CONTENTS NEWS 4 TOP STORIES 4


Grants from Discover England Fund; UK cities to charm the Chinese; VisitBritain targets ‘buzz seekers’; Euromonitor outlines key travel trends; Tourism minister addresses UKHospitality conference; VisitWiltshire ‘business as usual’ message


9 NEWS IN BRIEF


Government announces £20m fund for culture; UKinbound lobbies Parliament; Edinburgh faces possible tourist tax; Shearings Leisure Group changes its name; revamped RAF Museum London opens


NEWS IN DEPTH 10SPECIAL REPORT


14


11 FACE TO FACE 12COMMENT


IN FOCUS 14 CHRISTMAS EVENTS 28


Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Entertainment – the world’s biggest producer of pantomimes – talks about putting on festive shows across the UK. We also look at Christmas markets and special seasonal events at attractions


28NORTH WEST ENGLAND 32CHANNEL ISLES


The Terracotta Warriors exhibition is just one of many world-class attractions in Liverpool; plus updates from destinations including Southport and Manchester


Guernsey is reaping the benefits of the film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, while Jersey is harking back to Bergerac


IN THE SPOTLIGHT 35SPOTLIGHT


35


Editor | Samantha Mayling | editorial@travelgbi.com Editor-in-chief | Lucy Huxley | lucy.huxley@travelweekly.co.uk Account Manager | Sam Chapman | sam.chapman@travelweekly.co.uk Managing Director | Stuart Parish | stuart.parish@travelweekly.co.uk Editorial | editorial@travelgbi.com Subscriptions | travelgbi@subscriptionhelpline.co.uk Sales | 020 7881 4838 | sales@travelgbi.com


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Keeping with the festive theme, we feature shows on during the Yuletide season, including Elf, Dr Dolittle and The Rocky Horror Show


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Setting the agenda EDITOR’S


NOTE I


The inaugural Future Global Opportunities for UK Tourism conference took place in Liverpool as part of the International Business Festival, with a mission to shake up the status quo


The founder of City & Village Tours, Gyll King, reflects on how the group travel market has evolved


Tourism minister Michael Ellis visits Hull, Jodrell Bank and Birmingham to explore the benefits of investment in culture and tourism


’ve had a thought-provoking few weeks, attending high-profile industry conferences and


events recently. They offered the chance to learn about key


trends from senior executives and seasoned experts – as well as the opportunity to network. I also used the visits as mini fam trips – during


the Tourism Society’s Tourism Symposium in Greenwich, I scaled the O2, rode the Emirates Air Line and travelled with MBNA Thames Clippers. At the Nottinghamshire Visitor Economy


Summit, I visited the National Justice Museum, near the event venue in the Nottingham Contemporary gallery. At London’s Hurlingham Club for the UKinbound summer ball, tourism marketing firm made treated us to a live performance by cast members of the West End show Mamma Mia – then at the Future Global Opportunities for UK Tourism conference, I had a whistle-stop tour of Liverpool’s highlights. The trips were a superb demonstration of the sheer diversity and world-class entertainment on offer for tourists – and all these destinations, attractions, museums, venues and hotels are part of an industry that contributed £26 billion to the economy in 2017. Hospitality is the country’s third-largest


employer and twice the size of the financial services sector. But at all these events, I heard how government policies need to change in order for the sector to realise its true potential. Trade bodies such as UKinbound, the Tourism Alliance and UKHospitality are lobbying hard and there is great work being done by tourist boards in partnership with the trade. But budgets are being squeezed and Brexit is


looming, so it’s vital for all of us in the industry to keep the pressure on the politicians – and help to create a blueprint for the sector at trade conferences.


LAST WORD


Win two tickets to the house and garden at Waddesdon Manor


Samantha Mayling Editor @travelgbi


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