45 major travel press descend on Reading
19th March 2025
To celebrate English Tourism Week, Great West Way® – one of the world’s premier touring routes between London and Bristol, is all set to host a brand-new Media Discovery event in Reading on 23 & 24 March 2025.
This event is targeting regional, national and international travel media, content creators and suppliers across two days of exciting networking opportunities. It will bring together media titles and key press contacts with tourism businesses and destinations who feature along the Great West Way route, including attractions, hotels, transport and other sectors of the route's tourism infrastructure. It offers a unique opportunity for tourism businesses and destinations to raise their profiles and generate additional travel-related PR coverage.
The event includes a Reading Discovery visit with the opportunity for press to experience a Thames Rivercruise, a walking tour and visit to Reading Gaol.
Image © Great West Way
Over 1,700 one-to-one pre-scheduled meetings will take place connecting approximately 45 Great West Way Ambassador destinations and businesses with 45 senior editors, freelancers, content creators and influencers.
The event will also see the unveiling of the 2025 edition of the Great West Way Travel Magazine, with features on stargazing spots, the best distilleries, breweries and vineyards, festivals and events bringing together local culture, flavours and special experiences and the launch of a new Great West Way Jane Austen 250 campaign, celebrating the 250th Anniversary of this amazing author’s life.
Image © Reading Museum
David Andrews, CEO, said, “We’re delighted to have such great support for our Great West Way Media Discovery event, and to be unveiling our exciting new Jane Austen campaign, alongside a new Great West Way Travel Magazine. Our priority for this event is to bring together top media and influencers with Great West Way Ambassadors to highlight the amazing tourism offer along the route. By raising the awareness of the Great West Way offer, we’re increasing tourism visits and spend, encouraging visitors to explore the region in more depth and to extend the length of stay.
“We have press representatives from National Press titles such as The Telegraph, Times, Mail, Guardian, Express, Mirror, Independent and Conde Nast Traveller as well as Travel Guides & Magazines, online broadcasters and content creators. I’d like to say a huge thank you to our sponsors Visit Reading, Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Thames Rivercruise, Pentahotel Reading, Malmaison and Roseate Reading.”
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Image © Great West Way
Alex Brannen, Visit Reading said “We’re delighted to support this new Great West Way Media Discovery event in Reading. The Great West Way is a fantastic vehicle to attract visitors to smaller destinations such as Reading that are often overlooked on whistlestop tourism itineraries. A visit to Reading never fails to surprise and this Media Day provides us with the opportunity to not only bring journalists to Reading but to also showcase the town’s medieval history pedigree, its unique Victorian Bayeux Tapestry, the gorgeous Thames riverscapes and our many excellent hotels, not forgetting Jane Austen’s schoolroom in Reading’s Abbey Quarter.”
Since its inception in April 2018, the Great West Way Ambassador Network has gained the support of over 250 top-tier tourism businesses, destinations, and attractions along the route, making it one of the world’s premier touring routes. Find out more at www.GreatWestWay.co.uk
