Cumbria Tourism has opened a new office in West Cumbria as part of an exciting new project to support business, strengthen the area’s visitor economy and showcase unique coastal, cultural and heritage assets.
Cumbria Tourism’s five-year coastal programme will focus on enhancing the overall attractiveness of the region as a place to attract people to live, work, visit and invest – driving long-term economic diversification and place-based regeneration.
It is anchored by a formal multi-agency partnership between Cumbria Tourism and Sellafield’s Decommissioning Nuclear Waste Partnership (DNWP) framework.
The programme was officially launched today, Thursday 3rd September 2026, with a special event bringing together businesses and partners from across West Cumbria and beyond.
As the county’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership, Cumbria Tourism represents and supports tourism-related businesses across the region. Its new dedicated base at The Bus Station in Whitehaven will see a small, localised delivery team responsible for skills outreach, recruitment and business support and promotion through continued development of the Cumbria Coastal Route.
Cumbria Tourism’s new coastal programme aims to help West Cumbria build a stronger, more sustainable visitor economy, with tourism developing as a thriving, year-round sector. Alongside this, it will create more opportunities for local businesses and third-sector organisations to grow and diversify, reducing their reliance on the nuclear supply chain and helping them become more resilient in the long term.
Developing the local workforce is at the heart of the new programme. A key focus is making tourism a realistic and attractive long-term career choice for young people and local residents, through more sustainable career opportunities, clear training routes and skills development programmes. This will help tourism businesses attract and retain the skilled local workforce they need to grow.
These ambitions all support Cumbria’s wider Destination Management Plan, which focuses on working together to make the most of county-wide opportunities to build a successful visitor economy that benefits local businesses, communities, nature and visitors.
Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says: This is a significant long-term programme for us and would not be possible without the financial support of the DNWP framework. It enables us to work hand-in-hand with businesses and partners from our new West Cumbrian base to help and connect businesses across the Cumbria coast.
“We want to empower and give them the tools to be the very best for visitors, whether they’re local, from the wider UK or overseas. In turn, we’ll also be actively supporting young people, careers and year-round jobs to help secure vibrant communities for many years to come.
“Cumbria’s coast really is a beautiful part of our county. It’s full of culture, history, amazing people and great, quality product. We’re really excited to get started!”