Copyright advice 

As a business, it's really great to get national, international or regional coverage in a respected publication or a website. A good example is the article that has just appeared in Food & Travel Magazine mentioned below.

We'd just like to remind you of some useful advice that can be found on our members' pages of the website. The do's and don'ts of reproducing newspaper, magazine and website articles - both words and images - on your own digital platforms, are explained on our page. We were alerted to this issue when one of our members had an unpleasant experience with this organisation which hunts down unlicensed material on behalf of a wide range of publications. 

To access the members' area of the website, the password is Love1066Country

Free Instagram workshop for members

Date for your diaries: Thursday 7 November virtual Instagram workshop for busy people.

Led by: Kitty Lineker @lineker_photography content creator of the reels for our 12 week Instagram Summer > Autumn reels campaign (currently in its autumn phase).  

Knowledge level desirable: ideally have an idea of how to create and post Instagram reels.

Open to all members, this is NOT a deep dive into the workings of algorithms or technical chat. This IS about keeping an online presence that is realistic to you and your business, with best practice, quick wins, demystification thrown in.

We aim to leave you feeling inspired and that your online presence can go from being a burden to a proud, manageable window into your business.

Please indicate your interest via 1066.membership@rother.gov.uk (INSTAGRAM WORKSHOP in the title) and we'll email the Teams meeting link to you. If you can let us know by 1 November, that would be fabulous.

What we've been up to last month

Alongside the day to day 'stuff', here are some other projects we've been busy with:

• Food & Travel Magazine 10 page spread on 1066 Country. "Honestly, I think one of the best Gourmet Travellers I've worked on — all the hard work paid-off", editor of F&T Mag.
• launched next batch of 'Moments' reels on Instagram to carry us into the autumn.
• finalised international campaigns in Germany, USA, Nordics and Netherlands.
• familiarisation visit from Susanna Mann, representing us in various international markets.
• ideas sent for influencer activity via Southern Railway Oct - December.
• more promotion of the 1066 Country Walk - content creator visited for Southern Railway. 
• newsletter competition to win tickets for Re-enactment of Battle of Hastings.
• press trip from two Belgian journalists across 1066 Country - DFDS commission & others.
  

Free workshops - still time to apply

See last month's newsletter for more details of each of the below.

Taking England to the World one day training programme for businesses interested in overseas markets. When: 10 October  Where: Eastbourne, Cavendish Hotel Timings: 9.30 - 17.00

 See here for more information and to book.

FREE sustainability workshop, exclusively for tourism businesses in Rother District,

When: 15 October Where: Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Discovery Centre Timings 9.30 - 16.00

Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories, Historic England funding opportunity. Open to local authorities, charities, and community interest companies. 

Proposals must be submitted by 11.59pm, Monday 7 October 2024.

Autumn, Christmas and winter images please

Many of you shared your Christmas images with us last year, which will help us greatly this coming year. We'd be grateful if you could upload any autumn, Christmas or winter images via these links which we can use across a range of promotional activity. Please upload autumn via this link and Christmas and winter here.

Similarly, don't forget to submit your October half term and Halloween events to our event calendar. Your Christmas events are coming in thick and fast too - please submit for your event to appear here. We use the events calendar to inform our own social media posts and monthly newsletters to our consumers. 

To further promote your news, remember to include @1066country for shares on Threads, Instagram and Facebook stories and we're happy to collaborate on your Instagram posts too! 

How's business survey

Please complete the current survey from Tourism South East and if you have any questions, contact research@tourismse.com Deadline for completion: October 14 2024.

Thank you from Southern Railway

Many of you responded very generously with offers for Southern Railway's staff raffle to raise money for the important work carried out by mental health charity Mind. Jackie Bookal who is our destination partnership colleague at Southern would like to pass on her heartfelt thanks.

Political updates - Visit Britain/ Visit England

Electronic Travel Authorisation

The Home Office has confirmed the rollout timetable for the ETA scheme. By April 2025 all visitors not needing a visa will require an ETA to travel to the UK. British and Irish citizens are exempt. An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to 6 months at a time over 2 years or until the holder's passport expires, whichever is sooner. Passengers transiting through the UK will also be required to have an ETA, which Heathrow claims could result in them losing 4 million passengers a year.

Parliament

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, asked the Education Secretary about the failure to deliver the T-level in hospitality and tourism   

Manuela Perteghella, MP for Stratford-on-Avon, asked about the potential impact of abolishing the Furnished Holiday Lettings regime on rural areas depending on tourism.

Richard Holden, MP for Basildon and Billericay, asked about financial support for heritage railways

Rachel Blake, MP for Cities of London and Westminster, led a Westminster Hall debate on the regulation of short-term lets

• The MPs for Scarborough and Whitby, Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, St Austell and Newquay, St Ives, Frome and East Somerset, York Central, Honiton and Sidmouth, Morecambe and Lunesdale, East Thanet, Hastings and Rye, Kensington and Bayswater, Truro and Falmouth, Penrith and Solway, Maidenhead, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner all spoke on the debate. 
  

• Rushanara Ali, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, responded:
• "The key concerns highlighted are around safety, waste management, antisocial behaviour, cost of housing and communities being displaced. That should not take away from the fact that we all recognise the important contribution that short-term lets can make to local economies, but they have to be done in a way that is appropriate and does not cause harm in local communities. The pressures cannot be properly understood without taking into account the impacts of such issues."
• "The new Government are taking stock and considering a full suite of options for the regulation of short-term lets before we make policy decisions … We need to ensure that the response is proportionate and appropriate, reflects the different kinds of issues affecting different constituencies, and avoids unintended consequences."

Fly the flag for 1066 Country

We have a number of flags which show the 1066 Country logo and are happy for you to request one for your business if appropriate. There are two sizes so please let us know if you'd like one.  

Large - 180 cms x 90 cms        Small - 90 cms x 45 cms

Website stats

Date range: 01/06/2024-31/08/24 compared with the same range in 2023

Total Views: 282,838  +3.04%  

Average Engaged Time Per Session: 49 seconds +2.16%  

Total Users:115,080 -4.61%  

Average Engagement Time:1m 03s +0.42%  

It seems the weather has played a large part in overall searches this summer and is something that has affected almost all DMOs. 

Gold level member newsletter slots

Remember to book up for your free Gold level membership consumer newsletter slot. Now booking for December onwards. Do get in touch if you can't remember if you have Gold level membership or if you're still to use up your month's slot.

Please add our membership badge and link to your website

Thanks to all of you who've downloaded or been in touch to use our Membership roundel logo. This is available for use by all members and we'd appreciate it if you can add a link through to our website from it. Big thank you to The Mermaid Inn, Rye who are one of the top referrers to our website!

We encourage you all to use it across your platforms, including your website and homepage. It can be a helpful tool to signpost visitors to places to stay and things to do in the area.