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| Friday, 26 October 2012 |
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| THE BRITISH ARE COMING | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Destination Britian returns to Toronto as Canadian buyers meet British suppliers for meetings and networking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zachary-Cy Vanasse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Closing out on a year that put Britain front and centre on the global stage with internationally captivating events such as the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, VisitBritain kept the momentum going with Destination Britain North America hosted in Toronto on Thursday. The industry marketplace event, held at the Thompson Toronto Hotel, brought together British suppliers with Canadian buyers through a series of one-on-one appointments, networking sessions and informal presentations. The day kicked-off with a welcome tea and coffee with registration at 8 a.m. and was followed by a welcome before the buyers and suppliers got off to the first of their multiple one-one-one meetings scheduled throughout the day.
“The marketing campaign kicked-off the day the Paralympics closed... we’re really looking to convert that buzz into bookings and getting people to travel to Britain. That buzz we hope continues with the launch of Skyfall and the 50th anniversary of Bond.” The goal is to keep the sense of occasion going, according to Yates. Britain will soon play host to the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games, and the attention the acclaimed television show Downton Abbey has brought Britain in the wake of its success is also helping in the post-Olympic glow. All this means Britain won’t immediately shrink away from the global tourism limelight, giving the destination opportunity to grow its arrivals.
“We make sure that we connect with the Canadian audience and look at what works here and show how Canadians can come to Britain. One thing that we have in Canada to reinforce the desire is the fact that many Canadians kind of see Britain as home, and as it being family,” said Yates. In 2011, 740,000 Canadians visited Britain with a total spend of approximately half-a-billion dollars. Through August of 2012, total visitor numbers are on par with last year, but with a three per cent increase in value. “The trade tell us that business came back quite quickly after the Games, so we would hope to have a good end of Games here. In fact our current forecasts have us coming back flat [from 2011]. So if we do that, we’ll have done better than our [initial] forecast,” said Yates.
“We’re optimistic for growth coming through for next year,” she said. Throughout the day, TRAVELHotNews.com had the chance to sit down one-on-one with some of the British suppliers to find out what they were bringing to the table to offer the more than 30 Canadian buyers. Highland Experience Tours
In addition to the set itineraries, the tour operator offers customized tours and themed tours, such as golf, whiskey or wedding. “I’m a real Highlander and these are unique Highland experiences,” Bremner said. He added that his team of guides are carefully vetted and bring a true sense of locality to the entire tour experience. Agents can find out more at highlandexperience.com, where they will find an online booking portal. Historic Scotland
“We are the custodians of heritage, so we do it properly,” said Graeme Bowie, sales manager, Historic Scotland, of the authentic costume, decoration and rebuilds of the many historical site under its care. Precise attention is paid to the authentic restorations and recreations to guarantee an accurate a portrayal of the historical premises as possible. Commissions are available on the sale of Explorer Passes, which give visitors access to all 78 Historic Scotland attractions and are valid for three-days (over five days), seven-days (over 14 days) or 10-days (over 30 days). For more information, visit historic-scotland.gov.uk. Visit Wales
That distinction, along with a variety of other offerings growing in popularity such as food, has allowed Wales to start finding itself top of mind for travellers visiting Great Britain. But while the travel experiences awaiting visitors in Wales may be newly discovered by some, they have been in place for some time now, so agents and Canadian tour operators should have no trouble setting up their clients for the Wales experience they desire, according to Judith Newton, senior product marketing executive, Visit Wales. “We can link Canadians to tour operators in Wales right now who can get people there and into these activities,” said Newton. “The system is in place.” Agents can visit visitwales.gov.uk/tourism or taveltrade.visitwales.com to connect with Welsh travel trade partners and find out more. Visit Oxfordshire
The old market town of Bampton is filled with 17th and 18th century houses and is the filming location of most exterior shots for the BBC/PBS series. Jo Butler, tourism manager, Visit Oxfordshire and Hayley Beer, tourism services manager, Oxfordshire Cotswolds suggest the best way to experience the area is via a themed walking tour. “It’s really rural England at its finest,” said Beer and Butler added that Oxfordshire is what people tend to think of as “the real England.” The area offers a range of accommodations from two- to five-star with many free activities and high-end shopping. For more information, visit visitoxfordshire.com. Marketing Birmingham
The newspaper asked they question: “Could England’s second city be first in food?” In addition, the BBC food magazine Olive declared Birmingham as the United Kingdom’s “foodiest town.” Emma Gray, director of marketing services, Marketing Birmingham, said that Air Transat offers direct flights in Birmingham and the city is also accesible via an hour-and-15-minute train ride from London. In addition to its food scene, free museums, festivals and a modern cosmopolitan with cultural hubs such as Stratford-upon-Avon nearby, are also some of the top draws said Gray. “We do Christmas really well,” Gray said of the city’s famous Christmas markets, the largest outside of Germany. More on Birmingham can be found at marketingbirmingham.com. GoldenTours
Commission on all GoldenTours products start at 15 per cent and reach as high as 30 per cent, said Umesh Majithia, commercial director, GoldenTours. The company also recently began operating its own open air bus tours (with tickets commissionable at 30 per cent). Agents can register with GoldenTours online via the agent section at the top of the website, goldentours.com. Within two business days of registering, agents will receive confirmation from GoldenTours of their official registration to sell the company’s products. Enriching Cultural Experiences
“Every program delivers unique content and accessibility to people and places,” Stewart Old, business development manager, ECE, told TRAVELHotNews.com. ECE has been in the business for 30 years, because of this, Old said that the company is able to consistently deliver a strong marriage of both fun and education on its tours. “We’re steeped in history,” said Old. As evidence of that, ECE has been granted a corporate knighthood by the Queen, a distinction that lasts for five years and indicates the company is contributing in a major way to the U.K’s culture and history. In recent years the company has expanded into sports and special interest offerings. The company also hosts the Harrogate International Youth Festival of music and performing arts for which Canada is the largest market, more specifically Ontario. “We’d love to see more provinces across Canada involved in that,” said Old. To The Roof! The Destination Britain seminar concluded with a networking cocktail reception on the Thompson Toronto Hotel rooftop just as the sun set on the city, providing for some spectacular views of the city while a duo of violinists entertained.
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