2025 is off to a flying start with Cumbria Tourism spearheading a wide range of international tourism activity to support the county’s collective ambitions to extend the holiday season, increase longer overnight stays and attract visitors to all corners of Cumbria.
The shared aims are all part of Cumbria’s five-year ‘Destination Management Plan’ – developed with a range of public and private sector organisations – and will bring benefits not only for accommodation and attraction providers, but also for food and drink businesses, retail, transport providers, and more.
Pre-pandemic, international visitors made up around 15% of Cumbria’s visitor market and Cumbria Tourism has been working hard both behalf and alongside local businesses to help the county regain lost ground.
This week, two influential groups of international travel buyers from across the globe are in Cumbria as part of special educational visits to shine the spotlight on the latest products and experiences on offer for future visitors. As the official Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for the county, Cumbria Tourism is working in partnership with VisitBritain, Marketing Manchester and Marketing Liverpool to host buyers from both Australia/New Zealand and China.
The organisation has worked alongside almost 20 local tourism operators to bring this week’s ‘Showcase Britain’ visits to life – giving both groups the chance to sample a range of experiences from candle making to whisky tasting, dining in a castle to exploring William Wordsworth’s home, and showcasing a range of accommodation and sustainable transportation options to and around the destination.
Meanwhile, Cumbria Tourism is heading to two high-profile events this weekend to promote the county far and wide. That includes Ireland’s largest and best attended annual public exhibition, Holiday World, and Britain & Ireland Marketplace in London, where the team will be meeting one-to-one with travel buyers and tour operators.
It also comes hot on the heels of the organisation promoting the county for the first time at the five-day ‘Vakantiebeurs’ event in Urecht earlier this month, which is regarded as a must-see annual travel event for the Netherlands.
Other recent activity includes showcasing Cumbria as part of VisitBritain’s Australia Travel Trade Mission 2024 and taking an active role in a high-profile Destination Britain event for the Middle East and Asia.
Gill Haigh, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism says: “International visitors are a key part of the visitor economy which supports around 45,000 jobs across the county and generated £4.6 billion in 2023. Our internationally focussed work is helping to attract more tourists from key target markets in Europe, Ireland, the United States, Australia, Asia and India. The county lost the Chinese market through the pandemic and a wide range of collaborative work is being done to win back this audience too.
“Cumbria is one of the UK’s leading tourism destinations and these events target those global markets which are vitally important to sustaining a thriving visitor economy for the benefit of Cumbrian businesses and communities.”
For more on Cumbria Tourism’s ongoing work to support tourism businesses, visit: www.cumbriatourism.org