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British Tourism Week

British Tourism Week, supported by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, takes places from the 15 – 21 March. Created to raise awareness of Britain’s £114 billion visitor economy, a series of events will be taking place across the country, culminating with an exhibition in London, Best of Britain and Ireland Travel Trade Forum. This new two-day consumer and trade show will promote Britain as a great place to holiday and include destinations in the East Midlands.

To coincide with the week a range of activities will be happening for businesses and visitors across the East Midlands. Visit Lincolnshire is running a Discover Lincolnshire Weekend on the 13 and 14 March with tourism businesses throwing open their doors for free, encouraging visitors to explore their many attractions. And in Rutland, businesses including attractions, pubs and restaurants have joined forces to offer discounts and free entries to highlight all the county has to offer.

Businesses interested in finding out more about how they can get involved in the week, or who have an event happening which they would like to register should visit www.britishtourismweek.com

New Tourism Strategy Underway

The tourism strategy for developing the visitor economy in the region, Destination East Midlands, comes to an end this year. In preparations for developing a new strategy to guide the future direction of tourism development in the region, East Midlands Tourism, emda’s tourism arm, will shortly be going out to consultation, seeking the views of the industry to help shape the future direction of the visitor economy over the next ten years.

Since the first strategy was developed seven years ago the tourism landscape has changed significantly. There has been a growth in online booking, greater access into the region through the introduction of low cost flights into East Midlands Airport and the development of the Eurostar terminal to St Pancras. There are five destination management partnerships in place, working with local authorities across the region, and a dedicated programme in place to work with businesses on achieving higher standards of quality on every aspect of the visitor journey. And nationally Visit England has been established to promote England in domestic markets and in key European markets.

For organisations and individuals interested in taking part in the consultation a questionnaire will be available to download from www.eastmidlandstourism.com from 1 March

Awards Open

The 29 March sees the launch of the 2010 East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards. Considered one of the key dates in the region’s tourism calendar, the awards celebrate the achievements of businesses that are driving tourism through their commitment to delivering quality and excellence. Open to businesses of all sizes, there are 16 categories up for grabs including Large and Small Attraction, Best Pub Experience, Sustainable Tourism and Guest Accommodation.

Application forms will be available to download from www.eastmidlandstourism.com or from the Quality Managers at the Destination Management Partnerships.

Five winners from the 2009 regional awards have been shortlisted for the national final is held in Brighton on St George’s Day, 23 April. The nominations are: Underleigh House, Blakelow Farm Holiday Cottages, Imago at Burleigh Court, Kilworth House and Nottingham Tourism Centre.

Local Taxi Driver Praised by Prime Minister

Saeed Khan, from Leicestershire, has won the prestigious N/SVQ Achiever of the Year award at the Go for Excellence Passenger Transport Awards. His award follows hot on his success in the NVQ2 course in Road Passenger Vehicle Driving at Leicester College, a course funded by East Midlands Tourism as part of Leicestershire Promotions’ Quality Improvement Programme.

Run over six months the course covered Disability Awareness, personal safety, customer services and the provision of tourist information on the city, and is designed to help city-based taxi drivers to develop their skills and knowledge in order to provide a better user experience, whilst gaining a nationally-recognised qualification.

Saeed completed the course in 2007 whilst working full time. Following his national award, he received a letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister acknowledging his achievement and hard work.

Plans Underway for New Overseas Marketing Campaigns

A series of new marketing campaigns targeting visitors in France, Germany and the Netherlands will launch next month under the banner “The most English Part of England”.

The campaigns, designed to attract visitors to the East Midlands and increase spend whilst here, will promote the region’s countryside, historic buildings as well as quaint traditions and English food, inviting people to come and enjoy the quintessential English experience seen in films and on TV.

The new campaign aims to distinguish the East Midlands’ destinations from other regions in the country, with imagery playing a key role. Delivery of the campaigns will be via East Midlands Tourism’s www.discovereastmidlands.com foreign language websites, supported by e-newsletters and social media.

Film Tourism

The region’s claim to fame as a movie location looks set to continue this year with the release of two new films. Attractions in Leicestershire provide the backdrop for a major British film called ‘Cemetery Junction’, the directorial debut from comics Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant, which is due out in April. The scenes filmed at Great Central Railway and the Bell Foundry in Loughborough were made possible through the joint work of EM Media and LeicesterShire Promotions to promote the county for filming projects.

Preparations are also underway in Nottinghamshire to mark the launch of the eagerly awaited Robin Hood film in May, directed by Ridley Scott. Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Experience Nottinghamshire are working together to promote a series of events, including an official movie exhibition which is due to open next month at Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest. A series of events will be happening across the county throughout May.

Local artist wins 2012 Cultural Olympiad Commission

The work of Leicestershire artist, Shauna Richardson, will be showcased as one of the major projects for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Shauna’s creation, Lionheart, is one of 12 commissions that will be produced across the UK in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralymic Games.

The sculpture features three giant hand crocheted lions in a huge case. It is expected to take two years to complete and people will be able follow it progress via a web cam or through studio visits. The lions bodies, symbolic of many of the qualities associated with the Olympics, will be created by a professional polystyrene sculptor and the skins will be hand crocheted by Shauna.

Back to the Floor for Apprenticeship Week

Members of the East Midlands Tourism team rolled up their sleeves to lend a hand at some of the region’s tourism business, to mark National Apprenticeship Week earlier this month.

The Back to the Floor initiative, introduced to encourage businesses to gain first hand experience of some of the apprenticeship schemes on offer across the region, was organised by the National Apprenticeship Service.

East Midlands Development Agency’s tourism director Ruth Hyde donned Wellington boots and waterproofs to spend the day under the supervision of a student keeper, helping to prepare breakfast for giraffes, serve lunch to chimps and sweep out animal enclosures. Claire Lambert, East Midlands Tourism’s Investment Manager spent the day in the kitchen at Center Parks, Sherwood Forest with apprentice chefs training at West Nottinghamshire College, and Una Mullan, Head of Tourism Marketing joined the frontline staff at Nottingham City’s Tourist Information Centre.

2012 Olympic Images

The images produced by EMT earlier in the year featuring current and aspiring local Olympians and Paralympians, are now available complete with captions on disk.

We are keen for all our partners across the East Midlands to use these images to promote 2012 related activities and to exhibit our region as an inspirational place to visit before, during and after the games.

To request a disk please email tourism@emd.org.uk