Changing Face of Tourism
Marketing Lancashire is helping to change the face of tourism by providing customers with access to visitor information through technology; next year, for the first time, Marketing Lancashire, the county’s Destination Management Organisation (DMO), will offer an iPad version of the Welcome to Lancashire 2014 visitor guide. The guide will provide greater interaction and virtual experiences, thanks to the inclusion of many more films from attractions and tourism businesses all over the county including: new films celebrating the amazing wealth of museums, collections and historic mills and houses in the Pennine Lancashire Museums group; films that explore some of our nationally recognised nature attractions such as Brockholes and Martin Mere; footage of days out in world class spas and hotels, as well as walking trails, cycle routes and physical challenges for the thrill-seeking and active visitor.
A new report by the national tourism board, Visit England entitled ‘Domestic Leisure Tourism Trends for the Next Decade’, outlines a wide range of demographic, economic, technological and consumer trends, and highlights key opportunities that could change the face of tourism in England over the next decade.
One of the main themes is related to access to, and use of, technology, with customers increasingly demanding immediate communication through social media; with the best virtual experiences on offer, inspiring bookings and subsequent word of mouth. The report highlights the heightened ‘fear of missing out’ FOMO, which drives the desire for broader leisure activities and new experiences.
Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire comments “There’s always plenty to do here in Lancashire whatever the season, whatever the weather and, in the last 3 months, we’ve seen a 50% increase in people searching visitlancashire.com which is already top of natural search results in Google for ‘things to do in Lancashire’ and ‘what’s on in Lancashire’.
“Creating an iPad version of the Welcome to Lancashire 2014 Visitor Guide will provide customers with another route to engaging with our tourism businesses and the options to book short breaks or day visits.
“In 2012, following research which revealed 47% of traffic to the site is coming through smartphones and tablets, we introduced a visitlancashire App to improve access and viewing experience. With the addition of an iPad version of the guide, Lancashire’s digital profile will be even further enhanced and the virtual visitor’s experience of Lancashire much improved – creating that genuine desire to visit.”
The Welcome to Lancashire 2014 Visitor Guide will be available at the end of January 2014 and will be distributed widely, through tourist information centres, main railway stations and key motorway services. It will also be available on request via visitlancashire.com/Welcome2014 and in digital format to visitlancashire.com’s over 1million unique visitors.
Businesses that would like to appear in the guide can find more information on marketinglancashire.com or via Sally Jastrzebski-Lloyd, Marketing Manager
Tel: 01772 426461. Closing date: Friday 20 December.
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Media enquiries: Anna Izza, Communications Manager, Marketing Lancashire
01772 426 459 or [email protected]