As Bath prepares to celebrate the 250th birthday of one of its most famous former residents, Jane Austen, the city is gearing up for a year of special events and experiences. At this year’s British Tourism & Travel Show, Jon Chamberlain, Head of Marketing at Visit West, will present “How groups can embrace Austen250 in 2025” on Wednesday 19 March, 2:30 – 2:45pm in the Keynote Theatre.
2025 offers a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the Regency-era Bath that Jane Austen brought to life in novels like Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. From Bath to Winchester and the Peak District, groups can explore the places that inspired and shaped one of the world’s most beloved authors.
We caught up with Jon to discuss the Austen250 celebrations and his insights into destination marketing for group travel.
Introducing Jon Chamberlain
Jon is Head of Marketing for Visit West, the Local Visitor Economy Partnership for Bath & North-East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. With almost 12 years in his current role and a long career in hospitality and visitor attractions, Jon recently won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Tourism’ award at the 2024 Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards. He leads Visit West’s travel trade engagement and heads a talented destination marketing team promoting the Bath and Bristol region worldwide.
Can you tell us more about your business and what it does?
“Visit West is the VisitEngland accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Bath & North-East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset. We work with the businesses in these areas to maximise the potential of the region’s visitor economy. Visit West’s mission is to lead, facilitate and support the development of the West of England region’s visitor economy.”
What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your job?
“I have a very wide remit, which is challenging, but hugely rewarding. I lead on the LVEP’s travel trade engagement which can take me all over the world, distilling the virtues of the Bath and Bristol area – including to the NEC each March! I lead a team of very experienced and talented staff who produce the Visit Bath and Visit Bristol consumer websites and social media channels as well as gaining huge media coverage for the destinations and producing campaigns through the year.”
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
“Control what you can control and mitigate against what you can’t.”
What’s your key takeaway of the year so far?
“Value has never been so important. That isn’t the same as ‘cheap’, though!”
What are you most looking forward to discovering or experiencing at BTTS 2025?
“I am looking forward to meeting with GTOs, coach companies and trade product managers and introducing them to our stand share partners.”
Why do you think BTTS is a must-attend event for those who organise group travel?
“BTTS is a great opportunity to meet with destinations, attractions, and experiences who all want to work with groups, alongside a great seminar programme – I’ve heard there is going to be a brilliant talk about Austen250 in Bath this year!”
What can visitors expect to learn or experience from your session that will benefit their business or organisation?
“Austen 250 is all about celebrating Jane Austen’s birthday year with new events and experiences. Bath is synonymous with one of the world’s most-famous authors and the extensive media coverage around this anniversary year will definitely seed demand for trips from groups keen to immerse themselves in all things Austen.”
Based on your area of expertise, what advice would you give tour operators and group travel organisers to benefit their businesses or organisations?
“I’m a destination marketer and it is my job to join up themes and give reasons to visit now. Always scratch below the surface of a destination and stay longer than you think – Bath has more museums in a square mile than any other city in the country, Bristol has a renowned maritime heritage story to tell, but also has some of the best street art anywhere in the world.”
What are the biggest challenges you see facing the group tourism industry today, and how can tour operators and group travel organisers best address the challenges?
“Group sizes seem to have reduced in the last few years and while it can sometimes be an issue not to fill a coach, there is also the opportunity to explore more options in terms of accommodation with smaller groups. There can be a perception within the industry that groups equals low prices, but in my experience that doesn’t need to be the case – everyone can be happy with the right value proposition.”
Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities for the group tourism industry in the coming years?
“Film and TV connections give a great reason to visit a destination – and then explore more of what is on offer there. For example, Miss Austen is airing on the BBC this spring, which will highlight some of the areas of the country synonymous with the author in this special year, including Bath where you can visit the Jane Austen Centre. Fans of legendary TV series Only Fools and Horses can take a tour in Bristol where it was filmed, doubling up as London on screen, before visiting St Nicholas Market (rather than Peckham Market!).”
What do you see as key tourism trends for 2025 and beyond?
“Smaller group sizes, more bespoke and special interest tours. Although people are drawn by the hero products, it is often the places and experiences that they weren’t expecting that people rave about afterwards.
“Destination ‘dupes’ really captures my attention, showcasing snippets of lesser known destinations and comparing them to more well-known ones demonstrating that you often overlook things that are right here in the UK.”
Suggest a question and answer to best showcase your expertise.
What’s some good advice for marketing a destination to be attractive to groups?
“You need collaboration across the board – the industry is all about relationships and it doesn’t work without them. The businesses in destination need to be ready to receive groups and group bookings, need to know how to welcome groups. You need a critical mass to make a destination more than just a stop off en-route somewhere else – this is when real value comes into play – so ensuring there are local guides, more than one attraction and experience to justify a longer stay. Have the information that group organisers need easily accessible, this includes coach parks, suggested itineraries, contact details for questions, and a bank of resources to enable those GTOs and tour operators to be able to sell the destination and their trips as easily as possible.”
Don’t miss the chance to hear from Jon and other industry experts at BTTS. Register for free today and join us for two days of group travel inspiration from across the UK and Ireland.
