The Kent Big Day Out 2009

The Kent Big Day Out 2009, with thousands of free tickets to top tourist attractions being given away to county residents, is being held on Saturday, March 28.

This is the third year the event has been held in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics as part of a campaign celebrating Kent and Medway's wide variety of visitor attractions and destinations.

Last year Visit Kent at Kent County Council worked with 130 of the county's many attractions, including castles, historic houses and gardens, steam trains and sports centres, to make more than 16,000 Big Day Out free tickets available for Kent and Medway people.

And this year the celebration of the county's tourism and hospitality sector, and the contribution it makes to the local economy, will be even bigger. More cultural and sporting venues will be joining the ranks of destinations opening their doors to Kent Big Day Out ticket holders.

The free tickets will be available from the Visit Kent website, at www.visitkent.co.uk, and through the county's visitor information centres from Tuesday, March 3.
Last year the Visit Kent website had a record 16,483 hits on the tickets' launch day - a record number for one day.

"The feedback we had from attractions and visitors for our 2008 Kent Big Day Out event was excellent," said Fran Warrington, head of Visit Kent at Kent County Council.

"Ninety-three per cent of visitors said they would recommend the attraction they had explored to their family and friends.

"Research shows that more than 30 per cent of visitors to Kent stay with friends and relatives and rely on their hosts for personal recommendations of what to do while they are in the county. So this is tremendously encouraging news."

Kent County Council cabinet member Kevin Lynes, who has special responsibility for tourism and regeneration, said: "The Kent Big Day Out goes from strength to strength. This event highlights that on our doorstep we have amazing destinations, beautiful gardens and countryside, as well as activity-based attractions for those who like their days out with added adrenaline.

"Kent Big Day Out is good for the local economy, which relies so much on tourism, and it's good too for local pride. Last year 98 per cent of Kent Big Day Out visitors said it made them proud to live in our county."

Visit Kent research shows that Kent attracts 45 million visitors every year producing an economic impact of £2.5 billion and supporting more than 50,000 jobs across the county.

Source: Only Kent