Last week (10-18 March) saw the successful launch of the first ever English Tourism Week. The national initiative was designed by VisitEngland to raise the profile and importance of tourism and showcase the value of the industry to both local communities and the national economy.
The week started with the great honour of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales confirming patronage of English Tourism Week for the next year. This was followed by a ‘Wonderful Weekend’ on Saturday 10 March where tourism operators up and down the country got involved by putting on special events and activity throughout the week, aimed at reminding local residents of the fantastic wealth of tourism experiences on their doorstep.
Over 450 special events and promotions were submitted through the official website - a full list can be found here. The week was also marked by a series of high-profile industry events, culminating in Lady Cobham speaking on the importance of tourism alongside Prime Minister David Cameron at an English Tourism Week event in his constituency of Witney, Oxfordshire.
Coverage:
To date, English Tourism Week has achieved over 400 pieces of coverage across the national and regional media (print, broadcast and online), with a total circulation of over 50million and an advertising value equivalent (AVE) of over £450,000.
English Tourism Week Highlights:
• Friday 9th March
* ETW12 is launched with the exciting news that HRH The Prince of Wales will be the initiative’s patron for the next year.
• Saturday 10th March & Sunday 11th March
* In partnership with the Daily Mirror, VisitEngland’s first ever Tourism Superstar is named as Newcastle Cabbie, Alan Fidler. Alan will receive his accolade at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in Leicester on 22 May
* Bodiam Castle held a Great Bake competition inviting visitors to enter their very own seasonal English cake
* Chatsworth House opened for the season with extensive restoration and seasonal displays to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.
• Monday 12th March
* Day Visits survey released, revealing that day visits are worth over £54bn to UK economy
* The Tourism Alliance Parliamentary Reception was held at the House of Commons, Tourism Minister, John Penrose, hot-foot from selling ice-cream in his local constituency of Weston-super-Mare, to discuss the importance of tourism with MPs from across the country and a short film demonstrating the value of our industry was premiered.
• Tues 14th March
* The Global Entrepreneurship Congress came to Britain for the first time.
* James Berresford, VisitEngland CEO, attended the opening of a new Tourist Information Centre in Woking
• Wed 15th March
* James Berresford sat on the panel of Minister’s Question Time and gives an update of VisitEngland’s activity during 2012 at the Best of Britain and Ireland show, Birmingham
• Thursday 15th March
* BoBI Breakfast Seminar ‘The Market on Your Doorstep – Growing tourism in your back garden’
* VisitNewquay held the first Newquay Tourism Summit and VisitEastbourne invited local businesses and social media users to a tweetup and networking opportunity to encourage the local community to make the most of tourism and event opportunities.
• Friday 16th March
* National MPs Constituency Day. MPs across the country went back to visit their local constituency.
* Lady Cobham delivered a keynote speech at the Historic Towns Forum’s National Tourism Conference at Blenheim Palace, and joins Prime Minister David Cameron at a tourism industry networking event at Four Pillars Hotel in Witney, Oxfordshire.
• Saturday 17th March & Sunday 18th March
*Drayton Manor Theme Park's season begans with new live Ben 10 shows, based on the hit TV series by Cartoon Network, and the Ben 10: Ultimate Mission roller coaster
* The Kent Big Weekend - Tourism attractions and venues offered a number of free tickets for one weekend to kick-start the main season
David Curtis-Brignell, Chairman of English Tourism Week comments; “We are delighted with the success of English Tourism Week. Tourism operators across the country have the initiative to heart, and come up with an incredible array of imaginative events and promotions, all aimed at highlighting the value of tourism. We hope this week-long celebration has inspired people to become tourism ambassadors for their local area, and we are already looking forward to building on this success for English Tourism Week 2013!”