Gatwick Airport and local tourism partners release new series of visit itineraries for the local region

  • ‘Gateway Gatwick’ group of local partners and Gatwick release new series of visit itineraries for the local region – advising time-pressed tourists where to visit
  • Latest figures reveal visitors travelling through Gatwick spend 9.7 million nights in the local area
  • These overseas visitors spent £1.3 billion annually in the region supporting 5,100 jobs 

LONDON, UK, 2019-Aug-06 — /Travel PR News/ — Passengers wondering how to spend their precious time when visiting the UK have been given a helping hand with a new series of guides. The ‘Gateway Gatwick’ group, comprising Gatwick Airport and local tourism partners, has compiled a series of guides recommending where the 5.5 million international visitors who travel through Gatwick annually should visit.

Bespoke itineraries within the guides advise visitors on how to get the most from the local area even if they have only limited time to spare. Advice includes where to visit with three hours available, four hours available, five hours available, six hours available right up to 12 hours.

As well as being handily organised by time, the guides cater to all interests with thematic itineraries focused on:

  • Active Outdoors
  • Amazing Gardens
  • Castles and Stately Homes
  • English Wine, Gin and Ale
  • Instagrammable Moments

Local attractions recommended by the guides include Arundel Castle, West Sussex, Hever Castle, West Kent, Seven Sisters, East Sussex and RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey as well as the South Downs National Park and the Surrey Hills – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The guides are the latest initiative from the Gateway Gatwick group; partners from across the South East committed to showcasing the region to the world and harnessing the benefits of Gatwick as a gateway to the region’s visitor economy. This builds on research showing overseas visitors travelling through Gatwick spend 9.7 million nights and £1.3 billion in the region annually while supporting 5,100 jobs in the South East, excluding London.

The Gateway Gatwick partners committed to harnessing the benefits of having the UK’s second largest airport in the region comprise of; West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council, Surrey Hills Enterprise, Sevenoaks District Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Visit Surrey, Surrey Hills – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Rural West Sussex Partnership, Coastal West Sussex Partnership, South Downs National Park Authority, Gatwick Diamond Initiative and Coast to Capital LEP.

The new itineraries will be showcased within Gatwick’s terminals, on its website and promoted through social media to help drive international visitors to outstanding tourist attractions on the airport’s doorstep.

Gatwick Airport, Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Wingate said:

“Overseas passengers are now able to benefit from quick, clear itineraries compiled by local experts, to ensure that even passengers with only a few hours to spare, can discover the unrivalled attractions our doorstep.

“We’re committed to showcasing our local area to the rest of the world with this initiative which enhances the experience of our passengers whilst further developing the pivotal role we play supporting tourism – creating jobs and supply chain opportunities as a gateway to 46 million passengers each year.”

Experience West Sussex, Partnerships Manager, Jo Williams said:

“Working in partnership with Gatwick Airport and the Gateway Gatwick Group has provided Experience West Sussex with new destination partnership marketing opportunities. This project will showcase the very best of the West Sussex tourism offer, along with visitor highlights from the surrounding region, to Gatwick’s 5.5 million international visitors each year.

“Experience West Sussex Partnership looks forward to seeing work with this partnership grow from strength to strength, from delivering this initial pilot project that provides inspirational ideas for visitors, to reaching new international audiences, through Gatwick’s growing route network.”

East Sussex County Council, Lead Member for Economy, Cllr Rupert Simmonds said:

“East Sussex County Council is delighted to have worked in partnership with Gatwick to market our beautiful and fascinating county to visitors passing through Gatwick.

“We hope that this collaboration will be the start of a fruitful partnership which will encourage more visitors to the region and benefit our local businesses.”

Wendy Varcoe, Executive Director, Surrey Hills Enterprises said:

“This is a great partnership to showcase what the South East has to offer to visitors. Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers a stunning landscape and exciting visitor experiences all within easy reach of Gatwick.”

*All data from Oxford Economics report ‘Gatwick Airport’s Impact On The Visitor Economy’ here.

About Gatwick Airport

Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 230 destinations in 74 countries for 46 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. Gatwick is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport.

Since May 2019, a new long-term partnership was formed with VINCI Airports who purchased a 50.01% stake in the airport. This partnership sees Gatwick Airport integrate into the network of VINCI Airports, the leading private airport operator in the world, which manages the development and operation of 46 airports across the globe. Served by around 250 airlines, VINCI Airports’ network handled 240 million passengers in 2018 – including traffic at London Gatwick. VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and operates airports, leveraging its investment capability, international network and know-how to optimise performance of existing airport infrastructure, facility extensions and new-build construction projects.

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which manages the remaining 49.99% interest in Gatwick, is an independent infrastructure investor that makes equity investments in high quality infrastructure assets in the energy, transport and water/waste sectors. GIP has US$56 billion of Assets under Management. Its 18 portfolio companies operate in over 50 countries with circa 54,000 employees and generate annual revenues of circa US$50 billion.

For more information on VINCI Airports please www.vinci-airports.com and for more information on GIP please visit http://global-infra.com.

Media enquiries to:
GATWICK AIRPORT PRESS OFFICE
+ 44 (0) 1293 505000
gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com

Source: GATWICK AIRPORT