Background
Our approach
Victoria 's Tourism Industry Strategic Plan 2002-2006 highlighted the need for discussion about professionalism and standards and proposed a bold objective to create a competitive advantage based on visitor satisfaction.
In 2004 work commenced to develop an integrated strategy about Tourism Excellence that brought together the many elements (such as customer satisfaction, staff skills and business development) of existing tools (such as accreditation and tourism awards) and identify gaps that need to be addressed.
A small Steering Committee was established to discuss the significant issues that face the tourism industry in Victoria, with a view to identifying barriers to raising professionalism in the industry.
Some of these issues include:
- low participation rates in joining associations and cooperative marketing programs by operators
- skills shortages and mechanisms to address these shortages
- fragmentation of tourism networks
- scope and effectiveness of training and education of operators and staff
- suitability of professional and business development programs
- cost-benefit of business development tools
- the role of recognition and reward programs
- possible perception by operators that they are performing well, with all the necessary skills and knowledge, while it is other operators that are 'letting the industry down'.
Because visitor satisfaction is a key marketing objective, the Jigsaw was selected as the Tourism Excellence brand device to represent diversity as well as excellence. This also ensures alignment of visitor experience with the Jigsaw campaign.
Seven themes that focus on key ways to achieve overall excellence have been identified as basic components of Tourism Excellence. Modules will be supported by specific programs and tools as well as the core strategy, which will continue to be developed over the life of the initiative. Each module is represented by a piece of the Jigsaw .
Several terms were considered to describe this initiative, including 'professionalism and excellence' and 'quality tourism'. It was decided that quality tourism experiences result from the little things done by the employee and the businesses in each of these seven areas identified. 'Tourism Excellence' was ultimately chosen as the preferred name for the strategy and program.
Recognising the time and resource constraints facing tourism businesses, this strategy has been designed so that you, the business owner, need not participate in each activity sequentially. Instead, our approach is to commit to annually revisit the seven pieces of the Tourism Excellence puzzle over a five-year period, with a view to producing and sharing a wide array of information that may assist in continuing to raise the standard each year.
This approach is intended to allow greater flexibility for businesses to engage in the areas most relevant at a time that is convenient. The approach also provides the opportunity for industry to engage and drive the direction of Tourism Excellence.
Victoria's peak tourism sector Associations have been briefed on the Strategy and have collectively demonstrated their support by individually signing a pledge of support for the program.
Various businesses, associations, destinations and regions that independently expressed interest in Tourism Excellence were briefed and have committed to become a group of "Early Adopters" for the modules over the next two to five years.
Both our Industry Association Partners and the Early Adopters have pledged that they will use their best endeavours to collaborate, cooperate and communicate for the purposes of the development of tourism in Victoria . Specifically the parties will collaborate to :-
- Act as an advocate for Tourism Excellence
- Identify and share opportunities relating to one or all of the seven pieces of Tourism Excellence
- Contribute to, use and/or provide feedback on components of the tool kits developed to support each piece of the Jigsaw of Excellence modules
- Share data that will be used to establish benchmarks against which progress will be annually assessed
- Authorise for their organisation to be profiled as an industry association partner or early adopter within collateral, speeches or the website