p16 oct24 v2 22/10/08 20:00 Page 16
news domestic tourism
ttglive.com
Revamped British fair
‘will suit agents better’
Mark Lewis.
new concept would mean a more effective trade “I have no doubt that we can attract 20,000-
THE new owner of the revamped British Travel show and a larger proportion of agent visitors, 25,000 public visitors for our exhibitors, who will
Trade Fair has promised travel agents that this who have traditionally been under-represented. have their trade days and then effectively two
year’s domestic tourism trade show will be more A growing interest in holidays in the UK would free days of public visitors as well. The number of
relevant to their needs. ensure more interest from travel agents looking visitors and exhibitors at BTTF has been declining
The event, still in association with VisitBritain for different revenue streams, he said. for some years so we had to do something.”
but now renamed Best of Britain and Ireland, has And the opportunity for exhibitors to be in Agents could expect seminars on topical issues
attracted controversy by introducing a consumer front of consumers for two days out of the four as well as software that would allow agents and
element to the show, and relocating to London. would ensure a more varied and better-quality suppliers to set up meetings, he added.
But Rob MacKenzie, managing director of mix of licensees, hoteliers and other exhibitors Best of Britain and Ireland will take place at
parent company Best of Britain Events, said the for the trade to see, he said. London’s ExCeL centre on March 26-29, 2009.
Grand UK offers
more Xmas rooms
GRAND UK Holidays has increased its capacity
for single travellers over the Christmas period as
it reports increasing demand for its five-day
Christmas Mystery Tour.
Harold Burke, sales director of the over-55s
specialist operator, said rising demand from
single travellers was fuelling growth.
“We offer plenty of hotels with lots of single
rooms and highlight them in the brochure. Many
of our customers are widowed or divorced,
so travelling with like-minded people over
Christmas is a boon for them,” he said.
The operator features 57 UK destinations for
its 2008 Christmas programme.
■ Operator news, p30
Summer trips fall
VISITS to the UK by overseas residents dropped
3% this summer compared with the spring.
The Office for National Statistics said the UK
was visited by 8.08 million people between June
HORSEGUARDS PARADE: More than 80 refurbished rooms are now available to guests and August, down from 8.36 million between
at the Guoman Royal Horseguards hotel in Whitehall. The historic London property has March and May. Earnings from overseas visitors
been home to William Gladstone and the British Secret Service. It is undergoing a £16.3 also fell 2%, from £4.23 billion to £4.15 billion.
million revamp that will eventually see all 230 rooms across nine floors transformed. Meanwhile, visits by Britons abroad dropped
General manager Jon Beecroft said: “By next year we want five-star status. Our hotel is slightly to 1.75 million this summer compared
extremely prestigious and we feel that this needs to be filtered through every aspect of with 1.76 million from March to May, but
the guest experience, from reservation to check-out.” Hotels news, p32 spending rose from £907 million to £923 million.
16 24.10.2008
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