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Marketing Services

The primary role of Isle of Wight Tourism is to market the Isle of Wight as the UK's premier Island destination to domestic and overseas visitors. Marketing campaigns tie closely with the Tourism Development Plan (TDP) and target very specific market segments, which provide the opportunity for profitable business development. The core market segments reflect not just the ambitions of the TDP but also the national and sub-regional ambitions for tourism development.

Marketing Services provides a range of solutions for Island tourism businesses including: above and below the line marketing, public relations, on-line activity, research, exhibitions and publications.

On-Line - Isle of Wight Tourism maintains the premier on-line tourism website for those interested in Isle of Wight holiday information. The website (www.islandbreaks.co.uk) regularly attracts half a million visitors per annum, the vast majority of whom are interested in gaining further information on holidays, experiences, activities, etc. A presence on the website is provided free of charge to all those tourism businesses that register with Isle of Wight Tourism. Specific advertising opportunities are also available.

Research - Isle of Wight Tourism conducts on-ferry and business surveys producing quarterly and annual reports with details of visitor numbers, trends and changes to the tourism income of the Island. Information is freely available on-line.

Exhibitions - Isle of Wight Tourism leads a substantial exhibitions programme, working with commercial partners to ensure the Isle of Wight is profiled at key consumer events and trade shows in the UK and overseas. The exhibitions programme runs November to March.

Public Relations - Over 100 journalists visit the Isle of Wight per annum, each with a view to writing specific tourism stories of interest for their readers. Isle of Wight Tourism maintains a contract with a third party PR agency to ensure that journalists are well informed of the annual events programme and new developments in the tourism product. On an annual basis Isle of Wight Tourism aims to gain £1m value in press coverage.

Publications - Isle of Wight Tourism produces a range of publications to support and improve tourism business to the Isle of Wight. Full details of all publications are available via the issue of ratecards, and publications are scheduled for delivery as and when the marketplace demands. The following is a summary and not intended as an exhaustive list of all publications in development: -

• Isle of Wight Accommodation Guide
• Summer Pocket Guide
• Official Attractions Mini-Guide
• Winter Pocket Guide
• Camping & Touring Guide
• Eating Out Guide
• Town Maps

Other Publications available - Isle of Wight Tourism also produces retail guides, available to further profile walking and cycling on the Island, and also supports events with specific literature.

• Retail Guides - A range including Cycling Map/Pocket Guide Map/Coastal Walks

Marketing the Isle of Wight in Partnership

Isle of Wight Tourism, working with commercial partners, spends in excess of half million pounds targeting key market segments. The detail of each annual campaign is worked on a minimum of 9 months in advance and the campaigns vary depending on a range of changing circumstances. However, all the well-established marketing mechanisms have been employed, including: press advertising, posters, newspapers, TV, etc. For 2006, special resources have been committed to press advertising, on-line advertising and pull-out features in national newspapers.

CONTACTS

For sales and further details of all publications contact our Acting Sales Manager - Liz Walker 01983 823099 Ext: 5024

For information on Marketing Campaigns contact - Nigel Smith 01983 823099 Ext: 5870 and for Press and PR enquiries contact - Sue Emmerson 01983 823099 Ext: 5876