TOURISM
Food, sustainability, gateways, and Dickens! – our emerging tourism priorities
Visit Kent recently refreshed the membership of the Kent 2012 Tourism Sectoral Task Group, and through this new group, and the context of moving from Phase 1 of the Kent Strategy for the 2012 Games into Phase 2, it reviewed existing priotities, and those that have emerged over the past two years.
The ‘dressing’ of Gateways in Kent was felt to be a new and immediate priority within the 2012 context, not just in terms of continuing to seek London 2012 branding for key transport hubs for the Games – namely Ebbsfleet, Dover and Ashford – but to ensure that across our nine year tourism window, first impressions count! Delivering on the importance of Gateways will also be tackled through visitor information and expanding the Greeters programme at our Gateways.
Food, one of the 22 strands of the official Cultural Olympiad, and Kent’s excellent reputation for home grown produce were also felt as being underplayed so far, as we look to achieve our target of a 2% growth in the tourism economy in Kent off the back of the Games.
And Dickens? Well, with 2012 being the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth, it would be rude not to! Kent and Medway Councils are exploring in partnership with Portsmouth how best to maximise the Dickens effect – tying it in with the Cultural Olympiad’s new literature ‘programme’, Kent’s growing interest in Cultural Tourism (a sector growing by 15% each year), and the tourism influx we expect over the next nine years.
For more information contact simon.curtis@medway.gov.uk
More information about Tourism in Kent and 2012
On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! – the South East’s tourism strategy for 2012
The 2012 plan for the visitor economy in the South East region was launched 26 March 2008 with its stated aim to achieve an uplift in tourism and culture income to the region of £1 billion for the nine year period of the Games (2008 – 16).
The plan outlines that the opportunities presented by the 2012 Games relate to Games Related Tourism – attendance during the period of the Games; and to Games Motivated Tourism during the longer 2008 to 2016 period.
‘On Your Marks’ identifies a number of specific opportunities for business, leisure, domestic, international, and educational tourism. Opportunities relating to the Cultural Olympiad have also been assessed.
Tourism South East predicts that travel time to the main venue is likely to be the main criteria for Games Related Tourists, leaving Kent very well placed given that we will host the Olympic Park’s official Park and Rail service from Ebbsfleet.
To read a summary of the strategy, or to read the full strategy, please visit www.industry.visitsoutheastengland.com Visit Kent, and Medway Council are both members of the South East’s Visitor Economy group for the 2012 Games.
Kent’s Big Day Out 2008
This campaign aims to raise awareness of local attractions to local people. It is premised on ensuring the residents of Kent can offer the most informed and warm endorsement of our own leisure and tourism offer, knowing that around 25% of tourists to this County will stay with friends or family. It is hoped that Kent’s Big Day Out will not only be a fun day out each year for all concerned, but contribute to ensuring we achieve our 2% growth in tourism income to the county between now and 2016, the ‘Olympic window’.
130 different venues (up from 88 in its first year in 2007) offered over 16,000 free tickets for a celebration on 29 March 2008. Ten local media partners supported the promotion providing valuable and extensive coverage for the tourism industry. The tickets were made available via the Visit Kent website on 29 February and 4,000 were downloaded in two hours and 11,000 downloaded in the first day. The Visit Kent website had 16, 483 hits on the launch of the Big Day Out, the highest number for one day for the whole year.
Get in touch with Visit Kent if you are associated with an attraction that could take part in Kent’s Big Day Out 2009, particularly if the venue promotes sporting or cultural activity at bigdayout@ktanet.co.uk
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