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Issue 39 March/April 2011 £2.75
Film fans are boosting UK attractions By Christina Eccles A DESIRE to see the places where their favourite films were made is encouraging more tourists to UK visitor attractions. According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions – whose members include the British Museum, the V&A, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London – popular films, television and radio programmes are raising the profile of its members’ attractions and drawing more visitors through the doors to follow in the footsteps of the stars. A survey of ALVA members revealed visitor figures for 2010 were up by 0.38 per cent – with over 50 per cent of attractions experiencing an increase in numbers. Several of the attractions have been used in successful films and TV programmes including National Trust property Antony, in Cornwall, which saw numbers rising from 25,000 to almost 100,000 following its use as a location in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The Natural History Museum also experienced a boost in visitor figures of 13.2 per cent helped by the broadcast of BBC Two series Museum of Life and The Old Royal
Naval College in Greenwich gained national coverage when Johnny Depp filmed there for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film. Director of ALVA Robin Broke said: “If you are thinking about marketing somewhere, then you are constantly looking for different angles and this gives sites a particular angle to exploit. With good marketing they are able to get the benefits. Everyone has a desire to get out to places but you need to provide that catalyst.” Top of the list of visitor figures for the fourth year running was the British Museum, helped by its displays of the objects used in Neil MacGregor’s BBC Radio Four series A History of the World in 100 Objects. And Robin added that the trend is set to continue this year, not only with film tourism but with major events like the Royal Wedding. He added: “The Royal Wedding could produce some uplift, certainly after the event as wonderful pictures of the country will be beamed around the world. “We are cautiously optimistic for this year. It should be a good year, particularly for those attractions which have a high quality offering and make it interesting for visitors.”
Two thirds research breaks on the internet
A luxury UK hotel has launched the most expensive first date package ever created – costing a whopping £45,000 per couple. The package was launched on Valentine’s Day at von Essen’s Amberley Castle in West Sussex – the wedding venue for TV presenter Holly Willoughby. It includes a helicopter or private jet to land the couple in the hotel grounds, a makeover from a team of stylists, hairdressers and beauty therapists, 10 course dinner menu and exclusive hire of the 19 bedroom castle. Picture: ITV Pictures
THE way which Brits plan their holidays is changing – with over two thirds of online holidaymakers now using the internet to research their breaks. According to a study, conducted by Memonic and YouGov, only 15 per cent of British travellers now use travel agents to research their holidays, with many turning to the web to make their choice. CEO of Memonic Dorian Selz said: “According to ABTA itself, over three quarters of the UK workforce holidayed in the 12 month period to September 2010. “UK workers also took an average of 3.2 holidays; two in the UK and 1.2 abroad. Our research has found that 74 per cent of online Brits that research holidays online are spending anywhere from at least two hours upwards researching each holiday online, with 20 per cent spending eight or more hours, the equivalent of an entire working day, conducting research.”