Businesses urged to help publicise tourism (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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websiteThis is a stick-up to promote town
5:00pm Thursday 12th April 2012 in Devizes
David Dawson, Noel Woolrych, Simon Jacobs and Tony Aldridge (
Business are being encouraged to display new stickers promoting the Devizes area to visitors.
The stickers are designed to go in windows and give the website address, www.devizes. org.uk, a QR code which users of smart phones can use quickly to access the site plus telephone numbers for tourism information.
The site is promoted by Devizes Town Council, Devizes Development Part-nership (DDP), the Devizes Area Tourism Partnership (DATP) and Devizes Area Community Partnership.
The site has clocked up more than six million hits in the last 12 months and it has been expanded to provide comprehensive information about places to go, events and history of the town.
Devizes lost its Tourist Information Centre last September when Wiltshire Council shut it to save money.
Organisations in the town formed the DATP and information leaflets are kept at various outlets. The tourist information telephone line is answered by staff at Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Wadworth Brewery’s visitor centre, while 12 guest houses take calls on a dedicated accommodation telephone line.
Noel Woolrych, of DDP, said: “We’ve got 250 stickers which we will be urging businesses in the Devizes area to display in their windows. The stickers will make people aware that we have a central point of information to find out anything about Devizes.
“The site has a calendar of events in the local area and a growing business directory, along with lots of useful information about the area. It’s free to list events or businesses.
“We recognise the importance of tourism. If Wiltshire Council are not going to promote it we are going to have to do it. This is an example of the town working together to help itself.”
Tony Aldridge, owner of Rosemundy Cottage B&B in London Road, Devizes, said the telephone number for people wanting accommodation was working well.
He said: “Quality graded guest houses answer the phone on a rota basis. We all know the type of accommodation we have and the phone line is open far longer than the Devizes Visitor Centre was, so it’s helping to make sure people stay in Devizes.”
jamesharrison says...
12:32am Fri 13 Apr 12
Businesses would do better to firstly advertise devizes.org.uk on their own sites before putting a sticker in the window.
A good idea though - well done to those behind it.... thank goodness there are some people in the town willing to work hard in its promotion.
I trust those establishments who benefit from this effort, especially the hotels, will now do more to support all those organisations that voluntarily help bring visitors to Devizes.
From what I hear, they get all the financial benefits of these extra visitors but could do much more to help the voluntary organisations responsible.