Tourism South East‘s new campaign ‘A light at the end of the rainbow’ hopes to inspire domestic consumers, including independent travellers, couples, families and small groups, to discover and support tourism and leisure businesses in South East England.
As attractions, accommodation providers and leisure business reopen across the South East, the campaign encourages domestic consumers to ‘stay local, support local’ and enjoy days out and short breaks closer to home. The South and South East’s award-winning beaches and coastal destinations are already hotspots for visitors thanks to the extended spell of sunny weather across the region, and the numerous award-winning attractions, museums, hotels, restaurants and pubs offer visitors the opportunity to further enhance their daycation or staycation with rich experiences, learning possibilities and exciting adventures.
In addition to providing inspiration for local adventures, the campaign also reassures visitors by reinforcing the ‘We’re Good to Go’ accreditation. Operated by VisitEngland, the new consumer mark demonstrates that businesses are adhering to current COVID-19 Government and public health guidelines and have the necessary protective measures in place to operate safely.
Working together with destination partners and members, the regional umbrella campaign also urges visitors to #planahead and #knowbeforeyougo as many tourism business have now introduced new rules regarding social distancing along with advanced booking requirements to help manage capacity.
The new “A light at the end of the rainbow” campaign has already been shared with thousands of visitors via email, social media and on the consumer website www.visitsoutheastengland.com, which receives more than 190,000 visitors a month. The website features a dedicated landing page for the campaign with inspiration, tips on how best to plan ahead and links to the official tourism pages of 24 popular destinations in the region including 1066 Country, Visit Windsor, Visit Surrey, Sussex by the Sea and Thames Partnership.
As people return to work and schools reopen in September, the campaign will focus more on encouraging those in the South and South East to rediscover days and nights out and short breaks closer to home. The message is that the South East is, and will remain, open for late summer and early autumn breaks. The social media campaign will advocate for consumers to ‘stay local, support local’ by enjoying #SouthEastStaycations, #SouthEastAdventures, a #SouthEastBigNiteOut or a #SouthEastWinterWarmer.
Fran Downton, CEO of Tourism South East said, “This exciting new campaign complements our current marketing activities as well as regional and national sentiment regarding travel. We are fortunate to have so many award-winning attractions, gardens, hotels and hospitality businesses and we hope to remind visitors, especially those who is live in the region, that #SouthEastAdventuresAwait. Now, more than ever, it is time to re-discover your region and support your local visitor economy.”
