To increase England’s share of global visitor markets
In order to attract a greater share of higher value domestic and international visitors and maximise capacity year-round, England must have a re-prioritised national marketing strategy with funding aligned to achieve its objectives. This must bring together key public sector players and engage the private sector in a collaborative approach to the marketing of England, encouraging collective investment where it can deliver maximum return. Providing higher returns will be one of the key drivers in achieving a 5% annual growth in the visitor economy.
Marketing must build the profile of the England brand in the world marketplace. Informed by a thorough understanding of the visitor’s motivations across target markets, it will focus on England’s most attractive destinations and experiences. At a national level an ‘attract and disperse’ approach will see England’s world famous and exceptional destinations such as London, the Lake District and the Cotswolds among many others used to attract new visitors who can then be encouraged to explore the richness of England. This approach can also be embraced across the country to ensure that the economic benefits are widely felt. Balanced with this, a collaborative cross destination approach to marketing England’s unique attributes can be adopted. This will position and build England’s reputation as a destination, which delivers the authentic and world class experiences visitors demand; from internationally renowned built and natural heritage, to the vibrant contemporary culture of England’s cities; from adventure to indulgence.
The national marketing strategy will be based on reliable market insights on the value, volume, potential and requirements of each target market and emerging and future markets, as well as technology trends and an accurate understanding of campaign effectiveness. Better targeting of marketing and resources will help achieve the growth target. England’s tourism industry must be at the forefront of technology and optimising its ever-increasing sophistication to deliver messages and information of value to potential visitors, in shaping their decisions, in linking and packaging ‘English destinations’ and ‘English experiences’, in cross-selling, in building loyalty and keeping pace with fast changing consumer trends.
Business and events visitors bring considerable economic benefits and other significant advantages. Business visitors travel throughout the year, contribute a higher spend per visitor, are more likely to travel to areas not traditionally known for holiday visits and are more likely to return as high spending holiday visitors in the future. A Business Tourism Action Plan will be created to identify the best opportunities for growth and investment.
Events such as Glastonbury, Wimbledon Tennis Championship and London Fashion Week play a major role in shaping the image of the nation. It is crucial that England develops a plan to capitalize on these opportunities. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games presents the tourism industry in England with a major opportunity. Visit London and VisitBritain are leading on ensuring that the legacy marketing benefits are realised for both London and the nations of Britain respectively. Extensive work has also been undertaken by the English Regional Development Agencies. A coherent national plan is required building on existing work to address the opportunities and challenges and determine additional activity to ensure England is fully maximising the potential of the Games and the associated programmes of the Cultural Olympiad and Torch Relay.
