Bristol tourist chiefs are to receive funding from national tourism agency VisitEngland to help promote the city as an ideal place for staycations this spring and summer.
With traditional foreign holidays likely to shunned by many people this year to due Covid restrictions, VisitEngland is heavily marketing a range of UK destinations under the strapline Escape the Everyday. 
Bristol’s destination marketing organisation (DMO) Visit Bristol is working with tourism businesses in the city to create Escape the Everyday guides and content, including bookable product experiences available for the consumer to buy on their own destination website.
With the West of England visitor economy worth £2.33bn and supporting 45,500 jobs, the recovery of the tourism industry is essential if the region is to bounce back from the massive economic shock of the pandemic.
Visit Bristol, working with partner Visit Bath, successfully bid for an undisclosed amount of financial support from VisitEngland’s Escape the Everyday recovery marketing fund, which is now being used to encourage target domestic tourists to explore, discover and treat themselves on a UK short break to the cities.
They have commissioned Bristol-based Digital Visitor, the UK’s leading strategic digital marketing agency for travel, tourism and hospitality, to mount a dynamic campaign to drive potential visitors to new landing pages on the Visit Bristol and Visit Bath websites, with bookable experiences available direct from the landing pages. 
The Escape the Everyday content – with videos and images sourced from local photographers – will be promoted primarily through social media until end of July.
Visit Bristol director of tourism Kathryn Davis said: “We put an enormous amount of work into our bid application and so are delighted that our campaign for Visit Bristol and Visit Bath was awarded funding from the Escape the Everyday campaign.
“This will support the visitor economy in the West of England as we begin to recover from the most difficult and destructive environment for our business community.
“We have been working with our local industry to bring them into the campaign strands and look forward to delivering the activity with Digital Visitor, who are experts in campaign delivery for destinations and visitor experience in the digital environment.” 
VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes added: “Millions of jobs and local economies depend on tourism right across the country and the industry needs all of us to make sure it gets back on its feet.
“It is great to see the activity that Visit Bath and Visit Bristol will be delivering locally, with support from VisitEngland funding, and aligning with our national Escape the Everyday campaign to encourage more people to get out and discover the outstanding destinations and quality attractions here on our doorstep and to drive bookings.
“It will also support local businesses who have been working so hard to welcome visitors back safely, adapting and innovating to meet new ways of working and still providing a great visitor experience.”
More than 300 tourism and hospitality businesses in Bristol and Bath already hold the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry standard and consumer mark introduced last year by VisitEngland to reassure visitors that businesses are adhering to government and public health guidance.
