Forward Land worked in partnership with Hotel Solutions who were engaged to provide an assessment of the current accommodation provision and opportunities for growth within Blaby District. The work informed the Council’s work with its tourism partnership, to deliver the identified opportunities. The outputs provided a clear assessment of next steps incorporating both potential partners and sites.
The scope of work built upon a well-developed methodology for delivering such studies. The study required the team to pro-activity identify development opportunities for new accommodation. Then to set out a plan of action to accelerate their delivery to increase staying visitor numbers and associated spend.
Stakeholder consultations took place with key council managers. We liaised closely with Tourism, Economic Development, Planning Policy, Development Management and Estates Managers. Beyond the Council, stakeholder consultations included major sources of demand from attractions, sporting facilities, corporate expansion, population growth, constructions and infrastructure projects. These were used to identify the scope for growth in tourism markets and the opportunity to meet this growth.
The policy framework and strategic context for accommodation development was reviewed, covering planning, economic development, tourism and growth. An audit of current visitor accommodation supply took place to better understand current supply and gaps in provision. The audit identified key characteristics by type, size, standard and location. This was married to a detailed assessment of the performance of the visitor accommodation in Blaby District. Time was also spend collating the latest trends in demand and product to help shape the recommendations.
Finally, a high level of soft market testing took place, interviewing developers, operators and investors of visitor accommodation to measure appetite for investment into the district. The modules of research and analysis were drawn together to identify gaps in provision and opportunities for accommodation development. A concluding section of the report matched the market potential to the interest with the strongest sites. This formed the basis for an action plan going forward to accelerate delivery on the ground.
The findings were presented to senior management team and committee, highlighting further actions needed to bring the recommendations to life.
