Update from Sally Everton - Director
4th May 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 March, Sally has been working on the following:
- Discussions with DCMS on what is ACTUAL LAW from 29th March affecting many for Easter 2nd home owners - still minimal travel and not stay away from home for leisure purposes
- GMB on Easter and encouraging visitors to the county to minimalise travel and only do so responsibly
- R5 Live - as above
- Spotlight - illegal stays pre 12th April
- Connections Survey for TSWRC - completion and recommendations
- Summary of stats re forecasted summer bookings for Devon to Charlotte Sanders, Senior Press Officer - Visit Britain
- Set up small working group for comment pre DMO Review
- Meeting with Unique Devon Tours re Connections itineraries, adding to the Devon ReConnect website + image library
- HEROG meeting - on behalf of Devon & the GSW Tourism Group (LEP led) (fortnightly)
- SWTA meetings with regional DMOS/DCMS and continued work on the GSW Recovery plan (fortnightly)
- HotSWLEP working group meetings (fortnightly)
- Exeter Visitor Recovery Group meetings (fortnightly)
- Follow up work from HEROG meeting re the National Beach App
- Spotlight - Easter highlights with Malcolm at Visit Cornwall
- Richard Pocock - re Lynton & Barnstaple Railway extension response
- Collate Easter weekend feedback for DCC, HEROG, DCMS, Visit Britain and media
- Visit South Devon - discuss commercial partnership opportunities with Sarah Stride
- Tourism Alliance Webinar with Kurt Janson and Nick de Bois and others re DMO review
- COVID Impact Survey results - TSWRC and DCC share reports
- ITN news - Chris Choi re Devon Tourism and 'Staycation'
- Attend Americas Interest Group Webinar - the US visitor coming to UK post Covid
- Various media requests for advertorials, campaigns, editorials and content requests - 9 requests for April so increasing
- DCMS Quantitive Survey pre DMO Review - complete and submit
- Research, collate and complete the DMO Review document on behalf of Visit Devon and submit (time consuming)
- Review and share DMO Review doc with TDA with regards to the LEP response
- Visit Devon Marketing Meeting - planning ahead for 2021 Autumn, 2022 and Faces of Devon
- Attend DCC Community Renewal Fund webinar - an opportunity for Devon (GSWTP?)
- Visit Devon Industry microsite feedback and submit content for itineraries, press releases, factsheet on Devon etc
- Press visit requests - both domestic and international now trickling in
- Attend South West Tourism Awards run by Services4Tourism - delighted that we as the GSWTP won Outstanding Contribution to Toursim. We are all delighted!
- Day to day enquiries - from both industry partners, our members and potential visitors, which are ever increasing again now which is really encouraging
- Attend Sharpham Estate preview of their Vineyard and Cheesemaking Tours - industry visit. Excellent
- Roll out of Area DMO Commercial Partnership Pack across the county. Work in progress
- Continuted liasion with DCC on data capture