Destination UK (November/December 09) by Script Media

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Issue 31 November/December 2009 £2.75

Tourism barriers ‘must be removed’

Britain: THE destination of 2010? By Christina Eccles THE current exchange rate combined with successful marketing campaigns could help to position Britain as the destination for a great value holiday in 2010, according to an expert. VisitBritain’s director of strategy and communications Patricia Yates said one of the most important messages the agency can use to promote the UK – both to domestic and overseas visitors – is that the country provides excellent value for money regardless of budget. She told Destination UK now is a good time to push this message to encourage visitors here through the winter and into 2010. VisitBritain has already had success forging partnerships with major airlines to promote the UK to overseas visitors – something which Patricia said is set to continue next year. And she also hopes that in the short term, the strength of other currencies against the pound will make London and other UK cities a popular choice for people looking for places to do their Christmas shopping or spend money in the January sales.

She said: “Britain is good value and we are capitalising on that. We want to highlight the rise in quality and the fact there is good value available at every price point. “We have worked very hard with carriers such as Virgin, BA and EasyJet and we are wanting to promote that it is a good time for people to book now.” Patricia also revealed VisitBritain is already looking at strategies for 2010 and how the message that the UK offers great value for money can be built on. She added: “For the end of the year, we are predicting that visits to Britain will be up to five per cent down and next year is likely to be another tough year. “We are formulating our business plans now and looking again at the value message to make sure that story keeps running. Some international markets are feeling more confident than others and there are some optimistic signs but still a lot of work to do. “If the exchange rate is still down, this gives us a competitive advantage to position Britain as a great value destination.”

The world-famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom will provide the backdrop for an episode of hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. The show’s remaining couples, judges and hosts Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly (pictured) will return to the town to film an episode. Blackpool Council's Coun Maxine Callow said: “Blackpool is absolutely thrilled to be hosting Strictly Come Dancing again and is very grateful to the BBC for bringing this fantastic spectacle back to the home of ballroom dancing.”

THE government needs to remove the barriers it has imposed on tourism in order to help the industry through challenging times, UKinbound has warned. VisitBritain has claimed that inbound tourism could continue to decline and that trips to Britain could fall by as much as five per cent in 2009. But according to UKinbound, the government’s own initiatives, such as air passenger duty and high visa costs, are partly to blame as they deter overseas residents travelling to Britain. Chief executive Mary Rance said: “There is a danger that inbound travel to the UK could continue to fall. “Consumers globally are looking for value. People don’t mind spending money on quality products, but they do not want to pay higher taxes. “Government must remove the barriers of high taxes to ensure the UK tourism industry can remain internationally competitive in terms of price and accessibility, and to enable business to compete effectively in the international market.”

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03 Blackpool

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DESTINATIONNEWS

Bid to turn tide of resort’s fortunes

Entertainment news in Centrestage starting on Page 15

Why chef Ramsay served his dishes on the London Eye

By Christina Eccles SEASIDE resort Skegness is hoping to transform itself into a year round tourist destination after the success of its events programme in attracting visitors out of season. The town has hosted two major festivals this year, which have been well received by both tourists and locals and East Lindsey District Council hopes that by creating a year round calendar of events, people will be encouraged to visit outside the traditional summer period. The SEAS Festival was held at the end of September through to the beginning of October and showcased some of the best in international art and performances. And according to the council, it was a useful way of extending the holiday season through to October – with hotel bookings reported to be up for that time of year. The council’s cultural team leader James Brindle said: “Events act as a driver to economic development and bring people here. “Those such as the SEAS Festival put Skegness on the map nationally and make people interested in investing here.” Another success this year was the Arts Council funded SO Festival – which included comedy, cabaret, opera and fireworks. And as the only coastal resort in the East Midlands, East Lindsey was keen that its biggest asset – a Blue Flag beach – was utilised creatively in the event. As part of the festival, a performance was commissioned

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Guernsey Heart of England

Page 10 Pages 24-27

Contacts EDITORIAL Andrew Harrod group editor 01226 734639 ah@whpl.net Louise Cordell reporter 01226 734694 lcordell@whpl.net Christina Eccles reporter 01226 734463 ce@whpl.net Mary Ferguson reporter 01226 734712 mf@whpl.net

PRODUCTION

SO Festival included comedy, cabaret, opera and fireworks

Judith Halkerston – group deputy editor – jhalkerston@whpl.net Stewart Holt – studio manager – sth@whpl.net Kyle Wilkinson – graphic designer kw@whpl.net Emma Frisby – graphic designer ef@whpl.net ADVERTISING Rachel Wood product manager 01226 734611 rw@whpl.net Andrew Loades sales executive 01226 734634 Tony Barry sales and marketing director 01226 734605/01226 734333

at The Embassy Theatre starring opera singer Jonathan Ansell which was then broadcast outside to spectators on the beach via a big screen. The resort also has issues around seasonal employment so it is hoped that events will also create more year round jobs, encouraging people to stay in Skegness.

Communications manager James Gilbert added: “Previously, East Lindsey didn’t have many jobs that young people would want to stay in the district for. There is now the opportunity for graduates to come back and work in a field that they never would have considered before. This keeps the area vibrant and helps the district grow.”

CIRCULATION Kelly Tarff 01226 734695 kt@whpl.net Fax: 01226 734477

Web: www.destination.uk.com

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DESTINATIONNEWS

Leeds showcases its breaks with shopping week By Christina Eccles

A Yorkshire chef who has recently taken over a country pub is aiming to lead the way in sourcing and using local produce in his dishes. Tim Bilton – chef at The Butchers Arms in Hepworth – has a policy of only using ingredients from within a 75 miles radius of the village. And local residents have been helping him out by leaving

anonymous gifts of garden produce outside the kitchen door. Tim said: “I guess the village ladies fell for my passion for local ingredients – and I’ve been opening the door to discover fantastic produce ever since. I know it’s not exactly bunches of red roses – but I’m very flattered and grateful all the same.”

LEEDS has showcased its potential as a top destination for retail breaks by hosting its fourth annual shopping week. The event is expected to attract thousands of people – both locals and visitors – into the city centre over a 10-day period for a range of events and offers centred around Leeds’ retail businesses and attractions such as the Victoria Quarter. Leeds Shopping Week is a partnership between Marketing Leeds, City Centre Management and Leeds Retail Association and Destination UK caught up with Marketing Leeds’ chief executive Deborah Green during the event. She said: “So far the event has been really successful. Figures are showing that footfall is about the same but spend is significantly up. “The event gives us the chance to showcase Leeds as a tourist destination. Part of its success is that it does focus on shopping but also on what else is on offer in Leeds, such as cultural attractions, great accommodation and restaurants. “The event is a big shop window to shine a spotlight on Leeds.” One of the event’s biggest attractions was its launch in the Victoria Quarter, which had a Las

Deborah Green Vegas theme. Its 76 stores including Harvey Nichols, Vivienne Westwood and All Saints all had late night opening hours with offers and discounts and there was Vegas style entertainment on offer for visitors. Deborah added: “The event is very much a collaborative partnership and all the partners work together to play to their strengths. There is so much enthusiasm for it.” The retail sector is very important part of Leeds’ tourism offering and accounts for 10 per cent of jobs in the city.

Keira Knightley played Georgiana in The Duchess, which was filmed at Chatsworth.

2010: a landmark year PLANS to make 2010 a landmark year for Chatsworth have been unveiled – with visitors being allowed more access to the house. After the completion of restoration work, funded by the Chatsworth House Trust, a new visitor route runs through the Derbyshire stately

home, including a completely new gallery for displaying art and treasures from the collection, new displays celebrating the legendary Duchess Georgiana and an exhibition celebrating the 90th birthday of Deborah Devonshire, the present Dowager Duchess.

Show reports strong forward bookings

THE organisers of the Group Leisure and Travel Trade Show have already reported strong forward bookings for next year’s event. It takes place on September 22 and 23 at the NEC and although visitors this year were down by about five per cent, many exhibitors

reported a successful show. Sales manager Sharon Yandell said: “We have already seen a 12 per cent increase in renewal bookings compared to the same period last year and we are already 25 per cent booked, which is very positive for both the show and the industry.”

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DESTINATIONNEWS

Campaign sees ‘staycationers’ flock to Leicester By Mary Ferguson

Award winners JLS

City’s £1m MOBO award booster By Christina Eccles THIS year’s MOBO awards generated over £1m for Glasgow’s economy, it has been revealed. It was the first time the event has been held outside London and the move proved to be a great success – attracting a sell out crowd of 7,000 to the SECC and generating plenty of positive feedback about the show. The awards were secured for Scotland through a partnership of EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and were also supported by Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government. According to Event Scotland chief executive Paul Bush, not only was the event a success in terms of economic benefit and level of coverage, it has also raised the profile of Glasgow as a destination for major events. He told Destination UK that as a designated UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow is the perfect choice to host this sort of event and he hopes the success of the MOBOS will encourage other organisers to

look at hosting their events in Scotland. He said: “The MOBO Awards will leave a significant legacy for Scotland including over £1m economic impact, immeasurable benefit to the nation’s music industry as well as further reinforcing Scotland’s reputation as a modern and vibrant destination for business and tourism. “The event has clearly established in the minds of people who attended that Glasgow is a good place to come to and they will hopefully return.” CEO and founder of the awards Kanya King added: “Glasgow itself has such a huge thirst for music and MOBO and everything it stands for feels right at home in this great city.” Artists who took part in the event included Kelly Rowland and David Guetta, JLS, Tinchy Stryder and Britain’s Got Talent Winners, Diversity. There was also a tribute to Michael Jackson who was honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

A CAMPAIGN to bring more families to Leicestershire has resulted in a record number of ‘staycationers’ visiting the area. The Stay Play Explore campaign allowed a family of four to visit three local attractions out of a choice of five, plus accommodation at one of three family orientated hotels. And according to Leicester Shire Promotions, the campaign increased visitor numbers by over 160 per cent between June and August compared to the same period last year. Chief executive Martin Peters said: “The economic downturn has given the domestic visitor market one of the biggest boosts of the past couple of decades. “Research has shown that the

reason for this is simple: Brits would rather spend less on things like food and clothes than sacrifice their leisure time. “Visitors are now demanding good quality, dynamic UK visitor destinations that do not compromise on quality and this is why the Stay Play Explore short break campaign is our most successful ever. “As well as Stay Play Explore, we have developed a range of year-round short break opportunities to reflect the area’s diverse tourism offer and good quality, value for money accommodation, all available at a fraction of the cost of going abroad.” The participating attractions included the National Space Centre and Twycross Zoo and accommodation choices included Leicester Marriott and Holiday Inn Leicester.

Exploring the outdoors grows in popularity HOLIDAYMAKERS are exploring the outdoors as part of their ‘staycations’ in Britain, research has claimed. Research by the Outdoor Industries Association has revealed the demand for outdoor recreation is growing and an increasing number of people are swapping their holiday abroad for a UK break – complete with outdoor activities.

In the survey, more than half of respondents (53 per cent) said they were more likely to spend more time in the UK this year. And asked whether they were more likely to increase the number of outdoor breaks in the UK, 52 per cent said yes. Popular outdoor activities included walking, hiking, cycling and mountain biking.

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DESTINATIONNEWS

England is back in fashion with the Brits Mark Miller

New executive director is appointed THE Tourism Society has a new executive director – Mark Miller. In his new role, Mark will be responsible for developing a new strategy and business plan over the next three years, looking at potential collaborations with other tourism bodies and increasing membership both in the UK and in overseas markets. Mark has recently returned from overseas, where he has worked for the last 12 years in South East Asia and the Middle East. He said: “I am delighted to be back in the UK and to be working for such a prestigious organisation and am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities to further develop and enhance the society’s activities, reputation and, most importantly, benefits to members.”

ATTITUDES towards domestic travel are changing – with Brits wanting to learn and experience more of their own country. Research by VisitEngland discovered that respondents admit to often knowing more about foreign destinations than those in their home country and claim to have a genuine yearning to experience and learn more about the regions of England. The research also shows a ‘lost generation’ of young people who confess to feeling almost embarrassed at the lack of knowledge of their own country. While older groups cited unfavourable exchange rates as the trigger for sparking interest in rediscovering classic

England hotspots, as well as seeking out ‘off the beaten track’ lesser known regions. Chief executive of VisitEngland James Berresford said: “England is back in fashion as Brits are rediscovering the diversity and appeal of the English holiday. It’s a trend that we’ve seen developing over the course of the last few years and one which we intend to nurture with the help of the tourism industry. “We know that people are looking for experiences tailored to their interests, be it a spiritual retreat, an adventure holiday or a chic weekend break – they are now realising that England can deliver all that and more.”

VisitEngland's Enjoy Every Minute; Enjoy England television campaign has been on air since September to encourage more short breaks and day trips. And within a month, the campaign had already reached 61 per cent of the adult population in England. James added: “Clearly there are businesses out there still suffering, particularly those in the conference and events market so we are certainly not out of the woods. As an industry this is the time to pull together and ensure that when the economic circumstances and exchange rates change, we have a robust strategy in place to ensure that England destinations continue to attract new and repeat visitors.”

The perfect break for cider drinkers CIDER fans can plan their perfect break thanks to a new guide launched by Visit Somerset. The free guide can be downloaded and contains everything from cider farms to visit and places to stay in the area. New this year is the addition of a cycle ride around the heart of

Somerset, which starts and ends in Langport, where visitors can hire bikes and take in villages, orchards and cider farms. David McCubbin from the Somerset Tourism Partnership said: “There has always been a link between Somerset and apples – in fact 156 cider apple varieties are

specifically associated with the area. Many of the orchards are attractions in their own right and the aim of the guide is to encourage people to explore them – cycling around the countryside that produces the apples, tasting the array of ciders on offer, and meeting the people behind some of the top tipples.”

Exciting new journey for leisure show THE British Leisure Show has announced a new partnership for its Explore Britain Zone, with public transport giants First Group. The show will be held from Friday 19th to Sunday March 21 2010, at the Royal Windsor Racecourse and details will soon be launched about First Great Western's CombiTicket which has been created especially for the show. The ticket will allow people to travel to Windsor's stations by train and then take a dedicated bus to the show, helping them to reduce their carbon footprint. Show managing director James Brooke said: “We are delighted to be working with First Group as a headline partner for our ‘Explore Britain’ zone. “This is a terrific opportunity for us to reach potential visitors for the show via more than 200 train stations in the region and provide FirstGroup customers with an exciting range of benefits including combi-tickets. We have been

‘This new event is a unique show that gives visitors a fantastic opportunity to experience a wide range of leisure options’ overwhelmed by support for the show and are looking forward to working with all our partners to make the launch show a great success.” This new event is a unique show that gives visitors a fantastic opportunity to experience a wide range of leisure options. The dedicated Explore Britain Zone features a showcase of the very best that Britain has to offer. From hotels, holidays and camp sites, walking, climbing and cycling, attractions and theme parks to fossil hunting, historic craft, heritage and coastal conservation and even sustainable living.

James added: “This is a fantastic new opportunity for companies within the travel and tourism industry to meet new customers cost effectively, and benefit from cross-selling opportunities at a modern and diverse event. “We're responding to high consumer demand for value at a time when people are looking for affordable ways to spend their leisure time in the UK. “We're committed to promoting travel and tourism within the show and demonstrating how easy and fun it is to Explore Britain.” First Group will also be bringing one of their Greyhound buses to the show for visitors to enjoy a taste of the best in coach travel.

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DESTINATIONNEWS

Firm unveils £35m beach huts plan By Christina Eccles

Blackpool Zoo hosted a week of spine chilling fun to mark Halloween. Activities included pumpkin workshops – where visitors could carve pumpkins and fill them with treats for the animals to enjoy – spooky zoo trails and ghostly storytelling sessions.

Films bring city cash boom LIVERPOOL’S popularity as a filming destination is worth £14m to the local economy, according to new figures. Liverpool Film Office has revealed that 106 film days were recorded in August – equalling the busiest ever month in the city. This puts Liverpool on course to eclipse the 700-day mark by the

end of the year, marking a 15 per cent rise on 2008. And the economic impact of these productions will be worth a record £14m – £2m more than in 2008. Productions which have filmed in the city include the next Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows and Sherlock Holmes.

A PILOT scheme to build 21 luxury beach huts is to be rolled out across the country at a cost of £35m. The first development – which is being built by Beach Hut Resorts – will be in Whitley Bay, with the company also in discussions to develop similar schemes up and down the country. According to financial director Darren Baker, the huts will provide a different alternative for those looking for a ‘staycation’ break. And as the accommodation is self catering, Darren believes it will also provide a boost to local bars, restaurants and shops. He said: “Over the past 20 years, cheaper, overseas package holidays have caused a huge decline in demand for the domestic holiday and short breaks. “We are aiming to re-brand the ‘staycation’ holiday, to enhance all that these exciting locations have to offer. “As all of our products will be self catering, the residents will be

encouraged to use local outlets to eat drink and be entertained. “Beach Hut Resorts will work closely with local businesses to ensure their guests can enjoy the very best shops, restaurants, entertainment and services the town has to offer. “This will promote spend migration, encouraging positive regeneration for coastal resorts and seaside towns.” Each hut sleeps four to six people and facilities include separate bedroom, fitted kitchen, bathroom, sitting area and 24-hour concierge service. Darren added: “It’s a tragedy that a large percentage of our generation are not aware of the fantastic coastlines, culture and history we have or the opportunity to experience a relaxing vacation or an exhilarating break right here in the UK. “We intend to create an opportunity for these locations to showcase themselves and to encourage families and visitors to re-visit again and again.”

The year digital marketing became essential? By Tim Addison LOOKING back at the headlines for UK tourism in 2009 they are unsurprisingly dominated by credit crunch marketing and the now ubiquitous ‘staycation’. However, I'm convinced there is an underlying development during the last 12 months that might end up being of more far-reaching significance. In October, there was some positive news from Enjoy England which revealed a 14 per cent increase in domestic trips during the first six months of the year, although chief executive, James Berresford was absolutely right to sound a note of caution in announcing the news. Research recorded a one per cent fall in value together with this insight; “The research goes on to suggest that a ‘lost generation’ of young people confess to feeling almost embarrassed at the lack of knowledge of their own country.” Coincidentally, at a Tourism Society event focused on ‘new media’, Andrew Pozniak, Google 8

marketing chief for the EMEA region, surprised me by stating in 2010 there will be more Generation Y consumers than Baby Boomers (i.e. their grandparents) in the UK and that over 90 per cent of this valuable market were registered to at least one social media site (Facebook, Twitter, Travel, FlickR.or Wikipedia.com – for a quick definition). Perhaps 2009 was the year when digital marketing became essential for effective UK destination promotion. From my industry soundings, many businesses benefited from Enjoy England's reported uplift and ended the year 10 per cent or more up on 2008, whilst just as many were down by similar amounts. Perhaps the difference lies in those that are now starting to understand the real cultural changes in the market place caused by social media. This impacts destinations as much as individual hotels, B&Bs, holiday parks and visitor attractions. Any professional who works with a broad spectrum of the UK travel

trade can't fail to see these disparities in technical knowledge and digital marketing confidence. All indicators seem to point towards continued positive growth in domestic tourism next year and undoubtedly highlights such as Liverpool's success as our European Capital of Culture (Destination UK Oct 09) and macro economic factors (currency, terrorism threats) have played their part in this renaissance opportunity for holidays at home. There's a real appetite in the market that goes beyond saving cash to explore home as well as visiting overseas and this seems especially true of younger people. For a comprehensive overview of this year's ups and downs, as well as a forecast for tourism in 2010, I'll be looking forward to the Tourism Society's Prospects event in January. This provides an invaluable series of balanced presentations that I hope will confirm the promise of the first half of the year. And, if you didn't get your fair share of this mini boom, it

Tim Addison might also be a good idea to review your digital marketing and social media plans. Perhaps a short break booking from one of Enjoy England's “lost generation” was just one Tweet away? Tim Addison is a member of the board of directors at the Tourism Society

Hampton Court

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Historic Royal Palaces really come into their own at Christmas time, as centuries of ceremony, merry-making and feasting are reenacted and enjoyed by a whole new generation of people. This Christmas is special as it takes place in the year of Henry VIII’s 500th anniversary of becoming king, so at Hampton Court Palace you can be sure of being entertained by the best Tudor festivities including games, dancing, music and feasting. Also, to add that extra Christmas sparkle to your visit, you can enjoy a truly memorable festive experience as you skate with the Tudor West Front as a spectacular backdrop. See www.hamptoncourticerink.com for details. Henry’s Great Kitchens will also be a hive of activity as the Tudor Cooks prepare and present a Christmas feast fit for a King. To mark this special year, the Tudor Cookery will take place over a longer period than usual, from 27 December 2009 to the 3 January 2010. Also special for Henry VIII’s anniversary year at Hampton Court is the unique Tapestry Re-colouration display which offers visitors the

world’s first opportunity to see one of Henry VIII’s tapestries re-lit with its original stunning vibrant colours, from shining gold to bright blues. This display ends on the 3 January 2010 so make sure you grab the chance to see it. As well as all this, the fabulously re-presented Tudor Palace will continue to wow visitors and Henry VIII will be married every day. Be part of Henry’s celebrations as he gets married to his sixth wife Kateryn Parr. To get ready for their wedding, the palace will be decorated with lavishly dressed rooms throughout the Tudor route, including feasting in the Great Hall and debates in the newly-opened Council Chamber. Whether seeing the palace front decked out in splendour, passing warders in their new Tudor inspired uniform, or taking part in a personalised tour, you can revel in this moment of history that happened at Hampton Court Palace in 1543. To arrange your bespoke groups package and to take advantage of the many offers available, contact the Travel Trade Sales Office on +44 (0) 20 3166 6311 or e-mail groupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk or visit the website at www.hrp.org.uk.

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DESTINATIONGUERNSEY

A well-timed marketing campaign has helped Guernsey beat the recession and increase visitor numbers -– Destination UK found out more

Channel island with over 250,000 visitors a year TOURISM is Guernsey’s fifth largest source of income and brings 185,000 staying visitors and 65,000 cruise passengers to the island every year. This year it has been making the most of its particular appeal to UK holiday makers who want to get away from it all without the high costs of a European break. Chris Elliott, director of marketing and tourism for VisitGuernsey, said: “The island has great weather and is visibly different from the UK thanks to its distinct French accent. “But it is still less than an hour

from most of the big airports – so it is popular with people who want a change, but don’t want to go far to get it. “We are not part of the UK or the EEC but we use sterling currency, so when the exchange rate is putting people off travelling to Europe we have an advantage. “We ran a very successful marketing campaign based on the £1 for £1 rate for visitors to Guernsey at just the right time and although most resorts have seen a drop in business this season, our occupancy has been up one per cent so far this year.

Top: View of Cobo Bay Above: Le Petit Port

Chris Elliott “The advertising push also led to brochure demand going up by 90 per cent and website hits going up 40 per cent.” The marketing also aims to make the most of the island’s other attributes, including the scenery, friendly atmosphere and that fact that, as the area is a complete and busy community rather than simply a purpose built resort, there is always a wide variety of things to do. Many tourists are also attracted to Guernsey’s food culture, demonstrated by the island’s 200 restaurants, and its history, stretching back to before the Norman conquests. This means that the traditional July and August peak season has been expanding in both directions for many years. This is helped by the fact that

the average Guernsey tourists are couples aged 50 plus, who are able to travel in the shoulder seasons – helping local businesses spread out the busy times. However, Chris pointed out that the island also faces some geographic challenges. He added: “Because we are an island people need to fly here or travel over in a boat, which means that there will always be costs involved. “We also only have a small airport which cannot accommodate some of the biggest planes – so it makes air travel comparatively expensive compared to some ‘low-cost’ destinations. “It will never be cheap, but we do believe that we provide value for money.”

What Guernsey has to offer ... GUERNSEY is the second largest of the Channel Islands and is situated 75 miles south of mainland Britain and 27 miles from the north coast of France. Guernsey issues its own bank notes while using the sterling 10

currency. The island covers 24 square miles and is home to approximately 60,000 residents. Direct flights operate from Gatwick and Stansted, plus eight UK regional airports and

regular car ferry services to Guernsey run from the south coast of England and from north-west France. The island has 27 bays and 28 miles of cliff top walks and offers fishing, windsurfing, snorkelling

and surfing. There are over 50 hotels on the island with two, three, four star and boutique properties, guest houses, selfcatering cottages and holiday apartments.

People have been welcomed behind the scenes at BBC Television Centre in London for over ten years. The award winning Tours of both Television Centre and Broadcasting House are a great way for visitors to learn about the diverse roles within the organisation and have a hands on interactive experience along the way too. There is even a CBBC Interactive Tour for children aged 7 -12 years also based at Television Centre where they can have fun in our very own Raven challenge or in the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Diddy Dick and Domâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; theatre. This year BBC has now opened the doors to the public in Birmingham, Manchester and Norwich. Visitors can explore the intriguing world of BBC Birmingham or BBC Manchester and even take part in special recordings of a radio drama, complete with sound effects and music. At BBC Norwich visitors will be able to find out how it feels to be part of a news

broadcast or even present the weather! All over the country BBC News is watched on screen by thousands and now there is this exciting opportunity to discover how the largest news gathering operation works. BBC Tour guides will give an insight into the many programmes originating from these cities and the level of work it takes to get them from script to screen. During the tours there is always the chance of bumping into a favourite presenter, actor or radio DJ or hearing some trade secrets! Please note, all BBC Tours take place in working buildings so we cannot guarantee what or who you will see on the day of your visit. Look out for more BBC Tours opening on our website www.bbc.co.uk/tours or by calling the booking line: 0370 901 1227* All tours must be booked in advance and age restrictions apply. *UK- wide rate charged at no more than 01/02 geographic numbers. Calls may be recorded for training. The Dr Who Tardis at Television Centre Photo opportunity with the Prank Patrol vehicle

Sound effects for Radio Drama

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DESTINATIONLONDON

Cities agree tourism strategy A TWO-YEAR tourism strategy has been agreed between London and New York, which is designed to boost travel between the two cities. The cities will provide each other with outdoor media advertising space and NYC and Company and Visit London – their respective tourism arms – will share best practices as a way to maximise travel between the two destinations. The two agencies will also assist each other with at least one

publicity event in each city and advertising will be displayed in prominent places such as the London Underground. Visit London has also launched its £1m ‘Only in London’ marketing campaign in America, which celebrates the sights, sounds and experiences that are unique to the British capital’s history, heritage and culture. Mayor of London Boris Johnson – who launched the agreement with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg – said: “London and

New York City share many similarities, including a strong sense of optimism and determination, along with a great appreciation for diversity and innovation. “Our common cultural ties, not least absolute dedication to providing world-class services and experiences for both residents and visitors, make the two cities exceptionally well poised to combine knowledge as well as resources to impact the economies and future of the

cities.” Visit London CEO Sally Chatterjee added: “As well as being large sources of overseas travel for each market, New York City and London are also big supporters of each other. We look forward to working with NYC and Company and see both our organizations continuing to strive for best practice in our role as world-leading destinations. This is an exciting first step in what we expect to be a very fruitful partnership.”

Square wins attraction battle A London food festival allowed diners to experience the best of the capital’s cuisine on board one of its biggest attractions. As part of the London Restaurant Festival, the London Eye was transformed into a revolving ‘pop up’ restaurant, where each night over the course of the six-day festival, a different chef cooked for 10 lucky diners who ate in a capsule converted into a dining room. Chefs taking part included Gordon Ramsay (pictured).

LONDON landmark Trafalgar Square has been voted the top attraction for international tourists visiting the UK. In a survey by First Rate Exchange Services, it beat off competition from rivals including Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace and Oxford Street to land the top spot. The top 10 attractions were: 1.Trafalgar Square (pictured above) 2.Tower Bridge 3. London Museums

4. Buckingham Palace 5. Oxford Street 6. London Eye 7. Windsor Castle 8. Edinburgh Castle 9. Stonehenge 10. Globe Theatre, London The poll questioned visitors to the UK from the USA, Ireland, Spain, France and Germany on which attraction they most wanted to visit during their time in the country.

Tourists can make friends before arriving in capital TOURISTS visiting London will be able to enjoy their own personal tour guides thanks to a new website which allows travellers to make friends with Londoners before they arrive. Friday Night Sucks lets users make friends to accompany them on nights out in London – often at extremely short notice – and has proved a hit with people across the UK planning visits to London and with those overseas who are coming to the capital and want to meet real Londoners. The site was the brainchild of Vicki Jenkins who created it as a way of matching like minded individuals who were struggling to make connections in the capital. Members simply register, write a short biography about their 12 interests and the type of person

they would like to socialise with and then arrange to meet for nights out. Vicki said: “It seems foreign visitors are a bit sick of doing the same boring tourist activities when they visit London. “I wanted to help lonely people meet people and make friends. “I am delighted that thanks to my site visitors to London are able to settle in a lot quicker, something which can be difficult, especially when travelling alone. “It’s great because not only do the visitors to London get to meet people who know the city like the back of their hand but our UK members get to meet people from all over the world and learn a little about their culture, making the whole experience great fun.”

A new hotel set to open in the capital early next year is leading the way in sustainability with a number of new ideas. The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is trialling energy and water saving initiatives including installing a BioMass Boiler that uses wood pellets to generate heat, then

used to provide guest room heating and heat water. An estimated 25,000 energysaving LED light bulbs will also be used in the hotel to light tens of thousands of metres of space. By using these energy saving bulbs, the hotel will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 606 tonnes per year.

Tower of London

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At the Tower of London, medieval merry-making will reign with our Medieval Christmas event, so join Edward I and his Court as they enjoy festive music and dancing in the Palace and Upper Wakefield Tower. Also, the colourful ceremony of the Christmas State Parade will take place on 20 December and will be one of the first ceremonial duties of the Tower of London’s new Constable, General Sir Richard Dannatt, who took up his post on 1 August 2009. And of course, the Tower ice rink will return again this year as it becomes the place to skate in 2009. See more at www.toweroflondonicerink.com. This year you can get ahead of the crowd and book your group to witness the opening ceremony of this famous fortress. Arrive at 8.45 Tuesday-Saturday, as pre-booked groups can watch the military guard open the Tower of London for the day and be the first to see the many attractions that lie within. Enter the iconic White Tower through the Royal Gallery, where the royal armours of Henry VIII, Edward VI and the Stuart Kings are on display. The royal swords from the Hanoverian to House of Windsor period are also on show here. The first floor will display special items from the Royal Armouries collection, highlighting the craftsmanship and reflecting how the

Ordnance collections have been displayed around the Tower over the centuries. We will also feature Tower ‘personalities’ and their possessions. The top floor will look at the prisoners of the Tower and highlight materials like the chair that the Second World War German sergeant Josef Jakobs was sat on when he was shot in the last execution to take place at the Tower in 1941. You can also make an historic assault on the Tower of London and take part in the Fortress experience throughout the Tower and in the moat. Groups can now immerse themselves in an often overlooked aspect of this historic attraction by exploring the story of the Tower as a fortress. You can attempt to fire one of the full size working siege weapons in the moat, whilst being watched over from the battlements by a metalwork garrison of six full sized steel soldiers that are stationed at key defensive locations around the Tower. To arrange your bespoke groups package and to take advantage of the many packages on offer, contact the Travel Trade Sales Office on +44 (0) 20 3166 6311 or e-mail groupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk or visit the website at www.hrp.org.uk.

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DESTINATIONNEWS

New offer to encourage longer breaks SCOTLAND’S largest hostelling association has launched a recession-busting offer to encourage those on a budget to enjoy longer breaks. SYHA Hostelling Scotland introduced a third night free offer as part of a marketing drive to appeal to wider audiences and cash in on the boom in staycations. The drive has also included a new marketing team, improved website and an STV commercial which saw online bookings soar by almost 60 per cent the week after it first aired. Head of sales and marketing Louise Nowell said: “Winter is an exciting season in Scotland, with incredible winter sports action at Aviemore, stunning walking at Ben Nevis and fantastic Christmas shopping and nightlife in Glasgow and Edinburgh – to name but a few. “With the option of private rooms, en-suites and cooked breakfasts at many hostels, hostelling is suited to everyone from couples to groups of friends to families.” The three nights for the price of two packages run until the end of February, excluding New Year.

Katherine Jenkins

The Swan Hotel in Wells’ Cathedral Suite

How Kevin drew the stars A SOMERSET hotel owner took on a new challenge when he agreed to organise a starstudded concert to raise money for charity. Kevin Newton – who owns the Swan Hotel in Wells – decided to organise The Big Gig to raise funds for a local performing arts school

after being inspired by listening to the Boyzone hit ‘When the Going Gets Tough.’ He revealed to Destination UK that he thought there was enough doom and gloom about and that a concert was just the thing to put a smile back on the faces of local people. Kevin managed to secure Boyzone

as one of the headline acts, along with James Morrison and opera star Katherine Jenkins. Katherine was also given the Wells Cathedral suite in the hotel for her stay and was treated to five star luxury including rose petals in the gold bath, chocolates and champagne.

Travelodge turns to Twitter ... TRAVELODGE has become the first British budget hotel brand to communicate with its customers through Twitter. The company will use Twitter to interact with consumers and to inform them of new offers, hotel openings and job opportunities.

E-Commerce director Charlie Herbert said: “Over 85 per cent of Travelodge reservations are conducted via the web and with such a strong online following, it makes sense to interact with our customers via Twitter. “This will enable us to instantly

tell our followers of latest offers, inform them on new Travelodge openings and keep them updated on general company news. “Its an instant, efficient and modern way of interacting with our customers."

15 Les mis

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DESTINATIONCENTRESTAGE

Still going strong ... 25 years on NOW approaching its 25th year in London, Les Misérables is the world's longest-running musical, surpassing the record created by Cats in the West End. This international award-winning musical sweeps its audience through an epic tale of passion and destruction, against the backdrop of a nation in the grip of revolution. Seen by over 56 million people worldwide in 42 countries and in 21 languages, Les Misérables is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals ever written, with new productions continually opening around the globe. There have been 34 cast recordings of Les Misérables, including the multi-platinum London cast recording and the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast and complete symphonic albums. The video of the 10th Anniversary Royal Albert Hall Gala Concert has sold nearly two million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling musical videos ever in the UK. By the end of July 2009 there were over 2,400 productions of the Les Misérables Schools Edition scheduled or being performed by over 122,000 school children in the US, UK and Australia, making it the most successful school edition of a musical ever. The magnificent score of Les

Misérables includes the songs, I Dreamed a Dream’, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing?, One Day More, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Master Of The House and many more. Les Misérables originally opened in London at the Barbican Theatre on October 8 1985, transferred to the Palace Theatre on December 4 1985 and moved to its current home at the Queen’s Theatre on April 3 2004 where it continues to play to packed houses. Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les Misérables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel and additional material by James Fenton. The original London production of Les Misérables was adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Les Misérables is at the Queen’s Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1. Monday – Saturday evening performances at 7.30pm. Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Now booking until February 2011.

Mamma Mia! stars Sally Ann Triplett, Melissa Jacques and Katy Secombe receiving a cheque for over £800,000 worth of weekend tickets from Encore Tickets managing director John Wales.

Mamma Mia! How many tickets? FANS of Mamma Mia! will be able to get greater access to tickets after Encore TIckets snapped up £800,000 worth of weekend stock. Combined with existing seats, this move offers trade buyers access to over 60,000 tickets for the show until March 2011. Encore managing director John

Ticketing agent Applause secured early bird discounted rates for groups wanting to see new West End musical Legally Blonde. The show opens at the Savoy Theatre on December 5 and will feature a cast including Sheridan Smith, Duncan 16

Wales said: “Mamma Mia! has always been a huge success for our travel trade clients. As we come into our 10th year we feel it is important that we secure a major additional allocation of tickets for our trade clients offering them guaranteed allocations for weekend performances.”

James, Gill Halfpenny and Peter Davison. Groups could benefit from rates starting from £29.50 per person. Pictured are Ian Dulson and Adam Stott Everett from Applause with Sheridan Smith who plays Elle Woods in the show.

TV search for Toto THE search for stars to play Dorothy and Toto in a West End production of The Wizard of Oz will be followed in a new BBC show. Following the success of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, I'd Do Anything and Any Dream Will Do, the BBC has commissioned the

show. It will reunite judge Andrew Lloyd Webber with host Graham Norton, pictured above, and a panel of judges who will choose a star to perform in the West End. The search for Dorothy will begin with auditions in several UK cities in early 2010.

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DESTINATIONCENTRESTAGE

Bumper times ahead for the West End? By Christina Eccles 2010 could be a bumper year for West End theatre thanks to an improving economy and the launch of new sell-out shows. Industry expert Nick Blackburn has claimed that the launch of big name productions like Legally Blonde in December and Love Never Dies in March will attract more visitors then ever. The SEE Tickets chairman said: “There haven’t really been any big openings in the West End this year – probably the two biggest have been Sister Act and Priscilla. “But going into 2010 we have a couple of huge, hyped shows that are going to be very popular. “People are very excited about the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which is based on what happens to the characters from Phantom of the Opera – I have heard some of the music and believe it will be a huge show.” Nick pointed out that while attendances have been generally good throughout 2009, there has been some discounting of tickets, especially for the smaller shows, which has driven the average ticket price down more than usual.

He added: “I think that ticket prices will continue to reflect the state of the economy, and as things improve in that area there will be fewer reductions in price. “However, if a show is really popular then there will never be the need to discount – two examples this year have been Mamma Mia and Billy Elliot, where there has been so much demand that the shows are constantly selling out.” Nick believes that the theatres can also predict what the biggest shows will be, so that even if full price is charged for all the seats then they will get snapped up – because the performance is worth it. For example, tickets for Love Never Dies have already gone on sale and it took over £5m in the box office in just a week. He added: “I think even when people are short of money they don’t want life to stop completely – they still want to go out and have experiences, and ticket prices aren’t a huge expense in the great scheme of things. The biggest thing that draws people to the theatre is the quality of the shows, so as long as that stays high then the audiences will be there.”

Swan Lake in Christmas return MATTHEW Bourne’s Swan Lake is to return to London’s Sadler’s Wells this Christmas. The show returns to the theatre from December 10 – January 24, followed by a national UK tour opening in Woking. Casting for the

2009 revival includes a mix of established performers and newcomers. Richard Winsor and Jonathan Ollivier will both be making their debuts in the coveted role of The Swan.

Anna Friel in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Capital demand soars NEW West End shows such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the forthcoming Legally Blonde are driving demand for Superbreak’s London packages. Sales of London breaks through agents are up by 39 per cent compared with the same period last year (May-September). And although average booking values are down slightly, they are still over £350 per booking. Sales director Ian Mounser said: “The market for London hotel

breaks from UK residents is massive, certainly as big as the top five European cities put together. Any agent who’s not permanently pushing London breaks to their customer base right now is missing a big trick. With elements such as rail travel, theatres, concerts, attractions and tours all bookable and fully commissionable to agents, in addition to the hotel, the opportunities to dynamically package a London break are endless.”

Star-studded Phantom sequel promises to be comedy cast

Keira Knightley

KEIRA Knightley, Damian Lewis and Tara Fitzgerald will appear in a new version of Molière's comedy, The Misanthrope, directed by Thea Sharrock. Transported from 17th century Paris to modern-day London, Alceste (Damian Lewis) is a famous British playwright disillusioned and angry with the hypocrisy, shallowness and vanity of the contemporary world. Vowing to reject society, Alceste’s plans are derailed when he falls madly in love with Jennifer (Keira Knightley). An ambitious American film star and darling of the social scene, she may prove to be his biggest challenge yet. The play opens at the Comedy Theatre on December 17.

one of the big shows of 2010

SUPERBREAK has put packages on sale for eagerly-awaited new musical, Love Never Dies. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new show continues the stories of the principal characters of The Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom, Christine Daae and Raoul ten years after The Phantom’s mysterious disappearance from the Paris Opera House. The show will have its World Premiere at London’s Adelphi Theatre on March 9 2010 and its first booking period runs to October 23 2010. Sales director Ian Mounser said: “This is London’s greatest love story continued and is set to be one of the biggest shows

to hit the West End in a long time. “It is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, which is still one of the most sought after show 21 years after it launched – so we expect this to follow suit. “It will undoubtedly also stimulate additional bookings for Phantom. Many will either want to see it again before seeing Love Never Dies or, for those who haven’t seen Phantom, they will feel they need to see it first before the sequel. “Agents have sold over £12m worth of packages for Phantom through Superbreak over the years and I expect them to generate at least £2m for Love Never Dies in its first year.’’ 17

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WTM PREVIEW

Mayor of London Boris Johnson

Priscilla cast taking party Boris to guests through the moves open event ENCORE Tickets’ annual WTM party will feature the cast of West End hit Priscilla Queen of the Desert – who will take partygoers through a session of the show’s classic disco hits. Almost a year after it first went on sale, Priscilla has become a favourite in many markets and has been one of the products included in the 1.5m tickets Encore has sold in the last 12 months.

Managing director John Wales said: “We’re delighted to have the cast of Priscilla join us to celebrate another successful year at this year’s party. “Our aim for 2010 is to break the two million tickets barrier and I know we are going to do that with the help of our partners in the trade and more great shows like Priscilla opening for sale.”

World Travel Market Facts: World Travel Market is this year celebrating its 30th event. The show has been hosted in three London venues, Olympia, Earl’s Court and ExCeL – London. WTM has been opened by six royals, four British Government Ministers, seven industry figures, four explorers, an opera singer, two London Mayors and a Miss World. Over the last 29 years WTM has held almost 11,000 conference sessions. During the last seven years of WTM more

than 180,000 glasses of champagne have been toasted in celebration, 9,030 bottles of house wine and 875,000 cups of coffee have been drunk. The exhibition has played host to almost half a million exhibitors over the past 29 years, with 198 countries and regions represented. Last year WTM smashed its participant record with almost 50,000 exhibitors, visitors and international media attending the event.

MAYOR of London Boris Johnson will open this year’s World Travel Market, taking place at ExCel. The show is celebrating its 30th event this year and the mayor will welcome nearly 50,000 UK and overseas visitors through the doors. Chairman of World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery said: “Boris Johnson has become the face of London. He became known to millions on television when he invited the world in Beijing to come to London for the 2012 Olympics. “In the build-up to the next Olympics, the international travel industry is playing an important role in helping people from across the world to visit the UK for the world’s greatest sporting event “It‘s particularly appropriate that Boris will help the industry to celebrate 30 years of World Travel Market, which has not only helped bring industry professionals together to conduct business across the world, but has also served as a spotlight on the latest trends and developments.”

East Midlands businesses celebrate success THE best of the East Midlands tourism industry are celebrating after winning awards at the East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards. Open to tourism businesses from across the region, a total of 16 awards were presented at the Athena in Leicester to those businesses that have excelled in providing a first class experience for visitors. BBC One Show host Des Coleman was on hand to oversee the night’s festivities and to present all of the gold, silver and bronze award winners with their accolades. The winners included: Bed and Breakfast/ Guest Accommodation – Underleigh House, Hope, Derbyshire Caravan Holiday Park and Holiday Village – Callow Top Holiday Park, 18 Buxton, Derbyshire

Large Visitor Attraction – The National Space Centre, Leicester, Leicestershire Small Visitor Attraction – Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, Sutton Cheney, Leicestershire Tourism Experience – Go Ape, Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire Tourism Information Service – Nottingham Tourism Centre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire Tourism director at East Midlands Development Agency Ruth Hyde said: “I would like to congratulate all of the 2009 tourism award winners. We had a record number of businesses entering this year and the competition was extremely high so it’s a great achievement to have reached this stage of the competition. “In the current climate it is more important than ever to give

customers good quality and good value, and these awards are about recognising those tourism businesses in the East Midlands that are prepared to go that little bit further, and really work to create a first class experience.”

Many of the regional gold award winners will now go forward to the national final next April, where they will compete against other regional winners from across England for the chance to be crowned England’s best.

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in conjunction with

VisitScotland gets it right with Winter White VISITSCOTLAND will have a significant presence at the 30th World Travel Market as part of its ongoing work to sell the country to potential buyers from around the world. Attending events such as WTM – particularly in the current economic climate – is important in terms of positioning Scotland as a quality destination with world-class credentials and enabling it to compete on the global market. Over the last year or so, VisitScotland has refocused its marketing efforts in response to the international economic situation, increasingly targeting emerging markets such as Russia and India, and a presence at WTM is a crucial part of this. Tourism remains one of the most important sectors in Scotland and every year contributes over £4

billion to the country’s economy, providing more than 200,000 people with jobs. In the Highlands, around 13 per cent of the working population is employed in tourism or tourism-related business. Tourism growth is therefore critical to the future of Scotland. This year, Scotland’s national tourism organisation, which has been at every WTM since its inception in 1979, is attending the show with 15 Scottish partners, including hoteliers, visitor attractions, inbound operators and destination promotions, all brought together on a high-profile bespoke exhibition stand. Highlighting VisitScotland’s hugelysuccessful Winter White campaign, an award-winning UK marketing and PR campaign focusing on winter

activity in Scotland, which last year generated an additional £63.5m for the Scottish economy, the Scotland stand this year will be themed with winter white brand messages. This theme will be further developed at the Scottish networking evening, hosted by VisitScotland and partners, which will build on the success of the inaugural networking event held at last year’s show. This year’s event will be at the Waterfront Café in ExCeL after the show closes on Monday 9th November and promises to be even bigger and better than last year. Kicking off with a piper welcoming guests, the evening will encompass Scottish food, drink and live entertainment from rising Scottish traditional music star, Emily Smith.

Emily Smith

A golden opportunity to showcase Scotland

Philip Riddle

THE chief executive of VisitScotland Philip Riddle is looking forward to WTM, insisting it is a golden opportunity to showcase what it has to offer. He said: “We are delighted to use this opportunity to promote Scotland’s tourism product as well as some of our major campaigns, including Winter White, and celebrations that are coming up next year such as Perth 800, an excit-

ing and ambitious programme of events in the Perth and Kinross area. “There are so many things to see and do in Scotland at any time of the year and our stand partners are fantastic examples of what Scotland has to offer visitors from around the world. “In the current climate it is crucial that we work together to get tourism growth back on track and

we are very proud to be exhibiting with all our partners. “We will also be encouraging tourism professionals and businesses to come to VisitScotland’s Expo – our flagship business to business event, to be held at the SECC in Glasgow on April 14th and 15th 2010. “Buyers at WTM will be able to register for Expo online at the Scotland stand.”

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in conjunction with

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau welcomes city’s newest five-star hotel GLASGOW City Marketing Bureau has welcomed the recent opening of the £26m Blythswood Square, Glasgow’s newest luxury five-star hotel. The 100-bedroom hotel, which also includes seven suites, has been developed by the Town House Company and is situated in one of Glasgow's most famous historical landmarks. Previously home to the Royal Scottish Automobile Club (RSAC), the building dates from 1823 and contains some of the finest Georgian features in the city including extensive wood panelling; feature staircases and marble

flooring as well as numerous Art Deco fittings and fixtures. Blythswood Square also boasts one of Glasgow’s few penthouse suites located on an exclusive floor and complete with private lift, hot tub and spectacular views across the city. The hotel is home to a 10,000 square foot Urban Day Spa, the first of its kind in Glasgow’s city centre. There are ten treatment rooms specialising in the use of organic products, many of which include ingredients sourced in Scotland. Energy sustainability has been both a key focus and challenge for

Blythswood Square in order to integrate environmental goals without compromising any of the hotel needs and objectives whilst still retaining the classical elegance of such a beautiful building. Blythswood Square will be the first time that the Town House collection has ventured outside Edinburgh. GCMB is the official destination marketing organisation for Glasgow, engaged in national and international activity comprising the development and implementation of the city branding campaign: Glasgow:

Scotland with style; event creation, attraction, management and marketing; conventions, incentives, meetings and exhibition sales; conference and event accommodation bookings and optimisation of www.seeglasgow.com.

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, 11 George Square, G2 1DY, www.seeglasgow.com Caroline Quinn 0141 566 0867 caroline.quinn@seeglasgow.com

Asian otters arrive at Scottish Deer Centre

Abbey Tours Scotland at WTM for first time SCOTLAND’S newest incoming tour operator, Abbey Tours Scotland, will attend World Travel Market for the first time this year. Set up in 2008, Abbey Tours Scotland is owned and operated by a team of experienced travel professionals, and enjoys the full support and backing of Abbey Tours, Ireland's largest inbound tour operator. Services include leisure group travel, FIT and online services, and conference and corporate travel. Abbey Tours has multilingual staff that enables a worldwide client base to do business with the company in the language of their choice, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch and Polish, and of course English. Representing Abbey Tours Scotland at World Travel Market will be Julie Morris, managing director, and Teresa Gambino, business development manager. Meet with Abbey Tours Scotland on the VisitScotland stand – UKI 1900.

Abbey Tours Scotland, 93-95 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DJ www.abbeyscotland.co.uk Miriam Roche 0131 301 5019 miriamr@abbey.ie

Simply the Best – The Edinburgh Woollen Mill SIMPLY The Best offers a superb selection of visitor centres in picturesque locations throughout the UK. Each site has first class shopping facilities with the finest woollens, gifts and souvenirs – all at exceptional value for money prices. With 32 locations across the UK, The Edinburgh Woollen Mill has invested millions of pounds over the last five years upgrading its facilities to match the expectations of today’s visitors, and in particular coach drivers and their passengers. Free parking, good driver facilities and incentives and an improved look and layout of the stores offer the best possible shopping experience for passengers. Several of the stores have been revamped to offer a shop within a shop experience with devoted concession areas featuring leading designer brands, and Costa Coffee has been introduced to the entire network. Key elements that set the Simply the Best store network apart from other potential stopping places are the fact that many of the sites are located in historic buildings or have an added visitor attraction element, such as wildlife parks or craft demonstrations

Castles, country houses and hotels ... 20

WITH over 30 hotels throughout Scotland and over 50 hotels in the UK, Oxford Hotels and Inns offer 2, 3 and 4 star properties including castles, country houses and hotels in honey-pot leisure destinations be it for touring, golfing or just relaxation for both individuals

and exhibitions. The retail mix within the stores has been expertly developed, building on Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s many years of experience to offer a range of gifts, quality fashions (including luxury cashmere and woollen goods) local product and traditional Scottish icons such as shortbread, tartan and whisky. The 'Spirit of Scotland' – a group of large whisky shops – can be found in a number of Simply The Best stores. A unique concept, the 'Spirit of Scotland' Whisky Shops are dedicated to the art of true malt whisky, from the smoothest single malts to quality blends, and stock over 150 brands, some of which are not available outside Scotland. Everyone from the whisky novice to the connoisseur will be impressed with the product range and unrivalled prices – and popular free whisky tastings give everyone to chance to experience Scotland's ‘Water of Life’. Staff are specially trained by experts at local distilleries to ensure that the best advice on brands can be given. and groups.

Oxford Hotels and Inns, Regus House, Victory Way, Admirals Park, Dartford DA2 6QD www.oxfordhotelsandinns.com Tony Marland tony.marland@ohiml.com

A PAIR of Asian Short-clawed otters arrived at one of Simply the Best’s top outlets, The Scottish Deer Centre in Cupar, Fife, earlier this year. The otters live in one of the largest, specially-designed enclosures in Scotland, created to replicate the animals’ natural habitat and equipped with heated accommodation, a waterfall, stream, log piles and bridges. There is a large pool for foraging and a smaller one for teaching youngsters to swim. The animals join an impressive list of wildlife at The Scottish Deer Centre including European wolves, native red foxes, red squirrels, rare breed sheep, capercaille, birds of prey and ten species of deer from around the world, including reindeer. The Scottish Deer Centre is open seven days a week from 10am until 5pm.

The Edinburgh Woollen Mills Ltd, Waverley Mills, Langholm DG13 0EB www.ewm.co.uk Ms Idy Davidson 01387 382 877 idy.davidson@ewm.co.uk

Individual character STRATHMORE Hotels is an established group of 8 hotels of individual character. Our hotels are situated in Scotland: Perth, Speyside, Oban, Glasgow, Fort William and North England: Harrogate and Cumbria. Our sister company, Strathmore Travel, provides coach inclusive holiday packages for groups and individuals to all of our hotels Strathmore Hotels Ltd, 116 Strathmore House, East Kilbride Glasgow G74 1LF www.strathmorehotels.com Rhona Stewart 01355 266 886 rs@strathmorehotels.com

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Visitor numbers up for Historic Scotland EARLY figures indicate that visitor numbers are up at many Historic Scotland attractions. The figures suggest that Historic Scotland has had a higher number of visitors than last year despite the current economic situation, with the domestic and European markets in particular showing growth. As the country’s largest operator of paid-for visitor attractions, Historic Scotland looks after many of its most famous sites including Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart castles. Donna Laidlaw, travel trade sales manager, said: “Despite the recession we have enjoyed a good year with visitor numbers up at many of our 78 staffed properties, and it’s the travel trade we have to thank for that. We have all worked together to build on the opportunities presented by the Scottish Government’s Year of Homecoming initiative and the weakness of the pound to try to pull

in as many visitors as possible. “The results have been very good with preliminary figures indicating that we have reached our targets for Homecoming Pass sales. Our job now is to build on this success and continue to offer a top-quality experience for visitors next season and in 2011.” Historic Scotland’s Explorer passes, which offer great savings for individuals and groups, are excellent value. The 10-day Explorer pass is now exclusively available to the travel trade. To find out more visit www.historicscotland.gov.uk/index/places/travel trade/explorer.htm. Suggested tours are also included on the website.

Historic Scotland, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH 0131 668 8664

£1.5m extension for Festival Hotels’ Murrayfield Hotel EDINBURGH-based Festival Hotels has recently opened a new extension to The Murrayfield Hotel, which now boasts 49 bedrooms. In addition to the 34 recently upgraded rooms in the existing hotel and lodge, the new development – which has seen the expansion of the hotel bedrooms and restaurant and the construction of a new purpose-built annexe complete with sedum-clad Eco-Roof – now offers a further 15 elegantly appointed bedrooms. The aim of the project, which cost in excess of £1.5 million, is to meet the requirements of group bookings and incentive travel, whilst at the same time meeting the desires of a clientele that realises that quality and style do not always need to come at a high price. Taking full advantage of the available space, the Executive bedrooms come with a bed and also a sofa bed, making them ideal

for families or groups travelling together. The Superior bedrooms, have been designed with comfort in mind and feature generously-sized beds and double-sized showers, and are ideal for large group bookings. The hotel’s dining facilities have been boosted tenfold by its expansion into the new building. Almost doubling in size and benefiting from a stylish makeover, the restaurant is ideal for both intimate dinners and group bookings. Inspired by the quality of the locally-sourced produce provided by the acclaimed Buccleuch Estate and the hotel’s very own kitchengarden, the restaurant menu offers a refined and affordable dining experience.

Festival Hotels, Links Hotel, 4 Alvanley Terrace, Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh EH9 1DU www.festivalhotels.co.uk Kirsty McPhee 0131 347 8440 k.mcphee@festivalhotels.co.uk

in conjunction with

JAC Travel Scotland launches Jewels of Scotland service PRIVATELY owned tour operator, JAC Travel Scotland, has launched a new bespoke travel service, Jewels of Scotland. Aimed at the premier end of the travel trade market, Jewels of Scotland provides tailor-made itineraries for discerning travellers seeking authentic experiences in Scotland. This is suited for individual travellers, small groups, golfing parties and the corporate market. The activities and sightseeing options on offer are as varied as the landscape itself: seaplane or luxury yacht trips to the islands, flyfishing or deer stalking, quad biking or river bugging,

playing world famous golf courses, sampling fine cuisine or blending whisky in one of Scotland’s many distilleries. Accommodation options range from prestigious five star establishments to charming boutique hotels, traditional country houses to castles. Jewels of Scotland staff are dedicated destination experts, adept at helping plan and arrange original and creative programmes. The team is fluent in most European languages with specialists in both Russian and Japanese. JAC Travel Scotland is Scotland's premier incoming tour operator offering city breaks for groups and FIT, coach and car touring programmes, scheduled tours and online hotel bookings.

JAC Travel Scotland Ltd, 116 Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 5DQ www.jacscotland.com Karen Robertson 0131 556 4500 karen.robertson@jacscotland.com

NorthLink Ferries launches 2010 Group Tour Guides at WTM NORTHLINK Ferries will launch its 2010 Group Tours Guide at World Travel Market. NorthLink Ferries, which operates ‘cruise quality’ ferry services between Orkney and Shetland and the Scottish mainland, sails out of Aberdeen and Scrabster with Northern Isles’ destination ports of Stromness, Kirkwall and Lerwick. NorthLink has, once again, chosen WTM as the global launchpad for its Group Tours Guide and the company will have a designated presence on the VisitScotland stand at the show. The popularity of Orkney and Shetland as world tourism destinations continues to grow and NorthLink has played a significant role in the tourism boom experienced since the company

took over the ferry contract in 2002. The state-ofthe-art ships provide a comfortable cruising experience, offering well appointed en-suite cabins, selfservice and a la carte restaurants, bars, cinema and lounges. Easy and affordable group tour options available on all routes.

NorthLink Ferries LTD, Stromness Ferry Terminal, Ferry Road, Stromness KW16 3BH www.northlinkferries.co.uk Elaine Tulloch 01856 885 500 elaine.tulloch@northlinkferries.co.uk

Atholl Palace Hotel exhibits at WTM for the first time THE Atholl Palace Hotel is exhibiting at WTM for the first time this year as part of ongoing efforts to raise the hotel’s profile in new markets in Europe and throughout the world. The hotel is a Scottish baronial castle located in the picturesque town of Pitlochry and overlooking the stunning surrounding Highlands. Only an hour’s drive away from Edinburgh Airport and on the main London to Inverness rail route, the impressive hotel is currently midway through an extensive refurbishment programme that has seen its product diversify with room upgrades, newly opened luxury

lodges, and garden apartments due for completion in early 2010. With careful consideration of the hotel’s unique history, which was built nearly 130 years ago as a hydropathic establishment before being converted to a hotel, the owners have restored many of the original features and character to their former grandeur whilst still offering all of the modern conveniences for both the leisure and business tourism markets. The grounds of the hotel have also been developed with the addition of a Japanese Zen Garden complete with a pagoda and babbling brook.

Recreating the glorious gardens that were part of the original vision for the Atholl Palace has been an integral part of the work carried out on the hotel in recent years and the hard work and imaginative planting has been rewarded with several prizes. The gardens have been developed with walkways and seats to encourage hotel guests and day visitors to relax and enjoy the abundant wildlife, and the remarkable specimen trees, planted as the hotel was being built from 1874, have been described as "an undiscovered arboretum” and are part of Perthshire's Big Tree

Country. The grounds also boast tennis courts, putting green golf courses and an outdoor pool. Visit Atholl Palace Hotel on the Scotland stand – UKI 1900

Atholl Palace Hotel, Perth Road, Pitlochry PH16 5LY www.athollpalace.com Dougal Spaven 01796 472 400 dougal@athollpalace.com 21

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DESTINATIONSCOTLAND Scotland Stand UKI 1900 – list of Scottish Exhibitors: Abbey Tours Scotland Apex Hotels Atholl Palace Hotel

Caledonian MacBrayne Cosmopolitan Hotels Festival Hotels Glasgow City Marketing Bureau Historic Scotland

The Edinburgh Dungeon unveils the city’s first ever drop ride – Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom THIS year the Edinburgh Dungeon launches the city’s first ever drop ride, the adrenaline charged Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom. Based on the hangings that took place at Edinburgh’s Grassmarket during the 17th and 18th centuries, the three story ride will plunge visitors into oblivion within a second. With the Edinburgh Dungeon already host to a damp, chilling boat ride, the installation of Extremis signifies a major investment into the Dungeon, which now boasts two rides as part of its fearsome dark tour of Edinburgh’s darkest, most horrible history. The investment sees the Edinburgh landmark cement its place as one of the most ambitious tourist attractions in

the Scottish capital. Extremis will provide a perfectly horrific addition to the actor-led shows and interactive features the Dungeon is infamous for.

JAC Travel Scotland Ltd NorthLink Ferries LTD Oxford Hotels and Inns Royal Highland Hotel Inverness (A Rennie Mackintosh Group Hotel)

Strathmore Hotels Ltd The Edinburgh Dungeon, The Loch Lomond Aquarium & The Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary The Edinburgh Woollen Mill Ltd

Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Oban celebrates its 30th anniversary NESTLING amidst the pine trees on the shores of picturesque Loch Creran, the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary combines a spectacular aquarium with a busy seal rescue and rehabilitation facility, otter enclosure, woodland trails, restaurant and shop. Since 1984, 180 common and grey seals have been rescued, and the sanctuary has welcomed more than three million visitors. Originally the idea of John Mace, a veterinary consultant to the fish farming industry, it was opened by his son David, and quickly became the leading visitor attraction in the west highlands. A nationwide network of Sea Life centres developed, and the Sanctuary is now operated by Merlin Entertainments Group, the second biggest attractions operator in the world after Disney. Merlin currently

The Royal Highland Hotel one of first to offer menus in Gaelic and English THE Royal Highland Hotel is one of the first in Inverness to have its menus in both English and Gaelic. The new menus were introduced to help increase the popularity of the traditional Highland language. The hotel is also planning to introduce multi-lingual signs around the premises. With 86 luxury guest rooms, the Royal Highland Hotel in Inverness is the flagship of The Rennie Mackintosh Group, and caters for leisure and business guests as well as tours. £850,000 is being invested in the hotel to increase bedroom capacity to 101 rooms and on refurbishment of public areas such as the ballroom. The RMG also has other properties in Glasgow and Central Scot-

in conjunction with

land, all offering a traditional Scottish welcome. The Alexander Thomson Hotel in Glasgow has undergone a complete renovation of its 80 rooms and public areas, with an additional 40 new rooms taking the total to 120 in this prestigious city centre location.

Royal Highland Hotel Inverness (A Rennie Mackintosh Group Hotel), 18 Academy Street Inverness IV11LG www.royalhighlandhotel.co.uk Indranil Banerjee 01463 231926 info@royalhighlandhotel.co.uk

operates more than 50 attractions in twelve different countries in three different continent. The Edinburgh Dungeon, The Loch Lomond Aquarium & The Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary Head Office Dolphin House 3 Market Close Poole BH15 1NQ www.merlinentertainments.biz Emily Roy 01202 440 022 emily.roy@merlinentertainments.biz

Discover Scotland’s Islands with CalMac THE islands around Scotland’s west coast are rightly renowned the world over for outstanding natural beauty and centuries-old culture and traditions, and there is no better way to visit them than with Caledonian MacBrayne, which operates the UK’s largest and most distinctive ferry fleet. Each year CalMac, as it is affectionately known, carries around five million passengers and a million cars on 26 routes to and from Scotland’s best known islands including Arran, Islay, Mull, Iona, Skye and Lewis and Harris with many more in between. The company itself has roots going back to 1851 and its distinctive black and white ships with red funnels are almost as much part of the scenery as the lochs and mountains.The vessels and the

islands they serve frequently feature in TV programmes, appearing recently in Coast, Oz and James Drink to Britain, and Islands of Britain with Martin Clunes. Caledonian MacBrayne is well accustomed to dealing with the requirements of all travellers, whether independent or with groups and can tailor many features to ensure their experience of Scotland’s islands is an enjoyable and memorable one. Visit us on stand UKI 1900 at World Travel Market or at www.calmac.co.uk

Caledonian MacBrayne, Ferry Terminal, Gourock PA19 1QP www.calmac.co.uk Andrew Deeprose 01475 650 391 andrew.deeprose@calmac.co.uk

Cosmopolitan Hotels completes £2m refurbishment of The Erskine Bridge Hotel COSMOPOLITAN Hotels, which operates The Normandy Hotel and The Erskine Bridge Hotel on the outskirts of Glasgow, has recently completed a major £2 million refurbishment of The Erskine Bridge Hotel. The refurbishment has included all 177 bedrooms, and new foyer and

bar areas. The stunning views of the Clyde that all the rooms enjoy are now complemented by the contemporary design of the rooms and bathrooms. Close to beautiful Loch Lomond and still just minutes away from Glasgow city centre, both the hotels offer an ideal stopover for groups. Edinburgh is also easily accessible at a little over an hour from the

hotels. Nestled in the heart of Renfrewshire, believed by many to be the birthlace of William Wallace, both hotels are also convenient for local attractions such as the Braehead shopping centre, Xscape and its famous SNO!zone, and Paisley Abbey. Throughout the summer in 2010, The Erskine Bridge Hotel will once

again be hosting its popular Scottish evenings, featuring great traditional music and dancing, and providing a great taste of Scotland for guests to enjoy.

Cosmopolitan Hotels, Riverfront, Erskine PA8 6AN www.cosmopolitan-hotels.com Steve Ireland 0141 886 4100 steveireland@cosmopolitanhotels.com

Apex leads the way in environmental best practice A MAJOR focus of the environmental policy at Apex Hotels is to reduce, reuse and recycle - whether this is at the design stage of new developments, during refurbishments or as part of day-today activities. During the recent refurbishment of the bathrooms at Apex Hotels’ two properties in Edinburgh, a great deal of work went into ensuring that what could be reused was, with the organisation donating to local charities and businesses, and 22 installing the latest technology to

reduce energy and water consumption. A number of energy saving initiatives were also introduced such as replacing lamps to low energy LEDs and upgrading the existing pipe-work with thermal insulation to reduce heat loss. Every fitting was analysed to see if it could be retained and re-used, contributing to less waste. Apex Hotels has won numerous environmental awards and is considered within the tourism industry to be a leader in

environmental best practice. The London Hotel produces less carbon emissions than a typical hotel of its size and many similar environmental initiatives were also installed into the new Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh, such as insulating the walls and roves, renovating the original sash and case windows, installing a new energy efficient boiler and heating system which is linked with a Building Management System (BMS) that enables Apex Hotels to have full control of energy consumption and monitor it daily,

implementing measures to further reduce the carbon emissions if necessary. The hotel also serves local seasonal produce.

Apex Hotels, 32 Hailes Avenue, Edinburgh EH13 0LZ www.apexhotels.co.uk Karen Jacques 0131 441 0461 karen.jacques@apexhotels.co.uk

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The Heritage Motor Centre – home to the world’s largest collection of British cars – has organised a number of activities to encourage more families to the attraction. The centre, at Gaydon in Warwickshire, hosted events including a large model aircraft show, go karting and a Halloween quiz to tempt visitors through the doors.

Best city accolade for Birmingham MARKETING Birmingham had further reason to celebrate after scooping the Best UK City award at the Group Leisure Awards. The awards were handed out at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, in front of 400 guests from the travel and tourism industry. Birmingham was one of four finalists, beating off stiff competition from Leeds, London and Manchester to win the prize. Marketing director Dave Hodgson

said: “We’re delighted that Birmingham has been named Best UK City at the Group Leisure Awards. “This is a particularly prestigious award as it is voted for by the public. “It’s also great recognition for a city that continues to put leisure tourism high on its agenda with exciting new ventures in the pipeline to add to the range and quality currently on offer.”

Days out in Birmingham PACKAGE tours can be arranged to suit your specific requirements. Start with the ultimate big brum welcome to Birmingham bonanza walk or panoramic coach tour to get a snapshot of the city. Either tour can be used for any event and are totally flexible. Combine them with whatever interests your group – you will find the answer in Birmingham. Providing friendly qualified guides we cater for large or small groups offering themed walks or bus tours, birthday parties, Easter or Christmas present, childrens’ walks and more.

For more information contact: 0121 427 2555 Email: enquiries@birminghamtours.co.uk

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Marketing Birmingham is celebrating a successful year, which included being crowned Best UK City at the Group Leisure Awards. Christina Eccles spoke to marketing director Dave Hodgson who revealed the city’s latest campaigns and plans for 2010.

Now the word is out ... ONE of Marketing Birmingham’s biggest assets is its website, something which the team have been concentrating on improving this year. This has included adding an event calendar so visitors are able to see what is on in and around the city and help them to build their weekend itineraries. With one of Birmingham’s strongest sectors being the weekend break market, attractions, hotels and restaurants are encouraged to work together to offer visitors plenty to experience during their visit and encourage them to stay as long as possible. Dave explained: “Our concentration has been around our website and getting more people onto it and website traffic has almost tripled in the last 18 months. “We have a team of people who are dedicated to managing the website content and looking at news and offers. “We are also starting to look more at social media such as

Twitter and email has always been a popular tool. “People look to do their research on the web and we want to make itinerary building as easy as possible. We introduced the event calendar to help visitors make the best of their 48 hours in the city.” Particular areas of growth in 2009 have been the day visitor and ‘staycationers’ who use the city as a hub to explore other parts of the Heart of England. The Christmas period is also an important time for Birmingham, bringing visitors into the city who are then able to give its retail sector a boost. Successful campaigns have included utilising Birmingham’s strong transport links by tapping into the Irish market and encouraging Irish visitors that the city is easy to get to and now is a good time to exchange their Euros. Another upcoming campaign is to target potential visitors from Amsterdam with a campaign which compares the similarities – such as canals, diamonds and football

New guided tour of Coventry ready for 2010 BLUE Badge tourist guide Roger Bailey will have a new guided tour of Coventry ready for 2010 – which explores its medieval heritage, visiting places not normally available to visitors. Involved in both the War of the Roses and the English Civil War, being a walled city and capital of England – there is much to discover including the Time Team site, the story of Lady Godiva, why you are ‘Sent to Coventry’ and the George Eliot trail. Coach and walking tours are still offered of Stratford upon Avon, Oxford, Royal Leamington Spa, plus Warwick and its castle. Also Ironbridge which has seen a major investment, the Black Country, Black and White Village Trail, Elgar tour, links to the Olympics in the Midlands at Much Wenlock and much more. The Cotswolds continue to be popular, exploring parts not found on your average coach tour and away from the crowds. Roger offers advice on coffee and lunch breaks, plus support for conference delegates and VIPs, hotel and airport transfers. Based in Coventry, near the NEC and Birmingham Airport, a short distance from Stratford upon Avon and Birmingham, he has over 14 years’ experience and is available seven days a week.

Contact: 024 7669 1212 Email bluebadgecov@aol.com 26

Dave Hodgson – which both cities are famous for. Dave also revealed his predictions for next year and why he thinks Birmingham will be able to continue its success. He added: “The recession is hitting everyone hard but our hotels are holding up and attractions are doing well. “Attractions, hotels and restaurants need to come together and built itineraries so that the weekend market can continue to

grow “I predict a good year for Birmingham next year but it is going to be tough. It is all about targeting. Instead of a blanket campaign we are doing a series of mini campaigns targeting specific audiences “Perceptions are definitely changing. “We used to market Birmingham as the best kept secret. Now the word is out.”

Tourism holds up well in recession TOURISM in Birmingham is performing well despite the recession, new figures have revealed. Last year, the city attracted almost quarter of a million more tourists who, between them, spent almost quarter of a billion pounds more and helped create an additional 1,500 jobs. The STEAM Report, compiled by research group Global Tourism Solutions, found that during 2008 Birmingham’s visitor economy bucked the recession as more than 32.2m leisure and business tourists came to the city, up 216,000 and a percentage point increase on the previous year’s total. Marketing Birmingham’s chairman Paul Kehoe said: “These are strong figures. “The STEAM report underlines just how important the visitor economy is to Birmingham. “The sector holding up well and I believe it is well placed to grow significantly once the economic climate improves.”

Birmingham city centre provided the backdrop for Style in the City – an event which highlighted fashion and style in the area. Highlights of the event included Style Sessions in the Bullring, presented by Myleene Klass (pictured) and a catwalk show in The Mailbox hosted by Emma Willis.

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