We were delighted that our Head of Destination Strategy, Neil Carney, was invited to join the panel at the Annual National Conference of Visitor Attractions in London on Thursday 10th October.
Organised by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, VisitEngland and Leisure Media, the conference attracted over 200 delegates from the country's leading visitor attractions to hear key note addresses on issues and factors affecting the sector and to identify opportunities for future development.
From Government came a commitment from Sir Chris Bryant, Tourism Minister to focus efforts on supporting the visitor economy and providing opportunities for growth. Some other key insights of particular interest for Northumberland attractions include:
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inbound spending is expected to be 23% higher in 2024 than pre-covid levels.
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a notable recovery in inbound international visits in 2025/26 will create opportunity for growth with 45.3 millions international visitors expected to Britain.
Northumberland was also represented by Lauren St Hilaire from The Alnwick Garden and they were joined by England Director Andrew Stokes OBE from VisitBritain, Visit West LVEP and their attraction partner, We The Curious.
The panel spoke about the importance of collaboration and working together with Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) Programmes and Destination Development Partnerships (DDPs) two initiatives that are transforming England’s visitor economy landscape through a new and robust structure of sharing priorities, resources and targets.
Some additional insight and takeaways shared with the delegates:
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programming of exhibitions, events and activities are likely to have the greatest impact in attracting new and repeat visitors.
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71% of respondents to a BVA Bdrc survey indicated discounted entry would have a very or fairly strong impact on decision making.
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'a great cafe' is cited by 58% of visitors as being important aspect of their visit.
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the family market has proven most resilient
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keep putting the customer first!
Opportunities to attend events and conferences of this nature are made possible through our role as your LVEP and as a strategic delivery partner within the Destination North East DDP.
It was great to see Alnwick Castle and Beamish in attendance representing the North East. All in attendance will have left with no doubt that exceptional delivery increases visitor commitment - and attractions are doing better than ever!