Valued at £127 billion, the UK domestic tourism sector is big business. So is it worth trying to take a slice of the pie for your event?
According to the just-published Domestic Tourism Industry Snapshot Survey, completed by tour operators, visitor attractions, destinations and hotels, the market is experiencing continued buoyancy.
The survey found that 67% of respondents saw an increase in domestic visitor numbers and bookings in 2016, meaning more people are choosing to holiday or make day trips within the UK. Although primarily focused on domestic tourism, the survey also looked at inbound tourism, with 36% witnessing a rise in bookings from international travellers.
Trends show tourists are looking for new experiences and are interested to explore lesser known locations outside of London, which means if you run events anywhere throughout the UK, this could be of huge benefit to you.
We take a look at 7 tactics to successfully promote your event to tourists, both domestic and international.
- List your event on Eventbrite!
Eventbrite has a presence in 21 countries and is a well-recognised brand. People looking for something to do on their holiday will often visit Eventbrite, where they can see what’s on by simply entering the location and dates.
Eventbrite also has excellent SEO, which means anyone searching Google for events in a particular city has a good chance of stumbling across your event page.
Another portal used by travellers globally is Time Out, which has dedicated UK sites for London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol. Time Out often compiles weekly round-ups recommending the best things to do in a given city – and has comprehensive ‘what’s on’ listings – so it’s worth submitting your event details to the editorial team.
- Contact tourism organisations
National, regional and local tourism boards can do a lot to help promote your event, raising awareness on their high-ranking websites and social media channels. They can also offer other help, support and advice to grow your business, so it’s well worth getting in touch.
To reach tourists on the ground, you can provide information to your local tourist information centre – there are over 200 VisitEngland Official Partner centres scattered across the country, helping holidaymakers get the best possible experience by sharing local knowledge. Make sure they’re equipped to inform tourists about your event!
- Target accommodation providers
When people are away from home they need somewhere to stay, so a great place to reach tourists can be hotels, guesthouses and camping/glamping sites. Many venues will allow you to leave flyers in the lobby or put up a poster on the notice board, but it’s also worth personally informing the reception staff so they can mention your event to any guests looking for things to do.
You might like to extend free tickets to the staff to show goodwill for the free exposure. This way your optimising the chance of these staff members spreading the good word about your event in the future.
- Create a special offer
Show out-of-town visitors they’re welcome to your event by creating a special offer for tourists.
Tourism business, by its very nature, is likely to be last-minute, so offering a hefty discount at this stage might seem generous, but the more bums you put on seats the better. Using a dynamic ticketing platform such as Eventbrite can help you keep track of sales and ensure you don’t go over capacity.
- Provide value for money
According to the Domestic Tourism Industry Snapshot Survey (carried out at the British Travel and Tourism Show), value for money is the key consideration for tourists when booking an outing or trip.
Providing value for money isn’t just about offering strategically priced tickets (although that helps); demonstrate to potential attendees how your event will give them an authentic local experience, not available anywhere else.
For example, will they be able to sample regional food specialities? Can they witness something distinctly British like morris dancing or bagpipe playing? Or is it the opportunity to visit a culturally significant venue? Let them know!
- Cater to their needs
Tourists, especially international ones, are likely to have different needs to other event attendees. That might mean creating specific marketing materials that cater to tourists, or providing much more detailed information around transport and accessing the venue.
The Domestic Tourism Industry Snapshot Survey says a rise in inbound tourism is expected from France, Germany, China, the US and Canada, so you might want to place a specific focus on those markets.
Don’t forget about your international visitors on the day; if you have collected data on attendees prior to your event and you know that non-English speaking attendees will be present, consider bringing in bilingual stewards and displaying signage in other languages.
- Have a mobile-friendly website
Leisure tourists might not be travelling with a laptop, so to ensure they can easily access your website, make sure it functions well on mobile devices. Of the tourism businesses questioned in the Snapshot Survey, 60% said they had seen a rise in mobile bookings. Electronic ticketing was expected to become increasingly important too.
Eventbrite offers organisers both mobile optimised event pages and digital ticketing functionality and digital ticketing functionality, so there’s no need for travellers to have to hunt down a printer on their holiday. They can pay digitally too, so they can preserve the sterling in their pocket.
Conclusion
Targeting the tourist market will take a fair amount of preparation and you may not see the fruits of your labour until close to your event date. However, the potential value of securing these last-minute customers to your event shouldn’t be dismissed.
