Shropshire Tourism Members Website

No 15 Summer 2008

enquiries@shropshiretourism.co.uk

www.shropshiretourism.co.uk

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

It's the time of year that many of you will be renewing your membership in order to advertise in the various brochures produced by Shropshire Tourism. Even if you don't wish to advertise, you can still renew your membership for 2008/09. This will not only ensure your business continues to be represented on the official tourism website for Shropshire (and the relevant district websites via the joint membership schemes) but also gives you a discount on credit card machines and transactions. For further information please contact Jodie on 01743 462462 or click here for a renewal form.

SHROPSHIRE TOURISM BECOMES UKITA QUALITY MARK ACCREDITED

We are delighted to report that Shropshire Tourism has recieved the highly sought after Quality Mark from the UK IT Association (UKITA).

Only a handful of organisations throughout the region have achieved the Quality Mark. The accreditation is only awarded to those organisations that have achieved the highest levels of quality in all of their e-marketing activities including web design, search engine optimisation, building content management systems and customer support.

The accolade is due to the hard work, diligence and dedication of Shropshire Tourism's IT development team. As many members will already know we have a team of three full time web developers: Ben Emanuelli, Peter Harrison and Andrew Holmes-Brown.

Ben went to accept the award at the Shropshire UKITA AGM. Ben said: "I am delighted to recieve this award on behalf of the IT team at Shropshire Tourism. Quality is at the heart of everything we do and we always endevour to provide the best service to our customers. My congratulations go to Andy and Peter who have worked tirelessly throughout the year to achieve this award."

SHROPSHIRE & THE WELSH BORDERS BROCHURE 2009

Where does the time go? Yes advertising in next year's Shropshire & Welsh Borders brochure is upon us, soon comes round doesn't it?!

You will have already received your advertising information, and some of you may have already booked your space. The deadline is the 18th July, but don’t delay in sending us your booking forms as spaces do sell quickly!

For more information contact Jodie at the Barns on 01743 452288.

TOURISM ACCOMMODATION JOB SURVEY

In February of this year, Shropshire Tourism undertook a county wide job survey to our members. The response to the survey was outstanding and we would now like to say a big thank you to all of you who took the time and the trouble to complete the survey.

The results of the survey have now been collated and show some very positive results in terms of the employment status for the county as a whole and for the individual districts compared to the previous year.

The results of the survey are detailed below for your information.

	Jobs Safeguarded	Jobs Created
Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council	3	5
North Shropshire	10	34
South Shropshire	38	104
Oswestry	6	8
Bridgnorth	1	8
Ironbridge & Telford	0	8
Total for Shropshire	58	167

PRESS & PR

As a result of Shropshire Tourism’s press and pr activities last year, press coverage for Shropshire was worth over £1.7 million demonstrating just how important this activity is in promoting the county.

So far this year, Shropshire has hosted 5 press visits including journalists from the Sunday Times and The Express.

Coverage for Shropshire continues to be generated both domestically and internationally and as ever we are always on the lookout for ‘hooks’ to use to generate coverage for both Shropshire and member businesses.

If you have a story, please let us know by emailing Sarah at swhittall@shropshiretourism.co.uk

WEBSITE JACKANORY – EVERY WEBSITE TELLS A STORY

Your website is your shop window to the world, but is it saying the right things about your business?

Whilst a good website will be checking all the boxes in a visitor's mind, a bad website is likely to make the visitor move to a competitor to make a booking.

Therefore if your website needs a refreshing change why not call us to discuss your website needs and we will give you advice in terms of making your website work for you.

However, there is one thing worse than a poor website, and that’s having no website at all!

If you are new to the industry or simply haven't seriously thought about having a website before, please contact us on 01743 462462 to discuss all the benefits having a professionally designed website can bring to your business.

FIRE REGULATIONS ADVICE

Carrying out your fire risk assessments may seem daunting, but it needn't be. The Shropshire Tourism members website www.stmem.com contains information on the new Fire Regulations and various other business advice, please take a look at the following link www.stmem.com/fire-safety-law.php

DMP NETWORKING DAYS

Late last year and early this year Shropshire Tourism held a number of networking days to support the restaurant, golf and attractions sectors in Shropshire. The meetings were held on behalf of the Shropshire & Telford Destination Management Partnership (the DMP), with funding support from Advantage West Midlands.

The meetings were very interesting with a range of speakers offering advice and support to each sector.

The attendees at the meetings were eligible for a free entry for a year on the bespoke websites which are also produced by Shropshire Tourism on behalf of the DMP. You can view the websites at: www.shropshireattractions.com, www.shropshirefoodanddrink.com and www.shropshiregolf.com .

As a result of the golf networking meeting, a Shropshire golf committee has been set up which hopes to meet regularly and encourage dialogue between all the golf courses in the county. The courses which were represented at the meetings were also eligible to a free entry in the new Shropshire Golf Guide which has also been produced on behalf of the DMP.

ONLINE TICKETING

We are delighted to report that visitors will soon be able to book tickets to Shropshire's attractions directly from the Shropshire Tourism website.

The online ticketing system has been developed by Shropshire Tourism on behalf of the Shropshire & Telford Destination Management Partnershipwith funding from Advantage West Midlands.

The system is available to any business in Shropshire who has an IT system on their front desk. If you are interested in using the online ticketing system for your own attraction, please contact Ben Emanuelli on 01743 462462.

ONLINE AVAILABILITY

The accommodation availability system has been developed by Shropshire Tourism on behalf of the Shropshire and Telford Destination Management Partnership with funding from Advantage West Midlands.

The system is currently being rolled out and is available for businesses in Shropshire to use free of charge for the first year. After the first year there would be a small charge of £50 + VAT for members taking the availability module or £75 + VAT for members taking both availability and online bookings.

If you are interested in the availability and/or booking system, please complete the online form using the following link www.stmem.com/interested.php

FLOOD RECOVERY PROMOTIONS

Earlier this year, Shropshire Tourism was awarded two new contracts from Bridgnorth District Council and South Shropshire District Council to undertake two separate press and pr campaigns to promote Bridgnorth and the Severn Valley and Ludlow.

The campaigns, which are funded by Advantage West Midlands via Flood Recovery funding, aim to encourage visitors back to these areas of Shropshire which were adversely affected by last year’s weather.

The Bridgnorth and Severn Valley Campaign included the launch of a new, bespoke website for the area www.visitsv.co.uk, an events and festivals leaflet complete with its own branded dispenser, media campaign with a series of adverts running in regional press and pr work to directly support 10 key businesses within the Severn Valley.

The Ludlow campaign also included a media campaign and press and pr work to directly support 10 key businesses within Ludlow.

Both of these campaigns are currently running until September.

TOURISM MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

We are delighted that Shropshire Tourism's out-of-county commercial trading arm, Direct Tourism Services (DTS) Ltd has been awarded the contract to deliver a brand new national website for the Tourism Management Institute.

The content management driven website is the main website for destination managers in the UK and was a highly sought after contract. Peter Harrision one of our Web Development Officers has been busy developing the website which will include features such as a Continuing Professional Development section for members.

You can visit the website by clicking the link www.tmi.org.uk

SMS SYSTEM

Shropshire Tourism recently launched a text message information system for visitors to receive details of the latest top event in Shropshire.

Visitors are invited to text ‘Shrops’ to 60777 to receive details of that weeks events. Messages cost 25p plus standard network cost.

Accommodation members will have received a supply of promotional cards to put in their bedrooms, let us know if you need any more.

The system is provided by Shropshire Tourism on behalf of the Shropshire and Telford Destination Management Partnership with part funding from Advantage West Midlands.

ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR WEBSITE HOSTING?

OK, so you have a website and you are very happy with it, but are you paying too much for the ongoing costs?

Shropshire Tourism has developed a website hosting service for members who are either paying too much for their hosting with their current supplier or who are not completely happy with the levels of service they have received.

The response to this service has been overwhelming and many members have already spoken to us about moving their websites to Shropshire Tourism to host and manage and quite a few have already moved!

For just £145 + VAT per year, you can benefit from having Shropshire Tourism manage and maintain your website. This price includes the costs of unlimited updates, search engine optimisation, statistical analytics that show traffic levels to your website, and uploading of new images etc. Quite simply this is spectacular value!

So what are you waiting for, check out our client list at www.stmem.com/website_clients.php and give us a call on 01743 462462 and let us look after your website for you.

PLACES TO VISIT

As a Shropshire Tourism member you are entitled to an unlimited supply of the Places to Visit booklets. This handy attractions booklet is perfect for your visitors to browse through during their stay or take along with them on a day out exploring Shropshire. If you would like a supply of the booklets please contact Jodie at the Barns on 01743 462462.

SPECIAL OFFERS

Did you know that the Special Offers page is the most visited on the website? Many of our members are already taking advantage of this section of the website and supplying us with regular offers to promote their businesses. If you would like to join them please email your special offers through to enquiries@shropshiretourism.co.uk. To look at the offers already on the site take a look at the following link www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/special-offers/

KING ARTHUR IN SHROPSHIRE: NEW LEAFLET LAUNCHED

A revised edition of King Arthur in Shropshire leaflet has recently been launched. The aim of the leaflet is to encourage visitors and local residents to follow a specially designed trail around Shropshire and see the places in the county connected with King Arthur.

On the Trail of King Arthur in Shropshire has been produced with funding support from Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council; Oswestry Borough Council; Bridgnorth District Council, Hawkstone Park & Follies and North Shropshire District Council.

The release of the films 'King Arthur' and 'The Da Vinci Code' in recent years revived interest in Shropshire's myths & legends – particularly in the legend of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. The national and international media came to Shropshire to research the real home of the legendary King Arthur and public interest in the legend of King Arthur is still very strong.

So if you thought that King Arthur’s home was the south west of England – think again. Arthur’s spiritual home was Camelot - now known as Wroxeter Roman City, near Shrewsbury. Guinevere was an Oswestry lass, being born at the Old Oswestry Hill Fort. The Holy Grail was actually found at Hawkstone Park. And Arthur’s final resting place is Baschurch. King Arthur’s crown jewels are believed to have been buried in Much Wenlock by Arthur’s heir – Cynddylan – and are still waiting to be discovered!

Pick up a copy of On the Trail of King Arthur in Shropshire from your local Visitor Information Centre, or you can download a copy from www.shropshiretourism.co.uk/king-arthur.

POSTAGE COSTS

You will be aware that last year the Royal Mail changed the charges for posting items. Please ensure that you put the correct stamp on to each item you mail, for example if you are sending an A4 envelope you will need a Large Letter stamp. This is particularly important at this time of year when you will be sending us payments and booking forms for your brochure advert, we don’t want you to miss out on your space!

EMAIL WARNINGS TO MEMBERS

Please remember to check the www.stmem.com website on a regular basis for warnings of scams that may be affecting businesses in the county.Please let us know of any likely scams that you have come across.

COME AND SEE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT SHROPSHIRE HILLS DISCOVERY CENTRE

Councillor Barbara Craig, on behalf of Shropshire County Council invites you to celebrate the completion of the new developments at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre in Craven Arms on Friday 11th July, 5.30pm for 6.00pm.

For further information please visit the website www.shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk or telephone 01588 676060.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this e-newsletter. Shropshire Tourism accepts no responsiblity for any resulting actions which may occur as a result of misinformation.

This newsletter is produced by Shropshire Tourism (UK) Ltd June 2008

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