VisitEngland, the national tourist board is today launching a £2 million government funded campaign to support businesses affected by the recent severe weather and to drive holiday bookings in England ahead of the Easter break. The launch follows the announcement by the Department for Culture Media and Sport on 28 February of a tourism package to help affected tourism businesses get back on their feet in the aftermath of the recent flooding. VisitEngland has developed a campaign with two distinct elements – events focused on providing business support and a tactical marketing campaign called ‘Spot On England’, aimed at boosting bookings.
Whilst tourism businesses in the main have been unaffected by the severe weather conditions, and the resounding message from industry has been ‘business as usual’, recent research by VisitEngland shows that 10% of consumers say that have been put off taking a trip to affected areas.
To combat this negative perception VisitEngland is today launching a dedicated marketing campaign in the UK domestic market as well as in Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands, called ‘Spot on England’. Using a mixture of print, digital, and outdoor platforms the campaign will promote England with great value offers to inspire bookings in the run up to Easter Holidays. There are 39 destination organisations around England taking part.
In addition, VisitEngland is partnering with a number of destinations to organise events around the country where tourism businesses can gain free access to experts on building design, communications & social media, marketing and legal issues to ensure greater resilience against severe weather conditions in the future. There are 16 destinations involved and over 50 events planned to provide support and advice to businesses.
VisitEngland’s Chief Executive James Berresford said: “We welcome this additional funding from Government to support the tourism industry. It has enabled us to act fast, and together with our destination partners we are providing vital on the ground support to help businesses become more resilient against severe weather conditions in the future. The price-led Spot on England advertising campaign will support our efforts to reassure visitors that England remains a beautiful and exciting destination to visit this spring and summer.”
A practical online free guide is now also available on http://www.visitengland.org/flood-response/index.aspx and covers everything from assessing the situation, communicating with customers, reviewing marketing activity, government support and legal considerations.
