East Midlands to receive tourism cash to entice German visitors
The Peak District & Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire will receive a slice of £1m to enhance their tourism offer to European visitors, especially those from Germany.
The successful application was submitted to the Government’s Discover England Fund by tourism leaders across the East of England.
“This is really exciting”, said Lydia Rusling, head of Visit Lincoln, the group responsible for promoting tourism in Lincolnshire. “It’s a significant investment and will link the East Midlands with other destinations in the East of England resulting in more visitors and more money being spent in the regional economy. In Lincoln we want to develop world-class tourism products that responds to international customer demand. VisitBritain’s latest data shows a 19% increase in overseas visits to the East Midlands in 2016 (1.3million visitors) and an 11% rise in spend (£481m) proving that there is a growing demand.”
Sarah McCann, head of marketing, Visit Nottinghamshire added: “Working collaboratively across the East Midlands allows us to present a much broader and more diverse offer to a visitor, so a touring route like this, which also links in with other locations across the East of England has the potential to increase tourism visits up and down its length which is good news for Nottinghamshire too.”
Jo Dilley, managing director, Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “This is great news. Our marketing and PR strategy is geared towards encouraging staying visitors from both the UK and overseas to visit the Peak District and Derbyshire and bring more money into both the local and regional economy.
“We’re now looking forward to working with our colleagues in the East Midlands and further afield to create itineraries and bookable products for both individuals and groups that will give tourists an authentic and enjoyable taste of England, discovering both well-known attractions and hidden gems wherever they travel.”
The new East of England Touring Route will create a 300-mile touring route that spans the length of Eastern England from London to Northumberland. It will unite well-known destinations with those that are off-the beaten track, developing itineraries that include attractions, accommodation options, places to eat and activities to provide a rich cultural and quintessentially English experience.
