Introduction
The city of Cambridge, known for its culture, heritage and the numerous institutions of excellence attracts a large number of tourists from across the world. This globally renowned centre of higher education has been the home of great thinkers and scientists for the past 500-600 years and has made immense contribution in shaping up the world that we see as it is today. This is the place where atom was first split, neutrons and electrons were discovered, the renowned theory of evolution was coined by Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity . The University of Cambridge, which has contributed renowned scientists and great minds in numerous other areas, is currently one of the greatest universities in the world attracting thousands of students from across the world. The present day Cambridge is a fine slice of history, with numerous gothic architecture buildings, narrow alleys, winding waterways and centuries’ old buildings standing majestically dotting the skyline of this small town. It is a city that escaped the fierce bombings and enemy attacks during the two world wars, a factor which has helped Cambridge to save its showpieces to the future generations.
The tourism landscape across the world is changing with the approach, practice and delivery witnessing disruptive innovation and emergence of newer ideas. Technology has become a major enabler in tourism as the world is more connected now than ever before and the role of social media in promotion and other tourism related activities is at its peak of prominence. This report prepared with the intention of finding out newer ways to re-package Cambridge is embedded within the tourism system of Cambridge and focuses on the importance of adopting slow tourism principles, the advantages and the methodologies for its implementation. The influence of macro-external environment, with a focus on the role of smart technologies in the itinerary and strategy is also discussed in detail in this report.
Tourism Mapping and Stakeholder Analysis
Cambridge, though mostly known for its tradition and culture, has developed into a full blown tourist destination offering travellers with multiple vistas to explore. However, the hub of attraction of the city still is its age old buildings, tradition and history. It is estimated that in 2014 around 418,000 tourists visited the city contributing approximately £300 million to the economy . The maximum number of tourists was in the age group 25-34, followed by 45-54 and 35-44, with the majority of the international tourists from rest of Europe, North America and Asia . Also, thanks to the efforts in promoting slow tourism, the average length of stay in Cambridge is more than any other popular destination in the U.K . The present day Cambridge offers a wide variety of attractions catering to a wide variety of tourist population. Cambridge and Beyond, the official agency responsible for the tourism related activities in Cambridge and surrounding areas has classified the offerings to nine broad segments -
Official Walking Tours
Punting, Bus and Bike Tours- The major activities include punting tours, riverboat and narrow boat river cruises, bike, bus and coach tours
Museums, Galleries and Attractions - The major attractions include museums, galleries, sculpture trails, daytime outing etc.
Architecture and Heritage- Covers colleges and universities, churches, chapels, stately homes, etc. .
Entertainment and Nightlife- Cambridge is home to numerous bars, clubs, cinemas, theatres and music venues
Parks, natural reserves and gardens
Sport and leisure activities that include punting, boating, cycling, walking, Golf, etc.
The other major offerings include film and television locations, angling, archaeology, horse riding, shopping, museums beyond the town limits, etc..
Slow Tourism in Cambridge
The concept of slow tourism is gaining acceptance world over, even though it is mostly prominent in the western world. Industrialization during the 19th century, internet and telecommunication technologies in the 20th century and social media in the 21st century have all made our lives fast and easy. The concept of life itself has changed and most of the people around the world are engaged in constant and never ending rat race for achieving various comforts and pleasures of life. Time has become very scarce and expensive and the focus shifted towards materials that are short and well packaged. This way of life is very much visible in tourism as well where packaged tours focus on covering the maximum in the available time resulting in whirlwind tours that never provides a quality experience to the visitor. The tourists never get the chance to dwell deep into the history or culture of the place and their sights get limited to just the brick and mortar of the ancient monuments. Such a practice is also not sustainable as the tourists spend the minimum (rather, do not get the chance to spend) contributing little to the local economy. Slow tourism, which developed as an offshoot of the slow food movement in Italy during the 1980s is particularly sensible for ancient cities like Cambridge where the objects of interests are to be touched and felt to realize and appreciate their greatness. It should be said that the attempts to bring in this change is showing some amount of success. As stated above, Cambridge scores above the other popular tourist destinations in the U.K in the number of days spent in the city by a tourist. The tourists get the chance to explore the city in greater detail, understand the historical importance and identify the culture, mingle with the locals and get a taste of the way of life in the city. The tourists also can explore the numerous educational centres of excellence dotting the city and can get a direct view of the teaching and learning methodologies practiced at these institutes that make them renowned world over. Among the classification of various destinations explained above, the focus should be on the sites of cultural interests and historical importance, with the rest of the recreational facilities like bars, pubs, restaurants, parks, shopping etc. getting secondary consideration, playing the support role.
Key Stakeholders
The major stakeholders involved in promoting tourism in Cambridge include-
Visit Cambridge and Beyond- Official tourism body responsible for managing tourism activities in Cambridge and surrounding areas including marketing and showcasing Cambridge to the domestic and international markets
South Cambridgeshire District Council- Local authority managing South Cambridgeshire district in Cambridgeshire. Along with the Cambridgeshire County Council, it forms the lower part of the two-tier local Government system. Some of the major responsibilities of the council include managing trash bins; collect council tax, providing housing needs, control the environmental regulations, conducting local body elections, managing the transportation system etc.
Cambridgeshire County Council- The upper part of the local Government system, Cambridgeshire County Council formed in 1889 manages the needs of residents as well as that of businesses. The council manages births, deaths and marriages, consumer protection, health and well-being of its citizens, managing libraries, leisure and culture, travel, roads, parking, waste management, economic development, planning and development, support for businesses, etc.
Cambridge City Council- The district council provides facilities and services in and around the city that includes pest control, pollution, noise and nuisance management, food safety, dog warden, council tax, arts and culture, swimming and paddling pools, public art, etc. .
England’s heritage cities- Heritagecities.com is a website maintained jointly by the Heritage Cities Group. The website provides information on planning a visit to either of these cities, or a group of these cities or all of them. The cities covered include Cambridge, Bath, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Greenwich, Lancaster, Lincoln, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and York.
Other Stakeholders- The other major stakeholders involved include the University and College authorities, students, local shop keepers, travel and tourism agents, tourist guides, etc.
PESTLE Analysis
This section will focus on the external factors influencing tourism in Cambridge and the role of technological developments in promoting tourism and ensuring a satisfying experience to the traveller. PESTLE analysis as detailed below will help to understand the current standing of tourism industry and the current and potential factors that may impact the tourism in a positive or negative way.
Political and Legal- Stability of the administration is of paramount importance to the well-being of the tourism industry. Currently, the city is ruled by a minority government which is facing allegations of inefficiency in administration and framing policies. Also, there is a growing level of resentment among the local populace, regarding overcrowding of the city’s narrow streets and sharing of facilities, lack of civic culture among the tourists and rise in the number of organized crimes and touts. The city’s original inhabitants are also complaining about the exponential rise in the cost of living. There is also a growing fear of the administration imparting prominence to tourism and ignoring other major contributors.
Economic Factors- Tourism is a currently a major contributor to the economy of Cambridge. Tourist inflows and the money spent have been showing steady progress over the past few years. However, a global recession like that happened in 2008-’10 can derail the industry. Even today, the slowdown in Europe and China are posing grave threat to the industry. Statistics show that the average length of stay in Cambridge is more than the other major tourist destinations in the U.K. However, the number of tourists visiting the city and the total revenue generated still lags behind majority of the other tourist attractions in U.K. In order to compete with other major tourist hubs like London or Edinburgh, Cambridge needs to be innovative and develop a sustainable economic model like slow tourism to make the day trippers stay back for a few days and thus generate a consistent source of income.
Social Factors- The major social factors affecting the tourism prospects include ageing populations, particularly in the Europe, North America, Japan and China. This is critical since the majority of the international tourists to Cambridge are from these nations. In addition to this is the burden of economic slowdown, which is affecting the social welfare schemes of many Governments across the world. Even the changes in the family structures impact the tourism sector. The singles market is growing along with the childless couple category. All of these factors calls for major strategy changes and can be the potential challenges for the future
Technological Factors- Some of the major technological factors include development of an efficient transport mechanism, both inter-city and intra-city, popularization of alternate fuel vehicles and electric vehicles, exploration of wind and solar power, developments in the area of information and communication technology like mobile applications, social media groups, readily available information, online reservation avoiding the middlemen, e-marketing, virtual tours, electronic ticketing mechanism and self check-in facilities, etc. .
Environmental Factors- Environmental factors are a great matter of concern in most of the global tourist destinations. The causes for the concern can be macro as well as micro. Some of the prominent macro environmental factors include global warming and the resultant climate change, rise in the number of natural disasters, both at the location as well as the target nations and its impact on the economy, etc. A few of the micro environmental factors include the pollution of the area owing to the rising commercialization, protection of ancient monuments from pollution triggered degradation, etc. The tourism industry in Cambridge and U.K are big proponents of green tourism, which advocates preservation and protection of various plant and animal species and habitats, large scale recycling, adoption of renewable sources of energy like sun and wind and focus on efficient use of the energy
Technological Developments and Tourism Experience
Tourism industry worldwide has been one of the earliest adopters of the advancements made in the area of information and communication technology. Cambridge is also doing the same and there is ample scope for furthering its scope and introduce newer models of technology based developments. Cambridge has developed a web based app called as CultureFinder, which displays images of the showpieces of Cambridge, provides the visitor the options of browsing through the readymade tours as well as creating a customized virtual tour through selection of the places that he/she wants to see. The idea of the website is to create awareness and generate interest among the target customers on the city and its tourist attractions .
Execution of Tourism Itinerary
The underlying idea behind the development of the new itinerary is enhancing the customer experience right from the time they plan for the trip till they take the return flight back home. One of the major activities envisioned to achieve this state is the development of an all-in-one portal and mobile application where the target customer can get every bit of information required, plan his itinerary or seek the administration’s help in customizing the itinerary that suits his requirements. The portal will provide the customer with multiple itinerary options for him to choose from. The customer can also browse through the database of tour agents that will be available in the website and contact them. Once the itinerary is finalized, the portal will then help the customer to find suitable flight connections, local travel arrangements, visitor passes and self check-in options. He can also book accommodation by choosing from the entire list of hotels/resorts/home-stays. The portal will also have a dedicated FAQ section, which will cover the common queries/concerns of the travellers and the responses. Additional help will be provided to the international travellers through dedicated call centres which will help them to deal with concerns regarding local customs and traditions, paper works, travel plan, guide assistance etc. The portal will also have multiple language options to choose from and will have French, German, Spanish and Japanese, in addition to English.
The portal and the pre-loaded itineraries are designed with all types of travellers in mind and the traveller can choose from the itinerary of his choice and preference and even has got the option of devising his own itinerary.
Role of Digital and Physical Mediums
Both digital and physical mediums have to play a very important role in the itinerary developed and the strategy adopted. The portal envisioned will provide the user with multiple itinerary options starting with a day’s trip to ones spanning over a week. Also, as mentioned above, the tourist can customize the itinerary according to his convenience. Once the itinerary is finalized, tickets are booked and the required payments are made, the client will get the full itinerary on his mobile phone as well as on his email provided. If the booking is made through the mobile application, the itinerary will be downloaded on to the mobile. The client will also get periodical reminders and digital marketing content on the new additions/attractions, festivals, carnivals and other events on both his mobile number and the email id. The tourist will even get the barcoded digital passes on his mobile phone and he just need to wave it at the entrance. In places where the digital passes are not accepted, the physical passes will be provided to the tourist. If the booking is made for a group, the digital passes will cover all members of the group. In addition to the conveniences mentioned above, the tourist will also get access to gift coupons, both in digital and physical forms which he can claim at the specific shops/restaurants/theatres which have issued the coupons. As a part of the digital marketing strategy, responsive experience through gaming will be introduced, which can be accessed either online through the web or can be downloaded as an application in the mobile phone. The target is to maximize the digital reach, but physical means also still hold strong.
Adherence to Integrated Marketing Communications
As can be seen from the above sections, the marketing communications will involve the extensive use of both digital and print/traditional media. Social media will be a great enabler in communicating with the global tourists and its scope will be explored to the fullest in ensuring consistent and catchy advertising efforts. Search Engine Optimization techniques can be used to promote the portal among the potential target markets . In addition to this, online Google ads can be placed at strategic websites, email campaigns/email surveys can be conducted, and travel portals can also be used to effectively communicate with the target population. The tourism administration of Cambridge should conduct online contests through their websites and involve the site visitors for crowdsourcing of ideas. The physical medium of communication should also be explored to the fullest like newspaper advertorials, television advertisements, press releases, event sponsorship at home and abroad etc.
Relevance of Itinerary
The itinerary or rather the choice of itineraries provides the tourist with the option of picking up the attractions that he want to spend time at. For a city like Cambridge, the focus is always on projecting its culture, tradition and the marvellous architecture. The other crowd pullers like shopping areas or fine dining areas are the complementary sites, which the tourist can choose to pick or ignore. The choice of itineraries provided in the portal also focuses on the primary core offering of Cambridge. This is relevant since it helps to attract a wide spectrum of tourists of different age groups and travelling on different purposes. The itinerary also stresses on promoting slow tourism, encouraging the tourists to spend a few days in the town to get the real feel of its culture, heritage and values.
Influence of External Factors
As discussed above, the PESTLE factors have the potential to impact Cambridge tourism in a positive or negative manner. A terrorist attack, outbreak of an epidemic or global or local political unrest can derail the itinerary plans. A government level push to digitization, favourable environmental policies, expansion of the infrastructure facilities will contribute to the benefit of the industry . Similarly, a global economic slowdown can adversely impact the tourism prospects, as was witnessed during the 2008-2010 period. Conversely, a strong economic growth in the major economies, favourable exchange rates, etc. will enable more people to travel and explore places. Social events like the FIFA World Cup or Olympics will ensure a steady flow of tourists into the country. Intercultural differences and resentment among the local residents regarding the sharing of resources and overcrowding of city’s facilities can act as a dampener . Technological factors are great enablers that can act positively most of the times in tourism. Tourism is one sector where the developments in ICT are adopted first and put to use to the benefit of the key stakeholders. Environmental factors are an area of growing concern and are highly prioritized in Cambridge. In the event of any catastrophe, either in UK or the tourists’ nations, the tourism sector will be adversely hit. Efforts like green tourism propose environmentally responsible actions to protect the environment in the wake of heightened tourism activities.
Role of Technology
The role of technology in the itinerary has been explained in detail in the above sections. The itinerary has been made technology friendly since that will help in reaching out to the target market more quickly and efficiently.
Constraints and Limitations
Some of the factors that may hamper the strategy include-
Poor response to the portal due to an unattractive/unfriendly interface, lack of adequate marketing efforts
Incompetence of the pre-loaded itineraries/rejection by the market
High level of dependency, since the portal is envisioned to collaborate multiple stakeholders- any non-cooperation can weaken the link
Portal maintenance requiring high level of expertise
Macro-environmental factors such as a global economic slowdown or extreme weather
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