Domestic travel trade gears up for British Tourism & Travel Show 2016
– opening at the NEC Birmingham this week on 16-17 March
The best of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will be on show at the NEC Birmingham this week, as over 260 leading visitor attractions, venues, destinations, hotels, transport providers, associations and DMOs are preparing to exhibit at the British Tourism & Travel Show on Wednesday and Thursday, 16-17 March.
The largest domestic tourism showcase of the year, the 2016 edition is expected to attract thousands of domestic tour operators, travel organisers and agencies from across Britain and Ireland.
Albatross Travel Group, Bakers Dolphin Coach Travel, Cottages.com, Expedia.com, Explore Global, First Choice Holidays, Gold Crest Holidays, Great Rail Journeys, JAC Travel, Kuoni Group Travel Experts, Marchants Coaches, Miki Travel, National Holidays, Newmarket Holidays, One Traveller, Rondo Travel, Saga Holidays, Shearings Holidays, spabreaks.com, Thomas Cook, Titan Travel, Travelzoo, Virgin Experience Days, Voyage Privé, and Woods Travel are just some of the leading travel companies preparing to attend.
“I’m looking forward to the show, it’s a fantastic opportunity to research emerging trends and exciting new products, as well as catching up with many of our partners and contacts in one place,” says Tim Burghes, senior buyer at Virgin Experience Days.
“Working in travel is, for me, always about meeting people face-to-face, being inspired and finding compelling new destinations for our customers, which is why, with such an exciting plethora of exhibitors – British Tourism & Travel Show is a must visit show. As ‘special interests’ are such a strong part of our UK holiday range, I'm particularly excited about the ‘Year of the English Garden’ feature. And, on a personal note, as an avid fan of Great British Railway Journeys, the appearance of Michael Portillo will be a particular highlight for me,” says Neil Cron, UK & Ireland Product Manager at Saga Holidays.
“I am very excited about attending the British Tourism & Travel Show for the first time. After recently taking over the product management for Titan’s UK short breaks and Christmas escorted holidays, I am expecting the show to give me a great insight into what’s on offer in our amazing country. I am looking forward to meeting hoteliers and attractions alike, and hope to walk away with lots of ideas for future product development,” says Jayne White, product manager at Titan Travel.
“British Tourism & Travel Show is without doubt the best trade show in the calendar. Two days of meeting a vast number of suppliers old and new, by the end of which I’m laden down with publicity material and ideas. The location is perfect, as is the timing of the event,” says Gary Lloyd, tours manager at Cheltenham-based Marchants Coaches.
2016 – The year of…
VisitEngland’s 2016 Year of the English Garden initiative has inspired a new ‘Year of the English Garden’ feature area at the show. Supported by VisitEngland, it marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of visionary garden designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Other new feature areas for 2016 include The London Zone, supported by London & Partners.
Returning areas include Hotel Lobby; Tourism South East; Visit Scotland – celebrating its Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design; and Tourism Ireland – promoting Ireland’s Ancient East (a new ‘touring region’ mapping 5,000 years of history and heritage) and Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink initiative.
Visit Wales is also back with over 20 Welsh destinations and hotels. Wales – recently named one of the top ten countries to visit in the world this year by leading travel publisher Rough Guides – will be showcasing its 2016 ‘Year of Adventure’ campaign, designed to encourage more visitors to explore the country’s rich heritage, landscapes and culture.
The Tourism Society, Coach Tourism Council, Confederation of Passenger Transport, ETOA European Tourism Association, British Guild of Tourist Guides, and Tourism for All (TFA) also feature prominently across the show floor.
To view the full exhibitor list, please visit www.tourismshow.co.uk/who-exhibits.
Big name Keynotes
This year’s extensive free seminar line-up features a host of big name speakers discussing the key issues, opportunities and hot topics facing the domestic tourism sector today. Highlights include:
Wednesday16 March
- The Tourism Society’s Question Time panel:
Featuring Bernard Donoghue, chairman of the Tourism Alliance and director of Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA); Mari Stevens, director of Marketing at Visit Wales; Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Partners; Vanessa Markey, head of Great Britain at Tourism Ireland; and Steve Brown, chairman of the National Trust’s Midlands Region Advisory Board.
- Adam Henson from the BBC’s Countryfile: My life on the land
- Simon Weston CBE, charity campaigner and British Army veteran: Travelling through life
- Anthony Rawlins, founder of Bristol-based digital agency Digital Visitor: Social media targeting for tour operators
- Alf Scrimgour, the CPT’s operations & tourism executive: CPT quality coach operations – booking the best for you!
Thursday 17 March
- Hudson’s ‘heritage attractions’ panel: What makes a good heritage visit?
Featuring Sarah Greenford, publisher of Hudson’s Historic Houses & Gardens; Ian Lacey, marketing and travel trade manager (visitor services team) at the Houses of Parliament; Nick Moorhouse, director of operations at Hatfield House (one of the Treasure Houses of England); and Ray Biggs, access manager at Grimsthorpe & Drummond Castle Trust. Representatives from the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland will also be in attendance.
- Nick Greenfield, head of tour operator relations at ETOA: Isn’t all travel experiential? A look behind a trend that goes from strength to strength
- Michael Portillo, presenter of the BBC travel documentary series Great British Railway Journeys
- Andrew White, walking expert: Walks around Britain
Free visitor registration
British Tourism and Travel Show takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 16-17 March 2016 (open from 10am to 5pm on Wednesday, and 10am to 4pm on Thursday).
To register in advance for a free trade ticket, please visit www.tourismshow.co.uk and enter priority code BTTS200 (direct link: www.eventdata.co.uk/Visitor/TourismShow.aspx?TrackingCode=BTTS200).
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Media enquiries & press pass requests to:
Editorial representatives of relevant trade and consumer media (including freelancers) are invited to apply for press passes to British Tourism & Travel Show via email to ejones@divcom.co.uk. (Please note, additional details may be requested to verify journalistic activity and all press passes are issued at the management’s discretion. Press passes are not guaranteed on the day.)
Emma-Louise Jones, Head of PR
t: 44 (0)1273 645134
e: ejones@divcom.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DiversifiedUK
Website: www.divcom.co.uk
Event enquiries:
David Maguire, Event Director
t: 44 (0)1273 645127
e: dmaguire@divcom.co.uk
Website: www.tourismshow.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tourism_show
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TourismTravelShow
Exhibitor enquiries:
Lloyd Jones, Sales Manager
t: 44 (0)1733 889 684
e: ljones@divcom.co.uk
Notes:
High res images available upon request:
Diversified Communications UK (Diversified UK) is a fast growing trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton, Peterborough and Nailsworth. In addition to British Tourism & Travel Show, Diversified UK’s portfolio includes National Coach Tourism Awards; Coach Monthly; CDC News; miniPLUS; CDC Coach Tourism Yearbook; Coach & Bus Live; Euro Bus Expo; RouteONE magazine; The Route One Operator Excellence Awards; office*; Accountex; lunch!; Casual Dining; Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards; Commercial Kitchen; Natural & Organic Products Europe; Nordic Organic Food Fair & Natural Products Scandinavia in Malmö, Sweden; Natural and Organic Awards; camexpo; SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; GEO Business; Capturing Reality; Ocean Business; and MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference. For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.
Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face–to–face events, digital and print publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine, and business management. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified employs over 850 staff, across eight divisions in seven countries. For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.
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