New initiative to encourage tourists to stay for the summer

28.03.2012

A major new initiative has been launched to encourage Olympic tourists and other visitors to stay in Coventry and Warwickshire for longer this summer.

The C&W Big Ticket will allow tourists to access a range of the area’s attractions on a single ticket.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Ricoh Arena and Coventry Transport Museum have spearheaded the initiative to showcase the area’s cultural, family friendly and historical hotspots.

The Big Ticket will provide family and adult tickets in three different price categories as part of a drive to entice people to stay longer in the region particularly this summer while they are attending any of the 12 football matches taking place at the City of Coventry Stadium, starting on July 25.

Gary Hall, chief executive of Coventry Transport Museum, developed the Big Ticket offer with Coventry Cathedral, Twycross Zoo, Warwick Castle and Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust among the premier venues to have signed up.

Daniel Gidney, chairman of the tourism taskforce, board member of LEP and chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said this was a fantastic tourist attraction package.

“Everyone involved is committed to making sure everyone who visits Coventry and Warwickshire for the Olympics goes away with a positive impression and wants to make a return visit,” he said.

“We have a varied and eclectic range of tourist attractions and this is the perfect opportunity to showcase the venues to a new audience.

“By launching the Big Ticket we believe we will be encouraging people to stay longer in the area because there are a high number of venues taking part and there is something to appeal for everyone.

“And this also underlines the positive impact the LEP is having since it is a success story of the private sector coming together with Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council to make this happen.”

Gary Hall, who took over the 2012 Midlands Business Person of the Year title from Daniel, said the Big Ticket was being promoted in the Coventry and Warwickshire Olympic Guide and on VisitBritain’s website as well as on a newly created website www.cwbigticket.com

He said: “Tourism is a vital part of our heritage as well as our future and we must do everything we can to promote ourselves to people who will be visiting Coventry and Warwickshire from all corners of the globe with many coming for the first time.

“The Big Ticket website lists all the venues taking part along with the great savings visitors can make.

“The Olympics means we have never had a better chance to promote our attractions to such a global audience and it is an opportunity we wanted to seize because we have some fantastic tourist attractions in our region.”