Eyewitness Travel Guides published by Dorling Kindersley allow visitors to create their own travel guide online which is then downloaded and printed by the user.

There is a free trail until 26^th March 2007 and then it will cost approximately £2.50.

Recent research published by the Welsh Assembly Government revealed that the majority of tour operators in Wales intend to promote their business through the Internet – 55% through their own website and 42% through the Visit Wales website.  For more information please visit the Welsh Assembly Government’s website.

Where do you go for recommendations or views on holiday destinations?  The world wide web is a growing resource which visitors use to get get information and recommendations.   Where Are You Now? (www.wayn.com) is one such website which has seen registered users increase from 45,000 in the summer of 2005 to 7 million in 2006.  Where Are You Now? is a platform which provides users with a number of tools to communicate with each other and post information on their travels.

 

EasyCruise holidays are now available to users of eBay. We understand that this is the first time eBay have signed up with a cruise operator in the UK. 

The Da Vinci Code movie as helped to generate over £6 million of publicity for VisitScotland.  VisitScotland entered into a partnership with Sony Pictures, VisitBritain and Maison de la France to promote the locations in the movie to 40 countries around the world.

Stuart Beattie the Director of Rosslyn Chapel commented “we have seen visitor numbers increase from 38,000 before the book and the film came out to 160,000 this year.” For more information please click here.

The UNEP has produced an interesting report Marketing Sustainable Tourism Products which is based upon the ‘Marketing Sustainable Tourism Products: Challenges and Opportunities’ workshop held in November, 2004.

VisitScotland have invested £185,000 in an internet marking campaign to attract visitors to Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. This is being supported by advertising with Google and the Guardian.

The website should become the planning guide used by visitors seeking a city break. VisitScotland staff in each destination will be able to update the site ensuring content is regularly refreshed.

Movies have help to market and attract tourists to specific locations, and it is interesting to note that a number of organisations including the UK Film Council, Visit London and Visit Britain are carrying out research into the tourism which has grown out of the images of the UK which are protrayed in films and on TV.  To find out more click here.

The world wide web allows small tourist based businesses to market their products and services cost effectively.  Importantly the world wide web can act as an ‘equaliser’ allowing small scale businesses to complete against more established destinations.    One example of this is The Buchan Tourism Group which is working with 12 accommodation providers.  They have secured funding of £2,700 to help develop a website to attract more visitors to the Buchan area in Scotland.  For more information click here.

Getting visitors to the North East is one thing.  Making sure they have an unforgettable time when they get here is another.
 
Tourism Network NorthEast was set up to promote the region and improve the visitor experience.

“It has brought together businesses and public agencies working on tourism…It is based on the premise that it makes sense to work together to promote tourism in the region and it helps to overcome the difficulties created by administrative and geographical boundaries, neither of which are recognised by the visitor.” Source: Tourism Northeast

The Prince of Wales recently “…launched the new Pleasure in the Extreme brand as the second phase of his North Highland Initiative….”   The North Highland Initiative which incorporates more than 150 hotels, historic castles, B&Bs, archaeological sites and other organisations in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire is working together to promote the area as one region to encourage a higher level of visitor spend & increase the duration of visit and to improve seasonality. To read more click here.

Films from the small and big screens can be used to successfully encourage people to visit areas – you only have to look at the results of Da Vinci Code.  In North Wales MovieMap North Wales can be accessed by visitors to search for 30 different film locations in North Wales. 

Farm Stay UK is an interesting example in respect of marketing rural farm based accommodation to a wide audience.  Brochure production and distribution costs are often prohibitive for small scale accommodation providers.

Farm Stay UK, a farmer owned consortium, have over come this hurdle by bringing together over 1,000 members to jointly promote their farm based accommodation via a website and a brochure run of 150,000 in 2005.

To find out more visit the Farm Stay UK website.

Three holiday regions, which are not as well known as other destinations, have gained EU funding to promote themselves.   Besst, is a programme which aims to to promote small-scale sustainable tourism through joint  initiatives.  For further information visit Business and the Environment Linked  through Small Scale Tourism (BESST) website.