Marketing York to the World Annual Review: 2017 - 2018
004
“All the indications are that 2017 was a very good year for tourism in York. It puts the pressure on for this year but the great thing is that 2018 is shaping up to have more opportunity for the sector than ever before - there has never been a stronger programme of events and festivals.� Steve Brown, Managing Director, Make It York
Front cover image by Charlotte Graham
visityork.org/members 05
Key Priorities 2018
Sally Greenaway Head of Visit York Tourism in York is going from strength to strength. Visits to attractions and hotel occupancy in the city both ended the year on a high. As we anticipated, the fall in the value of the pound has made the UK more attractive to overseas visitors and even more of us are choosing to holiday at home. Whilst this is good news for tourism revenue, there are challenges ahead, not least our concerns in the light of Brexit about shortages of skilled staff. Together with our Tourism Advisory Board, we've been busy focusing on our tourism strategy for York and ensuring the city gets a larger slice of the tourism pie.
>
Promoting York and its unprecedented programme of festivals and events through our new #onlyinyork campaign
>
Sharpening our marketing activity through the development of a brand new world class tourism website – visityork.org
>
Becoming even more digitally agile, extending the use of our data and technology
>
Making further strategic improvements to the way we engage with our social media followers to ensure our content is fresh, relevant and shareable
>
Supporting our 900-strong Visit York membership, offering excellent value for money and working collaboratively for the good of the city and surrounding area
>
Continuing to produce outstanding modern print and maximizing on distribution opportunities as well as keeping a high media profile for York through exceptional PR
>
Developing new tourism initiatives such as our new partnership with Selby and UK wide through the Discover England Fund
>
Supporting the hospitality sector – the York Hospitality Awards will be launched and we’ll re-launch jobsinyork.com
>
Offering practical marketing, PR and delivery support for the city’s brilliant festival organisers, so that York punches above its weight as a year round festival city
>
Investing in our people to ensure they continue to thrive and take tourism in York to the next level
We’re also committed to playing our part in supporting the hospitality sector to recruit staff – this year we’re launching the new ‘York Hospitality Awards’ and we’re re-launching jobsinyork.com. We hope this brochure will demonstrate the breadth and scale of activity that took place in 2017 to promote York and its surroundings and validate the value of Visit York membership. 2018 will be an exciting year with new events such as Bloom! and the new international media arts festival, York Mediale. York Mansion House has re-opened its doors after the biggest restoration since it was built and the Rose Theatre, Europe’s first ever pop-up Shakespearean theatre, will put York firmly on the cultural map. We’ve so much to look forward to and tell the world about. Thank you so much for your continued support. The team and I really look forward to working with you this year and beyond.
06
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
visityork.org/members 07
Over 400,000 people tuned in to watch our video - ‘York the Original City Adventure’ Visit York has a marketing team of six, dedicated to promoting the city and its surroundings nationally and internationally, through campaigns, publications and digital marketing.
2017 Highlights >
Our lead campaign, ‘York - the original city adventure’, promoted sixty adventures in York and North Yorkshire
>
190,000 unique page views were generated at visityork.org/adventure
>
Bespoke videos and digital content were created for our ‘Year of the Viking’ campaign
>
Sweet-toothed visitors were tempted to visit York for the new Chocolate City Trail
>
Our bid for Discover England Funding with England’s Historic Cities was successful and led to the launch of the York Minster virtual reality app - 4,000 downloads and counting
>
Through personal relationships with key tour operators, York content has been added to a number of high profile international programmes
Discover England Fund: York will be part of three new tourism marketing initiatives through the Discover England Fund in 2018. This grant stream will develop world-class bookable English tourism products, targeted at the right customers, at the right time and through the right channels. Horseracing - Sport of Kings: York will be part of a new set of experience led luxury itineraries for visitors from the Middle East featuring world-famous racecourses (Ascot, Newmarket, Chester and York). The Collection: The Collection will tell the stories of 15 of England’s historic cities and for the first time present them as one product for US visitors. This project uses augmented reality to bring the cities and their stories to life, inspiring younger visitors to explore regional England. Growing Manchester as an International Gateway to the North: This campaign will increase the volume of visitors coming through Manchester International Airport by creating itineraries that showcase the city and excursions to York and the North of England.
08
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
New Features - visityork.org > Our new website, visityork.org is now fully responsive, offering a ‘mobile first’ experience and leading on visual content through impactful media, including film
> Content will be aimed at visitors who are searching during the discovery, planning, and pre-arrival stage
> A new slick approach to booking accommodation and events will drive more visitors to York and for the first time visitors can build their own itineraries
> A new blog page will give customers ideas and new inspiration
> A new content management system will be available for members meaning content can be updated and added more quickly
visityork.org/members 09
Introducing the shiny new visityork.org Our digital team is dedicated to marketing
2017 Highlights
York through visityork.org - as well as
>
visityork.org generated 1,197,587 unique visits - 15% from overseas
>
Mobile traffic increased by 8%
>
Christmas web content generated 175,250 unique views - a big uplift from 47,000 views in the previous year
>
455 coaches booked online for the York Christmas Festival up by 8%
>
13,700 people subscribed to the weekly ‘7 days in York’ residents’ newsletter
>
New social media group initiated to share ideas and themes
promoting York and North Yorkshire through creative social media. To ensure the city is at the top of everyone’s holiday list, in spring 2018 we launched York’s shiny new tourism website. It is an exciting step change and we believe it will help us stay ahead of our competitors, providing a first class digital experience for every single visitor.
20,700 Facebook fans up 34%
43,500 Twitter followers up 25%
7,900 Instagram followers up 155%
30,000 Weibo followers up 172%
10
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
visityork.org/members 11
York is showcased at UK and international travel trade shows and events Throughout the year we attend a host of UK and international travel trade shows, promoting York directly to tour operators, consumers and the media, ensuring the city is added to itineraries and programmes for the following year. We’re focussing on core overseas markets: Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and China.
2017 Highlights >
Member of England’s Historic Cities (EHC), UKinbound and European Tour Operators Association
VisitBritain China Welcome Charter:
>
Attended the China Sales Mission in Guangzhou
>
York represented at VIBE - the VisitBritain showcase event in Glasgow
>
Year round media activity including representation at ‘Meet the Media’ overseas events
>
Travel trade familiarisation visits - visits hosted from the USA, China, The Netherlands, Belgium and India
Visit York is a member of VisitBritain’s Great China Welcome charter. In 2017 we published our fourth Visitor Guide in Mandarin, distributing it on incoming airline routes, at airport lounges and to incoming operators. We’re now a key partner in VisitBritain’s China campaign with Marketing Manchester and Hainan Airlines.
>
Partnership working with carriers such as P&O Ferries, Jet2.com and Aer Lingus, as well as regional airports
>
Attendance at VisitBritain’s Destination Britain North America event, Los Angeles
>
Attendance at the RDA Coach Operators’ workshop in Cologne
>
Visitor Guide foreign language translations: Mandarin and German print
12
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
100,000 copies of the York Visitor Guide are distributed across the UK The York Visitor Guide 2018 is our biggest and most inspiring guide yet, with 126 pages of engaging content. Published in January, this annual guide is the ultimate showcase for the tourism sector in York, motivating visitors to book their next trip from far and wide. Original features in the guide this year include exclusive content from travel bloggers, an impressive ‘Beyond York’ feature, new events and festivals including Bloom!, York Mediale and Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, as well as a shopping trail showcasing some of York’s best independent retailers.
visityork.org/members 13
14
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
"York has so much to offer visitors, from its rich cultural heritage to its vibrant atmosphere and a new tourism product, financed through the Discover England Fund, bringing York Minster’s history to life through augmented reality. Our research shows more visitors are exploring York and this boosts the local economy, driving the benefits beyond the city." Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive, VisitBritain / VisitEngland
visityork.org/members 15
We inspire millions of potential visitors through year round PR activity Our communications team creates stand-out content for York in local, regional, national and international print, broadcast and online media outlets. Coverage is maximised by offering a fast, responsive service to all media enquiries.
2017 Highlights >
100 travel writers hosted in York and North Yorkshire
>
Dedicated York media pack
>
Developed a brand new media room online
>
Christmas PR campaign generated features in regional and national media and led to York being crowned: ‘Most Festive City in the UK’
>
New images online at visityorkimages.co.uk for media use
>
Increased engagement with travel blogger/influencer community
>
Attended TBEX - the world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers
Award-winning campaigns Our travel blogger campaign was shortlisted for the Northern Digital Marketing Awards. Targeting Travel Bloggers We’re continuing to work with the travel influencer community and in October we made lots of new contacts at TBEX Ireland. By focussing on building up our networks of quality media contacts, we’re generating hundreds of positive features and news articles about York and its surroundings.
Media featuring York: A few highlights
> The Times > The Guardian > Daily Telegraph > Olive Magazine > YOURS Magazine > Het Nieuwsblad - Belgium > The People > Woman’s Weekly > Sunday Post > Best of British Magazine > London Evening Standard > The Sun > China Daily UK > Iloveqatar.com > BBC Good Food Magazine > Metro 95.1 - Argentina
16
Visit York... Attracting visitors to York
York on Film Working closely with Screen Yorkshire and Creative England, we help filmmakers with productions based in and around York. We’re committed to being a Film Friendly destination and by working with partners, York is reaping the benefits of this. The hit TV drama Victoria was filmed in and around York.
2017 Highlights >
Boundless Productions filmed at the York Food and Drink Festival, showcasing York in a series for Channel 5 titled: Love in the countryside
>
Girlfriends was produced and written by Kay Mellor. This new hit TV drama was filmed in York
>
The Sweet Makers: Wall to Wall Productions filmed in York and broadcast on BBC 2
>
TV Tokyo filmed on the Shambles for a new onehour travel show, broadcast in December 2017
>
ITV showcased York in a one-hour preview for the racing season. The crew filmed at the Grand Hotel and Spa, JORVIK, the National Railway Museum and York’s Chocolate Story
>
BBC 4: Our Viking Town - Channel 4 - this new series following the Viking and Roman heritage of York filmed in May and includes JORVIK, York Museums Trust, the Roman Bath and York Minster
>
CCTV - China's largest and only national TV station with millions of viewers filmed in York and broadcast on their business news channel
>
Scott & Sid, a new independent film, premiered at the Everyman cinema
visityork.org/members 17
Cast and crew filming Scott & Sid in York
18
VisitYork4Meetings... Attracting business visitors to York
"VisitYork4Meetings were not only helpful but also very patient as I always have key criteria to meet. Their ideas and help with negotiations for our event venue were invaluable which is why we would definitely consider booking York again." Alison Lock, Events Manager, Chartered Institute of Foresters
visityork.org/members 19
953,000 conference and meeting delegates spend £134 million in York We have a team of three dedicated to increasing revenue into the city’s conference and events venues and profiling York and its surroundings as a world-class business tourism destination.
2017 Highlights >
York and partners attended the Meetings Show at London Olympia, generating around 230 new leads for the city
>
VisitYork4Meetings joined the International Congress and Convention Association allowing us to bid for International associations events to host in York
>
The Liberal Democrat Spring Conference was hosted in York in March for the third consecutive year, attracting over 1,400 delegates
>
York welcomed over 100 delegates from destinations across Europe for the three-day International European Conference for Ridings Machinery Ring - an association of farmers and contractors collaborating to improve the viability of the agricultural industry
>
Launched in December 2016, VY4M Twitter channel @VisitYork_4M now has 420 followers and continues to steadily increase
Among York venues the corporate sector is the largest and accounts for 57% of business to the city. The association sector sits at 21% well above the national average of 16%. Conference and event visitors continue to contribute significantly above average spend to the visitor economy. Typically, a business event visitor to York spends twice as much per trip than a leisure visitor. Business event visitors account for every 1 in 8 visitors to York but they generate £2 in every £8 spent. Total conference and event spend equalled £134 million (delegates only), or £141 per business visitor. A total of £142 million was spent at venues in the local destination (delegates and partners). The number of delegates is up from 869,000 to 953,000 (10%). In addition, there were 39,000 partners/stay extensions, generating £8 million in additional spend. *Source: UK conference and meeting survey.
20
Visit York... Enhancing the visitor experience
Every year we help almost half a million visitors at the Visitor Centre Nine expert tourism staff and 30 volunteers are on hand seven days a week to help York’s visitors and residents. Our expert team speaks fluent Spanish, German, Italian, Catalan, French, Portuguese, Hungarian and even Mandarin.
2017 Highlights >
A range of local events supported through ticket sales - sales up by 5% year on year
>
Enhanced customer service at the Visit York stall during the St Nicholas Fair
>
Record York Pass Sales - up 52% on 2016
>
Retail partnership with York City Football Club
>
Finalist in White Rose Awards
>
New pop-up information points for students during university open days
visityork.org/members 21
"I would like to pass on how very impressed we were with the service we received, the staff couldn’t do enough to help us plan our away day in York. They were extremely friendly and knowledgeable." Visitor from London
22
Visit York... Enhancing the visitor experience
1 million York Mini Guides assisted visitors in 2017 We take great pride in the quality of York’s tourism publications, creating a wide range of guides to ensure visitors enjoy the very best experience whilst they are here. We produce and distribute ten key brochures and guides with a total print run of 1.3 million >
Visitor Guide
>
Easter Festival Guide
>
Mini Guide
>
Wedding Guide
>
Christmas Guide
>
Conference Guide
>
York Shopping Map
>
Ice Trail Map
>
St Nicholas Fair Map
>
Taste Leaflet
visityork.org/members 23
24
Visit York... Enhancing the visitor experience
visityork.org/members 25
15,000 passes sold
90,000 attraction visits
15,000 visitors purchased a York Pass in 2017 - sales up by 52% York Pass is the city’s official sightseeing card which, once purchased, offers visitors free entry to over thirty attractions, as well as a range of discounts and special offers at shops and restaurants. It provides excellent value for money for our
38 participating attractions
visitors. York Pass also adds value to local hotel packages and is sold by various international tour operators. York Pass sales were an impressive 52% up year on year. The three-day pass can now be used any three days within a six day period - offering more flexibility for our visitors. Added to this, a new website was launched which has increased online sales by 24%. To help keep York Pass in the news we also launched a new Georgian Trail and printed seasonal leaflets to market the Pass further.
26
Visit York... Enhancing the visitor experience
Thousands of visitors follow the Visit York trails We’re always looking for new ways to entertain visitors whilst they are here. A range of new walking trails have been designed to encourage visitors to explore more of York. The Great York Ghost Search Celebrating our reputation as Europe’s most haunted city, we launched the Great York Ghost Search for Halloween. Thousands of visitors and residents took part. Chocolate Trail With this new city-wide trail we encouraged sweet-toothed visitors to explore more of York Britain’s Home of Chocolate. Selfie Trail JORVIK is the latest venue to be added to our best places to take a selfie in York. Britain’s Biggest Outdoor Ice Trail Thousands of people followed the Ice Trail during this popular weekend, supported by a record 45 businesses across York. Living Advent Calendar We brought back the popular Living Advent Calendar, encouraging footfall to lesser known streets and businesses across the city. York Art Trail A new trail for art lovers was published.
27
Image by Charlotte Graham
28
Visit York... Enhancing the visitor experience
Every year we organise the annual Residents Festival in January - a chance for local residents to enjoy the tourist attractions of York free of charge. All Visit York members can take part free of charge - a brilliant way to promote your business. Residents Festival, sponsored by First
visityork.org/members 29
Festivals attract over two million visitors to York, who spend 45% more per trip - a total of £60 million per annum Events and festivals enrich the experience and encourage new visitors to come. From the nationally acclaimed JORVIK Viking Festival to the Early Music Festival, the quality and diversity of York’s festival programme is world-class. Our Make It York city centre and events team works year round to support organisers, as well as developing new events.
2017 Highlights > JORVIK Viking Festival is the best of its kind in Europe and celebrates York’s Norse heritage
> The Great Yorkshire Fringe made us all laugh out loud yet again
> York Literature Festival attracts big names and a loyal following
> A new international Balloon Fiesta drew in the crowds at York Racecourse
> York Open Studios now runs over two weekends and is a celebration of creative talent
> York National Book Fair now attracts over 220 of the country’s leading sellers
> Fashion City York promotes fashion retailing and all the facets of York's fashion industry - a full week of events is planned in 2018
> York Food and Drink Festival offers visitors the chance to explore the city through taste
> York Racecourse is renowned for the quality of racing and world class facilities
> Eboracum Roman Festival - the ‘armies of ancient Rome’ are marching once again on York! > York Festival of Ideas, led by the University of York, scooped a York Culture Award and offers an incredible range of talks and events > York Early Music Festival stages sell-out performances and celebrated 40 years in 2017
> Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) celebrates the very best of international short film and is always a roaring success > York Christmas Festival - we pulled out all the stops for 2017 and it paid off - York has been officially named ‘the most festive city in the UK’ > York Early Music Christmas Festival showcased beautiful music from different parts of the world *Source: Annual Economic Impact Survey
30
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
"We were delighted York Art Gallery was named Visitor Attraction of the Year for the second year in a row. It is a fantastic achievement and the gallery team are very proud to have had their hard work and enthusiasm rewarded in this way. It is also recognition of the exhibitions and events held during the last 12 months which have seen some of the biggest names in art go on show." Reyahn King, Chief Executive, York Museums Trust
visityork.org/members 31
The Tourism Awards celebrate success and encourage excellence Each year we organise the Visit York Tourism awards to celebrate the achievements of York’s tourism sector. In May 2017 Will Zhuang scooped the prestigious Tourism Ambassador title in recognition of his help in promoting York in China.
Congratulations to the 2017 Winners B&B of the Year Tower Guest House
Café or Tearoom of the Year El Piano
Conference Venue of the Year The Principal York
Restaurant of the Year The Whippet Inn
Hotel of the Year The Principal York
Newcomer of the Year Can You Escape?
Outstanding Customer Service Alison Storey (York Racecourse)
Pub of the Year Pairings Wine Bar
Self-catering Venue of the Year The Old Brewery
Visitor Experience of the Year Hallowscream at York Maze
Family Experience of the Year Yorkshire's Winter Wonderland
Shopping Experience of the Year Käthe Wohlfahrt
Visitor Attraction of the Year (Under 50,000 Visitors) National Centre for Birds of Prey
Visitor Attraction of the Year (Over 50,000 Visitors) York Art Gallery
Visit York Outstanding Contribution Award Will Zhuang
32
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
Making the most of your membership We have a team of three dedicated to making sure you benefit from your membership with Visit York. In 2017 we welcomed 160 new members taking the total to over 900.
A few tips from our team: Use the Visitor Centre Whether keen to rack your brochures, sell your tickets or update the Visitor Centre team on your news, make sure your business takes advantage.
Free business advice: Make It York For Business Benefit from a host of free and discounted training events and expert business advice, through our Make It York For Business team.
Book a free ticket for the VYCON Tourism Conference It’s a great way to hear the latest news and to share knowledge and skills from across the industry.
Use your Perks cards and York Passes Get to know the city better and experience what our visitors are experiencing.
Tell VisitYork4meetings about your news Make sure we know all about your conference and event venue and keep us up to date on your product news.
Get noticed by the media Get involved in our PR campaigns and reach more customers, offer a film location or host visiting travel writers. Make sure we have your news.
Enter the Visit York Tourism Awards Submit your entry for the Visit York Tourism Awards in January and you could be in with a chance of winning this prestigious title.
Get involved in our marketing campaigns Be part of a campaign, reach more customers digitally or get your content featured in our newsletters or publications, simply get in touch.
Plan the events you want to attend Attend our regular member events, training sessions and networking events, or host a member event to promote your offering to fellow Visit York members.
visityork.org Keep your online listing up to date on visityork.org, by adding new photos, videos, events and content.
Take advantage of all of your business benefits As a member you have access to our mystery shopping services, free recruitment advertising, free legal helpline and free maintenance portal.
Follow @visityork to reach thousands of additional customers and @visityorkbiz to get the latest industry news. Subscribe to your free industry newsletter at visityork.org/members
“Being a member with Visit York opens up lots of new opportunities for us to market our business. We love to attend the networking and training events too, so we can connect with the tourism sector in the city. We benefit in so many different ways and Visit York really helps amplify our message internationally.” Louise Gee, Director of Sales, The Grand Hotel and Spa
1
7 Good Reasons to work with Visit York
Work with an expert tourism team and benefit from award-wining marketing, social media and PR campaigns
5
1.2 million
1.1 million
unique users of visityork.org
copies of the Visit York Visitor Guide and Mini Guide distributed, offering a great profile for your business
2
Ranked number 1 on Google for York searches
3 6 Access to and support from VisitYork4meetings, our business tourism experts
Advice, support, networking and free training events, ensuring you are always fully up to date
7 Expert knowledge, advice and monthly newsletter at visityork.org/members
Keen to discuss membership? PJ Edgar, Membership Executive pj.edgar@makeityork.com
Get promoted to half a million visitors through the Visit York Information Centre, a great shop window for your business 4
34
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
Networking, intelligence and business support Visit York members benefit from regular networking and training events, have access to market intelligence and can take advantage of free business support.
>
Monthly member events to enable networking and relationship building
>
An annual tourism conference - two free tickets for Visit York members
>
A monthly eNewsletter highlighting marketing opportunities and York’s tourism news
>
Tourism Advisory Board, chaired by Tom Pearcy, to encourage member engagement and to help shape the city’s tourism strategy and agenda
>
Active social media channels through @VisitYorkBiz and @makeityork
>
A monthly tourism report that monitors key trends on hotel occupancy and rates and audience figures for visitor attractions
>
Support from the Make It York business team
>
Reduced rates on seminars and masterclasses on bespoke business topics
>
Training such as the General Data Protection (GDPR) event held in 2017 to help businesses get ready for the new regulations
visityork.org/members 35
"We’ve worked closely with the team from Visit York on the launch of the re-imagined JORVIK and collaborated on a campaign showcasing the city’s heritage. All activity, from promotion on the website and social media to assisting in organising press trips and working with the team in the Visitor Centre has helped make this year the ‘Year of the Viking’." Sarah Maltby Director of Attractions York Archaeological Trust
36
Visit York... Making the most of your membership
Deals, discounts and money saving opportunities Visit York members benefit from a range of exclusive deals: >
Over 150 exclusive member perks
>
A maintenance portal offering access to local tradespeople through York Property Services
>
Free mystery shop and consultation by Shopper Anonymous
>
Free legal helpline with Ware and Kay solicitors
>
Perks card offering discounts at participating businesses
>
Access to free online image library
>
Free recruitment advertising at jobsinyork.com
>
Two free York Passes
>
Member plaque and sticker/logo to display at your business and online
>
7.5% off the best available business insurance premium with Jelf
visityork.org/members 37
"Jelf saved me 25% on my business insurance when compared to my existing supplier. Jon sorted it within 24 hours with the minimum of fuss." Matthew Punton, Heima
38
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
The Economic Impact of Tourism in York The latest figures from the *Economic Impact Report show there were 6.9 million visitors to York, who spent ÂŁ564 million, which supported 19,000 jobs.
Our research, as well as market intelligence from VisitEngland and VisitBritain, enables us to build up an accurate picture of customer satisfaction, as well as indicating the health of the tourism economy. We run three pieces of research: the Economic Impact Model; the Visitor Survey and the monitor of visits to attractions and hotel occupancy levels.
*Figures are for 2015. New data will be released in spring 2018.
2017 in Numbers >
12,000 people took part in York Residents’ Festival
>
1 million Mini Guides produced
>
455 coaches booked for the York Christmas Festival
>
330 conference enquiries
>
492,000 visitors welcomed to the Visit York Information Centre
>
8% increase in traffic to the mobile website
>
Over 900 members
1.4% up on 2016
Hotel Room Occupancy
Q1
2016 2017
2016
Q2
Q3
Q4
2017
63% 67% 78% 82%
2016
88%
2017
87%
2016 2017
83% 80%
visityork.org/members 39
2.4% up on 2016
Average Room Rates £80
2016
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
£85
2017
2016
£96
2017
£98
2016
£103
2017
£104
2016
£98
2017
£100
17% up on 2016
Visits to Attractions
Q1
2016 2017
2016
Q2
Q3
Q4
486,000
661,000 798,000
2017
792,000
2016
950,000
2017
2016 2017
Data includes the reopening of York Dungeon and JORVIK Viking Centre.
470,000
526,000 635,000
40
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
+
13.2%
Increase in rail journeys to York (19 Nov - 23 Dec)
45
+
1.3%
City centre footfall up on 2016 (16 Nov - 24 Dec)
+
1%
Car parking in York city centre (16 Nov - 22 Dec)
Ice Sculptures York Ice Trail the biggest in the UK
55,000 Visitors to illuminations at the Museum Gardens
"Customer feedback was very positive about the extended trading hours, York St Nicholas Fair, the Winter lights scheme, selected free car parking and the great atmosphere in the city. We are delighted that all the above helped in our sales performance being stronger than the majority of large M&S stores within city centres over the festive period." Neil Hansell, Store Manager, Marks & Spencer
+
8%
Coach sales up on 2016
79% Hotel occupancy (Nov - Dec)
over 500,000 Park & Ride journeys (16 Nov - 22 Dec)
York Designer Outlet York declared UK's most festive city Virgin Trains Survey
+
7.5%
Like for like sales up on 2016
+
6.4%
Footfall up on 2016
2017 v 2016 figures
42
Visit York... Supporting the tourism sector
Spotlight on 2018 “York Mediale (27 Sept - 6 Oct) will be a major international celebration of digital and media arts, in response to our UNESCO designation as a Creative City of Media Arts. The festival will bring a new, youthful, energetic and international spotlight to the city.” Tom Higham Creative Director York Mediale
New Hospitality Awards 20 Sept - Everyman cinema. We are holding a new event this year celebrating and recognising individuals in the hospitality sector. Visit York Tourism Awards 21 June - National Railway Museum. Join us at this annual celebration of York's tourism sector.
York - the Original City Adventure Our main marketing theme will continue into 2018, with a key focus on digital marketing activity. #onlyinYork A new marketing and PR campaign will celebrate everything that is special and unique about York. From the arrival of Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre to the York Mediale, we’re keen our members work with us on this exciting new campaign and tell us the things our visitors can find #onlyinYork. Discover England Fund “The Collection”, “Gateway to the North” and “Horseracing - Sport of Kings” Working with thirteen historic cities, we have secured funding for Year 2 and 3 marketing activity which will create new bookable themed itineraries, targeting a younger USA audience, aged 18-25, using new technologies. York - Britain’s Home of Chocolate Campaign We’ll continue to promote York as ‘Britain’s Home of Chocolate’, working on marketing and communications to spread the word far and wide about Britain’s Home of Chocolate. visityork.org York’s shiny new fully responsive tourism website visityork.org will be jam packed with content and ideas for our visitors.
visityork.org/members 43
New for 2018 >
Europe’s first pop-up Shakespearean theatre - Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre arrives into York this summer
>
York Mediale, a brand new international media arts festival, will wow audiences with cutting edge installations, events and exhibitions
>
A new festival, Bloom! will see York ablaze with floral creations this July - celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Ancient Society of York Florists
>
York Mansion House will celebrate a ‘Year of Grandeur’, after its £multi-million renovation
>
2018 will mark the 100 year anniversary of the end of WW1
>
York Castle Museum celebrates its 80th anniversary
>
A host of new exhibitions at York’s world-class visitor attractions: Times of Change:Women and Confectionery at York’s Chocolate Story; Yorkshire’s Jurassic World at the Yorkshire Museum; Sea is the Limit at York Art Gallery; A Personal Collection of Vivienne Westwood Shoes at the Castle Museum
>
For the first time in a decade, York Minster's Great East Window is again complete
International marketing We’ll be hosting the Discover Workshop with UKinbound (May 2018), which will see forty tour operators take part in a workshop and familiarisation trip to York. Mandarin and German landing pages will be introduced on visityork.org. York will be represented at a host of international travel trade events. A new initiative with House of Britain, the largest ground handler in the Netherlands, will see York promoted online to the travel trade and consumers. China In 2018 we’ll continue our marketing activity in China in partnership with Marketing Manchester to promote the direct route with Hainan Airlines from Beijing into Manchester International Airport. Key activity includes: York featured in Gateway Guide to the North of England. York featured in Weibo and WeChat pages. York included in Hainan Airlines travel trade familiarisation trips.
44
visityork.org/members 43
Keep in touch: Sally Greenaway
Michelle Brown
Head of Visit York sally.greenaway@makeityork.com
Marketing Manager michelle.brown@makeityork.com
Julie Brookes
Rebecca Francis
Visitor Centre Manager vicmanager@visityork.org
Commercial Manager rebecca.francis@makeityork.com
Laura Freer
Sue Frumin
Business Tourism Manager laura.freer@makeityork.com
Membership Engagement Manager sue.frumin@makeityork.com
David Honan
Chris Price
Digital Marketing Manager david.honan@makeityork.com
Head of City Centre & Markets chris.price@makeityork.com
Kay Hyde
Andrew Sharp
Head of PR & Corporate Communications kay.hyde@makeityork.com
Head of Business andrew.sharp@makeityork.com
Meet the Visit York Tourism Advisory Board: Chair Tom Pearcy Owner, York Maze
Graham Harris Manager Roman Bath
Hannah Phillip Director Fairfax House
Jane Lady Gibson Chair Make It York
Stacey Healey Marketing Manager York Minster
Chris Price General Manager NYMR
Steve Brown Managing Director Make It York
Michael Hjort Director York Food Festival
Sally Greenaway Head of Visit York Make It York
Stuart Jarman General Manager York Dungeon
Keith Wood Owner Ascot House
Zoe Rawson Senior Research Executive Make It York
Reyahn King Chief Executive York Museums Trust
Lionel Chatard General Manager Middlethorpe Hall Hotel
William Derby Chief Executive York Racecourse
Mark Scott Owner Alcuin Lodge
David Fraser Chief Executive York Civic Trust
Brendan Paddison Senior Lecturer York St John University
Jim Lowe Head of Operations National Railway Museum
Ways to stay in touch:
Visit us online at visityork.org | makeityork.com Follow us on Twitter @visityorkbiz | @makeityork Email us at info@makeityork.com Visit us at 1 Museum St, York YO1 7DT Subscribe to our newsletters at visityork.org/members