Come To The Broads, On Line.

[JennyMorgan]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/tourism/hopes_strong_online_presence_and_expanded_activities_will_draw_younger_generations_to_explore_the_broads_1_4677429

[Vaughan]

Might help their cause if they took some fresh photos.

All we seem to see in these articles is the same one of a yacht which looks as though it is surely going to collide with the Maltsters quay!

[Baitrunner]

Just an opinion based on comments I hear from people who may have been once or twice or never at all.

That picture looks like it has been taken out of a 60's brochure. I don't see how those 3 boats (sailie, cruiser and rowing boat) in the main picture (with the newer style boat virtually hidden) is going to attract a younger, tech savvy audience? I know it's the traditional Broads style, but be interesting to see stats on how popular the new boats are compared to the old style? It says there are more bigger and luxurious boats being built.

The stats are quite an eye opener. 7 times more private sailies than hire - which is probably understandable, but wonder what the ratio of mobos is? Easily 8-9 times more I would say.

The second picture they used shows a busy mooring - I would be wondering if it's always that busy everywhere? I guess you want to make it seem popular, but not too busy.

Final stat, only just over a million people come here for more than a day. Why? And how do we turn the other 6m into longer stayers if they want to build up tourism (selfishly, I am glad they all go home - but I don't work in the tourism trade).

One final comment - wifi and mobile signal stops people coming here? Get a life I say. Mind you I know 50/60 yr olds who cant live without Facetwit!

God I am an old boring fart

[TheQ]

I suspect it's the EDP that has dragged that picture out of it's files, not the BA.

 It would be interesting to Know how much of that Figure for tourisum, actually includes those of us, who live around the broads and Use them but aren't actually touring...

 

 and come to that How do they measure it?

[ranworthbreeze]

2 minutes ago, Baitrunner said:

God I am an old boring fart

Hi Mark,

Plenty of us about and I fully agree with your observations above.

One of the things I could not get my head around was that there is only 279 licenced day boats, which to me seems somewhat short on the number that seem to be on the rivers.

Regards

Alan

[Baitrunner]

1 minute ago, ranworthbreeze said:

One of the things I could not get my head around was that there is only 279 licenced day boats, which to me seems somewhat short on the number that seem to be on the rivers.

Alan, maybe there are a lot of un-registered day boats?

I really don't want Norfolk to get like Devon and Cornwall, but it has so much to offer that has gone untapped.

The driest county in England (has to be a bonus for a stay-cation), fantastic beaches, rivers and lakes (OK Broads), fishing (most of it free), forests (OK I am now going to include Suffolk, but it's on the edge), walking and cycling for those who may not be able to handle a hill or mountain, bird watching etc etc. Maybe the scenery isn't as dramatic, but it's a damn site easier to get to than Cornwall - which is maybe why the day trippers outweigh long stayers. 

Maybe I should get a job in the Broads toursim industry?

[Vaughan]

Stats can be looked at from different directions. For instance in the old days the number of hire boats (around 3000) included day launches but now I don't think it does.

Sailing boats seem to be numerous but does this include all the racing dinghies or half-deckers at yacht clubs, which are on a buoy or on dry land all week and only hit the water on Sundays?

Most especially, I believe this seemingly high number of day visitors is mostly made up of coach parties who are disgorged onto Broads Tours "steamers" for a quick run to Horning and back, then re-loaded and transferred to Wroxham Barns to have more money extracted out of them in souvenirs, followed perhaps by a "country tea" rather like a motorway services, before being re-loaded and whisked off again. I sometimes wonder if they even know where they have been and if this reflects the BA's vision of future tourism on the Broads, it is sad.

I notice, with fore-boding, that the published list of "priorities" for this new drive, makes no mention of navigation. A legal BA obligation, whether or not in a National Park. But then canoeing and cycling don't need dredging, do they?

 

 

[Vaughan]

Photoshop is a wonderful tool for brochure photos these days but it still needs an operator who knows something about the subject. Hence the yacht I mentioned which, as it is portrayed, is heading straight for the Ranworth information kiosk on a "beam reach" and on that tack, it would have no room to come about and certainly no hope of "bearing away".

I remember a book brought out last year by Archant, about the Broads, on whose cover was a lovely depiction of Thurne Dyke in the sunset. You may remember it too? I don't mind that the boats depicted were not "sitting right" in the water, but in all the years I have known the Thurne, I have never seen the sun set in the north before. I sent them an e-mail about this and many other errors in the book and actually got a reply. It said "thanks".

 

[ChrisB]

4 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Photoshop is a wonderful tool for brochure photos these days but it still needs an operator who knows something about the subject. Hence the yacht I mentioned which, as it is portrayed, is heading straight for the Ranworth information kiosk on a "beam reach" and on that tack, it would have no room to come about and certainly no hope of "bearing away".

I remember a book brought out last year by Archant, about the Broads, on whose cover was a lovely depiction of Thurne Dyke in the sunset. You may remember it too? I don't mind that the boats depicted were not "sitting right" in the water, but in all the years I have known the Thurne, I have never seen the sun set in the north before. I sent them an e-mail about this and many other errors in the book and actually got a reply. It said "thanks".

 

If you are talking about the Archant publication that was sponsored by and had a forward by and history of Richardsons then the cover photo/artistic bit is looking East. Therefore it must be a Sunrise. I have a copy but cant find a "cover photo explanation"

Edited August 31, 2016 by ChrisB
Badly worded

[JennyMorgan]

Interesting to note that readers comments have been deleted by the EDP. I wonder on who's request that was, as if we can't guess! I can see something of a battle ground developing if this scheme does go ahead and that the BA's mods will have to stay alert!!

[Timbo]

OK I'll say it. What a complete and utter pile of drivel! So according to this tourist officer, because the Broads Authority rebranded the Broads, young twenty to thirty somethings are approaching him and are asking him about paddleboarding and birdwatching? Oh come off it! I've been waiting for the start of this kind of effluent to commence leaking out of Yare House since Dr Doom laid the doings of passing off Broadland as a National Park as nothing more than a marketing ploy. 

I don't believe  the tourist officer for one single minute.Free lager and condom dispensers at every mooring they might stand a chance. I mean what self respecting twenty/thirty something is going to have a walking holiday in a wetland with opportunities for bird watching and paddleboarding high on their list of vacation priorities? I think I found a picture of the kind of twonk that may do...

That's right. Dwayne Dibley! And even he had more idea than the Broads Authority. 
"Just let me check. Thermos, sandwiches, corn plasters, telephone money, dandruff brush, animal footprint chart and... one triple thick condom"
I wouldn't mind but it's not even good marketing drivel...in fact let me check...yes, thought so, it's part of an 'off the shelf' fill in the blanks with anecdote to avoid any possible embarrassment of someone pulling you up on your twaddle marketing package available online for under $40 sold to gullible idiots worldwide for thousands.

I promise you there will be more of this guff before next season.

Rant over. Sorry for the noise.

 

[BroadScot]

28 minutes ago, Timbo said:

.I promise you there will be more of this guff before next season.

Rant over. Sorry for the noise.

 

May I take my ear plugs out NOW???

[JennyMorgan]

Tim, you are forgiven. Perhaps it's a scheme to attract more stag parties? 

[BroadScot]

12 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Perhaps it's a scheme to attract more stag parties? 

Don't forget Gracie's Hens too! JM! 

Iain

[JennyMorgan]

5 minutes ago, BroadScot said:

Don't forget Gracie's Hens too! JM! 

Iain

I like hens, especially ones with plump breasts!

[JennyMorgan]

More guff:

http://www.mustardtv.co.uk/browse/new-five-year-plan-to-bring-younger-tourists-to-the-norfolk-broads/

[JennyMorgan]

My very real concern is that the new proposal is nothing more than a vehicle on which to promote the misconception that the Broads is a national park. That aside the Broads Authority is not a tourist authority and it has a dismal record when it comes to websites and its often very shallow, transparent spin. In a nutshell it should leave alone what it is not required or able to do and leave it to those who can. The BA has a remit, it should concentrate on that. 

[BroadScot]

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

More guff:

http://www.mustardtv.co.uk/browse/new-five-year-plan-to-bring-younger-tourists-to-the-norfolk-broads/

Further investigation I found this which appears to be from last year but Mr Hanson's same phraseology !

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/98016b32-1e55-11e5-aa5a-398b2169cf79.html

Iain

[BroadScot]

Hmmmm that link is iffy sorry folks.

[BroadScot]

Extract from that link.

Luxury boats are not the only reinvention taking place here. Earlier this year, the members of the Broads Authority voted to rename the area Broads National Park, identifying it as a member of the 15-strong family of National Parks in England, Wales and Scotland, which includes areas such as the Lake District, Peak District, Snowdonia and Loch Lomond.

“Everyone thinks of the Broads as a boating holiday destination,” says Bruce Hanson, tourism promotion officer for the Broads Authority. “We’re not trying to take away from that, but actually there is so much to do on land too — more than on water.”

For example, he says, there are fantastic walks (the Broads has more than 190 miles of footpaths) and out-of-the-way places such as the Berney Arms railway station, a request stop three-and-a-half miles from the nearest road.

What’s more, in summer the northern part of the Broads is at capacity but the southern area — places like the Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk — remain relatively unexplored. Being part of the National Parks brand will help convey a new message, Hanson hopes, as well as helping target overseas tourists for whom the Broads is not currently on the map. “You used to have a lot of German and Dutch coming here,” he says.

[Warp]

13 hours ago, Baitrunner said:

One final comment - wifi and mobile signal stops people coming here? Get a life I say. Mind you I know 50/60 yr olds who cant live without Facetwit!

The lack of mobile data coverage in an area famous for being very very flat for mile after mile is basically an obscenity to anyone living in the 21st century who is not actively engaged in avoiding the 21st century...

It is no secret that some people are more keen on boating than their loved ones. Being able to tell said loved ones that they will not need to abandon a significant part of their lives (like access to music etc) is guaranteed to tip the balance of a few more of those arguments.

[Viking23]

The best market to exploit for the benefit of the Broads, is those with a higher disposable income, or who are cash rich.

Those who are recently married could be saving for a deposit for a house, or a new car etc.

New families are often getting to terms with possibly loosing one income, and buying all the things that babies and youngsters need.

So, are the people to target, the young free and single, what can the broads offer these people for a two week holiday when compared to Ibiza  etc? errm... Well Ibiza is cheaper for a start, compared to any UK hotel. Often drier and sunnier too.

You rarely see young people on boats on the broads, for anything more than a three day weekend, stag or hen parties etc  one of their objectives to drink as much as possible. Norwich has a few nightclubs, so does Great Yarmouth.

So what exciting things does Norfolk have to offer the youngsters?

err...

You could start bungee jumping off Postwick viaduct, must be the tallest structure in Norfolk lol

White water rafting, throw a couple of inflatables in the Yare by Marina keys at full ebb lol.

Mountain biking... no hills, so that's a non starter.

Absailing down all the windmills of Norfolk, can't get permission for that, unless you have a paint brush and absail down Thurne Dyke mill lol.

To target the Broads for the younger generation will be quite a challenge, it has been tried before, us older generation are too keen to say "That won't work" etc

Most generations can't live without WiFi, even couples going out for the evening would rather spend their time texting other people than talk to their partner. Mind you pubs are quiter apart from the odd clicking fingernail lol.

[ChrisB]

Not forgetting many many young people are absolutely strapped for cash if they attend University and leave with enormous dept. 

The other problem with the young is they will do a holiday once and move on to the next destination. Many have been all over the world by the time they are in their early thirties. This was something previous generations could not do unless extremely wealthy.

My late father would rant how cheap flights for the masses had ruined "his"   favourite parts of the Med.

[Vaughan]

I do agree with Mr Hanson when he says that local businesses should not try to compete with each other but with other forms of holiday in other areas. This is what Blakes and Hoseasons have been trying to achieve ever since the 70s.

Members of this forum seem to me to consist of holiday hirers, or private owners who started their Broads experience as hirers, so I have a question for you all :

How many of you first came to the Broads and got hooked on it, as children with your parents or as young people on school parties or Sea Scout outings? I know some of you who did, as you started as customers of my father's boatyard. So there IS an important youth market on the Broads and I suspect that many of you were once part of it.

So what hooked you, and has made you want to come back ever since? Not cycling or canoe trails, I suspect - at least not just on their own. You were hooked by the adventure of a boating holiday, in yacht or cruiser, in a place where the safe enjoyment of such an adventure is totally unique to the UK and in my opinion, to the whole of Europe.

That is what must be "pushed", and that is what will keep the navigations open!

 

[JennyMorgan]

I grew up besides and on the Broads so what intrigued me in the first place? Simple, a sense of adventure and intrigue in what was going on around me.