Culture focus in £250,000 domestic tourism push

A year long £250,000 Enjoy England Culture08 campaign aims to promote cultural tourism to domestic travellers. 

It is launched in partnership with England’s Northwest, where a range of events to celebrate ’08 is already underway.

The promotion comes on the back of research showing that when Britons were asked what is their preferred type of holiday, 22% said cultural and 19% said event (musicals, festivals, sport events).

When asked what activities they take part in while on holiday, 35% said museums, 20% said architectural visits, 22% said concerts, 19% said theatre, 16% said festivals and 5% said ballet/opera.

Both ‘high’ and contemporary culture are important elements of this country’s appeal as a destination. Morethan 60% of potential visitors would be “very likely” to visit galleries or museums, 49% to go to live music concerts or events and 37% to go to the theatre, opera or ballet.

Consumers will be encouraged to visit an interactive website www.enjoyengland.com/culture, including cultural themes, competitions and links. 

A search facility allows users to search by Region, Theme, Event and Date – and incorporates an option to search geographically and interact with Google maps.  Selected events can be incorporated into the users own personal travel planner – providing a step by step cultural travel itinerary for the users next holiday or day out.

Enjoy England Culture08 will be promoted through a national newspaper promotion and supplement, online marketing, advertising in niche publications, direct mail and public relations. 

 This year marks Liverpool’s position as European Capital of Culture, welcoming nearly two million additional visitors to enjoy a calendar of over 300 events throughout the year.  It is also the year that London takes the torch from Beijing as host city for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and Britain, as host nation, begins a four-year, nationwide Cultural Olympiad.  

VisitBritain England marketing general manager Laurence Besh said: “From world-renowned museums and galleries, arts festivals and music events to theatre and performance, innovative architecture and different communities, England has one of the most vibrant and diverse cultural scenes in the world.  This is our opportunity to shine the spotlight on the wealth of exciting events that are taking place throughout England throughout the year. 

“We want to encourage our visitors to create their own cultural calendar of events, exhibitions, shows and scenes, and get out and about enjoying short breaks in their own country.”

Peter Mearns, marketing executive director at the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said: “This year is hugely important for England’s Northwest. With Liverpool’s reign as European Capital of Culture now underway, it is critical that we seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the fantastic cultural offering that we have across the Northwest.

“The NWDA is working with our partners in the region on a unique programme of events to ensure that the legacy of 2008 is felt across the whole of the region. With the range and scale of events on offer during Capital of Culture year, there will never be a better time to visit the region.”

by Phil Davies