Celebrating English Tourism Week with 100 DMOs

James Berzins, Managing Director of Tourism Exchange GB

This English Tourism Week (17-26 March 2023), we’re marking a significant milestone.

Fresh off the back of launching our first ever Fireside Chat, we’re also delighted to announce over 100 UK destinations are now connected to TXGB and able to boost their local visitor economies like never before.

Visit Northumberland was the 100th destination management organisation (DMO) to ‘go-live’ – with Visit Manchester being the first forward-thinking partner to plug into the technology when TXGB launched in 2020.

After hitting the ‘Big 100’, Visit Leicester, Visit Worcester and Visit Bradford have also signed-up to TXGB and are all set to deliver smarter initiatives.

Visit Bradford in particular has an exciting opportunity to leverage the technology in the lead up to its coveted City of Culture 2025.

With so many  DMOs now on board, we can now unlock the tourism industry’s true potential by driving unparalleled connectivity and collaboration – both key recommendations from last summer’s ‘De Bois Review’.

What this really means is a new era for the industry, as the extremely passionate people promoting all our nation has to offer, are given a vehicle to reach an ever-expanding range of tourism products and a previously unreachable pool of hidden gems – generating more bookings and creating richer in-stay experiences.

It really feels like we finally have the collective power to transition to a different way of doing things, with our 100+ DMOs helping to lead the way.

Unprecedented collaboration

A prime example of how TXGB technology is shaping a more collaborative industry approach is being demonstrated by the pilot Destination Development Partnership (DDP), led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) in conjunction with Visit Durham,  and the platform’s 100th recruit, Visit Northumberland.

Together, NGI, Visit Northumberland and North Tyneside are launching a campaign, funded by North of the Tyne Combined Authority, that is working in partnership with TXGB to allow seamless cross-promotion between the DMOs.

It’s the first time the technology has been used by multiple destination sites to amplify each other’s digital marketing efforts.

The region’s ‘New Adventures’ campaign covers ‘Active Pursuits’, ‘Food & Drink’ and ‘Winter Escapes’ and is encouraging new and existing products across the region to come together to create novel, authentic, extended visitor experiences – with bookability driven by connections to TXGB. 

‘TXGB had to be at the heart of taking this campaign to market because of the technology’s unique capability to be the conduit for all types of tourism businesses, and for each of the destinations involved.’ says NGI’s Destination Director, Ian Thomas.

‘The idea is ingrained in inclusivity – we want everything from walking tours to culinary workshops participating – and there is no other platform that joins the dots between all types of tourism products and such a variety of well-known and more niche distribution channels.’

Future opportunities

Our team is on a mission to make TXGB accessible for any size and type of business by widening the range of channels TXGB connects with.

The latest strategic partnerships with ‘Google Hotel Ads’ and the soon-to-launch ‘Google Things to Do’ (more to come on that one) provide the single biggest, online profile boost for tourism product suppliers across accommodation, attractions and activities.

This will also provide DMOs with an unprecedented, commission-free opportunity to take to their membership.