family Learning

Adventures with schools in Sheffield.

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

Challenges and Lessons LearntChallenges and Lessons LearntChallenges and Lessons LearntChallenges and Lessons Learnt

Breaks during the school holidays are two or three times the cost of those at other times of the year, so in

order to help as many families as possible the charity offers breaks during term-time. Families are given a

letter to take into their school to obtain authorised leave. This standard letter was developed with the help

of head teachers and was subsequently updated in line with policy and practice.

Only a limited number of peak season holidays are available for families who are not granted an authorised

absence from their children's school. In recent years the demand for peak time holidays has been steadily

increasing and the charity had to start looking at alternatives to address the need for breaks, short breaks

during weekends and the Family Learning Adventures in Sheffield.

In the last ten years the holiday offer has been widened to facilitate a stepped approach starting with a day

trip for first time holidaymakers, short breaks for those with caring and work commitments, followed by the

traditional 7 night holiday and, where available, a holiday abroad. The latter has either been provided in the

form of a European Holiday Experience in conjunction with Tourism Flanders or been made available by TUI

(in Lapland, Greece and Turkey).

The recent recession is impacting on UK families. More are in poverty and even those on middle incomes are

finding it difficult to find the money for a break away from home. Domestic tourism increased as well as the

demand for more affordable activity breaks e.g. camping and other leisure activities. This was evidenced by the great interest in the Olympics in 2012. What families want is a high quality break and value for money.

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012

Questions for the futureQuestions for the futureQuestions for the futureQuestions for the future

How can the Family Holiday Association work with the tourism

industry to provide more affordable holiday packages?

Some of our existing partners have expressed an interest to work with

us on a ‘Family Friendly’ label. How can we use labelling effectively to

develop new products and bring in new business?

For further information visit/contact:

www.FamilyHolidayAssociation.org.uk/holidays-matter

Thea Joldersma, Programme & Policy ManagerFamily Holiday Association

Thea@FamilyHolidayAssociation.org.uk

From the Royal Society Conference Oct 25th 2012