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� IN FOCUS l SUB HEADING


HERITAGE TOURISM Worthy A


group of heritage cities is using a story-telling approach to create new packages for US


tourists – with the aim of boosting visitor expenditure by £19.7 million. England’s Historic Cities hopes its new England Originals project will attract more than 90,000 customers by 2024, with the City of London as a gateway to 15 regional destinations. This month sees England Originals launch five itineraries, offering three- to four-day multi-destination trips by rail – with history brought to life by story-telling and augmented reality (AR). Consumers can use an app featuring historical figures as virtual guides to explore the cities. William Shakespeare takes visitors


into his Stratford-upon-Avon home, while Thomas James, the first librarian at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, provides a glimpse into student life. From Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre to


York Minster, the app also superimposes intriguing facts onto walls and artefacts. Melanie Sensicle, England’s Historic


18 TravelGBI | September 2018


originals


A consortium of historic cities is promoting touring itineraries under the new England Originals brand. Samantha Mayling reports


Cities chair, said: “We undertook market research and found that the US millennials market is really interested in history, when it’s presented as heritage and stories, and not overtly educational. “We’ve developed a new storytelling


approach focusing on key events and people throughout history that are brought to life through AR, which is designed to add to the overall experience. “Our research suggested that this audience is happy to book trips like this through the trade, as they are time-poor and looking for already available ideas and itineraries.”


� US millennials VisitBritain is focusing its marketing on millennials and ‘buzz seekers’, and the consortium’s activity aligns with this strategy.


“This new approach to interpretation


has taken place since 2015, and our first Discover England Fund round one project, which yielded positive results: more than 10,000 downloads of our app


that launched in early 2017 and excellent feedback from US-based travel agents, with one agent currently coordinating a large group visit in 2019 to 10 of the cities,” said Sensicle. “The key priority for England Originals is to ensure a seamless customer experience and a direct booking platform for FIT visitors from the US. “Building new partnerships with incoming operators is important and we’ll be ready to do this post the September launch. All products and packages will be commissionable, and the new booking site is set to go live on September 30. “We’ll also be hosting press and trade


fam trips, so the industry can experience the five new itineraries and product.” The new bookable itineraries will be unveiled at the City of London Information Centre in late September and are available via the VisitLondon website. The consortium


travelgbi.com


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