Issue 51 March/April 2013 £2.75

New researchcould changeholiday habits By Christina Eccles

GROUNDBREAKING research takingplace at Manchester MetropolitanUniversity could change the waytourists behave on holiday forever, ithas been claimed.

Senior lecturer in eTourism DrTimothy Jung is currently working ona pilot scheme in Dublin that wouldallow visitors to scan buildings andreceive real-time information in theform of text, pictures, animation orvideo.

Known as Augmented RealityTourism, the technology goes beyondthe smartphone apps currently avail-able by offering richer informationupdated minute-by-minute.

Working with Lorna Maxwell – sen-ior executive officer of the EconomicDevelopment Unit at Dublin CityCouncil – and Alex Gibson – assistanthead of school, Dublin Institute ofTechnology – Dr Jung is testing thetechnology on buildings includinghotels, restaurants and cinemas onO’Connell Street.

He explained: “We will be looking atusing different levels of media – onewill be text only, another will usephotography and the third will usevideo or animation.

“We are investigating customeracceptance and attitudes towards

new technology and how it willchange their experience.

“We think this technology willchange the way tourists experiencecities.”

It is hoped this enhanced experi-ence will encourage visitors to spendmore and contribute further to thetourism income of the city they arevisiting.

And Dr Jung revealed that once theresearchers had worked out how tomake the technology WiFi or 3G sup-ported, this idea could spread acrossthe globe.

He added: “It is really groundbreak-ing, this is just the first step.

“I’m sure there are a lot ofEuropean cities who would be inter-ested in this.”

Developments in Augmented RealityTourism could also provide a host ofnew real-time marketing opportuni-ties for businesses – such as localadvertising to tourists.� How do you think developments intechnology could boost tourism inthe UK? Would you like to see thisidea take off in our towns and cities?Send your comments to theDestination UK editorial team byemailing ce@scriptmedia.co.uk. We’ll print the best of your com-ments in the next issue of the maga-zine.

SOME of England’s most pic-turesque rural locations havebeen highlighted in a newcampaign to promote domes-tic short breaks.

The campaign – rolled outvia print, radio and online –is the fourth of six launchedby VisitEngland, covering thefour key themes of country-side, coast, heritage and cul-ture, partly funded by theGovernment’s RegionalGrowth Fund. It focuses onhow much England’s greenand pleasant land has tooffer those looking to spendquality time with family andfriends – from picturesquevillages and inspiring land-scapes, to historic markettowns and country pubs.

Destinations partnering withVisitEngland include BronteCountry, Cumbria, the NewForest, Yorkshire Wolds andPeak District and Derbyshire.

Chief executive JamesBerresford said: “This excitingcampaign is one of severallaunching this year with theaim of growing tourism inEngland. The campaign aimsto inspire UK residents toexplore our green and pleas-ant land, and take a shortbreak in one of England’smost beautiful rural destina-tions.”

A new production of Burn The Floorhas hit the West End, with a castincluding Strictly Come Dancing starsRobin Windsor, Kristina Rihanoff andKaren Hauer. The spectacular showtakes audiences on a journey througha variety of dance styles from theCharleston to the Rumba and VienneseWaltz. Performances at theShaftesbury Theatre will run untilSeptember 1.

Credit: Hugo Glendinning

Locationsfeature indomesticshort-breakcampaign

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EDITORIALJudith Halkerston group editor01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.ukChristina Eccles reporter01226 734463ce@scriptmedia.co.ukDominic Musgrave reporter01226 734407dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

PRODUCTIONStewart Holt – studio manager –sth@scriptmedia.co.ukLaura Blackburn – graphic designerlb@scriptmedia.co.ukVictoria Tennant – graphic designervt@scriptmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISINGAndrew Loadesproduct manager01226 734482Tony Barrysales and marketing director01226 734605

CIRCULATIONKelly Tarff01226 734695 kt@scriptmedia.co.ukWeb: www.destination.uk.com

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Contacts

THE Cranleigh Boutique in Bowness-on-Windermere, has been crownedthe UK's most romantic destinationand the third most romantic in theworld by TripAdvisor.

Located just a minute's walk fromthe shores of Lake Windermere,couples experiencing a stay at TheCranleigh can enjoy soaking in aBen de Lisi glass bath, moodlighting and an outdoor hot tub.Each of the 18 luxury bedroomshave been individually designed andsumptuously furnished, withdesigner bathrooms, with TheHideout, a private boutique houseavailable to rent from April.

Owners Stephen and LouiseHargreaves said: “We're thrilled tobe able to put Cumbria on the mapfor romance in this year's Travellers'Choice Awards for the MostRomantic Hotels.

“Aside from the romantic settingthat the Lake District offers, wealways make it our mission to bringthe romance inside as well, and it'sgreat that it hasn't gone unnoticedby the couples who have stayedwith us.

“We are not afraid to be differentand will strive to continue to delivera unique and memorable experienceat The Cranleigh.”

Bowness hotel namedUK’s most romantic

The Cranleigh Boutique in Bowness-on-Windermere.

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Longleat unveils plansfor elephant sanctuaryLONGLEAT Safari and Adventure Parkhas unveiled detailed plans for aproposed new elephant sanctuary.

The plans, which have beensubmitted for approval, include a994sqm heated accommodationarea with deep sand floors, naturalsky light panels, automated feedingsystems and a specialist treatmentarea.

An extensive, 10-hectare outdoorspace will feature a large grassypaddock, rocks, log piles, a giantbrowse frame, sand pits and the‘Thirst Pockets Elephant Spa’ whichwill give the elephants a pool toutilise.

The new sanctuary will offer apermanent home for Anne, Britain’slast circus elephant, who has beencared for at Longleat since April2011 after secretly filmed footageshowed her being abused by herformer groom.

The sanctuary can provideaccommodation for up to fourelephants, including Anne, howeverLongleat will not be re-homing otherelephants until the new building hasbeen completed.

It is hoped once approved, workwill begin later this year, with aproposed completion date in 2014.

The sanctuary will offer a permanent home for Anne, Britain’s lastcircus elephant.

Overseas visitorsspend £4.5bn ayear in shopsBy Christina Eccles

BRITAIN is one of the world’s mostsought after destinations forshopping, according to research fromVisitBritain.

Findings by the national tourismagency estimate 18m foreign visitorsspend £4.5b in the country’s shopseach year, meaning 25 per cent ofall expenditure by overseas visitorsis on the UK’s high streets anddepartment stores.

The survey revealed the majority ofthe shopping spend was on clothes,with an estimated £2.3b generatedby fashion-conscious foreigntourists. Many visitors also boughtsouvenirs, gifts and householdgoods, accounting for about £1.6b.

Research also revealed London’sstrong retail offering is a majorattraction for foreign visitors, withabout 81 per cent of visitors to thecapital going shopping.

Of the 18m visitors, the French arethe most prolific shoppers with over2m trips, followed closely by 1.63m

Germans, 1.63m Americans, 1.3mIrish and 1.1m Spanish. The Dutch,Australians, Italians, Belgians andSwedes complete the top 10.

Chief executive of VisitBritainSandie Dawe said: “Shopping inBritain is seen around the world asa positive and welcomingexperience, and one of the thingsVisitBritain promotes to encouragevisitors. It’s not just purchasingdesigner goods at Harrods, orrubbing shoulders with the rich andfamous on Chelsea’s King’s Roadthat lures visitors to the UK – a hugenumber also make the trip to seekout bargains, whether it’s finding thebest deals on designer goods atBicester Village and theMcArthurGlen Retail Outlets, orhitting the high street in Edinburghor Manchester.

“Our shopping experience is worldclass, with high quality, desirableBritish brands enticing internationalvisitors at all times of the year andproviding real value for moneyagainst our competitors."

A new luxury boutique hotel has opened in Wales. Hidden in themarshlands of Laugharne in Carmarthenshire, The Corran Resortand Spa – formally known as Hurst House on the Marsh – hasundergone extensive refurbishment under its new ownership andmanagement team. The hotel has 21 individually styled roomsincluding The Byre which consists of four luxurious suites and TheCottage, a stand-alone suite located within the courtyard. The spaat The Corran includes a swimming pool, Jacuzzi and threetreatment rooms.

REPRESENTATIVES from some ofthe country’s top attractions havevisited India to tap into the growing‘friends and relatives’ visitor market.

The likes of Wimbledon, WestfieldUK and Historic Royal Palacesjoined VisitBritain’s India Mission2013, encouraged by theemergence of the country as amajor player in terms of visits to

friends and loved ones acrossBritain. The national tourismagency hosted its annual tradeevent in Mumbai and New Delhi,providing UK suppliers with theopportunity to meet over 200agents across India, promoting therange of British destinations, tourpackages and attractions availableto Indian visitors.

Representatives visit India

TOURISM and business leaders fromCumbria headed down to London tolaunch the county’s first Cumbria Dayat the Houses of Parliament.

The trip was designed to raiseawareness of the potential ofCumbria’s visitor economy and foodand drink industries with keypoliticians and decision makers atthe heart of government andnational organisations.

More than 50 business leadersfrom all parts of the county made upthe delegation who highlighted thecounty, its tourism and food offeringand business opportunities.

VisitEngland CEO James Berresfordsaid: ‘’Cumbria Day cemented thecounty’s reputation for being one ofEngland’s most importantdestination brands and once againCumbria Tourism showed off its

professionalism amongst the crèmede la crème of English Tourism.Congratulations to all those involvedin Cumbria Day.’’

Prime Minister David Cameron alsodropped into the event, meeting arange of Cumbria’s fine foodproducers and trying out some localproduce.

Cumbria Tourism’s managingdirector Ian Stephens added:“Cumbria day is yet another exampleof Cumbria Tourism lobbying andrepresenting Cumbria at the highestlevels.

“The team at Cumbria Tourismjoined up with staff from the MPsoffices in Cumbria and inWestminster to put on a memorableevent and lay foundations for futurenational and internationalpromotions.”

‘Cumbria Day’ haileda great success

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London 2012: Inspiringa generation of hotelsBy Seamus MacCormaic

AS we are all aware, summer 2012delivered huge exposure to the UKand our capital city.

Undoubtedly being a busy timefor hoteliers, it inevitably illustratedsome valuable lessons that willhelp to guide them throughoutEurope during future events.

We recognise the value in sharinglessons to help hoteliers adjusttheir strategies to meet thedemands of high profile eventsand therefore wanted to highlightsome points to bear in mind.

We found many hoteliers blockedout rooms for group bookings andremoved availability from listings,so pricing could be decided.

Although this may have seemedwise at the time, so a strategycould be carefully decided on, itmeant when consumers went tobook, it showed ‘none available’.

This caused potential ‘panic’which drastically impacted on thehotel industry in the run up to lastsummer.

As a result, it is vital for hotels toput a pricing availability strategy inplace, ahead of time which wouldhelp ensure rooms are reasonably

priced and length of stayrestrictions aligned with demand.

Participating in timelymerchandise or promotional offersis also a key point to consider, bybuilding their base occupancythrough engaging with regularcustomers. Once this foundationhas been established, hotels canthen raise their rates and continueto increase them as the remainderof rooms get sold.

This would help effectivelymaximise all channels to achieve100 per cent occupancy –something that wasn’t commonduring the summer 2012.

Hotels shouldn’t limit exposureduring major events; we found thatmany hotels guaranteed exclusivelistings of inventory to eventpromoters, sometimes as high as70 per cent. By shutting off allother distribution channels meantthey were often left with significantexcess capacity because thosepromoters didn’t fill the bookings.

In this case, it might be smart toreconsider the value of therelationship, relative to all otherdistribution channel options so asto benefit both parties.

I personally feel, catering for a

younger audience needs to beplaced high on the agenda whenplanning for a national or regionalevent.

As an industry we understandthese events don’t just appeal tothe older age group, so many willbring their families to join.

The industry needs to increase itsoptions available to cater for thisextended audience and bywidening their reach they will inturn expand their bookingpossibilities. It is encouraging tosee tourism has been boomingsince the Opening Ceremony andnet room nights have increased by40 per cent year on year betweenAugust and December 2012.

Although this is slowly decreasingwe can still see the effect this key2012 event has had on generatinginterest in visiting the capital.

These lessons are valuable onesthat should be taken on board, soas a country, the UK can be evenbetter prepared, providing anexcellent service, whilst creatingan even more enjoyableexperience.� Seamus MacCormaic is seniordirector market management atExpedia.

Salisbury Cathedral is offeringnew group tours tailored forlovers of flowers and flowerarranging. Hosted by membersof the cathedral’s flower teamand headed by creative directorMichael Bowyer and colleagueSusan Branch, visits, which willinclude a short guided touraround the cathedral floor –including its flower themedarchitecture and windows – areexpected to take two hours andinclude light refreshments.

Overwater Hall

LAKE District hotel Overwater Hall islaunching a Spring Forward Break tocelebrate the clocks going forwardlater in March.

The hotel is encouraging guests tomake the most of the longer, lighterspring days by booking a break andexploring the surrounding areas.

The package includes two nights’

bed and breakfast accommodationin one of Overwater’s double rooms,a book of local walks, a picnic for aday out walking, an indulgent creamtea, a champagne aperitif oneevening and a four-course dinner inthe hotel’s award-winning restauranton both nights.

Hotel launches Spring break

Chain introduces kids’ clubBEST Western, has launched its firstever Kids Club, BW Kids, toencourage children to get out andexplore Great Britain.

The aim is to get kids moreinvolved in their trips away and enjoythe travel experience, with thescheme open to those agedbetween six and 10.

As part of BW Kids, members willeach receive a welcome pack,

including a membership card,luggage label, collectable stickerbook, a half birthday card and fullbirthday card every year, as well as aChristmas card.

A quarterly magazine will also besent to all members, which featurespuzzles and stories of Bert andWinnie – two fictional characterscreated by Best Western to supportBW Kids.

Something for all atcosmopolitan cityTHINK you know Bristol? Thinkagain…from Brunel to Banksy, Bristolhas it all.

Discover the cosmopolitan capitalof the South West, a laid-back blendof maritime heritage and innovativeculture. Bristol is definitely one ofthe most group-friendly counties inthe country.

From elegant Georgian Clifton tostylish city-centre shopping,spectacular waterfront, award-winning attractions, culture, history,top-class eateries andaccommodation; there is so much toexplore.

For inspiration, try our new Best ofBristol itineraries:� Bristol Old, New, Borrowed andBlue – Experience Brunel’s ss GreatBritain, Clifton Suspension Bridge

and glass-making at Bristol BlueGlass� Maritime, Movies and Markets–Enjoy a harbour tour, film locationsand historic bustling markets� Reel Bristol – Explore Bristol’s richTV and film heritage with a tour ofBBC Bristol or be in the audience ofDeal or No Deal� A Stylish Taste of Bristol – Take inhighlights of Bristol, followed byshopping at Cabot Circus orsophisticated Clifton boutiques� Rebellious Bristol – Discover ourrebellious side with a tour of the‘Bristol Riots’ and Bristol’s ownBanksy street art revolution� Junior Adventures in Bristol – Takea pioneering trip to Mshed, BristolAquarium, At-Bristol, ss Great Britainand Bristol Zoo Gardens.

Advertiser’s announcement

Bristol Balloon Festival. Credit Gary Newman

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By Christina Eccles

A NEW website has been created tohighlight some of the best affordableluxury accommodation availablearound the UK.

The Escape List has launched witha core group of 40 properties,including inns, hotels, cottages andB&Bs – all with at least one roomavailable during the year for lessthan £150 per room per night.

Properties included on the listinclude The Wheatsheaf Inn in theCotswolds and CitizenM in Glasgow,with users able to browse theselection of escapes available, readdescriptions and reviews and view aselection of images.

Trip Advisor links are also includedfor all properties and mappingtechnology allows users to calculatejourney times and plot routes

without having to leave the website. The idea for the site developed

from the personal experience of thetwo founders – Samantha Goldmanand Jaime Rose – who cravedescapes from their busy city livesbut struggled to find accommodationwhich matched their tastes andbudgets.

Jaime said: “Our aim was to createa collection of properties thatinspired overworked city workers toget away from it all without breakingthe bank or spending hoursresearching. Our motivation behindbuilding the site was to encourageand celebrate the staycationmindset and develop tourism withinthe UK. As G. K. Chesterton astutelyput it “The whole object of travel isnot to set foot on foreign land; it isat last to set foot on one’s owncountry as a foreign land”.”

Website highlightssome of the bestaccommodation

Blackpool Tower’s longestserving member of staff hasretired. Tom Kellett has beeninvolved with one of Britain’sfavourite tourist attractions for41 years and head ofmaintenance since 1992 –tasked with leading a team offour dedicated to keeping thelandmark in shape. Tom(pictured right) said: “I’m so sadto be leaving but it’s the righttime for me to go. I’m sure I’llbe popping in from time to timewith the grandkids for a day outand to catch up with everyone.My eldest grandson, Jack, hasalready made me a wonderfulmodel of the Tower out ofmatchsticks, which has pride ofplace on my piano. It’s areminder of my life here.”

Work begins on coastalpath improvements

TOURISM on the Isle of Wight couldbe given a mammoth boost after itwas named dinosaur capital of Britainby the Natural History Museum.

The museum has launched a mapidentifying hotspots where themonster reptiles once roamed –highlighting the fact the island wasonce infested by dinosaurs fivetimes longer than London buses.

Produced to promote Primeval:New World, a spin-off to ITV’s seriesabout dinosaur hunters, experts saythe island was once home tocreatures including the Sauropod –a mighty beast which would havebeen more than 20m in length –and Europe’s deadliest predator, agiant saw-toothed Neovenator.

The map launched by the Natural History Museum.

‘Dinosaur capital’ islandset for tourism boost

WORK has begun on a series ofimprovement projects to the SouthWest Coast Path, worth over£250,000.

Stage one, a stone pitching projectto solve major erosion problems andimprove access from Sennen toLand’s End will see 220m of theSouth West Coast Path pitched withgranite.

Stage two will then follow, entailinga further 600m of stone pitching tocomplete the path to Land’s End,along with over 50 otherimprovement projects throughout2013. The South West Coast PathAssociation is also organising theGreat South West Walk to celebratetheir 40th anniversary. Taking placein April and May, the event willconsist of a relay of 56 sponsoredwalks to cover the whole 630 milepath around Dorset, Devon andCornwall.

Supporters include JonathanDimbleby, who will be walking astretch from Stoke Fleming toTorcross.

Jonathan Dimbleby will walk astretch from Stoke Fleming toTorcross.

A TOURISM Society survey hasrevealed strong levels of optimism forgrowth in certain sectors of the UKtravel industry this year.

The survey, conducted amongst thesociety’s 1000 plus members,indicated that 74 per cent feltbudget airline passenger numberswould increase in 2013 bycomparison with full service airlines.

Results also suggested the Olympiclegacy may play a part in increasingvisitor numbers to the UK, with 57per cent of those surveyed feelingthat London hotels would see anincrease in occupancies this year.

In more general industry relatedquestions, Tourism Society membersfelt the expansion of UK regionalairports was the best solution to

Britain’s capacity issue. They also predicted that India

would show the biggest growth invisitors from BRIC countries in thecoming year.

Tourism Society chairman DavidCurtis-Brignell said: “The results ofour annual survey have revealedsome very interesting viewsexpressed by our members and itwill be fascinating to see how thesepredictions stand up as the yearprogresses.

“It is particularly encouraging tonote the overall level of optimismshown for trading conditions in2013 which makes a pleasantchange from the gloomy outlookforecast in many recent industrysurveys.”

Survey reveals stronglevels of optimism

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LIVERPOOL’S cultural offering hasbeen put under the spotlight in a newmarketing campaign designed tobring more visitors to the city.

Liverpool City Region LocalEnterprise Partnership, whichencompasses the City’s Region’stourist board VisitLiverpool, hasjoined forces with VisitEngland tolaunch a major new cultural citycampaign alongside otherdestinations in England.

The campaign focuses on the richand varied cultural activities on offerin Liverpool City Region from thewaterfront, part of the city’sUNESCO World Heritage Site, awardwinning theatre, music and literatureto world-class museums andgalleries as well as a wealth ofevents and festivals taking place

around the year.Commercial and marketing director

at Liverpool City Region LEP DuncanFrazer said: “With our spectacularWaterfront, buzzing restaurants, hiphotels and trendy bars, fabulousshopping, and our world classmuseums and galleries, Liverpoolhas one of the strongest destinationoffers outside London. The CityRegion appeals to visitors from boththe UK and overseas as a lively citybreak with an exceptional, worldclass cultural offering.”

The campaign incorporates a rangeof national online, broadcast andprint elements in partnership withnetwork radio stations Classic FMand Gold FM, as well as TheGuardian, The Daily Mail and Mailon Sunday.

New campaign highlightscity’s cultural offering

Liverpool’s spectacular Waterfront.By Christina Eccles

A NEW music festival is to take placein Liverpool this summer, replacingthe 20-year-old Mathew Street MusicFestival.

Liverpool International MusicFestival will keep the best elementsof the Mathew Street Festival andcombine them with new, excitingingredients to create a celebrationof all things music.

The event will take place in August,with activities catering for a diverserange of tastes – and highlights willinclude the Royal LiverpoolPhilharmonic Orchestra and chiefconductor Vasily Petrenko taking toa brand new stage in Sefton Park foran evening of live music.

On the Saturday and Sunday, therewill also be two outdoor stageslocated at the Pier Head which willinclude a tribute to the Beatles andtheir musical legacy.

Programmed by Mathew StreetMusic Festival directors Bill Heckleand Dave Jones, it will be a mixtureof cover acts and original artists.

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson,

said: “After 20 years of MathewStreet Music Festival it feels rightthat it evolves into a refreshed eventwhich will have mass appeal.

“Over the years the original festivalhas become more high-profile andas a result it became one of themost costly to stage. It simply isn’taffordable to continue funding thisevent when we are facing cuts ofmore than £149m over the next fouryears.

“Liverpool International MusicFestival will combine the best of theoriginal event with live music onthree outdoor stages. At the sametime we’re working with the privatesector to put new and excitingevents which tap into diversemusical tastes and widen theappeal.

“Liverpool City Council is extremelyproud of its involvement in theMathew Street Music Festival, but itfeels like the time is right to developthe format and we strongly believethe Liverpool International MusicFestival will have broader appeal andwill be a popular replacement.”

Event planned toreplace MathewStreet Festival

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LIVERPOOL’S Lantern Company iscelebrating its 10th anniversaryby bringing together an exhibitionof the very best of its weird andwonderful creations.

The landmark exhibition, runningfrom March 23 to April 6, willtake place at the city’s StGeorge’s Hall and visitors will beable to see the giant illuminatedcreatures up close, as well asbehind the scenes glimpses intothe workings and mechanics ofthe company.

Artistic director Jo Pocock said:“Over 10 years we’ve dreamed upan incredible collection ofpuppets, costumes andcharacters and we are delightedto have the opportunity to bringthem all together in the secretunderground world of St George’sHall in what promises to be atruly unique celebration of thework.

“It’s also wonderful to be ableto invite people to draw back thecurtain on the phenomenal workthat goes on behind the scenes.”

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Firm’s exhibitionto feature weirdand wonderful

One of the creations which willbe on show at the exhibition.

CYCLING legend Chris Boardman hassigned up to champion a newscheme in Liverpool, set to be thebiggest of its kind in the UK outsideLondon.

The Liverpool City Cycle HireScheme is due to launch thissummer and will give a range ofpeople – from commuters andshoppers, to tourists and students –the opportunity to hop on a bike totravel through the heart of the city.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinetmember for transport, coun TimMoore, said: “We’re really excitedabout this scheme. We hope to seea future where hundreds morepeople are using bikes for their tripsaround the city, driving up healthand fitness levels and reducingcongestion and pollution. I’mdelighted that Chris shares ourvision and has made a commitmentto work with us to help make it areality.”

It is expected the scheme will belaunched with 300 bikes beforebeing expanded over 18 months to1,000. Stations will initially belocated in the city centre andeventually extended to outlyingsuburbs.

Legend tochampioncycle hirescheme

Chris Boardman

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A TOP Liverpool venue has celebratedits fifth birthday.

Panoramic34 is situated 34 floorsup in Liverpool’s West Tower andincludes a fine dining restaurant,cocktail bar and penthouse forprivate dining and events.

Owner and chief executive CathyFrost said: “Lots has changed atPanoramic34 since its launch, andwith the creation of the cruiseterminal we have seen a measurable

increase in tourists visiting fromacross the world. Ourquintessentially English afternoontea has certainly drawn in theinternational visitors, whilstbecoming a favourite with ourregular local guests. The last fiveyears has been an incrediblejourney. We’d like to thank all of ourguests for helping us reach thismilestone. We’re excited about whatit’s in store for the next five years.”

Venue celebrates birthdayPanoramic34 is situated 34 floors up in Liverpool’s West Tower.

Brands join forcesto create ticketTWO of Liverpool’s biggest globalbrands have joined forces to create ajoint ticket aimed at attracting morevisitors to the city.

The Rock ‘n’ Goal Tour has beencreated by Liverpool Football Cluband the award-winning Beatles Storyattraction and will explore the city’stwin passions – music and football.

The joint ticket will include aguided tour around LiverpoolFootball Club’s stadium – withentrance to the club’s museumincluded – plus a journey throughthe life and times of The Fab Four atthe Beatles Story.

MD of the Beatles Story JerryGoldman said: “This is a fantastic

opportunity for people from all overthe world to explore Liverpool. Wehope that by putting this offertogether Beatles Story and LiverpoolFootball Club will drive even morevisitors to this great city.”

Commercial tourism manager forLiverpool Football Club Tom Cassidyadded: “This is something we’vebeen discussing for quite a whileand the partnership with The BeatlesStory is something people shouldrightfully be getting excited about,both at home and abroad.

“We’ve been to many travel eventswith The Beatles Story and aredelighted to have formalised ourpartnership with them.”

ACC Liverpool – home to the BTConvention Centre and Echo Arena –has celebrated its fifth birthday.

The venue opened its doors onJanuary 12 2008 with the officialopening ceremony for Capital ofCulture, launching a year-longcelebration and signalling theculmination of a decade ofregeneration in the city. Since then,ACC Liverpool has attracted almost3m visitors to 1,100 events andgenerated £620m in economicbenefit for the local economy.

Chairman David McDonnell said:

“Prior to opening, it was felt thatthere was a real need for a venuelike ours in Liverpool. Now fiveyears on we’ve proved this was mostdefinitely the case, bringing worldclass events to the city – the likes ofwhich had never been seen beforein Liverpool. We know that thepeople of Liverpool are proud tohave a venue like ACC Liverpool andour aim is to live up to this vote ofconfidence by continuing to bringfantastic concerts, sporting events,family entertainment andconferences to the city.”

ACC reaches milestone

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Christmas campaignraises city’s profileBIRMINGHAM’S Christmas campaignsucceeded in raising the profile of thecity during the competitive festiveperiod – attracting record numbers ofcoach visitors, achieving a 60 percent rise in press coverage andhelping to boost hotel occupancy.

Open for Christmas, led by VisitBirmingham in partnership withVisitEngland, aimed to positionBirmingham, the Black Country andSolihull as must-visit destinationsoffering a unique festive experience.

The city’s destination marketingagency joined forces with over 15partners, including RetailBirmingham and London Midland, todeliver the campaign, comprisingnational and regional advertising,door drops, creative PR, digital,social media and radio promotionswith voiceovers from Birmingham-born film star Julie Walters.

The campaign delivered strongresults, generating nearly £850,000in positive media coverage acrossinternational, national and regionaltitles with the number of articlesincreasing by nearly two thirds fromthe previous year.

Birmingham hotels enjoyedoccupancy rates of over 80 per centthroughout the festive season –

peaking at 85 per cent in mid-December – with revenues up by 11per cent compared to the sameperiod in 2011. Bookings with VisitBirmingham’s Meet and Greetwelcome service also rocketed with155 coaches and 7,332 passengersdescending on the city’s popularFrankfurt Christmas Market – a riseof 36 per cent and 37 per centrespectively – with enquiries toVisitor Information Services reaching1.6m, up from about 130,000 theprevious quarter.

Visit Birmingham’s director ofmarketing services Emma Gray said:“Working collaboratively withpartners has enabled us to pool the

city’s resources and deliver a highlysuccessful Christmas campaign thathas helped to boost the profile ofBirmingham and the wider regionduring the competitive festiveperiod.

“The ‘Open for Christmas’campaign targeted visitors to spenda break in Birmingham during thefestive period – record numbers ofcoach visitors, travelling fromlocations such as Teignmouth andDarlington, high hotel occupancyand increased enquiries to ourVisitor Information Servicesdemonstrate that Birmingham isgrowing in popularity as a festivedestination.”

Birmingham attracted a record number of coach visitors.

The Belfry resort near SuttonColdfield held a specialcompetition to celebrateValentine’s Day with itsvisitors. In partnership withBirmingham based jewellerymanufacturer Vault 88, thehotel gave a lady takingChampagne afternoon teaduring February the chance towin a £500 voucher for apiece of jewellery designedand made by the company.Vault 88’s owners Pete andJean Smith are pictured withhead pastry chef Dean Cole.

Hotel awardTHE Menzies Welcombe Hotel Spaand Golf Club has won aprestigious award.

The hotel scooped an award inthe hospitality business of theyear category at the Touch FMPride of Stratford Awards,announced at a ceremony at theHoliday Inn in Stratford-upon-Avon.

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Macdonald Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews is to benefit from a£650,000 transformation. Scheduled for completion by the end ofMarch, the investment will see 40 bedrooms, including four juniorand senior suites, transformed to complement the classicalelegance, comfort and style of the hotel.

By Christina Eccles

VISITSCOTLAND has launched itsbiggest ever nature-focused tourismdrive, highlighting the country’snatural environment.

The Year of Natural Scotland 2013is a £3.4m campaign, which isexpected to bring a return of some£68m to the Scottish economy.

It will target the key domesticmarket as well as seveninternational markets – NorthAmerica, Germany, France, Spain,Italy, The Netherlands andScandinavia – through a range ofmarketing activity.

Key features will include a newtelevision advert and a major ticketgiveaway from Scottish transportproviders which will see at least15,000 people enjoying free travelduring April – allowing them to visita Scottish island or to travel all overScotland – courtesy of CaledonianMacBrayne, ScotRail andNorthlink/Serco. Coach operatorStagecoach has also offered 5,000money-off vouchers that can beredeemed throughout the month ofApril.

The new TV advert depicts some ofthe country’s most iconic naturalenvironments. Scenes includegannets on Ailsa Craig off theAyrshire coast and red deer on theIsle of Rum.

Additional scenes show white waterrafting in Perthshire, mountain bikingat Torridon in the Highlands, thebeach at Arisaig in the WestHighlands, Pittenweem Arts Festivalin Fife, Andy Goldsworthy’s StridingArches in Dumfries and Gallowayand the Aurora Borealis in Shetland.

VisitScotland chairman MikeCantlay said: “The Year of NaturalScotland is a wonderful opportunityto showcase Scotland’s spectacularnatural environment and our newadvert shows the country in all itsmajestic glory, ranging from wildlifeto exciting outdoor activities.

“The Big April Adventures is quitesimply a magnificent opportunity forpeople to travel to the wonderfulScottish landscapes for free. We areextremely grateful to Calmac,ScotRail and Stagecoach for theirgenerosity in this initiative and wehope that as many people aspossible sign up for these ticketsand experience our beautiful countryfor themselves.”

Anyone can apply for tickets forthe Big April Adventures and winnerswill be drawn at random.

Largest nature-focused tourismdrive launched

The campaign is expected tobring a return of £68m to theScottish economy.

A LANDMARK tourism summit hasbrought together key figures toexplore ways of boosting visitors toScotland’s west coast.

The meeting, held at Inveraray,examined how collaboration enablesvisitor attractions to pool theirresources and promote Argyll as aregion to increase footfall.

The event was hosted by Co-operative Development Scotlandwith attendees from organisationsincluding the Scottish TourismAlliance, Scottish Enterprise andHighlands and Islands Enterprise, aswell as the local chamber ofcommerce.

Founder member of the Heart ofArgyll Tourism Alliance Carron Tobinsaid: “The consortium businessmodel is one that is very relevant to

tourism businesses in the region.Some of us have tried to market thearea individually, but we’re just onelone voice in a very crowdedmarketplace. The idea is toshowcase the collective destinationsof the Mid-Argyll area to boostoverall visitor numbers. So anhotelier on the Crinan Canal or themanager of a historic site such asKilmartin House Museum can reacha bigger audience through a sharedcollective voice and brand.

“We are then in turn working withthe umbrella Argyll and The IslesTourism Cooperative which is takinga strategic approach to marketingthis beautiful region and helping usto work effectively with ourneighbours like Kintyre, Cowal andOban.”

Local attraction Dunadd Fort.

Summit looks to attractwest coast visitors

SCOTLAND’s tourism sector islearning lessons from Australiain a bid to develop high qualityleadership training for industryprofessionals.

A new leadership developmentprogramme, the first of its kindin the UK, is to be rolled out inEdinburgh and St. Andrews, aspart of a drive to up the skillsof Scotland’s tourism leadersand bring in more visitors.

The course, DestinationLeadership Programme, isbased on an Australian model,the Melbourne Tourism IndustryLeadership Programme, whichin 2010, was credited withincreasing visitor numbers tothe city by more than 10 percent.

Tourism director at Scottish

Enterprise Eddie Brogan said:“Confident, ambitious leadersare vital to the future growthand success of our tourismcompanies and that of theindustry overall. The DLP hasbeen designed specifically toprovide the necessary skillsand experience for our tourismleaders to help them worktogether to develop and delivera high quality visitor experienceand grow tourism revenues inkey destinations such asEdinburgh and St Andrews.”

The first DLP will begin inOctober with 50 participantsexpected to have received anExecutive Certificate inLeadership through EdinburghNapier University by the end ofthe pilot in 2015.

Lessons learnedfrom Australia

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Canterbury is less than an hour’s train journey from central London and 30 minutes drive from Dover port and the Eurotunnel, so is perfectly located for a day visit. But with so much to see and do in the area it is worth staying longer.

Canterbury offers groups a warm welcome along the medieval pedestrian-only streets. Easily explored on foot the narrow, winding lanes and leaning timber-framed buildings blend perfectly with the new, updated areas of the city. Recent investment includes the £26 million refurbishment of the Marlowe Theatre and its original contemporary design complements the skyline with the spires of Canterbury cathedral. The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge has also undergone a major refurbishment and brings a modern fresh look to the building even though it maintains many of its original features.

This thriving city has a distinctive independent and charming

cafes and pubs where you can enjoy eating al fresco. For those in need of some retail therapy, you will be spoilt for choice with both popular brand names and independent retailers.

Nestled in a beautiful corner of East Kent – traditionally known as the Garden of England – the district of Canterbury encompasses the city of Canterbury, the coastal towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable and beautiful surrounding countryside.

There is plenty of accommodation in the district to suit your budget and preferences; from top rated hotels and luxurious B&B’s to budget

A twenty minute drive brings you to the coastal town of Herne Bay.

clock tower and band-stand and the Western Esplanade to Central

character of the seaside town. Further along the coast is Reculver Country Park, home to imposing 12th century towers and a Roman fort.

To the west of Herne Bay is the historic town of Whitstable which has a wonderful bohemian charm, strong arts culture, array of independent shops and rich maritime history. Groups can also enjoy a visit to Whitstable Castle and Gardens or relax on the Thames Greta sailing barge which spends the summer months sailing from the harbour around the Thames Estuary.

With the rolling, green countryside dotted with charming villages, gardens, vineyards and animal parks, the district of Canterbury truly offers you a wonderful choice of things to see and do.

For more information visit www.canterburygroups.co.uk

Discover Canterbury

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

There are plenty of things to see and do in Canterbury. Most notably is the World Heritage site of Canterbury Cathedral which was founded in 597AD and site of Archbishop Thomas Becket’s martyrdom. The Cathedral offers a wide variety of facilities for groups including guided tours, lectures, choir workshops/recitals and behind-the-scenes tours to the Cathedral archives, library, stained glass studio, stone conservation workshop, vestry or organ loft.

Top City Attractions

Top Museums

Canterbury Cathedral

Also part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site is St Augustine’s Abbey, one of the oldest monastic sites in England. Group tour highlights include the grave of St Augustine and four Anglo-Saxon Kings of Kent, beautiful atmospheric remains of the impressive and important monastery that include the crypt, various chapels, the nave and cloister.

Your guide will explain the Abbey’s historical and religious signifi cance enabling you to catch a glimpse of what this glorious building may once have been like.

St Augustine’s Abbey

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

Howletts Wild

Howletts Wild Animal Park offers an exciting and educational day out for groups and families of all ages. With wooded walkways and paths to explore, along with educational and fun animal talks throughout the day, there is something new to discover around every corner. Home to the UK’s largest herd of African elephants and the world’s largest collection of western lowland gorillas, visitors can also walk with lemurs and even mimic the agile primates on the Treetop Challenge. For the younger adventurers there is the Animal Adventure Challenge.Discounted admission prices for group bookings are available, with a minimum number of 15 per group. Bespoke extras can also be arranged and both wild animal parks have ample parking for coaches.

Routes and themes of your tour can be arranged

Alternatively, Canterbury Audio Tours provide you with your own personal audio guide, headset and map of the city.

This will allow groups the freedom to explore the areas that interest them in their own time, as part of a group or as individuals. For something a little different, an entertaining blend of history, humour and haunting amongst the old city can

be enjoyed with Canterbury Ghost Tours.

If you fancy resting your feet, why not take a river tour with Canterbury Historic River Tours, the Punting Company or Westgate Punts.

Canterbury is home to Kent County Cricket Club. Packages can be arranged to include food and drink and tickets to a match. Alternatively, experience the game with a 90 minute coaching session at the ground.

For itinerary ideas and further information on planning your visit go to: www.canterburygroups.co.uk

Canterbury Historic

Whether you are a group of adults, seniors, students or schoolchildren, Canterbury Historic River Tours offers the perfect way to sample the hidden secrets and beauty of Canterbury and shows you the stunning scenery, fascinating history and rich architecture that graces the city’s riverbanks. Our guides are well versed

of visiting groups, providing a humorous

visiting groups include discounted group rates, free admission for leaders/coach operators, translations for overseas and a free welcome to the city service.

The Canterbury TalesA visit to The Canterbury Tales lets you step back in time to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Medieval England. Join Geoffrey Chaucer and his colourful characters on their magical pilgrimage from London to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury.

New for 2013, and to mark our silver anniversary, guides will be on hand to entertain, amuse and educate visitors for part of the tour and to add a fun new dimension to the experience for groups.

Group benefi ts:

group leader.

Canterbury is easily explored on foot and there are a number of options available to learn about the city. Guided tours are available throughout the year if booked in advance with Canterbury Guided Tours.

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

The Thanington Hotel is centrally located and offers 15 en-suite rooms and an indoor heated swimming pool where you can relax after a hard day’s sight-seeing. Alternatively unwind with a drink in the

the hotel is happy to arrange evening dinner and can

Set within lawned gardens and only a 10 minute walk from the city centre is the Best Western Abbots Barton Hotel. Dating back to 1830 when it was originally built as a private home, the hotel has 53 three-star guest rooms, bar and restaurant and meeting and conference rooms. With free coach parking on-site, groups can take advantage of the hotel’s lunch and afternoon tea-stops.

The University of Kent offers both three/four star-graded self-catering and bed and breakfast accommodation during the Easter and summer vacation periods. Set in beautiful grounds overlooking the historic city of Canterbury, facilities on the 450 acre campus include a cinema and theatre, a selection of restaurants and bistros as well as superb on-site sports facilities.

For more detailed information on where to stay and eat, go to www.canterburygroups.co.uk

Accommodation& Eating Out There is enough to see and do to justify a short stay in the district. Accommodation is available by the coast, in the countryside or in the city centre to suit all tastes and budgets.

restaurants, cafes and pubs, many of which offer locally sourced products to tempt your taste buds. Canterbury is home to restaurants

and offer cuisine from all over the world. Of course there is always

impressive choice of pubs and tea shops.

Whitstable is well known for its oysters and it is well worth a visit to one of the many eating establishments in the town or on the harbour.

www.canterburygroups.co.uk

The City Arms real ale, real food, real pub. A warm, friendly and traditional pub, dating from the 15th Century. Come and enjoy something from our extensive pub menu in a cosy and welcoming environment. Overlooked by the stunning Canterbury cathedral and on one of the most photographed streets in the UK. There’s always a well kept selection of local ales from the region’s best microbreweries.

and bar. Come and enjoy a pint of hand-crafted Kentish beer or cider in the heart of a working brewery. Alternatively you can relax in our stylish upstairs bar. We also have a great range of food available from classic pub meals, fantastic pies and burgers to our famous ribs, all set in a beautiful nineteenth century iron foundry.

Offering a warm welcome and individual attention to detail which sets it apart from the norm, this lovely Georgian home is just a short walk from Canterbury city centre and high speed train to London. The award-winning breakfasts are a feature, cooked fresh to order using local Kent produce and served overlooking the secluded walled garden. Come and relax with us and experience something special while exploring the city, coast or beautiful Kent countryside for your short break, holiday, relaxing weekend, or business or shopping trip.

Magnolia House

We have inside and outside seating for 300 available. Open from 5am every day.We also have two drive-thru restaurants close by in Sturry road and

All restaurants have disabled access, free Wi-Fi available and baby changing facilities.For full restaurant locations and contact details visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk

From 27 March a new temporary exhibitionopens in the Baroque state apartments, thestory of the State Beds gives an insight intothe fascinating world of the 17th and 18thCentury Court; how it influenced and inturn was influenced by wider political,religious and social changes.

The rituals of the bedchamber, frommorning levée to evening couchée wereperformed in and around these magnificentbeds. Courtiers embarked on a socialclimbing venture to get as close to thebedchamber as possible where, if they weredeemed worthy, their Monarch wouldreceive them. Secrets of the RoyalBedchamber will reveal not only theextraordinary bizarre rituals of the Stuartand Hanoverian court but will also featureseven of our most rare and magnificent

State Beds. The exhibition will featurestunning portraiture and bedchamberfurnishings of the time, as well as unusualbedroom artifacts, such as Charles II bedrail,a rare remnant of the bedchamber at the long-lost palace of Whitehall.

In addition, exclusive for groups, guided toursof Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber will beavailable for advanced bookings at £100 pergroup plus VAT for one and half hour tour(additional to admission). Maximum groupsize 25.

For help and advice in organising group visitsto any of the historic royal palaces, contactthe groups and travel trade team on +44 (0) 203166 6311 or Please quote ‘Destination UKMarch’ when contacting us.

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BOASTING some of the best views inNorthumberland, both seaward to theFarne Islands and landward to theCheviots, Bamburgh certainly earnsits title as ‘king of the castles’.

Open all year round, experiencedcastle guides are happy to takegroups through the 14 rooms andexplain some of the castle’sfascinating history and point outsome of the more unusual items inthe collection.

There are over 3,000 items in thecollection from arms and armour tofurniture and artwork. There areopportunities to arrange out of hourstours and even music evenings andspecialist talks.

A ‘Keeping the Castle Alive’programme ensures a series ofevents and added ‘extras’ takes placethroughout the year.

2013 sees the King of The Castlesexhibition in the gallery as hundredsof pieces of work by the celebratedNorthumbrian artist Peter Philliips areon display in the stables. Thesedepict not only the ‘King’ himself, butthe local village and beach as well,painted and drawn in a variety ofmedia. There is parking for severalcoaches and turning space and wefeed and water the drivers. We offergroups of 15 or more a 20 per centdiscount on the walk up price andare happy to invoice after the visit.

The king of the castlesBamburgh Castle

Singing stars Paloma Faith (pictured above) and Ellie Goulding areamong the headliners at a music festival in Newcastle, expected toattract thousands of visitors. The Evolution Festival takes place inthe city on May 26 and 27, with other acts performing includingJake Bugg and The Vaccines.

By Christina Eccles

ROCKLIFFE Hall near Darlington andBlacksmith’s Cottage in Alnwick wereamong the winners at the North EastEngland Tourism Awards held at theSage Gateshead.

Organised by NewcastleGatesheadInitiative and delivered in partnershipwith Northumberland CountyCouncil, the awards saw almost 400members of the local businesscommunity come together tocelebrate the tourism successes ofthe past year.

The full list of Gold winners were:� Access for all Tourism Award: TheSage Gateshead.� Business Tourism Award: RockliffeHall – Hurworth, Darlington.� Large Hotel of the Year: SandmanSignature Hotel – Newcastle.� Large Visitor Attraction of theYear: Tyneside Cinema – Newcastleand BALTIC Centre for ContemporaryArt – Gateshead.� Small Visitor Attraction of theYear: Washington Wetlands Centre.� Visitor Information Provider of theYear: National Park Centre / TICOnce Brewed – Hadrian’s Wall.� Taste of England Award:Blackfriars Restaurant – Newcastle� Tourism Experience of the YearIncorporating Best Event: KielderWater and Forest Park –Northumberland.� Caravan Holiday Park / HolidayVillage of the Year: Seafield CaravanPark – Seahouses, Northumberland.� Bed and Breakfast / GuestAccommodation of the Year: LowUrpeth Farm Bed and Breakfast –

Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham.� Small Hotel of the Year: JesmondDene House – Newcastle.� Tourism Pub of the Year: TheFeathers Inn – Stocksfield,Northumberland.� Self Catering Holiday Provider ofthe Year: Blacksmiths Cottage –Alnwick, Northumberland.� Sustainable Tourism Award:Woodhorn, Museum andNorthumberland Archives –Ashington, Northumberland.

Chief executive ofNewcastleGateshead Initiative SarahStewart said: “The enthusiasm we’veseen from businesses for this year’sNorth East England Tourism Awardshas been fantastic. The resultsdemonstrate the quality andinnovation within the visitoreconomy from across the wholeregion and I’d like to congratulate allof the winners on their success.

“The judges were highly impressedwith the quality of entrants and allof the shortlisted businesses shouldbe proud of their achievements.

“The awards have presented anopportunity for the industry to cometogether and demonstrate theimportance and scale of tourism inthe North East. I’d like to extend mythanks to everyone who volunteeredto judge and deliver what has beena truly spectacular event.”

Winners at the North East EnglandTourism Awards will have the chanceto compete on a national stageagainst those winners fromEngland’s other regions at theVisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

Hall and Cottageamong winners

A NEW luxury spa has opened at TheMorritt Hotel near Barnard Castle.

The site of The Garage Spa wasoriginally an ancient stopping stationused as a re-fuelling and repairingpoint for the country’s firstmotorcars.

A range of car themed treatmentswill be on offer to visitors, such as afull body MOT, which includes aGreen Tea Matcha Body Polish inthe spa’s Turkish Hammam bath anda therapeutic body wrap.

New luxury spa opens its doors

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War Horse has released over100,000 new tickets for its WestEnd production, taking booking atthe New London Theatre toFebruary 15 2014.

Now celebrating its sixth yearon the London stage, NickStafford’s adaptation of MichaelMorpurgo’s book continues toplay to sell-out houses.

Jersey Boys celebrates itsfifth anniversary in 2013HIT musical Jersey Boys will celebratefive years in London’s West End thisyear and has already enjoyed over2000 performances.

The show continues to be a hugeseller for short break specialistSuperbreak and is one of its topsellers, usually ranking top orsecond in its theatre break top 10.

The show is currently bookingthrough until October 2013 at thePrince Edward Theatre.

To date the show has won over 50awards worldwide, including theprestigious Olivier Award for BestNew Musical. Jersey Boys tells thestory of how the four originalmembers of the New Jersey bandformed and follows their rise tofame, their subsequent successes

and difficulties and their eventualbreak up.

Jersey Boys chronicles the journeyof Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, TommyDeVito and Nick Massi from thestreets of New Jersey to becomingone of the biggest bands of all time,being inducted in the Rock and RollHall of Fame in 1990.

In the early days the Four Seasonswere a far cry from the clean cutimage that they grew into.

Haunted by debt, petty crime andviolence the band struggled throughthe beginnings of their career.

With personal relationshipsstraining and the mafia keeping awatchful eye over them the bandwere under constant pressure toreach success and pay back their

debts. Jersey Boys features many ofthe bands huge hits, recognisableacross generations. Songs such asBeggin’, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,Oh What A Night, Walk Like A Man,Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye),Sherry, and Big Girls Don’t Cry keepthe audience spellbound.

National sales manager atSuperbreak Graham Balmforth said:“The show has been seen by 4mpeople worldwide and continues tobe hugely popular in London.

“It’s great that it will celebrate fivevery successful years this year and itcontinues to be a top seller for usmonth in, month out.”

For more information onSuperbreak visitwww.superbreak.com/agents Graham Balmforth

Batch of tickets produced

SUPERBREAK has launchedpackages for Disney’s the Lion Kingat Edinburgh Playhouse.

The show arrives in the city for athree month run from 12 October2013 to 18 January 2014 – theonly Scottish dates on the tour.

National sales manager GrahamBalmforth said: “The Lion King hasnot been to Scotland before and weexpect this show to draw customersfrom a huge catchment. Agentshave a real opportunity to generate

interest and sales. “This will undoubtedly be one of

the hottest theatre tickets of 2013and possibly one of the mostanticipated Scottish musicalpremiers of all time.

“Agents should underestimate howpopular The Lion King is – it hasbeen seen by over 65m people andis now in its 14th year in London.Tickets are expected to sell fast so Iurge agents to start promoting itnow.”

Edinburgh Lion Kingpackages launched

Musical Top Hat was the number one show in 2012 for groups,according to London’s biggest ticket supplier Encore. Thecompany’s three most popular shows were Top Hat, followed byWest End success stories War Horse and Jersey Boys.

TERENCE Rattigan’s The Winslow Boyopens at The Old Vic on March 19.

Directed by Lindsay Posner, theplay is based on the true story of afather’s fight to clear his son’s name

when he is expelled from NavalCollege after being convicted oftheft. The cast includes HenryGoodman as Arthur Winslow.

Picture credit: Jay Brooks

Rattigan’s play set to open

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Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitesiç will lead the cast as Guy andGirl respectively in John Tiffany’s West End production of Broadwayhit musical Once. The London production will open at the PhoenixTheatre on April 9, with previews from March 16.

THEATRE lovers have been invited togather at the BBC Radio 2 Stage inCovent Garden piazza for a freeOlivier Awards celebration.

The 37th Olivier Awards withMasterCard, will take place on April

28 and the Covent Garden event willinclude a big-screen live show relay,as well as live performances fromtop West End shows, celebrity hosts,special guests and red carpetfashion tips.

Invite to free celebration

ATG’s Howard Panter andRosemary Squire have topped theThe Stage 100 for a fourthconsecutive year.

The list, compiled annually bythe industry’s leading newspaper,ranks the powerhouses of Britishtheatre. This year, the pair sharethe accolade with the NationalTheatre.

Award for Howard and Rosemary

WEST End hit Wicked has announceda new booking period, with ticketsnow available for the show until April26 2014.

Based on the novel by GregoryMaguire, Wicked tells the story of anunlikely but profound friendshipbetween two girls who first meet assorcery students.

Their extraordinary adventures inOz will ultimately see them fulfiltheir destinies as Glinda The Goodand the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked is on at the Apollo VictoriaTheatre.

Wickedticketsrevealed

Louise Dearman as Elphaba.

Peter Nichols’ Passion Play is opening at The Duke of York’s Theatreon May 7, starring Zoë Wanamaker. The play is a celebrated blackcomedy about love and infidelity and directed by David Leveaux.Multi Olivier award winner Zoë plays the role of Eleanor.

26 6/3/13 11:33 Page 1

The red carpet is rolled out for the nextinstallment following the £12m re-presentation project at Kensington Palace,the twentieth century royals.

The new exhibition will open on 22 June 2013and is set within the newly opened PiggottGalleries. The story of the young royals whostarted their married lives in the variousapartments at Kensington Palace will be toldthrough photographs, film footage andcostumes from the Royal Ceremonial DressCollection.

The main characters will be PrincessElizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece,Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones and Lady Diana Spencer and PrinceCharles, the Prince of Wales. Each couple, in

their own day, brought glamour and style tothe old and venerable palace, just as thelatest generation is doing today.

Adding value to the already acclaimedVictoria Revealed exhibition and thestunning King’s and Queen’s StateApartments, Modern Royals ensures the full300 years of royal history is boughtspectacularly to life in this popularattraction.

For more information on events andexhibitions for 2013 at Kensington Palace,please contact the Groups & Travel TradeDepartment on 0203 166 6311 orgroupsandtraveltrade@hrp.org.uk.Please quote ‘Destination UK March’ whencontacting us.

New! Modern Royals at Kensington Palace

11 kesington palace 28/2/13 11:33 Page 1

DESTINATIONLONDON

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Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has announced details of its 2013 season. Productions of Pride andPrejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Winter’s Tale, The Sound of Music and a Fairytale of New York willall appear at the theatre throughout the year. Across the season, the theatre is also extending itsBreeze scheme for those aged 18-25, with over 700 preview tickets available for just £10.

THE Cumberland Hotel hasscooped the Individual Hotelor Individual Hostel of the Yearaward at UKinbound’s annualExcellence Awards.

The Cumberland’s parenthotel group, Guoman andThistle Hotels was alsonamed Hotel Group of theYear at the prestigious event.

General Manager Ian Pecksaid: “To be named asUKinbound’s Hotel of the Yearfor 2012 is a hugeachievement for us. 2012 wassuch a momentous year forthe Capital so it’s a big dealto be commended byUKinbound for our effortsduring London’s year in thespotlight, and for our work tosupport UK tourism as awhole.”

Recipients were announcedbefore an audience of over250 UKinbound members andtravel industry guests at adinner held at the MacDonaldSaville Court Hotel on theedge of Windsor Great Park.

Win doublefor hotelgroup atceremony

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Dresses from fashion designer Issey Miyake’s 132 5. collection areamong the items on display as part of the Design Museum’s newExtraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things exhibition. The designswill form part of the exhibition which looks at the inventive uses ofplastics and recycled materials. Curator Gemma Curtain said: “IsseyMiyake’s work tries to find a balance between the practical and thebeautiful, a concept that is as relevant today as it was when hestarted the fashion house. His constant experimentation with bothforms and also production has kept him at the peak of internationalfashion and design.”

‘Robust’ West Endbox office figuresrevealed in reportWEST End box office figures remainedrobust in 2012, with both ticketrevenue and attendance figuresslightly up compared to 2011.

According to figures from TheSociety of London Theatre, itsmembers saw gross sales of£529,787,692 – up 0.27 per cent– and attendances also increased by0.56 per cent to 13,992,773 year-on-year. SOLT has already confirmedthat the Olympics had a dampeningeffect on London theatre sales,partly due to venues closing on thenight of the opening ceremony andplanning schedules around theGames resulting in fewerperformances overall during August.

But even with the disruptions ofthe Olympics, more tickets were soldfor the first week of the games thanwere sold, for example, during theweek of the 2011 Royal Wedding.

President of the Society of LondonTheatre Mark Rubinstein said: “I amdelighted that for the ninth yearrunning we are able to report year-on-year growth in ticket income.

“It is particularly astonishing thatwe are able to report increasingsales – of over half a billion pounds– for a year that we always knewwould have exceptional challenges.

“Against the background of a tougheconomic climate, London theatrecontinues to buck the trend, offeringdazzling, world-class entertainment,which has audiences from bothhome and abroad flocking to theWest End to catch exciting newproductions as well as much-lovedlong running favourites. With thecombined box office advance salesbreaking new records we are lookingforward to another year of successstories for our theatres.”

OBLIX, the latest restaurant fromthe Rainer Becker and ArjunWaney partnership, will open thisspring in London’s iconiclandmark The Shard.

Located on the 32nd floor,Oblix will offer two distinctvenues; a Rotisserie and GrillRestaurant and a dynamicLounge Bar.

Spring opening for Shard restaurant

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LONDON and Partners has launchedthe second phase of its London, NowSee It for Yourself tourism campaignstarring popular mascot Rufus theCorgi.

As the face of the campaign, Rufushas already helped thousands ofvisitors explore a specially designeddigital map and microsite onvisitlondon.com.

Designed and drawn by artist JenniSparks, the map for London showskey attractions across the capitaland gives a guide to what’s new for2013, as well as highlighting someof the city’s hidden gems.

The second phase of the campaignincludes six themed competitionswhere followers of @findrufus canuse clues to where he is hiding inthe map each week.

Anyone who finds him can then

enter a competition to win a trip toLondon – with themed trips up forgrabs focusing on Romantic London,Foodie London, Active London, RoyalLondon, Film London and FashionLondon.

CEO London and Partners GordonInnes said: "We hope to see visitorsenticed to the capital to enjoy someof the new attractions such as theEmirates Airline and the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the new hotels such asCafé Royal and Melia International’sME London and see for themselvessome of the iconic locations theysaw over this summer during theGames and Diamond Jubilee. Wehave enjoyed working with a newcharacter for the capital – Rufus theCorgi lets potential visitors seeLondon from a completely newangle.”

Rufus returns as mascotfor second campaign

A free four-day football celebration is to take place in London fromMay 23 to 26. The UEFA Champions Festival will be the first majorevent to come to the home of the 2012 London Olympics since lastsummer, taking place on The International Quarter close to QueenElizabeth Olympic Park. UEFA is inviting fans and families to visitthe festival and take part in a series of free activities including theopportunity to have photos taken with the UEFA Champions Leagueand UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.

TWO popular tours are to returnto The Houses of Parliament for2013 following their successfullaunch last year.

Royalty and Splendour in theHouse of Lords andContemporary Portraiture inPortcullis House are nowavailable to book.

Royalty and Splendour in the

House of Lords will run from5.30pm on selected Fridayevenings between March andJuly and offer an exclusive VIPexperience after the doors closeto the public. ContemporaryPortraiture in Portcullis Housewill run four times throughoutthe day on selected Fridaysbetween March and July.

Tours make a comeback

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Knowledge ispower, insightthe key tocompetitivenessBy Ken Robinson CBE FTS

TIMES are tough. Revenues areunder threat.

Since the loss of the RDA’s £60ma year support that flowed to andthrough them, DMOs are finding ithard to maintain their services, letalone improve their activities formembers.

With less local collective helpavailable in most areas, it has neverbeen more important for individualmanagers to sharpen their efforts.The management challenge is howto at least keep up with, buthopefully outperform, competitors.

We all know that despite theGovernment’s professed recognitionof the needs of the industry, andtheir promised support, they haveimposed further cuts to the corefunding of VisitBritain andVisitEngland for what are referred toas “administrative costs” – althoughthese are in fact the costs of skilledstaff whose expertise is the essentialfoundation of their successfulinitiatives. So VisitBritain andVisitEngland can’t help, can they?

Well, yes, they can, and they are –but few hard-pressed managers intourism businesses realise thepotentially amazingly valuableinformation available to them, freeof charge, and from my knowledgefew make active use of it.

I am referring to the extremelyinsightful research produced bythese two boards, which is freelyavailable to all via their websites;VisitScotland and VisitWales providesimilar resources. To the great creditof VisitBritain and VisitEngland, theyhave maintained and even improvedthese services greatly in recentyears, despite the funding cuts.

It is not so many years ago thatthe head of research at one of theseboards said: “Our job is to collectreliable data and publish it in atimely manner, but not to attempt tointerpret it – that’s for others to do.”

So it was that the great lumberingannual surveys would churn outvolume and value data, publishedmonths after the year ends, good fornothing other than a backwards lookat trends. The macro international,national and regional data washardly relevant to individualbusinesses, and most managerscould do nothing with, or becauseof, the numbers.

Then local data schemes evolved,to produce estimates at thedestination level that is useful forlocal strategies and policies. But fewlocal businesses managed to makeprofitable use of the numbers.

There are a variety of usefulresearch and data analysis schemesand regular reports available tospecific sectors.

Examples are for hotels which havealways had good comparable datafor occupancy and revpar etc andattractions can join the ALVABenchmarking scheme, from whichusable data emerges for eachparticipant.

However, I want to wave the flagfor the now excellent and potentiallyhighly valuable, and mostimportantly actionable, researchdata that is now freely availablefrom VisitBritain and VisitEngland.

In both cases the individualsresponsible deserve recognition,being the research equivalent ofcelebrity chefs, who can takeordinary ingredients and, throughtheir skills, produce really amazingand valuable results.

First, VisitBritain where DavidEdwards is the guru whose strategicanalysis of the opportunities andchallenges we face in theinternational tourism market placeprovides incomparably usefulinformation. Any tourism businesswith substantial numbers ofoverseas visitors should read David’sregular trends analysis andforecasts. The topic reports, such asculture and heritage, are richlyinstructive.

Market profiles for each of ourmain source markets are primarilyintended for the few largerbusinesses that market directlyabroad, but there useful insights forall businesses into thecharacteristics and other key dataabout visitors of each nationality andculture. Second, VisitEngland whereremarkably creative insights are nowavailable. Sharon Orrell heads thesmall team and consistentlyproduces excellent up-to-the-minuteanalysis of the domestic market, theimpacts of the recession, holidayintentions, the differing satisfactionlevels with various regions anddestinations – the pages of theVisitEngland website are stuffed withreally pithy analysis.

There are regular reports from adomestic industry panel and verygood sectoral analysis.

Do yourself and your destination orbusiness a big favour: check outthese websites, sign up for thenewsletters, delve into the data,think about the place andperformance of your business incontext – what more can you do tobeat or match the best? Knowledgeis power; insight is the key togreater competitive success.

Annual conferenceTHE Tourism Society Conference2013 takes place on Tuesday July 2and Wednesday July 3 at City Hall,Cardiff.

Join Tourism Society members andguests for two days packed withgreat information and networkingopportunities. A line-up of topspeakers will address three areaswhere professionalism can reallycount, examining the theme ofInspire – Compete – Regenerate.

We all do everything we can tosucceed, lead, support and make a

good profit, but it's easy to get side-tracked, take shortcuts, put costreduction before customer service.

Find out what professionalism inthe workplace really means at ourannual conference.

Plus – an evening reception at theDr Who Experience in Cardiff Bay,informal dinner and study tourshighlighting cultural and sportingdevelopments in the region.

Book your tickets atwww.tourismsociety.org or call 0207269 9693.

City Hall, Cardiff.

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