Framework development strategy leisure economy in South Limburg December 13 th , 2012

Framework development

strategy leisure economy in South Limburg

December 13th, 2012

Delegation Uzbekistan

Manon Luijten,

Marketing Manager

Tourist Board South Limburg,

Netherlands

Why accent on Leisure Economy?

• Work Life Balance (quality of life for the population)

-> Leisure time and relaxation in green surroundings are becoming more and more important to people, these days. The presence of suitable leisure facilities and information about them (including marketing) is essential.

• Attracting new inhabitants. In that context, tourism is seen as a framework condition for quality of life, as 'acquisition tool' for knowledge workers and as weapon against shrinkage

• Economy (job opportunities): tourism is one of the largest economic sectors of South Limburg and is a component of the DNA of South Limburg

South Limburg, Part of a multinational metropolis

By train:•2 TGV stations within 30 minutes•8 intern. airports within 1 hour

•By car:•45 minutes to Düsseldorf (D)•1 hour to Brussels (B)•2,5 hours to Amsterdam (NL)•3 hours to Paris (F)

South Limburg, the appendix of NL and the center of EU

Part of NL only since 1839 = almost no Dutch history

Birthplace of the Euro (Maastricht Treaty 1993)

20 x 20 km surface, 650.000 inhabitants

220 km border with Germany & Belgium, only 8 km with the Netherlands

3,7 milion inhabitants within 50 km in 3 countries, with 3 languages

Kandidate European Capital of Culture 2018 (Maastricht)

A vibrant region: 26.000 students of which 40% international

The oldest Tourist Board of the Netherlands, established in Valkenburg in 1885 (VVV Het Geuldal, now Tourist Board South Limburg)

South-Limburg, 5 different ‘sub regions’,

of which each have their own themes and profile

South Limburg: the oldest & most popular domestic tourist destination in NL

NV Tourism and Leisure Time South Limburg in a virtual outline

Some key indicators for the Leisure economy

Turnover (expenditure): ca € 1 billion in 2011 directly

Growth sector: domestic holidays rose by 15 % from 2010 to 2011

Job opportunities: 20,600 FTE per 2011 (7.4 % working population)

(excl. seasonal labour (+12 %), temporary labour (+10 %) and retail trade (+? %)

Excellent distribution over the seasons: = economic activity and job opportunities throughout the year

Origin: 89 % from the Netherlands, 11 % from abroad (GB and neighbouring countries)

Typically: Active couples (dinkies and empty-nesters): 47 %

Families with small children: 26 %

Nights: ca. 5 million in 2011

South Limburg enjoys by far the biggest spending per guest per year of the entire NL:• Netherlands: €27 pp per day• South Limburg: €39 pp per day

Why do guests come to South Limburg?

Grontmij 2007

Nature and countryside: 62 %Peace and quiet and space: 41 %Rambling: 37 %Exuberant atmosphere: 30 %Shopping: 29 %Cycling: 21 %Caves: 21 %Many activities, attractions: 14 %Specific cities: 13 % (Maastricht and Valkenburg most frequently mentioned)

Culture: 11 %Border location: 10 %Treatment Courses and Wellness: 9 %Events: 8 %

Conclusion: The scenic quality of the area (and therefore the activities that are possible – such as rambling and cycling –) and the Burgundian signature are the most important reasons by far for a visit.

What are some of the (physical) developments within South Limburg?

Important administratively strategic collaboration:Urban Network South LimburgBrainport 2020 / LEDCollaboration of both Limburgs with the Limburg CharterCollaboration PL (Park City Limburg) & Aachen Urban Region

Strategic projects that (can) serve as steppingstones for T/R (tourist and recreational) development:Maastricht Cultural Capital (BBO (Iconic Development))Urban Vision Maastricht 2030Regional development Maastricht-Valkenburg Structure Vision PL with LeisureRing PL Strategic Vision Tourism Park City LimburgAction Plan Leisure Economy Western Mining RegionGreen Metropolis / TIGERSMAAK EuregioSport Zone Sittard-GeleenA2 tunnelling VERM

Driving Landscape Projects:Natura 2000National Landscape South LimburgBorder Maas: strategic vision River Park Maas ValleyBrook dales

Physical and marketing developments in the border region

Euregio: Exhaustion of EU money

Awareness Process Belgian Limburg, various projects T/R

Growth of Hasselt

Floriade 2012

Campus Aachen

'Forcer l'Avenir' of Liège with Liège harbour and Liège airport developments

Trends and developments within tourism and recreation

A random selection of the many trends…

• Internationalisation

• Domestic tourism falling (in the long term). But supply in NL keeps growing.

"We are fishing with more fishermen in a pond with fewer fish"

• Greater importance of leisure time and demand for more variety within leisure time

• Growing older but feeling younger

• Fixation on health and better corporal grooming

• Care for nature and need for nature (for green)

• Great appreciation and searching for authenticity and nostalgia (including regional products)

• Quests for "wherefore are we on earth"

• Zapping behaviour in all imaginable respects (so, also in relationships and interests)

• More in less time (increase in consumption intensity, reduction in time intensity)

• Shifting backwards (to quietness, nature, simplicity)

• Quality of hospitality gaining in importance

• The transparent society (especially, because of the Internet)

• Growing need for reliable information

• More joint use of facilities by inhabitants and guests

• Fading of the distinction between the various functions (e.g., retail trade as attraction)

• Demand for a more varied route network

Competition analysis

Inimitable and distinguishing elements of South Limburg, compared to other NL

destinations:

• Beautiful, accessible, inspiring and foreign looking hilly countryside

• Authentic (in respect of cultural history and cultural cities, including Maastricht) and original, especially with regard to 'slowing down' and 'reflection'

• Orlando-upon-Maas (many attractions, close together)

• Exuberant profile (culinary, regional products) in respect of image as well as what is on offer, although the regional products have not yet been integrated in the catering industry

• International position (tripoint region)

SWOT tourism and recreation South Limburg

STRENGTHS - Beautiful and accessible countryside – 2000 years of history – Mining past as binding element (Green Metropolis) – Caves with perception value – Tripoint location - Very strong image on the NL market - Positive Burgundian profile -Good transportation connections -Wide shopping assortments – many attractions within a small area – Cycling hills – friendly population with great organisational abilities - Promotionally well organised – Many inhabitants with many guests –Opportunities for ambassadors – At the administrative level there are no (longer) discussions about the importance of tourism – many lodging facilities in all classes – Border Maas – Centrally situated in NW EU

OPPORTUNITIES – Euregional ‘borders’ – Advent ‘Green bicycle’ – Growing health cult – Growing interest in things ‘international’ offer perspective for a border region – Penchant for authenticity, spirituality and reflection – Growing appreciation of nature – Eden Award offers opportunities for advertising as sustainable destination – ZAP behaviour is favourable for SL, which has a lot to offer in a small space – NRW as search market – Popularity short holidays – Various projects in the field of area development – World Championship 2012 – Growing interest in regional products

WEAKNESSES - Many events without theme and cohesion and without intern. attractiveness – insufficient culture with the capital C – No international ‘landmark’ – Excellent image is tied to old values – Little action around the Euregional location – Border Maas is happening in silence– No synergy between agriculture and catering – partially weak innovative power (especially in the lodgings sector) – underlying cooperation not optimal – hills prevent recreational cycling –no integral T/R policy for SL

THREATS - Singular demand 90 % NL – Landscape becoming poorer – Worsening accessibility by car (esp. A2) – Dwindling hospitality – Late signalling of T/R developments in surrounding countries – Growing interest of guests in new destinations (ZAP) – Disappearing Limburg culture – Developments in agriculture – Falling supply of lodging facilities – New destinations with a lot of marketing money, MICE developments elsewhere in Europe at new destinations

The 10 dreams: South Limburg in 10 to 20 years

1. Quality and convenience right into the capillaries

2. An attractive cocktail of the traditional and the modern with 2000 years of history, in addition to constant innovation

3. A region that engages in top sports and that showcases top sports, amongst others through events.

4. Particular regional identity (regional products, regional folklore, etc.), in other words: the 'Piemonte of the North'

5. Orlando of northwestern Europe and attractions of international fame

6. Wellness and reflection at an international scale

7. The 'Centre' of Europe, therefore connected with other countries. The borders have gone, through they are a visible icon

8. Fiery culture cities and therefore the place to be, also internationally (Maastricht Cultural Capital)

9. A more international guest profile

10. A proud population with ambassadors everywhere

Strategic Choices South Limburg

1. Hold on to and/or expand the existing great power of SL and the existing strong themes

The DREAM:

1. Quality and convenience right into the capillaries, thus including scenic beauty, good public transport and especially a sustainable region

PROJECTS:

- Hospitality at a(n inter)nationally discerning level- Strengthening the quality of route networks, incl. matters like digitalisation,

level cycling, etc.- Ease of accessSL from within as well from outside the region. Including better

(physical) connections with the surrounding countries and the creation of (almost) free public transport

- Keep developing River Park Maas Valley and promote as a new tourist attraction



The DREAM:

2. An attractive cocktail of the traditional and the modern with, on the one hand, stronger promotion of 2000 years of history, and on the other hand the continuously leading with new developments (innovation!)

PROJECTS:

- Promote innovative power / creativity, including new concepts and quality leaps, innovation fund & innovation scout

- Continuation and expansion of the Green Metropolis, including a trinational tourist information structure. Also make a link to the mining past

- Via Belgica: Perceptible Roman past



The DREAM:

3. A region that engages in top sports and that also showcases top sports, amongst others by means of events

PROJECTS:

- Develop and expand sports region South Limburg, top sports as well as recreational sports

- Organise (top) sports events, with particularly a strong link to the power of the landscape


2. Develop strong new themes for the future

The DREAM:

4. South Limburg is the Piemonte of the North and therefore a region with its own, strong identity (guests and inhabitants eat produce from the land in the region, flourishing folklore)

PROJECTS

Regional gastronomy with actions like:

- Further expand and promote the regional identity by forging alliances with agriculture, by selling more regional products in the retail trade and in catering, through intelligent distribution systems, and similar

- Promote the area in a similar way as Piemonte in Italy does. Possibly transnational (i.,e., with the Euregio)

- Further development of the theme City-Land-Food within the Maastricht-Valkenburg Area Development

- Agro Leisure Park (Central point for processing and distribution of Limburg regional products)

- Consolidate Euregio with SMAAK



The DREAM:

5. South Limburg as the Orlando of northwestern Europe with attractions of international fame

PROJECTS

- (Continued )development Leisure Ring Park City with concomitant 'Red' and 'Green' clusters

- Realise a new, bigger attraction (e.g., Nature Wonder World in Brunssum)

- Park City is expanding into an internationally appealing urban entertainment zone



The DREAM:

6. Wellness and reflection at an international scale.

PROJECTS

- Continued development of reflection tourism

- Establish a strong attraction at the spiritual level

- Develop or acquire am international reflection event

- Establish a link between reflection and doing business

- Allow the number of participants in 'Reflection tourism' to grow steadily

- Foster quiet zones and expand silence walks

- Continue to develop care tourism



The DREAM:

7. South Limburg is the centre of Europe and therefore connected with other countries, physically as well as in a promotional way. The borders have gone, through they are a visible icons that serve as image bearers of the region.

PROJECTS

- Turn borders into visible icons, by means of activities at the border as well as through noticeable physical objects "South Limburg is that region of the three countries with those many talked-about borders"

- South Limburg as showcase for Europe (also connecting with the theme of Maastricht Cultural Capital 2018)

- Establish better connections with the surrounding countries, through physical infrastructure as well as digitally and (tourism) organisationally

- Strongly promote the tripoint location


3. Strengthen cooperation with the various product groups with the aim of attaining new PMCs and of generating a stronger marketing profile.

The DREAM:

8. Fiery culture cities and the place to be, also internationally

- In 2018, Maastricht will be Cultural Capital of Europe

- Allow culture with a capital 'C' to blend more with the leisure economy

- Intensify T/R collaboration with the District of Aachen in order to also profit from the driving developments there


4. Generate new flows of guests without neglecting the existing base

The DREAM:

9. Over a period of 10 to 20 years, South Limburg has gained a guest profile that has an international character in respect of number nights and day visits. Especially the number of guests from Germany has risen substantially, making South Limburg less dependent on the mono demand from the Netherlands.

PROJECTS:

- Associate themes with events, make them professional, bundle them and place them more strongly in the market.

- Create or attract events that are internationally more appealing

- Develop Christmas in South Limburg in conjunction with the Euregio through closer cooperation between organisers and further broadening of the scope of products that are appealing at the European level

- Penetrate North Rhine-Westphalia to stem the falling mono demand from NL

- Stronger focus of Euregio as residential area and as origin of day guests. This will also lead to strengthening of the work-life-balance


4. Generate new flows of guests without neglecting the existing base

The DREAM:

10. A proud population that cherishes propagates its own (cultural) identity: Limburgers as enthusiastic ambassadors for their own regions

PROJECTS:

- Involve large international companies and knowledge institutions more in T/R (also with regard to attracting business congresses)

- Involve inhabitants more in T/R via oriented communications programmes

- Well-known and 'great' Limburgers as proud ambassadors

- Involve important 'broadcasters' about Limburg in the objective

Questions? Discussion…

Documents

Framework development strategy leisure economy in South Limburg December 13 th , 2012