This week will be very busy for staff from our partners, the official destination organisations of Cotswolds Tourism and Forest of Dean & Wye Valley association, as representatives will be taking part in travel trade events with VisitBritain. This will include holding one-to-one meetings with international buyers at the event followed by a hosted familiarisation trip for international buyers from the Netherlands. The event closes with destination showcase event being held in Bristol on 29th January in which presentations will highlight the gems of the Cotswolds and the wider area including Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury.
The hosted visits are all part of Visit Britain – the national tourism agency’s ‘Showcase Britain’ event, which gets underway with a networking event for international buyers and travel media at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Thursday 26 January. The buyers will be officially welcomed by VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE followed by updates from the agency’s trade teams as well as from London & Partners, VisitScotland and Visit Wales on the latest products, experiences, hospitality and accommodation.
The buyers before heading off on their hosted familiarisation and educational tours, will also attend the ‘Britain and Ireland Marketplace’ (BIM) on 27 January in which the wider region will be fully represented with set appointments with a range of operators from across a range of international markets
Rebecca Clay from Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism said – “ We are looking forward to working with Cotswolds Tourism to present the destinations to a range of buyers from the UK’s three largest inbound markets the USA, France and Germany, as well as from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, India, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, South Korea and Spain. Prior to the pandemic, the destinations had worked together on a trade-focussed projects such as Uncover the Cotswolds and US Connections. This enabled us to set up a dedicated travel trade website for the wider region with authentic bookable local experiences from across the whole area.”
Sally Graff from Cotswolds Tourism said – “We are looking forward to welcoming operators back to the area in one of our first hosted familiarisation trips since the pandemic. We will highlight the destination to buyers from the Netherlands to Tetbury to South Cotswolds following the events in London. We want to extend a big thank you to the businesses involved including the Close Hotel in Tetbury and Rodmarton Manor and garden. We are keen to work with local businesses who want to learn more about working with inbound tour operators and enhance our trade website with new experiences and accommodation providers to ensure we are promoting the comprehensive offer of the wider destination.”
VisitBritain are also set to launch a new GREAT Britain marketing campaign in February to drive bookings, inviting visitors to ‘See Things Differently’, showcasing Britain as a dynamic, exciting and inclusive destination. The campaign will highlight the major events in 2023 including the Coronation of King Charles III in May, with an additional Bank Holiday announced, and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, on behalf of Ukraine, also in May, timely and valuable opportunities to promote Britain’s welcome, creativity and ability to host events of the highest calibre.
VisitBritain’s latest forecast for 2023 estimates 35.1 million inbound visits to the UK, 86% of 2019 levels and 18% higher than levels seen in 2022. Its forecast for overseas visitor spending in the UK this year is £29.5 billion, a projected record high for annual inbound visitor spend.
Learn more about our regional and national partners:
Cotswolds Tourism
Cotswolds Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation promoting and marketing tourism across the Cotswolds. A public-private sector organisation, Cotswolds Tourism is a partnership of tourism businesses, supported by local authorities. Hosted in Cotswold District Council, Cotswolds Tourism is supported with resources by West Oxfordshire District Council, Cotswold District Council and includes strategic partners of Cheltenham Borough Council & Marketing Cheltenham, Cotswolds National Landscape, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Gloucester City Council and Stroud District Council.
Cotswolds Tourism’s priority is to grow the area’s visitor economy by raising awareness of the destination and generating additional tourism spend, especially in the towns and villages.
For key economic statistics and information see www.cotswolds.com/data
To contact email [email protected]
Forest of Dean & Wye Valley
Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism (FDWVT) operating under the brand name of Visit Dean Wye is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley. They are a not-for-profit organisation managing and marketing tourism and growing awareness of the area as an attractive holiday destination. The organisation provides strategic leadership for the tourism industry in our area representing the partner businesses and the local tourism industry at local, regional, national and international level.
For further information visit www.visitdeanwye.co.uk.
To contact email [email protected].
VisitBritain/VisitEngland
VisitBritain/VisitEngland is the national tourism agency – a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Working with a range of partners in the UK and overseas, their mission is to grow the volume and value of inbound tourism across the nations and regions of Britain and to develop world-class English tourism product to support growth aspirations.
For further information, and access to the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics, visit www.visitbritain.org or www.visitbritain.com and www.visitengland.com for consumer information.
For the 2023 VisitBritain annual events calendar, featuring several of Cheltenham’s biggest festivals, visit – visitbritain.com/annual-events-britain-2023
Marketing Cheltenham 