Features
Tourism bosses kick start campaign to raise European profile and reputation of region
TOURISM bosses are seeking the help of 400 businesses from across South Yorkshire in a bid to make the region one of Europe’s top destinations.
The South Yorkshire Destination Management Partnership (SYDMP) wants the region to develop its tourism brand and address its historic under-performance in the tourism field.
It will stage an inaugural meeting for local authority management, tourism officers, hotel and attraction managers and bed and breakfast operators from across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster to tackle the issue head on.
The meeting will take place at one of the region’s newest tourist offerings - the Bluebell Inn hotel and conference centre in Barnsley, on Tuesday October 17.
Topics for discussion will include an explanation of the role of the newly created SYDMP, tourism funding available and key messages on how the agency aims to make a positive impact on businesses in the region.
Richard Jones, the newly appointed SYDMP chief executive, said: "Our aim is to maximise the value of tourist hot spots and take South Yorkshire’s tourism offering to the next level of competitiveness, to raise its profile and reputation and turn around its under-performance in tourism.
"But to do this we need ideas and enthusiasm from our tourism providers. This conference aims to explain the SYDMP’s role, where we have come from and our ideas about broadening the region’s visitor destination appeal through initiatives like business tourism and marketing infrastructure but we are also keen to hear other people’s ideas."
Mr Jones said the enormous potential of the area was highlighted in attractions including Rotherham’s Magna, the new Weston Park Museum in Sheffield, Doncaster Racecourse, The Peak District, Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley, Sheffield’s Millennium Galleries and its fantastic sports facilities.
Richard added:"All these attractions show that some regeneration has taken place, but we need to focus on how we can catapult the region into the top league of tourism.
"South Yorkshire can really take advantage of its geographical location in the heart of the country.
"The region has to keep developing tourism strands. The region needs to focus on creating attractions and venues that are world class in the UK if it intends to become one of Europe’s top destinations."
The SYDMP was set up four months ago to improve the image and performance of tourism in the region. Yorkshire Forward has agreed to allocate £2 million over four years to the SYDMP.
Andy Tordoff, head of rural renaissance and tourism at Yorkshire Forward, said: Yorkshire Forward is committed to supporting South Yorkshire develop its tourism industry which in turn will grow its economy. South Yorkshire already has some great tourism attractions and the launch of the SYDMP is a great chance for the region to identify more opportunities."
The SYDMP’s early priorities are to work with partners to understand and appreciate the work that has already been done, provide support to make sure that South Yorkshire tourism businesses benefit from the agency’s activity by seeing increased levels of business.
The agency has already helped to secure with Sheffield City Council’s Major Sports Events Unit two major events for June 2007, the UK Corporate Games and the Microsoft Challenge.
South Yorkshire tourist highlights:
Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham was recently awarded Gold for Business Tourism at the England Awards for Excellence 2006. Housed in the former Templeborough Steelworks, Magna offers a range of unique and awe-inspiring spaces for events, including award ceremonies, conferences, exhibitions, dinners, dance events, weddings and team building opportunities.
The £17m Weston Park Museum features displays from Sheffield’s wide collections of art, archaeology, social and natural history. The former City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery has recently reopened as Weston Park Museum following a four year restoration project.
Doncaster Racecourse is host to one of the highlights of the racing calendar - the St Leger Festival. Renowned for producing racing of the highest order, Doncaster is one of the finest racecourses in Europe. It is currently undergoing redevelopment including the rebuilding of the Yorkshire Stand and the creation of a brand new stables complex and associated facilities, a hotel and a new Doncaster Bloodstock Sales facility. The Racecourse is due to reopen next year in time for the St Leger Festival in September 2007.
The Peak District National Park lies five miles from Sheffield city centre and one third of the city lies within its boundaries. The unique, varied landscape is rich in wildlife and has a wealth of cultural heritage. The area’s tranquil dales, rocky edges and river valleys make it popular with walkers, climbers and cyclists.
Elsecar Heritage Centre is an antique, history and craft centre set in the attractive conservation village of Elsecar. The Heritage Centre is located within the former ironworks and colliery workshops of the Earl Fitzwilliam. Restored buildings now house an antique centre, individual craft workshops, and exhibitions of Elsecar's past. The centre is also the ideal location to access the Trans Pennine Trail.
The Millennium Galleries, together with the Winter Garden and the Peace Gardens, form the core of Sheffield's Heart of the City Project. It includes four individual galleries under one roof featuring treasures from the past, masterpieces from Britain's national collections and new creations by modern artists. The building is elegant and innovative and breaks with the traditional institutional image of an art gallery.
Sheffield is one of the UK’s first cities of sport with a host of facilities including:
- Don Valley Stadium one of Britain's premier athletics venues attracting a host of international sporting events and remaining accessible for community, schools and group use.
- Ponds Forge International Sports Centre hosts over 300 events and attracts more than 1.3 million visitors per year to one of the world’s most technically advanced aquatics venues.
- The English Institute of Sport Sheffield - one of the country's most impressive indoor sports venues. It is committed to the development of UK sport from local sporting community to the country's elite athletes.
- IceSheffield - a multi-million pound ice arena which is open to both recreational and elite skaters with the emphasis on ice development and fun for all the family.
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