Hi-Tech help for tourism businesses

Tourism businesses in the Peak District are tapping into to new technology to raise their profile and profits thanks to a series of cutting-edge courses staged by Derbyshire Chamber and Business Link.Around 20 delegates from businesses ranging from activity centres and bed and breakfast accommodation to hotels and holiday cottages attended the two-day Government-funded seminar ‘Your tourism business and the internet’ at Hassop Hall, Hassop.General marketing tips, building and marketing a website and managing relationships with customers were just some of the subjects covered during the comprehensive course.Topics also included making the most of Derbyshire’s on-line Destination Management System, used by the county’s tourist information centres, to attract and retain visitors. Delegates drew up their own personal action plans and discovered how grants of up to £300 could help with developing skills to use new technology and market themselves more effectively.Presenter Jeremy Brough emphasized how important the internet is becoming to tourism businesses, with 58 per cent of all UK adults having on-line access in the first three months of 2004, compared to just 40 per cent three years earlier. In 2003, he added, the UK accounted for 39 per cent of all travel-related purchases on the internet in the affluent West.Andy McKerrow, of Cotesfield Farm B&B, Parsley Hay said: “The course was very useful on a number of counts. I now understand how the Destination Management System works, and how to make the best use of it, and the marketing session confirmed much of what we already know, as well as flagging up new opportunities. I’ll certainly be taking advantage of the grant to invest in new technology.”Another two-day workshop will be staged at Losehill Hall, Castleton, on March 15 and 22. Businesses can check whether they are eligible and then book places by contacting Laine Poole on 0844 443 2150.

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