PLANS for marketing East Lindsey to attract more visitors have been announced.
With an important summer season on the horizon for businesses across East Lindsey and major events now taking place throughout the year, East Lindsey District Council and East Lincolnshire Destination Management Organisation are keen to seize the momentum and ensure the visitor offer is championed regionally and nationally through new and traditional media.
Tourism is worth £480 million to East Lindsey's economy each year, creating thousands of jobs in hotels, bars, shops, restaurants and supply business. In 2012, VisitEngland announced that Skegness was one of the UK's 12 attract brands and the fifth most visited place in the country.
As well as traditional mechanisms to promote the District, such as the visitor guide produced in partnership with Skegness, East Coast, Wolds, Hospitality Association (SEWCHA); investment is being made in online advertising to give the District a greater presence on tourism websites, as well as print advertising, with adverts planned for the Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post, Birmingham News, Birmingham Sunday Mercury. Nuneaton News, Northants News and Northampton Chronicle.
For the first time, East Lindsey will also feature on buses across the West Midlands, with the rear of buses being covered in artwork promoting the area.
The presence of the visitor offer in East Lindsey will also be championed at consumer and trade shows again this year and the District will be celebrating English Tourism Week from March 16 to March 24,.
It was recently announced that East Lindsey District Council is also investing £10,000 in two Visit England thematic campaigns focusing on the Seaside and Active Outdoors.
As well as attracting visitors for the traditional bucket and spade seaside holiday on the coast, market towns and other inland destinations are popular with visitors interested in aviation, high quality food, green tourism, walking and cultural events. As a destination, East Lindsey has a growing reputation for its ability to offer high quality events throughout the District all year around, and is embracing specific opportunities to boost tourism, such as the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters.
SO Festival 2013, which will also see a comprehensive local, regional and national PR and marketing campaign, takes place from June 28 to July 7. In 2012, the campaign for SO Festival generated media coverage valued at £800,000, raising the profile of the area across the UK.
Chairman of East Lindsey DMO, Chris Baron, said "East Lindsey has a vibrant visitor offer both inland and on the coast and we want to ensure that the offer continues to remain attractive to visitors and that they want to come for many years to come. As well as investment in the promotion of the area, businesses have a key role to play in supporting the quality of the offer that we make to visitors by seeking opportunities to invest and improve what they do. Times are tough economically for the UK but the East Coast stands firm and remains very popular amongst visitors."
Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration at East Lindsey District Council, Councillor Craig Leyland, said: "We are working hard alongside the DMO, SECHWA and other private sector organisations to ensure East Lindsey remains a popular visitor destination. Working with both the DMO and SECHWA, we've been able to pool our resources and develop a joint marketing campaign for East Lindsey that delivers more bangs for the buck. Part of our strategy for tourism is the use of events as a way to bring more people into the District at different times of the year."
A programme of events for East Lindsey is available at www.eastlindseylive.org.
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