Bath Set to Celebrate English Tourism Week

9th March 2012

Bath Set to Celebrate English Tourism Week

Bath Tourism Plus, the destination marketing organisation for Bath and the surrounding area, is joining the rest of the country as the tourism industry gears up to celebrate English Tourism Week.

The week-long celebration, which runs from Saturday 10^th to Sunday 18^th March is designed to raise the profile of the tourism industry and its importance as one of the country’s largest employers .

According to the Value of Tourism 2010 Report, compiled by South West Tourism Research Company, more than 8000 people in Bath & North East Somerset are in tourism related jobs, and visitors spend more than £373m annually in the area.

With so many iconic events happening in 2012, including the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Torch Relay and Cultural Olympiad events, there has never been a bigger opportunity to showcase the industry.  And with Bath playing host to a range of Olympic, Paralympic and Jubilee related events, English Tourism Week provides a great opportunity for the local industry to raise their profile – and for locals to feel proud of their city.

Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, Nick Brooks-Sykes says: ‘Bath is an extremely welcoming city, which thrives on its visitor economy.  More than 8000 people are employed in the tourism sector in Bath – around 10% of all jobs, so it is vitally important that we continue to support the industry and work together to grow the value of the visitor economy in Bath & North East Somerset. 2012 presents a massive opportunity to showcase our city to a worldwide audience. We need to work hard to ensure that when visitors choose come to the UK, they also choose to come to Bath.’

Head of Marketing David Jackson adds: ‘Sometimes it’s the small things that make or break a visitor’s experience.  Everyone can make a difference – visitors are the life blood of this city, and we want them to return again and again.’

Nationally, English Tourism Week is being celebrated with a whole range of activities running throughout the week including offers, discounts and special events .  The tourism sector will also see a boost by a major advertising campaign, including a TV advert launching on Thursday 8^th March.  Enjoy England’s “Holidays at home are GREAT” campaign will be the biggest ever domestic marketing campaign launched in the UK.

The celebrations in Bath will focus around the newly refurbished Bath Information Centre in Kingston Parade/Abbey Churchyard, which will be officially opened by the Minister for Tourism, John Penrose MP on Monday 12^th March. The re-opening sees the Information Centre amalgamated with the Bath Box Office, with the aim of improving the visitor experience and easing cross-selling between the two organisations and therefore more effectively supporting tourism businesses.

Staff at the Information Centre are also inviting people to get involved in English Tourism Week, by offering free workshops to highlight just some of what the area’s tourism industry has to offer.  Why not come into the centre to see the new-look facilities for yourself and take part in workshops such as:

• Lavender bag making with Somerset Lavender
• Wine tasting with Quoins Vineyard
• Sally Lunn’s Bun sampling
• Bath Bun sampling
• Tea tasting with Tea Monkey
• Dough-making with Bertinet Kitchen
• Food/drink sampling with Green Park Brasserie
• Massage treatments with Hands on Health
• Food sampling of TIC retail products (biscuits, jams and chutneys etc)
• Bath quiz with prizes to be won

If you aren’t able to visit the centre, you can still get involved through social media – follow @visitbath on Twitter or ‘like’ the Visit Bath Facebook page for updates throughout the week, and the chance to win some fabulous prizes.

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Notes to Editors:  

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Audra McSherry at Bath Tourism Plus on 01225 322434 or email: audra_mcsherry@bathtourism.co.uk.

Bath Tourism Plus

Working with the public and private sectors, Bath’s destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, takes full responsibility for co-ordinating the work of a busy tourist information centre, the marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business travellers, PR activity to attract the nation’s top travel writers, a conference office, and development of Bath’s official destination website www.visitbath.co.uk.  For more information about the services that Bath Tourism Plus offers to meetings, conference and incentive travel businesses, see www.bathconference.co.uk.

English Tourism Week (10-18 March 2012)

Join VisitEngland for English Tourism Week 2012 (ETW12) from the 10 to 18 March and celebrate the benefits our industry brings to everyone, everywhere, every day in England!

http://www.visitengland.org/england-tourism-industry/etw/index.aspx