Reason 6 - Heritage has created the destination
English Tourism Week celebrates all things tourism, showcasing the vibrancy and quality of the visitor experience across England. The sector is worth £106 billion to the English economy, and supports 2.6 million jobs* Tourism touches everyone’s life in one-way or another and #ETW16 is a celebration of the value it brings.
We thought we would take this opportunity to share what we, the team at The Marketing Collective, enjoy about working in tourism and how we’re championing the industry.
Reason 6 - Heritage has created the destination
Heritage and culture often go hand in hand with tourism and therefore are a vital element when it comes to destination marketing.The majority of all day trips, overnight stays and short breaks will involve a element of heritage tourism, whether it is visit to an attraction which is part of a heritage estate such as the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, an event which celebrates the past or site which can transport the visitor back to a previous time such as Danebury Hill fort in the Test Valley, all attract visitors because of their heritage.We have always been passionate about the heritage of the areas in which we work; Heritage is part of the local distinctiveness of a destination and therefore an obvious asset when planning marketing campaigns.Celebrating and commemorating heritage can be emotive and provide a connection with visitors. We’ve worked a variety of heritage based projects such as the Tudor Revels project which was a major programme to raise the profile of the heritage, archives and history of Southampton in the Tudor Period [1485-1603]. All the Tudor monarchs visited Southampton which was, and as today, an important port, a thriving trading town and at the heart of many of the pivotal events that took place in England in this turbulent and defining period of history.When working on graphic design projects for heritage attractions, such as Whitchurch Silk Mill, our approach is always sensitive to the natural and cultural heritage and where possible draw influence from the attractions past.In one of our latest projects, Defence of the Realm, we look to create an informative visitor leaflet exploring Hampshire’s heritage collection. From castles, military museums, great ships and stately homes to walks, trails and experiences. Many visitors may not appreciate the rich heritage found in Hampshire, and this leaflet aims to promote the destinations roots.Heritage is a huge part of destination marketing and in reality without the heritage and history, there is no destination!