NEWS IN BRIEF
w BBC stalwart to host trade show keynote session
Journalist and Countryfile presenter John Craven has been announced as a headline keynote speaker at the British Tourism & Travel Show, taking place at the NEC Birmingham on March 21-22, 2018. One of the BBC’s longest-serving TV presenters, Craven is best known for John Craven’s Newsround, which established him as a household name. Other speakers to join the line-up include Ruairidh Roberts, Google’s industry head of travel, Andy Headington, chief executive of digital marketing agency Adido, and Max Sinclair, founder of
Ecocompanion.
tourismshow.co.uk
w Hadrian’s Wall and Great Wall of China seal deal
Representatives from Hadrian’s Wall and The Great Wall of China – both World Heritage Sites – will work together to explore the potential tourism growth in both countries. Historic England and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, which manages the Great Wall, will hold a seminar in Newcastle this year, as the first step in a wider programme of
collaboration.
gov.uk
historicengland.org.uk Abbey to open Queen’s Jubilee Galleries
Westminster Abbey will open a museum in June, in a gallery that has been hidden from view for 700 years. Known as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, the space will display more than 300 historic and artistic treasures from the attraction’s collection to tell Westminster Abbey’s 1,000-year history. Visitors will be able to see manuscripts, glass, silverware, stonework and vestments, and the display themes will focus on the buildings, daily life, the
w Victorian glasshouse at Kew to re-open in May
monarchy, and the “nation’s memory”. A new tower will be the main
entrance to the ‘triforium’ – a gallery above the arches of the abbey, which has never been
open to the public.
westminster-abbey.org
Visit Lincoln tops social media league table
Visit Lincoln has been ranked number one in the 2017 English Tourism Social Media Index, an annual league table which grades 133 regional tourism bodies in England according to social media performance by their official channels. Visit Blackpool and Visit Thanet ranked second and third respectively. The Index, produced by social media agency Umpf in association with TripAdvisor Rentals, was assembled by measuring the social media performance of each tourism body based on an algorithm, calculated by a team of people who considered use of eight social networks. The data was analysed by a panel
Kew Gardens’ biggest renovation project will end in May, when the attraction re-opens its Temperate House – the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse. Supported by the National Lottery, the five-year project has seen repairs to the entire framework of the building. There will be 1,500 species from temperate regions around the world, and a programme of interactive events
will run in the summer.
kew.org
w £15m fund to build on Great Exhibition of the North
Eleven towns and cities in northern England are bidding for a share of a £15 million fund to help build a “lasting regional legacy” from the Great Exhibition of the North in summer 2018. Called the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund, it will make grants of up to £4 million for major culture and technology projects. Successful bids will be
of three industry judges, including TravelGBI editor George Clode,
who presided over the final results, creating a league table which benchmarks social media success among England’s tourism bodies. Visit Lincoln climbed 56 places from 2016, attaining the highest score this year to finish in first place by showing great
consistency in its data score.
englishtourism.socialmediaindex.co.uk
Agto announces new chief executive
The Association of Group Travel Organisers (Agto) has announced the appointment
LONGLEAT SAFARI’S
FACT OF THE MONTH Did you know...
The collective noun for lemurs is a conspiracy
8 TravelGBI | February 2018
of Wendy Hartley-Scarff as its new chief executive. She succeeds Mike Bugsgang, who stood down from the role at the end of December 2017 after a three-year term of office. Hartley-Scarff took up the position in mid-January and will
be responsible for developing Agto’s future strategy, including membership, events and marketing communications. Hartley-Scarff said: “The groups
market makes a huge contribution to the UK’s tourism economy and offers great potential for expansion. I am honoured to be given the opportunity to join Agto at such an exciting time in the
organisation’s development.”
agto.co.uk
announced in March.
getnorth2018.com
w Birmingham expects Commonwealth Games to boost its tourism
Tourism businesses across Birmingham have welcomed the news that the city will host the Commonwealth Games in 2022. A PwC economic impact analysis anticipates that the games will generate a £526 million boost to the West Midlands region. Between 500,000 and one million additional visitors are expected over the 11- day sporting event, supporting an average of 4,526 workers per year from 2018 to 2022. Birmingham will also host the Games’ first cultural programme, highlighting the city’s diverse population and industrial
history and heritage.
visitbirmingham.com
travelgbi.com
©Alan Williams
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