Locum Consulting

Locum Destination Review - Issue 19

The journal of record for the global destination industry

Editorial

Welcome to what we hope you’ll find is an exciting resorts tour – holiday time always gets people talking, and we hope this Locum Destination Review, looking at new horizons for resort destinations, does the same.

Mixed-use resorts are a growing sector. It’s no wonder that developers and the property industry are embracing market demand. Something that is particularly interesting is the implication for the investment sector since resorts are attracting not only individual investors but also institutional investors excited by a new asset class.

For all markets though, an excellent visitor or residential experience and an attractive investment is important and this requires much more than just planning real estate: there’s never been a more important time to apply ‘destination’ thinking to resort development.

So if creating a successful destination is the goal, what are the key ingredients for success? Our Locum team identifies ten core strategic principles for planning resort excellence and shows how they are being put to use in creating a ground-breaking new mountain resort in Kazakhstan. We look at the development of a new, and vast, mixed-use resort in the Caribbean, and the reasons why it is being rewarded even before it has opened. We also turn the spotlight on sustainability and explore why it really does pay for resorts to be ‘green’ – in word and in deed.

To wrap up our opening International section we debate the impact of property price correction in Spain. Consumer expectations and spending power have moved on in leaps and bounds over the last few years. The word ‘luxury’ seems to be on everyone’s lips these days, but what is actually being delivered? In a journey around the Mediterranean and neighbouring countries, we explore the different ways it is provided and how it can mean everything and nothing. Stephen and Suzanne Coupe describe their experiences of helping resort operators to stay ahead of the field in developing and marketing luxury experiences. We also explore how the once luxury niche of spa tourism has taken a full-on approach to product development yet stayed true to its core value of personal service.

Good resorts aren’t just success stories in their own right, they also generate sizeable investment flows into an area. So why is the UK missing out on the huge sums of money being invested by Brits in second homes and all the associated economic benefits? Locum’s Richard Tibbott argues that there is a fantastic opportunity for the UK to cash in on the disposable equity that is funding these purchases – if only Britain’s local authorities could be a little more progressive in their thinking. A new generation of residential resorts in rural areas could attract growing demand for second homes and much-needed new investment into regional economies.

Some UK developers are already managing to create resort-style destinations in rural settings, exploiting favourable but little-known planning regulations: Nigel Cooper gives the inside story and Michael Paul, who specialises in converting caravan parks into lodge developments, shares his insights into how this process works. We also interview William McNamara OBE, who tells of his five-year struggle to develop Bluestone Resort in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It’s been a long and winding road, but we’re sure that his persistence will pay off.

To begin our tour, we open this issue with talking to someone who really understands that successful resorts can never stand still. Peter Lederer OBE represents the very best in resort management and shares with us some insights into how he’s ensured two decades of excellence at Gleneagles.

We hope you enjoy the tour and do please get in touch if you’d be interested in how we can help you. As part of Colliers CRE and the Colliers International network, excellent synergies with Locum Consulting mean that together we are very proud to offer an unrivalled UK and international service grouping for the resorts sector.