• Ideas, advice and guidance on how your business can reach the growing tourism and visitor economy.
• Designing products, services and experiences that are authentic and appeal to tourists and visitors.
• Optimising your sales and marketing strategy, ensuring you are reaching local, national and international markets with your products and services.

The visitor economy is a complex space to navigate for small businesses. Tourists value authenticity and they increasingly want real and unique experiences, rooted in local culture and identity. Would you like to develop these experiences within your business? How can you sell and market your business across time-zones, language barriers and cultural differences? Can a small business leverage the selling power of Expedia, Booking.com and other international players? Who are your local destination management organisations and how do you engage with them, ensuring your product is seen all around the world? It can be done! The smallest businesses usually provide the most authentic and memorable moments for travellers, the challenge is ensuring you are both seen and heard in a marketplace dominated by international brands.

Whether you want to develop a brand-new tourism experience or service from scratch, attract more customers, enter new markets or adopt digital technology in your business, Simon can support you with these aims.

Background

Simon is an adventure guide, trainer and tourism industry consultant. He has won multiple tourism awards and has previously grown an adventure activities business from start up to 10,000 clients per annum. He is now supporting other businesses in the tourism and visitor economy to develop and grow. He is a native of north east England and is eager to see our local culture reflected in the tourism offer. Simon sits on the NE Regenerative Tourism Taskforce, promoting sustainable growth of the industry.

Simon continues to work in the adventure tourism space. He runs popular seal swimming trips at the Farne Islands, paddleboarding trips on the NE coast and writes guide books. Simon originally trained as a marine biologist and remains an avid environmentalist and advocate for our coasts and seas.