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Think Family

East Midlands Tourism's Q-bookEast Midlands Tourism's Q-bookThink Family Q Book

A new support tool has been introduced to help businesses cater more effectively for the changing family market - a significant market for domestic tourism and one that is likely to remain so as all evidence shows that family spending is increasing. 
 
Despite the growth in popularity of overseas holidays, 59% of families still take a domestic break and compared to UK holidays as a whole, family trips are likely to be longer - four or more nights, according to the Mintel Family Holidays UK Report, June 2004.
 
Families are also an important contributor to secondary spend such as food and drink, although the traditional family market has changed. While many tourism businesses position themselves as ‘family friendly’, the reality for visitors is that unfortunately this claim often fails to live up to expectations. 
 
To enable businesses gain a better understanding of the changing needs of today’s family market East Midlands Tourism has launched the Think Family Q-book. A unique source of advice for businesses working in the tourism industry, the Q-book contains useful tips and ideas to ensure the needs of families are met - from the moment they first start planning their trip to their return home. 
 
The Q-book has been developed with the help of more than 35 tourism businesses, from well-known family brands to small attractions and B&Bs, and by talking to families both within and beyond the region. The book follows the visitor journey from the point where an enquiry is first made right through to the trip back home and covers:
 
  • Stimulation, planning and anticipation
  • Ease of booking
  • Travel to the destination 
  • The destination experience
  • Going home
  • Recollection of the experience
 
Over the coming year, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire and East Midlands Tourism will be working with a number of businesses to see how some of the recommendations in the Q-book are implemented and to guage the reactions of visiting families to these changes. For more information email qbook@emd.org.uk 
 
Visit the Think Family Q-book website for full details or click here to download a pdf of the Q-book (4.3Mb). Pdfs of each section of the Q-book can be downloaded by clicking the links below:
 
 
In addition to the Q-book, there's also a new scheme from Quality In Tourism for accommodation providers to help promote themselves as a family friendly business. For further information on this scheme, please download the pdf file Families Welcome (736Kb) or contact Quality In Tourism on 0845 3006996.