What’s hot for 2012

Current outlook

At the Visitor Economy Forum I attended last month, forecasters were cautious about the business outlook for 2012.  STR Global indicated that the majority of UK hotels are being affected to some extent by slowdown in demand, with major chains reporting evidence of people downgrading their grade of accommodation , and others deciding not to make a trip at all.

On the positive side:

• London has seen a 12% increase in available accommodation for visitors, with almost no adverse effect on occupancy levels – indicating increasing demand and prices holding firm.
• Budget accommodation is more in demand than ever, and site shortage has resulted in the likes of Travelodge expanding into spaces above high footfall retail premises such as supermarkets, particularly in outer areas of the capital.
• Budget operators are scouring the most attractive protected landscapes and national parks in the English countryside for suitable premises to take over and expand into.
• A new Premier Inn has recently sprouted on the rooftop level of the new Westfield shopping centre at Stratford International
• Unconventional online lettings agencies are springing up to promote apartments and homestays with easy access to London; but quality could be an issue. Look out for user generated reviews to counter this risk.

Business Opportunities

• Keep an eye out for  pop up shops and retailers – or even consider starting one yourself.  Taste of London pop up restaurant festival will be in Regents Park June 21-24. Presale tickets available online now.
• London 2012 merchandise is now on sale at John Lewis, Next, Adidas, The Post Office and official shops at St Pancras, Heathrow and Stratford City. Get yourself, your staff and your business dressed up for the Olympic torch relay when it passes by. No one in the UK should be more than 10 miles from the route, according to the organsiers.
• Obviously attractive popular official 2012 merchandise, like posters and pin badges are already on sale and may sell out nearer the time – so buy them now.
• Shop now for Union Jack accessories, window dressing and get thinking on how to celebrate the games with customers and staff.
• Editorial teams in the media are already out there looking for stories about places and happenings in Britain in 2012. If you’ve got anything  new, unusual or eccentric coming up, or if you win an award for something in your business – this is the year to share it with the world – and issue a series of news releases.  Dont forget to post them onto your website.
• This is likely to be a year of innovative and opportunistic developments like no other.
• New businesses may find it hard to get established unless eye catching promotions or discounts are offered. Social media makes it possible for a small business to make a big noise though.
• Don’t forget it’s the Queen’s Golden Jubilee (with an extra long weekend holiday in June to boot).
• Yet more opportunities await those businessses able to capitalise on the bicentenary of the birth of the novelist Charles Dickens, who enjoys a global network of fans. He travelled all over the UK, with many hostelries  he patronised still in business as hotels and restaurants. Visitor attractions in many towns and cities where he lived worked or set his novels (Portsmouth, London, Rochester, Broadstairs, all spring instantly to mind) are in line for a welcome windfall as well.

Regional winners and losers

Again, according to STR Global

• Of all UK cities outside London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Leeds are all prospering most.
• Brighton and York are also likely to do well thanks to strong demand boosted by steady year round visitors attending meetings conferences and business events.
• Edinburgh willl continue to suffer from remedial repair works to crumbling tarmac along the controversial Princes Street tram route (laid along  in the very heart of the city in 2009); and although work was suspended over Christmas and New Year, word has spread on social media of unsightly hoardings and traffic disruption. I saw it myself in the autumn, and it’s likely to discourage or disappoint some visitors until it completes in July.

Leisure trends

Olive Insight, reporting further on their ongoing research for Visit Britain, both during and in the aftermath of the last recession, have found

• More people are now ( 61%) worried about the economic outlook in Britain than they were during the recession in June 2009 (when the figure was 40%).
• Earlier research showed that there was a tendency for consumers to ring fence their spending on holidays; but somewhat worryingly, this appears to no longer be the case.
• More people than ever are now looking to stretch their budget by taking advantage of deals and special offers.
• Businesses take note! Propositions offering service upgrades, added value, an inspiration you may not have thought of for yourself, or an opportunity to enjoy a bit of self indulgence, work best.

Will Brits still go abroad?

Here’s a  round up of current thinking:

• Demand for domestic holidays in 2012 is likely to strengthen because of the economic situation
• Our current near-recession makes our  offering more competitive as a destination to visit.
• Research from  TUI claims that outbound demand from Brits is holding up for traditional summer destinations such as mainland Spain and the Balearics, for those who want to get away from the fuss this summer.
• I suspect that other southern European Eurozone countries with economic issues, such as Greece, and even Italy, may not be so lucky in the current economic climate.
• In my neck of the woods in Kent, people are feeling cautious about leaving the country; mainly because they don’t want to miss out in this year of a lifetime.

Can we help you?
Virtual Viv is part of the team at Manifold Associates, working in the UK and travelling the world independently to inform you with incisive commentary in words and pictures about news that matters. We want to help businesses  maximise the benefits of the forthcoming exciting months.

Our recent projects have included researching and authenticating, on behalf of Visit Kent, locations still recognisable today, that have associations with Charles Dickens in advance of the bicentenary of his birth. We welcome freelance photo journalism assignments and writing commissions. Vivienne Boucher has recently been comissioned to write a feature article about The Kent of Dickens, which has been published in the January 2012 issue of BBC Countryfile magazine.

Maybe you’re a business looking to capitalise on the opportunities that 2012 might bring to you. If so, please get in touch.

 

Coping with disaster: perception vs reality

The recent inland flash floods that have hit the Australian state of Queensland during the 2010/11 cyclone seasonhave emphasised the scale of the inundation to have affected ‘an area larger than France and Germany combined’.

Even the first floods immediately after Christmas (pictured above) were bad enough to be described by Queensland state Treasurer Andrew Fraser as a “disaster of biblical proportions”.

Last week, first Toowoomba,  the state capital of Brisbane, and many other communities in the centre and south east of the state have been hit by further major flooding events almost surpassing landmark 1974 floods.

The death toll has already reached 20; but many more are still missing, so the final toll is expected to rise futher.

Queensland Flood Disaster appeal

The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help people affected by the central and south east Queensland floods. With many communities devastated and some families losing everything, everyone can help make a difference by donating to the official  Flood Relief Appeal

SCAMwatch is warning consumers to thoroughly check the legitimacy of charities when donating to help flood victims in  Queensland. I was impressed to find information about the SCAMwatch service in Australia, and its work to help prevent unscrupulous fraudsters from cashing in when they see an opportunity to rip people off, especially in such unfortunate circumstances. Other countries take note!

Bringing reality home

There are several aspects to the story of disaster that I want to explore; but firstly I have to declare a personal interest, because we have family in the area, so I’ve obtained permission to use some of their photos, and can quote from personal testimony. I’ll be travelling to Queensland myself later in the year, so although I’ll be able to see the reality for myself in due course, I’m talking now about my perceptions of the situation, as seen from afar.

Reading about the unfolding situation, first in increasingly worrying emails from relations, and then seeing the reality in their photos and watching newsreel videos in the media, has helped bring the full horror of natural disaster into our living rooms and onto computer screens far way, my own included.

As I worked on the draft of this post, I’ve found myself re- writing it almost daily over several  weeks as the story unfolded. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

As a family we’ve watched ghastly footage of people stranded on car and house roofs; and seen live action of cars, boats, furniture  and trees being tossed about and crushed in raging flood water like mere toys. We’ve  watched desperate and dramatic rescues, and heart rending interviews with people who’ve lost everything, and seen horrific sights; but at least are alive.

Not everyone has been so lucky. One can only imagine the reality and horror of actually being there and experiencing it in person. Only this morning we heard from some relations that ‘it’s been horrible’, that they were ‘intact’; but that ‘that is a lot more than can be said for lots of other poor people, and lots and lots of animals of all kinds, wild, commercial and domestic.’

Suffering in such circumstances extends far beyond human beings, something that this disaster has really brought home to me personally. What’s really impressed me and everyone I know is the amazing resiliance and stoicism shown by the people of Queensland in coping with their exceptional recent circumstances.

How news editors interpret disaster

While it’s the job of news editors to make sure the news stories they cover provide accurate and reliable information to accompany arresting images that make people sit up and take notice, it’s quite another matter when you consider what individuals and business people think about being the focus of high profile international media coverage that has an immediate impact on their life or livelihood.

It’s a commonly used device by the media to explain the scale of a disaster with the aid of an analogy,  illustrating the size by comparing it to an equivalent more familiar to the audience. In the case of Queensland flooding the BBC in the UK talked about  ‘an area the size of France and Germany combined’ being affected.

While this may be useful for the authorities to help people understand the scale, it can potentially be misleading because, certainly in the case of flooding,  the worst damage is rarely evenly spread over a landscape. In Queensland this was the case. So in disaster situations, authorities might take more care over selecting apparently convenient soundbites about broadscale damage. With hindsight exaggeration can prove to  be particularly unwise,  especially when effects are  localised, and many areas escape unscathed.

From aerial views I’ve seen, although the worst of the Queensland flooding in the south east of the state was confined to river valleys, an additional problem was that the flow resulting from extremely heavy rainfall brought additional hazards by carrying many objects not secured in advance down intervening slopes from higher ground in uncontrollable torrents, that took the quickest route downhill irrespective of what was in their path, and areas previously thought safe suffered significant damage. See aerial views of Brisbane at the height of the flooding contrasted with the same view before the floods struck.

I fear that the general impression that the majority of television viewers took away from recent news coverage in the UK though, is that the entire state of Queensland was similarly affected to the places shown on screen.  This is because the majority of people haven’t made a study of hydrology, and don’t have a detailed knowledge of the geography of places on the other side of the world from the UK, such Queensland, Australia.

The effects of natural disaster on tourism
There’s no denying that tourism in Queensland has taken a severe battering this year, and I’m sure that it will take a very long time indeed for the worst affected places, and people, to recover, especially in places like Rockhampton, Ipswich, and Grantham, as well as in Toowoomba and Brisbane.

However it’s pleasing to see the upbeat approach on the home page of the official Queensland tourism website, which acknowledges the flooding with links to up to date factual information , but doesn’t make a huge issue of it.

There’s a lot at stake for the Queensland tourism industry which is an important contributor to the state economy. Read more about the effects of 2010/11 flooding events on tourism in Queensland.

With many people planning holidays in Queensland looking at dates a long time in advance, it’s important to present a positive face to the outside world. I like the idea that, in a new initiative, there are now live webcams on the official Cairns tourism website, in the almost unaffected tropical north of the state. Just bear in mind the time difference when tuning in, as they don’t all work when it’s dark!

Even in adversity, it’s important to try and look on the brighter side of things. Now lots more people in the world have heard about Queensland, perhaps for the first time(even if for the wrong reasons), or at least have been reminded about it: their curiosity may have been piqued. There really is a window of opportunity available for proactive PRs, to start beavering away to change back any negative perceptions, and remind people about the usually more favourable weather that can be expected in ‘the sunshine state’ of Australia at other times of year.

One of my favourite media relations tips is to never be afraid to tell the truth; but also to keep in mind this quote from Oscar Wilde, about the importance being selective:
‘the pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple’

Disaster recovery for accommodation providers

I have no wish to re-invent the wheel. In a recent article on the Hospitality Trends website about recovery from floods, fire and earthquake, Ken Burgin provides a range of practical tips about disaster recovery and contingency planning.. I dont want to sound trite in the context of Queensland floods,  but it provides food for thought, perhaps!

Can we help you?
Are you a business or organisation involved in the visitor economy that needs PR ideas to raise your profile, or improve perceptions, and secure media coverage to reach new prospective visitors or guests?

Manifold Associates could help you come up with compelling ideas, words and images that will encourage the world to beat a path to your door (as soon as it’s practicable) , or search for your business on the world wide web. If you run a small business we can also teach you the skills you need to manage your own PR and media relations campaigns in a professional manner.

Visit our website for more information about what we have to offer, including what customers think about our services as a UK based marketing consultancy.

Looking to push the boat out? Take advantage of crazy offers and publicity stunts

Is there a point to crazy offers?

Tourism businesses sometimes need to take a risk and get innovative with their promotional ideas if they want to attract the more adventurous prospective customers. Here’s a selection of hotel offers at the more extreme end of the spectrum that take some beating.

While I don’t think that hoteliers expect many bookings from their crazier promotions; there’s no doubt that it gets them talked about, both online, and in the media generally! After all, the first stage in influencing a prospective customer favourably on behalf of a busness, is to create awareness that the business exists in the first place. Publicity stunts are designed to  attract media attention, and are frequently associated with photo or video opportunities, so perhaps they’re not quite such a crazy idea after all!

Publicity stunts that deserve attention

Air Portugal found it worked for them when they executed a well planned flash mob event at Lisbon Airport Christmas 2009 which helped put a smile of the face of their customers, and other weary air passengers. Look at their faces. Naturally, the event was filmed for posterity and the professionally edited results were posted onto You Tube, the video sharing web site. Meanwhile, in Belgium, flash mobs have been out ambushing rail passengers at Brussels and Antwerp train stations. Note how these events have also been posted onto You Tube too.  On You Tube visitors to the site rate the films they watch, and forward the best on to their friends, talk about them on Twitter,  insert links to them on their Facebook page, or recommend them on sites such as Digg.com. That’s how social media works. It’s what used to be called ‘word of mouth marketing’ – it just works a bit quicker and with much bigger numbers.

Just look at the number of views! As you can see from these examples, it’s not a bad idea if you’ve got a creative streak, to produce a video that illustrates your customers, or staff, or both, really enjoying themselves, even if they do need a bit of support from professional or enthusuiastic amateur actors, musicians or dancers. If the results are truly original and entertaining the results can spread online just like a virus; and that’s why such films are called viral videos.

Do you need help?

Are you a business or organisation involved in the visitor economy that needs help to boost awareness and is looking to secure more media coverage to reach prospective visitors or guests? Manifold Associates could help you come up with compelling ideas to encourage the world to beat a path to your door, or search for your business on the world wide web. We can also introduce you to our network of professonals, who make a living creating promotional video, if you don’t feel up to taking a DIY approach.

Visit our website for more information about what we have to offer, including what customers think about our services as marketing consultants.

Should everyone be able to find ‘Secret Britain’?

Are you among those who caught the latest BBC television series Secret Britain, which has attracted rave reviews? Personally, as a tourism industry insider, I found the first episode of the series all rather frustrating, although I admit that the landscapes were visually stunning. It’s hardly surprising that’s the case, such is the astonishing variety of scenery to be found when travelling in the British Isles.

In the first of four one hour long episodes of ‘Secret Britain’, presenters Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury presented fairly vague information showcasing various ‘secret’ sites in southern England, from Cornwall to Kent, a region of Britain I know well. What I found particularly frustrating was that the sites given so much high profile airtime were nearly all either inaccessible or pratically impossible for the ordinary viewer, or potential visitor inspired by a programme such as this, to visit; but perhaps that was the point. They wanted to ensure they were kept secret.

Secret locations revealed

The presenters understandably admitted that locations shown where frangrant orchids and fly orchids were seen growing somewhere on the South Downs, could not be identified for security reasons. Unfortunately the fact that the South Downs was recently declared a National Park, and that that there are plenty of practically unknown places within it where visitors are welcomed, yet relatively few venture, was not even mentioned. For example, within the Park in deepest West Sussex, you can still walk up the old Roman Road, Stane Steet, and visit well preserved Roman mosaics at relatively unknown (because it’s privately owned) Bignor Roman villa, or explore the wonderful Weald and Downland Museum at Singleton, near Chichester. Not far away, on the shores of Chichester Harbour you can visit the ancient Saxon Church of Bosham, which was illustrated on the Bayeux Tapestry. That’s just a little sample of some of the secret (or at least little known beyond the local area) places to visit in Southern England that deserve and would appreciate more attention, yet don’t get it.

Surely it would make sense for a series such as this to include more locations like the ones I’ve suggested, and to give some indication of their location so that people can get there?  The programme spent a long time rambling about on the Greenways of Dorset, without identifying a single village along the route of Hell Lane, denying the interested viewer, or walking enthusiast, any hope of finding it. Likewise, Matt Baker was filmed in in a seagoing kayak visiting inaccessible caves and beaches, as well as shooting the dangerous looking passage between the mainland and Seven Souls Rock on  Pentire Head near Padstow, experiences that the casual visitor to north Cornwall probably has little chance of duplicating in safety without the accompaniment of people with local kayaking expertise.

I found myself wondering if the programme makers been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement with the couple who took the camera crew to a rocky valley near Tintagel, where they had celebrated a picnic after their wedding? It certainly seemed possible, so scanty was the information divulged about its location.

Frustration mounted further as it soon became obvious that visiting Iron Age hill forts on Ministry of Defence land on Salisbury Plain, surrounded all the while by danger signs warning of unexploded ordnance, and tank manoevres, was equally unlikelyto be accessible to the general public.  Perhaps that too was trying to score a point about keeping the locations secret?

However, it wasn’t the case, as Charleston Farmhouse, near Lewes in East Sussex, once home to Virginia Woolf and The Bloomsbury set, was also featured. It’s a site you can quickly locate by Googling. As were the well known honeypots of Tintagel Castle and Mevagissey in Cornwall. Footage of Dungeness might have  inspired more visitors too. You can also find information about what to see, and how to get there, fairly easily online. I felt that, in general, the programme makers could have found some unappreciated locations with interesting stories attached that were far more deserving of their attention, such as the Royal Military Canal on Romney Marsh, shown above, where you can go for long walks in a landscape with fascinating history and wildlife.  Here there is plenty of capacity for more visitors to venture. I could go on.

For the benefit of any truly inquisitive programme makers out there, I’d like to give you a pointer about just one out of many places I know about in my own area, which deserve to be more widely known.  Cobham Hall is an Elizabethan mansion near Gravesend in Kent, which now operates as an independent girls school. My jaw dropped when I saw the exquisite interiors on a recent visit, including original hand painted antique Chinese wallpaper in a staggeringly well preserved state in one room (it turns out to have been so well stuck on that it has proved impossible to strip it off to sell).

Visitors, a few of whom manage to find their way all the way from the Antipodes, are also regaled with the romantic story of the origins of  the sport of English cricket’s ‘Ashes’. The original urn that is fought over as a trophy for the winners of the bi-annual series of test matches between England and Australia, may now be kept at Lords Cricket Ground in London; but Cobham Hall was its original home. So, if you want to know the full story, and most especially if you have Australian connections, you really should try and visit. Details of opening dates.

What chance for the promotion of Secret Britain?

Annoyingly, last week’s speech by Prime Minister David Cameron on the subject of tourism in Britain received practically no media coverage. It was drowned out by threat of strike action at Heathrow  over the bank holiday weekend (now called off). It’s not at all amusing that negative stories always seem to manage to crowd out good news during the media’s annual August ‘silly season’. Unfortunately they often do!

Significantly it looks like the Coalition Government is planning to try and give the industry more priority, with a white paper and launch of a new national tourism strategy. It still seems doubtful in view of the comprehensive spending review, whether this will actually lead to more funding for the industry, and offer scope for launching PR or marketing initiatives to promote lesser known but deserving attractions, including more like those I’ve highlighted. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see details of the new strategy and white paper. There could be a lot of interest in secret Britain in the run up to 2012; but I fear that the scarcity of investment to fund its marketing could yet keep a lot of it under wraps.

I think it’s already a good sign though, that Tourism South East have today taken the decision to delay their AGM and conference until November, citing that  ‘this will enable us to deliver a more informed agenda on the future of tourism in the south east.’

Do you need help?

Are you  a business or organisation that needs help to boost accommodation or admission sales, or secure more media coverage to  improve awareness amongst visitors? Or are you a TV production company looking for an enthusiastic specialist researcher with insider knowledge about lesser known or unusual visitor attractions? Manifold Associates could help you by coming up with compelling ideas to bring the world beating a path to your door, or viewers to a screen near you. For further examples of how the presentation of interesting stories behind tourist icons can engage, inform and educate visitors as well as inspiring visits, read my February post ‘Surprising stories behind tourist icons’.

Visit our website for more information about what we have to offer, including what customers think about our services.

Could tourism be a winner in the election?

The coming battle

One thing’s for certain. Some time during the next three months there’s going to be a general election. All the indications are that it will be one of the most closely fought struggles to win  the ‘hearts and minds’ of the British people since the Second World War.

I wonder if tourism could become an issue in the campaign. It might not look likely at this point; but if and when a parliamentary candidate comes canvassing, we can be ready. The Tourism Alliance has produced a handy briefing document to mobilise everyone involved in the visitor economy, with its manifesto for tourism, which anyone can download. It demonstrates the hard facts of economic value we all help deliver. It’s somewhat annoyingly been deemed to contribute ‘invisible earnings’ to the economy. So, as an industry, let’s get more visible!

Why tourism deserves to be an issue

Get ready to lobby any politicians who come calling, with the central message that they need to ‘take tourism seriously’, (far more seriously than the current government  does at the moment). With London 2012 around the corner, we’ve got lots to shout about.

We simply can’t afford not to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase ourselves as a visitor destination, while we’re  centre of attention on the world stage.  We mustn’t pull any punches about why we’re an industry that deserves more government backing, whoever ends up in power.

What’s tourism worth?

The World Tourism Organisation confirms that the UK has the sixth largest tourism industry in the world (after France, Spain, USA, China and Italy). It supports 2.65m jobs, in 200,000 businesses, some 80% of which are classified as ‘small or medium sized enterprises’(SMEs). Among them of course is my own, Manifold Associates, so I feel perfectly entitled to have an opinion about our industry, which is worth £114Bn annually to the UK economy.

Key messages for politicians

• Tourism is fairly evenly spread across the UK. Its benefits can be felt everywhere from large cities to coastal  resorts, market towns and isolated rural communities
• It’s a service industry that’s highly labour intensive, offering excellent employment opportunities for young people. Employing a highly diverse workforce, it offers  greater  opportunities for part time employment than any other sector of the economy
• There are relatively low barriers to entry and considerable underutilised capacity, enabling the industry to respond quickly to changes in demand
• The high latent demand by visitors attracted by the country’s heritage, vibrant culture, sport, and education (including English language learning), combined with the powerful international appeal of London, means that the sector can offer a high and rapid return on investment
• The industry can deliver sustainable growth; but as a country the UK needs to take action to improve the competitiveness of our visa and air passenger duty charges, which don’t bear favourable comparison with the 25 EU countries included in the Schengen agreement
• Support is needed for wider delivery of programmes that assist tourism businesses to operate more sustainably and encourage inbound travel. This is a truly heartfelt plea, as training programmes that are helping to develop this potential already exist; but even I have to earn a crust, so, frustratingly, it just can’t happen unless these projects get more funding.
• Provide adequate funding for Visit England to capitalise on the opportunity to grow domestic tourism

Time for tactical marketing

With the election at the very most three months distant, now’s also the time to think about tactical marketing and PR opportunities coming our way.

Just last week, The Daily Telegraph gave national coverage to news that Robert Cook, boss of the Hotel du Vin and Malmaison brands, has already equipped his hotels near the three main party headquarters with red yellow and blue cushions carrying the message “when you stay at Hotel du Vin you are guaranteed a seat”.

Politicians of all persuasion, their agents and spin doctors will be descending on marginal constituencies across the land in the coming weeks, as soon as the election date is finalised, if not before. They’re all be on the lookout for campaign winning photo opportunities, and locations suitable for holding press conferences and media interviews. So there’s no time to be lost. Get thinking about the opportunities for your business, and update your contact database. Start making plans now, so you don’t miss out!

Practical help

Manifold Associates is here to help tourism businesses looking for hands-on help with media relations and marketing in the coming months. We also deliver training that gives even the smallest business confidence and practical skills to help you quickly get organised to start doing things for yourself.

Respond below, or visit Manifold Associates for more information about what we offer.

Until next time…

Marketing with spring in your step

I’ve been cheered to see snowdrops in bloom at last, and the clouds clearing after what seems like weeks of  grey skies, with the English countryside muddy underfoot and temperatures hovering around freezing. Yet it’s one of the best times for wrapping up well and enjoying the great outdoors, taking a bracing country walk, perhaps with a dog in tow, followed by a hearty pub lunch and a warm up by a roaring log fire. Find some inspiration here. It’s also a great time to take a city break, and enjoy live theatre, nightlife or a little retail therapy,  which can all be enjoyed indoors, should you be unlucky enough to encounter rain or snow in city streets.

Symptoms of recovery?

I escaped the rain myself for a packed performance of The Misanthrope at London’s Comedy Theatre last night, with brilliant entertainment from a star studded cast that included Keira Knightley, Damien Lewis, Tara Fitzgerald and Nicholas Le Prevost. I was reminded of  Sir Cameron Macintosh, in a recent radio interview,  revealing that his theatres have also been among the beneficaries of a healthy growth in West End ticket sales over the past year, in spite of the recession.

Elsewhere I’ve read recently, amongst other things, that the last year was a record vintage for English wine, thanks in part to 2009′s glorious September weather; and that Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire enjoyed a 43% increase in visitor numbers compared to 2008. Britain’s leading visitor attractions, represented by Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) saw an average 10.9% increase in visitor numbers in 2009, and reported this week that 82% of their members were optimistic about the immediate future compared to 60% this time last year.

Have you seen the recent campaign for Premier Inns, one of the Whitbread Group brands, fronted by the actor Lenny Henry? The Times recently reported that this had already generated 215,000 room nights over a 6 month period, for a £29 non refundable room rate, booked a minimum of 21 days in advance of arrival.

So what can we learn from these successes? For all of us involved in the British visitor economy, it’s vital to stay positive whatever the season; and look out for thc business opportunities and silver lining that exists inside every cloud.  Success seems to breed more success, just follow the links to some of the above websites,  they also seem to exude a certain successful ‘look and feel’.  It’s certainly important to visitors that we keep smiling, both online and in person, so they always feel welcome – whatever the weather!

New consumer marketing campaign from Visit Britain

If you’re a regular visitor to VisitBritain.org our national tourism agency’s trade website, you’ll already know that they’ve been keeping very busy in the last month. Amongst other initiatives they’ve launched a highly anticipated new campaign for cities which focuses on Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-Gateshead and Oxford in association with EasyJet and British Airways . See how these cities are being promoted to the overseas visitor.

Reap benefits from Visit Britain’s new strategy

Visit Britain has also launched a new global Britain and London 2012 marketing strategy. It makes interesting reading.

When you run a business involved in the visitor economy, it’s always going to be sensible to keep tabs on how the country as a whole, the local region, and your immediate vicinity are being marketed to visitors. If it’s feasible to  mirror the activity of major agencies and destination management organisations at an individual business level, you can potentially benefit from the glow of awareness that’s already being created in the wider arena, and perhaps even get yourself featured in some high profile promotional campaigns. That can do wonders for raising your profile in a crowded marketplace. Let’s not be shy! Anyone who identifies an opportunity that’s right for them should go for it. It’s usually a simple matter to read the strategies and identify where there’s common ground and partnering potential.

Why not also volunteer your organisation to host visiting journalists or representatives of the travel trade from overseas, on an organised familiarisation trip? This is something which has the potential to lead to valuable media coverage. You just need to get proactive, and either pick up the phone,  or fire off an email to your local tourism officer, or relevant contact found via the ‘contact us’ section of the national or regional tourist board websites, expressing your wish to get involved. For my part, I wish you good luck!

Do you think there are grounds for optimism in the visitor economy of 2010? Let me know what you think.

Until next time…

World Heritage: surprising stories behind tourist icons

They’re found all over the world, from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the Leaning Tower of Pisa; from the Sydney Opera House, to the Statue of Liberty in New York,  the Pyramids of Cairo and the Taj Mahal of India.

These wonders are icons of international tourism, and many are recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. You can picture them in your mind’s eye, and most people can even draw a recognisable approximation of them on a blank sheet of paper. They don’t need a caption.

We currently have 28 World Heritage sites in Britain, find out more. They include Stonehenge and Avebury, the entire city of Bath; and churches, abbeys and cathedrals in wonderful places like Durham, Canterbury and Fountains Abbey. Hadrian’s Wall snakes across the border country between England and Scotland, while in the London area you can find Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens, The Tower of London and Greenwich, and in Dorset, the geological wonders of the Jurassic Coast.

We may think we know all these places – at a glance – and yet, we don’t.  They may be on the list of ‘1000 places to see before we die‘; but the truth of the matter is that we often take them for granted.

Everywhere I go in the world, if I’m prepared to take the time, there are layers of history that can be unpeeled, and without fail, I find fascinating stories await whenever I take the trouble to look mindfully and learn, from even the most familiar of ‘sights’.

It’s easy to adopt the ‘been there, done that’ attitude when ‘sightseeing’, irrespective of whether you’re close to home, or far from it. One general  observation that I’d make, is that you can often make it easier for yourself if you book a professionally guided tour, since a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide can make the whole learning process much easier and more pleasurable, than if you have to swot up from a guidebook.

It’s easy to take for granted the places which are closest, because we think we’re already familiar with them. By way of illustration,  I’d like to share  some information about La Giralda, the celebrated cathedral bell tower in Seville, pictured above, because, as part of a World Heritage site, an architectural masterpiece in its own right, and as a tourist icon of Andalucia and Spain, it’s already a familiar image. However lovely it is to look at, it’s my theory that not so many people actually know much in the way of stories or information about it, unless they’ve actually visited the Andalucian city.

When we travel to an exotic foreign location we’re somehow more likely to be motivated to learn about  the history and significance of major sights, since there’s always a possibility we might never have another opportunity to return. That’s not the case with places closer to home; although the results of research can be just as fascinating, and our efforts just as much appreciated by the visitors we share them with.  So, given that we have such a truly awesome wealth of history on our doorstep here in Britain if we trouble to discover it, let’s make more of an effort to change things.

Meanwhile, by way of illustration, let’s return to my discoveries about the most famous and beautiful belltower in  Seville…

Revealing facts

The name ‘La Giralda’ means ‘the one who turns’ in Spanish, and it actually refers to the figure that spins round atop the cathedral tower.  If you look closely at the close up of the belltower at the introduction to this post, you can make out the elegantly gilded female figure representing Faith, clutching a spear and a shield, that acts as the cathedral weathervane (giraldilla in Spanish). In Spanish the verb girar means to turn or revolve.

So why is La Giralda so interesting? One reason is because the tower once formed the minaret of a mosque dating from 1184, in the days when Al Andaluz, today’s Spanish province of Andalucia, was ruled by Moors from North Africa, until it fell to the Christians in 1248. Another is that the architect, Ahmad Ibn Baso, was ordered by the ruling Emir of the day to make the minaret more beautiful than any other in existence, using patterned brick and stone construction.

Ascent to the summit

More interest awaits you if you decide, as I did, to acscend to the top of the tower. Access to the summit is by a series of 35 ramps, constructed inside the four walls, rather than by the steps that you might expect. This is a feature designed to allow it to be possible for two mounted horses to pass each other on the way up and down, in the days when prayers were called out to the faithful from the top. Having successfully wended my way up myself, I felt grateful that was only necessary to negotiate a series of slopes lit by natural light, rather than a potentially claustrophobic spiral staircase.

The view of the city from the top of the tower is well worth the climb. A 4 storey belltower was added to the top of the minaret when it was converted and incorporated into the huge gothic cathedral we see in the city today, after new building commenced in1401, and that’s where you end up. You also get a superb view of the patio of the orange trees with its ablutions fountain, the only other part of the ancient original mosque to have survived until the present day.

Why stories are significant

As you might have gathered by now, I was lucky when I visited Seville, to be  there as part of a small and well organised tour group, which experienced professionally guided tours of the major sights.

In order for visitors to make the most of a visit, to any place, I’d like to think that locals, qualified gudes or no,  will happily be prepared to share with them history, stories, myths and legends associated with that place, if they show an interest. It enriches everyone’s experiences  and enjoyment, which is, I think, what tourism is all about!

Stories can also be used to excite media interest, so there can be great rewards for tourism businesses, if hours of seemingly tedious background research reveals things that have the potential to fascinate the visitor of today. 

In my neck of the woods, in Kent, south east England, Visit Kent runs an innovative scheme that harnesses the enthusiasm of local residents to greet visitors to the local area, and give them a personal introduction and orientation tour, – free of charge. It’s called the Kent Greeters, and is modeled on the Big Apple Greeters of New York, part of the Global Greeters Network. Try it if you find yourself in the area. Visit Kent also arranges an annual ‘Big Day Out‘,  that encourages residents to get to know the local area better, and share their knowledge with visiting friends and relatives. This year it’s being held on Saturday 27th March.

Did you enjoy reading this post? Virtual Viv could undertake research or write for you. I  also help or teach people  how to market a tourism business online or offline. Comment about what I’ve written below, or contact me at Manifold Associates.

Until next time…

Snow business: thinking ahead for 2010

I’ve resolved to get more proactive in working with the media in 2010. Irrespective of being a private citizen, or representative of a business, we all have a role to play.  We can all contribute towards helping to further raise the profile of what the UK has to offer as a destination for both overseas visitors and domestic travellers, as we enter a new decade, one in which London will be at the epicentre of world interest, by the time London 2012 comes around.

What to do next

It’s definitely not too early to start working creatively and getting ourselves organised to  serve up a steady stream of news stories that will get us, or the business we represent, a share of worldwide media interest that will focus on London and the UK in general; between now and the opening ceremony of  the games on 27th July 2012. Read on to find out how.

Opportunities to benefit from London 2012

According to the official website, actual tickets for events will not be available until 2011. However, if you’re interested in getting involved on a personal level as a volonteer, you can already join the cast of thousands who’ve already signed up. If you want the inside track on news from the venues in London and beyond I’ve found a lot of interest in stories from Inside the Games, an unofficial site to which you can subscribe.  If you’re a business and you want to get involved or listed as a potential supplier and tender for London 2012 business officially, you can get more information on the Compete For website. Finally if you’re involved in the creative or performing arts sector you might be interested in getting involved with the cultural celebrations or the Inspire programme for non commercial enterprises.

Getting proactive with the media

I’ve chosen to remain near my home base following heavy falls of snow in Kent that have made headlines around the world this week, and I’ve been out taking loads of pictures.  You might ask why; but my reasons are manifold:

I’m thinking ahead to next Christmas, when I’ll have a stack of fresh, photogenic and seasonal images to use to accompany marketing communications planned well in advance of any seasonal weather ‘on the ground’.

I’ve added to my library of original images to incorporate in presentations and training manuals to illustrate points about things being ‘cold’ or ‘frozen’ or ‘low season’.

I’ve captured a range of images I can provide to the media to accompany news stories

I’ve practiced the facility I have to send images direct from my camera phone to the media

I’ve learned from the experience about what sort of images work best,  and about the limitations of my current equipment should I decide to upgrade

I’ve added to my database of media contacts hungry for news

Although the more negative coverage given to the weather in Kent has focused on transport disruption, I’ve particularly noticed how the media have an insatiable appetite for new images and business related or human interest stories to help balance and fill the airtime of the news programmes at any time when there’s a dearth of major news.

This is something of an ongoing opportunity, which anyone prepared to put together news worthy stories, or images ought to be ready to tap into. Things can happen very quickly if the media pick up on a story. By way of illustration, I was listening live to BBC Radio Kent as the sister of tearful perospective bride Karen Rawlings called up from her snowbound hotel on Friday at breakfast time to appeal for help with transport in getting to an isoloated rural Kentish church for her wedding later that afternoon. The appeal succeeded in saving the day, and not only did the wedding take place in the stunning rural surroundings, but the pictures were fantastic, and the event received national coverage on the evening television news bulletins. The value of such broadcast media coverage is immense.

Key steps to generating news and getting covergae

1. Always carry a compact camera or a camera phone, and be ready to be interviewed. Don’t fret too much about sound and image quality. If your story is newsworthy, the media want the story, and the pictures.
2. Build a database of media contacts. Don’t forget local radio and the local  broadcast news office.
3. Contact the media about any story to which you can contribute as an ‘expert’ commentator or add information from a different angle or viewpoint.
4. Enter for awards, capture images of the presentation cermony, and tell the media when you win.
5. If you’re a busness build a ‘fascinating fact’ file about all the areas of your business operation. The media are always on the lookout for anything new, surprising, or unusual.
6. Be ready to respond quickly to media interest whenever they  contact you looking for a story.

If you’re a tourism business in the South East of England, and looking for more guidance on working with the media, you can book a place on Tourism South East‘s half day training course on ‘Meeting The Media‘, which is part of the Hosting the World suite of courses.  Open course dates are available across the region in the New Year.

Have you received coverage as a result of working with the media? Let me know if you have any tips.

May I take this opportunity to wish you seasonal greetings and a wonderful Christmas and New Year holiday break. Until next time…