CONTENTS NEWS 4


4 TOP STORIES 6 NEWS


Post-Brexit migration report fears; £800,000 for Discover England Fund projects; Royal Opera House £50m facelift; Joss Croft to become chief executive at UKinbound


North boosted by direct flights to China; V&A Dundee opens its doors; Mamma Mia party heads to The O2; Hogwarts prepares for festive season


9 NEWS IN BRIEF


Excursions reveals fam trip itinerary; Abta to host domestic and inbound holidays conference; Bristol Airport joins Great West Way scheme; Derbyshire unveils tourism success; Norfolk visitor numbers rise


13


NEWS IN DEPTH 10SPECIAL REPORT 11FACE TO FACE 13COMMENT


IN FOCUS 14LONDON AND THE HOME COUNTIES 18IRELAND 14


London & Partners looks east towards India and China – but the domestic trade criticises the shift away from UK markets. We also cover news from Kew, St Albans, Windsor, Blenheim, London Zoo and Super Break


Direct flights from China to Dublin are boosting tourism numbers. We also look at the success north of the border, and Waterford


22GROUP TRAVEL


Wendy Hartley-Scarff, chief executive of the Association of Group Travel Organisers, gives us an update about the group travel sector. We also have news from just for groups!, Bear Grylls’ new attraction, Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton, Excursions, City Cruises, a new mining museum in Kent, AC Group and the National Memorial Arboretum


IN THE SPOTLIGHT 27SPOTLIGHT


27


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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EastEnders star and Strictly judge to share role in Annie; Peter Andre joins cast of Grease; Louise Redknapp and Brian Conley announced in Dolly Parton musical; Mary Poppins flies back to the West End; Jason Donovan turns producer for Priscilla show; To Kill A Mockingbird tour planned


WIN!


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Cover images: Winterfell – ©Northern Ireland Tourist Board; Chinese Dragon – ©Shutterstock


Winners and losers EDITOR’S


NOTE W


How virtual reality experiences and mixed reality tours can help the tourism sector


Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, champions the interests of the entire sector


Samantha Richardson, academy director at the National Coastal Tourism Academy, says the tide is turning for coastal regeneration


ith less than six months to go until the UK leaves the European Union, we seem no closer to knowing what sort of Brexit we’ll have. The prime minister has her Chequers plan – but Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for a ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Canada’ deal. The government has issued more plans for a ‘no-deal’ scenario – prompting fears about widespread travel disruption. Meanwhile, a major migration report advised


ministers to prioritise high-skilled workers over low-skilled staff.


As the report said, there is no way to change the migration system without creating winners and losers. And the tourism industry looks increasingly like it will lose out in the post-Brexit world – deal or no deal. Trade associations warn of a recruitment crisis – something they have warned about many times before – and the weak pound has pushed up the costs of retaining staff and importing goods. The weak pound has attracted overseas tourists – but that could be far outweighed by fears of travel chaos, queues and visa red tape. Bernard Donoghue, director of the Association


of Leading Visitor Attractions, says cultural organisations are already being excluded from EU funding, leading to a “brain drain” of skilled staff in the culture, science and design sectors. This time last year, the industry was hoping to hear about its sector deal under the government’s Industrial Strategy.


With the Brexit deadline looming, ministers and


civil servants will be focused on securing a deal – or planning for a no-deal scenario – so it would seem that any positive action to support the tourism sector will be way down the agenda.


LAST WORD Win two tickets to Hever Castle and Gardens


Samantha Mayling Editor @travelgbi


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