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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-013-20Clarington Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: June 1, 2020 Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO File Number: Report Number: CAO-013-20 By-law Number: Resolution#: GG-170-20, C-278-20 Report Subject: Service Delivery Review Update - Tourism Recommendation: 1. That Report CAO-013-20 be received for information. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Report Overview Page 2 The Tourism Service Deliver Review was completed in 2018 and presented to Council in Report CAO-012-18. Several recommendations were endorsed by Council. This report provides an update on the recommendations implemented and other process improvements made with respect to Tourism. 1. Background 1.1 Since Council considered the Tourism Delivery Service Review Report CAO-012-18 on September 4, 2018, the Tourism Division has been actively working to implement the 16 recommendations contained in the report. Overall, the findings of the service delivery review revealed that the Tourism division should be focused on the tourism business in Clarington from a more macro level. Many of the tourism businesses are smaller enterprises that benefit from having the support and wider marketing structure that Tourism Services provides. Tourism staff are highly -skilled and experienced in marketing and promoting tourism in Clarington. Tourism staff have shifted focus and are concentrating on providing marketing and promotional assistance to businesses utilizing social media and advertising as key vehicles. Staff have shifted from attending every event to focus on event promotion and a 'behind the scenes' social campaign advertising festivals and events in the weeks and days before they occur. Tourism staff only attend key events, setting up a promotional booth with information about Clarington. The main focus is marketing and promotion before the events to draw interest, a crowd and following so that the event itself is successful. Staff, however, attend BIA meetings and provide planning assistance as required. As noted by the consultant in the service review report, "Tourism Services staff cannot be everywhere." 1.2 It is important to note that the Tourism landscape has changed significantly since December 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact global economies. Since the Provincial Emergency Declaration on March 17, 2020, and subsequent emergency orders, Clarington tourism had to reprioritize work. Therefore, the Tourism Division has pivoted, updated work plans, and tailored its initiatives to the current environment while trying to implement and fulfil the 16 recommendations. Tourism staff are in touch with local businesses and stakeholders to see if and how they are operating. Since the start of the pandemic, many businesses have closed, while others have reinvented themselves and their services. Tourism Staff continue to reach out and gather this information to promote the businesses that are open and help support them. With all this in mind, Clarington Tourism has shifted its priorities to provide support, information and assistance as needed to these businesses and stakeholders as they continue to operate under these difficult circumstances. Tourism Staff act as a resource or these businesses providing information on the latest economic initiatives, grant Municipality of Clarington Page 3 Report CAO-013-20 funding and updates from the Region, the Province and the Federal government as required. 1.3 Clarington Tourism staff have been working with partners in Durham Tourism, Invest Durham, and the Clarington Board of Trade and Economic Development to help those businesses who have pivoted their operations and remain open. The 'shop local' campaign has been promoted on social media and in a press release published on May 14. As a social media leader and influencer, Tourism has used its large following to highlight local businesses, which are open and help boost their profiles to attract more shoppers. 1.4 It is also important to note that Tourism promotion has also shifted in focus on a different audience once businesses are allowed to reopen post-COVID-19. Tourism Staff will focus on promoting Clarington to the local audience, our residents, as a priority post -pandemic. When these local businesses reopen, they will do so under different guidelines and conditions. The priority for staff is to have residents "Rediscover Clarington" and support our local community contributing to the local economy. In tandem, the focus will be on the 'visiting friends and relatives' tourism sector. As physical distancing restrictions are lifted, the priority for most people will be to visit their loved ones. Clarington Tourism is looking to create local packages and itineraries to help residents and their visiting families plan a visit where they can make memories in Clarington by enjoying our various attractions. 1.5 In addition to the Tourism Service Delivery Review, the Municipality underwent an Organizational Structure Review in late 2019 and early 2020. It was funded through the Provincial Audit and Accountability fund and was conducted by the firm Grant Thornton. Recommendation 2 was to move Tourism from CAO to Community Services. Staff agreed with this recommendation and felt it was an easy and natural move for Tourism Services. The reasons were outlined in report CAO-006-20. Tourism Services will move under Community Services in September. 1.6 This report provides Council with an outline of the initiatives taken by Clarington Tourism to further the 16 recommendations made in the Service Delivery Review with a COVID-19 lens and outlook along with the upcoming move to Community Services. 2. Update on Tourism Service Delivery Review Recommendations 2.1 Recommendation 1: "Formulate an industry advisory committee to provide guidance to Clarington Tourism including members of Council." Status: Completed The Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) was established in 2019. Its inaugural meeting was held on April 11, 2019. The terms of reference outline committee scope and Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 4 composition. Since that time, the Committee has been busy and held nine meetings to further the goals set out in the Service Delivery Review. Thus far, the Committee has met twice during COVID-19 on April 21 and May 22. Both meetings were successful. The focus of the April meeting was to provide the Committee with an update of Clarington Tourism work plans and priorities and how they have shifted during the pandemic. The second meeting focused on planning for reopening Clarington. Specifically, on the campaign to draw residents to shop locally and explore the attractions and businesses in Clarington, "Rediscover Clarington." The Committee has come up with an initiative to create a centralized directory of all Tourism businesses in Clarington, which are open and planning to reopen. Staff will be working on a form and framework to obtain this information and add it to our existing Tourism stakeholder web page. The Committee also discussed holding a larger forum -style meeting to bring as many tourism -sector businesses to the table to agree upon a unified relaunch as they prepare to open their businesses. Staff are looking for a cohesive approach to reopening and support across the sector for the "Rediscover Clarington" campaign. As the Tourism business directory is formulated, staff will hold an update meeting with the TAC committee to discuss future initiatives. 2.2 Recommendation 2: "Undertake a strategic planning session with industry stakeholders." Status: Completed Clarington Tourism held a strategic planning session with the Tourism Advisory Committee during a meeting on May 29, 2019. The session took several hours and looked at the current and future state of Clarington Tourism. Based on the feedback from the Committee members, three overarching initiatives and corresponding actions were created. The three priority strategic initiatives are: 1) In partnership with the Municipality, develop a comprehensive tourism branding strategy, which is consistent with Clarington's overall brand. The Tourism strategy was created with the input from the Committee and approved by Council on September 16, 2019, through resolution #C-302-19. To complement the strategy, the CAO worked with the Committee and a consultant to create a Vision for Clarington Tourism. This is an overarching goal that will help inform the branding strategy and key messaging to guide marketing and communication efforts to help Tourism tell Clarington's unique and authentic story. The Vision was received by Council on April 14, 2020. The approved Vision for Clarington is: "A collection of unique communities where all can enjoy diverse experiences." 2) Create a marketing and educational plan for tourism. Clarington Tourism continues to provide and create marketing materials throughout COVID-19. As mentioned, Tourism has taken a leadership role on social media, promoting a shop local campaign and highlighting the local business that are Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 5 staying open and offering their services in a different way. Clarington Tourism is exploring an ambassador program, which includes residents, business owners, and social media influencers. Tourism staff are working on bringing market -ready tourism businesses together to create experience -based itineraries focused on already existing products that businesses are offering. As we work on a "Rediscover Clarington" campaign post-COVID-19, Clarington Tourism is looking to bring the tourism businesses and stakeholders together in a planning meeting to see how collectively the community can support a reopening once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. This planning is key to ensure that once Clarington is open for business, the marketing, advertising and educational components are in place to attract residents to contribute to the local economy. Staff are also working to create a robust business directory, that would be updated with information as soon as new businesses open. It would include information on the services that are being provided as well as any new safety measures in place. Tourism staff continue to expand community engagement and outreach initiatives to create awareness of the tourism assets through social media, advertising opportunities, sport associations, and community partners. 3) To quantify the economic impact of tourism, Clarington will pursue different channels to measure its success. Tourism Staff continue to work with Durham Tourism and Central Counties Tourism to create consistent metrics, which includes establishing a baseline success measurement model that can be utilized as an industry standard and be used as a comparator. 2.3 Recommendation 3: "Municipality should confirm its commitment to Tourism Services and ensure that the resources assigned are not reduced, particularly during the busy season." Status: Ongoing In the 2020 budget, Council maintained its funding commitment to Tourism Services. As noted earlier, one of the recommendations from the Organizational Structure Review was to move Tourism Services from the CAO to Community Services. This move will happen in September. Tourism staff have marketing skills that will be an asset to the Community Services Department and will be utilized to collaborate on promoting recreational services. In fact, Tourism Staff are actively working with Staff in Community Development on planning and executing a high -profile Canada Day event during COVID-19. The celebration will be held differently; staff are working on a toolkit and resources for residents to celebrate Canada and Clarington at home. The partnership also includes promotion across the Region with Durham Region Tourism taking the lead. Durham Tourism is also hosting a region -wide virtual three-hour event, which Clarington will also promote. Much of the information and resources are under Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 6 development. Tourism Staff are a part of the planning committee and working actively with Community Development to come up with a celebration that maintains physical distancing but helps to bring the community together. 2.4 Recommendation 4: "The Municipality of Clarington should review the municipal funding formula once the strategic plan has defined actions and commitments to Tourism Services. As part of the strategic plan, alternative types of revenues, such as destination fees, should be analyzed. Status: Ongoing Tourism staff continue to work with Durham Tourism as they lead the conversation on the potential Municipal Accommodation Tax at a Regional level. So far, Durham Tourism is still in the research phase, working with other municipalities who have already implemented the tax, speaking with accommodation providers, and looking at options for a potential model that could be implemented in Durham. One of the biggest challenges of establishing a model is creating an equitable funding structure. An issue that has been identified and is being examined. 2.5 Recommendation 5: "Clarington Tourism services should seek to reduce its overall costs for print publications by making them increasingly self -financed through participation by its tourism partners and through expanded use of digital media including online magazines." Status: Completed Even before COVID-19, Clarington Tourism made the decision to reduce printing costs by not creating a 2020 Visitor Guide. The Guide was a printed booklet highlighting some of the key events and festivals happening in Clarington. It was underutilized and, in many instances, out of date as soon as it was printed since event dates would change at the last minute and some events would be cancelled due to logistics. Instead, staff have proceeded with updating and printing the Tourism Map, a tool that many local stakeholders continue to ask for. Stakeholders value the map from a promotional aspect. It is also an excellent wayfinding tool and easy to distribute to guests and visitors. The Tourism maps are distributed to local businesses and stakeholders. The maps are also placed in Clarington Recreation Centres, libraries, museums and Ontario Travel Centres throughout the Province and sent to many tourism offices in Ontario. The Tourism maps are also available on the website and can be downloaded on demand. Working on various campaigns in 2019, Clarington Tourism has built a relationship and advertised in Narcity and BlogTo online magazines which have a combined reach of 153,000. Since advertising in these online magazines and working with social media influencers, BlogTO has organically promoted Clarington in three different articles with a reach of 86,828. Staff continue to leverage social media for all marketing and advertising, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we are seeing people turn away flyers and leaflets because of fears that the virus continues to live on those surfaces. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 7 2.6 Recommendation 6: "Tourism Services should actively seek to leverage other sources of government funding." Status: Ongoing The Tourism Division continually works with Durham Tourism and Central Counties Tourism on joint initiatives to maximize opportunities and pool funds where available. Tourism staff continue to apply for grants and assistance as applicable. In addition, Tourism staff continue to find and share funding opportunities for tourism stakeholders and local not -for -profit businesses. Since the start of the pandemic, Tourism Staff have sent out four newsletters to stakeholders informing them of the various funding and grant opportunities as well as resources and business -specific supports. Staff continue to liaise with Tourism counterparts regionally, provincially and federally. Clarington Tourism participates in industry calls, meetings and seminars to take note of all the latest information and developments to share these with local stakeholders. Please see the four newsletters published: • March 27, 2020 • April 2, 2020 • April 24, 2020 • May 6, 2020 These newsletters also share resources and tourism -specific business surveys administered by the Ministry of Tourism, the Regional Tourism Organizations and Invest Durham. These surveys are critical in understanding the current landscape, business challenges in terms of funding as we collectively look to creating a plan to reopen and restart the economy. Surveys are the primary way the provincial government is gathering information on industry -specific issues, which help create the framework for recovery in these sectors. 2.7 Recommendation 7: "Clarington Tourism should set up a kiosk at the Visitor Centre where people are able to buy tickets, lift passes and other items online." Status: Deferred for further review. This requires coordination with the local tourism industry as well as some significant work on the website. Since COVID-19, the Municipality is looking into e-commerce, future partnerships using online sales may be possible. As the impact of COVID-19 on normal business practices becomes clear, local businesses may turn to e-commerce as a potential solution to physical distancing rules. "Tourism Services can be a resource as well as provide a conduit to promoting local tourism. In September, Tourism Services will be moving to Community Services. The Division will fall under Client Services and report to the Manager. This move allows for a wealth of opportunity to increase promotion of Tourism Services utilizing the front-line customer service counters located at municipal recreation facilities. This will expand Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 8 communications as well as the potential reach as the facilities see thousands of visitors every day. In fact, the traffic at the Visitor Centre is only a fraction of the foot traffic each of the municipal facilities sees daily. This new exposure may be an opportunity to rethink the use of the Visitor Centre and will allow staff to increase Tourism's digital presence, a tool that is becoming a requirement in these COVID-19 times. This recommendation should be reviewed by the Tourism Advisory Committee to determine the practicality and benefit, as well as the cost of implementing a kiosk at the Visitor Centre. 2.8 Recommendation 8: "Clarington Tourism, working with the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, should begin an exploratory planning process to develop a themed approach to establishing Clarington as a tourism destination over time through the creation of one or more major tourism generators." Status: Ongoing On December 16, 2019, the Tourism Division held a facilitated visioning session with the Tourism Advisory Committee to establish a themed approach and a vision for Clarington Tourism. This new vision will provide a cohesive approach to marketing and branding Clarington Tourism as a destination. As mentioned, with the COVID-19 pandemic the Tourism Division is shifting and pivoting the focus on our local audience. As we reopen the community, the priority is that our residents "Rediscover Clarington." As more visitors come to Clarington to see relatives, Tourism Staff are working on messaging and branding to encourage them to explore our local community. Looking to 2021, as the pandemic evolves the market trend across Canada may see an increase in domestic travel as people shy away from foreign adventures. Clarington Tourism will be a looking at creating a future plan for marketing and advertising to leverage our community's many features including nature, agriculture, heritage, variety of unique businesses, festivals and events, recreation and leisure opportunities. 2.9 Recommendation 9: "Clarington Tourism Services should give priority to and focus more on its marketing and product development resources on the visiting friend and relatives' markets." Status: Ongoing This priority is certainly heightened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned, the Tourism Division will be focused on a new campaign, "Rediscovering Clarington" targeted at residents and their visiting family members. The number one priority will be pushing residents to shop and invest their money locally to help reinvigorate the economy. Post COVID-19, the first tourism sector to reopen will likely be the visiting friends and relatives (VFR). To effectively access and create messaging for this Tourism sector, Clarington is focusing on reaching our residents. Getting our residents engaged and enjoying all that Clarington has to offer is the first step in speaking with the potential VFR sector. We are launching 'Rediscover Clarington,' a campaign to encourage Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 9 residents to get back into the community, support and experience local businesses. This campaign includes social media, blogs, vlogs, website content and advertising opportunities. This will include highlighting businesses, showcasing when and how they reopen. Taking into consideration the amount of job loss or financial insecurity for some, we will also be including a 'Meet Clarington' aspect of the campaign. This will include interviews with local business owners and the people that make Clarington special. It will start building relationships between our residents and tourism stakeholders or business owners, increasing a feeling of community. Studies show that when someone feels connected with a business or a business owner, they are more loyal and spend more money supporting them. Tourism Staff are also working on a directory on the tourism website that will be updated to include information on what businesses are open and how they are operating. 2.10 Recommendation 10: "Following the establishment of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, it should provide ongoing engagement with the tourism sector and to increase their involvement in the planning, delivery and decision -making with respect to tourism services." Status: Ongoing The Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) has been extremely engaged and helpful in reaching out to the Tourism sector and assisting Clarington Tourism with engagement. TAC has provided advice and resources to help inform plans and decision -making. Prior to COVID-19, TAC helped administer surveys to gather information from attendees and statistics at local events. Since the pandemic, TAC has been very active assisting Tourism in creating a framework for promotion, marketing and stakeholder support when businesses reopen. Tourism staff connect and communicate with stakeholders in a variety of ways. As mentioned, staff have sent four industry -specific newsletters with information and resources to stakeholders. These newsletters also contain information from Tourism partners including Durham Tourism, Invest Durham and Central Counties. They contain information on webinars, opportunities to connect and provide input as well as any partnership funding opportunities offered. The newsletters also allow staff to communicate with stakeholders and ask for information on how they are pivoting and running their business differently. Staff use this information to create Tourism -specific messaging and promotion, helping the businesses get the word out to the community. Staff have also communicated the new vision for tourism and asked for stakeholder input in the plan for reopening post-COVID- 19. Clarington Tourism continues to engage and share information using various vehicles and tools as outlined. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 10 2.11 Recommendation 11: "Develop a Clarington Ambassador program with tourism partners and others in the community to promote Clarington as a tourism destination." Ambassadors are an important aspect of promoting a community. Status: Ongoing As outlined throughout the report, Clarington Tourism is creating a plan for jump-starting the communications and marketing as soon as Tourism businesses can operate. "Rediscover Clarington" is a campaign that will include a significant ambassador program to leverage our Tourism Advisory Committee, stakeholders and also residents as local community ambassadors. The campaign will showcase the wonderful people and business owners who make Clarington special. Community Services has more than 30 well -trained Customer Service Representatives (CSRs). With guidance from Tourism staff, an internal ambassador program can be developed. Community Services front-line staff can expand on the promotion of Clarington Tourism at various levels to local residents and external sports organizations. This can complement an external ambassador program that is being explored by Tourism staff. 2.12 Recommendation 12: "Undertake a Wayfinding Study as a project for the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Clarington Tourism, Durham Tourism and relevant municipal staff to develop an overall strategy to improve navigation, design, promotion and connectivity of tourism destinations in Clarington for Council consideration." Status: Pending The Tourism Advisory Committee did not identify wayfinding as a strategic priority. However, with the extension of Highway 407 and Highway 418, wayfinding will be critical to ensure that potential visitors do not bypass Clarington. Tourism staff will be conducting some research and working on cost -estimates as time allows. 2.13 Recommendation 13: "Work with CBOT to promote the small business enterprise services and set up improved referral services between Clarington Tourism and CBOT's small business assistance." Status: Ongoing Clarington Tourism continues to work with CBOT to help promote all activities and resources that support businesses. Tourism Staff promote all CBOT webinars and events through social media, in the Tourism office and the stakeholder newsletters. Tourism staff consistently shares plans for future campaigns, such as "Rediscover Clarington," in hopes to align goals and priorities as we seek to assist our stakeholders. Since COVD-19, stakeholders have new challenges and have identified new requests for assistance. Tourism Staff continue to engage CBOT in any stakeholder related communications, as we provide assistance and guidance to respond to these requests. That way, stakeholders benefit from support and expertise from both Tourism staff and CBOT. Also, as per the terms of reference, a representative from CBOT is a non -voting member of the Tourism Advisory Committee which allows CBOT to contribute to and keep informed on the Tourism Services activities and the tourism industry in Clarington. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 11 Tourism staff also assisted CBOT in researching and providing information for Board of Trade web pages containing information on local restaurants open for business and information on vulnerable shopping hours for seniors. 2.14 Recommendation 14: "Clarington should approach Central Counties Tourism to develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), access funding for its tourism strategy and gain insight into trends in the industry." AND Recommendation 15: "Clarington Tourism should develop a performance measurement system and performance measures to support its tourism marketing and event promotion. The performance measurement system should include reporting and performance measures and economic impact analyses." Status: In Progress Clarington Tourism is part of the Durham Tourism Municipal Leadership team, which meets regularly to examine industry trends, share best practices and collaborate on projects. The issue of KPIs has been brought up at meetings and preliminary discussions on setting metrics and measurables are taking place. Central Counties Tourism collects postal code data and has gathered this information from the past two years from local area events. Central Counties has shared this information with Tourism Staff. Clarington Tourism is in the process of analyzing this data to see how it can help identify visitor profiles and assist with the development of meaningful KPIs. All tourism teams are struggling with this issue. In light of COVID-19, Tourism is looking to the Ministry as they create the framework for recovery to include sector -specific metrics, goals and targets. Tourism Staff also use social media metrics and measurables to guide our marketing plans. These provide meaningful data on who is engaging, sharing and acting upon our messaging. The growth in social media and Clarington's following has been exponential. In fact, the Tourism Team was identified by the Region as a leader in vlogging and asked to present the Clarington Social Media plan and approach. This, however, was postponed due to the pandemic. In the Organizational Structure Review conducted by Grant Thornton LLP included Recommendation 26 "Implement Key Performance Indicators". As noted in section 6 of CAO-006-20, staff fully support this recommendation. The Municipality will be applying to the Audit and Accountability Fund to retain expert services to create a corporate -wide KPI system that builds on the Organizational Structure Review. If there is no funding available under that Program, Council did include funding in the 2020 budget within the CAO's budget to ensure this important work is completed. All departments will have input on this project. 2.15 Recommendation 16: "As part of the Clarington Tourism Strategy, a digital marketing strategy should be developed to ensure that there is integration with that strategy." Status: In Progress Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 12 Since the overall Tourism Strategy was approved late last year, staff have been working on a work plan and looking at the action items to set timeframes. The Tourism Division does have a digital marketing strategy that speaks to social media. This will be refined and aligned with the overall tourism strategy. As priorities change and the tourism markets shift, the digital strategy will continue to be refined and developed to pivot and respond to market changes. Tourism Staff are working on a digital marketing strategy for the "Rediscover Clarington" campaign this will be multi -tiered and robust. 3. Concurrence 3.1 This report has been reviewed by the Manager of Communications and Tourism as well as the Director of Community Services who concur with the recommendation. 4. Conclusion 4.1 As outlined in the report, Tourism Staff have accomplished many of the 16 priorities set out in the Tourism Service Delivery Review. Those priorities have been carefully evaluated and tailored to our current pandemic and post -pandemic environment. Staff continue to work hard to support businesses and stakeholders and further the goals as set out in the Strategic Plan approved by Council. 4.2 Work is ongoing to create a more robust web experience, as staff overhaul the website and build a directory of businesses that are open and will reopening as restrictions loosen. Stakeholder engagement is paramount during this COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Staff have been acting as a resources centre, doing the leg work and research on behalf of local stakeholders and businesses to keep them informed and abreast of any business support resources and plans for the recovery effort. 4.3 The Tourism Advisory Committee has met twice since the pandemic and is a continued resource and support to staff as Clarington Tourism creates a local, community -specific plan to assist our businesses in the recovery efforts. Plans are underway for a third meeting of TAC in June. 4.4 Clarington Tourism provides ongoing marketing and advertising support throughout the pandemic and a shop local promotion is going forward to help those who continue to provide services. 4.5 As well, the Municipality is promoting continuous process improvement throughout the corporation. Some of these improvements are facilitated through the Lean Sigma Six program. Others are the result of staff taking the initiative to review current processes. Municipality of Clarington Report CAO-013-20 Page 13 4.6 It is respectfully recommended that this Service Delivery Review Update for Tourism be received for information. Staff Contact: Basia Radomski, Manager, 905-623-3379 extension 2214 or bradomski(a_clarington. net There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.