Saving the North East's summer

The government’s Enjoy Summer Safely campaign was launched on 4 July with the goal of bringing people back to hospitality businesses and supporting an industry that has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of this national campaign, VisitBritain invited bids from regional tourism organisations for media funding to support localised ‘Enjoy Summer Safely’ campaigns.

Forecasts suggest that the sector will see its economic impact cut by as much as 50% in the region in 2020, so this was funding that the North East needed.

We’d already been working closely with Visit Northumberland on their new brand and website, and having recognised that the VisitBritain campaign offered a fantastic opportunity to support tourism in the region, they joined forces with NewcastleGateshead Initiative and North Tyneside Council. We love to support local businesses, so we jumped at the chance to partner with those organisations to bid for the funding, developing a campaign to promote all three areas as one unique holiday destination.

In this, the world’s strangest year, we all feel as if we’ve lost something, and holidays are a big part of that. The campaign needed to be a massive clanging gong for summer holidays, with the message that there’s still time to get out there and enjoy yourself. The Save Your Summer campaign uses striking imagery and video to showcase the incredible destinations and activities of the North East. The messaging is loud and clear – it’s not too late to get out and save your summer, with getaways that are a little closer to home.

The bid was successful and the campaign has been backed by HM Government with a £275k media budget to support an extensive digital, print and outdoor advertising campaign, focused on regions within a two-hour drive from the North East. ‘Save Your Summer’ is part of the government’s wider national campaign to encourage people to protect themselves against coronavirus while holidaying in the UK.

Targeting families and mini-breakers within a two-hour drive, the campaign which runs across digital, print and outdoor will encourage people to explore destinations in our region, highlighting the range of experiences – including sports and activities, heritage attractions, walking tours, restaurants and accommodation.

Ryan Edy an incredibly talented North East photographer who’s worked with global brands such as Subaru, Huawei, Nike, Berghaus, Reebok, Columbia and Redbull, was keen to support the campaign and show off all that the region has to offer. With a team of models and one of our brilliant creatives, Natasha Taylor-Price, Ryan headed out around the region, capturing some of the incredible scenes that make this part of the North East so special. The results are stunning and we are incredibly grateful to Ryan for his support.

Our hope is that the Save Your Summer campaign encourages people to consider our beautiful region for a late summer break or day trip, and that the sector enjoys a much-needed boost.