Mentoring
More than 80% of tourism businesses employ less than 10
people. The proportion is even higher in most rural and holiday destination
areas. It follows that any appreciation of tourism on the ground depends upon
familiarity with Small to Medium Sized Enterprises [SMEs] in every sector of
tourism and leisure. Since 1985 Barrie Foster has deliberately sought to
maintain contact with the grass roots through the delivery of subsidised
business counselling and mentoring programmes. Less formally, many of our community
and regional projects have included workshops and counselling to ensure that
stakeholders are aware of the implications of strategic proposals for their
individual businesses.
The problems to which small tourism businesses are exposed are well
documented. Every tourism operation, whatever its size, requires a range of
complementary skills, a fact which new entrants often fail to recognise and
which in part explains the high turnover of tourism businesses in some areas.
A significant proportion of operators have limited knowledge of tourism
sectors other than their own, and hence a limited appreciation of the of the
products and markets on which their enterprises depend. Over-reliance on
traditional marketing practices can lead to diminishing returns. The
assumption that this year’s visitors will return in subsequent years is a
dangerous form of complacency.
As importantly, external factors are continually changing the trading
environment. Competition, exchange rate fluctuations, recession, political
conflicts, fuel prices, climate change, in any permutation, can produce
threats and opportunities. And catastrophic single events — a coastal oil
spill, a foot and mouth disease epidemic, an unprecedented outrage such as
9/11 — can change the regional and global trading climate overnight.
Business counselling and mentoring cannot provide instant solutions
to every business problem. But specialist advisers can address pressing
issues from the perspective of individual businesses; identify weaknesses and
threats and point the way to opportunity; and provide objectivity and a
sounding board for the perceptions and ideas of operators. In turn, dialogue
with the grass roots feeds back into the wider picture and creates a virtuous
circle. Barrie Foster’s work as a business counsellor includes the following
formal contracts.
Wales Tourist Board Business Advisory Service,
1985-92
Independent adviser on development and marketing across all sectors of
tourism and leisure. More than 300 advisory sessions delivered over the
period together with support workshops and seminars.
West Wales Training & Enterprise Council
Diagnostics, 1993-97
Sole contract for the delivery of business diagnostics to the tourism
and leisure sector in West Wales. Almost 200 diagnostics completed over the
period together with support workshops and seminars.
Tourism Innovation Programme, 1998-2000
Programme Director, West Wales, for this EU funded pilot programme.
Participating businesses had access to individual mentoring, group workshops,
a telephone helpline and an information web site.
Welsh Development Agency Diagnostic Support,
2001-03
Support programme for the tourism and leisure sector in Carmarthenshire and
Pembrokeshire.
Barrie Foster FTS, MCIM, MISPAL, Chartered Marketer
The Old Coach House Mathry Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire Wales UK SA62
5HB
Phone: +44 (0)1348 831081 Fax +44 (0)1348 831081 E:
barrie.foster1@btinternet.com
© 2009 Barrie Foster & Associates unless otherwise
stated.
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