MEMBER'S BULLETIN No. 3; February 2005
This is the time of year when many tourism businesses wait with baited breath for bookings to arrive but those taking a pro-active approach to marketing have little to fear. The Internet is the key and the anecdotal evidence is that over 80% of enquiries now come from the worldwide web. The telephone, however, is still preferred by most to finalise their bookings.
There is an argument that says because the Internet is so accessible and cheap to use it allows people to shop around more than ever before and there are bound to be higher levels of enquiries and lower conversion rates as a result. This makes a good case for getting the targeting right to attract the enquiries you want and to keep conversion rates high.
In this month's Bulletin we provide a report on the 8th-14th January Radio Times Holiday Supplement advertising, important information on a new marketing deal with This Week® Wales, and an update on 2005 Membership. What we aim not to do is duplicate trade information provided to Members by their own sectoral organisations. Staying in Wales gains it strength by being cross-sectoral and market-facing, whilst at the same time maintaining contact with sectoral organisations via the Wales Tourism Alliance.
1. Radio Times Advertising; Response
We're delighted to report that a total of 110 enquiries have been received to date and each one has received further details of Staying in Wales by letter. Many others will have gone directly onto the network and will continue to do so throughout the year. RadioTimes readers hang on to their Holiday supplements for months on end.
The following breakdown gives an idea where the enquiries are coming from:
South West:
South East:
West Midlands:
North West:
Yorkshire & Humberside:
East Midlands:
Women:
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19
18
17
14
13
9
79 |
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Eastern Region:
London:
Scotland:
North East:
Wales:
Northern Ireland
Men:
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7
4
4
2
2
1
31 |
Radio Times 'Holiday Guide' advertising will benefit all Full Members.
2. This Week® Wales Deal
A new deal has been struck with This Week® Wales which gives Full Members an additional Microsite on the ThisWeek.co.uk network at no extra charge. The deal also provides a direct link to Staying in Wales accommodation from WalesCalendar.com (already listing 406 events across Wales for 2005), and all ThisWeek.co.uk e-newsletters sent out to registered consumers.
Statistics from Visit Wales show that enquiries for accommodation in areas surrounding events increase as the events approach their start dates. No surprise this but searchers need first to know that there are events, which has been This Week® Wales speciality for over 15 years. As well as pulling in additional enquiries the deal will enable individual Members to target larger markets.
3. Staying in Wales Membership 2005; Update
Membership renewal at the £45 +VAT membership rate has been extended to 28th February ahead of the launch of new services currently being tested on the network. These include:
- pet-friendly accommodation guides (see below);
- self-catering accommodation searches based on numbers slept;
- date searches for Microsite unique visits and number of clickthroughs to Members own websites;
- daily-rotating 'Featured Accommodation' slots; and
- unlimited descriptive text and photographs.
Please go to www.StayingInWales.com for more information or call the Helpline team on 01766 543011. Calls are no more expensive than 0870 calls and less when callers are within a 30-mile radius of the Centre in Porthmadog. All members of the Team are fluent in English and Welsh.
4. New Pet-Friendly Accommodation Guides
Visitors want to know up front whether accommodation providers welcome pets or not. It saves them a lot of time searching in vain. So we're introducing a logo in all Accommodation Listing pages showing pet-friendly places to stay. Please make sure that your information at www.MyBusiness.VisitWales.com includes details of any special arrangements or drop an email to pet-friendly@stayinginwales.com with either YES or NO in the subject window and details in the message area.
Hot Tip: Include this information in your Microsite description so that searchers entering 'dogs' or 'dogs welcome' in Keyphrase searches pick it up. Research has once again confirmed this is a top-level requirement of visitors searching for places to stay.
5. Microsite Information Channels
The following Microsite information channels are already live and the Transport channel changes the map so it displays only routes that are served by public transport:
- Accommodation
- Restaurants
- Attractions (inc. Award-Winning Beaches)
- Events
Information channels for Entertainment, Pubs, Shops and Local Services will all come on stream as the year progresses and a street-level mapping is introduced covering even the remotest areas of Wales.
6. Broadband Bonanza!
Hold your breath! We're in for an exciting ride as Broadband rolls out across Wales this year. Over 5m UK homes already have access as BT hits its current targets with 1m of these signed up in the last four months alone. This has important implications for Wales tourism but it's Broadband connections here in Wales where tourism businesses stand to gain their biggest marketing edge. This Week® Wales has been on the case for the last five years and Staying in Wales Members will be the first to benefit. Watch this space.
7. Spring Visitor Newsletter
Please make sure your Microsite is fine-tuned for the first Newsletter of the year, which will go out on St David's Day to over 15,000 potential Spring visitors from the UK. For any assistance with this, please don't hesitate to email help@stayingginwales.com or call the Helpline Team on 01766 543011.
8. Merger Consultation
Most Staying in Wales Members are members of their own particular sectoral groups but those that aren't are advised to join. The merger of the Wales Tourist Board into the Welsh Assembly Government makes this year an important one for tourism policy development and planning the future of the broader visitor economy.
These are developments that will affect us all and your voice will be better heard if it's directed through the body that best represents the category your business falls into. If you're uncertain, please drop an email to us at info@stayinginwales.com with 'Merger Consultation' in the subject window and we will forward contact details to you. The deadline for responses to the merger consultation is 15th April.
9. The Staying in Wales/Aros yng Nghymru Team
The Staying in Wales/Aros yng Nghymru Team is totally dedicated to the interests of Wales' visitors and the consequent advancement of Members' businesses. The team works year round with Members to provide fast, accurate information to visitors, drawing on expertise second to none in the UK:
Sion Thomas, Helpline Manager
Llinos Griffin, Helpline Assistant
Elena Roberts, Helpline Assistant
Dorothy Williams, Helpline Assistant
Gwenfair Jones, Helpline Assistant
Terry Jackson, Project Co-ordinator
Arvind Nehru, Network Manager
Roger Thomas, Content Manager
William Worship, Image Management
Alison Davies, Mapping
Tony Davies, Mapping
John Harrington, Mapping
Harish Nehru, Software
Aamer Sardar, Software
Richard Edwards, Software Design Consultant
Tom Pollock, Graphic Design Consultant
Phil Evans, Interactive Digital Television Consultant
With special thanks to Kim Colebrook, Head of Information and New Media at VisitWales and Stephen Potter, Marketing Director at LondonTown.com Llundain.
NB A Welsh and English language Voicemail service operates outside all opening times shown below. Simply leave your name and telephone number and your call will be returned without fail.
Staying in Wales 01766 543011*
Open Weekdays: 9am-8pm
Closed Weekends
*Local call rates: 4.2p/min 8am6pm; 4p all other times. (35 miles.)
*National call rates: 6.7p/min 8am6pm; 4p all other times. (35 miles+.)
Visit Wales 08708 300 301**
Open Weekdays: 9am-8pm
Open Weekends: 9am-6pm
**National call rates: 6.7p/min at all times.
11. Archive
Please click here for archive copies of previous Members Bulletins and Market Research information.
12. Next Bulletin
- Dine Out in Wales Spring Promotion
- Village and Town Promotions
- Special Ticker-Tape Accommodation Offers
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Staying in Wales-Aros yng Nghymru
Unit 4, Penamser Business Park, Porthmadog LL49 9GB Wales UK
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