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Tourism Morecambe, Lancaster & the Lune Valley Winter www.lancaster.gov.uk/tourism This newsletter is produced by Lancaster City Council's Economic Development and Tourism Service for the district’s tourism industry. 2006/07 Welcome Welcome to the second edition of 'Tourism News', the newsletter which features news and recent activities undertaken by ourselves at Lancaster City Council's Economic Development and Tourism Service. We are distributing this second newsletter by email only, but please let us know if you would like a printed copy sent to you or to someone you know within the tourism industry that does not have an email address. In this issue (as promised in our previous edition), we have included a feature on our new website www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk letting you know about our latest online developments. Finally, if you have any comments on this newsletter or would like to provide suggestions of possible articles to include please let us know by emailing: tourism@lancaster.gov.uk or telephone (01524) 582816. Internet Update Our new website has been running for a few months now, so we are letting you know about some developments on the site and how your business may be promoted on it. Some background - The site www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk was launched earlier this year with its aim to promote the whole district. For marketing purposes, we have also registered the following domain names: www.visitmorecambe.co.uk, www.visitlancaster.co.uk, www.visitlunevalley.co.uk and www.visitcarnforth.co.uk. If you type in these addresses it directs you to the appropriate ‘destination’ page on the www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk website. (i.e. type in 'www.visitmorecambe.co.uk' and this will take you to the Morecambe page featured on the district website.) Following the launch of the site, we have been working hard to increase visitor traffic to the site by ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ (higher rankings on search engines like Google) and by ‘Pay Per Click’ campaigns (sponsored links pages on major search engines). In the New Year we will be sending out E-Newsletters to our increasing database of customers with short break and holiday ideas. The site currently gets over 10,000 visitors a month (50,000 hits) and was indeed voted top website in 'Webuser Magazine' in their September edition! Increasingly, visitors are planning their holidays on the internet, so please take time to visit the site, check your listing and we would always appreciate it if you let us know about any changes or images that you may wish to add. If you would like to know about how many visits your listing page has had and want to look at ways to improve it, please feel free to contact us. New Industry Books... VisitBritain have published and launched 2 new books: "How to Run A Quality Bed and Breakfast" and "How to Run Quality Self Catering Accommodation”. Both publications have been written by tourism experts at East of England Tourist Board and offer the very latest in research, legislation and practical advice. They are available in bookshops and via www.enjoyenglanddirect.com, each priced at £9.99. Morecambe Welcome to... Regeneration Our tourism team pictured earlier this year with Urban Splash Director, Paul Jones on a tour of the Midland Hotel currently being restored in Morecambe. Congratulations to Whittam Barn in Morecambe for achieving Enjoy England 5 stars for self catering… and a warm welcome into the guide for the first time to The Town House, Morecambe, Crows Nest Hotel, Edenbreck House, River Cottage, Whittam Barn, The Moorings, Waterside Bungalow, Culdene and De Nada. Cycling for All our district) will also greatly benefit – not least by the use of Morecambe Promenade to cyclists, which will provide 8km of traffic free riding looking out across the wonderful Morecambe Bay. Our diverse district also offers an excellent choice for cyclists from mountain biking in Bowland, to family friendly riverside paths and the leafy lanes of the Arnside/Silverdale AONB. Two new leaflets produced this year have proved useful to commuters and tourists alike. The new 'Cycling and Walking Map' and the 'Cycling for All' guide have been flying off the shelves and have also received national coverage in a number of cycling magazines - proving that the Lancaster district is destination for both local and visiting cyclists. For copies of the leaflets pop into the Tourist Information Centres or visit: www.celebratingcycling.org for more information on the 'Celebrating Cycling' Project. Focus on Cycling In October 2005, Lancaster with Morecambe was granted the status of a ‘Cycling Demonstration Town’, just one of six places in the country. Central to this is the 'Celebrating Cycling' project – with the aim of doubling cycling levels in the district. The project is primarily aimed at utility journeys i.e. those to work and to school. However, leisure cyclists (including visitors to New Publications The brand new Visitor Guide for Morecambe, Lancaster and the Lune Valley has just been printed! To commence our major marketing campaign the guide is now being promoted on our website and is being distributed across the country through the national network of Tourist Information Centres. The front cover features artwork by locally renowned artist Chas Jacobs. The accommodation guide will be launched as part of the official opening ceremony for the newly refurbished Morecambe Visitor Information Centre on the 9 January 2007. We look forward to seeing you there! We have also produced a brand new Conference Guide for the District which is available to download from our website – www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk/site/conferences. The publication features free listings for venues promoting their establishment for conferences, meetings or corporate hospitality. So, if you need a venue for a conference or have already booked to host a conference and want information on what your delegates could see or visit during their stay here – the Conference Guide may be ideal for your business. Trends, Research and Visitor Figures As part of our work, we conduct or commission visitor research to aid our marketing and tourism plans. ‘STEAM’ (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) reports provide us with annual visitor figures for our district. Our 2005 report showed us that we welcomed over 4.7 million visitors to our district which generated £217 million in revenue. We have recently commissioned a team of marketing students at Lancaster University to analyse the success of our Holiday Guide advertising campaigns, contacting accommodation providers and customers again to see whether they booked as a result of receiving the guide. In addition, we are expecting our ‘Destination Benchmarking’ reports shortly – which profiles Morecambe and Lancaster against similar visitor destinations across the UK. A wealth of tourism research and intelligence is available for you to view on the Northwest Development Agency website at www.nwriu.co.uk/tourism.asp. Alternatively, feel free to contact us if you require any research reports including copies of the reports mentioned above. Tourist Board News Lancashire & Blackpool Tourist Board (LBTB) has teamed up with Made in Lancashire (MiL) and Quality in Tourism to produce a new quality award scheme for eating establishments. The partnership recognises the importance of the food and drink industry to the Lancashire tourism product, and has developed this scheme to give acknowledgement to those establishments who provide a consistently high quality eating experience. If you would like further information or are interested in participating in a local food event please contact Angela Brown on 01257 226604 or email abrown@lbtbltd.com Tourism Strategy for the District 2006-2010 The tourism strategy that was produced earlier this year sets out the priorities for action by Lancaster City Council and partner organisations in the development of tourism in the district. It was written in consultation with local industry stakeholders (thank you to those who were involved in this) and is available to download at www.lancaster.gov.uk/tourism. Events 2007 Below is just a taster of events planned for 2007. Make sure to visit your local Tourist Information Centre in Morecambe or Lancaster or log onto www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk for full up to date listings. Tourist Information Centres Morecambe Tourist Information Centre has had a busy few months! In autumn it won ‘Best Tourist Information Centre of the Year’ in the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board awards. It’s the second time Morecambe has won the award for best Tourist Information Centre in Lancashire and Blackpool, as it also claimed the title two years ago in 2004/05. Hot on the heels of the award, the TIC has been completely refurbished and is now open for business as the newly titled ‘Morecambe Visitor Information Centre’. Why not come and see the improvements for yourself! Lancaster TIC - Now that the Morecambe centre has been refurbished, work has started on designing a new Tourist Information Centre (TIC) for Lancaster. This will be a "Hub" TIC in which the sub-region as well as the local area will be promoted. The new Lancaster Centre will be re-located within the Storey Institute and will act as a major interpretation point for the Castle Hill heritage area. We will be working closely with the County Council’s Museums Service, as well as the local arts organisations, to develop the TIC into a leading information Hub for the surrounding region. All being well, we should have this new TIC operational by the end of 2008. Finally - Accommodation Providers! Please remember to submit your availability to the Tourist Information Centres on a regular basis by calling the Accommodation Booking Hotline on 01524 582393. 14 FEBRUARY 7.30PM-9PM ROMANTIC FILM NIGHT, CARNFORTH ‘You Made Me Love You’ Valentine’s Day Short Film Night Tel: 01524 722807. 7 – 9 APRIL (SAT TO EASTER MONDAY) GLASSON MARITIME WEEKEND Sea song and shanty performers and a vast array of other maritime events and activities at the port of Glasson. Tel: 01524 32878. www.visitlancaster.co.uk 20 - 22 APRIL HURDY-GURDY FESTIVAL AT THE GREGSON / FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE, LANCASTER See the best british gurdy makers and their instruments! Tel: 01524 32878. www.gurdy.co.uk 28 APRIL TO 7 MAY WRAY SCARECROW FESTIVAL (WRAY FAIR 7 MAY), LUNE VALLEY Visit the village inhabited by fun loving scarecrows that magically appear each year. Tel: 01524 32878. www.visitlunevalley.co.uk 5 - 8 MAY FRENCH FINE FOOD MARKET, MORECAMBE Stalls selling continental delicacies. Tel: 01524 582808. MID MAY – ONWARDS BANDS IN THE PARK AT HAPPY MOUNT PARK, MORECAMBE With the best of brass from around the North West each Sunday afternoon from 2.30pm. Tel: 01524 582808. www.visitmorecambe.co.uk 25 MAY – 17 JUNE (FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS ONLY) LUNESDALE STUDIO TRAIL Celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Visit artists’ studios in the Lune Valley. Tel 015242 61167. www.lunesdalearts.co.uk 2 - 17 JUNE THE BOWLAND FESTIVAL, FOREST OF BOWLAND A festival to celebrate the birds, wildlife, landscape, heritage and rural life of the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Tel: 01524 32878. www.forestofbowland.com. Tourism Team - Who to Contact Advertising Opportunities / Marketing / Business Support Jane Silvester / Mark McTigue Tel: 01524 582816 Email: tourism@lancaster.gov.uk Visitor Services Officer (Websites and Tourist Information Centres) Allison Thomas / Ros Forster Tel: 01524 582397 Email: tourism@lancaster.gov.uk 5 JULY – 11 AUGUST THE DUKES OUTDOOR THEATRE, WILLIAMSON PARK, LANCASTER “Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi. Tel: 01524 598500. www.dukes-lancaster.org 8 JULY CATCH THE WIND, MORECAMBE Fantastic kite festival and family fun on the promenade. Tel: 01524 582808. www.visitmorecambe.co.uk 9 SEPTEMBER MORECAMBE HERITAGE GALA, MORECAMBE Stay in Touch! Remember to keep us up to date with your current contact details and please feel free to get in touch with us about any tourism related issues or opportunities that you may wish to discuss. You are also welcome to provide suggestions for future articles in this newsletter. Designed by Graphic Design Tel: 01524 825600 01/07 A free day of events on Morecambe promenade, featuring an RAF aerial display and fantastic fireworks finale. Includes the Bradford to Morecambe historic vehicle car run. Tel: 01524 582808. www.visitmorecambe.co.uk 14 - 16 SEPTEMBER LANCASTER JAZZ FESTIVAL Various venues in Lancaster and Morecambe. Annual celebration of the very best in local, national and international jazz. Tel: 01524 582803. www.visitlancaster.co.uk