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