The importance of Bath’s tourist industry is to be highlighted during English Tourism Week, which starts this Saturday.
Bath Tourism Plus, the official destination marketing organisation for the city and surrounding area, is to use the week to demonstrate the raise the profile of the industry and demonstrate its value to the economy.
Latest research shows more than 8,000 jobs in Bath & North East Somerset are tourism related, while spending by visitors contributes around £357m a year to the local economy.
Bath Tourism Plus believes that, with many iconic events happening in 2012, including the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Torch Relay and Cultural Olympiad events, there has never been a bigger opportunity to showcase the industry.
And with Bath playing host to a range of Olympic, Paralympic and Jubilee-related events, tourist chiefs see English Tourism Week as a great opportunity for the local industry to raise their profile – and for locals to feel proud of their city.
Bath Tourism Plus chief executive Nick Brooks-Sykes said: “Bath is an extremely welcoming city, which thrives on its visitor economy. Around 10% of all jobs depend on it, so it is vitally important that we continue to support the industry and work together to grow the value of the visitor economy.
“2012 presents a massive opportunity to showcase our city to a worldwide audience. We need to work hard to ensure that when visitors choose come to the UK, they also choose to come to Bath.
“Sometimes it’s the small things that make or break a visitor’s experience. Everyone can make a difference – visitors are the life blood of this city and we want them to return again and again.
“We all have a part to play in this, from taxi drivers to tour guides, from traffic wardens to locals.”
Nationally, English Tourism Week, which lasts until Sunday March 18, is being marked with a range of activities running throughout the week including offers, discounts and special events.
The industry is set for a further boost with the launch of VisitEngland’s national Holidays at home are GREAT campaign – the UK’s biggest ever domestic marketing campaign – with a new TV advertising starting this Thursday.
The celebrations in Bath will focus on the newly-refurbished Bath Information Centre in Kingston Parade/Abbey Churchyard, which will be officially opened by tourism minister John Penrose next Monday.
The Information Centre has been amalgamated with the Bath Box Office with the aim of improving the visitor experience and easing cross-selling between the two organisations and so more effectively supporting tourism businesses.
Centre staff will be inviting people to get involved in English Tourism Week by offering free workshops that highlight some of what the area’s tourism industry has to offer, including:
• Lavender bag making with Somerset Lavender
• Wine tasting with Quoins Vineyard
• Sally Lunn’s Bun sampling
• Bath Bun sampling
• Tea tasting with Tea Monkey
• Dough-making with Bertinet Kitchen
• Food/drink sampling with Green Park Brasserie
• Massage treatments with Hands on Health
• Food sampling of TIC retail products (biscuits, jams and chutneys etc)
• Bath quiz with prizes to be won
Follow @visitbath on Twitter or ‘like’ the Visit Bath Facebook page for updates throughout the week, and the chance to win prizes.
