An introduction to our PR for the tourism and hospitality sector
The fantastic countryside and coastline of the South West of England is a magnet for tourism, with hospitality and tourism-based businesses contributing hugely to the region’s success.
But the sector suffered terribly during the Covid pandemic.Spending by visitors to the region was measured at £7.1 Billion in 2019. The next year revenue was down by 52% without warning.
Empica saw the hotels, hospitality and tourism businesses that we were proud to call our clients closing their doors – some never to return. Recovery in the sector is not yet complete but we are pleased to be supporting the sector on the great climb back.
It means careful, cost-effective promotion and being innovative about the methods and media channels that tourism and hospitality businesses are publicised on. Customer habits changed as a result of the pandemic, so smart businesses are changing their approach to bring people back through the doors.
Pre-pandemic leaflet drops or special promotions might have brought rewards where now customers need greater re-assurance and may need to be approached online and with different messaging.
Promoting South West holiday businesses
One of the biggest names in the region’s tourism sector is Weston-super-Mare based coach operators Bakers Dolphin, who have retained Empica for public relations services for over 30 years.
In that time Bakers Dolphin expanded to over 100 travel shops, sold them to TUI and returned to its roots taking people from the region on coach holidays throughout Europe and the UK. An innovative decision to loan some of its drivers to an ambulance company during Covid helped them be in a good position to bounce back quickly as well as providing a positive PR story that resonated with a loyal customer base.
Bristol Hoteliers Association, who work alongside Bristol City Council and national government to attract visitors to more than 4,000 rooms in the city, are also a long-standing retained client. By curating regular opinion pieces on the challenges facing the sector Empica ensures issues are heard.
Hotels did all they could to survive the pandemic – some acting as locations for travelers to isolate to prevent the spread of Covid, others being mothballed for long periods of time. They face new challenges of attracting staff and re-engaging with customers.
Major tourist attractions, such as theme parks and museums, had to find ways to protect their assets with no income from tourists. Empica for many years supported Wookey Hole Caves with fun, quirky and unusual promotions. With so many tourist attractions to choose from it is vital that attractions to stick out from the crowd to get visitor numbers back to levels required.
PR support for tourism and hospitality business
For most tourism and hospitality businesses in the SouthWest region the public relations challenge is all about attracting visitors, filling bedrooms and ensuring that events are successful.
The key to this is knowing where your visitors come from. Are they stopping off on their way to or from Cornwall? Do they see where your hotel and tourist attraction is based as a destination? Do you know the typical drive distance that people will come if you are offering a day out? Answering questions like these can help shape the methods and messages in the PR.
But it is also about creating excitement about your brand. In the past Empica has supported hotels in changing perception so that they are seen as spa destinations; created a buzz of expectation around the Grand Pier Weston-super-Mare for events and new attractions and attracted national television and radio coverage for tourism venues.
How much does public relations cost for a hotel or tourist attraction?
Having been through so many difficult times in recent years all hotels and tourist attractions and those who provide services to them have to be extremely cost-conscious. Empica tailors the cost to the client’s needs. A one-off boost for an event or location may be appropriate or it may be that a more persistent and consistent long-term programme is needed.
Our hotels and hospitality specialist Darren Bane and tourism specialists Martin Powell and Kayleigh Penny work out the programme to suit the budget and give a realistic and honest assessment of what can be achieved.
This may be a one-off video that can be used for promotion on-line; a revamp of website imaging and wording or a media campaign, getting journalists and other influential people to write reviews and spread the word.
We are always happy to talk and link up with others in the sector to ensure the West Country holiday and tourism trade thrives.
To find out more about how we can support you with your PR and content creation, please get in touch by calling 01275 39 44 00 or emailing contact@empica.com