British Tourism & Travel Show announces headline speakers for 2017

TV presenter Julia Bradbury and Travelzoo’s UK MD Joel Brandon-Bravo are now confirmed to host headline Keynotes at British Tourism & Travel Show 2017 – which returns to the NEC Birmingham next year on 22-23 March.

British Tourism & Travel Show – the largest domestic tourism showcase for the UK and Ireland’s travel trade is renowned for attracting a host of big name speakers discussing the key issues, opportunities and hot topics facing the domestic tourism sector today, and this year is no exception.

TV presenter and outdoor walking enthusiast Julia Bradbury, best known for her TV work on BBC’s primetime Countryfile, is no stranger to the UK tourism sector. Dubbed ‘Lady of the Lakes’, Bradbury has dedicated much of her career to promoting the scenic landscapes, rivers and coastal cliffs of the English countryside. She is also the first celebrity ambassador for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, The Outdoor Trust, The Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme, and is the first female president of The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Her reputation as ‘the face of the outdoors’ began when she presented Wainwright Walks, a BBC Four series back in 2007. Bradbury’s most recent Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury shared some of her favourite National Trust locations and coastal routes for walking in an eight-part series, which aired on ITV.

She will be appearing in the Keynote theatre on Thursday 23 March.

Driving online bookings

Joel Brandon-Bravo, managing director of Travelzoo UK will be putting the spotlight on the online travel sector at the show (23 March). According to a report by Sigma, between 2014 and 2015, 89% of holidaymakers booked a holiday online[1]. Travelzoo – a leading provider of travel and entertainment, has taken advantage of this demand, and now offers travel deal packages from more than 2,000 companies, reaching over 28 million subscribers globally (4 million in the UK).

Heading up all aspects of Travelzoo’s UK business, Joel Brandon-Bravo will be discussing Travelzoo’s approach, revealing how working with leading destinations can drive incremental visitors and bookings. He’ll be talking about how they (and other companies) put together packages at the right prices, giving examples of best practice methods. He’ll also outline what he thinks other industries are doing better, and how the travel sector can learn from them.

Further seminar sessions are to be announced in January 2016.

Free visitor registration now open

Looking ahead to 2017, the show will feature over 260 leading visitor attractions, venues, destinations, hotels, transport providers, associations and DMOs. Among them are Albatross Travel Group, Bletchley Park, Canal & River Trust, DFDS, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, Hilton Worldwide, Independent Coach Travel, Manchester City Football Club, Marriott Hotels, Steamship Sir Walter Scott, The National Brewery Centre, The National Trust for Scotland, The Royal Mint Visitor Centre, The West Somerset Railway, Ticketmaster, and Warner Leisure Hotels.

New names for 2017 include ScotRail, Newark Information Centre, Fleetwood Market, River Escapes, The Portbyhan Hotel, Countrywide Hotels, Abbotsbury Tourism, ArcelorMittal Orbit (in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London), Castle Howard, Rhondda Heritage Park, Waterperry Gardens, and Continuum Attractions (including the Emmerdale Studio Experience).

British Tourism and Travel Show will return to the NEC Birmingham on the 22-23 March 2017. For more information and to register for a free ticket, please visit www.tourismshow.co.uk (direct link: https://registration.n200.com/survey/3merbygtnzi4j)

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