Mary Lynch Associates - Services - Tourism Strategy

Tourism Strategy Projects

Development of a Tourism Growth Strategy for Luton & Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is one of the six counties that make up the East of England region. The county has felt isolated from the rest of the region and the 'poor relation' when promotions campaigns and marketing initiatives were being developed.

Under the national plans for housing development the area has been designated a Growth Area. This means that it will accommodate thousands of new houses and the local authorities were very keen to stimulate job growth as well as housing to avoid the problem of the area becoming a dormitory for London. The driver for the tourism growth strategy was predominantly job creation and the view that the assets of the area were under exploited.

The project required the development of a tourism strategy and marketing strategy that would deliver economic growth. This needed to be achieved alongside a process of winning hearts and minds and building civic pride. The project involved extensive consultation and culminated in taking the process through to a detailed Action Plan. The legacy was the creation of Experience Bedfordshire - a public private partnership that took responsibility for implementing the strategy.

Tourism Growth Strategy 2007-2012 (PDF 257kb)

Strategic Reviews

CINTRA is a company that delivers interpreting and translation services to Local Authorities, the NHS, the Courts and the Police. It has grown significantly and had reached a stage in its development where the Board needed to review its activities and set a clear strategic direction for the next few years. Mary Lynch Associates was engaged to work with the Board to facilitate their discussions on strategy and clarify values, priorities and roles for the future.

The Managing Director said, "My expectations were high and they were well met"

Visit York is the new company that has taken on the destination management role in York by combining the previous remit of York City Council, York Hospitality Association and York Tourism Bureau. Mary Lynch Associates was asked to facilitate the early discussions of the new Board in advance of the preparation of a new business plan and destination management plan.

Gillian Cruddas of Visit York said, "Mary Lynch is a good strategic thinker with a wealth of experience in the tourism industry"

Mapping a strategic direction for the UK tourism industry

The Tourism Alliance speaks on behalf of the Tourism Industry to the government and the media. The assignment was to produce a report for the Alliance which set out the key strategic issues facing the industry over the next five years on which action was needed. The report needed to provide a balanced view from the 50+ industry associations in membership of the Alliance and recommend a coherent plan of action. Director General of the Tourism Alliance, Richard Tobias, said:

"Mary Lynch Associates delivered what we all want from consultants - a clear understanding of the brief, a fast response, in depth research and a coherent, concise document in plain English delivered on time and on budget."

Tourism Alliance Annual Report (PDF 112kb)

Developing an integrated tourism strategy

Mary Lynch Associates was commissioned by Yorkshire Forward to develop a Strategic Framework for Tourism and the Visitor Economy looking forward to 2010. The brief was to develop a comprehensive approach that integrated closely with the review of the Regional Economic Strategy. The Framework also needed to be specific in its target setting and set out clear responsibilities for action. Consultation with a wide range of stakeholders was organised and a document was produced in September 2005.

The Framework (PDF 1.34mb)

More information on our services and recent projects