FOCUS FEATURE


LEISURE & TOURISM


bringing money into the region and enhancing its reputation in the process. On top of this, there are jewels in the East Midlands crown, such as Sherwood Forest, which is truly iconic, Bosworth Battlefield and places such as Matlock Bath – once described by Lord Byron as ‘Little Switzerland’. Of course, one of the East Midlands’ major


selling points is its unquestionable areas of outstanding natural beauty; including the stunning Peak District National Park – the first in Britain when it was named a national park back in 1951. What this amounts to is a region of the UK that


benefits hugely from its vast array of modern and historic assets, aligned with the great thirst of human nature to indulge in leisure activities and embrace and experience new things and places. While there’s an acknowledgment that many different


stakeholders play a crucial role in promoting Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire in order to ensure a prosperous future; moving forward there is still plenty to be done in what is an extremely competitive climate. Significant pieces of research,


such as this year’s Promoting the Visitor Economy – Latest Activities, which saw a powerful collaboration in the D2N2 area between stakeholders such as D2N2 LEP, visitor economy groups Visit Nottinghamshire and Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire and Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire County, Derby City and Derbyshire County councils, help to identify action points moving forward. Looking at the visitor economy, specifically tourist


accommodation, the report identifies significant potential to grow, with recommendations including raising awareness of opportunities for visitor accommodation development sites, promoting a more flexible and positive planning framework for future developments, paying greater attention in helping to develop pub accommodation and increasing cyclist-friendly accommodation, particularly in the Derbyshire Peak District and Sherwood Forest area. Such a proactive approach is important in ensuring a


region rich with leisure and tourism offerings doesn’t rest on its laurels and stand still, especially when other regions of the UK are being similarly active and innovative in driving consumers to their own offerings. Similarly, the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise


Partnership (LLEP) is prioritising leisure and tourism in the city and county through its 2015-2020 Tourism and Hospitality Sector Growth Plan, again with a view to strategising and keeping the area one step ahead, with LLEP Board Champion and CEO of Twycross Zoo, Sharon Redrobe, saying “we want to make Leicester and Leicestershire a primary visitor destination for leisure and business purposes. We will encourage visitors to stay longer, to have a stronger impact on our GVA and ensure that this is translated into long-term and sustainable employment opportunities within the sector”. However, much in the same way that a product – no


matter how good - needs to be effectively marketed by a company in order to gain exposure and reap the rewards, the onus is very much on the people, small businesses and, of course, marketeers to promote the great assets we have on our doorstep to ensure a dynamic, on-the-pulse leisure and tourism industry for the region’s inhabitants and beyond. While we have seen strength in unity and collaboration


from a business perspective through initiatives such as the Midlands Engine, so too is there an expectation that the onus


is on collaboration to promote what the East Midlands has to offer from a consumer perspective – again, taking a ‘greater


40 business network October 2017


than the sum of our parts’


approach. It’s a point raised by Robert Sanderson, Managing Director of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall in an interview for a previous


edition of Business Network, when he states that “the city has,


which I think is very special, an ecosystem of venues that fits almost perfectly together. You have Nottingham Arena at one end, the Bodega at the other and in between you have almost every combination of venue and size that you could want, all in one city and all within easy reach. That’s why Nottingham has got such an advantage, because it has got such wonderful provision”. Thus, even in competition, the leisure and tourism


establishments in the region can come together to create something powerful and compelling. It’s as simple as making the region as easily and as


widely accessible as possible. To this end, back in March of this year, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, the area's official tourist board, launched a brand new, easy-to- navigate website, offering a wealth of information and taking on a multifaceted role, with Managing Director Jo Dilley saying “as well as improving our online relationship with holidaymakers, its new features will also bring benefits for all our members, businesses and organisation showcased on the site - by attracting even more people to browse, take advantage of key promotions and check how close they are to some of our leading attractions”. At a more individual level, the region can rely on ‘brand


advocates’ to continue to push the benefits of visiting East Midlands attractions and spending money in the region and this is becoming more effective and common in the era of social media. Take a look, for example, at the Twitter handle @DerbyPromo and you will see an account with over 23,000 followers that does nothing but retweet Derby and Derbyshire-based individuals and businesses that are championing the area as a great place to be and do things. It’s the role of communities, businesses and stakeholders


big and small to ensure the East Midlands is the go-to place. Once here, it's down to the people and locations to ensure return visits and enhanced reputations. When it comes to championing the East Midlands as a top class leisure and tourism hotspot, we're all markeeters.


FROM TOP: Twycross Zoo Leicester Cathedral


Matlock Bath


‘It’s the role of communities, businesses and stakeholders big and small to ensure the East Midlands is the go-to place’


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