Deaf Awareness Week (3-9 May 2021) is a good opportunity to take a deep dive into the lived experiences of families with deaf children on days out at visitor attractions in the ‘new normal’.
Did you know that there are 50,000 deaf children in the UK? How have their experiences been affected by Covid-19, and what improvements would parents and carers like to see implemented at UK visitor attractions?
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
English Tourism Week (ETW) is the English tourism industry’s annual kick-off to the tourism season. It’s a week-long celebration of England’s tourism offer, designed to showcase both the quality and diversity of England’s visitor experiences and the economic value the industry brings to the country.
His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales is ETW’s patron, and the event is managed by VisitEngland and the ETW Executive Committee, made up of representatives from eight destination management organisations (DMOs), including Chair Deirdre Wells of Visit Kent.
It’s not actually a week long though. Because most tourism happens over weekends, it makes sense for English Tourism Week to encompass both weekends, at either end. But English Tourism Nine Days doesn’t have quite the same ring to it!
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
The Museum of London’s Sandford Award-winning schools programme is an important component of the Museum’s operational model. In 2018-2019, the Museum of London engaged 153,609 children in onsite and offsite activity; in the 2019-2020 financial year (April-March; the museums closed to the public in March 2020), an estimated 141,300 school children were engaged.
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
As visitor attractions and the hospitality industry start to re-open, a question mark remains around school visits. When and how will this vital revenue stream return to pre-pandemic levels? And what can VAs do to nudge it in the right direction over the next few weeks?
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
Travel is a well-known mental health boost. Holidays can help lower stress levels, increase creativity and activity levels and mix up the status quo of everyday life.
But did you know that the simple act of planning a trip or experience is good for mental health too? Planning a trip is an act of self-care, helping to foster a vital sense of purpose and hope. And having something to look forward to is something that many people have sorely missed during the pandemic.
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
It’s been a year since the UK went into its first lockdown. Visitor attractions have been forced to pivot, flex and adapt at speeds that seemed unimaginable just 12 months ago. The alternative was closure or, worse, being responsible for helping the spread of Covid-19.
At the more extreme end of the scale, museums transformed into vaccination centres. Distilleries more accustomed to giving tours turned their hands to making hand sanitiser. Escape rooms operators opened farm shops.
But for most visitor attractions, operating during a pandemic – when restrictions allowed customers to visit – looked a little more like life as we know it, albeit it with time slots, face masks and social distancing signage. There have been positive changes too. Digital technology developed at an astonishing rate. Staff whose roles were, perhaps, under-valued have come to the fore. Visitors gained a deeper appreciation of the pleasure of a proper day out.
Some of these changes would have happened despite Covid-19; the pandemic simply hastened their arrival and adoption. Of these, many look set to stay.
Here are five changes to continue investing in and making permanent and/or more prominent features of your visitor attraction.
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
From daily news updates about the global travel industry to interviews with tourism experts, these 5 podcasts are essential listening for visitor attractions professionals who want to stay in the loop – or just hear some wild stories from tour guides!
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
We spoke to Hazel Hook to find out what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme (VAQS)* inspector.
Hazel has been a VAQS assessor for 12 years, including four years as the Lead Assessor. She took on the job – and analysed the quality assurance scheme – while studying for an MA in Museum & Heritage Management, after taking early retirement from her role as a Visitor Services Manager with The National Trust. Before the pandemic, Hazel assessed 40 to 50 sites per year, including Castle Howard, Blenheim Palace, National Space Centre, Chatsworth and very small city centre museums and art galleries that may only have an hour dwell time.
What Hazel doesn’t know about VisitEngland’s quality assessment scheme for VAs isn’t worth knowing!
Here Hazel gives us the insider view of the assessment process, highlights the parts of an inspection you didn’t know were important, and shares her thoughts on the future of the VAQS scheme.
“I tend not to use the words ‘inspection’ or ‘inspector’ but rather ‘assessment’ and ‘assessor’. They’re more accurate as we’re helpful, offering business support and sharing our knowledge and best practice. Like all assessors, I’m very adaptable and don’t operate a ‘one size fits all’ approach.”
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
The Government’s new roadmap to easing the Covid-19 restrictions that have impacted our attractions over the last year has been published and there’s light at the end of the tunnel for visitor attractions and the domestic travel industry.
There’s no need for us to duplicate information readily available from official sources here but, for your ease of reference, we have included links to useful regional and sector-specific information, support and advice, plus a top-level outline of the roadmap steps that affect visitor attractions, towards the end of this blog.
Instead, let’s focus on guidance and tips to help your attraction offer a visitor experience that’s not only safe and compliant but also even more memorable when you re-open your doors this spring/summer.
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
There are already more than 10 million owned dogs in the UK* and, thanks to a surge in puppy ownership during lockdown, that number is climbing.
Wood Green, The Animals Charity told the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association (PMFA) that demand for pets has soared over the last few months: “Enquiries increased by more than 253% during lockdown and over 20,000 people contacted Wood Green about getting a new pet between April and June – more than half of which were for dogs.”
- Topic:
- Visitor Attractions
