Chilterns Tourism Network
Nothing beats face-to-face networking to establish new relationships and cement the old to find even more ways to work together promoting our beautiful region.
A warm welcome from Annette and I, co-founders of this Chilterns Tourism Network, now in our 14th year of encouraging and persuading our tourism business community to collaborate and SHOUT ABOUT what makes our destination special.
I gazed into my crystal ball to see what 2025 could bring, but there are many macro economic factors in play, I suggest you get the headache instead, reading the news or looking at Visit Britain’s website. Let’s rather focus on what we can influence locally.
What is local and special?
If the Chilterns were a restaurant, we’d be a drive-thru. Sandwiched between London and Oxford, stuffed with well-heeled commuter-belt towns, mysterious woodlands, bluebells, vineyards and chalk streams, it’s a place people rush through on their way to somewhere else. Although, I am surprised how much of the place I have to myself.
We have the space, now let’s get inviting! However, to the uninitiated, the countryside is a scary place: what do I do when I get there? Where is there exactly? What should I wear, will my trainers be ruined? How do I get from the station, will there be a phone signal? Most importantly, are the locals friendly? By doing more handholding and less reliance on simply including a postcode, your customers will find you.
It’s become a cliche: visitors want meaningful experiences that deepen their engagement and understanding of a place. Is that what we are doing? Are we helping potential customers access our region? Are we encouraging short breaks and slow tourism? Spending more time and money in a destination, exploring, discovering, stopping, enjoying the culture and getting to know local people? That’s what we need.
This is our world now, continued cost of living pressures and decisions being made about how much to spend on leisure. Not whether to spend, but how much. What value are you adding to the destination proposition? Speaking of which, our region has pockets of county-zoned destination marketing, but we are falling behind our well-resourced neighbours, able to reach markets and audiences we can only dream of.
Meet businesses already making a difference
Aiming high, yet with feet firmly in the Chilterns chalk, Caroline and Liz, founders of Walk Works, shared news about their brilliant new wine tasting experience, inspired by this network. The first event in July was a sell out with additional dates being added to their guided 8-mile walk through the beautiful Henley Chiltern’s, stopping off at JoJo's, Stonor Valley, Oaken Grove and Fairmile vineyards, accompanied by wine professional, Tamsin Brown of Wine Curious. All the elements right there.
Tucked away in the rolling Chiltern Hills on the edge of Ashridge Forest, the Alford Arms has been going strong for 26 years in the care of Becky & David Salisbury. One of a clutch of early country gastropubs, The Alford Arms is renowned for its ethos of sourcing seasonal and local, great food and genuinely warm hospitality. A recent review stated that: “this feels like a real day out from London.”
If improving accessibility is what you are after, Annette Weiss from the Chilterns National Landscape is encouraging businesses to have an accessibility guide produced by AccessAble, the leading platform for accessibility information and producer of accessibility guides for businesses. For SMEs, a guided assessment is done on a video call rather than site visit bringing the cost to around £100 each year.
Managing to seamlessly link a multitude of businesses with new customers, the Chilterns Walking Festival will be once run from 17 May to 1 June 2025. There is still time to include your walk, but the deadline is the 10th February.
I am delighted to tell you that Chilterns Treasures has a new home and opportunities for sharing what is local and special about our Naturally Outstanding Chiltern Hills. I will be sharing opportunities for events, #50Things, staying and playing in addition to the Chilterns Treasures newsletter where I am currently writing about the A - Z of the Chilterns, this week is the letter N. A book is in the pipeline.
Get involved in our new ‘Chilterns Day’ campaign
When was the last time you sent a postcard? Or received one? Not for years? Me neither. So let’s change that and encourage our customers to send postcards to their family and friends inviting them to the Chiltern's to see the Bluebells, participate in the Chilterns Walking Festival and of course to visit your business on our new Chilterns Day, taking place on May 1st 2025. It’s when we will be making as much noise as possible, collectively to raise awareness of our region this season.
How can I be involved: I will be in touch later this month with information about pre-ordering postcards, the campaign hashtag and other marketing collateral. But do please get in touch here if you have any questions or want to register.
Let’s be less of a drive-thru and more of a sit down feast for the senses
Nothing beats face-to-face networking to re-establish relationships and find even more ways to work together to promote our beautiful region. Thank you once again to Suze at the River & Rowing Museum, for hosting our networking. Home to many river stories and scene-setter for historic Henley, located beside the Thames Path and pretty water meadow, I was mesmerised by the speed the ducks were traveling by on the swollen tidal Thames, as though they had outboard engines!
Thank you Dave Olinski for being event photographer. He can be reached here. We will let you know about the date and venue of our next meeting in June.
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