TORBAY is losing visitors. But the Bay remains the biggest tourist destination in Devon and the second biggest in the South West after the Bath and Bristol area.

While it is not the only destination with falling visitor numbers, the rate of decline in the resort is faster than in other areas — while the rest of Devon has actually started to increase its numbers.

That upward trend is the target of Torbay's new tourism strategy.

Carolyn said: "I live locally and have visited Torbay on many occasions and understand the huge importance of tourism to the Bay. It is a wonderful destination to sell with a huge amount of potential. But I cannot emphasise enough the need for everyone involved in the tourism industry to now work together and support this very important tourism review.

"I will be meeting as many people as possible to secure a consensus on the 'right way forward' and I would encourage anyone who has an interest in tourism to take part in the consultation."

But it is not just visitor numbers but the amount they spend in the resort which is one of the biggest challenges to overcome, she said. Visitors to areas like the South Hams spend more there during their stays than those enjoying the English Riviera. That is despite the fact that visitors are twice as likely to be staying overnight in Torbay than South Hams and Teignbridge. However when it comes to the number of day visitors, the two districts attract just as many as the resort.

A large chunk of tourism spending in Torbay is on accommodation, which means holidaymakers don't spend that much in the Bay while they are here.

Carolyn, whose Close Focus team has taken on the job of rewriting the resort's tourism strategy, explained: "If we get existing visitors to spend just £10 more a day in Torbay, it would make such a difference.

"I am not here to alienate anybody. But over the last 20 years the bulk of the Bay's business has been the budget family and budget group pensioners. Nothing wrong with that. We don't want to lose that business, but if you rely on those groups too heavily, the kinds of businesses created locally reflect what those visitors spend their money on.

"That is why Torquay harbourside looks the way it does. It is trinkets, pocket money purchasing. Because the core market visitors eat where they stay, there hasn't been the demand for new food and drink outlets from self-catering visitors. The tourism offered in Torbay is too traditional and somewhat tired," she said.

"It's the opposite in the South Hams where there is as much, if not more, self-catering accommodation as there is serviced."

At the same time Carolyn believes there are many ways to encourage the budget visitors to spend more while here.

"I am already talking to operators like Shearings to encourage them to design their itineraries so they visit Torbay attractions. For example places like Kents Cavern and Babbacombe Model Village don't have large numbers of coach visitors."

With the aim of increasing visitor numbers in the off-peak months, Carolyn is already talking to the Torbay Tourism Attraction Partnerships about setting up an 'attractions passport' which the big operators and language schools can buy into, giving their visitors unlimited visits to attractions.

The biggest challenge is pulling together the 2,000-piece giant jigsaw which is tourism in Torbay, she says. It needs to be as easy for tourists to find out about and book the Bay's facilities and attractions as easily as if they were going on a CenterParcs holiday.

"If we could just join the pieces up and make the experience easy for visitors to buy into, Torbay would be the UK's premier destination, I really believe that," she said. "At the moment the accommodation is a bit tired but it is quality rated. However the visitor experience is also tired, particularly the retail offer.

"You have to look at the Bay from the eyes of the visitor who has been to places like Brighton, Cardiff and Bristol and seen the changes there. People here need to experience other places to realise the business has moved on.

"I have many friends in the South Hams who just don't consider Torbay as a destination. They go to places like Plymouth Barbican which is a fantastic example of regeneration. In two years they moved all the nightclubs out, which they need to do here, and have made the area attractive with eating places and umbrellas outside."

Carolyn says one of her strengths is that she is not just looking at how better to market and promote Torbay, but how to improve visitors' experience.

"What's missing in Torbay is proper destination management. We need to go back to the drawing board and revisit what it is our visitors want and co-ordinate it for them.

"We could develop, under the umbrella brand of the English Riviera, sub-brands such as the great outdoors for activities including walking, cycling, fishing, short break, fun family breaks including attractions 'passports'."

She added: "There's nothing wrong with the traditional offering, except that it dominates the resort and is putting off new, higher-spending people. And when those people — for example, the double-income-no-kids couples who take short breaks around the world for a food and drink experience — find Torbay isn't up to the kind of standard they have found elsewhere, they won't come back. If visitors are only spending 99p on chips they won't care so much.

"First impressions when you drive round the resort are not good. For example, some of the signage is cluttered and old fashioned. We need some stronger policing on signing to ensure that the first impressions are positive. If we are to be the English Riviera, then the image has to be consistent throughout."

Carolyn said they believed the English Riviera brand name was still valuable.

"We haven't looked at the detail of the design but will be asking in our survey of the industry whether the name should be kept or not, and why.

"We are not thinking of throwing out the name, but we think the industry is not being guided about its use. It's not on signs, literature or websites. Then we want to work up some new brand-use guidelines. If every business used it in their promotion just imagine how many more people would have heard of the English Riviera."

She said there were several examples of industry excellence already in the Bay whose businesses are growing such as Blue Chip Vacations and Hoburne Holiday Park in Paignton.

Another part of the strategy will be to review existing planning controls, such as restrictions on changing use from tourism accommodation, looking at whether brownfield sites could be used for tourism and discussing the future of holiday parks.

Carolyn said: "I believe in strict planning controls. The policies were and have been very important to Torbay, but they need to evolve, although you still need them to ensure cluster development of tourism facilities."

Areas key to the Bay's future development include its harboursides and waterfronts, said Carolyn.

"In my experience the catalyst for change will be the refurbishment of Torquay inner harbour. If you see what has happened in places like Brighton Marina or Cardiff, the waterfront will create a Riviera feel, a marine ambience, big boats which everybody loves to see."

But with the cutbacks in Government funding she said Torbay would now have to rely on private investment. And private investment is already taking place, for example with Peter De Savary's Cary Arms project at Babbacombe.

"The fact Peter De Savary is interested in Torbay is a very positive sign," she said. "He's a very shrewd man with great business acumen. I've seen what he has done elsewhere. He is a catalyst for change.

"Paignton has enormous potential as a family fun resort, as well as attracting older visitors because it's flat. But there needs to be joined up thinking on all the water sports available."

She said the retail sector, a vital part of the industry, could also benefit.

"There's nothing authentically 'Devon' to purchase here. Things like locally-produced jewellery, accessories, handbags. There are no lifestyle branded shops. Some of the best shops I have seen are at the attractions, Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts and Kents Cavern.

"You have to rebuild the retail offering which includes the high street brands which give the consumer confidence that your destination is good enough, but include independent traders, local crafts shops or a Torbay trading company."

She said one of the reasons the South Hams has done so well is that it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and has made responsible tourism core to its strategy for 20 years.

"I don't think that's right for Torbay though it has some stunning scenery. But the industry has to embrace responsible tourism because climate change is happening and you can also improve the visitors' experience."

The community of Torbay also need to appreciate the importance of tourism, she said. "I know at times visitors can be a pain, but because it is a tourist destination you have the shops you have, the parks, the theatres. They must be positive about the Bay and encourage people to enjoy the Bay."

One of the suggestions will be an off-season community discount card across the Bay for attractions and food and drink.

She added: "We want everyone involved in tourism to take part in the strategy consultation which includes taxi drivers, the ferries, the buses, shop workers, hairdressers. This isn't just about accommodation providers. Taxi drivers need to appreciate that they give many visitors their first impression of a place.

"We want to know the success stories we can build on, achievements and investments in your own business and awards won, to identify what opportunities they see for growth both for the resort, the towns and your own business.

"We want people to let us know what the problems are, and things which are inhibiting growth in tourism such as planning policies, national legislation and regulations, or skills shortages."

She concluded: "This summer could be a bumper summer by default because of the euro exchange rate and because family holidays are the last things people will cut back on. People who would normally go abroad may be coming here for the first time, and the number of foreign visitors is up. It could be a make or break year. This summer the warmest of welcomes from everyone they meet couldn't be more important."

The tourism survey is available at /www.englishriviera.co.uk/site/trade/consultation-survey or hard copies are available for collection from Torquay, Paignton and Brixham Tourist Information Centres or by contacting the English Riviera Tourist Board at marketing@torbay.gov.uk