Swansea Bay set for autumn tourism boost

Oct. 6, 2008 - PRLog -- HUNDREDS of thousands of new visitors could be discovering Swansea Bay for the first time this autumn with the local economy set to benefit.

Swansea Council's tourism section is masterminding an autumn marketing campaign that's looking to reach 30,000 existing contacts and 700,000 potential new visitors to the area.

The campaign only kicked-off in September but almost 4,000 requests for a Swansea Bay Holiday Guide have already been received.

Tourism generated over £278million for the local economy last year and it’s hoped the campaign will help 2008 surpass this figure.

Frances Jenkins, Swansea Council's Strategic Manager for Tourism, Marketing and Events says it's all part of a drive to promote Swansea as a year-round destination..

She said: "We received some very positive feedback on our autumn campaign from our partners last year and have built on this for 2008.

"We're delighted the private sector has supported the campaign by providing some very special and attractive autumn offers to encourage visitors to our area.

“And, in addition to our own campaign, we've also bought into the online element of the national Visit Wales autumn campaign- which is worth over £1million.

"We're constantly developing new approaches and techniques for attracting new visitors to the area as well as maintaining regular contact with previous visitors to encourage them to return.

“The majority of our promotional material drives enquiries to the official tourism website and the beauty of this is that we can constantly add any new special offers that tourism operators in Swansea Bay may wish to submit. We can also add any new events or activities that take place during the Autumn so that the site is continually refreshed.”

The autumn marketing campaign uses a mix of database marketing, direct mail and e-marketing to feature walking routes, activities, local produce, the environment, events and the waterfront. .

The campaign also includes an e-shot that was sent to 60,000 contacts and offered links to www.visitswanseabay.com- the official and revamped tourism website for the area.

Cllr Graham Thomas, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation and Tourism, said: "Our tourism team has refocused a lot of its marketing activity over recent years to address one of the main strategic challenges facing tourism businesses- to try and lengthen the traditional holiday season.

"Facilities like the National Waterfront Museum, Plantasia and the LC are great all year-round attractions which also help to market the destination out of season and we're lucky to have so many fantastic natural wonders in Swansea Bay, some of which have to be experienced in the autumn.

"I'm delighted the campaign is performing so well and we hope the results will boost tourism business by bringing additional visitors through their doors."