Winchester City Council shortlisted for two Tourism South East Excellence Awards

1 October 2010

Winchester City Council’s tourism team has reached the final stages of the Digital Marketing Award and Tourist Information Service of the Year at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2010. The awards, run by Tourism South East, are now in their 20th year and are widely recognised across the tourism spectrum.

The Digital Marketing Award is a new category for 2010 and recognises the growing trend of consumers who are “living life through a screen”. Winchester’s tourism team has been short-listed because of the way the team has already successfully embraced multiple digital marketing channels, including i-phone apps, to improve commercial performance.

As previous winners of the Tourist Information Service of the Year in 2006, the tourist information centre hope to bring home the award to Winchester again.

Ellen Simpson, Head of Tourism at Winchester City Council said:

‘We have focused on reaching a much wider audience using new digital marketing platforms so we are thrilled to see that our efforts have been recognised in this way. Over the last year we have launched seven new films about Winchester and ‘King Alf’s’ popularity on Twitter and Facebook has attracted an enthusiastic crowd of followers including journalists, potential visitors and fans of Winchester.

Our work in these areas is really beginning to pay off as web visits have risen by 22% and overnight stays are up by 6.5%. The nomination for Tourism Service of the Year is a credit to our team of friendly information assistants as it demonstrates that they are able to maintain high service standards and consistently meet our visitors’ needs.

Councillor Dominic Hiscock, Winchester City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Prosperity, added:

‘It is a considerable achievement to be finalists in two categories. The awards acknowledge the important part played by tourist information providers in the delivery of visitor services. It is a mark of Winchester City Council’s dedication to raising standards as we continue to improve our services despite the difficulties we face in the current economic climate.’

The winners will be announced on 21 October 2010 during the award ceremony at Mercedes Benz World.

• To see the tourism website: www.visitwinchester.co.uk
• For more information about the Beautiful South Awards see: www.beautifulsouthawards.co.uk
• For press information please contact Ellen Simpson, Head of Tourism, (tel: 01962 848 219, email: esimpson@winchester.gov.uk) or Rachel Gander, Tourism Marketing and Development Officer, (tel: 01962 840 556, email: rgander@winchester.gov.uk).