On Tuesday 14 January 2025, Visit West hosted a media and travel trade event in London to formally launch Austen 250 – the 250th anniversary year of the birth of Jane Austen.
The event to launch the nationwide campaign took place at London’s National Portrait Gallery where the only known portrait of Jane Austen in her lifetime, by her sister Cassandra, is available to view in gallery 5. It was here that over 70 media, travel trade buyers, and key contacts from Jane Austen-themed products in Bath and other destinations, gathered for a networking breakfast before presentations were made in gallery 18. VIP guests included Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, and Patricia Yates, CEO of VisitBritain / VistEngland.
As guests arrived, they were greeted by projections of Jane Austen events, tours and attractions in the stairwell and on welcome screens.
The event was presented by Visit West (Visit Bath) in partnership with Visit Reading and Visit Peak District & Derbyshire. There was also information on behalf of Visit Hampshire.
Delegates were greeted by a welcome from Patricia Yates followed by Visit West’s Head of Marketing, Jon Chamberlain, explaining more about the year. Destination presentations followed from Hampshire, Reading and Derbyshire & Peak District before Emma Frayling from Visit West showcased what is happening for Austen 250 in Bath.
The Media
As a result of Visit West and others’ work with VisitBritain, the New York Times has just nominated ‘Austen’s England’ as the no.1 place to visit in the world in 2025. There have already been numerous articles in national, international and regional media about Austen 250, and there were over 40 journalists and influencers registered for the launch event too, all looking to feature Austen 250 in their editorial and content. Media that attended the event were treated to a goody bag full of Austen-themed gifts, kindly supplied by Visit West members.
Travel Trade
Whilst lots of work over the last couple of years has gone into encouraging scheduled group visits in 2025, there is still an opportunity for FIT and small/bespoke groups business. Four destination organisations are working collaboratively together to showcase a joined up, itinerary-like approach on the theme of Jane Austen. As 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of the world’s most-loved authors, this is a great hook to visit ‘now’ rather than just ‘someday’. Representatives at the launch event were present from some of the largest DMCs who collectively bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the UK each year. Later in March, Visit West will present to group travel organisers at the British Tourism & Travel Show, detailing everything Bath has to offer in this celebratory year.
Resources
Find out more about Austen 250, inspiration of where to stay, what to do, where to eat and what’s on via Visit Bath’s dedicated pages: http://austen250.co.uk/ and use #Austen250 in your social media posts.
Visit West has produced a resource pack with press release, imagery, and the Austen 250 logo that are all free to use for media, travel trade and Visit West members. Get in touch to find out more.
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