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The Olympic Games will showcase our people, places, attractions and cultures to the world like never before. With a global television audience of over 4 billion people it provides a great platform to reach into new markets. The visitor economy is one of the key beneficiaries, with the event itself likely to attract half a million more visitors to the UK. The Games will also create a legacy that will increase post-Games related tourism (especially business) and will make the UK becoming a more attractive place to visit due to the improved quality of tourism services. This will not happen automatically – there needs to be a significant investment in terms of marketing and infrastructure.
What’s Happening Nationally?
What’s Happening in the West Midlands?
Potential Opportunities for Worcestershire
Current Focus for Worcestershire
Evidence
Website
What’s Happening Nationally?
- National tourism strategy for the Games to be launched in July 2007
- A brand toolkit for the tourism industry to be developed as part of the 'Britian' brand
- VisitBritain to develop an events strategy to help identify bid opportunities - including business, sporting and cultural events – launched the week of 2 July 2007
- VisitBritain to launch its marketing strategy at the end of 2007 under a new Britain brand that will reflect the excitement and the worldwide appeal of the Games
- Britain at Beijing 2008. A British Pavilion will showcase British cities, regions, facilities, businesses and academic excellence
- National Steering Group on marketing activities to be established
- UK Skills Passport will be developed as a guide to qualifications, funding, training, and development: www.people1st.co.uk
What’s Happening in the West Midlands?
- Initiative to improve intelligence on visitor trends and demographics to inform strategic decision-making
- Focus on attracting a number of major business tourism events, sports events and arts events
- Partnership working to realise the tourism potential in the region through areas such as product development, packaging, marketing, e-business, skills and productivity
- Build on the 2012 momentum to promote the region as a world-class visitor destination in the long term
Potential Opportunities for Worcestershire
- Link into the opportunities created by the National and Regional Focus (see above)
- Conduct market research and data collection - improve intelligence on visitor trends, behaviours and demographics
- Create programme of training events for providers - programme to ensure accommodation is up to standard
- Use existing research and commission new research to establish a countywide feasibility study on the development of quality accommodation across Worcestershire.
- Promote private sector development of tourism packages
- Marketing campaigns to maximise opportunities - decide on strategy for targeting and positioning
- Link into the national cultural festival themes (details from LOGOG)
- Link to activities such as Active Breaks, Food and Drink and Sport Tourism
- Form cross sector partnerships to organise high profile events
- Create linkages between local and regional attractions
- Create a ‘Sporting welcome’ theme, for example: key attractions linking to sporting and Olympic themes
- Olympic Twinning
- Attract new partners and sponsors to the tourism sector
Current Focus for Worcestershire
- Plans currently being discussed
Evidence
- The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has estimated that between 50-75% of the net benefit of staging the Games is likely to accrue through tourism over a seven to 10 year period.
- One of the key outcomes from the Sydney Olympic Games was that the country became a preferred choice for international business events with international visitor numbers swelling by 78%.
- The Games will result in an increase in desire to visit the UK with visitor numbers up by two thirds in the four years after 2012; however events and campaigns will be necessary to keep up this interest.
Contact the Coordinator
Tourism – Business – Sport – Culture – Volunteers – Worcestershire 2012 Olympic Coordinator
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