A busy year ahead for UK tourism operators

Silly season is in full swing for LDS Tourism Services - the team is working flat-out accepting deliveries at the Border Distribution Centre and buzzing about the region ensuring our clients’ new leaflets are prominently displayed.

Around the UK as a whole, domestic tourism appears to be on the rise. Camping and caravanning breaks are more popular than ever (up 11% in 2011). According to Mintel, one in three residents report having been on a caravanning or camping break in the last three years, and Pitchup.com have revealed that there was a 50% increase in 'glamping' sites listed on their website in 2011. The latter also say that green campsites are among the most popular and, perhaps more surprisingly, there has been a sharp rise in the number of adult-only trips.

We’ve recently turned up several fascinating UK trends, which we felt were worth sharing with our readers:

Ø  Pet-friendly hotels saw a 132% rise in bookings in 2011 (LateRooms.com) 

Ø  The UK is the largest single source of over 55 year-old holidaymakers (World Travel Monitor) 

Ø  Over a third (39%) of people say access to Wi-Fi is a ‘deal-breaker’ when booking a hotel (Plusnet) 

Ø  The UK is now the third most admired tourist destination globally (Anholt-GFK Roper NBI) 

Brits are being urged to invite friends, relatives and past customers from around the world to visit the UK this year as part of VisitBritain’s 'GREAT Britain - You're Invited' marketing programme. Using the catchphrase ‘Share Your GREAT Britain’, the public, local communities and businesses across the country are being offered a free online toolkit that will allow them to personalise their greeting and invite their global network to the UK for their next holiday.

Finally, Tory MPs are calling for a UK Bank Holiday on 15th June 2015 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta – the famous medieval document giving rights to the people. A bill has been proposed to replace the May Bank Holiday, which is already under discussion, with a day to celebrate the momentous occasion when King John met his barons in 1215 and sealed the Great Charter. Should the Magna Carta anniversary be a Bank Holiday? Please share your views and we’ll publish a selection of the most interesting submissions on this blog.

Image: Talacre Lighthouse, North Wales, ©CopyrightFreePhotos.com

Tourism industry enjoyed unexpected autumn boost

Following a cool summer, unseasonably warm weather gave a welcome boost to tourist attractions across the region at the beginning of the month. 

In North East Wales, Wepre Park and Loggerheads Country Park both reported a massive rise in visitor numbers, GreenfieldValley Heritage Park experienced an influx of tourists (having already reported a 10% increase this year) and the Met Office revealed that the village of Hawarden had made it into the record books when temperatures peaked at 28.2C (82.8F) there on 1st October.

Meanwhile, in North West Wales, resorts such as Llandudno had camera crews filming on their busy beaches. Hoteliers were shown putting up ‘No Vacancy’ signs and telling reporters they could hardly believe their luck at a time of year when some were preparing to close for the season. Thousands also headed off for the mountains of Snowdonia.

As Merseyside basked in the heatwave, ticket sales at tourist attractions topped the expectations of even the most optimistic analysts. People visiting Knowsley Safari Park watched baboons slurping ice creams and local newspapers published pictures of the animals basking in Mediterranean-like warmth.

In Cheshire, visitor numbers to Chester Zoo rose by 149% in just one day and over 20,000 people flocked to watch the spectacled bears eat frozen watermelon and the elephants being hosed down by the keepers.

There was also positive news from the hospitality sector with hotels and restaurants recording the strongest increase in consumer spending in September (Visa Europe's Expenditure Index).

Image: © Britainonview / Rod Edwards 2011

Access to local information crucial to quality customer service

According to a survey of 326 people by The Mystery Dining Company (the leading specialist provider of customer experience evaluation for the hospitality and leisure industries in the UK), British people feel that hotel staff “don’t know enough” about their local area, which “significantly reduces the value of customer service provided”.

The report revealed that 61% of respondents indicated there was “room for improvement” in the level of local knowledge demonstrated by hotel employees.

Steven Pike, Director of The Mystery Dining Company said: “As tourism bodies look both for ways to attract visitors from across the globe and to support the local economy, it’s important to assess the underlying conditions of the industry. The way people are made to feel when they visit a new destination – be it a city, hotel or restaurant – can have an enormous impact on how they perceive the experience and whether it represents value for money for them, regardless of what their budget is.”

At a time when Tourist Information Centres are fast disappearing from our high streets due to local authority cutbacks, access to good-quality, easy to find local information is more important than ever. In Gwynedd alone the council has estimated that losing three TICs will save £76,000 per year, while in the North West, centres have begun closing their doors following the decision that limited resources must be channelled to key locations.

The internet and social media resources - such as Twitter and Facebook - have undoubtedly played their part in the demise of the great British TIC. Indeed, Jenny Mcgee, head of strategy and engagement at Visit England, was recently quoted in the Guardian as saying: “When you look at the fact you can sit at home, surf, and get the information you require in advance, why would you sit on a telephone waiting for someone to answer between the hours of 9-5?”

However, Mcgee concedes that when she herself takes a break, “the last thing I want to be doing is looking at my BlackBerry”. She believes that “local advice” is essential to the success of British tourism, and the results of a plethora of recent surveys show that people (both UK residents and foreign tourists) agree with this view.

So how should hoteliers and other accommodation providers avoid missing opportunities to enhance their visitors' experience and promote the local tourism industry? This is where companies like LDS Tourism Services can help.

Many businesses rely on our network of visitor information point (VIPs) throughout the region to lure people to their events, town centres and attractions. Our prominently displayed wall holders, free-standing and desk-top leaflet dispensers are placed in popular visitor attractions, busy eating establishments and bustling shopping parks, as well as in museums, libraries, pubs, garden centres and numerous high-footfall outlets.

The stands are supplied free of charge to suitable establishments throughout North Wales, the North West and parts of Shropshire, then serviced regularly by our team. The benefits include 24 hour access to local information, front desk efficiency, reduced guest questions and an increased professional hospitality image.

If you feel that your establishment would benefit from one of our info points, please drop us a line or call us directly on 01244 671859.

Image © Britainonview / Rod Edwards

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Whatever the Weather

As usual, Team LDSTS is bustling about the countryside, distributing the latest leaflets and brochures to venues across the region. New promotional publications arrive every day from all corners of our service area, and we are frantically delivering the latest issue of What’s On in Chester & Cheshire over the Bank Holiday weekend.

On the Grapevine

The weather may be fairly unpredictable at present – although the recent hot spell saw crowds flocking to outdoor attractions, camp sites and the coast - but the uncertainty caused by clouds of volcanic ash, threats of strike action and a number of other issues effecting foreign travel have at least helped boost the great British ‘staycation’.

Tourism in North Wales may well have been given a lift after its beaches received a record number of Blue Flags this year. The scheme, which rates the quality of clean water, litter-free shores, good facilities and safety standards, has awarded this status to Benllech, Church Bay, Rhydwyn, Llanddona, Llanddwyn, Porth Dafarch, Trearddur, Holyhead Marina, Llandudno North Shore, Llandudno West Shore, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Prestatyn, Criccieth-Traeth y Promenad, Dinas Dinlle, Pwllheli-Marian-y-De, Pwllheli Marina and Caernarfon Marina.

We were delighted to learn that The Lowry Hotel in Manchester - one of our TIP hosts – has won second-place Silver in the Large Hotel of the Year category at the EnjoyEngland Awards for Excellence 2010.

National Museums Liverpool has also been shortlisted for the first Marketing Society Northern Awards (in the tourism and leisure category), which will take place at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel on 30th June. We wish them lots of luck.

“Right Decision” to Move Away From Corporate Travel Locations

Booking Services International (BSI), the procurement specialist in corporate and public sector accommodation, meetings and event management, has warned that there will be “challenging times” ahead for the UK’s corporate travel sector.

As the new coalition government imposes £6.2 billion in public spending cuts – which will include discretionary areas such as travel costs and consultancy – hotels are being urged to adopt a few simple strategies to minimise the impact. BSI suggests they “broaden their demand and customer bases by actively seeking new business channels and clients”.

It is almost two years since LDS Tourism Services started moving away from venues with expensive rentals that relied heavily on the custom of business travellers.

Our Manager, Jennifer Prime, says: “We became aware that the leaflet pick-up rate had decreased quite significantly in a certain type of establishment, so we resolved to be proactive and make changes before the full force of the recession hit the local tourist industry.

“We made the right decision and our clients have benefitted from the placement of TIPs [Tourist Information Points] in more popular locations. But we continue to move with the times, so if the corporate travel market picks up, we’ll be on the case. We don’t let the grass grow under our feet at LDS Tourism!”

In the meantime, companies like BSI are advising their clients to “base the selection of accommodation on criteria (based on duty of care/value) rather than ‘named’ hotels”. They believe that by this simple act, “the public sector can take control of price and quality”.

Image: Sand dunes on Prestatyn beach, ©Britainonview 2010

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.

We Asked: Why Brochure Displays?

A couple of weeks ago, we posed the question: “What are the benefits of a tourist information point?” to fellow members of LinkedIn. It went something like this:

We have a waiting list of hoteliers who want our brochure display stands in their establishments. What are the main benefits to the guests and to the hotel staff of having local leaflets on display? We would be very interested to hear your opinions.

We were delighted with the response we received and would like to share with you a handful of the most interesting replies.

Ajay Merchant, National Head - Hospitality Division at TCL, says, “A good star (class) hotel always has an in-house travel desk”. Although, he feels that Five Star establishments would normally employ a concierge (described by Ajay as “walking, talking encyclopedias”) who would use leaflets as a mere “prop”. Nevertheless, he concedes that a tourist information stand “could save the concierge time and energy by redirecting guests seeking general information to pick up a brochure...”

Photographer and graphic artist, Wing Wong, observes that “some tourists will do anything and everything” to avoid asking for assistance. He says, “The brochure stands provide a good way for them to find information they need… without bothering others.” He also points out that, “hotel staff who may not be well versed in the [region’s highlights],” are able to “direct… visitors to the information stand, [which will] allow them to continue serving other customers”.

Nirmal Kishore, the Sales Manager at Kuoni Travel, very practically lists the top benefits to the guests as, “providing access to: local events; local attractions; local product & service providers; other services/products, including those that may enrich/add value to their stay; and promotional deals…”. His benefits to the hotel employees are: “providing access to products and services from motivated vendors (sellers); and promotional deals on products and services (that may otherwise be not available to them)”.

Travel Specialist at Rubinsohn Travel, Adrienne Sasson, points out that “the guest may be someone who is relocating to the area and perhaps looking for housing. Local information can make becoming acquainted with the area much easier… The same [would apply] to a business relocating...” She concludes by saying that she herself appreciates, “information stands in the lobby” and “often looks at the… leaflets or pamphlets” when she is travelling.

Same here, Adrienne! It’s usually something of a busman’s holiday when LDS employees take a trip!

May we take this opportunity to thank all those who responded to our question. We very much enjoyed reading your answers.

2008, Already?

We've mentioned on the blog that Christmas is coming early but here at LDS we are already thinking up new ways to kick start the 2008 season. With Easter being so early we're thinking of new ideas so our customers can get a good coverage before the Spring Holidays.

Family Fun Packs have been going for a couple of years now but this year I feel they will be more important than ever. For many attractions they are directly reaching the target audience. We've had great feedback that families are looking at the packs together and deciding where to visit.

"I look forward to receiving the pack, it's very useful and full of fun and great offers" Mrs Heritage, Chester

What a great way to boost any Spring events, special offers or new attractions!

We also have a completely new venture - Holiday Fun Packs. These packs are designed to go into guest establishments all over Chester, whether it be a large hotel or a cosy B&B. We have created the packs so that guests can take them out and about and with them when they leave, hopefully to return! We hope that this will boost local tourism and encourage more return visits to the region.

Anyone wanting more information about either of these schemes should contact me on 01244 671859, or email hayley@ldsts.co.uk. We would really appreciate any feedback or comments on either of these services so we can improve and develop them to suit everyone.