Sustainable Transport for Tourism Wales (STTW): 1996-2001
	Phase 3: Draft Project Portfolio
	The Three Pillars of Sustainability
	1. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY   Sustainable Transport for Tourism Wales (STTW) 2. CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY (TBA)   National Calendar of Festivals & Events 3. COMMERCIAL SUSTAINABILITY (TBA)   Quality Hospitality & Wales Travel Pass
	1. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY     Sustainable Transport for Tourism Wales (STTW)
	1.1 Product Development 1.2 Marketing & Information 1.3 Human Resource Development
	1.1 Product Development 1.1.1 Transport Interchanges
	STTW has developed criteria for 'Tourist-Friendly Transport Interchanges'. In May 2001, a report on the subject was widely-distributed to public sector agencies and private companies.
	STTW believes that a focus on the needs of both the mobility-impaired and strangers (tourists/visitors) will ensure that the needs of other user-groups (parents with pushchairs, local residents, etc.,) are automatically catered for.. Easy access, luggage storage provision, and delivery of comprehensive information are the key constituents of quality interchanges. Included in information provision must be detailed consideration of the "trail to the station" - the route between transport interchanges and the communities they serve. Whilst STTW has co-ordinated the research and development criteria for national adoption, the group believes that implementation at individual locations should be managed by Local Area Partnerships operating under an strategic marketing activity umbrella.
	1.1.2 Service Development
	Under this heading falls the identification and development of public transport services that provide for the needs of tourists and mobility-impaired customers at national, regional, sub-regional (local) levels. STTW proposes the development of quality transport network projects in environmentally-sensitive areas, which integrate the needs of both local communities and visitors, and build upon the outputs of activities supported during Phase 2 of the campaign. This involves the matching of matching of traditional local authority, rural transport, and other grant funding with Objective 1 funding to provide services that meet tourist as well as local-community requirements, and thus provide for commercial and environmental, as well as social, sustainabilty. Developments should include the provision of transport vehicles that provide for the needs of mobility-impaired customers (including those with special luggage requirements), widespread and easy-to-use cycle-conveyance capacity to facilitate public-transport access to cycle-tourism opportunities, and allow for the full appreciation of the scenic-travel experience. Proposed projects include: o Beacons Bus; o Clwydian Ranger; o Pembrokeshire Greenways; o Snowdonia Greenkey, and o Cambrian Coaster. STTW also proposes the development and marketing of tourism-specific, public-transport services including the Dylan Thomas Trail and Gower Explorer initiatives.
	1.1.3 Cycle Tourism STTW proposes the co-ordination and development of an action plan that will provide for the conveyance of a minimum of four cycles on an "all-regional" rail service through the investment in train modification and the extension of the Brecon Beacons "Bike Bus" pilot project to services in in both environentally-sensitive areas, and on routes that complement the National Cycle Network. The provision of safe cycle storage and servicing facilities at all locations identified by the "Tourism-Friendly Transport Interchange" research project, and at National Transport/Cycle Network interchange locations, will provide a necessary complement to the cycle-conveyance strategy and provide SME start-up opportunities.
	1.2 Marketing & Information 1.2.1 Infostructure
	The building of an "Infostructure" for public transport tourism is of fundamental importance to the establishment of an integrated public transport system that meets the needs of tourists and other customers. No service development, no matter how innovative, can realise its potential without a reliable and easily-accessible system for communicating basic information to its various customer segments. STTW proposes the integration of Rail and Tourism industry information (including WTB's proposed Destination Management System) into the proposed development of an online version of PTI Cymru's "Traveline" national telephone enquiry service to provide a single, integrated source of travel information, which will incorporate an e-commerce booking system and thus be capable of turning interest into sales. The system should encompass outputs from STTW's phase two 'Public Transport Access to Visitor Attractions' database and mapping projects and cater for both advance and real time journey information provisions.
	1.2.2 Tourism Travel Clusters
	STTW also proposes the simultaneous development of an umbrella "Tourism Travel Clusters" consumer marketing project to build on the transport service-driven "Infostructure" framework, with product packaging and pro-active marketing initiatives direct to tourism consumers. This project would use ICT to collect, store, retrieve, analyse, package and communicate information direct to tourism consumers on behalf of tourism SMEs and micro-businesses who are committed to including public transport in their product offers. It will enable direct B2C tourism e-commerce transactions, access by public transport will feature throughout and tourism SME's will be able to transact directly in an e-commerce environment. The project will complement the building of the transport service-driven "Infostructure", by integrating product packaging into the framework, and will encompass outputs from STTW's phase two 'Public Transport Access to Visitor Attractions' database and mapping projects.
	1.2.3 Transport Corridor Marketing
	The development of a nation-wide programme of tourism and community-based transport corridor promotional strategies building upon the success of the Cambrian Promotion Campaign. Developed and managed by locally-based Community Development Officers, these initiatives will generate awareness and usage of local transport systems by both local residents and visitors through the integration with core communication media and the development of a series of targeted promotional activities involving local SMEs and providing added value to the visitor experience. Regional network integration will follow the establishment of strong corridor identities through the integration of transport links such as the Ffestiniog Railway and primary bus and coach routes. Proposed routes include: o Cambrian Railway o Conwy Valley Line o Heart of Wales Line o Pembrokeshire Greenways/Carmarthenshire o Valley Lines
	1.2.4 National Transport Network
	The principle bidders for the new Wales & Borders franchise have recognised the gaps that exist in Wales' rail network and the need to develop coach services to complement the rail network. The coach service will integrate many major communities and tourism "honeypots" into the rail system. STTW proposes a major marketing campaign to develop an launch this initiative as a national integrate transport network with the mode of travel being less important that the consistency of quality standards and the opportunities for integrated travel that are presented, Integration with other transport networks, including the National Cycle and footpath networks , and travel modes - including canal boat, bike, air, coach, rail and ships access modes - and reasons for travel and destination product will be important themes, as will the development of retail systems that reach into rural communities. The establishment of a new national coach network will present high start-up costs including vehicle purchase and servicing infrastructure. Intervention funding will be required to provide for value-added facilities such as cycle conveyance equipment and to provide for marketing and staff training that fully delivers tourism opportunities and thus ensures the long-term commercial sustainability of the network.
	1.2.5 Marketing Product
	The development and launch of the Freedom of Wales Flexi Pass represents one of the biggest achievements of phase two of STTW, providing Wales with a level of Bus, Rail and Tourism product integration unique within the UK. STTW now proposes developing this concept through the customer research-led development of destination-area, short-break flexi passes that complement the development of new and existing transport networks and tourism partnerships. Activity should also include the development of community-based retail distribution systems and new-technology ticketing mechanisms providing detailed management information on product usage. STTW also proposes the development of a Residents Rail (and Coach) Card designed to encourage use for leisure journeys of the new national integrated transport network by all Wales' residents. The prime objective of this product will be to generate additional public transport journeys through a transfer of journeys from the private motor car. Activity will include the development of retail systems that reach into rural communities. The development of Cycle tourism products and marketing initiatives, building upon development of the National Cycle Network and Cycle conveyance and storage facilities, should be managed by the Cycle Wales Marketing Group through the implementation of its "Moving Up a Gear" strategy and integrated with the STTW projects.
	1.3 Human Resource Development 1.3.1 Tourism & Transport Awareness Training
	STTW proposes the development of Welcome Host training for all public transport staff and public transport awareness training for all tourism staff. Product knowledge and a commitment to the highest standards of service for all public transport and tourism industry staff are essential for long-term sustainable growth. Some of the major transport companies are already committed to this principle, whilst tourism agencies recognise the need for a better understanding amongst their staff of public transport systems that are currently isolated from tourism markets. STTW proposes the organisation of a training partnership between the tourism industry and public transport companies, in order to promote a relationship between tourism SMEs and public transport companies that is akin to a "supply chain arrangement" between the two sectors.
	1.4 Implementation of Objectives
	The package of schemes proposed will deliver a quantum leap in public transport usage for tourism beyond those achievable by individual schemes. Individual targets will be announced within individual scheme proposals, which will be structured to deliver clearly-defined outputs. STTW proposes that partnerships should be set up for each of the proposed projects to provide commercially-focused scheme management and the delivery of outputs that will be measured in terms of additional passenger/visitors and revenues, although much of the intervention funding will be start-up by nature. Projects will thus be sustained beyond the life of the intervention funding programmes through clearly-demonstrable commercial outputs that will be fully appreciated by private sector partners. Above all, however, the complementary nature of the package of projects will have synergetic effects through which the whole will be greater than the sum of the individual parts. The achievements of targets will thus require the implementation of the full range of activity advised in this chapter.
	1.5 Output Monitoring
	STTW proposes continued use of its established research templates to measure project outputs, with refinement where necessary. The monitoring of trends between successive phases of activity will thus be possible. STTW is the only organisation measuring the use of public transport for tourism purposes within Wales. STTW proposes the adoption of this document as a principle strategy for the delivery of future public transport tourism initiatives. The need to complement and integrate with local area partnerships and other sustainable tourism initiatives is well recognised by the STTW management group. This recognition is demonstrated both by the wide-ranging membership of the campaign partnership and especially by that of the private sector public transport operators note currently embraced elsewhere within tourism forums or the Objective One programme. STTW believes that future Sustainable Transport Tourism activity needs to be product rather than funding driven, borne of recognised commercial, environmental and social outputs. The projects described in this document are too large, too many and too varied in scope for one organisation to manage. However, the potential synergies for the whole to be greater than the sum of the individual parts must not be lost and STTW believes that the continuation of an advisory body embracing private, public and voluntary sectors for the delivery of the objectives and targets outlined herein is vital. STTW therefore proposes its own maturation into a Sustainable Transport Tourism Forum where individual project partners, taking forward the proposals outlined in this document, can meet to ensure that a common agenda is maintained. STTW has already begun this process, by welcoming sponsors of Pembrokeshire Greenways, Snowdonia Greenkey and Beacons Bus onto the management group.
	Campaign Background and Key Achievements; Colin Speakman Public Transport Tourism Mapping; Sian Thomas Mission Statement/Terms of Reference
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