Industrial heritage campaign hailed a success
A MARKETING campaign to drive visitors to attractions showcasing the North West’s industrial heritage, has been hailed a success after helping to generate £11m over the past year.
Called ‘Modern History’, the three-year £1.6m campaign, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has been used to promote museums and atractions at the region’s mills, mines and transport systems.
Independent research by Morris Harris Hargreaves, reveals the campaign which supported more than 100 industrial heritage sites and museums, helped influence a visitor spend of over £10.9m between April 2011 and March 2012.
The study shows that during the past 12 months more than 24,000 day visits and almost 5,000 overnight stays have been influenced by Modern History.
Over the three years of the camapign, a total of 68,000 day visits and 8,065 overnight visits can be attributed to it, generating a visitor spend of more than £22m – with year-on-year spend between 2010/11 and 2011/12 increasing by almost 100%
The campaign was led by Visit Manchester and supported by Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist board, Marketing Cheshire and Cumbria Tourism – drew to a close at the end of March.
Lisa Houghton, marketing manager for Modern History, comments: “The North West was instrumental in moving the world into the industrial age and the rich stories that surround this period are still relevant today – as the high visitor levels reflect.
“The research results prove what a hard-working campaign Modern History has been and we are confident that even though the project has come to an end, it leaves a strong legacy that will continue to drive footfall to our wonderful attractions and museums for years to come.”
Sir Howard Bernstein, deputy chair of the North West European Regional Development Fund local management committee, said: “It is gratifying to see that the inspirational thinking of our North West forefathers, who masterminded the Industrial Revolution, is still impacting on the wealth and prosperity of our region hundreds of years later.
“Modern History has generated an impressive return on investment, and succeeded in harnessing the dynamism and excitement of this period and making it relevant to today’s tourist.”
The Modern History venues promoted include: MOSI in Manchester; Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in Lancashire; Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria, and the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire.
