Business Plan 2021

Overview

Go New Forest (GNF) is a “not for profit” Community Interest Company providing a destination-wide partnership to manage and develop tourism and the visitor economy throughout the New Forest National Park and wider district. Established in April 2017 with the support of New Forest District Council, New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry England, the GNF staff and Board are drawn from the previous destination partnership of New Forest Tourism Association and New Forest District Council’s tourism service which it replaces. 

Whilst its 2021 Business Plan and its Destination Marketing & Recovery Plan are designed to help the destination recover from the Covid-19 Pandemic, GNF’s overall approach is still founded on the VERB model of destination management (see below) which puts “forest first” tourism at the heart of all activities. GNF and its members will therefore continue to champion the common purpose of maintaining the special qualities of the destination and establishing mutuality between the needs and demands of Visitors, Environment, Residents and Businesses. 

The CIC’s 220 Tourism and 350 Go New Forest Card Scheme businesses and its partner organisations form a comprehensive network of relationships. This network is ideally positioned to nurture recovery and assist local businesses make the most of their own development, operation and promotion whilst collectively delivering the best possible quality and value of experience for all visitors. It is a unique relationship structure which if effectively supported will significantly aid prosperity and help to improve the quality of all local life. 

Vision

To develop and promote the New Forest as a high-quality destination whilst seeking to protect and enhance its special qualities and grow business by inspiring people world-wide to visit responsibly all year round. In doing so, GNF will work closely with all interests to promote the natural, cultural and commercial attributes of the New Forest for the benefit of GNF member businesses and in doing so; the wider New Forest economy.

The Go New Forest Model   

Is the precept that all Visitor, Environment, Resident and Business (VERB) interests are fundamentally inter-related and mutually inclusive. This principle beats at the heart of all GNF’s work and is the formula we are using to build an all-embracing network of interests throughout the New Forest to promote common sense as common practice and develop common relationships to deliver common benefit using the visitor economy as an engine for positive outcomes.  

GNF will utilise this network and its recognition of shared interest, benefit and common purpose to inform the comprehensive delivery of high quality resident, day and staying visitor experiences which support and enhance the local human, cultural, economic and natural resources of the New Forest area both now and in the future.

The Economics of Visitor Happiness

How happy visitors supported by VERB help create an efficient, effective and locally resilient visitor economy  

Visitors who are well-informed before they visit, welcomed when they arrive and well cared for during and after their day visit or stay, tend to be happier visitors. Happier well-informed visitors are liable to understand more, spend more, behave well and enjoy a better overall experience during their stay.

A better overall experience during their stay means visitors are more likely to respect and connect with the local cultural heritage, environment, residents and businesses, thereby getting more from the destination they are visiting. Visitors who get more from the destination they are visiting are consequently more likely to invest in it, both emotionally and financially.

The emotional and financial needs of the local cultural heritage, environment, residents and businesses are therefore more likely to be met by happy visitors. Happy visitors are also more likely to become loyal returners, be less demanding on the public purse, and will energetically and enthusiastically promote the great experience they’ve just enjoyed in the New Forest to their family, friends and social media followers.

Aims 

Visitors: Deliver the “Care for the Forest, Care for Each Other” visitor stewardship programme in partnership with NFDC, NFNPA, Forestry England & the Verderers and embed it in all promotional and management activities during 2021

Environment: Launch the New Forest “Green Leaf Tourism Scheme” by summer 2021 and embed in all relevant Destination Marketing & Recovery Plan activities throughout the rest of the year.    

Residents: Establish tourism & visitor economy partnerships with the destination’s eleven main settlements by the end of 2021 to assist in the integration of promotion of their own areas in the wider Destination Marketing & Recovery Plan. 

Business: Engage all member businesses in participating and delivering the 2021 Destination Marketing & Recovery Plan, “Taste the New Forest” a celebration of great local food & drink and activities. 

Key Principles 

• A not for profit Community Interest Company intent on continuous improvement in all aspects of the visitor economy  
• A connected network of businesses that works mutually to create a prosperous and locally resilient visitor economy
• The New Forest’s premium destination status is supported by businesses working together to deliver the environmental, social and economic benefits of visitor happiness  
• Resist national & global business interests wishing to externalise revenues which reduce the local employment and economic benefits of the tourism and visitor economy for local owned businesses and the wider New Forest economy. 

Key Activities 

• Provides the mechanisms to support individual and collective business action & community engagement to improve the value and positive impact of the local visitor economy   
• Operates a constantly improving range of website, public relations, print & digital media channels to deliver New Forest messages direct to a targeted audience of over 1.5 million people locally, nationally and worldwide
• Promotes “Forest First” tourism by embedding the principles of VERB and the Economics of Visitor Happiness in all business development, marketing and public relations activities
• Supports locally owned businesses by delivering and maintaining the GNF Card Scheme   
• Strategically leads, promotes & lobbies on behalf of the New Forest tourism and visitor economy  

Key Membership Benefits 

• Maintains a competitive, collaborative & mutually supportive New Forest business relationship network
• Delivers individual & collective business advantages by providing a wide range of opportunities for members to work              together and extend commercial reach and reduce costs through economies of scale
• Raises the profile of each member business and the New Forest visitor economy locally, nationally and overseas
• Has people in all the right places with the experience and expertise to help support and assist member businesses and community organisations in resolving visitor economy related issues and problems.   

Key Take Away

• Go New Forest is the hub, spoke and guardian of the New Forest’s tourism and visitor economy

Destination Marketing Plan 2021

Overall Aim:

Aid the recovery of the New Forest’s tourism and visitor economy by raising the domestic profile and awareness of the New Forest as the classic English coast & countryside destination. Whilst the “Taste the New Forest” campaign will be the main tool to deliver this aim in 2021, the area’s unique heritage landscape and coastline, culture, history, accommodation, commercial attractions, restaurants, major events and towns & villages will still form the basic backdrop in its promotion to all residents and potential day and staying visitors. 

Taste the New Forest

“Taste the New Forest” (TTNF) is the core campaign of the destination’s 2021 Marketing Plan for social and economic recovery from Covid-19. The entire campaign programme is guided by the principles outlined in GNF’s Business Plan and designed to involve and benefit residents, local organisations, towns & villages and GNF member & non-member businesses alike. 

However, as a membership organisation, the CIC will give extra prominence to its members in all TTNF activities, particularly Pubs, Restaurants, Cafes, Tea Shops, Farm Shops, Retailers, Food & Drink Producers, activity and event organisers as well as all types of accommodation provider. A specific TTNF section has been created on www.thenewforest.co.uk and the current digital and offline campaign content plan can be viewed here  

Geographic Targets

Staying Visitor – London & Central Southern England.
Day Visitor – 90 minute drive time.
Local Visitor – New Forest, Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth residents.
Secondary – Wider UK, Northern Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Target Audiences – Resident, Day & Staying Visitor

Young families (preschool – 14)
Couples (18-34)
Intergenerational Family Groups
Spending Kids Inheritance (Couples 50+)
Friendship/Activity Groups

Tone of Voice

Aspirational but real, natural, dependable, safe, honest, relaxing and spiritually refreshing

Primary Messages

Easy to reach – Only 90 minutes south west from London.
Old yet forever new –   An inimitable English rural and seaside escape to a National Park with a unique cultural landscape heritage, history and special sense of place.
High quality – An inspirational and unmistakably high-quality destination providing great value visitor experiences for all through great local food & drink, accommodation, events and activities.

Memories for everyone  – Happy childhood, family and romantic memories of escaping the everyday through the constantly changing colours of the seasons, the spirit of free-roaming animals and the great circle of life
Unspoilt and closer to nature – Quintessential English coast and countryside that people dream about, where imaginations awake through a sense of easy adventure and its abiding cycle of nature 
Peace & Love – Fall in love with the peace and quiet of a special undisturbed place where you can hide away and recover from the frantic pace of the outside world.  

Secondary Messages:

Health & Vitality – A sense of freedom, wellbeing, refreshment & renewal. Walk, cycle or ride on over 150 miles of car free tracks all year round

Discovery – A place of great variety; explore pretty villages, learn about nature, visit historic houses and unique themed attractions leaving you wanting to return to uncover secrets yet discovered. 

Environment – Leave your car behind and become carbon neutral by walking, cycling, horse-riding or electric bike or buy local and save distribution miles whilst supporting our local economy. 

Save Money – Special offers and discounts all day long with the Go New Forest Card including specific member business offers throughout the area. 

Book Direct The New Forest – The New Forest’s “Best Rate Anywhere” specially incentivised accommodation guarantee  

Destination Content Plan:

The annual Destination Content Plan provides an agreed 12 month rolling cycle of seasonal themes, promotional activities and major events being used by GNF to raise the profile of the New Forest’s visitor offer. Member businesses can use these to improve their own and the destination’s consumer attraction.  

The Content Plan provides the framework, renewal and refreshment of information for the destination website, social media, blogs, e newsletters, print/online media as well as all destination PR activity throughout each year. It is also circulated monthly to all members to enable them to advance plan their own individual storytelling and key messaging as well as contribute to wider delivery of the overall destination Marketing Plan. 

(Updated April 21)