A Busy Year Ahead For LDS Tourism Services

Although data published by ONS in the latest Overseas Travel and Tourism Statistical Bulletin shows that inbound travel to the UK was down by 9% in the year to September (contributed to by a 24% drop in business travel to the UK), VisitBritain believes that the UK tourist industry has reached a “turning point” and predicts that inbound tourism will help lead Britain’s economic recovery during the months ahead with modest growth expected in 2010.

More encouraging still is a recent survey by VisitEngland, which has found that almost three quarters of adults (72%) are likely to take a domestic break next year. The study suggests the return of the great British holiday is no ‘flash in the pan’, but a result of changing attitudes as UK residents shun outbound travel for holidays on home soil. According to TravelMole, James Berresford, the chief executive of VisitEngland has said that research “further confirms and highlights” the staycation is “here to stay”.

There is certainly little sign of local tourism operators cutting back on their promotional leaflets and brochures in 2010. If anything, it seems that LDSTS’ clients are scaling back on other forms of advertising in order to increase their annual print-runs and make full use of our popular Network Service.

The use of micro-blogging sites such as Twitter is also gaining rapid penetration within the travel industry. According to a new study by Andy Jarosz, writer and owner of the travel blog 501 Places, managing directors, commercial directors, hotel owners and government officials are actively using social media tools to forge connections with their customers.

Life is as hectic as ever for the management and employees of LDS Tourism Services. In addition to the numerous meetings, tight distribution schedules and newly signed contracts, we are currently giving the Border Distribution Centre a fresh lick of paint.

We recently became a member of The Mersey Partnership, the official Tourist Board for Merseyside. Our advert is now live on visitLiverpool.com and we are looking forward to networking with fellow members of this esteemed organisation.

Incidentally, there are now 669 members of our Brochure Marketing group on LinkedIn – an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world.

Please keep sending us your comments, queries and suggestions, especially concerning the topics and issues you would like to see tackled on this blog.

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Winter Days Out in North Wales & the North West

Although we are out of the main tourist season, there are still plenty of places to visit during the colder months.

If you are looking for something to warm you up, The Palms Tropical Oasis in Nantwich is a brilliant family day out. Pili Palas on Anglesey is another all-weather attraction - as well as being Wales premier butterfly house with mini-beasts, birds and plenty more. Techniquest in Wrexham is a great place to take the children for some hands-on fun. It's all under-cover with fun science shows and on the spot demos.

If you want to try something a bit different, Llangollen Climbing Centre is a great place to start. It is Llangollen and the Dee Valley's only dedicated indoor climbing wall and offers beginner's taster sessions, family sessions and classes for the children. The World of Glass Museum in St Helens has some fascinating information on the areas' glass-making history and the live glass blowing is well worth seeing. However, if you're looking for a unique gift, Blue Planet Aquarium has redcued the price of its Dive Experience especially for Christmas.

If you fancy a great day out but need to watch the pennies, you could try National Museums Liverpool. The National Conservation Centre, Whitechapel, has a brilliant exhibition by Stephen Shakeshaft and Liverpool People features photographs of the City's characters. It's also completely free, as is The Rise of Women Artists at the Walker Art Gallery. There is so much to see at all these museums and galleries - pick up a Family Guide or an Exhibitions and Events Guide from an LDS Tourist Info Point and check out the excellent programme of free events.

If you want to get into the yuletide spirit, Father Christmas is making plenty of visits to our regions' attractions. You can catch him at Chester Zoo Festive Fun, running from 5th December to the 3rd January, and see the carousel and children's train while you are there. He will also be stopping off at Tatton Park, which is beautifully decorated over the festive season. You should also catch the Christmas Shopping Fair on the 21st & 22nd November and enjoy Tatton by Candlelight from the 2nd to the 5th December.

Llangollen Railway is running a Santa's Christmas Special, whereby you can take a ride on a decorated steam train with a visit and gift from Santa himself. Hoo Farm is opening its Christmas World from 28th November - go along and meet Santa in his log cabin but be sure to stick around for his Toy Workshop and the Christmas Bear Wrapping Factory. Father Christmas is a busy man and will also be at Ruthin Gaol on the 5th December with a Christmas Workshop. You can head over to the Santa Experience at Park Hall Farm, with a traditional Father Christmas in a warm welcoming setting, and Croxteth Hall has its Santa's Grotto open from 21st November to 24th December. Here you will discover Christmas Markets on 22nd and 29th November and the 6th and 13th December. You can also visit the Carol Service on the 13th December.

If you fancy getting crafty, the Royal International Llangollen Pavilion has a Christmas Craft Fair on the 28th November, Rhyl Library, Museum and Arts Centre is celebrating Christmas Glitter on 21st December - a chance to make your own cards, decorations and gifts - and Lady Lever Art Gallery has Edwardian Christmas art activities on the 6th December. Liverpool City Centre is becoming an Antarctic Paradise with the launch of Go Penguins - these colonies of Penguins will form a trail around the City following on from the success of Superlambananas - look out for them! There are also activities inspired by the penguins at the Walker Art Gallery and Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Everyone is in the mood for a Pantomime at this time of year, so why not try Cinderella at Hartford Grange Theatre or Hansel & Gretal, Mother Goose and the Snow Queen at Theatr Stiwt. You could also try the fabulous family musical, Bink and the Hairy Fairy at Glyndwr University, Wrexham.

There is plenty more to see and do throughout the region, so why not have a look at your nearest LDS leaflet display - our literature isn't just for the benefit of tourists, you know! You will be pleasantly surprised by what is happening right on your doorstep. Get out there and beat those winter blues!

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Image, ©Britainonview / - Britain on View

Planning For The Year Ahead

If you get a few quiet minutes during the day, we would suggest you visit our good friends over at the Directory of Chester. The website, which lists businesses and services available to both residents and visitors, is chock full of fascinating features, useful details regarding things happening in and around the City and a wealth of valuable information about where to eat, sleep and shop. Recent articles in their blog include: Looking for the Perfect Christmas Weekend Break? and Christmas and New Year is all wrapped up at the Helsby Arms, Frodsham, Cheshire. Why not head over there right away and make the most of the festive season by listing your business?

We are as busy as ever at the Border Distribution Centre, with winter brochures filling our vans and 2010 leaflets arriving for the anticipated spring scramble.

A brief reminder to existing clients and anyone else intending to use LDS Tourism Services for leaflet distribution next year: the crucial word is ‘early’! The sooner we receive your promotional print, the better spread you will have in time for Easter!

We wish you all a thoroughly spooky and profitable Halloween.

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Stats, Statements & Staycations!

We are extremely excited about 2010 - not least because we are working with several new partner companies in other parts of the UK. Next year, our clients will also benefit considerably from the many new high-footfall display sites (some of them exclusive to LDS) secured over the past few months.

As you all know, in addition to our long-established brochure marketing facilities, we now offer Social Media packages - however, we are also on the verge of announcing the launch of a brand new service that will propel LDS Tourism to the forefront of 21st century marketing techniques. All will be revealed very soon!

Continuing the theme of our last article, a recent poll by Which? Holiday has shown that one of the biggest complaints of holidaymakers is that visitor attractions are often overcrowded, badly managed or have long queues. The consumer study also showed airport congestion at the top of the list of frustrations experienced by travellers. Nevertheless, of the 5,003 consumers surveyed, more than half (53%) had no frustrations with any aspect of their holiday, and for those who holidayed in the UK, the satisfaction level increased by 60%.

Even more encouraging are reports from Hoseasons that advance bookings for 2010 are up 61% to 100,000, compared with the same period last year. The Company’s chief executive, Richard Carrick, commented last week that there has been “a seismic change in consumer behaviour, with people spending less and choosing to holiday in the UK”. Indeed, he says that next year, “Hoseasons will sell one million sports and activity holidays with 140 of its 440 holiday parks offering those types of breaks.”

VisitEngland has also published figures showing that domestic trips were up by 14 per cent, or 2.7m, for the first six months of 2009, compared with the same period last year.

Perhaps the UK ‘staycation’ really is here to stay!

A brief reminder to anyone with Christmas and/or New Year literature: your leaflets should be out there, on display, right now. Don’t miss out on promoting your festive event or offer by delaying distribution a moment longer!

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An Autumn Roundup From LDS Tourism

Autumn is here, which means that leaflets promoting Halloween events and firework displays are now prominently displayed in our stands. The “barbecue summer” promised by the Met Office may have failed to materialise, but we are at least enjoying a spell of fine weather at the moment – extending the season for all our clients with outdoor attractions.

As industry figures begin to trickle in for 2009, it would appear that a slump in room rates caused many British hotels to suffer a poor August. However, according to preliminary monthly figures from the PKF Hotel Consultancy Services, hotels in Liverpool were able to achieve a 7.6% growth in occupancy during this period – an excellent result when compared to the 2.3% drop experienced by similar establishments in London.

We were delighted to learn of two rare new arrivals at Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port last week. The birth of a pair of Anableps – four-eyed fish, originally from South America – caused great excitement at this popular visitor attraction. These unusual freshwater fish apparently use their extra eyes to see both above and below the surface of the water, giving them added protection against predators and allowing them to find food. The babies measure approximately 5cm when born but are expected to reach 15-20cm at eight months.

The autumn/winter 09/10 issue of Swift Flyer – our newsletter containing updates, company news and industry snippets - is now available on our website. If you have problems opening the pdf document, simply drop us a line and we will snail-mail a hard copy.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrea Monteith, the editor of Word of Mouth, for giving LDS Tourism Services a plug in the 4th birthday edition of this popular glossy publication (Issue 22, page 18, It’s our Birthday!). Known as “the magazine for Wales”, WOM is delivered by us to outlets throughout our service area and contains fascinating articles about people and places in North Wales, details of up-and-coming events and heaps of suggestions for filling your leisure time. In the October issue you can read pieces about rainwater harvesting, wild birds in your garden and a fashion show with a difference. Be sure to pick up a free copy from your nearest LDS Tourist Info Point.

Finally, we can report that there has been a great deal of interest expressed in our new Social Media Marketing service. If you would like to know more about how we can help you promote your business on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc., please contact us for further information.

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Photograph © Karen Bramblet, 2009

LDS Tourism Move Into Social Media Marketing

We can finally reveal that our long awaited “exciting new service” has been launched for the autumn/winter of 2009/10. LDS Tourism is now offering to build effective social media marketing campaigns for existing clients and other businesses.

Whether it’s keeping a blog, showcasing an event on Facebook or using Twitter for instant announcements, we can produce high-quality, entertaining content - creating an explosive buzz in the online world.

For those who feel uneasy about dipping their toes into the vast ocean of social media networking sites, we offer a very reasonably priced Starter Package. This enables us to launch a business or enterprise on to the e-scene and, once achieved, the client can opt to take over or allow us to continue promoting their brand on a daily basis with one of our Social Application Packages.

Although most of the applications used in social media marketing are free, after chatting with customers we began to realise that integrating these tools into a corporate marketing plan can be a difficult, if not impossible task for many people.

“Social media marketing is a powerful strategy but it requires lots of time and a certain level of skill,” says Hayley, our Business Development Manager. “We have used various e-marketing techniques very successfully to promote LDS Tourism Services over the years and we are now confident that our techniques will be rewarding for others.”

To take your first step in dominating the social media landscape, please drop us a line.

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Image © Poster Web 2.0

North West Attractions Thrive Despite Recession

VisitEngland’s annual Visitor Attraction Survey has revealed that England’s tourist attractions rose by 2% in 2008 - with the most significant rise around Liverpool, the 2008 European Capital of Culture.

Among the top attractions named in the report were Chester Zoo, Tate Liverpool and Tatton Park, three valued (and long-standing) clients of LDS Tourism Services. Chester’s internationally renowned zoo came in at number three in the Top Paid For Attractions category, beating off the Eden Project, Stonehenge and Roman Baths. Only Westminster Abbey and Kew Gardens were ahead.

Categories which showed the most growth with above average increases included farms (+8%), museums/art galleries (+7%), visitor/heritage centres (+6%) and places of worship (+5%).

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, said: “The uplift in numbers and increasing appreciation of England’s world-class attractions is extremely welcome news. In terms of education, history, our natural landscapes, the quirky and unusual to the just plain fun - we’ve got everything here in England to suit all interests and budgets, whatever the weather.”

Visits to North West attractions increased most significantly with a 13% uplift. The Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 event helped drive the increase with many major attractions in Liverpool experiencing extremely high increases in visitor admissions, including 68% more admissions at Tate Liverpool.

Last week it was also announced that Liverpool has become one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly conference destinations after achieving ‘gold’ from the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Pam Wilsher, the acting director of tourism at The Mersey Partnership, told the BBC that the Mersey Ferries, Beatles attractions and museums had also been extremely successful. She said there was evidence that local attractions were continuing to attract large numbers of visitors but “obviously not as many as last year”.

LDS Tourism Services has recently joined forces with Take A Flyer, a Liverpool-based distribution management firm, which has handled some of the biggest brands in the area over the last ten years. LDSTS’s Managing Director, Diana Bardell-Hedley, commented: “We’re delighted to be working so closely with such a reputable organisation, especially as it gives us unprecedented access to establishments in Liverpool City Centre.”

If you would like further details about distribution and display in Liverpool and the North West, please drop us a line.

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The Continuing Need For Marketing Print

LDS Tourism Services has had a web presence since 1995 and has fully embraced e-marketing and, more recently, social media networking techniques. However, while the Internet is an important means of promoting tourism, we fully recognise that it is a useful tool in the box rather than a ‘one size fits all’ method of catching the visitor’s eye.

We recently put the question: "Is it still worth spending time and money on brochures?" to fellow members of LinkedIn, an online network of experienced business people from around the world. We received a huge number of replies from a cross section of people involved in the tourist, leisure, design and marketing industries. The overall consensus was that promotional print is still undoubtedly an extremely important means of marketing attractions and other businesses in the modern era.

Here is a small but representative selection of the replies:

“I use print material to drive people to the Royal Academy of Arts’ website and to promote advance bookings. Customers still appreciate the tactile quality of print and particularly these days this tool provides a sense of trust.” - Maria Salvatierra, Marketing Officer, Travel & Tourism at Royal Academy of Arts

“Absolutely! Even though technology has made it possible to see information online, people still want a hard copy. The internet has refined in a way what could go into print. There are still plenty of people out there that stop by visitor information centres searching for flyers and brochures on the way to their next destination. We mail out a lot of information packets each month from people requesting information.” – Brent Hunter, Economic Development, Government Relations, Business Management

“To rely on a web presence is only a small part of the picture. Without the personal touch, even the best website doesn't convert as much as they could. All online marketers are always looking for the right landing page or design. The impersonal web has a hard time competing with a smile, handshake and well designed brochure.” – Buddy Hannon, Media Production Agent, Nature’s Blend Inc.

“A good note to remember, roughly 18% of web users actually read what's on a website. Brochures allow a potential client to educate themselves when they want, wherever they want.” – Shane O’Brien, Owner, Blue Wave Design Inc. (Website Print)

“I speak for the tourism industry - YES - brochures are absolutely needed. When you're driving down the road, stop at a restaurant and want to get local information about what's in the area, a well-stocked brochure rack is extremely useful. Not all festivals, events, hotels, restaurants, etc. are on the Internet. And even if they were, not everyone travels with a Blackberry. For the traveller on the road, brochures help people make last-minute decisions about where to go and what to do. And, many people save them to share or for future use.” – Greta Lint, Tourism Communications Services

“While a website has the flexibility to offer far more information than [promotional print], it cannot do everything. A brochure when created and used correctly is a great sales support tool that can augment a web site. The thinking may be a little different these days, but the use of brochures should not be tossed away simply because the web exists. It is very true that companies do not have to rely on brochures alone anymore. They also should not fall into the trap of relying solely on their web site. Some people still like holding things in their hands besides pieces of plastic tethered to a monitor.” – Jim Pallotta, Designer, Studio Barrage

“Yes, they are absolutely still worth the time and money. The goal is with the brochure development - to plan on presenting an online option as well. The nice aspect of having a printed brochure, you can take it with you to read at leisure without the glare of a computer screen and offers a comprehensive, offline resource to store for future reference.” – Yvonne Denault, Creative Director, Vorden Corp.

“Absolutely, brochures are still worth spending money on, provided that you understand your target market and their likely behaviours properly. My organisation runs multi-channel campaigns and regular use of brochures forms the backbone of those campaigns. Their strength for us is the facility for our customers to digest the information at their leisure, without the need for technology. The brochure can be casually picked up and acted upon at the customer's whim, and it can come with the customer to a store so that the product they require can be followed through from the brochure right into the store and to the cash desk.” – Ed Brazier, GO Outdoors Ltd.

“I hadn't had a new batch of brochures printed up for, probably, fifteen years - almost as long as I've had a Web site. However, I was informed this past spring that I was missing a key marketing connection with one of my specific niches by not having one. Why I didn't realise it before (or why no one made the connection earlier), I can't say, but I now use a newly designed brochure to hit that niche: genealogists and personal historians. The response has been surprising.” - Stephen Evans, Editor, www.the-freelance-editor.com

(This question is still open on the main LinkedIn Q&A board and in the Brochure Marketing group Discussion area.)

Both our survey and market research in general clearly show that printed materials are still one of the most cost-effective and successful means of promoting an attraction, event, tourist resort, leisure facility etc. It is quite clear that displaying promotional print in high-footfall outlets is massively important to the success of tourism and to suggest that e-marketing has replaced brochures and leaflets would be wholly inaccurate. Professional literature distribution is proven, effective and reliable.

Incidentally, it may interest you to know that there are now 619 members of our Brochure Marketing group on LinkedIn. There is also a sub-group - Brochure Marketing UK - for those who wish to network with fellow Brits.

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Image © knowtebook.com, 2009