Start planning for English Tourism Week 2020

9th January 2020

Categories: Member News

English Tourism Week is the annual celebration of tourism in England, which showcases the quality, range and value of English tourism to stakeholders and highlights the vast contribution of tourism to the UK economy. This year’s event takes place between 18^th to 25^th April.  

VisitEngland is once again leading the official campaign and will be working to support English tourism destinations to help them raise awareness of the enormous contribution that the tourism industry makes to the country. The dates chosen for 2020 for the first time includes St. George’s Day, seamlessly tying England's national day to our industry and providing a strong media hook to showcase the tourism offer across England.

English tourism makes up 80% of the UK’s visitor economy and generates £106 billion a year, supports 2.6 million jobs and is a major employer of school leavers and young people, as well as an incubator for entrepreneurs and innovation.

There are many benefits to participating in English Tourism Week. It can:

• Raise the profile and awareness of English tourism with decision-makers, the media, those who work or are considering a career in the industry
• Provide an opportunity to engage with your local stakeholders such as local MPs to bring attention to tourism’s contribution in your area
• Provide a national framework and a free marketing and communication “hook” for local destinations, businesses and organisations to build their own marketing and PR campaigns
• Increase awareness amongst domestic and overseas consumers of the value and quality of the English tourism offer and encourage domestic travel (eg. Microgap opportunities )

You don’t even need to do too much to get involved! There are a range of ways you can engage in English Tourism Week without having to create expensive ad campaigns. Here are a few ideas for you:

1. A free English Tourism Week toolkit will soon be available online to help you engage with stakeholders.
2. Attend the DMO Workshop on 21 January for destination management organisations to learn more about influencer engagement.
3. Invite local MPs or the Mayor to your business on Constituency Friday (24 April) to help them get “back to the floor” and find out more about your work and the local tourism sector.
4. Use the hashtag #EnglishTourismWeek20 on social media to share facts and figures about tourism in your area and raise awareness of businesses in the area.

English tourism touches everyone – visitors, residents, businesses and destinations. It is one of the few sectors active in every part of the country. English Tourism Week works best when everyone participates. So, start planning today!