tourismnews - oxfordshire cotswolds · cotswold and west oxfordshire district council tourism team...

Summer EditionWelcome to your summer edition of Tourism news detailing the projects the team have been working on, industry news and ways you, as businesses, can get involved.

With the better weather upon us, the number of press and film enquiries coming in has risen sharply: we have welcomed all sorts of media visits including journalists from Sweden’s top quality newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and top Spanish bloggers Vanessa and Roger of Viajeros Callesjeros. Visit Britain Europe based a trip on Gardens of The Cotswolds bringing nine top journalists from all over Europe visiting gardens such as Mill Dene, Kiftsgate and ending with a visit to Blenheim Palace.

We’re achieving some great results on the Cotswolds social media channels. In particular, our Facebook page has gained nearly 1,300 new page likes in the first few weeks of July, with high levels of engagement and activity from our followers.

Our Instagram account is also growing rapidly and the number of followers has tripled since the beginning of 2016! Please make sure you’re following us on social media at the following addresses: Twitter: @CotswoldsInfo Facebook: The Cotswolds Instagram: the_cotswolds. The new website www.cotswolds.com continues to develop & grow and is the number one site for visitors wanting information on The Cotswolds.

Cotswold and West Oxfordshire District Council tourism teamE: [email protected]. T: 01285 623000 E: [email protected] T: 01993 861080

Produced by Cotswold & West Oxfordshire District Council tourism team & designed by Cotswold District Council

TourismNews

Chris Jackson Sally Graff Diane Blackwell Natasha Stein Wendy Dancer

Top European journalists Andrea Thomas and Karl Riffert visit Kiftsgate Garden

Did you know?• Next year the town of Cirencester will be holding a series of events all linked to celebrating the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Augustinian Abbey. • The new walkway in the trees at Westonbirt Arboretum is now open. • Blenheim Palace is hosting BBC Countryfile Live from 4 – 7 August.

If you have any ‘Did you know’ facts about the area or even old images of The Cotswolds that would be of interest to potential visitors please send them to us.

New Cotswolds Visitor Guide will be better than ever



Tourist attractions, restaurants and accommodation providers are all being urged to sign up for advertising space in a new guide to the Cotswolds.

Endorsed by Visit England, the Cotswolds Visitor Guide 2017 will be the official destination guide for the area and will be widely promoted in the UK and worldwide.

The new publication, produced by us with Cotswolds Tourism Partnership, incorporates the existing Visit Cotswolds and Oxfordshire Cotswolds guides and promises the biggest and most comprehensive coverage of the region.

It will be backed by an advertising and marketing strategy which will include national distribution to exhibitions, trade shows and Visitor Information Centres, targeted websites and a social media campaign. The guide will also be available in e-book format and the public will be able to download copies.

Attractions both large and small regularly advertise in the guides including Blenheim Palace near Woodstock, Westonbirt Arboretum near Tetbury, Cogges Manor Farm museum near Witney, Birdland at Bourton on the Water and Corinium Museum in Cirencester. These attractions have already signed up for the new publication this year but there is space for more attractions as well as shops.

The new guide has many different options for advertising from display adverts for attractions, shops and restaurants to standard accommodation adverts, all of which allow your business to showcase itself to potential visitors.

We know The Cotswolds is an iconic destination brand and our aim is to attract a wide range of visitors, both domestic and international. We want to challenge

current perceptions about the Cotswolds while retaining the many visitors who return regularly to the area. This new guide encompasses everything that is good about the region as well as providing an excellent marketing opportunity for the businesses that are included in it.

The Cotswolds Visitors Guide 2017 will be launched in December 2016. Businesses and destinations wishing to be included can use interactive booking forms on www.cotswolds.com/guide. Alternatively, they can contact Cotswolds Tourism on 01285 623000 or email [email protected].

The final deadline to advertise is Wednesday 31 August 2016.

New snapshot of inbound tourism to Britain in 2015Visit Britain has compiled a snapshot of the top line inbound figures and trends for 2015. Find out inbound tourism trends, which are the top 10 markets to Britain, which markets were the fastest growing and more. https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en

The Cotswolds LEADER ProgrammeThe next Round 3 ‘call for projects’ is planned to open shortly in August.

Please note this call is subject to change, as (following the EU Referendum) it can only be launched upon prior consent being received from Defra/RPA. It is recommended that you regularly review the webpage listed below for future updates about the latest LEADER funding opportunities, guidance, and the precise timings of each call. Please do not hesitate to contact The Cotswold Conservation Board if you require further information about any aspect of the Programme.

If you are you considering investing in your tourism business this could be a good opportunity for you. Any tourism business is welcome to consider applying with the emphasis on growing rural tourism businesses including capital focused investment in visitor attractions, bed and breakfasts and interpretation. This round will differ to the previous 2 rounds in that the grant minimum has been reduced to £5,000, the maximum still remains at £50,000 (or 40% of eligible costs, whichever is the least).

If you believe you may be eligible to apply for funds after reading the FAQs, Guidance Notes pages and other information on the website, then please contact the Programme team to express an interest in applying. Outline application forms will be made available at the time the round opens.

We do recommend completing and emailing through a Project Ideas form to start with as this can help the team understand what your project is about.

Ensure you keep up to date by looking at www.cotswoldsleader.org.uk



Learn to earn more - BOOK NOW

This autumn we are running some more training courses with Tourism Growth specially aimed at the tourism industry here in The Cotswolds.

We realise the importance of training for you as businesses in ensuring you keep informed and up to date with ways to promote your business and drive up your income.

The first course at Calcot Manor near Tetbury, will be ‘Getting More Sales from Your Website’ on 5 October with the course covering how you can make your website really perform for your business – take control of it and see the results in increased sales and profits.

On 3 November we are running ‘Selling More Meetings, Conferences and Events’ which is kindly hosted by Cotswolds Hotel and Spa, Chipping Norton. Aimed at larger businesses that host meetings, delegates will cover learning how to win more meeting, conference and event business in this highly competitive marketplace. This course will help you to plan your strategy, generate more enquiries and convert a higher percentage of leads. Discover new opportunities for maximising your revenue and achieving repeat business for the future.

Tourism Growth are always looking for venues to host these courses, so if you are interested in hosting then please contact us to find out more. Ideally the location needs to have easy parking to help delegates travelling to the course.

We do hope you will see this as an excellent training opportunity, as well as the chance to network with other tourism businesses in the area. To register your interest and book either course please either book via www.tourismgrowth.co.uk/training-courses-events/cotswolds-courses or email Tourism Growth at [email protected] or telephone 01923 465522. Should you feel there is a training requirement for you as a business please let us know and we can collate your feedback to help advise future course requirements.

A recent training course with Tourism Growth

Photo competition big successThe photograph competition launched during English Tourism Week closed recently and judging then commenced. With 78 people entering 403 images, the tourism team have compiled a short list of 30 photos and the winner will be officially announced on 8 August at The Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden who kindly provided one of the prizes.

The team are very grateful to Martin Adams from Blue Print imaging in Witney who has been able to pass a critical eye over the shortlisted images to ensure the winning image meets the criteria of the competition. All the images and the winning photograph will be used to help publicise The Cotswolds as a tourist destination via social media, the website and the annual printed publications produced for Cotswolds Tourism Partnership. The winner will receive a ready to hang art canvas produced by competition sponsor Blueprint Imaging Limited as well as a spa treatment and voucher for afternoon tea at Cotswold House Hotel & Spa in Chipping Campden. Adam Henson’s Cotswolds Farm Park also kindly donated a family pass to visit the rare breeds farm just outside of Bourton on the Water. Here are a couple of the images sent in to give you a flavour of the images.



Help us to promote youWe’d love you to get involved in our Summer social media campaigns:

#Cotswolds4Kids As the school holidays get under way, we are compiling 50 things to do for families this Summer. Do you have any family events or activities planned?

#CotswoldsActive We’ll be filling our social media with outdoor activities over the Summer, so do let us know if you have anything you’d like us to promote, whether it’s a local walk or cycle ride, a special offer relating to an activity, or a sporting event. We also want link to the Olympic Games in August so if you have any Olympic connections or events going on, let us know!

#GoWild We’re going animal-crazy in August, showcasing all the creatures you can see in the Cotswolds, from the fantastic range of animals and birds visitors can see in our animal attractions to animals in their natural habitats. Do you have any animal-related events and fun pictures we can use?

Also, coming up in the Autumn we are going to focus on local food and drink and Cotswolds film and TV locations.

Please send any content and images to our social media contact Natasha Stein. [email protected]

CORR!

Active Video launchWe have just launched our active video promoting the range of activities within

the area following the success of the family fun and Taste of the Cotswolds videos. Check out the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KSUcIMpmnY&feature=youtu.be

For the autumn we will be featuring Food and Drink throughout the area as well as the traditions for this period such as fireworks and the run up to Christmas.



Key Events coming up...With summer now upon us and a Bank Holiday in August there are many wonderful events happening for you, locals and visitors to enjoy.

Key major events include:

4 – 7 August: BBC Countryfile Live Blenheim Palace

4 – 7 August: Wilderness Festival, Chipping Norton

5 – 7 August: The Festival of British Eventing, Gatcombe Park

5 – 7 August: 42nd Gloucestershire Steam Vintage & Country Extravaganza, South Cerney Airfield

26 – 28 August: The Big Feastival, Kingham

27 – 28 August: Phoenix Festival, Cirencester

27 – 29 August: Treefest, Westonbirt Arboretum

29 August: Football in the River, Bourton on the Water

29 August: Via Roma Twilight Criterium cycle race, Cirencester town centre

2 – 4 September: Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, Kemble Airfield

3 September: Moreton Show, Moreton in Marsh

4 September: Tetbury Classic Car Show

If you have a big event coming up later this year or in 2017 and want our help in promoting it then please contact us. Recently we have run competitions for events such as BBC Countryfile Live and Cogges near Witney for its beer and cider festival which have attracted a lot of interest and attention.

We are delighted to welcome Karen Bradley MP as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and that Tracey Crouch MP remains in post as Tourism Minister.

EU Referendum

Further to last month’s EU referendum vote please see below some information from VisitEngland/VisitBritain.

Following the outcome of the UK’s referendum on membership of the EU last week, please view www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMn0C-uML8 on how we have been supporting the tourism industry.

We are actively monitoring sentiment in overseas markets through press and PR, social media, travel trade and partners. There has been wide coverage in most markets on the weakened GBP, stating this is the best time to travel to Britain, with many markets expecting to see an increase in travel at least for the short term. We will continue to monitor booking trends over the weeks ahead.

With the peak holiday season almost upon us we are working hard to show why this summer is a great time to book a trip to come and visit Britain by:

• Reinforcing the value and welcome message on digital and social.

• Reiterating that there is no immediate change in travel arrangements to Britain.

• Continuation of the domestic and international #OMGB ‘Home of Amazing Moments’ marketing campaigns.

• Exploring with carriers about the possibility of running additional tactical activity in key overseas markets, particularly the US, with a value message within the next few days.

We are also working closely with other Government departments to look at the longer-term strategy and broader welcome message.

British tourism starts from a good place. On top of a record-breaking first quarter for inbound tourism, this week we have published our best-ever domestic holiday figures for a first quarter period. Spending on domestic overnight holidays in England was up 23 per cent from last year to £1.8 billion, while overnight holiday visits in England were up 10% to 7.3 million.

We will continue to keep you informed and we look forward to working with you over the months ahead so that together we can drive continue to growth in tourism across all our nations and regions.



Cyber forum and safety online informationGloucestershire Safer Cyber Forum (GSCF) was established in 2015 by Gloucestershire Constabulary in order to provide a medium for both public Cyber Safety advice and for local businesses to discuss Cyber concerns in a private fashion as well as providing a source of advice and information with articles and case studies you as businesses may find of benefit.

Check out www.safercybergloucestershire.uk & further information can be found on www.getsafeonline.org

Visit Britain News

The Great British High Street Competition 2016The Great British High Street Competition is a Government and business-led initiative which celebrates our nation’s much-loved high streets. Now in its third year, it showcases the people, businesses and partnerships that are putting their high street at the heart of their communities.

The 2015 Competition was a huge success with 230 high streets taking part including locally Chipping Norton. The town did extremely well being successful runner’s up and commended by the judges on their excellent social media profile. The campaign to find the winners made a huge dent in the public consciousness, with over 200,000 votes cast for the finalists and this is definitely something Chipping Norton benefited from, raising the profile of the town significantly. This year, the competition is back and it is bigger and better, with new categories and new awards for individuals, our ‘High Street Heroes’, who have made a special effort to support their high street.

Anybody can put forward a nomination for their high street or high street hero. Once nominations are received, finalists will be selected from each category and local people will be asked to vote for their winners. An expert judge will also visit each high street to help decide the winners, who will share a cash prize and also receive training from Google. High Street Heroes will also win prizes. The 2016 categories are:

For Places: • Village – population between 500 to 2,500 residents • Local centre - precinct or parade of shops • Market Towns – small – population of less than 10,000 • Market Towns – large – population between 10,000 - 30,000 • Town Centre - population of more than 30,000 • City Location - population of more than 200,000 • Coastal Community • London • Rising Star - to recognise towns that are turning fortunes around

For Individuals (High Street Heroes): • Best store manager or employee from a national retailer / organisation • Best store manager or employee from an independent / small business • Best market manager, operator, trader or farmer • Best under 25 years old

Key Dates Competition launch 7 July Deadline for applications 9 Sept Shortlist announced Mid Oct Voting opens and judges’ visits Mid Oct / Nov Awards ceremony and winners announced December

For more information about the competition please see www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk



2017 & BeyondAs locals you are our eyes and ears on the ground and we always want to hear from you about tourism related news stories & new events so we can help promote them to organisations such as Visit England, Visit Britain and a large number of travel industry journalists and operators. We need to know about large scale events & brand new events for 2017 & beyond, refurbishments, new businesses opening or expanding. Quite often we are working to promote at least six months in advance so to ensure we have an opportunity to promote anything local to you please email [email protected]

tourismnews - oxfordshire cotswolds · cotswold and west oxfordshire district council tourism team...

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