TourEast London |
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October
2006 |
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Inside This Issue... TourEast London Update London Development Agency Update New Weekly Fine Food Market Launched in Spitalfields E1 Airlines Vote London City Airport No. 1 for Marketing Worldwide New Website for Newham 2012 New Docklands Light Railway Eating and Drinking Guide |
WelcomeDear Colleague Welcome to the latest edition of the TourEast London Newsletter. This edition is crammed with news and developments within east London, including the launch of the new visitor guide 'Discover Another Side of London', the phenomenally successful East London Week and our focus on the Cultural Industries Development Agency. Use the contents menu on the left to browse articles in this newsletter, or simply scroll down the page. The next edition of this newsletter will be published in January 2007. Please send us any interesting news by 24th November 2006 and we will consider it for inclusion. Email: info@visiteastlondon.co.uk. Best Wishes, TourEast London N.B. Should you not wish to receive this quarterly update, please reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. |
TourEast London UpdateNew Visitor Guides
NB. For reference, there are 540 copies in 1 box should you wish to order large quantities for distribution to guests/visitors. If you wish to receive just one copy or a few copies for your own use please use our contact page. TourEast London at the Forefront of New Information TechnologyTourEast London has teamed up with a company called upcomm UK Ltd who provides a new generation of mobile phone code, which is called upcodeTM. It is being tested for the first time within the above mentioned 'Discover Another Side of London', on page one, and will enable users to link directly between mobile phones and www.VisitEastLondon.co.uk and access the entire site. More importantly, information, such as current events and festivals, that cannot be included in traditional forms of print media, can now be accessed. We are very excited by the potential of this technology and believe it will have a wide-reaching impact on the way visitors access information whilst moving around a destination. For more information contact: Mark Hendrickson at info@upcomm.net. Review of East London Week at Greenwich Tourist Information Centre: 2nd - 6th August 2006
The 5 day event took place from Wednesday 2nd to Sunday 6th August 2006 at Greenwich Tourist Information Centre (TIC) in the heart of Maritime Greenwich.
The Greenwich location allowed visitors to experience the event in the heart of east London and visitors closely matched the target markets for the broad range of attractions and information on offer. Overall, the event was a great success. Thank you to the 21 east London tourism partners who participated in the event and offered prizes. Web statistics show that the www.VisitEastLondon.co.uk website currently receives over 13,000 unique users (a unique user is, for a specified period of time such as a day or month, an individual that has visited a website) and over 350,000 hits each month and is visited by users from over 90 countries. The top ten nationalities visiting the website monthly usually includes GB, USA, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and France, but statistics show that China and India are also rising as source countries for web viewers. The development of www.VisitEastLondon.co.uk continues with the integration of the events calendars through a central content management system. The new system will automatically link to both the Docklands Light Railway and TEL web events calendars, with TEL acting as the main provider for DLR web events in future. The new events calendar will be launched soon. East London Destination Training Demand grows for the free destination training that is offered to accommodation providers and their staff in east and now central London. The training is aimed at enhancing customer care that providers can give their customers by being able to recommend local tourism products and services. If you wish to schedule in a session, please contact sharon@visiteastlondon.co.uk. |
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FOCUS: The Cultural Industries Development Agency and East London Cultural Tourism Group East London is renowned for being rich in cultural diversity and is home to many of London's most exciting and pioneering cultural destinations and events. CIDA – the Cultural Industries Development Agency is a specialist organisation that supports the area’s thriving creative community and its multitude of artists, creative businesses and cultural venues. In addition to CIDA’s core services which include providing information, advice and a range of training and networking events for creative professionals, CIDA develop and deliver innovative projects, a great example of which is the ELCTG (East London Cultural Tourism Group). As a leading development agency and an organisation that is serious about economic development and inward investment we will continue to work with other agencies to raise the cultural profile of East London and support the area’s vibrant creative community. To find out more about CIDA and its projects and services visit www.cida.co.uk or contact info@cida.co.uk or 020 7247 4710. Want to know what's happening in East London? The East London Cultural Calendar (produced by CIDA and the ELCTG) provides 'at a glance' information on upcoming events and activities - more info. Click here to visit the CIDA website |
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London Development Agency East London Tourism UpdateTracking Spending in London, East London and your BoroughThe Local Area Tourism Impact Model allows us to measure the value of the visitor economy at a local level - allowing comparison with data on visitor spending on a sub-regional and London wide level. We are now in a position to offer hard evidence for the important part tourism plays in creating and sustaining jobs in London as well as offering boroughs an accurate picture of where they are in tourism development - a good basis for offering relevant ideas for further work.
For more information please contact Niall Brolly by emailing niallbrolly@lda.gov.uk or calling 07976 065 565 |
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Congratulations to ExCeL London
In addition the show also included 12 Global Premieres, 17 UK & European Launches, 600 Cars, 60 Car Brands, 9 Live Music Concerts and 45 Performances of live Motor Theatre Action. For Marketing and PR enquiries please contact: Click here to visit the ExCeL London corporate website |
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New Weekly Fine Food Market Launched in Spitalfields E1
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall attended the official launch of the market on 5th October 2006. The event was also attended by locals, press and friends of the market along with two-Michelin-starred chef Shane Osbourne from Pied A Terre.
The Fine Food Market takes place 3 days a week on Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 10am – 5pm in Crispin Place off Brushfield Street, E1. For further information or images please contact Lisa Ispani 020 7034 0200 or lisai@meenakhera.com Click here to visit the Spitalfields E1 website |
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City Cruises Launches its Commentary System in Chinese
The Approved Destination Status (ADS) that the UK gained with China, prompted City Cruises to develop its website in Chinese and the expansion of the onboard commentary system, to include a version in Chinese, was the next step in the plan to tap into this emerging market. City Cruises offers an extensive range of sightseeing, entertainment and charter services in addition to operating the restaurant ship The R.S. Hispaniola. For further information call City Cruises on 020 7740 0400 or click here to visit the City Cruises website. |
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Airlines Vote London City Airport No. 1 for Marketing Worldwide
On accepting the award, Charles Buchanan, Director of Business Development for London City Airport said; “Despite the challenges the aviation industry continues to face, the business traveller has been very resilient to world events. Our levels of business continue to grow. To date this year we are seeing passenger numbers increase by 20%, we are confident that we will continue to enjoy the current level of growth and achieve an annual passenger throughput for 2006 of 2.3 million” London City Airport’s location remains the unique selling point supporting the regeneration of the area. Airlines have recognised the need to establish an east London network to serve the business market. This year five new services have been added to the London City Airport route network, including Milan, Stockholm, Stuttgart and Newcastle, along with Madrid that launches in October. For further information contact Jenny Lloyd on 020 7646 0054 or email jenny@lcy.co.uk Click here to visit the London City Airport website |
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Top Lock Award for London's Canals
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New Website for Newham 2012 London Borough of Newham has launched a new website to keep residents, businesses and tourists up to date on the London Games, what is happening in Newham and how to get involved. Visit www.newham.com/2012Games today - see birdseye views of the Olympic Park from our onsite webcam and find out how to Walk the Olympic Park. Register before 31st October 2006 for your chance to win £100.
For more information on the Olympics, please follow this link: www.london2012.org or www.newham.com/2012Games |
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For further information contact Rachel Mappelbeck on 020 7522 7880 or email rachelmappelbeck@whitechapel.org Click here to visit the Whitechapel Gallery website |
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New Docklands Light Railway Eating and Drinking Guide The new guide is available from Tower Gateway information point or by calling customer services on 0207 363 9700. The guide can also be ordered from the TourEast London contact page. Click here to visit the DLR website |
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Developments in The Pool of LondonThe Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret has undergone a major refurbishment this year and a new attraction will soon be unveiled at the London Dungeon where two thousand years worth of the darkest chapters of Britain’s past are brought to life with the aid of special effects, atmospheric sets and live actors. There is also an updated map guide for the Pool of London, packed full of eating, shopping, visiting and family friendly ideas for visitors to the area. Click here to download a copy or go to the contact page to order a free copy. Click here to visit the Pool of London Partnership website |
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| New Director for SRB Legacy Organisation A Director has now been appointed to the Potters Fields Park Management Trust. The Trust is a not-for-profit legacy organisation spearheaded by the Pool of London Partnership (PLP), a SRB partnership that winds down next March after a ten-year investment programme. Following the completion of the PLP’s final ambitious public space enhancement project - to transform Potters Fields Park located between Tower Bridge and City Hall – the Trust will take over responsibility of managing the open space on the Thames riverside. Stephen Cornford, the new Director, comes from a strong background in heritage, tourism and conservation through his work managing National Trust properties in the North of England. For further information please contact Stephen Cornford on 020 7407 4701 or email stephen.cornford@pottersfields.co.uk |
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Useful Web Links Visit www.visiteastlondon.co.uk for up and coming events listings this Autumn and Winter and for more information on our unusual and quirky products and leisure ideas. |
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The first run of 600,000 copies of the new TEL leisure guide ‘Discover Another Side of London’ has been printed and distribution has started. The format and content has changed substantially from previous guides, and are based around the tourism clusters of: Maritime Greenwich, Deptford, ExCeL London Campus, Stratford, Docklands & Canary Wharf, Spitalfields & Brick Lane and the Pool of London. If you would like to receive free copies of the new guide, please email 
This summer, by focusing activities in a prime east London location, TEL in partnership with Greenwich Council and supported by the London Development Agency (LDA), aimed to generate awareness of and interest in our diverse east London products amongst key target local, domestic and overseas markets. 
Total visitors to the TIC for the 5 days came to 18,567. This number is a substantial increase on the figure of 11,014 for the same 5 days last year and reveals that East London Week has had an impact on increasing visitor numbers to the TIC [although visitor numbers to central London declined following the bombings of 7th July 2005, this was not the case in Greenwich].
Creativity and culture - at the heart of the Thames Gateway 
The ELCTG is a facilitated network of more than 50 cultural destinations and events organisers based in East London, including the Laban Centre (see image 1), Whitechapel Art Gallery, Theatre Royal Stratford East, the Geffrye Museum and the Hackney Empire. This project has been running since 2003 and engages with one of the area’s key ambitions - to build a thriving visitor economy, by enabling members of the network to share information and best practice, develop partnerships, instigate joint marketing campaigns and link into initiatives led by a variety of strategic agencies including TEL, the LDA, Arts Council England, Visit London, LOCOG and of course the local boroughs. 
Other significant projects include the new Creative Space Agency which CIDA delivers in partnership with Urban Space Management who manage Trinity Buoy Wharf (see image 2) for the LDA and Arts Council England, helping artists and creative businesses find and secure workspace and venues, and the Festivals project which takes cultural event organisers through a capacity building programme focused on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 
The British International Motor Show made a successful return to London in July 2006, when the show was held in the capital for the first time in 30 years. 411,070 visitors flocked to ExCeL London — that represents a 23% increase, compared to the last show held at the NEC in 2004. 
A new fine food market has launched in the heart of Spitalfields with over 20 traders displaying their cuisine at Spitalfields; all with a reputation for quality food and many of whom also trade at the renowned Borough Market. The emphasis is on quality traders who sell quality produce. 
Following the rejuvenation of Spitalfields there are now a host of independent specialist food shops surrounding the new Crispin Place and Bishops Square to compliment the fine food market, as well as several new independent restaurants. With all these culinary delights Spitalfields is set to become a much loved gastronomic hot spot.
City Cruises plc, the award winning riverboat operator in London, is continuing to target the Chinese outbound market with the launch of its unique multilingual commentary (RiverGuide) in Chinese, in time for the start of the winter season, on 1st November 2006. 
At this year's ROUTES conference in Dubai, London City Airport was voted the airport with the best worldwide marketing by the world’s airlines.
Canal workers Lee Briggs and Jason Schofield have won British Waterways’ Lock & Bridge competition in London for their work to maintain Old Ford Lock on the Regent’s Canal in Hackney. Lee (aged 38 from Hackney) and Jason (aged 34 from Islington), were competing against 20 other teams caring for 100 miles of canals and rivers across London. 
A new walking guide to the Olympic Park allows local residents and visitors to see exactly how hosting the Games will transform London’s Lower Lea Valley, providing much-needed facilities for the local community. The 'Walk the Olympic Park' guide has been produced by the five Olympic host boroughs: Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. It details four walks through the region, taking in points of local interest and passing the sites of key 2012 venues. The Olympic Park North Walk begins at Leyton tube station, and takes in the sites of the Olympic Village, Hockey Centre, Velopark and Multi-sport Arenas. The Olympic Park South Walk departs from Bromley-by-Bow station and takes in the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre sites. The river area walks cover Maritime Greenwich, ExCeL London and The O2. To request a free copy by post, email 
The Whitechapel Gallery has embarked on the most exciting phase of its 100-year history with the launch of an ambitious £10 million expansion plan incorporating the former library next to the gallery. From January 2007, the Whitechapel enters the construction phase of its expansion which will unite and preserve two landmark buildings, increasing gallery space by 78% and offering more opportunities for learning by trebling training and education facilities. The plans also include a street level restaurant, expanded bookshop, and full access for disabled visitors. The expanded Whitechapel is due to open Summer 2008. 
DLR have launched a new eating and drinking guide, encouraging local residents and visitors to visit the best pubs, bars and restaurants in east and south-east London. Listed in the guide are pubs, bars and restaurants within a short walking distance of DLR stations and a comprehensive map. There is something to suit all tastes, from pub grub and buffets to fine wines and culinary delights. 
If you are updating your publications and websites, the Pool of London website has a free online image gallery so you can download photographs of the area, including shots of HMS Belfast, the Design Museum, Tower Bridge plus, summer and winter photos in the Pool. Images are updated regularly so bookmark the website for future reference. For free registration for the image library visit -