Lincolnshire’s Visitor Guides are the best in the country

Two visitor guides created by Visit Lincolnshire have scooped prestigious industry awards at the annual British Resorts and Destinations Association (BRADA) conference held at Butlins, Skegness in June.

‘Skegness & Mablethorpe 2010’ and ‘Visit Lincolnshire 2010’ received second and third prize respectively in the Brochure Cover of the Year category, piped to the post by The Isle of Scilly who snatched first prize.

The BRADA awards are hosted by the leading experts in the travel and tourism industry, and the 2010 ceremony saw the county guides secure prizes for the most striking and effective front cover within the brochure category.

“We are absolutely delighted the guides have won national acclaim for the second year running,” said Emma Tatlow Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire.

“We produce the guides in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council and all the local authorities and they form a vital introduction to what Lincolnshire can offer visitors and local residents all year round.

“Selecting the correct cover image for a visitor guide is critical because it has to work very hard to gain people’s attention in a competitive market place – and fantastic pictures of the county can inspire future visits.

“It’s incredible to think Lincolnshire took the majority of the awards, scooping two of the three awards in the national category. The competition was really tough when you consider how many other destinations in the UK produce visitor guides.”

The 2010 Skegness and Mablethorpe Guide was produced by Visit Lincolnshire on behalf of East Lindsey District Council.

Report demolishes myths about demise of British seaside tourist industry

A major new report released by Sheffield Hallam University has found that the seaside tourist industry in England and Wales remains a substantial and growing employer.

The research exploded the popular myth that the increase in the numbers of foreign holidays has destroyed the economy of Britain’s own seaside towns.

It also indicates the annual GVA directly attributed to the seaside tourist industry in Skegness in £54m; Cleethorpes £36m; Ingoldmells a further £33m and Mablethorpe £13m.

VisitEngland commented on the research on BBC Look North TV following a brief from VL. Read the press release here or the full report.

Press Release - Sheffield Hallam University

Report demolishes myths about demise of British seaside tourist industry

• Seaside tourism directly supports more than 20,000 jobs in the region
• The industry adds £300m a year to the regional economy

A major new report released today finds that the seaside tourist industry in England and Wales remains a substantial and growing employer.

The Seaside Tourist Industry in England and Wales, by a team at Sheffield Hallam University, explodes the popular myth that the increase in the numbers of foreign holidays has destroyed the economy of Britain’s own seaside towns. In fact, the British seaside tourist industry continues to employ as many people as the whole of the telecommunications sector, and more than the motor industry, the aerospace industry, pharmaceuticals or steel.

The report uses novel methods to disentangle jobs supported by tourism - in shops, hotels, bars and restaurants - from those supported by local consumer spending.

It finds that:
• The seaside tourist industry in England and Wales directly supports some 210,000 jobs spread across more than 100 resorts. Large numbers of additional jobs are also supported indirectly through the supply chain.
• The Blackpool area has the largest single concentration of seaside tourist jobs – more than 19,000
• No fewer than 58 individual towns each have at least 1,000 jobs in seaside tourism
• Since the late 1990s employment in the seaside tourist industry has actually increased by about one per cent a year – an overall growth of 20,000 jobs
• The estimated value to the economy of the jobs in seaside tourism is around £3,600 million.

The report provides local figures on seaside tourism employment for 121 individual resorts around the coast.Professor Steve Fothergill, from Sheffield Hallam's Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), who led the team, said: “That a large seaside tourist industry has survived and adapted is good news, not just for seaside towns but for the British economy as a whole.

"Leisure and tourism is a growing market. What our figures show is that even in the face of stiff competition from holidays abroad, Britain’s seaside towns have been able to retain and even expand much of their core business. The British seaside tourist industry remains a major employer. The new government should make every effort to ensure that the industry delivers its full potential in the coming years.”

Peter Hampson, Director of the British Resorts and Destinations Association, said: "People who follow the fortunes of the British seaside tourist industry have always known it is a myth that the industry is in terminal decline, but we have not had the comprehensive and convincing evidence to prove otherwise until now.

"Britain’s seaside resorts face challenges in responding to changing economic circumstances and consumer tastes, but what the Sheffield Hallam report tells us is that in many places around the coast the seaside tourist industry is still alive and well – and growing.

"The seaside tourist industry has been written off too often. This report highlights its resilience.”

Notes for editors:
1. The report can be obtained on the CRESR website at www.shu.ac.uk/cresr

2. The Seaside Tourist Industry in England and Wales: Employment, economic output, location and trends is by Christina Beatty, Steve Fothergill, Tony Gore and Ian Wilson from Sheffield Hallam University.

It was co-financed by the British Resorts and Destinations Association, North West Development Agency, South East of England Development Agency and Visit Wales (Welsh Assembly Government).