Update from Sally Everton - Director
8th February 2021
Visit Devon’s Director Sally Everton has been busy continuing to drive promotion of Devon as a county and keeping tourism industry up to date with everything that is happening nationally.
In January, Sally has been working on the following:
- New Year Eve Government announcement of Devon going into TIER 3 gave massive cause for complaint from the hospitality businesses; with many contacting me for clarity and advice
- Posted via our many Social Media channels to offload surplus food and drink from our many hospitality businesses who had ordered in for NYE
- Submit 4 page of content and images for Devon for the Connections website and brochures
- Lockdown lobbying for support for our businesses forced to close - working with the GSW tourism
- Meeting with North Devon Plus re collaborative working with the Greater South West (GSW)
- Source and send images of Dog Friendly beaches - Coast Magazine
- Share and post the GSWTP Covid Impact Survey ** closing date 24th January. 1085 responses by COP 56% of responses from Devon.
- Continued day to day discusssions with our many members on government guidelines and what is law. Contact with DCMS on an ongoing basis!
- Radio Devon and Spotlight - interviews throughout the month on the many challenges facing us as an industry with continued lockdown and no roadmap to opening this side of Easter
- 4 x enquiries from Tour Operators and agents for bookings for later in 2021 Summer
- Exeter Visitor Recovery Group meetings x 2 (fortnightly)
- SWTA fortnightly meetings with regional DMOS/DCMS and continued work on the GSW Recovery plan
- Visit England webinar - Coach Travel - building towards recovery
- HotSWLEP working group meetings x 2
- Write 500 word editorial plus submit images for Devon for Travel & Leisure Magazine for March publication
- TXGB meeting with Visit England and Devon DMO's for best practive development (plus follow up meeting with the VB team)
- Discover Dartmouth - KIT Laura Campbell re Connections itineraries
- Meet GB prep and upload booth content (virtual event - business visits and events)
- Connections - board meeting / marketing meeting. Review campaign planning in view of current lockdown
- HEROG meetings on behalf of Devon and for the GSW.
- Prepare and submit transformation & recovery document with note to Visit England
- Supply initial information to NCTA for additional work needed to develop the Great South West Tourism region
- Attend Visit Britain DMO information update
- Working on filmproduction for Connections UKInbound FAM in March working with Unique Devon Tours
- Visit Devon Marketing Committee meeting - forward marketing activitites for Devon
- Feedback on various papers prepared by various groups for visitor economy recovery
- KIT with Ruth Powell - GWR
- Attend BIM (ETOA event) - one day virtual event with pre-scheduled meetings with 8 tour operators / wholesalers throughout the day.
Up and coming events for February
- MeetGB (virtual) 9th & 11th February.
- Attend APPG meeting 2nd Feb. GSW Tourism Group paper presented by AH & AL on all our behalf
- Connections project - working with other board members planning revised marketing campaign due to current lockdown
-