Welcome to our January Newsletter!
With the government’s attention firmly fixed on Brexit, it was highly encouraging to start the year with an opportunity to meet Tourism Minister Tracey Crouch and Coastal Communities Minister Andrew Percy at a round table discussion to respond to their thoughts and questions on the implications for the coastal tourism industry.
We discussed the impact of different scenarios as well as having a wider discussion about the opportunities for growth and development on the coast. The NCTA have contributed to the Tourism Industry Council’s Brexit response paper, to read more click here.
Whilst at the roundtable we also took the opportunity to present the Ministers with the new Vision for the Coast. We outlined the way forward to make the Vision a reality, including the creation of a visible and dynamic working group to oversee and coordinate the growth of the visitor economy on the coast.
Last week we spoke at the South West Tourism Alliance conference at Tiverton, Devon. Entitled The Challenges Facing Rural and Coastal Tourism, during the day the Alliance gathered evidence to submit to the Rural Tourism Enquiry so it was a great opportunity to discuss key issues surrounding seasonality, employment, perceptions and much more.
In March I’ll be speaking at the Suffolk Coast Annual Conference giving details of our new Coastal Pass, our Discover England Fund project.
If you’d like to hear more on any of our projects don’t hesitate to contact me or take a look at our Resource Hub.
Kind regards,
Samantha Richardson
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Coastal Pass launched for the east coast!
This month we soft-launched our new Coastal Pass at the Dutch travel show Vakantiebeurs in Utrecht. Funded by the Discover England Fund, the Pass was well received.
This innovative tool combines marketing and booking into one simple process; it features stunning video footage of England’s east coast, from Hull to Harwich, and is being trialled with visitors from the Netherlands. The Pass brings to life the wealth of attractions on this stretch of coast as well as featuring many lesser known gems and, uniquely, allows viewers to create their own itinerary.
To see the videos and find out more visit the demonstration site www.coastalpass.com
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Going Dutch
Before embarking on the Coastal Pass we commissioned new research into the Dutch market – their attitudes, motivations and behaviours to holidays on the English coast. There is a major lack of awareness of what there is to see and do but many are open to exploring areas beyond London. While some of the survey relates specifically to the east coast, the findings are relevant to anyone wanting to attract the Dutch market.
Read more here
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Family fortunes
Families are at the very core of coastal tourism, accounting for 41 per cent of the entire seaside holiday market. And whilst many are locked into school summer holidays, those with pre-school youngsters pose a significant opportunity for off-season breaks. But the family demographic has changed – what does today’s family look like, what facilities do they demand and what can you offer to ensure families of all ages become repeat business?
View our Product Development Guide here
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Tourism Monitor - How's Business?
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The implications of Brexit on coastal tourism businesses are yet to be discerned, but to gauge accommodation and attraction providers on their past performance and predictions, we’ve been conducting a Coastal Tourism Monitor over the past year. The first wave covers Easter to the end of May 2016, the second July and August and both are available on our Resource Hub here.
The third and final wave covering September to November has just been completed and is now available to download here.
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