VisitBritain defends website

There have been a number of voices raised in concern regarding the current state of the visitengland.com website, which has had problems both of content and navigation.

When asked about the site, Michael Bedingfield, England marketing director, said: “As you would expect with the development of any website, we did experience some teething problems. These are currently being resolved. And to coincide with the launch of our next enjoyEngland campaign in September, the visitengland.com site will not only be much richer in content but will also have a fresh look, reflecting the stunning imagery of our print campaigns.”

Further news from the England Tourism Marketing team is that they have announced plans for a big boost to promotional activities this autumn.

Building on the success of the previous campaigns of last year and this spring the announcement confirms a spend made up of £1m from VisitBritain with a further £0.5-£1m from partners.

The target audience will be ABC1 30+ adults with secondary targets of the over 50’s and families. Research of the previous campaigns indicates success in moving people along the communications life cycle from general awareness of holidays in England to actual response.

The main campaign will encompass a variety of activity; television, double page newspaper spreads, direct mail, classified ads. Tactical ads and (in my opinion most importantly) a three month PR campaign.

A declared aim is to help build the client database to enable further customer analysis and to build a stronger relationship with clients through more targeted communication.

Fulfilment will be by brochure and will also be aimed at driving traffic to the www.visitengland.com site.

A second campaign, watersideEngland, with an additional expected spend in the region of £250,000 has also been announced. At its heart is a new 60-page brochure covering coastal areas, inland waterways, watersports, maritime attractions and seafood & drink. A 16-page pull-out covers the myriad events taking place around England in 2005 to celebrate national SeaBritain2005 events. Throughout the campaign information will be driving customers to www.visitengland.com.

Further information about the campaigns is available from VisitBritian (www.visitbritain.org) or from the Regional Tourist Boards of England. Also please let Travelmole feedback (user comments below) know if you have any comments regarding the www.visitengland.com site.