Do overseas tourists venture outside London?

London and beyond 

Delivering greater ‘regional spread’ is one of the challenges for inbound tourism to Britain. VisitBritain recently commissioned research agency Olive Insight to conduct a study into -  why many visitors do not go beyond London what the barriers are and also what attracts those that do go beyond London to do so 

The research was undertaken in four established markets (France, Germany, Norway, and USA) via a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, focusing on the views of recent visitors to Britain. The caveat is that these findings reflect views and behaviour in these markets only and which may be very different in other markets  - especially emerging markets 

Overall findings  

• London remains the key draw within Britain, even for those who have visited before, but many would want to see other places in Britain as well as London again when they return  - ‘London Plus ‘ appeals to the majority   
• Knowledge of destinations drives desire, but knowledge of British destinations other than London can be low, although this varies notably by market  
• Those who visit London are often want to ‘see’ / ‘do the sights’’ rather to have a particular type of holiday experience. This is different from behaviour when choosing competitor destinations and does not reflect the growing importance of ‘experiences’  
• The most common practical barriers to going outside London were concerns about transport / access  
• Most common draws for going outside London were heritage, variety, countryside, unique places to stay and the British people
• Travel agents remain important for a minority, especially in Germany and the US, but the majority in each market report booking independently, with Britain particularly attracting independent travellers. However there is a gap for tours, packages and agents, or at least suggested itineraries, to enable trips outside London which many lack the knowledge to make the most of  
• There is no one ‘ideal’ itinerary when combining London with other destinations  - ‘London Plus’ but  most are willing to travel 2-3 hours to / between destinations, preferably by train

 The full report is here

Heritage railways £250m boost for economy

Llangollen Railway

Heritage Railways are worth £250m to the UK economy, a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail has revealed. Over 100 heritage railways and tramways attract tourists and provide local employment as well as valuable skills training and apprenticeships.

 

The Group concludes that apart from the economic benefits, heritage railways also provide employment for over 3,700 staff nationally and a productive outlet for a staggering 18,500 loyal volunteers.

The study also concludes that there is more scope to run public transport services on some heritage lines and recommends simplified planning processes to help them expand and particularly to connect with Network Rail.

A six month study by MPs and Peers heard from heritage railways, main line train operators, museums and tourism experts and the Heritage Railway Association.

45 years after the end of steam on BR, over 750 steam locomotives remain on heritage railways. More surprisingly, a total of 520 steam charter trains (more than one a day) ran on the national rail network last year in addition to the heritage lines.
Mark Garnier, MP for Wyre Forest and Chairman of the Group commented: "Britain pioneered heritage railways and is unique in the extent and richness of its railway heritage. This report is the first time the extent and success of the heritage railway movement has been fully assessed and the results are impressive.

"What has been achieved has been remarkable and with a few recommendations to Government and the continuing enthusiasm of the army of railway volunteers and the loyal staff, we believe a lot more can be achieved in the future "  The Minister of State for Transport, Simon Burns MP said: "Britain has a great rail heritage and as well as preserving an important aspect of the nation’s history, heritage railways also make an important contribution in supporting tourism and local economies. We are looking closely at the report and will consider its findings."
 Attract has undertaken a number of marketing consultancy assignments involving heritage railways and similar heritage attarctions

Click here for the Heritage Railways Report 

Severn Valley Railway

Heritage tourism boosts UK economy

Broadway Tower - Cotswolds

Heritage-based tourism is now worth £26.4bn to the UK economy - £5.8bn higher than the previous estimate published in 2010 according to new research released by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

 

The new report by Oxford Economics also suggests that heritage is playing an increasingly important part in the choices of Britons who decide to stay in the UK for their holiday – over a quarter of all UK holiday activities undertaken by UK residents now involve heritage -  the ‘heritage staycation’

 

HLF published its first report on heritage tourism, Investing in Success, by Oxford Economics, in 2010, based on data from 2007. The report analysed the impact of the heritage-based visitor economy and established that the sector made an even bigger contribution to UK GDP than the advertising, car manufacturing or film industries. Those findings clearly highlighted the importance of heritage tourism and its ability to help the UK economy.

 

The new report drawing on the latest visitor statistics from 2011, demonstrates the power of heritage in attracting visitors even more clearly.

 

The higher figure of £26.4bn is explained by a number of factors:

• An overall increase in visits: Between 2007 and 2011 there was a rise of 13% in both international visits to the UK for holidays and the number of overnight holiday stays in the UK made by UK residents. Domestic day trips (over the longer period 2005-11) rose by 47%
• People were spending more on these trips: International visitors on holiday were spending 28% more per visit in 2011 than in 2007, and UK residents on holiday were spending 7% more
• Heritage has become more important in people’s holiday choices.

The most recent survey data provides a more accurate picture of what activities people undertake whilst on holiday.

 

For UK residents on holiday in the UK, 28% of the total activities they undertook were to a heritage site or attraction. Previous survey work put this question in a slightly different way, by asking what activities people planned to undertake, so the latest research gives us a better indication of the importance of heritage

 

The report is available here  - Economic impact of the UK heritage tourism economy 2013 (PDF, 955KB)(opens in new window) by Kareen El Beyroutyand Andrew Tessler - Oxford Economics

 

Two kinds of heritage - Bulleid Pacific and new Morgan
Three Wheeler at the Severn Valley Railway