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Tourism chiefs aim to update town’s reputation
TOURISM chiefs are determined to help Eastbourne shed its blue rinse reputation as part of an in-depth study into the habits of out-of-towners visiting the resort.
For decades Eastbourne has been synonymous with pensioners, coach trip holidays and SAGA-style stop-overs.
Now though, decision-makers at the borough council want to lead a shift away from the grey pound.
A report published this week by Tracey McNulty, the council’s chief tourism officer, outlined the importance of splashing £30,000 of tax payers’ cash on an outside consultancy firm to carry out the research.
In it, Ms McNulty wrote, “In Eastbourne we have the further hindrance of an unfair reputation as being a resort populated by an older age-group, when in fact we are home to more young people that any other borough in the county.
“Challenging this reputation through making informed judgements of how to develop and promote the town to diverse markets – including younger families – as a place to live and work as well as holiday, relies on us understanding how we are perceived.”
According to estimates, around 4.8 million people visited Eastbourne last year – placing the resort smack bang in the Premier League of seaside towns.
It was also named as the second fastest growing resort in the UK last year.
Although large-scale events like Airbourne, the International Tennis Tournament and the many conferences held in the town will always attract sizeable crowds, the council wants to have a clear picture of exactly who it is who is coming to the area and what more can be done to add more people to their number.
Eastbourne Borough Council’s lead member for tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley, said “We are very excited to press forward with plans for a significant piece of research, which will really help us to understand our visitor profile and identify areas, which we can improve and build upon, to continue to attract new audiences to Eastbourne.
“The destination has so much to offer already but it is crucial to understand our visitors’ needs so that we can make well informed choices.”
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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Comments
There are 21 comments to this article
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DanielSpaniel
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 10:16 AMOh I forgot to mention that it's great to see it's not just the council who are seeing that Eastbourne is the new "cool getaway"! Enjoy England: Why Eastbourne is the new hip seaside getaway - Telegraph http:www.telegraph.co.uksponsoredtravelenjoy_england_trips8331271Enjoy-England-Why-Eastbourne-is-the-new-hip-seaside-getaway.html via @Telegraph
DanielSpaniel
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 10:14 AMI think its great that the Council is looking at ways to promote Eastbourne and help other people recognise what a lovely little town it is. Having lived most of the last 20 years in the town I've seen it change for the better. I've lived elsewhere and keep returning to the town as its such a pleasant place to live and I'm very grateful to be able to bring up my children here. There will always be things we don't like about the place and people will have their individual opinions but its hard to deny living in the sunniest place in the UK is a blessing (lets hope Hastings don't manage to steal the title away from us!). I took one of my children to the Towner recently and was really impressed. To have such a modern beautiful (I know others may disagree) building in Eastbourne is one thing but to have it free to anyone to look around is even better. Regarding the Eastbourne Centre (Old TGWU building) it does stand out on the front but I was lucky enough to go in during Airbourne last year and was surprised by how nice it was inside. Add to this the Grand, The Big Sleep, the York House hotel and The Cavendish and Eastbourne has a great number of quality hotels for visitors to stay in in Eastbourne. I like the idea of a disabled friendly town. Not something I'd ever considered but thanks SBC22 for pointing that out. I wonder how much needs to be altered to capitalise on that? Is it just specific signage to make wheelchair users aware of where low curbsaccess etc are or is there more infrastructure change needed? Good thread and I hope we can have lots more constructive comments! -DC
EastbourneCan
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 07:40 PMSorry to hear that. I personally (one of the EastbourneCan founders) had a couple of jobs in central government and it can be very slow and frustrating due to the sheer number of checks and balances you have to go through. Then it takes ages to get budget approval for anything. Government often isn't fast! But, like you, we've found the Eastbourne council officers very polite and positive. And if they've been able to do something quickly (e.g. Let us use the Towner space for our digital meeting) they've come up with the goods either on the spot or within a day or two. It's up to all of us to keep coming up with concrete ideas for the place and we should see some progress.
Veracity
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 06:27 PMYes. Needed listed building consent a few years back. They were very polite and very positive, but so slow and pernickity in practice that I lost interest and sold up. You too will find out the hard way that they have taken prevarication to the status of an art form. I wish you luck, but won't hold my breath!
EastbourneCan
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 05:33 PMVeracity, have you ever spoken to any councillors or council officers?
Veracity
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 09:24 AMMany many years of bad experience EastbourneCan. Party politics taking preference over the needs of the town. The overdevelopment and lack of facilities at Sovereign Harbour. The horrible Towner and TGWU buildings. The planners rejecting any development that might actually bring money into the town. eg The proposed eatery opposite Treasure Island. The madness of building so many flats that have now swamped the market and become unsellable, leading to the council renting them from developers to house families with children who should be in houses. The sight of balconies in Sovereign Harbour full of washing,old fridges and several children at play is just not right. The awful state of the Pier. Charging for Airbourne, all that blue polythene screening off the bandstand from non payers. The total neglect of The Wish Tower Restaurant. The list goes on and on and the leopard doesn't change its spots. I wish you all the luck in the world, but at the end of the day the Council will just shake its' collective head and bemoan the lack of cash.
EastbourneCan
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 05:42 PMCan I ask what contact the posters in this thread have had with the council? We only ask because we've found them receptive and helpful so far. On Thursday night we managed to get 60 creative, digital and media businesses together at the Towner (the first step in growing this aspect of Eastbourne's economy) and the council was very supportive. If you want Eastbourne to improve, you need to come forward with solid proposals rather than slinging rocks on this board.
Eastbourne-pirate
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 07:30 AMYou may want tyo hold off on the Tourism drive, Apparently according to the other thread someone might drop a hundred-megaton Turnip in London and we'll all be cooked in time for tea.
Veracity
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 08:27 PM'We don't inhabit that world' SBC? Accepting the status quo never got anyone anywhere. Of course we can have apolitical local government if we want it enough. We can also have a police force and an education system fit for purpose. We can have public utilities that work for the consumer and not for fat cats and shareholders. Ditto the railways. Criminals can be properly punished, and deported if immigrants, legal or otherwise. It just needs governments to have the guts to govern and decent people to have the guts to support them. Not many of us left who remember when this was a decent hard working nation. Which means that the younger, modern citizens, those who have the energy and will to change things, just accept the mess, and it gets worse. The bent and the greedy get richer, the poorer get still poorer. How long before we go the way of Greece and Italy?
SBC22
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:07 PMThanks Veracity and I agree - as to the age re baby-boomers - yeah, hands up - but what I think I made very plain was that I was trying to comment on the article re bringing Eastbourne up to date, not on the wisdom (lacking or otherwise) of councillors. Nor may I add on anybody else's comments or opinions. Simply put, the area lends itself to a natural environment which could attract disabled people with money to spend who worklive in London. The amount necessary to spend would be minimal and would also modernise the town and surrounding area making it unique in regard to other south coast resorts - OK. How or what others spend or do in their holiday time is none of my business. And as the other commentator made it clear he would never spend any time in Eastbourne I merely queried why he was commentating on the subject. As to an ideal world - Yes it would be nice if we could take politics out of the system in regard to supplying social services and the making of local area decisions, but unfortunately we don't inhabit that world and we have to deal with things as they are, not as we wish it to be and simply vote (or not) accordingly. Please don't assume I'm being rude but I think, for me, that's enough on this subject. Thanks for your input.
Veracity
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 07:47 PMProblem SBC22 is that you don't make yourself clear and concise. I too found myself wondering about your ambiguity. I think Ron is deploring the lack of council leadership that has made Eastbourne what it is today. That surely should concern us all who live in the area, no matter what our age or outlook. If Eastbourne needs a council then it needs a council where party politics are banned, and should consist of people of proven business acumen and honesty who have only the interests of the town in mind and not their party standing or personal wealth.
SBC22
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 03:29 PMOh Dear... Roneoron, No not Lourdes - I believe that's a place for those seeking miracles not holidays do try harder - disability has moved on and changed a bit since the fifties. Thanks again for the update re your lifestyle, truly amazingly interesting and informative - no perhaps you don't touch the stock exchange but many pension companies do - thus my comment on poor returns and the effect for many about to retire. Still, Eastbourne's future is of very little interest to you as you say in a previous post... 'quite frankly I'd never spend a few days in any morgue of a British seaside resort stuck in the 1950s like Eastbourne...'' so one wonders why you are commenting on this issue at all after all ... must be a dull week - perhaps another break in that country hotel is called for?
roneoron
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 12:39 PMDo keep up SBC22. You must be a little more precise. I think I've finally figured out what you're trying to say. You're trying to configure Eastbourne as the new Lourdes. Good idea. A shrine on the Wish Tower slopes would probably bring in loads of dosh for the town's under performing council. If you read the post properly you'd see that I said I was 'fortunate' enough to have two final salary pensions, ie I am happy with them, and well aware that thanks to modern management, most of whom couldn't manage a tea bar, final salary schemes are now deemed too expensive. I was merely commenting on savings capital, which thanks again to greedy and inept people in positions for which clearly they are not competent, now gathers virtually no interest. I wouldn't touch the Stock Exchange with a bargepole, being convinced that only inside traders and financial advisers ever make money from it. I'm a happy bunny with my lifestyle SBC22. What I'm not happy with is the state of this country in virtually every aspect when compared to the times of my youth when everything from the railways to the education system performed reasonably effectively.
SBC22
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:13 AMMany thanks for the history lesson 'Roneoron', I admit on re-reading my post one could assume that I meant those born in the sixties but in fact what I meant was habits formed in the sixties by the 'baby boomer generation' as to lifestyle choices since then. We were the first teenagers to have economic independence and as such travel & independent travel. I'm sorry that you have had such bad luck re your two occupational pensions but that's the risk one takes entering the stockmarket as many investors sadly know, what one is aware of is that younger generations of workers are being denied any chance to enter similar schemes as were open a few years back. I wasn't discussing old values or discipline or how things should be rather than as they actually are - I was commenting on (as I see it) an opportunity to utilize the natural lay-out of the area combined with the distance from London to create a possible niche market for disabled people. One can agree or not and that's fine, but please don't interpretative any of my comments as a view on your personal lifestyle choice because, quite simply, I was writing re the article not discussing you or your opinions.
Carter
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 09:21 PMI commute to London on the snailrail each day and let me tell you as a resident of 2 years (early 30s), I've often considered moving up the track thanks to the excruciatingly slow and expensive rail set-up. Faster trains into London Bridge and Victoria would encourage younger people to move to Eastbourne. Attract younger moneyed residents like me, keep them here and you'll change the demographic profile; their friends will come flocking down with money to burn. It might be a hard truth to face but Eastbourne's a laughing stock among people in my age bracket, and you can't change that reputation with horse rides. You need to improve infrastructure. Instead of wasting £30 grand on a pointless research project, how about asking the residents why they think Eastbourne has such an embarrassing reputation?
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