Visit East of England, Naturally

A new Placemaking strategy and brand for the region – ‘Naturally’ – is being developed that can be applied across all our coastal, countryside and urban destinations.

‘Naturally’ will be used to capitalise on our disparate assets, uniqueness and potential, with the intention of developing and promoting destinations where visitors – and natives - can experience happiness, well-being, and enjoyment in a sustainable, natural environment.

‘Naturally’ also answers the need for an overarching offer to domestic and international visitors, with strong, cohesive messages, values and a visual identity which weave together our distinctive world-class location as a collective. long-term brand/solution that will chime with the strategic objectives, not least responsible, sustainable tourism and overcoming the main barrier to productivity – not having a constant level of demand year-round. ‘Naturally’ will be used to coordinate and amplify our region’s overall offer, not replace any existing brands or campaigns. However there is a consensus that the more ‘Naturally’ is used the stronger it will become.

After a competitive tender, Norwichbased agency The Click were chosen to develop ‘Naturally’.

Placemaking: we have big ambitions.

How do we spread demand seasonally and geographically, to make the overall visitor economy more sustainable. We have a disparate but symbiotic destination landscape. It is a stronger proposition for being the sum of parts, but

what is the collective offering?

In our activity, we talk to the ‘same people’, invariably those who know us and do not need converting. How do we attract a new,

younger audience who are interested in experiential, sustainable tourism?

For the East of England to be a more ‘top of mind’ destination.

Overcome the main barrier to productivity –

seasonal tourism. Develop a more balanced, year-round visitor economy by spreading demand seasonally and geographically, raising the overall tide of tourism towards the high-water mark of Summer. Build a proposition to attract overseas visitors.

Develop travel trade opportunities, particularly with bookable product. This will support efforts to develop business conference events and work with UK Inbound, of which Visit East of England is a member. Collaborate to build engaging, bookable itineraries, potentially creating new product that will enable bids to national Challenge Funds such as Discover England. A drive for us to become a sustainable tourism destination.

Encourage overnight stays and increased spend.

Attract younger audiences unaware of the

region. VEE’s Consumer Sentiment Survey has suggested that we have a captive audience in domestic older demographics but have less resonance with 18–40-yearolds. Pre-nesters and pre-school families are a focus; visitors who wish to enjoy experiential travel and ‘live like a local’. For people looking for something different, why are we the solution? There is a lack of awareness of what is here that might be different from other destinations.

Is there a perception of this area?

‘Windy, flat, cold, wet, boring’, ‘Nothing to do’, ‘Difficult to get to’? (Visit Norfolk SWOT Research). And yet we have the best overall climate in the UK. We have superb built and natural capital. Our connectivity is good.

The prequel to ‘Naturally’

The DMO coalition was created in Summer 2020 when the pandemic encouraged the destination organisations to combine the local authority-funded marketing pots of Visit Norfolk and Visit Suffolk to promote the East of England as ‘Unexplored England’. This was about highlighting our more than 9,200km2 of coast, countryside, National Park, AONBs and open space for outdoor activities and holidays. The straplines were ‘Find the paths and places less travelled’ and ‘Get off your quarantine couch and get your fresh air fix’. Working together, the DMO coalition was successful in drawing down £425,000 of funds from the Cabinet Office and VisitEngland to promote ‘Unexplored England’ allied with national messaging ‘Enjoy Summer Safely’ and ‘Escape the Everyday’.