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Welcome to the Visitor Elves podcast. A place where, I chat with amazing people in and around West of England, working behind the scenes in tourism, hospitality, culture and events, and everything in between.

With our new ways of virtual working, I want to connect everyone back up on a deeper level, to help us learn from each other, and to know that we’re not alone in our challenges.

My name is Kelly Ballard and I’m a specialist in marketing in the visitor economy. Over the years I've managed marketing strategies and plans for many destinations, attractions and hospitality businesses. I’ve worked with hundreds of people and organisations across Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset and I am always intrigued about what people do and their stories. The people who work in our industry are inspiring and I know that their stories will inspire you - so this podcast brings them out from behind the scenes.

If you enjoy the podcast please subscribe and head on over to Instagram or LinkedIn to join the conversation.

Thanks so much for listening

Kelly x

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
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This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling.

Hello Starling, is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations.
They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today.

FREE GUIDE - 6 Steps to finding your Ideal Customer
Do you want to know who your ideal customer's are and how you can focus your time and money reaching them? Download my FREE guide now.

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

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In today's episode I was delighted to chat with Sarah Orchard, owner of award winning luxury treehouse The Hudnalls Hideout.

Sarah is not only owner of her own accommodation business, but she also runs her own marketing consultancy and online training and marketing club called Get Fully Booked.

After many years working in tourism marketing, Sarah and her husband Adrian moved to the Forest of Dean and built Hudnalls Hideout in their garden. Despite launching five weeks before the first pandemic lockdown, the treehouse is now fully booked until 2023.

The trend for glamping has been growing steadily over recent years. Camping has changed from being a cheap form of travel, to being a real outdoor experience. Camping and glamping experiences really lend themselves to the trends for wellbeing and sustainable living. But the simplicity of camping isn’t for everyone – so the demand for luxury, more upmarket ‘glamping’ experiences has boomed. And over the past two years, with overseas travel being off the agenda, people have turned to glamping in their droves.

In this episode Sarah tells us about her experience in the travel industry and what led her to building the treehouse. She shares some of the positive processes that have come as a result of the pandemic, along with her top marketing tips for ensuring the success of her business.

Enjoy the episode!

• Check out the Hudnalls Hideout website
• Follow Hudnalls Hideout on Instagram
• Take a look at Sarah's Get Full Booked online training and marketing club
• Watch Sarah on BBC1 series ‘I Escaped to the Country’ (episode 6, series 6, 10 January 2022)

For more information about Elves of the Visitor Economy, visit: http://elvesofthevisitoreconomy.co.uk.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling.

Hello Starling, is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations.
They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today.

FREE GUIDE - 6 Steps to finding your Ideal Customer
Do you want to know who your ideal customer's are and how you can focus your time and money reaching them? Download my FREE guide now.

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏

Send us a text

It was an absolute pleasure chatting to Mike James at the end of 2021 for this conversation.

Mike is Blue Badge Tour Guide, Tour Manager and owner of the double gold, award-winning food tour company Savouring Bath.

As we all know, there is an increasing desire for experiences, where people want to immerse themselves in being hands-on, creative or indulging the senses. What better way to experience a culture than tasting its food and speaking to the passionate people who create it.

In this episode Mike shares how he experienced a record 2021, despite the set back of the pandemic.

Mike has been involved in the visitor economy, and the world of tour guiding for many years. I first met him when he was Chair of Cotswold Guides and running Cotswolds Ghost Tours. He is a fount of knowledge when it comes to managing and marketing tours and tour guiding. He’s also a passionate foodie and is on his way to becoming a certified Master of Cheese.

Find out the value Mike places on his local Destination Marketing Organisation, as well as the exposure given to his business by third party distributors such as GetYourGuide and Tripadvisor. Plus how the VisitBritain online distribution platform TXGB, is helping make his booking processes more efficient.

Find out more:

• Savouring Bath
• Mike's website
• Institute of Tourist Guiding
• TXGB

** Congratulations to Mike who has been nominated for Tourism Superstar 2022 in the Visit England Awards for Excellence, in association with the Mirror. Vote for Mike before 22 March 2022. **

For more information about Elves of the Visitor Economy, visit: http://elvesofthevisitoreconomy.co.uk.

To share your views on this subject and ask questions about the episode, head over to:
Instagram
LinkedIn

This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling.

Hello Starling, is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations.
They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today.

FREE GUIDE - 6 Steps to finding your Ideal Customer
Do you want to know who your ideal customer's are and how you can focus your time and money reaching them? Download my FREE guide now.

If you have enjoyed this podcast episode, please take a moment to give me a few stars on Apple podcasts or Spotify, it helps to encourage more people to listen and learn from our stories. 🙏