A bloomin’ wonderful new display site in Liverpool

Today we launch a brand new Tourist Information Point at Dobbies Garden World Liverpool – a popular retail outlet on the A561.

In conjunction with A-ha! Distribution, our long-standing partner company in Cumbria, we are now able to offer exclusive literature display facilities in this well-placed, south Liverpool site.

Just off Speke Boulevard on the main road to John Lennon Airport, this £8 million, 50,000 sq ft garden centre opened its doors to the public in September 2011. It was constructed using sustainably sourced materials - with energy efficiency catered for throughout - in order to help reduce its impact on the environment. The store also features a 350-seater restaurant and Farm Foodhall, specialising in locally-sourced products.

If you would like further information about displaying your leaflets or brochures in this extremely busy outlet, please drop us a line or call us on 01244 671859.

Keep an eye out for further upcoming joint projects between LDS Tourism Services and its associate companies in the very near future.

Image: Dobbies Garden World Liverpool, ©Dobbies  2011

Display your leaflets in Waitrose

We are delighted to announce that LDS Tourism Services is to supply Waitrose stores with complementary literature stands.

Our partner company in South Wales has negotiated an exclusive contract to display printed materials in Waitrose outlets throughout the UK. We will be responsible for selling and restocking pockets within our usual service area.

There are stores throughout England, Scotland and Wales, but over the next five years, the retailer plans to open at least ten new shops in the North West. The company aims to spend £100 million on new sites throughout the region, including a second Chester branch at Boughton Retail Centre. Much to the delight of Anglesey residents, a new Waitrose store also opened in Menai Bridge last March, taking over the old Co-Op premises. 

Since Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor opened their first small grocery shop at 263 Acton Hill, West London in 1904, Waitrose has become one of the UK’s leading food retailers – combining the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. 

Our stands will contain literature on community based events, sports, arts, theatre and tourism. The artwork on the holder will incorporate Waitrose’s logo alongside our own (or that of the local distribution company – depending on the area). However, no third party unauthorized literature will be allowed, so please contact us if you would like your promotional print displayed in any local or national Waitrose store.

Pictures of our stands in Sandbach services

Sandbach Services M6, a set on Flickr.

The latest photographs of our new turnarounds at RoadChef - Sandbach Services on the M6 (North and South). Please let us know if you would like to display your literature in this high-footfall location.

Spring brings new growth for local tourism

A great many attractions have reaped the benefits of the double Bank Holiday and glorious sunshine this year. Tourism operators in the region are reporting an upsurge in visitors from France, China and the USA – due in no small part to the low level of the pound – and accommodation providers say they have been forced to turn people away.

Industry insiders are starting to see improvements this spring, in some cases because visitors are changing their habits. For instance, the National Trust (NT) recently conducted research into the habits of British holidaymakers and found that 27% of them were planning to take at least 10 single-day holidays this year. A further 36% said they intended to take between five and 10 'daycations' during the same period. According to NT, these multiple single days off work will allow Brits to make the most of their time off and have shorter holidays more frequently within the UK.

More good news from our clients

Chester Zoo has a delightful baby elephant named Jamilah to thank for helping it achieve a massive 33% increase in visitor numbers at the start of the year. The popular attraction announced it had 104,856 visitors between 1st January and 27th February, compared with 78,833 in the same period last year. The charity also revealed it was the most visited zoo in the UK during 2010, with 1,154,285 people passing through the gates, making it the 17th most popular visitor attraction in the country.

Cadw has allocated £600,000 from its Heritage Tourism Project to allow Denbigh Castle to begin work on a new visitor facility. Enhancements to the 13th century fortress will include new walks, improvements to its interpretation and upgraded links with Denbigh's wider historic landscape.

On Good Friday, Cambrian Heritage Railways started operating a passenger service from a station in Shropshire for the first time since the 1960s. After twelve months of hard work, the service now operates over half a mile on a restored line from Oswestry Station to Middleton Road Bridge. We are delighted to have been asked to market their promotional leaflet and wish all those involved a fun and profitable season.

Promote your business for free

I am now a Foursquare Ambassador, which means that you can access my page to connect with your loyal customers and gain new ones by finding and claiming your establishment. It’s completely free to sign up and you will be able to manage Specials and monitor your Venue Stats. Click this link and follow three simple steps to verify your business on Foursquare.

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions regarding location based marketing or any other service supplied by LDS Tourism Services.

Image: Cherry Blossom, © Eve Parry, 2011

Stampede Expected Through Chester

Chester is without doubt one of the best places to be this summer.

Earlier today we took delivery of the Rhino Mania trail guides – an exciting and colourful art exhibition happening in the City from 5th July to 12th September.

To join in the fun you should grab a map and go in search of 62 uniquely decorated rhino sculptures positioned in and around Chester. The enormous fiberglass animals have all been individually named and hand-painted by top artists - so they should be easy to find - and there will be an additional 120 mini rhinos dotted around the trail created by local school children.

Rhinos are one of the most endangered creatures on earth, so in addition to celebrating the City’s cultural identity the event will raise money for the Black Rhino Field Conservation Project in Kenya and Tanzania. Official Rhino Mania merchandise, including a souvenir guide and six ceramic rhinos, will be available from Chester Zoo, Chester Tourist Information Centre and Browns of Chester – Debenhams.

And that’s not all…

Diana and I went along with other family members to Ladies Evening at Chester Races last Friday. We had a marvellous time in the glorious sunshine and twice backed a winning horse, which more than covered our costs for the evening. There are a number of forthcoming events to look forward to at the Racetrack, such as Ladies and Gents Evening on 9th July and Family Funday on 1st August. I thoroughly recommend you go along for the experience and to have a little flutter on the gee gees.

Over the coming weeks you should also look out for Chester’s Summer Music Festival (30th June – 14th July), Cholmondeley Castle’s Pageant of Power (17-18th July) and Tatton Park’s Picnic Concerts (31st July).

To find out about these and oodles of other events taking place in the region throughout July, pick up the latest issue of What’s On in Chester & Cheshire, which is appearing in hotels, tourist attractions, camp sites, pubs, restaurants, TICs and LDSTS TIPs as you read this article.

 

Image: Chester Races, © Visit Chester & Cheshire

Snacking & Shopping: Tourism & Retraining in 2010

Cheshire Oaks' Visitor Information Centre

As long-standing members of the Chester Partnership (not to mention sole distributors for the group), we received an invitation to attend the official opening of the Visitor Information Centre at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet on 4th March. Jenny and Hayley went along to the event and were delighted to spot many familiar faces along with a few new ones. They were also fascinated to learn of CORA (Cheshire Oaks Retail Academy) - the brand new centre for retail training at the Wirral-based shopping village - which was being launched in concert with the TIC.

In addition to servicing this new information centre, we have installed two LDSTS Tourist Information Points (TIPs) at the Customer Information Desk inside Cheshire Oaks' busy Foodcourt. Please contact us if you would like your leaflets or brochures displayed there.

If you are considering a career in the retail industry, it is certainly worth checking out the Cheshire Oaks Retail Academy website to find out about the unique training programmes on offer.

We came across an interesting article published on the TravelMole website last month. According to a report by Dinah Hatch: “Brits are taking more holiday ‘snacks’ and less vacation three course meals.” She revealed that a YouGov poll had shown that people are “more likely” to go on a short break in the UK in 2010 than last year. She also said that Hoseasons’ chief executive, Richard Carrick, had stated that his Company’s short break holiday bookings were already up by 25% and their 2009 Christmas breaks had “soared by 68%”.

Could British holidaymakers be falling back in love their homeland or is it merely a passing trend caused only by the financial downturn? Please drop us a line sharing your opinions and personal experiences. The most interesting replies will be published on this blog.

Cheshire Oaks' Visitor Information Centre

Images © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010

The Changing Habits of Holidaymakers

May I take this opportunity to wish all our clients, readers and business associates a very happy and prosperous 2010!

There are currently mixed messages reaching members of the local tourism and hospitality industries. While a recent poll of 3,000 consumers by the travel site simonseeks.com found that the UK is still hailed as being the best-value holiday destination, the newly published ITB World Travel Trends Report showed that travel activity declined most in the UK (followed by Russia and Sweden) in the calendar year following the worldwide economic and financial crisis.

It would seem that last-minute bookings are at a record high and, according to Dr. Martin Buck at ITB organiser Messe Berlin, travellers are becoming an “increasingly indeterminable factor for holiday destinations, airlines, hotels, tour operators and travel agencies”. He goes on to say that “together with demographic shifts, changing lifestyles and technological progress, the recession is changing travel behaviour”.

We have certainly been aware of these changes for quite some time and have been able to modify our services accordingly by dropping several poorly performing (and overly expensive) sites last year in favour of better quality outlets - enabling LDS Tourism Services to offer superior display locations at very reasonable rates.

Despite these difficult times, we are doing a great deal to support our clients. As ever, we are able to offer both regional and national distribution; customers can opt to use our popular Network or General Distribution services; they may choose to be included in our high-footfall Exclusive establishments or perhaps decide to pick and choose from all three. In addition, we supply a range of complimentary brochure holders to tourism operators in North Wales, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Lancashire and Shropshire.

If you would like a quotation for leaflet/brochure distribution or social media marketing, simply drop us a line or ring 01244 671859 and we will create a unique and reasonably priced campaign to suit your particular requirements.

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Image: View down onto the beach, Llandudno ©Britainonview

Deck the Stands with Lots of Leaflets

December is always a busy month for the LDSTS management team, but it does at least present us with endless opportunities to mix business with pleasure. Now the Christmas cards have been mailed out to clients, copious contracts signed and new projects initiated, we are having great fun attending festive networking events and industry get-togethers. There have been several recent highlights and no doubt there will be plenty more before the close of 2009.

Diana and I had a scrumptious meal at Helsby Arms on 4th December. Renowned for its real food and ale, not to mention regular Tweetups (gatherings of people who use Twitter), this lovely, traditional old pub is host to one of our Tourist Information Points (TIPs). During our visit we were able to spend time chatting with co-owner, Carole Currie - a friendly, bubbly lady, with tons of innovative ideas - and tuck into a Famous Helsby Arms steak, Guinness and mushroom pie served with hand cut rustic chips from a menu choc-full of mouthwatering dishes. Wonderful stuff!

I was also able to take my mum along to the first day of the Continental Christmas Market in Chester City centre on 5th December. Attractive wooden chalets had been erected outside the TIC on Town Hall Square, within which were displayed an assortment of European trinkets, clothes, foods, wines and beers. I purchased a long, multi-coloured woollen scarf from a lively market trader before we escaped the crowds and made our way over to the picturesque village of Dodleston for lunch at The Red Lion, an 18th century inn on the Cheshire/North Wales border – which, incidentally, is another TIP host. We always make a point of supporting those who support LDS.

Jenny, Hayley and Diana popped into The Mersey Partnership’s Christmas Members’ Meeting at the Palm Sugar Lounge inside the Chaophray (a Thai fine dining restaurant) on the 8th. They thoroughly enjoyed the evening – especially the delicious nibbles and free drinks – and were extremely impressed with the bird’s eye view of the City and the 60-metre high Liverpool ONE Wheel. They returned clutching tickets (kindly supplied by the organisers) for rides on the 40-gondola wheel. Watch this space to discover what they thought of the experience.

Next year promises to be another exciting twelve months for LDSTS and clients. Be sure to look out for us at the Great Days Out Fair at Bolton Arena on 13th February 2010. Diana and Hayley will be manning the Cadw stand and Jenny and I will be there representing the Company.

If you have any questions, queries or comments regarding leaflet distribution, social media marketing or anything else relating to LDS Tourism Services, please feel free to drop us a line or ring up for a chat.

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Image: Liverpool ONE Wheel © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2009

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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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 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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LDS Tourism Continue to Lead the Way

As usual, we are working flat-out through the school holidays. We will shortly be adding the Grosvenor Shopping Centre (Chester) and the New Mersey Shopping Park (Speke) to our collection of exclusive sites. There is also another exciting contract in the pipeline, which we hope to reveal very soon.

Over the past twelve months, we have been listening closely to our client’s comments and suggestions regarding the types of display sites they prefer. In addition to this, we have been monitoring the effects the recession has had on the leaflet pick-up rate in different types of outlets.

As regular readers of this blog will know, the economic downturn has made an enormous difference to the public’s leisure time and there has been a distinct swing towards short-breaks and nostalgic holidays in the UK. In many ways, this has been a positive development for local businesses and we have been delighted to see an increase in demand for promotional leaflets in caravan parks, smaller hotels, self-catering establishments, pubs, shopping parks, tourist attractions etc. Equally, some of our once busiest locations (particularly those frequented by business travellers) have become very quiet indeed. Obviously, it’s all ‘swings and roundabouts’, to coin a somewhat overused expression, but we are intending to make a few changes for 2010.

We have decided to drop the poorly performing outlets at the end of this summer in favour of more popular sites. We have already increased our collection of Premier Network’s quite significantly over the past few months and, in addition to this, you can expect to see our holders appearing in several unexpected places over the autumn and winter.

On another matter entirely, all you tweeters can now follow LDS Tourism Services on Twitter at twitter.com/LDSTS and the Brochure Marketing group at twitter.com/brochuregroup.

Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any queries, comments or suggestions.

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A Successful Summer for LDS Tourism and Clients

As ever at this time of year, we are hectically busy preparing for the schools to close – in fact, some have already broken up for the summer. There are also lots of new leaflets and brochures available, including (but certainly not limited to): Manchester Events, Chirk Castle, Echo Arena What's On Summer 09, Brimstage Maize Maze and the Cywain Centre Bala.

We are delighted to report that 2009 is proving immensely rewarding for many of our clients, too.

Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure won the Responsible Tourism category in the TravelMole 2009 Web Awards. The Delamere Forest based attraction beat three other companies to take the top spot and were presented with their prize at a ceremony held in Canada House, London. Many congratulations to Go Ape from all at LDS Tourism Services.

We are sending out a collective pat on the back to several other of our prize-winning customers, including: Tatton Park (Large Attraction of the Year, Visit Chester & Cheshire Awards), Blue Planet Aquarium (Best Tourism Website of the Year, Visit Chester & Cheshire Awards), The Museum of Science & Industry (Tourism Experience of the Year for Costumed performers at MoSI, Manchester Tourism Awards) and WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre (Visitor Attraction of the Year, Lancashire & Blackpool Tourism Awards). Well done all!

There was great excitement at Blue Planet Aquarium recently when a baby shark was discovered by a diver in the enormous Caribbean Reef display. The 15cm bamboo shark was found under a rock by Terry Cookson during a routine maintenance dive. He spotted the tiny shark moving around and carefully brought him to the surface. The little nipper has now been nicknamed Rocky!

We have discovered some interesting statistics from Travel Navigator, a new national independent UK holiday survey by Arkenford. Based on questioning 2,000 adults a month about their travel plans and their booking intentions over the next three months, the latest results have revealed that people are downsizing and becoming increasingly independent when it comes to holidays this year. It would seem that more than 90% of them have booked their accommodation in advance and over 50% of these bookings have been made online and bought directly from the provider. Seventy-three percent said they would cut their spending on holidays this year. However, short breaks are set to benefit, with 20% planning to book more short breaks at home than in 2008.

It would seem to us that while a great many people have chosen to holiday at home this year, it is quite clear they want affordable breaks and are cutting back on the amount they spend. Therefore, tourism operators or resorts that decide to raise prices to cash in on the domestic bonanza are likely to find that visitors stay away.

Is your business benefitting from the current ‘Brits Stay Home’ boom? Have you noticed an increase in the number of local people visiting your attraction or establishment? Please share your thoughts and observations with us by posting a message here or by sending us an e-mail.

Main picture: Martin Mere Wetland Centre, © Jonathon Monk, 2005

Squatters in our Brochure Holders

At LDS Tourism Services we have a name for the unauthorised leaflets that appear in our display units from time to time. As a clue, the ornithologists among you will no doubt be aware of a certain feathered critter known for laying its eggs in the nests of other birds - frequently evicting the host’s clutch and live young in the process. Yes, you’ve guessed, these freeloading flyers are known to us as ‘cuckoos’!

Over the years we've evicted our fair share of ‘cuckoos’. In fact, signs on our stands inform potential squatters: “Unauthorised Material Will Be Removed”. Nevertheless, there are inevitably a handful of distributors who think we won’t spot a leaflet or two promoting their clients among all the others. They couldn’t be more wrong!

Whilst extremely annoying, this has never been of serious concern – until now. We have suddenly noticed (what could only be described as) flocks of ‘cuckoos’ appearing in our holders; to such an extent that we have been impelled to contact various businesses to let them know their leaflets will never reach the public. It would be unfair to highlight individual names because we are quite sure this problem is down to one or two unscrupulous distribution companies rather than the attractions themselves. However, it’s a great pity to see so much promotional print go to waste and it benefits nobody in the long-run.

So, the moral behind this story is beware unprincipled businesses passing themselves off as reputable distribution firms. If they offer to display your leaflets in hundreds of stands throughout the region (perhaps for half the price), then they are probably cuckoos in doves' clothing.

The Importance of Keeping it Local

Although small firms employ over fifty-eight per cent of the private sector workforce and contribute more than 50% of the UK turnover, the expansion of large national and international companies into every corner of British industry is heavily responsible for the demise of local trade.

“Expansion” has become a scary word to local traders, especially when names such as Tesco are mentioned in the same breath. Yet, it is a fact that our economy is driven by small businesses and the case for keeping small retailers and businesses in our local communities is overwhelming.

Leaflet distribution firms within the tourism and leisure sectors are no less prey to large ‘out of town’ companies moving in and attempting to put them out of business. There have been instances over the last few years where the ‘big boys’ have come into an area and proceeded to drastically undercut local firms. Inevitably, once the 'small fry' has been removed, prices increase dramatically, and by the time tourism operators realise that service isn’t quite what it used to be, there is no longer a credible alternative.

So, why is it so important to use local companies to distribute and display promotional literature? Well, aside from obvious reasons such as their in-depth and long-standing knowledge of an area and its people, there is the fact that smaller firms usually have a personal interest in the survival of other businesses in their neighbourhoods – indeed, their proprietors and employees frequently have family members and friends whose livelihoods depend on the continued success of nearby attractions, leisure facilities, hotels, pubs and restaurants. Remove the local element and you are left with a bunch of fat-cat business people with little or no interest in a particular town or region - except, of course, when it comes to lining their own pockets.

If you are concerned about the demise of local firms, it may interest you to learn that the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is actively campaigning to stem the tide of business closures and defend the choice and diversity customers deserve. It was inspired by FSB members and its message is now being delivered in local communities across the country. You can sign their Keep Trade Local petition right here.

If you have any comments regarding this or any other matter, please feel free to post a message here or drop us a line.

UK Tourism Boosted by Sun & Slump!

Tourism operators in North Wales and North West England can take plenty of positives from the first major British holiday of the year. Blue skies and the current economic climate combined to give many attractions an excellent kick-start to the season – with most parts of the UK enjoying long periods of fine, dry weather over the Easter break. In addition to this, domestic rail bookings over Easter were up by more than 40% year-on-year with almost 45,000 people booking advance tickets for the Bank Holiday.

According to The Caravan Club, which owns and operates 200 sites across mainland Britain, bookings for 2009 are “already up by 40%”. Its network of parks across Wales was at 90% occupancy for the Easter holidays and the club’s spokesperson, Fiona Bewers, told BBC Online that the current trend seemed to be for “new families [to take] up caravanning as a fun option”.

The results of a new study by VisitEngland were released at the Best of Britain and Ireland trade show last month. They showed that “90% of the population is cutting back on its overall spend but the importance of holidays means that they are ‘more protected’ than other areas of expenditure.” The domestic tourism body also went on to reveal that one in five people who went abroad on holiday last year would consider switching to the UK in 2009 to save money.

Also of interest was a newly published study by Key Note, which has shown that foreign activity holidays are far more likely to be affected by the recession than other types of breaks. The market intelligence provider says that it is likely some travellers will economise by taking holidays in the UK rather than abroad this year and in 2010. A poll of 1,000 consumers for the report revealed that walking - including trekking – had emerged as the most popular activity with 14% of respondents indicating that they had taken a holiday of this kind in the UK. Nine per cent said that they had been on a multi-activity holiday in the UK, compared with six per cent who had taken this type of holiday abroad.

At LDS, we are busier than ever, with new clients joining us every week. If you would like to know more about our many cost-effective and frequently exclusive services, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further details.

Some Good News For A Change!

The latest issue of our newsletter, Swift Flyer 3, is now available on our website at www.ldsts.co.uk/swift_flyer3.pdf. If you have problems viewing this document, please let us know and we will send you a hard copy via snail-mail.

We are all too aware that the current economic situation probably means that British (and foreign) holidaymakers are going to be more cost conscious than ever before – indeed, a new study by travelsupermarket.com has revealed that more than three quarters (77%) of people in the UK believe the price of their holiday is the most important factor in deciding where to go next year.

However, the news isn’t all bad. According to a recent study by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services, the UK hotel industry is still “holding its own” despite a “slow” month in October, and the fall in growth rate has been “fairly moderate”. More interestingly, new research has shown that “holidaymakers are planning a return to happy, nostalgic memories of their childhood breaks to get them through the hard times”. The poll of more than 2,000 people found that “in credit crunch Britain, a new generation has rekindled its love affair with the caravan. Rather than jet off abroad, almost two in ten (27%) of parents intend to take their children on a drive down memory lane inspired by their own childhood caravan holiday”.

The survey (commissioned by Towergate Bakers Insurance) revealed that the ‘Top 5 Nostalgia’ family holidays in the year ahead would be:

1. Holidays on the British coast (49%)

2. Country cottage holidays in the UK (29%)

3. Caravan holidays (27%)

4. Camping (20%)

5. Barge (9%)

This could potentially be very positive news indeed for small businesses in Britain and (fingers crossed) despite all the present talk of financial gloom and doom, 2009 may yet turn out to be a good year for tourism in North Wales and the North West.

A Hectic Autumn for LDS Tourism Services

We are delighted to announce that we’ve become official members of Visit Chester and Cheshire (VCC), the official tourism management organisation for Chester and Cheshire. Set up in 2004, it is one of five tourism boards in the North West and is funded and supported by the North West Regional Development Agency, seven local authorities and over 400 private sector tourism stakeholders in the county. We are very much looking forward to working alongside our new friends and partners to help build and improve the local tourism industry.

There are currently 282 members of our Brochure Marketing group at LinkedIn. Following recent improvements, it is now possible for them to take part in Discussions (recent topics include next month’s World Travel Market Excel show in London and flash based web2print solutions); follow group Updates and look at the profiles of fellow Members. If you have a professional interest in promotional print, please feel free to join.

Autumn may be in full swing but we continue to receive a steady stream of leaflets for distribution. Many Christmas brochures are now on display in popular establishments throughout our service area and we are busy talking to both new and existing customers, planning fresh marketing campaigns and signing contracts for exclusive display rights. Be sure to visit this blog regularly for exciting announcements!