A £100,000 national marketing campaign focusing on Bath’s unique heritage and its range of spring festivals has been launched.
Featuring a series of powerful images aimed at enticing visitors to the city from across the UK, the campaign will run in national newspapers and websites for the next two months. It forms a central part of a strategy seeking to lift the value of tourism to the area from £357m to £400m by next year.
The campaign, funded by Bath’s destination marketing organisation Bath Tourism Plus (BTP) and the Bath Business Improvement District (BID), captures the heart of Bath’s heritage while reflecting its unique sense of style and fashion.
It is targeting short break visitors and premium retail shoppers by placing Bath’s exceptional shopping, lifestyle, heritage, festivals and culture in the spotlight.
Bath Tourism Plus chief executive Nick Brooks-Sykes said: “This is the latest in a series of high-profile marketing campaigns which aims to increase Bath and North East Somerset’s tourism value and ensure that Bath remains front of mind when thinking of places to go for a short break or leisure shopping experience.”
Adverts will appear in the Guardian, Observer, London Evening Standard and across a range of digital networks including the Mail Online and travel site Mrs & Mrs Smith. Across the South West, the campaign uses Bath in Fashion, which starts this weekend, to position the city as a stylish and fashionable place to visit and shop. These ads will be placed in lifestyle magazines, on buses, railway station platforms and poster sites.
BID manager Andrew Cooper added: “The Bath Business Improvement District has allocated BID levy funds to leverage in further income to assist in the promotion of the city, in particular the regional marketing campaign and linking this into events in the city such as Bath in Fashion.
“After the second coldest March on record, retail and businesses need as much support as possible in promoting the city during tough economic conditions. Working collaboratively and in partnership to promote the city regionally is vital.”
Bath’s spring promotion is the latest campaign staged by Bath Tourism Plus in partnership with VisitEngland and the BID which highlights Bath in Fashion, a dedicated microsite (bathinfashion.co.uk) and a number of prize incentives to encourage visitors to enjoy Bath’s distinctive seasonal offering.
