News Archive
Musical bids to attract young people
SMASH hit TV shows Any Dream Will Do and Grease is the Word are expected to lure a whole new audience to the theatre.
The shows have been credited with raising the profile of musical theatre and introducing younger visitors to the West End who have been flocking to see the people they voted into the roles performing on stage.
Three million votes were cast in the Any Dream Will Do final which saw Lee Mead triumph to win the role of Joseph at the Adelphi theatre. The interest generated by these shows is something which Theatre Breaks managing director Simon Harding believes is a positive thing for the industry.
He said: “These sort of television shows are definitely attracting a different type of audience to the theatre and especially more younger people.
“This ties in with Theatre Breaks going to online sales by mid-September, as the younger audience prefer online booking.
“It will also attract a wider geographic demographic as not many shows can afford a national campaign so Theatre Breaks become important to aid a West End visit.”
Publicity generated by these shows has also led to an overall increase in box office takings- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat sold over £10 million worth of advanced tickets before the show even opened.
Simon added: “These shows have created a boom in theatre ticket sales and out of the two shows Joseph and Grease, Joseph has easily generated the most interest.
“Personally, I don’t think there are any disadvantages to the effect of reality TV shows but others worry about a dumbing down of product. But maybe as new audiences get into the West End they will become more sophisticated and the West End product will too.”
SMASH hit TV shows Any Dream Will Do and Grease is the Word are expected to lure a whole new audience to the theatre.
The shows have been credited with raising the profile of musical theatre and introducing younger visitors to the West End who have been flocking to see the people they voted into the roles performing on stage.
Three million votes were cast in the Any Dream Will Do final which saw Lee Mead triumph to win the role of Joseph at the Adelphi theatre. The interest generated by these shows is something which Theatre Breaks managing director Simon Harding believes is a positive thing for the industry.
He said: “These sort of television shows are definitely attracting a different type of audience to the theatre and especially more younger people.
“This ties in with Theatre Breaks going to online sales by mid-September, as the younger audience prefer online booking.
“It will also attract a wider geographic demographic as not many shows can afford a national campaign so Theatre Breaks become important to aid a West End visit.”
Publicity generated by these shows has also led to an overall increase in box office takings- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat sold over £10 million worth of advanced tickets before the show even opened.
Simon added: “These shows have created a boom in theatre ticket sales and out of the two shows Joseph and Grease, Joseph has easily generated the most interest.
“Personally, I don’t think there are any disadvantages to the effect of reality TV shows but others worry about a dumbing down of product. But maybe as new audiences get into the West End they will become more sophisticated and the West End product will too.”
Bristol tourism value reaches new high
THE value of tourism in Bristol has topped the £750m mark for the first time ever, Destination UK can reveal.
Figures released by Destination Bristol - based on a survey conducted by South West Tourism - showed that visitors to the region in 2005 spent nearly £9b with Bristol emerging as one of the tourism hotspots.
John Hallett, managing director of Destination Bristol, said: “This is a real milestone for the city because just 15 years ago, a report from the University of the West of England suggested that our tourism economy was worth less than £150m.
“This spectacular growth reflects the huge investment that has been made by both Bristol City Council and the private sector in the city over this period time and we are certain that we can continue to build on this success.
“One of the most encouraging features of the survey is that spending by overseas visitors who were staying in the city now exceeds the spending by UK overnight visitors, reflecting Bristol’s growing profile as an international travel destination, and the inevitable impact that Bristol Airport’s growing route network is having.
‘The study has clearly shown just how successful our tourism industry has become. While there are inevitably going to be some periods when we do better then others, and progress is not always smooth, the long term trends are extremely positive.”
The study showed that over 15,000 jobs in Bristol now depend upon tourism, a figure that puts the city ahead of the national average for the first time.
Coun Helen Holland, leader of Bristol City Council and joint chair of Destination Bristol welcomed the results of the study.
She said: “Our projections are that the value of tourism will top the billion pound mark by 2010 and we are well on the way to achieving that. Our tourism sector has become much better balanced in recent years with many more people coming to enjoy our music and arts programmes and our festival and events.”
THE value of tourism in Bristol has topped the £750m mark for the first time ever, Destination UK can reveal.
Figures released by Destination Bristol - based on a survey conducted by South West Tourism - showed that visitors to the region in 2005 spent nearly £9b with Bristol emerging as one of the tourism hotspots.
John Hallett, managing director of Destination Bristol, said: “This is a real milestone for the city because just 15 years ago, a report from the University of the West of England suggested that our tourism economy was worth less than £150m.
“This spectacular growth reflects the huge investment that has been made by both Bristol City Council and the private sector in the city over this period time and we are certain that we can continue to build on this success.
“One of the most encouraging features of the survey is that spending by overseas visitors who were staying in the city now exceeds the spending by UK overnight visitors, reflecting Bristol’s growing profile as an international travel destination, and the inevitable impact that Bristol Airport’s growing route network is having.
‘The study has clearly shown just how successful our tourism industry has become. While there are inevitably going to be some periods when we do better then others, and progress is not always smooth, the long term trends are extremely positive.”
The study showed that over 15,000 jobs in Bristol now depend upon tourism, a figure that puts the city ahead of the national average for the first time.
Coun Helen Holland, leader of Bristol City Council and joint chair of Destination Bristol welcomed the results of the study.
She said: “Our projections are that the value of tourism will top the billion pound mark by 2010 and we are well on the way to achieving that. Our tourism sector has become much better balanced in recent years with many more people coming to enjoy our music and arts programmes and our festival and events.”
Town's hotels are turning business away
TOURISM experts claim Colchester needs four new hotels if it is to cash in on international visits, Destination UK can reveal.
The local council says accommodation capacity is a key issue that needs to be addressed in order for the town to realise its potential.
The study into hotel accommodation capacity was completed by Humberts Leisure to assess trends and consider developments and potential developments.
Council spokesman Karen Turnbull said: “Increasing accommodation capacity in Colchester is vital if we are to encourage more short breaks here.
“Currently most of our visitors are daytrippers. We need to do two things: encourage those daytrippers to return here and stay over night and also encourage more people than ever before to visit Colchester on a short break.”
It says the town needs a boutique hotel of 20-40 rooms, upper 3 / 4 star, in the town centre; a branded budget, 3 star hotel of 50-100 rooms, edge of town centre; a large nationally branded upper 3 / 4 star hotel of 150 rooms with conferencing facilities and, towards 2010, a large branded 3 / 4 star hotel, out of town centre with easy access to A12.
Karen added: “The Council’s tourism team had felt a need for increased accommodation capacity in and around Colchester for some years and it is good to have this confirmed by an official study into the availability of hotel accommodation locally.
“It will prove invaluable to developers looking to invest in hotel construction and refurbishment as well as the Council’s Planners when receiving applications for new developments.”
The report found hotels are turning business away because they have such full occupancy.
Coun Christopher Arnold, added: “There are few destinations, especially in the East of England Region, which can claim to have such tourism potential.”
TOURISM experts claim Colchester needs four new hotels if it is to cash in on international visits, Destination UK can reveal.
The local council says accommodation capacity is a key issue that needs to be addressed in order for the town to realise its potential.
The study into hotel accommodation capacity was completed by Humberts Leisure to assess trends and consider developments and potential developments.
Council spokesman Karen Turnbull said: “Increasing accommodation capacity in Colchester is vital if we are to encourage more short breaks here.
“Currently most of our visitors are daytrippers. We need to do two things: encourage those daytrippers to return here and stay over night and also encourage more people than ever before to visit Colchester on a short break.”
It says the town needs a boutique hotel of 20-40 rooms, upper 3 / 4 star, in the town centre; a branded budget, 3 star hotel of 50-100 rooms, edge of town centre; a large nationally branded upper 3 / 4 star hotel of 150 rooms with conferencing facilities and, towards 2010, a large branded 3 / 4 star hotel, out of town centre with easy access to A12.
Karen added: “The Council’s tourism team had felt a need for increased accommodation capacity in and around Colchester for some years and it is good to have this confirmed by an official study into the availability of hotel accommodation locally.
“It will prove invaluable to developers looking to invest in hotel construction and refurbishment as well as the Council’s Planners when receiving applications for new developments.”
The report found hotels are turning business away because they have such full occupancy.
Coun Christopher Arnold, added: “There are few destinations, especially in the East of England Region, which can claim to have such tourism potential.”
Japanese Geisha helps tea shops celebrate
A GROUP of Cumbrian tea shops have celebrated National Green Tea Day by employing a Japanese Geisha to guide them through the traditional tea ceremony.
The day was organised by the North West Farm Tourism Initiative as part of a plan to attract more Japanese tourists to the area.
Cumbria is already a popular destination for visitors from Japan but tourism bosses are expecting a further boom in numbers after the Japanese release of the film Miss Potter.
Spokeswoman for the Tea Trail Cumbria, Annie Swarbrick said: "We have created National Green Tea Day to introduce our British, American and European visitors to the health benefits of green tea.
"At the same time, we are gearing up to be excellent hosts for our Oriental visitors. We are certain those Japanese tourists who have been inspired to visit Cumbria because of Miss Potter will be keen to drink in the Cumbrian landscape and experience good old Cumbrian hospitality, as Japanese visitors are already some of our greatest fans.”
To try to find the right sort of guidance, they issued an advertisement, hoping someone would come forward via the world-wide web, or printed media.
This led to the Tea Trail Cumbria linking up with the York-based organiser of the 2008 Festival of Japan, Jill Clay, who has years of knowledge on all things Japanese.
For National Green Tea Day, Jill advised the Tea Trail on the world of green tea, including how to serve it and its undisputed health benefits along with Japanese colleague, Naoko Sakagami, in full Japanese costume to make sure thngs were done authentically.
A GROUP of Cumbrian tea shops have celebrated National Green Tea Day by employing a Japanese Geisha to guide them through the traditional tea ceremony.
The day was organised by the North West Farm Tourism Initiative as part of a plan to attract more Japanese tourists to the area.
Cumbria is already a popular destination for visitors from Japan but tourism bosses are expecting a further boom in numbers after the Japanese release of the film Miss Potter.
Spokeswoman for the Tea Trail Cumbria, Annie Swarbrick said: "We have created National Green Tea Day to introduce our British, American and European visitors to the health benefits of green tea.
"At the same time, we are gearing up to be excellent hosts for our Oriental visitors. We are certain those Japanese tourists who have been inspired to visit Cumbria because of Miss Potter will be keen to drink in the Cumbrian landscape and experience good old Cumbrian hospitality, as Japanese visitors are already some of our greatest fans.”
To try to find the right sort of guidance, they issued an advertisement, hoping someone would come forward via the world-wide web, or printed media.
This led to the Tea Trail Cumbria linking up with the York-based organiser of the 2008 Festival of Japan, Jill Clay, who has years of knowledge on all things Japanese.
For National Green Tea Day, Jill advised the Tea Trail on the world of green tea, including how to serve it and its undisputed health benefits along with Japanese colleague, Naoko Sakagami, in full Japanese costume to make sure thngs were done authentically.
