TourEast London
Newsletter
THE TOURISM VOICE OF EAST LONDON

Inside This Issue...

TourEast London Update

Destination Round Up - What's New in 2007

Focus: LB Hackney

Invitation to New Media Networking Event in Hackney

London Development Agency East London Tourism Update

Newham's 'Be a Local Tourist' Campaign - Coming Soon

EAST Campaign - the Greater London Authority

Wind Down for Pool of London Partnership

Disability Equality Training for Venues and Hospitality Providers in Tower Hamlets

Creative Lewisham Agency

New Bed and Breakfast Initiative in Lewisham

Multi-Million Pound Museum Development for Capital City

The Impact of the FIFA World Cup on Tourism Performance

New Partners

Useful Web Links

Destination Round Up - What's New in 2007

New attractions

• The O_2, a world-class entertainment destination on the site of the former Millennium Dome, comes alive in July 2007. AEG Europe have partnered with O₂ to create the UK’s most exciting and technically advanced music, sport and entertainment destination - The O₂. At its centre The O₂ arena, with a capacity of up to 23,000 will host up to 150 events in the first year, with a mix of concerts including Justin Timberlake and Scissor Sisters, family entertainment and sports events. It's a whole district of restaurants, bars, clubs and brand new interactive experiences - all under cover and protected from the elements. Day or night, visitors can step into an incredible world which caters for their every need and provides them with an experience they will remember for the rest of their lives.
  
• In June 2007, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich opens four new galleries exploring astronomy, adding to the new Time Galleries opened in 2006 and the new 120-seat Peter Harrison Planetarium, the only planetarium in London.
  
• Potters Fields Park, one of central London’s major green open spaces along the Thames riverside will be reopened at Easter 2007, following a major transformation. The new design includes new refreshment facilities, seating and seasonal planting. It will host events during the year but will always be available as a perfect riverside picnic spot.

New hotels

• Two new 4 star Hilton Hotels have opened , one right in the heart of the Pool of London, and the other at Canary Wharf. A new Radisson Edwardian hotel will also open near ExCeL London in 2007.

New transport infrastructure

• The new efficient Docklands Light Railway (DLR) link between London City Airport to Canary Wharf and Bank is open and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between St Pancras Station and the Channel Tunnel with a new station at Stratford will open in 2007, and will serve as a vital transport feed for the 2012 Games.

• On 8th July 2007 the Tour de France will pass over Tower Bridge, the official start line of the 1st Stage, through Bermondsey and Deptford to Greenwich where they will cross the Greenwich Meridian Line, where all time zones are measured from. There will be plenty of photo opportunities and lots of special events are planned around this stage of the race, with the annual 'Made in Deptford Festival' coinciding with the Tour de France this year.
  
• 2007 marks the bi-centenary of the abolition of the Slave Trade. Exhibitions and events will be held at the Museum of London, Museum in Docklands and the National Maritime Museum and during Southwark’s Black History Month in October.

For further information email mary@visiteastlondon.co.uk

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FOCUS: TourEast London welcomes LB Hackney as their newest public sector partner

With a diverse range of museums, galleries and theatres, ethnic restaurants a thriving night time economy and some of the quirkiest shopping in the UK, the east London borough of Hackney is currently benefiting from an ever expanding visitor economy. As well as being an Olympic borough Hackney has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the country where visitors can often find Vietnamese supermarkets side by side with fabulous Turkish restaurants and a stone’s throw from street markets specialising in Afro Caribbean ingredients.

Hackney’s unique character and charm comes from it’s diverse product range spanning internationally known art galleries such as White Cube, National Trust properties such as Sutton House (the oldest house in east London - pictured below), the famous and beautifully restored Hackney Empire, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant, more open and green spaces than any other London borough, the recently opened London Fields Lido (pictured left), farmers and ethnic markets as well as a host of independent pubs, clubs, restaurants and retailers.

In order to profit from the increasing visitor economy and Olympic opportunities Hackney Council have commissioned the development of a visitor economy strategy and mapping exercise. This piece of work will serve as the driver to the expansion of Hackney’s visitor economy and in particular encourage the promotion of Hackney’s cultural and ethnic diversity, the world renown creative and visual arts sector and support the growth of destinations within the borough.

In addition to this work, Hackney is working with Visit London and other sub-regional partners to develop the business tourism sector – with a view to encouraging events and conference organisers to see Hackney as the perfect choice for their business.

For further information email Tina McKay at tina.mckay@hackney.gov.uk

Click here to visit the Hackney Council website

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Invitation to New Media Networking Event in Hackney

[space.media.arts ] in partnership with Hackney Council would like to invite all those involved in web and media technologies who work or live in Hackney to a networking session. The session is aimed at appealing to a diverse range of creative practitioners, including artists, community media groups, SMEs and large companies and will provide an opportunity for participants to promote themselves, find out what others are working on and develop links. This event will launch a New Media Cluster in Hackney, with a facilitated discussion inviting participants to have a stake in the development of the cluster and its seed funding.

This event will be held at [space.media.arts ], 129-131 Mare Street London E8 3RH on Tuesday 30th January 2007, from 2pm - 6pm. Closest overground station is London Fields.

RSVP is essential. Please contact heather@spacestudios.org.uk or call 0208 525 4339 for more info and to register.

Click here to visit the Hackney Council website

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London Development Agency East London Tourism Update

1. 2012 Transport Consultation:

London 2012 is working with Transport for London, Local Authorities and other organisations to plan transport arrangements during the Games. The Transport Plan for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games outlines proposed transport arrangements, and explains how we will keep London moving during the Games. You can view a consultation draft of the plan and an environmental report at london2012.com or request hard copies by either e-mailing transportplan@london2012.com or telephone 020 32012000.

2. LDA Visitor Management Plan Pilot Project:

10 submissions were received for the Pilot VMP by the deadline. The quality was extremely high and in the end we had to agree to shortlist 4 instead of 3 EOIs to proceed to stage 2. We would all liked to have short listed more but the next stage of the process (involving site visits and meetings) is time consuming - and we are working to a timetable and budget. The outcome will be a "template" visitor management plan which others in east London will have access to in any case. TEAM will work with the winner and deliver the completed VMP and template by the end of April 2007.

3. The explosion at the Buncefield oil depot, floods, increased security at airports, terrorist incidents – all of these have affected the tourism and hospitality industry in London in the last year. The London Development Agency wants to help tourism businesses to be better prepared to respond to the unexpected. As a result the LDA is sponsoring a series of ½ day workshops on crisis management for tourism and hospitality businesses. Designed and run by tourism professionals, this free workshop will be running in East London on Thursday 22nd February. Email events@lynchassociates.co.uk or telephone 020 83018664 for bookings.

For more information please contact Niall Brolly by emailing niallbrolly@lda.gov.uk or calling 07976 065 565

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Newham’s 'Be a local tourist' campaign - Coming soon

Newham is fast emerging as one of the most exciting destinations in east London. The new 'be a local tourist' campaign will showcase the borough’s attractions to the local community. The borough’s unique multicultural diversity means that there is no shortage of authentic restaurants, cafés and shops to explore as well as some rather quirky attractions. As host borough for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, this is an exciting time for Newham to showcase its rapidly changing landscape and encourage residents to take advantage of what is on their doorstep.

For more information on the Olympics, please visit: www.london2012.org or www.newham.com/2012Games

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east Campaign - the Greater London Authority

The Mayor's Office will be running a major cultural campaign in March 2007, to shine the spotlight on east London, called east. The campaign will run from 1st - 6th March. A guide will be produced to accompany the event and the campaign will be promoted across London and beyond. This project is designed to increase footfall to east London, to attract a diverse range of target audiences, and to position London as a hotbed of creative talent. These objectives can be met by tapping into the unique spirit of the area. It is this vibrancy and creativity which underpins everything that east London has to offer. The campaign will be inclusive, authentic, accessible and welcoming to everyone.

All activity will fall under the brand 'east'. There are five sectors that sit within this brand: east for Art, east for Performance (music, theatre, dance, literature and poetry), east for Fashion, east for Food (markets and restaurants), east for History (history and diversity of the area). east is being lead by an advisory Panel, made up of a key partner from each sector to drive and shape the activity for their category. This is a major opportunity to for businesses to showcase their product and to attract people to see and experience the real east London. Please send information to: east@london.gov.uk

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Wind down for Pool of London Partnership

The Pool of London Partnership (PLP) regeneration agency has been working to improve the physical, social and economic environment of the Pool of London area from London Bridge to just past Tower Bridge since 1996. As with all regeneration partnerships, the PLP organisation will wind down its operations on 31st March 2007. In terms of marketing the Pool of London destination, the PLP has had a close working relationship with TourEast London.

Some of the destination marketing work will continue through the London Bridge Business Improvement District (BID) Company, a legacy organisation established by the PLP. For example, the London Bridge BID will take over responsibility for keeping the Pool of London website up-to-date, and for sending events information and e-newsletters on what’s happening in this iconic riverside district.

For more information on the Pool of London Partnership or to sign up to their e-newsletter visit www.pooloflondon.co.uk

For more information on the London Bridge BID Company visit www.londonbridgebid.co.uk

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Is your business accessible & inclusive? Disability Equality Training for Venues & Hospitality Providers in Tower Hamlets

There are 10 million disabled people in the UK with a combined disposable income of over £80 billion a year. This represents a significant amount of potential business for a venue, restaurant or bar. When people consider improving access to their businesses they tend to think of ramps for wheelchair access. While this is one consideration only 5% of people with disabilities use wheelchairs. There are a wide range of impairments that have different (and often simple) access requirements.

Tower Hamlets Council are offering a practical training course to local businesses, focusing on reasonable and cost effective ways to promote disability equality by removing or adjusting the barriers to serving people disabilities.

An administration fee of £25.00 + vat per delegate will be charged. To register to attend please contact Helen Powell, Investment & Business team at: helen.powell@towerhamlets.gov.uk or call 0207 364 4900. Places are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Venue: The Museum in Docklands, No. 1 Warehouse, Hertsmere Road, West India Quay, London E14 4AL on 30th January 2007

Click here to visit the London Borough Tower Hamlets website

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Creative Lewisham Agency

The Creative Lewisham Agency was set up in 2001 and offers a range of services for the creative industries to further the aims of creative practitioners living, working and learning in the borough. As well as building up a network of contacts and developing key partnerships with organisations in Lewisham and the wider London area, the Agency has worked with the Lewisham Arts Service, and the Regeneration and Economic Development departments. They have developed an enterprise course for start-up creatives, launched a public art consultancy and worked with local designers to set up the Deptford Design Festival as part of the London Design Festival.

Creative Lewisham will be working closely with Lewisham Borough Council to coordinate this year's 'Deptford Design Weekend' in September and 'Deptford X' in November and December, both of which celebrate the creative industries in Deptford and are proving to be very popular.

Click here to visit the Creative Lewisham website

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New Bed & Breakfast Initiative in Lewisham

The 2012 Olympics will bring thousands of extra visitors to London, all looking for somewhere to stay. In order to take advantage of this forthcoming demand, Lewisham Borough Council will be running a free event on Wednesday 28th February from 12 noon – 19.30. to encourage new B&B start-ups in Lewisham. The coordinators invite local businesses, existing B&Bs and residents to come along to the open day for professional advice and support.

Venue: Powerleague, Catford, Private Banks Sports Ground, Canadian Avenue, London SE6 4SW. Nearest station is Catford or Catford Bridge.

For further information contact Jo Middleton on 020 8314 3674 or email jo.middleton@lewisham.gov.uk

Click here to visit the Lewisham Borough Council website

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Multi-Million Pound Museum Development for Capital City

The Museum of London has been given the green light for its ambitious Capital City development to start work on site next spring.  This is the biggest investment in the Museum’s thirty year history and will see improved access to its collections open in 2009. 

The Capital City development will tell the tale of London over the last 300 years and will reflect the vibrant and unflagging energy of London as a multicultural community.  As one of the world’s largest urban history museums  the new displays will tell the stories of Londoners both rich and poor – those born here, those who work here, and those who have moved here – all of whom think of London as their city. It will house more objects than ever, from the dazzling Lord Mayor’s Coach to Suffragette banners, Nelson’s jewel-encrusted sword to an Oswald Boateng 2004 suit.

The work will start in March 2007 and will be completed in 2009. There are no plans to close the Museum during the refurbishment work.

For press information and images contact: Clea Relly on 020 7814 5503 or crelly@museumoflondon.org.uk

Click here to visit the Museum of London website

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The Impact of the FIFA World Cup on Tourism Performance

The following summary of a recent presentation given by IPK International and sponsored by ITB Berlin offers interesting statistics and information regarding the effect of a big sports tournament on a destination, in this case the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006.

As far as German inbound tourism is concerned, the different statistics gathered by the German National Tourist Board (DZT), as well as the local tourism industry, all concur that Germany’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup was a huge success, both in terms of earnings, but also regarding the country’s general image and of its attraction as a tourism destination.

In terms of the increases in absolute volumes, the UK was the leading source, generating an additional 292,943 arrivals over the two months, according to the DZT’s research, while the USA, in second position, accounted for an additional 210,791 visitors. DZT data also shows that 73% of all visitors travelled to Germany specifically for the World Cup.

Further analysis of the impact of the FIFA World Cup on Germany’s performance, as well as detailed information on trends in different regions of the world, is available in the ITB/IPK World Travel Trends report, which can be downloaded from ITB’s website.

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New Partners

TourEast London would like to welcome our first partner from Hackney, Comment Art. Based in the heart of the arts scene in Hoxton, Leann Barber and her team will be our primary information source for the small, hidden-away spaces for contemporary art in east London. They also produce the fantastic East London Art Map which can be requested here and conduct art walks and talks. For further information contact Lucy.bayley@Caprojects.com

Click here to visit the Comment Art website

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Useful Web Links

Visit www.visiteastlondon.co.uk for up and coming events listings this Spring and for more information on our unusual and quirky products and leisure ideas.

www.london2012.org

www.lda.gov.uk

www.visitlondon.com

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