Face to Face: We utterly refuse to be boring. I’ve always used Blue Badge Guides and many have been with me for 20-30 years. Gyll King page 11


VisitBritain woos the ‘buzz seekers’ By Samantha Mayling


Tourists are adventurers and experience seekers


Consumers are more likely to spend money on experiences instead of material things – and they don’t see themselves as tourists when travelling. Discussing trends at the


Tourism Society’s Tourism Symposium (June 4-5), Caroline Bremner, head of travel at market research firm Euromonitor, said many holidaymakers have an issue with the term ‘tourist’. “They see themselves as an


adventurer, explorer, experience seeker,” she told delegates at the event in Greenwich. This drive for more experiential


travel is good news for the sector, she said, as tourism can offer “fantastic experiences”. She gave the example of peer-to-peer website Airbnb that now offers experiences as diverse as truffle hunting and burlesque dancing. Barrie Kelly, Visit Greenwich


chief executive, cautioned against the use of too much technology, telling delegates that “people buy people” – hence Visit Greenwich still invests in a tourist information centre. Darren Henley, Arts Council


England chief executive, highlighted how visitors will travel for special events and one-off exhibitions. He pointed to the success of Hull’s year as the UK City of Culture and Harry Potter at the British Library – and how important literature is to destinations such as Stratford- upon-Avon and Hay-on-Wye. “We need cultural jewels to help


promote our country abroad – our great museums are among the best in the world, and our festivals are


among the best,” he told delegates. euromonitor.com


travelgbi.com


VisitBritain’s new marketing drive aims to showcase events and attractions that must be seen now – countering the ideas that Britain is a “museum of never-changing sights”.


Speaking at the Tourism Society’s


Tourism Symposium, Clare Mullin, VisitBritain marketing director, said foreign tourists feel they already know what to expect from Britain so there is less urgency to visit. “To reverse our decline of


tourism market share, we must challenge this,” she said at the event in Greenwich. Since taking over as marketing


director, she has changed the tourism agency’s approach, to show how Britain is “welcoming, authentic and creative”. “We want to focus on getting


our stories out – we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we are


passionate about our love for this country,” she said. “We look at a lot of social posts from international visitors, and it’s less about Buckingham Palace and more something around the corner or someone they have met.” VisitBritain has identified the core audiences that it is targeting, with ‘buzzseekers’ at the top of the list. About two-thirds of ‘buzzseekers’ are aged 18 to 34, and described as “free-spirited and spontaneous”. They are being targeted with the new ‘I Travel For...’ campaign which


Brexit poses an ‘acute’ challenge


The government recognises Brexit will present an “acute” challenge to hospitality, said tourism minister Michael Ellis. Addressing the UKHospitality


conference in London, Ellis said: “You are one of the largest employers in the country. You are one of the fastest generators of jobs. “The travel and hospitality


sector is a boon to the economy, it provides large-scale employment and it helps Britain’s ‘soft power’. There is not another UK sector that


delivers this all-round package.” Ellis said: “I’m proud to be your


advocate across government. The hospitality agenda is essential to my role as tourism minister. “This is a pivotal time for the


sector. The workforce challenges of Brexit will be most acute for hospitality.” He said: “We will be taking


steps to give as much certainty as possible. The [EU] withdrawal agreement guarantees the right of EU citizens living in the UK.”


UKHospitality demands ‘shift in burden’ of tax


The UKHospitality association called for a shift in the


burden of business rates from high street to online businesses, as it warned ministers: “Ignore us at your peril.” Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality chief


executive, told the association’s conference: “Hospitality is the country’s third-largest employer. It


creates one in eight new jobs. “We’re twice the size of the financial services sector. “One third of our £130-billion


turnover goes to the government – the equivalent of the social care budget or the cost of Brexit.” Nicholls outlined a key demand


to ministers: “Secure a Brexit deal that delivers our future workforce and supply needs.”


aims to tell stories about British characters and change perceptions. The tourism agency is also


targeting British millennials – those aged 16 to 34 – many of whom don’t know about the destinations on their doorstep. This domestic campaign is


highlighting to “Generation Y” how overseas visitors are coming to Britain for exciting experiences.


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FIND OUT MORE visitbritain.org tourismsociety.org


Wiltshire says it is ‘business as usual’


Wiltshire is promoting a business- as-usual message, following the poisoning of a couple in Amesbury. Dawn Sturgess died after she and partner Charlie Rowley were exposed to nerve agent Novichok, which was used to poison Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March. Home secretary Sajid Javid said: “[Amesbury and Salisbury] have impressed the country with their response and have shown that Salisbury is open for business.” VisitWiltshire is working with VisitBritain and the Tourism Industry Response Group to monitor feedback from overseas offices. David Andrews, VisitWiltshire


chief executive, said: “We continue to encourage all visitors into the city – whether for a day visit or a longer stay. They will receive the warm and hospitable welcome the


city is so well known for.” visitwiltshire.co.uk


July-August 2018 | TravelGBI 5


©VisitBritain/Peter Beavis


©VisitBritain/Ben Selway


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