City to celebrate its successes in English Tourism Week
Local tourism organisations are working together to celebrate English Tourism Week (ETW) which runs from 25 March to 2 April. The city council’s tourism arm, VisitBrighton and the local Tourism Alliance have teamed up to encourage other local organisations and businesses to get behind ETW. Many businesses, including the Brighton Palace Pier and the British Airwaysi360 will be hosting their own special events to mark the occasion.
Brighton & Hove attracts around 10 million visitors a year with the tourism economy worth in excess of £800 million and supporting over 21,000 jobs. Earlier this month the city hosted national tourist board VisitBritain’s annual flagship event ExploreGB, which saw hundreds of tourism suppliers and destinations meet at the Brighton Centre to do business with 400 international travel buyers from 40+ countries.
41,000 B2B trade meetings took place during the event and many local businesses, including Court Garden vineyard, The Royal Pavilion, BAi360 and a host of local restaurants were among those involved in showcasing the best of Brighton & Hove’s visitor offer.
Commenting on the event, VisitBritain Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said: “From the buzz of the Brighton Centre, where 41,000 business meetings took place, to the bustling seaside and Brighton Lanes, ExploreGB was a resounding success.
“Brighton & Hove, with its great businesses and facilities, was an outstanding host city, providing a first-class setting for showcasing Britain’s tourism offer to hundreds of global delegates.”
Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s economic development & culture committee, Alan Robins added: “ExploreGB was a wonderful showcase for the city and is estimated to be worth an additional £1m to the local economy.
“English Tourism Week is another important date in the tourism calendar not only because it gives us a platform to launch our summer season of activity but it is also a way to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of all those working within the tourism and hospitality industries.
“We’ve a lot to celebrate in Brighton & Hove and it’s really good to see so many businesses coming together and working collaboratively to ensure our city is firmly on the tourism map.”
Businesses can take part in English Tourism Week by submitting events & offers to appear on VisitBrghton's website and there is social media activity using the hashtag #ETW17 as well as the #patontheback campaign to recognise everyone who plays a part in Brighton & Hove’s tourism economy.
An English Tourism Week bus with a range of different businesses on-board each day will host a variety of events and workshops for residents and visitors to explore. The bus will be parked on Ship Street from Monday 27 March – 2 April.