Design a postcard and win a family weekend at LEGOLAND or Alton Towers! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

With half term just behind us, you may have recently been thinking a little more about holidays. A little while ago a consortium of tourism folks* ran a survey with MNers to see what they thought of the Cut Tourism VAT campaign. Yes, we know, it’s not a sexy topic, but stick with us, it gets better.

Here’s what the consortium say, “MNers got engaged when it was revealed that the UK rate of VAT, at 20%, is double the average European rate for accommodation and a third more than the rate for attractions. 87% of those surveyed said that UK rates of VAT on accommodation and attractions should fall in with European averages.

“A VAT cut to 5 per cent on attractions and accommodation would make British holidays and attractions cheaper and the UK more competitive as a destination. And even more importantly, it should also create more than 120,000 new jobs and boost income for the Exchequer by £3.9 billion over 10 years.

“At the moment the campaign has cross party support of just over 100 MPs, so the survey also asked did MNers think this was something their MP should back.

“The results suggested this was something Mumsnetters cared about with:

• 62% of Mumsnetters saying that they would support the campaign
• Of those who knew that their MP hadn’t backed the campaign, 47% said that they were unhappy about this”

How you can help the campaign

Currently over 100 MPs are backing the campaign. The consortium behind the campaign * now want Mumsnetters to get creative and help them design a postcard that can be sent to all MPs to encourage more of them to back the Cut Tourism VAT campaign. Attached to this thread is their first attempt at a postcard design, but we think you could come up with something better.

So, if you are feeling super creative you can actually create your own postcard and upload a pic for the campaign to use onto this thread. But, if like us you’re not sure your creative powers stretch that far, please feel free to just add a slogan and a pic idea and we can do the rest.

The good news is that everyone who takes part and either posts a pic or adds their ideas will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a free overnight stay for four at either LEGOLAND or Alton Towers plus park tickets. Plus if your design is chosen and used by the consortium to send to MPs you’ll also be given a family overnight stay for four at either LEGOLAND or Alton Towers plus park tickets.

Thanks and Good Luck!

MNHQ

• consortium includes the British Hospitality Association, Merlin Entertainments plc and Bourne Leisure. Merlin Entertainments plc owns LEGOLAND, Alton Towers, The London Eye, Madame Tussauds and Thorpe Park amongst other things. Bourne Leisure own Butlins and Haven Holidays and other leisure businesses.

PS. The consortium behind Cut Tourism VAT campaign may use any designs posted on this thread in regional and national press, as well as designs to be printed to send to MPs, so please only post if you’re happy with this.

Sorry, the picture is a bit rushed!

Option 1
'Stay and Play

Great Britain has something for all ages!

Let's cut the vat on accommodation and attractions'

This could be a series of postcards- each with the same activity being carried out by people belonging to different generations
Eg baby/teen/middle aged/elderly with bucket and spade on beach/on roller coaster etc

Alternatively each postcard could have all 4 ages in the 4 corners.

The other possibility would to have a scene with 3 generations enjoying the same activity.

Option 2
Union flag in middle each corner with an iconic image from England, N Ireland, Scotland and Wales

'Great Britain has so much to offer
Let's make the offer GREAT!
Cut tourism vat by 5%'

Do MPs really respond to cartoons on postcards? They must get tons of requests and I doubt they have the inclination to decipher cleverly thought out images and slogans and so on.

I'd keep it really simple. Stick to the headlines, printed over a beach picture.

"CUT TOURISM VAT
create more than 120,000 new jobs
raise £3.9 billion over 10 years
make UK holidays more affordable than heading to the continent"

Here's my idea. Short and to the point!

On the back of the postcard I would put all the facts.

I totally agree with the cut, but and know i will be shouted down for saying this - while the VAT may be lower in the other European countries, they then apply local taxes on top of the hotel VAt, so city taxes etc and this then brings the total tax charged back to near 20% so in reality the tax charged is the same. They also charge VAT on all museum entry and other such things, whereas all of ours are free
I know this because i work in VAT

When this survey was on MN virtually everyone on the thread was saying:

a) Any reduction wouldn't be passed on to consumers
b) The main reason people go abroad on holiday is for guaranteed good weather

I am amazed at the figures in the OP. They don't tally with the thread at all.

My idea is fairly text based - so I'd make sure it was attention grabbing and that as soon as you saw it you couldn't help but notice the title and finishing lines.

I'd have a big title on the front of the postcard saying something along the lines of 'Election coming soon. Here's a vote winning tip from Mumsnetters!'

Underneath, I'd have a voting box that looked like a sandcastle (or should that be a sandcastle that looked like a voting box?!) with a big voting slip going into it, with the following text in the details bit where you'd normally expect to see the name and then a big tick or cross next to it where you would normally mark your voting slip. (You'd need to see the design to make sure that if you used a cross it looked like a positive mark rather than a negative cross)

'Cut VAT to 5% on British holidays, attractions and accommodation to help us holiday here in the UK. Holidays become cheaper, people become happier, jobs are created and more money floods into the Exchequer.'

I'd finish it off with the following sentiment, again, easy to see without the need to actively read it:
'It makes everybody a winner!' or 'This way, we all win!'

The other idea I had was to pull the MP's in with the amazing job creation and increased income for the exchequer figures as that's the bottom line they want - as soon as they read those and think yes, I do want those, you've got them hooked and thinking how can we do this...

So, big text to start, then the questions underneath with Yes/No question boxes after them like a questionnaire answer:

Pssssst. Do you want to:
a) Create 120 new jobs Yes [] No []
b) Add £3.9 billion to the Exchequer over the next 10 years Yes [] No []
c) Make the UK a more competitive tourist destination Yes [] No []
d) Make Mumsnetters a very happy bunch at election time Yes [] No []
e) All of the above Yes [] No []

If you answered YES to any of these questions, the solution is simple!
Just CUT Tourism VAT to 5% and you get all of these benefits!

If this was done on a simple bright background that really stood out with a fab but readable funky font and great layout it would be really eye catching and you should have the Cut Tourism VAT and MumsNet logos at the bottom too, to help reinforce their involvement.

I might start a Make The UK Sunnier campaign.

This is something we feel very strongly about. We love to holiday at home but it's becoming almost impossible because prices are so high. Cut British tourism VAT!! (pretty please)

Love the donkey idea! Nice one, mamafratelli!

How about a picture of Blackpool tower and seaside on one side and Eiffel Tower on the other side with the caption saying: where would you prefer us to spend our money? Cut vat and help everyone out!

Ps- I realise Blackpool and Paris are completely different holidays but it was the tower similarities I was getting at!

A few years ago we had two holidays which cost exactly the same amount of money.

The first was a week in a cottage in Cornwall where it rained every single day.

The second was 10 days in the Canaries where it was brilliant sunshine every day.

I would have paid twice the price for the second holiday. The first was just grim grim grim.

I will never holiday in the UK again.

Four images each with the following words (like one of the postcards that has a montage of images on it):

Less tax [image of deserted beach/theme park/attraction]

Lower prices [a few people now at beach/theme park/attraction]

Lotsa tourists [bit busier]

Loadsa money [very busy]

Idea may have been sponsored by Harry Enfield I'll get me coat.

I am sure you can find a more beautiful photo of an isolated British beach, but this was the most appropriate picture zi have taken for my pistcard and simple message.

I like some of these, especially improbable girls hair one :)

My idea is to have a sandcastle with a dementor floating over it and sucking up the sandcastle. ( dementor as in the thing in Harry potter).
This would be most of the picture with the slogan 'stop sucking the money from our holidays, cut the vat'.

This is my idea using rock to do the lettering and lollipop sticks to make the beach hut for a seaside feel x (and yes I did eat the rock afterwards !!)

Here's mine. Simple message, stats etc would be on back.

A picture of a stressed out Mummy with children hanging off her, her hair in a mess and toys everywhere and the slogan - "Please let our Mummy Relax, Cut Holiday Tax"

My slogan would be

"Holidays should be fun - not TAXing"

with two pictures one of a family having fun, the other with an empty beach.

Here's my entry!

I suggest a series of postcards of classic symbols of British holidays with 15% missing off them.

Tag line: "Holidaymakers could afford to put the shine back on British holidays if we cut tourism VAT"

Some examples:

• Deckchair with side chopped off and missing
• Blackpool Tower with top missing
• Sandcastle with side missing, castle collapsing
• Ice cream cone with portion of ice cream, flake and cone missing.

DONT MELT OUR DREAMS OF A SUMMER HOLIDAY!

LET IT GO, LET IT GO
CUT VAT ON TOURISM TODAY

LET IT GO, LET IT GO
WE ALL DESERVE A CHEAP HOLIDAY

IT WILL BOOST THE EXCHEQUERS INCOME
AND BRING NEW JOBS

WE ALL NEED A CHEAP HOLIDAY ANYWAY!

Please cut holiday tax so my Mum can bring us here to have the time of our lives again and again!