Check out our TIP at Blakemere Craft Centre

Last year we kitted out a brand new Tourist Information Point (TIP) at Blakemere - a unique shopping hub set in and around a pictographic Edwardian stable block and cobbled courtyard in Sandiway, Cheshire.

Open seven days a week (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), this charming attraction is home to a range of craft shops selling handcrafted items and distinctive gifts; the Antiques & Collectables Emporium; Supagolf at Blakemere; Cheshire Waterlife & Falconry; a working brewery; Children’s Indoor Playbarn and a superb family restaurant and coffee shop serving some of the finest homemade food in Cheshire. Visitors can also enjoy regular events and craft activities such as pottery or making greeting cards.

The TIP is exclusive to clients of LDS Tourism Services, so if you would like your leaflets or brochures displayed in this busy site, please don’t hesitate to contact us for further details.

You will find Blakemere’s new leaflet in LDSTS’ holders throughout the region.

Image: Blakemere TIP, ©LDS Tourism Services 2012

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

LDS Tourism Services celebrate 20 years in business

We are looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary on 1st February 2012.

Specialising in the distribution and display of leaflets and brochures produced by the local tourism and leisure industries, LDS Tourism Services’ familiar swift logo can be seen in visitor attractions, hotels, restaurants, pubs, retail outlets and an assortment of busy establishments throughout North Wales and the North West. Our selection of wall holders, turnarounds and free-standing dispensers are known as Visitor Information Points (VIPs for short) and have become invaluable focal-points for holidaymakers and locals alike.

Diana Bardell-Hedley and I set up a small office in a spare room in 1992, with only a second-hand Post Office van and an Amstrad computer to carry out our work. We gradually built up a reputation for innovation, hard work and reliability, and with it came clients - both large and small- from around the region (nationally, too).

These days the Company has its headquarters in Chester, as well as offices in Wrexham and Llandudno – not to mention a number of sub-depots for storing literature. Our uniformed staff and modern fleet of vehicles can be seen dashing about the region on a daily basis, delivering a range of printed materials.

Diana, now the Managing Director of LDSTS, says: “My late father owned Vince’s Fishing Tackle shop on Lower Bridge Street for many years. He was a larger than life character with a regular column in the Evening Leader and was a very well known face about Town. So it seemed only fitting we should base LDS Tourism Services’ head office in Chester.

“Although we started the business during the financial downturn of the early ‘90s, we are now seeing small businesses struggle like never before and nobody is quite sure how long it will last. However, we are bending over backwards to help our clients.

“Having said that,” she continues, “British tourism seems to be bucking the trend in so many ways. People are becoming nostalgic for the old-fashioned British holidays of their childhoods and it’s noticeable that many caravan parks, B&Bs, traditional inns, barge companies and self catering establishments are positively flourishing.”

Like all businesses that hope to survive the financial crisis, we are fine-tuning our services to suit the times.

“For many years we paid extremely high rental fees to a selection of large national companies in order to have exclusive display rights on their premises,” says Diana. “But it has become apparent over the past couple of years that certain once busy outlets have slipped out of fashion and become quieter than the grave, with more staff than customers loitering about. Our clients, quite rightly, expect us to display their promotional materials in popular sites. Although we still pay rental to a number of major chains where the annual footfall is significant, we now put the emphasis on our Network Services and General Distribution. This allows us to keep our prices down.

“We supply tastefully designed leaflet holders free of charge to tourism operators, then service them on a regular basis, keeping the stands tidy and full of up-to-date information. In return, the outlet owners place our stands in prominent positions within their establishments. I suppose it's a sort of symbiotic relationship that works well for everyone concerned and benefits the local economy.”

LDS Tourism Services has successfully branched out into Social Media Marketing in the last couple of years and has several other exciting projects in the pipeline (watch this space). If you would like to know more about these and other services mentioned on the blog, please drop us a line at lds@ldsts.co.uk or visit our website at www.ldsts.co.uk. 

Image: © Roza / Dreamstime.com

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.

LDS Tourism sign exclusive contract for M6 Motorway Services

Sandbach Motorway Services

A great many beneficial changes are taking place this winter as we continue to provide our clients with superior display locations at the best possible rates.

Every year we modify our services to suit current visitor trends and exchange poorly performing sites for more popular ones. For this reason, we have once again signed an exclusive contract to display promotional print in RoachChef’s Sandbach Motorway Service Area, located on the M6 between Junctions 16 and 17.

Just two miles from Cheshire’s ancient market town of Sandbach, and with separate facilities available in both directions, this popular rest area is on the main arterial route to and from the North West – making it the ideal stop-off point for travellers visiting Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District, Yorkshire and as far north as Scotland.

As ‘staycations’ become the norm, the great British public are increasingly on the move at weekends and during Bank Holidays and school breaks, which means that our prominently displayed holders are ideally placed to grab the attention of motorists and coach parties when they pull off the carriageway for refreshments and a toilet break.

However, time is of the essence if you would like to display your promotional print in either of these busy sites during the festive season. Please contact us immediately to plan your Christmas and New Year leaflet campaigns.

Look out for further announcements regarding exclusive display sites in the coming weeks and feel free to get in touch with us at any time.

Clients Celebrate Record Visitor Numbers

A very Happy New Year to all our friends, patrons and business associates!

The team are frantically busy accepting deliveries of 2011 leaflets and brochures into an already bulging warehouse. Preparations are in place for the start of silly season (regular readers will know this is the frenzied period lasting roughly from February to Easter) and we are delightedly welcoming new customers into the fold on a daily basis.

In spite of the economic downturn, many of our clients received record numbers of visitors to their attractions, exhibitions and events in 2010. For example:

National Museums Liverpool - a group comprising seven museums and galleries (with an eighth joining soon) – have for many years used LDSTS to distribute and display their promotional print. In 2010, we promoted Endurance: Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure in our VIPs (Visitor Information Points). So successful has this Mersey Maritime Museum exhibition been that it has averaged 1,200 visitors a day since it opened in July and its run has been extended to 27th February 2011. It is estimated that 275,000 people will have visited by the time it closes.

Another long-standing client of LDSTS is the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes. Its director, Stephen Youd-Thomas recently announced that the attraction had received a record number of people through its doors last year - enjoying its “best visitor figures since 2006”.

We have displayed Cholmondeley Pageant of Power leaflets in our VIPs since the inaugural event in 2008 and last year wrote an article promoting the show, which was published in The Knutsford Times. The 2010 display was hailed a tremendous success with over 50,000 visitors enjoying the incredible spectacles on the track, in the air and on the water. In consequence, the organisers have added an extra day to the event this year.

Yet another happy customer was Wirral Borough Council who reported that tourism events had boosted the local economy by more than £2 million last year. So, we’re hoping to play our part in breaking a few records again in 2011.

If LDS Tourism Services has at any point helped you achieve unprecedented success, we would love to hear from you. If you would like us to run your leaflet/brochure marketing (or social media) campaigns in 2011, please drop us a line to discuss tactics.

Image: ©Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, 2010

A Brighter Outlook For 2011

Christmas is fast approaching and we are looking forward to celebrating the start of a new decade. It is now too that we take stock and consider the year ahead.

In recent months, financial forecasts haven’t made very pleasant reading, but there are plenty of reasons why British tourism operators should feel optimistic.

The number of holiday visits to the UK rose by about 6% between July and October, whereas the number of Brits holidaying abroad fell by 3% (Office for National Statistics) during the same period. Roger Smith, head of the International Passenger Survey for the ONS, said: “It does appear that there are signs that the large falls we have seen in the recent past have begun to stabilise and show some signs of recovery.”

In their Forecast for the Volume and Value of Inbound Tourism in 2011, VisitBritain (the UK’s national tourism agency) said that the “positive side [to the] prolonged weakness in the value of sterling continues to provide an opportunity to challenge perceptions relating to Britain's expensiveness as a destination”. They predict that the volume of inbound tourism to the UK in 2011 will be 30.0 million visits, with inbound visitors spending £17.2 billion. This 1% increase may seem slight but it is at least heading in the right direction and is an encouraging development in such gloomy times.

Ireland’s financial woes could well be advantageous to hospitality and tourism businesses in North Wales. Pay cuts in the public sector and changes to tax credits and income tax have subdued the once booming Celtic Tiger economy and will undoubtedly make an enormous difference to spending habits in 2011. The strength of the Euro against the Pound led to increased holiday bookings by Irish residents visiting North Wales in 2009/10. It now seems likely that exotic holidays will be unaffordable for some time to come and Irish holidaymakers will opt for somewhere a bit closer to home – perhaps a short ferry ride from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead. Every cloud...

While a recent survey by StrongMail showed that a third of marketers intend to decrease their trade show spends in 2011, it also revealed that investment in social media marketing will increase by 57%. (If you scroll to the end of this article, you will see a brand new map of the world, showing the most popular social networks by country, according to Alexa & Google Trends for Websites traffic data, December 2010.)

We were, however, unsurprised to read that “print has a place in the world of new media” (PrintWeek - 10th December 2010). A report published by KPMG, the auditor running six monthly surveys on media in general, showed that “four in five consumers prefer print to online”. The latest Media and Entertainment Barometer survey by YouGov confirmed that “86% of consumers prefer to consume media offline, with the most popular reason a preference for reading physical copies”.

Please contact us to discuss your social media marketing and leaflet/brochure distribution campaigns in 2011.




Top image: ©Britainonview / David Sellman, 2010

LDS Tourism Services Thank VIP Hosts

‘Silly Season’ has officially begun. For the last few weeks everyone at LDS Tourism has been working flat-out accepting deliveries of leaflets, servicing holders, talking with clients and generally making preparations for Valentine’s Day and the half-term break. Next up: Mothering Sunday and Easter!

As regular readers know, we like to highlight the many wonderful local businesses that host our Visitor Information Points (VIPs). Although our time is limited, we patronise these establishments as frequently as possible and feature them here following a visit.

One establishment we can highly recommend is Bellis Brothers Farm Shop & Garden Centre in Holt, near Wrexham. Diana and I popped in there last week to do some shopping and found their shelves bulging with home-grown and regionally sourced fruit, vegetables, dairy products, cooked meats and baked goods - not to mention locally brewed beers in the Wine Department. The gardening section was well stocked with quality plants and we were able to browse through a range of greeting’s cards, items of clothing and fascinating knick-knacks before retiring to the Strawberry Fields Restaurant for a spot of delicious, home-cooked lunch. In addition to this, the staff were all friendly and helpful, without exception, and the light and airy open-plan feel of the store made shopping a positively pleasant experience.

We also found time to visit the Glan Yr Afon Inn, a 16th century pub in the small village of Dolphin, near Holywell - which is currently celebrating its 450th anniversary. Here we were greeted warmly by the staff and enjoyed a tasty meal in their attractively decorated restaurant next to a roaring log fire.

Moving on to clients, our congratulations go to Knowsley Safari Park following the announcement that they pulled in their greatest number of visitors for 35 years, despite the recession and poor weather of 2009. Over 530,000 people flocked through the gates last year, making it their best annual attendance since the attraction opened in 1972. You can read all about it in a recent article published on the St Helens Star website.

We hope everyone is busy over the coming weeks. If you would like your leaflets and brochures displayed in our VIPs over Easter, please get your stock to us as quickly as possible. You are invited to contact us on 01244 671859 if you need to discuss your campaign.

Shop at Bellis's Country Market

Garden Centre at Bellis's Country Market

The Glan Top and Tails

Main picture: Homedade Quiche at Bellis's

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Images © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010

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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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

Brochure Bonanza 09

Leaflets are pouring into our warehouse and sub-depots at an incredible rate. It’s marvellous to see all the colourful new designs for 2009 and it’s a great relief to once again receive literature from long-standing clients during these difficult times. We’re also delighted to have a selection of brand new brochures, including Word of Mouth, an impressive, monthly, regional guide to North Wales. Issue 1 is currently available from our TIPs (Tourist Information Points) and many TICs within the LDSTS service area.

We’ve been extremely busy during the winter months meeting with clients; adding to our popular collection of Network Service sites and setting-up exclusive TIPs in Broughton Retail Park and Crown Point Denton Shopping Park. In addition to these, we have a number of brand new exclusive display contracts in the pipeline. Watch this space for the latest updates on these and other matters relating to LDS and the tourism industry in general.

Hayley and Jenny have just returned from Cardiff after giving a presentation to Cadw - the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage or Historic Scotland. We will be representing this government body at the Great Days Out Fair in Bolton on 7th February, so if you’re anywhere near Bolton Arena on that day, please feel free to nip in for a chat.

Brochure Marketing Group Keeps On Growing

We can reveal that (as of posting this blog entry) there are 213 members of our Brochure Marketing group on LinkedIn. A wide variety of people involved in the promotional print industry continue to sign-up on a daily basis and there are many interesting conversations taking place on the official forum. Please feel free to pose a question or join in one of the many fascinating discussions – you don’t need to be a group member to get involved. Clients, business associates and employees of LDS Tourism Services Ltd. are also encouraged to join the Company’s own special group (Friends of LDS Tourism Services).

Last week, Diana and Paula spent several hours ambling around the Albert Dock – Liverpool’s “most visited” attraction. They were delighted to discover the area buzzing with activity as tourists, shoppers and diners made the most of the first-rate amenities on offer, including a splendid array of museums, restaurants and shops. Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, Albert Dock has seen a massive increase in visitor numbers this year (probably assisted by the Liverpool 08 festivities) and the new Arena is proving to be a great success.

As a follow-up to our previous article on this blog, we now see that a train company poll has suggested that a third of British holidaymakers intend to stay in UK this summer. It would seem that many people are rethinking their travel plans due to the prospect of long airport delays and flight disruption. The survey shows that one in five Britons have decided not to travel by air because they feel anxious, and are instead opting for the train, car, coach or ferry. When it comes to choosing their preferred method of transport, 82% of travellers felt that the biggest consideration was cost, followed by how comfortable and convenient it is (66%), how quickly they get to their destination (63%) and how stressful/relaxing the journey will be (34%).

Everybody at LDSTS is braced for the school holidays. We’ve had an incredibly busy summer thus far, so it is likely to be a hectic period for us. We can also announce that we have just signed a contract giving us exclusive rights to display literature in Poplar 2000 Services, on the M6/56 in Lymm. Please contact Hayley at hayley@ldsts.co.uk if you would like further information about this or anything else.

Finally, we would like to share a noteworthy link:

The House of Commons Culture, Media & Sport Report on Tourism

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmcumeds/133/133i.pdf

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.

The Benefits of Business Networking

Online networking sites have enabled business people to strengthen and extend their existing collection of trusted contacts. In fact, they provide tools to help professional people make connections with recommended job candidates, industry experts and potential business partners. It's also a great way to stay in touch with existing contacts and receive expert advice.

Individual members of the LDSTS team have become keen business networkers over the past few months and our profiles can easily be found on sites like LinkedIn, Ecademy and Plaxo. If you feel it would be beneficial, please feel free to request a connection with any one of us.

LinkedIn members may be interested to know that they can now join our free group, Friends of LDS Tourism Services. For those with a Facebook account, we have an open group of the same name at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10753675893, where you are encouraged to read and post comments pertinent to the Company. You are also welcome to submit links, videos and photographs that may be of interest to our clients and business associates.

In addition to these corporate groups, we would encourage anyone involved in designing, producing, distributing, marketing or displaying promotional print for the tourism and leisure industry to join the LinkedIn group, Brochure Marketing Worldwide. It's free to sign up and membership will allow you to find and contact other Brochure Marketing Worldwide members on LinkedIn. The goal of this group is to help members:

• Reach other members of Brochure Marketing Worldwide.


• Accelerate careers/business through referrals from Brochure Marketing Worldwide group members.


• Know more than a name – view rich professional profiles from fellow Brochure Marketing Worldwide group members.

Here’s the link to join:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/90549/57958D4AE446

We look forward to networking with you in the future.

Turning Green: A More Sustainable Business

As regular readers of this blog will know, we have for some time been embracing the green initiative by trying to be more wildlife friendly, using recycled materials for our leaflet holders and employing a web host that relies solely renewable energy. You can now read our Environmental Policy online and see how LDS Tourism Services Ltd intends to become a more sustainable business in the future.

You will need a PDF reader to open this document.

Brochure Displays Vital To Tourism Marketing

Last weekend, Diana nipped over to the National Boat, Caravan & Outdoor Show (19th – 24th February) at Birmingham’s NEC. Spanning six halls, there were an enormous number of outdoor products on display - from small tents to plush motorhomes – and this year’s exhibition hosted the biggest boat and marine display in its 47 year history. In addition to all this, there were plenty of free activities laid on such as archery lessons and tent pitching competitions. The event was well attended by both industry and non-industry folk, giving Di the perfect opportunity to make some very useful contacts. She also thoroughly enjoyed herself and intends to go again in 2009.

As you will all be aware, Liverpool's Capital of Culture year was officially launched during January and a unique programme of events across the Northwest to celebrate '08 is set to bring in an additional £50 million in visitor spend to the Northwest economy. What's more, £50 million is expected to go directly to Merseyside over the coming year from 1.7 million extra visitors. It is estimated that this year alone European Capital of Culture will be worth £100 million to the Northwest economy in visitor spend. Good news for all of us!

Some of you may be interested in reading a report entitled Comparison of the Effectiveness of Brochure Distribution from the international Association of Professional Brochure Distributors. Their findings show that brochure displays continue to play an essential role in marketing tourist attractions, events etc. You can learn more and download a pdf version of the report right here:

http://www.apbd.org/about/research.php

With Easter fast approaching, we are eating, sleeping and dreaming leaflets. However, we hope to have news of yet more exciting additions to our exclusive Network sites in the very near future. Keep watching this space!

Catching Up With You

We have been incredibly busy over the last few weeks, which is why we’ve been so remiss about keeping this blog up to date. Leaflets are arriving by the lorry-load on a daily basis and we’re dashing hither and thither, meeting ourselves coming back, trying to get everything out in time for Easter.

The spring/summer edition of Swift Flyer (the Company's newsletter) is now available to read online. If you have a pdf reader (you can download Adobe’s version for free), it can be accessed right here. If you are unable to open it for some reason, simply drop us a line and we’ll send you a hard copy via snail mail.

Cadw Sites Offer Gateway to Wales’s Heritage

According to the Welsh Assembly, new research has revealed that almost 75% of all visitors to Cadw sites not only learn something new about Wales’s heritage during their visit but are also encouraged to explore more of its historical wealth as a result.

On their website they say: "An interest in Welsh culture and history was cited as the main motivators for influencing a visit to a Cadw site by over 34% of respondents, with archery demonstrations, re-enactments and falconry displays proving particularly enticing during events. Events at Cadw sites are also more likely to attract local family visitors on day trips. Three-quarters of all respondents also felt current admission prices were about right."

They also found that over 57% of visitors to Cadw sites are female, with 42% of all visitors from Wales stating an ability to speak, understand or read Welsh. It was found that over three-quarters of all visitors came from outside Wales, with European visitors accounting for over half (53%) of those visiting from overseas. Over 55% of all visitors were family groups with this figure rising to 64% during specific event days.

These findings, along with numerous others, will be used by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly’s historic environment service, to guide future marketing and events strategies and better understand the needs of visitors whether according to their gender, age, language use or country of origin. Over 2,500 visitors were interviewed at selected Cadw sites as part of the project undertaken by Beaufort Research throughout August and September 2007.

We will, of course, be working with Cadw again in 2008 distributing their promotional print and representing them at various shows and events.

Charnock Richard Welcome Break Services

Our new leaflet holder at Charnock Richard Services (Chorley, Lancs) on the M6 Northbound

Newly installed (in a prominant position) with side-bins for A4 brochures and space for posters on each side.

Aesthetically speaking, this black perspex holder is a big improvement on the old wooden dispenser.

This is a very fast moving site, so it wasn't long before members of the public were picking up leaflets!

If you would like your promotional material to be displayed in this site (which is exclusive to LDS Tourism Services Ltd), please don't hesitate to drop us a line for further details.

Contracts, Cadw & Christmas

We have just this week renewed our contract with Charnock Richard Welcome Break Services on the M6 (north and southbound) for exclusive rights to display our client's literature in their foyers. We will be installing a brand new holder on the north side (heading into our area) – specifically designed for this site – which will also have space for posters and A4 brochures.

Look out for us if you attend the Holiday and Travel Show at Manchester Central (formerly the G-MEX) on 11th-13th January 2008. With over 800 exhibitors, representing more than 100 countries from around the world, the Show is expected to attract even greater numbers than usual. You will find either Diana or Paula on the Cadw stand throughout the event, so please do pop over and have a natter with them if you are passing.

We are currently distributing the council's new Christmas in Chester leaflet in and around the city. Inside you will find listings of all the late night opening hours, plenty of suggestions for events to attend during the festive season and a useful map. Be sure to pick one up on your travels.