Issue 48 September/October 2012 £2.75
Brits enticed to holiday at home By Christina Eccles DESTINATIONS across England are to benefit from a focused campaign worth £365m to the economy, which tourism bosses hope will entice more Brits to holiday at home. National tourism body VisitEngland has launched Growing Tourism Locally, a three-year project to deliver dedicated marketing campaigns centred around specific destinations and themes. The campaign, which will generate £365m in additional tourism spend, has been funded by the government’s Regional Growth Fund with contributions from VisitEngland and the private sector. The investment focuses on working directly with destinations and the private sector, with themes focusing on the things England is most loved for – including its heritage, coastal areas, countryside and culture. Destination campaigns will start to roll out over the next six months, while themed campaigns will begin running in early 2013 to stimulate Easter and Summer holiday bookings for next year. Cumbria Tourism kick-started the programme with an advertising campaign – Go Share Great Moments
and Go Take your Breath Away – with adverts appearing in London’s key rail and underground stations, highlighting the beautiful countryside of the Lake District and the region’s strong food, family and activity offering. Business tourism will also receive support from the Regional Growth Fund and will build on VisitEngland’s work with destinations to grow the value of international conferences, events and conventions. VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “The RGF money is a huge boost for tourism in England. This project enables our public and private sector partners to work together to stimulate tourism and ultimately grow jobs throughout the country with particular emphasis on some local areas. This is a great time to launch and we hope that by riding on the crest of a wave of a successful London 2012 Olympic Games we will harness the swell of national pride and inspire Brits to take the home advantage and holiday at home this year and beyond.” The total cost of the campaign will be £41m, including £20m from the Regional Growth Fund, £9m from VisitEngland and £12m from the national and local tourism sector.
New guide help for visitors with access needs
A tourism expert caught the attention of journalists aboard an Orient Express press trip when she was painted with famous Norfolk and Suffolk landmarks. Director of Jungle PR, Rachael Paddick, hopped aboard the trip, organised by VisitEngland. Visit East Anglia, who co-ordinated the involvement, saw the opportunity to showcase the best of Norfolk and Suffolk in a creative and eye-catching way. Full story, Page 3
A NEW online guide has been launched to help destinations attract more visitors with access needs. VisitEngland has created Winning More Visitors following a survey which revealed 83 per cent of people looking for access information to plan a trip use destination websites – but only one in three find it easy to locate the information they need. The guide contains advice and examples of best practice to help destinations build an access information section for their site and ensure it is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. It also highlights the type of information visitors with access needs may require when planning their trip. VisitEngland’s skills, welcome and accessibility manager Ross Calladine said: “Visitors who have a health condition or impairment – and their travelling companions – spend over £2bn each year in England, and our research shows that many of those visitors will choose where to spend that money based on the access information available on destination websites. We have produced Winning More Visitors to help destinations improve their welcome and attract even more visitors.”