Dorset: Not so family friendly?

Dorset has always been seen as a family friendly, seaside holiday destination. But stereotypical images of children splashing in the waves and eating ice creams on the promenade may in fact be a myth.

New research into tourism in Dorset shows a large percentage of holiday makers are actually adult couples and many local attractions just aren’t catering for that market.

Liam Toms, Manager of the Creative Enterprise Bureau at Bournemouth University where the research was carried out, said: “Whilst the statistics do remind us that there is still a large amount of families choosing to holiday in Dorset, they’re not the only visitors to the county. In times of economic uncertainty and unpredictable weather, it is essential that attractions consider how to communicate to wider audiences.”

These findings form part of a report called ‘Dorset Days Out’, which has been developed by the Created Enterprise Bureau to assess leisure and tourist attractions in the county.

It looks in detail at the promotional activity carried out by leisure and tourist attractions based in Dorset, identifies weaknesses in strategy and provides example of best practice. A wide range of fact, figures, trends and insights about tourism in Dorset as well as the rest of the UK are included and made sense of by the author, Dr Richard Scullion, who is an academic in Advertising and Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University. Other topics covered include the use of vouchers to drive custom and how companies can use digital marketing to better effect.

The Creative Enterprise Bureau is offering the report to companies for £49, which also includes a 2 hour seminar hosted by Dr. Richard Scullion and Dr Mike Molesworth, a specialist in consumer behaviour and interactive media strategies. The seminar will not only introduce the report but also provide a walkthrough of its content.

The seminar is scheduled to take place at The Media School, Talbot Campus on Thursday 8th September 2011, 4pm. Spaces for this session are limited so please book as soon as possible. To book please contact Liam Toms on 01202 962020 - Alternatively contact by e-mail at ltoms@bournemouth.ac.uk.

A preview of the report content is available here.

• Creative Enterprise Bureau
• Dr Richard Scullion’s academic profile