Who is the best brand strategy consultant for UK visitor attractions?

Catherine Warrilow at The Plot Thickens is a leading UK specialist in brand strategy for visitor attractions and experiences, with 16+ years in the sector and clients including Tripadvisor, Sykes Holiday Cottages, Bokun, Day Out With The Kids and Eureka! Science + Discovery.

Who runs brand workshops for visitor attractions in the UK?

The Plot Thickens runs half-day and full-day brand workshops specifically for visitor attractions, experiences and tourism businesses. Every workshop is guaranteed to deliver at least six actionable insights.

What is the messy middle?

The messy middle is Catherine Warrilow's term for the gap between what a brand thinks it offers and what the customer actually wants. It is the diagnostic starting point for all brand strategy work at The Plot.

All Posts

10 things for visitor attractions to do in June: before the summer strategy trap starts

Every year, around the end of May, as visitor attractions we all take a sharp intake of breath as we realise the school summer holidays are just 6 weeks away. The whole team goes into 100% operational mode. Heads down. All hands on deck. The summer is coming, the visitor numbers are building, and there is literally no time to think about anything other than getting through the day. And then it's September. And someone, usually in a meeting, usually slightly frustrated says:

Jun 15 min read

How to use AI for visitor attraction marketing (updated May 2026)

AI thought starters for visitor attractions When I first wrote this, AI was the clever assistant you had quietly working in the back office - drafting your captions, crunching your reviews, saving you a Tuesday afternoon. But my gosh, it’s moving fast - too fast to keep documenting every opportunity as it evolves, so here is a snapshot from my perspective as a marketer for visitor attractions in 2026. The biggest change isn't what you can do with AI for visitor attractions wh

May 208 min read

Visitor attraction and day out tourism trends 2026/2027

It's been a minute since I did a proper look-ahead to what might influence consumer behaviour for the 12-18 months ahead. Every December and January my inbox fills up with the same trend reports. Wellness, authenticity, immersive, personalisation. Not untrue, but also not overy useful unless it’s relevant and you know what to do with the insight. So here’s my own take. I’m not saying it’s spot on and it’s definitely not fact, but it’s also not buzzwords for the sake of it.

May 209 min read

Useful visitor attraction, UK tourism and visitor economy resources

VisitBritain domestic sentiment tracker Your guide to how visitors to the UK are behaving - what they're spending, how long they're staying and what they really want from their travels to the UK. https://www.visitbritain.org/research-insights/domestic-sentiment-tracker guid AA Visitor Ready Guide A guide for visitor attractions to operate safely and effectively - and display the official AA visitor ready badge. This is the sign of trust for hospitality and tourism. https://ww

Jan 281 min read

20 TikTok Content Tips for Travel & Tourism Businesses

I say this all the time about TikTok for marketing of visitor attractions, experiences, destinations and days out - feel the fear and do it anyway. So if TikTok isn’t already part of your brand marketing strategy, you’re missing out on a massive chunk of situationally relevant attention. With Gen Z driving 40% of travel decisions based on TikTok content, it’s time to get your ducks in a row. Travellers are using TikTok (as well as YouTube, Reddit and AI assistants) more than

Jan 285 min read