Published earlier this year, Walpole’s tourism manifesto, What it’s Worth: Enabling the Return of the £30bn High-End Tourism Sector, identified the UK as having been Europe’s number one high-end tourism destination pre-pandemic. Given that affluent international visitors to the UK spend 14 times that of mass tourists – making a powerful contribution not only to the country’s world-leading hotels, but to the whole high-end ecosystem of culture, entertainment, and retail – and with the knowledge that our high-end tourism offer generated more than 30% more revenue than France, Italy or Spain, and two thirds more than either Germany or Switzerland, we see high-end tourism as a crucial growth driver for this country. In the light of the Chancellor’s recent decision to reverse the decision to reintroduce tax-free shopping, Walpole asked its members to share their thoughts on the value of the high-end visitor, and to let us know what they were doing in their own businesses to drive the appeal for this important customer group.
If your company has been affected by the reversal on the reintroduction of tax-free shopping and you would like to be featured in this series, please email [email protected]
"Typically, 35 per cent of Gleneagles’ guests are from overseas, primarily the US. But during the pandemic, most of our guests were British. During this time, we’ve had to spread the word globally about Gleneagles on social media or on sales trips. Much of our international business comes from high-end travel agencies, so we’ve visited New York, California, Poland and the Czech Republic (HNWI Eastern Europeans are an emerging market) to work with agents and continue marketing to high-value markets in these countries.
"We’ve also refurbished our spa and focused on mental-wellbeing. Gleneagles’ guests can talk to wellness practitioners about their thoughts and relax by walking outdoors with cocker spaniels and Labradors. We’ve also invested in experiences: our 55 activities include everything from zip-wiring to bug-hunting.
"In June, we launched our first city hotel, Gleneagles Townhouse, in Edinburgh. Most overseas Gleneagles guests also visit the capital on their Scottish trips, so this is a great opportunity to ‘own’ this journey by offering ‘town and country’ style packages.
"Our overseas travellers are eager to get back – enquiries at Gleneagles are as high as ever. But ongoing travel restrictions and the Ukraine crisis have seen a slowing in confirmed bookings. People are thinking if they’ve waited this long to travel, they may as well wait a few months more until everything’s clear. When they return, they’ll find Gleneagles has more to offer than it ever did before."
