Navigate

This Saturday, every weather app is showing a raincloud. But look closer… It’s not going to rain during the day, is it? No. It’s going to rain between 1am and 3am. That’s the middle of the night. That’s bat territory. That’s fox time. That’s the hour of the owl, not the family day out. For most of us in tourism, hospitality, and attractions, that little detail matters. A lot. At Navigate we’re tracking the impact of weather across 50+ visitor sites, and we know just how much a symbol can influence decision-making. Families change plans. Bookings slow down. Car parks stay empty. Weather apps, in their infinite wisdom, choose clarity over accuracy. Simplicity over nuance. One raindrop? Full cloud. Two hours of drizzle? Full write-off. A damp hedgehog in the night? Call the whole thing off. It’s another example of how weather apps aren’t showing the full picture. We’ve all seen it, a single shower in the early morning gets you a rain icon for the whole day. It’s not just misleading, it’s damaging. It’s time weather apps took more responsibility in helping the public (and planners) see the true forecast. #weather #tourism #daysout #hospitality

Netflix? I've heard of it. A DVD post service is now the biggest streaming platform in the world. Recently, an announcement was made for a visitor hub and then a restaurant. Oh biiiiig deal. A big business doing big business. But this is just the beginning. Has Netflix changed tourism for good? Read my latest article;  https://lnkd.in/ehXGE4Dq #netflix #tourism #digitalmarketing

We arrived at Loftus Road on Saturday after walking over 135 miles for Dementia UK, thankfully in good time for the game. It’s been an amazing experience this week, with some tough times along the way, but we achieved our goal. As many will know I am a passionate Bristol City fan, but there some things that are bigger than football and unite supporters of all clubs. I was blown away by the response we received from fans and officials of QPR FC, I was not expecting to be invited on to the pitch before the game and I would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone making us feel so welcome. Applause from all four sides of the ground was something special and will live with me for a long time. Thanks also to Bristol City Football Club for the support and chance for the pitch side interview. Between myself, Phil Thomas and the fundraising night we held, we have also achieved our target of raising £10k to support the fantastic work of Dementia UK. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and one last link to the page and then I promise not to promote it again. https://lnkd.in/ecPQdeb9

With the world going crazy over Trump's tariffs - I fear this will hit UK tourism, at a time when we're already up against it. Here's why, and what UK tourism businesses can do about it. https://bit.ly/3RENQN9 #tourismtrends #trumpstarriffs #domestictourism #visitbritain #tourismmarketing #visitorattractions

EPIC EFFORT ALERT During the next 90 minutes, 30 people in the UK will develop dementia. That's why Managing Director Simon Jones is doing a 130 mile walk this week. Ashton Gate to Loftus Road. All on foot. All for Dementia UK The Navigate team is so proud of his efforts, and he's even had time to pop in and see Simon at The Roman Baths en route. View the link in the comments if you'd like to support Simon's cause and journey. #dementiauk #charity #purpose

Have we just lost our most valuable international tourists? New tariffs. Budget cuts. Fewer big-spending visitors. The landscape for UK tourism is changing fast, but with change comes opportunity. In his latest article, our CEO Anthony Rawlins has outlined what’s happening, what it means, and how we need to adapt. Read the full article here → https://lnkd.in/dXSgHr_4 #tourism #america #newlandscape

It is our pleasure to say that Olly Reed, Marketing Director of Navigate will be joining us as a Guest Speaker at the upcoming Visit Pembrokeshire Tourism Summit. Covering the topic, 'Navigating the New Tourism Landscape', Olly will explore how the tourism industry is evolving and what businesses must do to stay ahead. With insights, ideas and innovation strategies to help organisations adapt, stand out, and thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape. Over the last fifteen years, Olly has built vast experience in tourism, conservation, and culture brands from startups, in-house teams, and now at Navigate. Olly is a leading digital strategist, focusing on solidifying commercial evolution while expanding Navigate's impact in the industry. To make sure you hear Olly's insights, as well as the host of other thought-leaders that we have lined up, make sure you secure your spot today!

A huge congrats to Bernard and the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions team for their stellar work across the UK press today. It's always fascinating reading what are the most visited attractions in the UK and as Simon mentioned in our latest article, it is also great to see so many partners we have worked with at Navigate feature in the top 100 too. How many of these have you visited? If you're an attraction but not an ALVA member, where would you feature? https://lnkd.in/eCwXrhww

Well that was an experience! It was a pleasure stepping on the stage on behalf of Navigate at the Visit West Visitor Economy Conference at We the Curious. Huge thanks to Daniel for the invite and to Kathryn who every time she speaks I’m in awe of her passion and knowledge for the industry. It was lovely to see the best dressed man in tourism (Bernard) who’s talk as ever was full of useful insights and stories for people to take back and try in their own business. Lovely to catch up with some pals and thanks to Mr Bristol himself Simon for having the confidence to let me speak, and for taking some lovely photos too. Thanks to all who came over and said lovely things too! #tourism #visitwest #publicspeaking

Last week I attended my second Association for Cultural Enterprises annual conference, this time in Liverpool. Last year's conference in Newport was fantastic and this year's conference raised the bar yet again! How often do over 600 people from our sector (and beyond) have the opportunity to get together and discuss some of the challenges, frustrations, pleasures and opportunities over a two day period? Probably never as this year saw the largest ever attendance at an ACE Conference. Hats off as always to the team at ACE including but not limited to Gordon Morrison, Fionnuala O'Donovan, Tom Dawson, Joanne Whitworth and Julia Heppell who are supported by a fantastic team of trustees including Melanie Lewis MBE, Gabriela Gandolfini, Zak Mensah, Kingston Myles, Anthony Misquitta and those are just the ones I know. Not only did I enjoy the conference, I learnt a lot (more on that in subsequent posts) and I even managed to visit the Cavern Club, something I have wanted to do for years! Not everything always goes to plan and it's good to share learnings. I loved the openness, honesty and inspiration provided by the speakers, including Navigate's own Anthony Rawlins. Thank you to all that made it a brilliant few days and especially to Olly Reed, who had to put up with being my flat mate for a few days!