simon middleton

A new series coming to Virgin 1 in the new year, features  Dragon’s Den star Duncan Bannatyne making an effort to change the flagging fortunes of some of the UK’s most popular seaside towns.

The show will start in the Suffolk town of Felixstowe, with the aim of promoting Britain’s seaside towns as perfect holiday destinations during the recession.

Bannatyne is joined in the first episode by TV style guru Simon Middleton, a University of East Anglia Fellow who has advised on branding for the likes of British Airways and Aviva (formerly Norwich Union), who has been asked to re-invent the tarnished image of Felixstowe and change the public perception of it.

Felixstowe has seen a sharp downturn in visitors in recent times and was considered as an ideal starting place for the series. Middleton says;

‘Realising they needed to rebrand was a very sophisticated analysis of the situation on their part, and they were very open to changing the town’s brand. It’s about trying to find another angle, if you have sun, sea and sand and the weather is always gorgeous, you don’t need to try very hard but in Britain we need to try harder. You just need a story and it doesn’t have to be complicated.’

The Great British Holiday Show will be shown on Virgin 1 in January 2010.

For a completely relaxing holiday, have you ever considered a cruise holiday?