NEWS IN BRIEF


w Attractions giant teams with Day Out With The Kids


Online family days out specialist Day Out With The Kids has signed a deal to promote Merlin Entertainments’ attractions across the UK. The partnership will focus on


attractions such as Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Legoland Windsor Resort and Thorpe Park Resort, helping them to attract families with younger children. Merlin has also joined a new Day


Out With The Kids membership scheme to offer family-friendly


incentives and offers. dayoutwiththekids.co.uk


English Heritage unveils Whitby plans


A £1.6 million improvement project will begin next month at Whitby Abbey, best known as the fictional landing place for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. Spring 2019 will see English Heritage unveil a revamped museum, new landscaping,


w Norfolk numbers rise 7% as tourism value tops £3bn


Norfolk saw overnight visitor numbers increase by 7% in 2017, to 3.3 million, with the value of tourism rising 3% to £3.25 billion. Figures released by Visit Norfolk also show the number of day trips increased by 6% to 43.5 million. The news follows Visit Norfolk’s


quarterly business monitor which showed that almost three quarters of all businesses are confident


about the immediate future. visitnorfolk.co.uk


w Peak District tourism hits new economic heights


Tourism’s value to the Peak District and Derbyshire economy surpassed expectations in 2017 – rising by 6% to £2.15 billion. Marketing Peak District &


Derbyshire said visitor numbers rose to 40.45 million, an increase of more than 1.3%, while the number of full-time equivalent jobs supported by the visitor economy is up by almost 2.5% at


28,630. marketingpeakdistrictand derbyshire.com


travelgbi.com


upgrades to the visitor entrance and shop, and a new coffee shop. The museum space and


exhibition will house rare and internationally significant objects, from the early Bronze


Age through to the 1600s. english-heritage.org.uk/traveltrade


Abta to host domestic and inbound conference


Bosses from key operators, tourism boards and the government will converge on the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham for an Abta conference about domestic and inbound holidays (November 13). Called The UK Holiday Market, the conference will be chaired by Jane Atkins, managing director


at Shearings Holidays, and speakers include Carol Dray (VisitBritain), Nick Brooks-Sykes (Tourism Alliance and Marketing Manchester), Bernard Donoghue, (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions), Mark McVay (UKInbound), and Deirdre Wells


(Visit Kent). abta.com


Blue and Green Badge Tourist Guides to sponsor National Tour Guiding Conference


The British Guild of Tourist Guides and the Institute of Tourist Guiding working together as ‘Blue and Green Badge Tourist Guides’ are headline sponsors for the National Tour Guiding Conference (November 9). Taking place in Drapers


Hall in the City of London, the event is organised by the US Connections project, which is financed by the Discover England Fund.


It aims to provide tour guides


with insights for making their tours ‘bookable’ and accessible to international audiences.


w Bristol Airport backs Great West Way project


Bristol Airport has become the official airline sponsor for the Great West Way – a major touring route being developed between London and Bristol. The airport will be part of the


travel trade team that will launch the Great West Way project at World Travel Market London on November 5.


bristolairport.com discoverenglandfund.org visitwiltshire.co.uk/greatwestway


Whitby Abbey


w Excursions trip uncovers natural wonders in London


Excursions 2019 delegates can join a fam trip to visit attractions in the capital which explore science and nature. Called ‘England’s Natural Wonders of the World’, the trip will be on January 25, ahead of the group travel show at Alexandra Palace on January 26. The itinerary includes Sea


Life, a Thames cruise with MBNA Thames Clippers and a tour of the Royal Museums Greenwich, Royal


Observatory and Planetarium. ◗ More on London, see p14-16, and


more group travel news p22-24. excursionsshow.com


LONGLEAT SAFARI’S


FACT OF THE MONTH Did you know...


Tigers purr like domestic cats


October 2018 | TravelGBI 9


©VisitEngland/RodEdwards


©Shutterstock


©Alan Williams


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