Cumbria Tourism will be flying the flag for the county at one of Northern England’s most respected awards ceremonies, after being shortlisted in two categories for the Prolific North Marketing Awards.
The awards recognise stand-out marketing campaigns from across the North of England and the newly-revealed shortlists have been whittled down by a panel of industry leaders, with the final winners to be announced at a special ceremony in Leeds on 21 September.
As Cumbria’s official destination management organisation, Cumbria Tourism has been at the forefront of a major campaign labelled ‘Welcome Back to High Streets’, which reached over 3 million people and focused on boosting tourism to Barrow-in-Furness to support economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cumbria Tourism’s ‘Welcome Back to High Streets – Barrow-in-Furness’ campaign is a finalist in two categories: Best Non for Profit Campaign and Best Tourism and Leisure Campaign.
The Welcome Back to High Streets campaign was delivered for Barrow Borough Council as part of the Government funded ‘Welcome Back to High Streets’ initiative. The stand-out campaign focused on promoting the area of Barrow as a vibrant tourism destination, inspiring visitors to stay and explore the once lesser-known area.
Welcome Back to High Streets also encouraged local residents and visitors to feel confident in returning back to busy town centres following the pandemic with covid-safety messaging, to boost footfall and support the many independent traders and hospitality businesses.
The creative campaign was delivered across an array of traditional and digital marketing channels and reached a whopping 3,398,770 people.
Cumbria Tourism’s Managing Director, Gill Haigh, says, “We are absolutely thrilled to be once again shortlisted for these well-respected awards that celebrate the very best marketing innovation and creativity right around the North.
Developing the Welcome Back to High Streets campaign in partnership with Barrow Borough Council has been a huge team effort to support the many hardworking independent traders and hospitality businesses around Barrow, and to promote the area as a fantastic tourist destination for visitors. We can’t wait to see the result at the awards next month!”
Steph Cordon, Director of People and Place at Barrow Borough Council, adds: “This really is exciting news to see the campaign shortlisted for two awards. Our principal aim was to encourage both residents and visitors back to the high street after the Covid pandemic – to boost local shops, businesses and the economy and to re-establish consumer habits – and we feel the campaign was a big help in that regard. We’ll have our fingers crossed for awards night.”
Cumbria is well-represented at this year’s awards, as The Swan Hotel, Newby Bridge has also been shortlisted in the ‘Best Tourism and Leisure Campaign’ category for the launch of its brand-new Holtel Spa.
The winners of the Prolific North Marketing Awards will be announced on Wednesday 21 September at a ceremony in Leeds. See the full shortlist here.