Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire (ESL), the area’s award-winning destination marketing company, was delighted to represent Herefordshire at the 2024 British Tourism and Travel Show at Birmingham’s NEC 20-21 March.
The industry expo is a huge showcase of British group visitor destinations from across the nation and ESL lead a vibrant Herefordshire stand to present key regional group attractions and experiences.
Attendees of the show were group travel organisers looking for exciting new locations to take groups of all sizes and interests.
Herefordshire has world class attractions
The impressive Herefordshire stand was partnered by a lively mix of cultural and immersive attractions and experiences including famous Hereford Cathedral, historic group travel accommodation Rowden Abbey, picturesque Frome Valley Vineyard the Hereford Museum of Cider, which is the largest in the world, one of the oldest hotels in England the Green Dragon Hotel and bastion of independent retail The Hop Pocket Shopping Village.
Hear Ye…
While the stand partners offered interactive wine and cider tasting and there was a booming welcome from Bromyard’s very own Town Crier, Peder Nielson, who opened the entire show in full costume.
New Herefordshire for Groups book launches
As well as the stand activities, press and media packs and declarations of ‘Oyez, Hear ye..’ visitors were given the first ever Herefordshire for Groups booklet.
Produced by Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire and its publishing arm Minx Media Ltd, the informative 48 page guide gives group travel organisers a glimpse into the county and where to take group-friendly trips and stays.
WIN A HEREFORDSHIRE BREAK & EXPERIENCE
The Herefordshire stand ran a competition for Group Travel Organisers to win a number of prizes including: a stay with dining at The Green Dragon Hotel, overnight stay and tour of Rowden Abbey, Hereford Cathedral Tour and Cream Tea in the Cloisters Cafe, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Frome Valley Vineyard, Free Entry Tour and Cream tea with Cider for 2 at The Museum of Cider.
“It is very important to ensure that Herefordshire is on travel organisers’ radars, as somewhere different to the usual big players” said ESL’s MD Heidi Chamberlain-Jones. “Herefordshire is highly dependent on its Visitor Economy, which is worth over £600m to the county, and previous years’ feedback from the Show has proved that we can stand up very well to overrun areas like The Cotswolds, attracting travellers who love Herefordshire’s picturesque towns, authentic vibe and less crowded locations. One of the most common comments is ‘We didn’t know there was so much to do in Herefordshire’ once people see our promotional information.”
Herefordshire’s plethora of Food and Drink experiences including Cider, Vineyard and Distillery tours, Creative and Active Breaks, glorious Gardens, wonderful Historic attractions and scenic routes like the Black and White Village Trail and the Wye Valley, make the area endlessly appealing to tourists. The added appeal of independent accommodation instead of the standard chains is very attractive to today’s travellers.
The ESL website and guide books are a fantastic showcase to share the insights into where to eat, sleep and live life to the full in this beautiful county.
If you have a group looking for something new to experience in Herefordshire, come visit us on stand A41 at the NEC or look on: eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk/group-travel