News from September 2007

Sausages, Elephants & a Mighty Big Experience

Published: 28 September 2007

5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 'Experience Bedfordshire' Ready for Launch Blast Off date 29th September 2007

'Experience Bedfordshire' will literally touch down on Saturday 29th September 2007 at London Luton Airport.   The new Tourism Growth Strategy for Bedfordshire & Luton and www.experiencebedfordshire.com will begin a day long 'experience' tour of the County culminating in an official launch involving a dextrous elephant and two new sausages!  Strange but true!

The day will begin at London Luton Airport where a Monarch Airlines Pilot will hand the 'Experience Bedfordshire' Strategy to a group of children from Luton Carnival Arts in full carnival costume who will do a short display.  The Chiltern Radio 'Black Thunder Team' will then drive it to Dunstable where it will be handed to a 'Tudor Wench' representing the towns historic past.  From Dunstable the strategy will journey to Shuttleworth where a WW2 pilot will take to the skies and 'loop the loop' with it high over the Bedfordshire countryside.  From Shuttleworth it will again be airborne but this time at the UK's largest indoor skydiving centre - Bodyflight one of the County's newest and fastest growing visitor attractions.

At 2.45pm the strategy will enter the Safari Drive at Woburn Safari Park for the final leg of its journey.  At the end of the drive the Black Thunder Team will hand the Strategy to Damini the elephant who will hopefully not eat it, and pass it to Keith Brown, Chief Executive of East of England Tourism who will officially declare the strategy and www.experiencebedfordshire.com launched.

Two new sausage flavours have been created especially for the launch event - the 'Bedfordshire Banger' and 'Spicy Luton Snorker' by Franklins of Thorncote Green, members of the 'Tastes of Bedfordshire' scheme to highlight the great fresh local produce that Bedfordshire & Luton have to offer.

Throughout the day Chiltern Radio will be giving away an 'Experience Bedfordshire' voucher booklet packed with special discounts to visitor attractions in the County.  There will also be loads of on air prize give aways including pamper days at Champneys Henlow Grange and free Bodyflight vouchers.

The launch may sound unusual, a bit off the wall and slightly wacky but it is intended to showcase what fun, diverse and interesting places to visit Bedfordshire & Luton are. 

The new website www.experiencebedfordshire.com provides loads of information for potential visitors with sections including Family Fun (what to do if it is tipping it down with rain or you just want to wear the kids out), Krazy Kids (spin the 'Wacky Wheel of Discovery to find an activity to do in the area), Grown Up Experiences (pampering, culture, adrenaline activities plus loads more) and Business People (conference venues, team building activities and business hotels) as well as search and browse options for quick and easy access to visitor accommodation, events and places to visit.

However, experiencebedfordshire.com is just part of a whole host of actions within in the 'Experience Bedfordshire Tourism Growth Strategy 2007 - 2012'.  The strategy has been funded by the East of England Development Agency and is endorsed by East of England Tourism.  The development of the strategy has been led by a public/private sector team headed up by Chris Webster, Chief Executive of Woburn Safari Park and Jo-Ann Lloyd, Sales & Marketing Manager, London Luton Airport.

A copy of the Strategy is available from helen.shore@bedscc.gov.uk.

For further information please contact:  Chris Webster, Chief Executive Woburn Safari Park 01525 292304, Jo-Ann Lloyd, Sales & Marketing Manager, London Luton Airport 01582 395547, Helen Shore, Senior Economic Development Officer - Tourism, Bedfordshire County Council 01234 276063 or Alex Francis, Bedfordshire & Luton Economic Development Partnership 01525 864987.

*
- - - - - -