Paul Dendle as Cabinet member involved in Olympic Tourist Campaign for the District

Paul on Westminster Bridge with one of the Cabs

One of the first people to ride around London in a specially-branded Sussex by the Sea taxi has been seeing how easy it is for passengers to plan their trips to Arundel, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and surrounding areas.

Arun District Council’s Sussex by the Sea tourism brand is being promoted both inside and outside some of the capital’s iconic black cabs for one month to target London residents and visitors during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Arun’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services Councillor Paul Dendle(pictured), who is responsible for Tourism Activity, travelled in a Sussex by the Sea taxi on Tuesday (24 July), and saw how passengers can quickly access tourist information about Arun by scanning QR codes on the back of ‘tip-up seats’.

The codes direct smartphone users to different sections of the Council’s tourism website www.sussexbythesea.com so they can find out more about the area’s award winning beaches, stunning rolling countryside, history and heritage and unique landmarks and events.

Cllr Dendle, like the thousands of people who travel around London by taxi each week, was also able to ask his driver for a 2012 Sussex by the Sea Pocket Visitor Guide containing maps, local accommodation listings and ideas for things to do.

He said: “It’s an important year for tourism across the UK, because there are so many extra people in London for the 2012 Games. By making it as easy as possible for potential visitors to plan their trips to Sussex by the Sea, I hope that we’ll stand out from the crowd and encourage even more people holiday here.”

Since the Council changed the format of its Sussex by the Sea Visitor Guide from a glossy A4 brochure to a handy pocket size, it has been more successful than ever. The new format meant the Council was able to double the print run of the guides to nearly 50,000 this year, and more than three quarters have already been snapped up by potential visitors.

The guides displayed in the Sussex by the Sea taxis are also proving popular, with passengers able to take one away with them or read one as they ride.

To find out more about Sussex by the Sea, you can also visit:

www.sussexbythesea.com

www.facebook.com/sussexbythesea

www.twitter.com/sussexbythesea1

www.flickr.com/arundistrict.

Pictures: Cllr Dendle with a Sussex by the Sea taxi outside the Houses of Parliament and the inside of a Sussex by the Sea taxi.