Press Releases

CHILDREN WELCOME BOOSTS ISLAND BUSINESSES

Jun 06, 2007

Some of the island business representatives at the recent Children Welcome workshop

Whether they are nosey toddlers, hyperactive seven-year-olds or even grumpy teenagers, children are good for business.

The little darlings are special customers - and not just to their nearest and dearest - which is why Western Isles businesses must work to keep them happy.

If their youngsters enjoy themselves while visiting a shop or business, their parents and friends will come back again and again - and pass the word on.

That is the serious message that managers and staffs of shops, attractions and other companies in the islands have been learning at the latest in a series of workshops. Local customer care project Who Cares Wins has joined Tourist Board Training to put on the workshops as part of the Who Cares Wins training programme.

They look at the particular needs of specialist markets, and children are just one example, to help identify how tourism in general as well as individual businesses can benefit by meeting those needs. VisitScotland has set out a detailed criteria for businesses that decide to become part of the scheme.

And for those who are committed to becoming a must-visit place for families, they must take a close look at how they could improve on, for example, clearly-marked family parking close to entrances, children’s menus, milk-warming facilities, relevant information at children’s height and even fitting low-level urinals and toilet steps for the young patrons.

Everything, in fact, to make junior feel right at home.

Also covered is very practical help with the likes of ideas for catering and entertaining youngsters, help with what businesses should invest in as well as helpful hints to stay ahead of the competition. The benefits are many - repeat business, recommendations, extended seasons and even the chance to create new links with other businesses in the area.

Children Welcome, a one-day workshop, was held in Stornoway on June 1 and it set out why businesses must have suitable surroundings and facilities to encourage the youngsters to have fun. It has been proven to improve the number of return visits by the adults with them, which in turn will lead to further recommendations and more business.

One of those who took part in the Children Welcome course was Muriel Macleod from An Lanntair gallery in Stornoway. She said: “It was an amazing insight into how much paying attention to children, especially ages seven to 12, has on households. They say many billions of pounds are spent because of their influence - from what they have for their tea right down to the choice of family car.
“Kids are so brand aware. Yet this is the age group that are overlooked the most. Thinking about what could be done to help parents and their kids was really useful. It was a good day.”

The week before, Anglers Welcome was held in Benbecula. A Watersports Welcome event, looking at how to meet the expectations of the many who take to the sea and the lochs, also took place last month in Stornoway. As many island providers will be busy over the summer, the next workshops will be in September. A full list of what is available then will be on the Who Cares Wins website and there are other online courses available too.

For those businesses who realise the importance of focussing on the needs of their key customers, also planned are specific workshops entitled Ancestral Tourism and Film Crews Welcome.