1. The Partnership Jigsaw Why do UK Destinations matter to ABTA Travel Agents and Tour Operators?
Domestic tourism is continuing to deliver growth for the UK economy. Latest figures show that not only are more tourists choosing the UK for their breaks, but that they are spending more whilst on holiday – enjoying our world class attractions, breathtaking countryside as well as the warm welcome and hospitality that they receive from our wide range of accommodation options. The UK offers the home market a diverse range of destinations which are equally as appealing as they are to the overseas visitor.

2. Caroline Brown Commercial Director - Shearings Holidays
25 years travel industry experience
18 years with Shearings Holidays
Chair of ABTA UK Tourism & Leisure Group
Shearings Group in numbers:
1 million customers per annum
50 hotels across England, Scotland & Wales
6 brands
2,800 employees nationwide
8 retail travel agents – Wallace Arnold Travel
2 million in-house hotel bednights per year
278,000 customers – together we carried 278,000 customers in the last year!
Awards won:
TTG Travel Awards
Domestic Travel Supplier of the Year
British Travel Awards – Shearings
Gold: Best Large Coach Holiday Company
British Travel Awards – Coast & Country
Bronze: Best UK Mid-scale Hotel Group
Customer Satisfaction Rating:
Overall customer satisfaction has risen to 78%

3. ABTA – The Travel Association
UK’s leading travel association. Established for over 60 years.
Help its Members grow their businesses successfully and sustainably .
Help their customers – the travelling public – have confidence in their travel experience.
The ABTA brand stands for expertise, reliability and fairness, and the level of brand recognition and trust among consumers is the highest of any travel trade association.
ABTA – the association of British Travel Agents and it’s membership are your partnership friends – here to support UK destinations. ABTA is a very broad church, made up of a range of travel agency partners from the largest multiples of TUI and TC to the independents and consortia on the high street to the home workers offering a personal service. ABTA is fairly unique as an industry association as it also encompasses the UK tour operators under the same umbrella. You may think of the name ABTA as being synonymous with the outbound market but this recognised industry body is also very supportive of the domestic home market with a much increased focus in this area over the last 5 years.
We should not forget that not so very long ago... people would visit their travel agent and almost automatically think of a holiday overseas - as the word holiday had become synonymous with going abroad.... The launch of the UK GREAT Holiday at Home campaign in partnership with the 4 national tourist boards GIFTED tour operators and travel agents with the perfect platform from which to relaunch the UK to our own ‘at home’ audience through the travel trade. Through the Great campaigns and events such as the Travel Brit awards held every year to reward excellence in selling domestic holidays and educate agents about the UK product portfolio on offer in a fun way – we are starting to educate agents and change perceptions.
A measure of how far we have come through this increased focus and awareness was the fact that in the recent 2014 Peaks period, one of the leading multiple retailers ensured that for every holiday they sold outbound that their sales agents asked a second question – would you consider buying a UK holiday as a secondary break not instead of.

4. The importance of the UK tourism to ABTA members
Domestic tourism is vital to ABTA members
Tourism benefits every part of the UK including travel agents and operators
Tourism has touch points across a wide range of industry sectors
Tourism protects and preserves our heritage for future generations
ABTA members are an important part of the Tourism jigsaw
Tourism benefits every part of UK including T Agents and Tour O’ps and their business models – also effects wide range of complimentary industries i.e. Utilities, food, retail etc
With the help of the tourist boards, ABTA and the UK tour operators we have been able to encourage the travel agent community to see the benefits in selling holidays in the domestic home market that sees over 126 million domestic trips take place annually and some 873 million day trips made each year with an estimated value of £39bn . Expenditure on overnight trips neared £23 billion in Inclusive of day visits, the spend on domestic to
tourism in 2011 exceeded £76 billion (ABTA research) Many travel agents have now recognised that they can play an integral part in domestic tourism by becoming a specialist in this sector.

5. ABTA members: Destination UK
Opportunity for agents to become a UK travel expert
Low cost opportunity to direct market to their existing base
Average booking values can often be higher than some European holidays
Higher average booking values will lead to increased agent commission
OPPORTUNITY Y
Like us – our customers will be working longer and therefore time poor so they are looking to make the most out of their precious time away – whether that be a weekend walking in the Lake District or a London city break taking in a show. A knowledgeable trusted agent can become the customers internet providing expertise and knowledge whilst also recognising that this agent may already have a relationship with this customer through their previous outbound booking history – by becoming a UK travel expert the agent can capture a second booking which the customer may otherwise have made directly via the web – increasing importantly the customer is also secure in the knowledge that their holiday is protected by having booked through a reputable ABTA agent.
One of the most expensive things for an agent to do is to acquire new customers – we have been able to educate them that the UK provides them with an opportunity to sell these same loyal customers a second holiday – they don’t need to go out and market – by proactively targeting their existing database they can make additional sales.
With the help of the tourist boards, ABTA and the UK tour operators we have been able to encourage the travel agent community to see the benefits in selling holidays in the domestic home market that sees over 126 million domestic trips take place annually and some 873 million day trips made each year with an estimated value of £39bn
Expenditure on overnight trips neared £23 billion in 2011.
Inclusive of day visits, the spend on domestic tourism in 2011 exceeded £76 billion

6. Destination UK
Globally, the UK is the sixth largest international tourism destination by visitor numbers and seventh by visitor expenditure
In 2013, the UK retained 3rd place as a ‘nation brand’ behind the USA and Germany in the 2013 Anholt GFK Nations Brand Index
Within a 2-hour drive time, the UK offers a wide choice of holiday experiences
It is hard to comment definitively on the future of the UK as a destination given the fluidity of other tourism markets and the impact of international events on inbound/domestic tourism, e.g. the strength of the pound. But the following statistics give an overview of the current and projected future position of the UK tourism market: The value of inbound tourism is forecast to grow from over £21bn in 2013 to £57bn by 2025, with the UK seeing an international tourism balance of payments surplus in 2023, almost forty years since the UK last reported a surplus. Globally, the UK is the sixth largest international tourism destination by visitor numbers and seventh largest by visitor expenditure. In the 2013 Anholt GfK Nations Brand Index the UK retained 3rd place as a 'nation brand' behind the USA and Germany. Rankings are out of 50 nations, including leading and emerging economies, and are produced by collating the views of 20,000 people around the world each year.
Within a 2 hour drive time the UK offers a wide and diverse choice of holiday experiences – from the cosmopolitan cities of Manchester and Liverpool to the heritage of Chester and the breathtaking landscapes of the Peak District and Lake District National Parks – all with great rail links and fabulous walking opportunities. Due to the compactness of these Isles, we are able to offer a range of experiences all within one break or even as a day trip from our home town for the chance to enjoy some escapism whilst helping to support our local ecconomy.

7. Destination UK versus European competitors
UK is a complimentary destination - ideal for shorter breaks
UK offers accessible, good quality and affordable accommodation
UK destinations offer unique, authentic and safe experiences
Always assured of a warm, friendly welcome in a trusted environment
Appeals to our inner social conscience
Of course here in the UK we are competing for our share of the inbound market with other key EU destinations - but for the domestic home market we see the UK as a complimentary destination to their main overseas holiday if they choose to take one, often taken as a short break, helping to support the local economy. Short breaks as a rule are taken within a 2 hour drive time which could mean it’s the same county but almost certainly the same country applying a self funding principal with every extra £1 being spent fuelling the UK economy. UK destinations offer something unique in terms of their authenticity, heritage & traditions - whatever the weather we can always be guaranteed of some great British hospitality – be that a pint in the pub, a trip to the seaside, or for some perhaps a visit to a top London show - it’s no wonder Britain was recently ranked amongst the top 10 countries for the warmth and friendliness of its welcome. We should also not forget that we have some amazing scenery and attractions to visit on these picturesque islands of ours!
UK offers visitors authentic, quality and value for money experiences in unique destinations – Tourism supports local businesses – profit, people, resilience. By appealing to our customers inner social conscience they realise that this contributes to making the UK a better place to love and work and creates a community feel.

8. The future of UK destinations with English consumers
Sell the destination experience not the commodity
Product must be authentic and unique
Encourage localism – blogs on events, festivals
Capitalise on what’s topical in terms of TV shows, current trends and themes
Exploit the need for escapism from our daily lives – ‘Nano breaks’
Engage with all age groups to find breaks that work for them – contemporary nostalgia
Find ways to keep domestic tourism in the public conscience
UK resorts are not just geared to the inbound tourists, they offer local experiences and history that appeal to very generation of UK consumer.
Holiday TV shows from the 70’s-90’s focused on the glamorous, aspirational and novelty aspect of travelling abroad with the introduction of Freddie Laker Airways and the fly and flop concept. Holiday TV shows over the last 10 years have taken on a different dimension with rich content and often following a destination celebrity hosted theme particularly within the UK. These kind of shows have helped to fuel interest in everything from The Tate in St Ives to the new W & G ride in Blackpool, showcasing that we have a range of entertaining, engaging & cultural experiences to suit all - right here - on our door step with a complimentary range of accommodation, rail, short break or coach holidays to match. This increased level of TV coverage has helped to put domestic tourism in the public conscience.
Engage with all age groups to find breaks that work for them - whether that's engaging schools or teenage sector who are learning about Shakespeare or the Battle of Hastings to visit an attraction that feeds into a family holiday or break or whether it’s revisiting haunts and child hood memories for the older generation... these all present opportunities.
It’s important that the UK destinations work collaboratively with their local tourist partners to package experiences which makes it easy for the customer to buy in a one stop shop or via a small amount of clicks on line.

9. How ABTA supports UK destinations
ABTA works with Tourism Alliance to support UK destinations
ABTA makes recommendations to government to cut through red tape to support small tourist service businesses
ABTA works across the industry to support DMOS whilst also supporting travel agents and tour operators
ABTA as an organisation already works closely with UK destinations through membership of organisations such as Tourism Alliance to support a strong future tourism market. ABTA regularly makes the following recommendations to Government: Support the small businesses that provide tourist services by continuing to cut red tape to create the optimum environment for entrepreneurship to thrive. Work with the industry to support a coordinated, well-resourced, functional network of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) to ensure quality tourism services are delivered at the local level.

10. How can destinations work more closely with ABTA members?
All tourism stakeholders have a role to play – partnership
Destinations can work to engage travel agents and tour operators in local initiatives – don’t assume they already know
Work collaboratively to drive awareness and joint promotional activity
Organise ‘think tanks’ to talk to ABTA members – share ideas
All tourism stakeholders have a role to play in growing tourism responsibly.
By working together, we can ensure we create a resilient, sustainable market which is prosperous for all
Destinations can work to engage travel agents and tour operators in local partnership initiatives. Best kept secret – don’t assume they already know!
At Shearings the national tourist boards used to come to us separately to see how they could engage with the trade and other tour operators and it would be very difficult to get in a travel agents window – by working together collectively under the Great campaigns, the 4 boards have come together in a complimentary way to achieve their shared goals. Why not see if you can team up with other likeminded attractions in other areas of the country and offer accommodation options to match. The main travel retailers have branches Nationwide and want to be able to sell across all the countries.
It’s a partnership – Shearings just this week won Scotland’s Heritage UK Tour Operator of the Year working with Scotland’s Heritage partner attractions. 12 hotels in Scotland – local employer, supporting local attractions, bringing customers in to support local economy.
How can destinations involve their local tour operators and travel agents in community projects?
Travel agents have to be the customers internet, offering an unrivalled range of product knowledge, as well as experience and expertise. By working with your TA and TO partners locally do a deal locally to package attractions in neighbouring counties within a 2 hour drive time....offers deals packaged with local accommodation providers.....its also worth remembering from a tour operator perspective that the biggest brands might not always know what’s on offer – make contact and sell in your experiences – the more authentic the better – joint marketing promotions, local attraction discount vouchers/ free cup of tea that can be included in the pre departure literature (especially if visitor attractions have already come together to produce a range of offers or perhaps for the OTAS a white labelled offering on line.
Hold focus groups – think tanks with travel agents and tour operators To smell what sells – package walking tours with local food and wine tasting experiences
Work with your local coach company to run a shared initiative to drive business local and encourage local people to trial attractions on their door stop – by working with your local coach company or travel agent in partnership with local transport you can get customers to leave the car at home helping to reduce CO2 emissions – look at ways in changing behaviour of people in your local area – Shearings for example have invested 44m in the last 5 years on new environmentally friendly coaches and would be a perfect partner – with new train rolling stock also coming in to play across the North West in particular with Northern Rail this all helps

11. Partnerships for success
Events
USPS
Tour Operators
Travel Agents
Sustainability
We believe that in the UK Leisure and Tourism Group and across ABTA more generally that we the membership are passionate about domestic tourism and proud of the fantastic range of innovative product experiences that we have currently to offer here on our home shores and with your continued help, we believe that the future is bright for domestic tourism in a responsible and future proof environment. Thankyou
Tourism visitors should be seen as our shared customers – and our aim should be to provide a seem less customer journey and a product experience which surpasses expectations.
Destinations

12. Working together to grow tourism responsibly
Domestic tourism is continuing to deliver growth for the UK economy. Latest figures show that not only are more tourists choosing the UK for their breaks, but that they are spending more whilst on holiday – enjoying our world class attractions, breathtaking countryside as well as the warm welcome and hospitality that they receive from our wide range of accommodation options. The UK offers the home market a diverse range of destinations which are equally as appealing as they are to the overseas visitor.