Rory the Tiger pays a festive visit to TTG and Travel Weekly

Rory the Tiger, Haven Holiday’s mascot, paid a visit to the offices of the two main travel trade publications , TTG and Travel Weekly, today with McCluskeyite Vanessa Ip.

Bearing festive gifts and a helping hand (Rory ended up making the TTG editorial team tea) the visit was much appreciated, and resulted in some great coverage, on Twitter, on the Travel Weekly and TTG websites and in the Travel Weekly print edition.

Haven is part of Bourne Leisure, who employ us for their trade media relations.

View a slideshow of the photos from our Flickr photo stream below -

Jersey Live 2009

Whilst sports tourism is now an established trend, many would say that the next travel niche to explode will be music tourism. There are several kinds of music tourism, and it’s something I’ll post about later as it’s close to my heart – I’d be far more likely to travel for a gig than a game – but here I want to talk about our involvement in the triumphant success that was Jersey Live 2009.

This year we worked with specialist music PR agency Excess Press to bring over a group of key media and handle further media requests whilst out there. In attendance were great music titles Gigwise, Clash, The Fly and French title Les Inrocks.

We also achieved extensive advance coverage, essential in creating bookings, ensuring the festival was regularly featured in the festival round ups and working with tourism partners and media on competitions offering VIP tickets and travel with accommodation.

The line up was quite probably the best in the festival’s five year run, with Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal, the Kooks, Passion Pit and Temper Trap all included in a really diverse line up of dance, rock and pop. Jersey Live have great foresight in booking bands early, regularly seeing them get big in the intervening period before the festival – offering the lucky festival goers a chance to see real buzz acts that are playing much larger festivals elsewhere.

The festival is 10,000 capacity (’boutique’ by general UK festival standards) and was a total sell out this year, the sale of the last few tickets oweing largely to the great line up and absolutely amazing weather – sunshine all weekend. I didn’t think it could have gone more perfectly, until I took the media group to the festival ground by speed boat (our hotel, the Radisson SAS Waterfront is right on St Helier’s marina, and the festival site is close to the island’s north coast) when we were caught up by a school of dolphins who wanted to play. You don’t see dolphins on the way to Reading Festival now, do you?

BBC World Service’s travel programme Fast Track were also there to cover the festival, as part of a feature on music festivals’ effect on tourism. Which brings me to what Jersey Live does for Jersey. The numbers are elusive, unfortunately it is hard to track just how many visitors come to the island specifically for the festival. But in terms of branding what could be better for positioning Jersey as younger, trendier and more exciting than Dizzee Rascal? I caught up with Luke Pritchard, lead singer of the Kooks, in the airport on the way home, he hadn’t been to Jersey before but (as all of the bands that visit for the festival do) he found it a realsp eye opener. He loved it, and would definitely come again.

So you can see for yourself, I caught a lot of the footage from the festival (and the dolphins) on a handy Flip video camera and edited it together for our YouTube channel. The band performing at the beginning and soundtracking the whole video are the Temper Trap, another brilliant new act who came all the way from Melbourne. Have a watch -

Vivid Sydney & Brian Eno

We worked with ITN Consulting to produce a Video News Release to maximise UK media coverage of the Vivid Sydney festival. The Video News Release included a 3:00 minute A-Roll package voiced by the reporter and a 10 minute B-Roll that included the best sound bites and cutaways from two filming days.

Vivid Sydney, developed by Events NSW in partnership with the City Of Sydney, is the biggest international music and light festival in the Southern Hemisphere. It showcases Sydney as a major creative hub in the Asia-Pacific region, celebrating the diversity of Sydney’s creative industries.

This unique new public festival will transform the city into a spectacular living canvas of music and light in and around the Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Circular Quay and the city centre. One of the highlights is Luminous – an annual festival of music, debate, light and performance. Curated by Brian Eno, Luminous features a plethora of music acts alongside public talks and spectacular light and art installations.

The A-roll (audio and video) and B-roll sound bites for radio and online use was made available via an ITN Consulting dedicated webpage from 0600(BST) on Wednesday 27th May 2009. The A-roll and B-roll for television was made available at 2200(BST) on Tuesday 26th May 2009 to UK television broadcasters. A further distribution was made at 0600(BST) on Wednesday 27th May 2009.

The material was edited at Channel 7 News studios in Sydney, approved by our client Tourism New South Wales, fed to London and there, through satellite links, distributed to UK broadcasters and ITN’s international affiliates.

The VNR and Vivid Sydney achieved excellent coverage, specifically in the online fields. Having the video made a huge difference and enabled the websites to take the content and highlight Vivid. Coverage value totaled £1,378,334.

Additionally, the VNR is to be used in a BBC Arena programme on Brian Eno to be broadcast in the summer of 2009.

Some of the coverage is linked to below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8071639.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8068173.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/5387810/The-Sydney-Smart-Light-project-with-Brian-Eno-part-of-the-Vivid-Festival.html

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-GB&vid=3da465d8-4a64-4f10-becf-b1da359bdb87

http://itn.co.uk/814fc69b42f22020a387c7a000f7b989.html

http://www.blinkx.com/video/artists-light-up-sydney-opera-house/StYnSFYdtqHAVj3iz8A7Rw

Maldives President in London

We were honoured on 6th April 2009 to host a visit to the UK by President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. We arranged a press conference at the Churchill Hotel in London – as you can see from the photo, the room was packed. Many of the UK’s top travel writers and tour operators were in attendance.

President Nasheed announced that the Maldivian Government will grant permission for the construction of new guest houses across the islands and improved public transport in a bid to attract the middle market.

He also outlined the islands’ target of achieving Carbon Neutral Status within ten years.

Ed Robertson from Travel Weekly attended the press conference, so you can see a full report in Travel Weekly here.

We also achieved coverage in the Times and the Telegraph.

(Photo courtesy Phil Gammon)

Jersey visits Fifteen in May

Jersey and the restaurant Fifteen are to form a month-long partnership in May 2009. The high-profile London restaurant will be dishing up the Island’s fantastic fresh seasonal produce as part of its lunch and dinner menus.

For the whole of May, the menu at Fifteen restaurant will include Jersey-sourced crab, Jersey Royal potatoes, bass, pollack, scallops, cream, butter, crème fraiche, asparagus, salads and possibly Jersey Black Butter. Diners will not only experience the dishes, but front of house staff will tell them about the origin of the Jersey-grown ingredients, giving customers an idea of the ethos, care and attention behind and given to all of the island’s produce.

Andrew Parkinson, Executive Head Chef at Fifteen, says: “We serve food of the highest quality made from the best ingredients, and Jersey has fantastic ingredients. Our front of house staff will learn about the Island, so that they are able to tell diners not only about the dishes but also about the provenance and quality of Jersey produce. Jersey Royals have been a long-standing signature ingredient on our menus in May but this wider promotion will be a great showcase for even more Jersey produce and we hope an opportunity to start a long-term relationship with more suppliers.”

As part of the month long celebration Fifteen is involved in a range of initiatives to promote Jersey and its fresh produce in London during May. Fifteen’s Executive Head Chef Andrew Parkinson will be visiting Jersey with the two graduate chefs and a restaurant manager during March to see for themselves the background of the produce, in addition to them preparing the produce in a special menu at one of the island’s restaurants. Additionally, Andrew will also be taking part in a cookery demonstration at the Real Food Festival using Jersey produce and showcasing the quality they offer.

Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, commented, ‘This partnership will give Jersey a very welcome additional profile in London at an opportune time and to an ideal audience. It represents not only a positive boost for our food producers but also for the Island as a tourist destination’.

For more photos of the Fifteen team’s visit to Jersey, see the Jersey Facebook page. McCluskey International accompanied the trip equipped with a video camera, see this footage from our YouTube channel -

Jerking in Jamaica with AWT

On a stunning private beach at Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, British celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson took on Jamaica’s top jerk chefs in an audacious bid to prove he had taken the island’s signature dish to a new level.

He came tantalisingly close but, in the end, chefs Rupert Bourne and Mark ‘Max’ Miller were crowned joint winners of the first ever International Jamaica Jerk Challenge. Bourne and Miller, the two Jamaican jerk specialists, took on two of the world’s leading chefs, Worrall Thompson from London, and Cheryl Smith of New York, to win the auspicious title.

Mr. John Lynch, Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board commented: “Jerk is our most famous dish, so when Antony said he had the best jerk recipe it seemed like a great idea to put him to the test with some of Jamaica’s most famous jerk chefs on one of our best beaches.”

Having instigated the Challenge with his boast of having the best jerk recipe, Antony Worrall Thompson was thrilled at his own performance: “No one expected a British chef to win here but the result was surprisingly close. The Jamaicans had 50 years of experience between them, while this was my first time cooking in a jerk pit. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it has only enhanced my love for Jamaica and its cuisine.”

Rupert Bourne has been jerking meats in Boston Beach, the birthplace of this unique cooking method, for over 30 years. According to him, the result was never in doubt: “We are the original jerk cooks in Boston. It’s great that jerk is popular all over the world but no matter how good these chefs are, it all started with us.”

Max Miller is head chef at Scotchies the leading jerk restaurant in Ocho Rios. He was equally pleased with his win: “I was quietly confident because this is something I do every day and I am passionate about it. We stay true to the traditional way of jerking meat.”

The judging panel included celebrated food authors and key industry players; Virginia Burke, Gariel Ferguson and Dennis McIntosh. This highly esteemed team of judges conducted a blind tasting before announcing the winner of the Jamaica Jerk Challenge.

Virginia Burke commented: “The standard of jerking was extremely high today. Rupert has been doing this for 30 years and Scotchies is the leading jerk restaurant, yet Antony and Cheryl were brave enough to take them on.”

Mary Phillips, General Manager of Jamaica Inn was delighted with the result: “This initiative will highlight authentic Jamaican food to travellers who may stay in hotels like ours but want to sample fabulous roadside cuisine during a trip to Jamaica”.

“As one of the finest resorts in the Caribbean, we are known for our cuisine but our guests couldn’t wait to sample this wonderfully spicy jerk pork and chicken served by these world-class chefs straight from fiery pit barbecues on the beach.”

Do I need Euros in Jersey?

Following on from recent research by TNS, in conjunction with Jersey Tourism, which revealed that 41% of Brits did not know the currency of Jersey, we sent out a press release across the UK highlighting the value Jersey offers because of its usage of the good old British Pound.

Concentrating on how the Euro can be shunned by holidaymakers whilst they continue to enjoy a continental feel to their holiday, it also established the range of experiences offered by Jersey including the beaches, food and wine and not forgetting the sunshine factor.

It was sent out to an extensive list of national newspapers and travel trade publications both print and online, in addition to relevant travel bloggers and social media sites. The relevance of the news release to the current economic climate and resulting newscycle ensured that there was a great deal of pick up including the travel sections of The Independent, Daily Telegraph and across the online and social media networks including the websites of Travel Weekly, TravelBite and The Independent.

In addition to generating interest across the UK, the release was modified for regional publications with information from relevant airlines including, where possible, lead-in prices for that area.

Redemption Vacation

A hotel in Jamaica has started offering guests the chance to cut a record in its in-house studio. We secured coverage in the Guardian where Bob Marley fan Sarfraz Manzoor lives out his rock-star fantasies by recording his own distinctive version of ‘Redemption Song’.

You can see the coverage here, and there’s also a fantastic audio slideshow where you can see and hear the results.

Valencia MTV Winter Festival

On 24 February, MTV returned to Valencia to host the second annual MTV Winter Festival. Following huge success in its inaugural year, this free festival is now one of the most anticipated events of the European music calendar.

Headlining the show at the City of Arts and Sciences are Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand, who performed songs from their new album “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand”. British band Starsailor and Swedish reggae group Mando Dioa also added to the star-studded international line-up of performers.

The 2008 MTV Winter festival – headlined by The Cure – was attended by more than 35,000 music enthusiasts and broadcast in over 40 countries, reaching a global audience of nearly 14 million people.

This year Valencia Tourism partnered with MTV to offer the chance to win a VIP trip to MTV Winter in Valencia. The VIP prize included:

- Return flights from London Gatwick/Stansted

- Two nights accommodation in the Tryp Oceanic Hotel

- VIP entry to the festival

- Admission for two to the City of Arts and Sciences

- Two bike tours with VLC Guías

- A traditional paella dinner for two at La Marcelina Restaurant (founded in 1888)

- Two Valencia tourist cards valid for three days from 23-25 February

To be in for a chance of winning, music fans were invited play the Paella Game.

Valencia is easily accessible from the UK with daily flights on easyJet and Ryanair.

For further information on MTV Winter visit www.mtv.co.uk/winter

For further information on what to see and do or where to stay Valencia visit www.turisvalencia.es

England All Out in Jamaica

Curry Goat Cricket – that’s probably not a term you’re familiar with, I’d wager. But that’s how some in Jamaica described England’s performance in the first test. See this Daily Mail article by Martin Samuel for the full explanation.

Or, if that’s whetted your appetite, see this recipe for curried goat we uploaded onto the BBC Food website!

On a more serious note, in anticipation of the test series and cricket in general, we worked with the Jamaica Tourist Board to help promote and market Jamaica as a sports tourism destination. Activities included establishing a link with the Barmy Army (a loyal group of cricket fans who organize tours to follow the England Cricket Team on their overseas tours) to develop a series of promotional activities which will last beyond this current series.

You can see some of the resultant coverage here. The blog will be maintained and updated during the current tour.

We also hosted a series of meetings in Belfast and Dublin where West Indies legend Courtney Walsh, acting as a tourism ambassador for Jamaica, visited schools and communities and embarked on a media campaign. Coverage was achieved in  Sunday Life, Belfast  Telegraph, Good Morning Ulster, BBC Northern Ireland Radio, BBC Northern Ireland TV, Ulster-TV, RTE1, Irish Daily Mail, News Talk and 106-108 FM.

Walsh also appeared at a number of special events (including World Travel Market), spoke to tour operators and travel agents who sell cricket and sports related trips to Jamaica, and participated in a media campaign. Coverage was achieved on Talksport, and in the Evening Standard, Metro, Sun Online, The Barmy Army, Battrick, The Spin (Guardian blog) The Sun, All Out Cricket and Cricket World.

The highlight of this activity was an appearance by Courtney Walsh at an event in central London in association with Streetchance. We were delighted to see BBC Breakfast’s own Mike Bushell at the event, who even presented his TV report wearing a Jamaica T-shirt!

We also set up a Courtney Walsh Facebook page. Be a fan!

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