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15 January 2007

CITY LAUNCHES NEW TOURISM GUIDES

Destination Bristol has launched the city's tourism guides for 2007 to support a new campaign targeting families, young couples and local residents to boost visitor numbers to Bristol.

Bristol Guide 2007 is the main guide for leisure break visitors, offering a colourful introduction to the city's arts and culture, the historic harbour and the surrounding countryside, as well as featuring a full range of accommodation in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. New sections for 2007 include 'Green Bristol', featuring Bristol's parks, green events and attractions, and 'Museums and Arts', which includes Bristol's outstanding museums, art galleries, theatres and live entertainment venues.

Bristol Guide 2007 also features 'My Bristol' where local people explain what they love about Bristol. Prime-time television actor James Redmond comments "I've lived in New York, Paris, Milan, Florence, The Greek islands, Liverpool and London in my time but I think this [Bristol] is the best city to live in." Other local Bristolians featured include Gene Joyner, Managing Director of local company Bart Spices and Chair of St Pauls Carnival Committee, Avril Baker, organiser of Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations, Ben Taylor, a glass-blower at Bristol Blue Glass, Caryne Davies, Events-Coordinator at WWT Slimbridge and Julie Jones of Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery.

The Pocket Guide 2007 is a guide to Bristol including days out in Bath, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire and provides details of attractions, eating & drinking, the arts, shopping, sport & leisure and major events. With a print run of over 750,000, it is a widely circulated guide distributed in Bristol and within a 50-70 mile radius.

The guides feature the city's events and entertainment programme throughout 2007 and one of this year's highlights will undoubtedly be Abolition 200, which marks the bicentenary of the signing of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.

'It's an exciting time for tourism in Bristol. The industry is really working well together to make the most of the city's assets and to pull together the whole tourism product for the visitor. Bristol offers an unbeatable mix of attractions which gives the area a unique feel and make it one of the UK's best short-break destinations,' said John Hallett, Managing Director of Destination Bristol.

Note: The 2007 Bristol Guide features a section called 'My Bristol' where local people share their thoughts on the places they like to visit and how they spend their leisure time. Attendees are featured in this section.

Gene Joyner - Bart Spices and Chair of St Pauls Carnival Committee
Julie Jones - Bristol's City Museum and Art Gallery
Ben Taylor - Bristol Blue Glass
Avril Baker - Bristol International Festival of Kites and Air Creations

For more information please contact:
Emma Ferrante
Marketing Executive
Destination Bristol
Tel: 0117 946 2206
Web: www.visitbristol.co.uk

Notes to Editor
1. Destination Bristol, formerly the Bristol Tourism and Conference Bureau is a not for profit partnership between Bristol City Council and Business West. Destination Bristol is the destination management partnership for Bristol and South Gloucestershire and leads the marketing of the area as a travel destination. The aim of the organisation is to work with members and partners, to increase business competitiveness, support employment and economic growth, and raise the profile of the Bristol city-region as a European-class travel destination.

2. For more detailed information about the area, access the website at www.visitbristol.co.uk