Visitor numbers double for Great Country Pubs website

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Pub is The Hub partners, GreatCountryPubs.com has seen visits double since June 2012. The website, launched in November 2011 by Tourism South East, features hand-picked country pubs and inns and is benefitting a big boost in traffic after a strong consumer PR campaign. Number have continued to grow each month by around 30-40% as visitors flocked to the region.

Each pub, largely from the independent sector, is quality assessed with support from Pub is The Hub, for charm, character, a positive welcome and high standards of food, drink and cleanliness.

Michelle Grant, Project Manager for GreatCountryPubs.com, is delighted: “We’re enormously proud to see the growing popularity of the site; it proves that visitors trust the quality and standards of pubs listed on the site. We are constantly promoting the website through www.visitsoutheastengland.com(sponsorship of the South East section of the Good Pub Guide), regular eNews alerts and a dedicated PR campaign. Many of our pubs have been featured in national and regional media over the last year and we’re fast becoming the ‘go-to’ website for people looking to escape to the country or South East; whether for Sunday lunch, meals with friends or weekend breaks. The New Year will see a Social Media Campaign with the launch of Facebook and Twitter.”

Michelle encourages other great country pubs in the region to consider applying to join the website, adding: “In tough times like these pubs and inns need an extra string to their bow when promoting themselves beyond their own locality. We’re here to provide that additional push and to show overseas visitors what British pubs are all about. Our annual rates of participating are a steal at just (£150) £125 +vat for pubs without accommodation and (£200) £175 +vat for pubs with accommodation.”

Amanda Timmer from The Feathered Nest Country Inn, Nether Westcote in the Cotswolds said: “Our pages are linked with local tourist attractions automatically and local events are updated regularly so it keeps the site current and ever-changing. Its search rankings are excellent and we regard it as a very important part of our online marketing presence. It’s almost a badge of honour and we’re proud to be on the site.”

James Pullan, owner of The Griffin Inn, Fletching in East Sussex agreed saying: “As each outlet is evaluated for its facilities, food and drink, ambience and even conviviality, each country pub listed is of the utmost quality and can truly be described as ‘great’. We are independent owner/operators, in charming buildings and we’re award-winning or recognised through media reviews so the customer experience means that they will visit the site again and again in search of great places to visit. Ultimately, it means that we’re all in good company and that’s great for business.”

Tourism South East covers the whole south eastern corner of the UK and includes nine counties from Kent across to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire

Any great country pub owner or operator can find out more about applying to be listed on the website by visiting www.greatcountrypubs.com  or contacting Michelle Grant on 023 8062 5436 or emailing her atpubs@tourismse.com

Great Country Pubs is funded by The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) through DEFRA and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.