See the Cotswolds differently in 2018

The new 2018 Cotswolds Visitor Guide is now available on a far wider scale than in previous years, providing new ideas to tempt potential holidaymakers to the Cotswolds next year.  With a print run of 200,000, and a smaller, handier A5 size, the new Cotswolds Visitor Guide will have a wide appeal both to people who think they know the Cotswolds and those who’ve never visited.

The publication is Cotswolds Tourism’s main annual printed guide and provides a whole range of ideas for how to best enjoy the beautiful countryside, quintessential English towns and villages, as well as the huge array of fantastic places to stay and things to see and do. 

For the first time, there’ll be ideas about how visitors can create their perfect Cotswolds itinerary in a section titled, ’48 hours in.’ Other special features include seasonal highlights, top ten romantic moments, key events, shopping and eating out.

A new competition is included in the guide, supported by the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Batsford Arboretum and the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Steam Railway – who reach a milestone this spring then they open their extended service to Broadway.  As well as encouraging a greater pick up rate, the competition will also provide valuable data for Cotswolds Tourism, to help them understand the reach of the Visitor Guide and how it’s used by visitors.

Sally Graff, from Cotswolds Tourism, said, “2018 has the potential to be a big year for both domestic and international tourism as the weak pound continues to encourage UK residents to staycate, and makes the UK a very attractive place to visit for overseas visitors.  A royal wedding will also prove a big draw, with the Cotswolds’ connection to the Royals, particularly for the lucrative USA market”.

The 2018 visitor guide will be marketed through Cotswolds Tourism’s social media channels and the website www.cotswolds.com  as well as taken to all travel trade shows, overseas shows attended by our partners, and via the VisitEngland and VisitBritain partnership. To capitalise on the weak pound and Royal Wedding, 5000 copies of the guide will also be inserted into copies of Britain magazine, distributed in the USA.

ENDS

NOTES:

200,000 copies of the Cotswolds Visitor Guide 2018 will be printed, with 5,000 of these distributed in the USA in copies of Britain Magazine.  There will be an emailshot to 20,000 top Britain subscribers, concierge and distribution service in the City of London Visitor Information Centre alongside onscreen promotion of the Cotswolds, promotion in a number of domestic brochure request campaigns and distribution throughout the national Visitor Information Centre network.

About Cotswolds Tourism

Cotswolds Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation promoting and marketing tourism across the Cotswolds.   A public-private sector partnership, the aim is to grow the Cotswolds visitor economy by raising awareness about the destination and generating additional tourism visits and spend.

Cotswolds Tourism is a partnership of tourism businesses, supported by local authorities of Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Stroud District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and the Cotswolds Conservation Board.  Cotswolds Tourism’s priority is to grow the area’s Visitor Economy by raising awareness of the destination and generating additional tourism visits and spend.