The digital strides driving the visitor economy further, faster

It’s been a busy but productive autumn event season, which included the UK Inbound Convention (UKICon23),  the Visitor Attraction Conference (VAC), World Travel Market and Simpleview’s EMEA summit.

Now the shorter days are here, there’s a lot that tourism businesses can achieve in this (slightly) less hectic period.

There is a run of industry events throughout the autumn that are well worth attending for inspiration and information gathering.

I personally came away from recent networking platforms, such as the UKICon23 in Belfast, reflecting on just how far we’ve come as a brand since launch.

The keynote speaker at UKICon23, Jamil Qureshi, spoke about the role of ‘outsiders’ to challenge the status quo, the valley of uncertainty and the power of positivity.

For me, so many things he said resonated with who we are as TXGB, the journey we have been on and the mindset we promote internally.

Like me, a lot of us newbies to the sector don’t have a tourism background and so collectively we would identify as ‘outsiders’.

But at events like the UKICon23 and the VAC, which bring the whole sector together with open arms, we feel part of a wider group and I think that is testament to the work of the sector and our engaging team, in breaking down silos.

At the Simpleview EMEA Summit, Tina Veater’s take on technology’s role in enabling destinations to maximise commercial opportunities was a distillation of digital tourism’s progress, delivered in a very practical way.

I thought it was accessible and engaging and really summed up well all the potential that’s still to be leveraged.

Similarly, I hope our complementary talk track helped to demystify some of the complexity and encourage tourism businesses of all sizes to monetise their content in new ways.

Those that do so will not only benefit from healthy sales but help shape a better, more equitable industry landscape.

Supporting extended seasonality and tourism dispersal

Every part of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has something to offer – attractions, culture, customs, food, activities and hidden nooks, all worth exploring.

From holiday goers, day visitors and short break escapees to neighbourhood tourists looking for ‘things to do’ on their doorstep, smart digital distribution strategies can support consumers in discovering more on their escapades.

VisitBritain’s latest statistics show that ‘in-stay’ spend is on the ‘up’ by 12 percent compared to the first three months of 2022 (consumers spent £263 on average per trip), so the easier tourism businesses make it for visitors to plan accommodation, travel, activities and entertainment in advance, the more spend – and commission – can be secured to benefit local businesses.

TXGB puts destinations across the whole of the UK on the map and then invites tourism suppliers of every kind to capitalise on this new-found visibility.

What’s more, it’s opening up other partnerships that can increase dispersal and the value of tourism across all regions.

A prime example is our latest collaboration with ferry travel provider, Red Funnel.

Consumer-driven package holidays

The original Isle of Wight ferry operator has been taking holidaymakers to the Isle of Wight 365 days of the year, for over 160 years.

On a mission to make the Isle of Wight a first choice holiday destination for travellers, Red Funnel has partnered with TXGB to introduce a vastly improved dynamic package holiday offering to their customers.

No business is better placed to understand the needs and wants of the 3.4 million passengers travelling to the island for business, family getaways, or islanders returning home.

Using TXGB’s connectivity they are able to give customers a one-stop shop experience to search and book their ferry travel, accommodation and explore things to do in one online platform.

It is this kind of forward thinking, customer-driven innovation that is simplifying the booking process for consumers – while increasing reach and visibility for tourism product providers at a time when travellers are ready to book.

Enabling enterprising ideas

While Red Funnel is a great example of optimising existing infrastructure to create new opportunities, we’re equally proud of our capability to support new tech start-ups that are looking to do something out of the ordinary.

Bidnstay is a new market entrant that has brought an auction website to the accommodation sector.

A concept that straddles Ebay and Airbnb, this mutually beneficial solution for hosts and guests alike, allows visitors to bid on empty rooms.

It’s a novel idea that needed quick access to many accommodation systems via our API to enable the necessary search functionality building, to ensure connected accommodation providers can be part of the bidding action.

It’s early days yet but it’s an exciting approach and always a privilege to provide unique tech connections for those looking to truly break the mould – it’s what TXGB is all about, after all.

Onwards, upwards and across the board

On that note, we’re pleased to report that the TXGB Community App is progressing well, with Destination North East being the first Destination Development Partnership (DDP) to go ‘live’.

The team reports that initial take-up has been higher than expected, and we’re working with them on driving engagement in their various channels.

Community is just one of the key features that we are so excited to see come to life this year to help build a stronger, more connected tourism ecosystem.

The sector felt the impact of the Covid19 pandemic for over two years, with many businesses, start-ups and activities being put on hold or folding altogether.

But the start of 2023 brought about a new sense of purpose and energy for travel – as a result we have started to see bookings fly through the TXGB network for all types of tourism products.

With a more optimistic forecast, new players have emerged alongside unique and interesting channels, such as the new auction technology from Bidnstay and Red Funnel’s travel package offer.

And the growth in bookings is only set to continue, as destinations, attractions and accommodation providers tap into a growing number of new sales channels going live.

By breaking down silent silos across the ether, the idea is to encourage our proud destination community to connect, problem-solve, act as a sounding board for each other and inspire action across our peer-to-peer network.

This is the best way to increase dispersal and the value of tourism across all regions – a theme we can’t wait to build on in our second instalment of the TXGB Fireside Chat series.

We will be launching our next episode in early January so make sure you are following us on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook or X – formerly known as Twitter) or sign-up to our mailing list for a reminder.

James