VISIT DEVON

The 2022 season so far…

An introduction by Sally Everton of Visit Devon.

It has been an ‘OK’ start to the 2022 season for the many businesses linked to the visitor economy across Devon, but not as busy as we had hoped for at the beginning of the year, with some potential visitors choosing overseas destinations or other areas of the UK for their holidays or short breaks. Easter and the Whitsun half term were both ‘OK’ in the words of many, and the reasonable weather helped to pick up some last-minute bookings as well as day visitors. We ran a short, sharp marketing campaign within a two-hour drive time to Devon for late spring breaks for May and June and saw some reasonable pickup.

Of course, there are other barriers why visitors are hesitating on taking overnight trips over the next six months, and are all ones that we hear daily via the media; the rise in cost of living, fuel and energy price increase etc. And for the businesses, the skills shortage and continued challenge of staff recruitment is still a major issue

However, alongside Cornwall, Devon is still listed as the top destination to visit in England. *Source: Visit Britain sentiment tracker.

Left to right:

Peter Brend, Brend Hotels; Emma Thomasson, Visit Exmoor; Sally Everton, Visit Devon; Laura Backhouse, DCMS; Tim Jones, South West Business Council; Carolyn Custerson, English Riviera BID Company; Rick Turner, Chair of Devon Association of Tourist Attractions/ Director of The Big Sheep.

ROUND TABLE MEETING – DCMS

We recently held a ‘round table’ meeting in North Devon with Laura

Backhouse, who is Head of Tourism at

DCMS (Department of Culture Media and Sport) where we continue to lobby

Government via her, on the many challenges still facing our sector post pandemic. Topics covered were • How’s business across the region –

key issues still facing us • Accommodation statutory regulation consultation & Airbnb data – (Call for

Evidence) • DMO review response – when? • Cost of living/fuel and energy costs - impacts • Recruitment and skills shortage – ongoing

Devon County Council is offering funding to support Devon businesses with six hours of high-quality digital training and advice delivered by Cosmic. Each training session will be tailored to individual business needs. See below for further details.

COSMIC is an award-winning digital skills training company based in the South West.

Our expert trainers can provide you with six hours of quality digital training and advice tailored to your business needs.

We want to help you and your business do more with digital so you can: • Reach new customers, increase sales and promote your brand • Automate processes to save time and money • Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by connecting with them digitally • Gain a competitive advantage and stay ahead of your competition • Work anytime and anywhere. Am I eligible? This support is funded by Devon County Council for businesses in Devon, excluding Plymouth & Torbay.

How can I use my six hours? Our workshops and one to one sessions are two hours, meaning you have three sessions available and flexibility to choose how you use your time. For example, you may choose to attend three workshops or two workshops and followed by a one-toone session. The choice is yours.

What topics are covered in the workshops? We cover a wide range of digital topics in our workshops, everything from social media basics, Microsoft 365 tools to Website, SEO and Paid Advertising.

How do I book a one to one? To book a one-to-one session, please email planning@cosmic.org.uk outlining any days/times that work best for you and what topic you would like to cover in the session. We will arrange a time with a trainer who specialises in that area of support. Please email planning@cosmic.org.uk if you have any questions. For further details, please contact Sally Everton via email on: sally.everton@

visitdevon.co.uk

Stand out from the crowd

With all signs pointing to a slowdown in domestic travel, how can travel and leisure businesses here in the beautiful south west use the power of PR to maximise their destination appeal? With two decades in leisure and tourism comms, the Wild Card PR team in Truro has seen first-hand the positive and immediate impact that well placed editorial coverage can have on visitor numbers, bookings and enquiries. Julia Hughes, Wild Card account director, gives her top tips for businesses looking to promote themselves this Summer:

1 Stand out from the crowd. Really think about your USPs and dial those up in your communications. What added extras make your hotel, restaurant or venue extra special?

Is there an amazing view? A vineyard next door? Can you offer visitors an experience they couldn’t get elsewhere? 2 What’s new? Revamped menus, room renovations, special events. New news provides the perfect opportunity to get in touch with media.

3 Promotions & deals. While this isn’t the right approach for every brand, journalists are keen to hear about special offers for visitors – whether that’s discounted room rates or complimentary extras.

4 Empty rooms. If you do have empty rooms across the Summer, think about inviting key members of the press, or relevant influencers, for a visit. We get incredible results if a journalist has enjoyed a brilliant stay in the venue.

5 Think local. It’s not just people coming into the County that might book a stay or visit you. Include local media and influencers in your comms plan to engage with your community.

Julia Hughes, account director, Wild Card

For more information, call us on: 07377 424854 or email: hello@wildcard.co.uk

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