Northumberland Tourism

Be ready to welcome the international markets

During 2018 & 2019, Northumberland Tourism have been working in partnership with the Northumberland National Park to develop the ‘National Parks Experience Collection’. The project, which is part of the Discover England Fund, aims to increase the number of international visitors to England, by supporting local businesses to create immersive experiences which will appeal to international visitors.

Project update, December 2018 from Project Executive, Steph Tebay:

It has been a busy few months for our businesses, who are involved in the Northumberland National Parks Experience Collection. Here’s a snap shot of all the activity that has taken place since September to give you an idea of the fantastic progress we have made.

Northumberland is a destination that is gaining recognition. Our recent win at the National Tourism Awards has further strengthened our growing reputation as an attractive location to visitors. It goes without saying, that we couldn’t have picked a better time for our Northumberland experiences and accommodation providers to be featured in a travel trade brochure for international markets. This has been devised by Visit England for the international travel trade, who can use this to create itineraries for our overseas visitors. Our range of experiences tell the tale of our history and our visitors can stay in accommodation deep in the heart of our scenic local landscapes. We are excited for the publication to be released in January and to welcome new visitors to share the beauty and culture offered in Northumberland. 

Our workshops held in Rothbury and Hexham were a great success. Not only was it fantastic to bring our businesses together and exchange ideas, these sessions provided the opportunity to share up to date information from Visit Britain. The workshops explored the concept of experiential tourism, how to attract and retain the international markets and how to work with the travel trade. This opportunity was opened up to other local businesses, to benefit from the learning to attract a wider market to our area. Expedia were also an excellent addition to our day, sharing their perspective on the expectations of the trade and how businesses could prepare for negotiations. These workshops provided food for thought for our businesses going into the New Year, when they will arrange their involvement in new itineraries.

We are excited to see what the New Year brings for our National Parks collection businesses. Kicking off the year in January, the Peak District are hosting the official launch of the project. All businesses and business support are invited to celebrate the success of the project and sample taster sessions of experiences from across the National Parks. Looking ahead to the end of the project, the central team at the Peak District are developing a website for all businesses across the project to stay visible to the trade after the project draws to a close. Our businesses can ensure that they remain bookable with travel trade representatives using this platform.

Here at Northumberland Tourism, we are proud of all our businesses have achieved as part of the National Parks Experience Collection. Moving into 2019, we hope to see the experiential aspect of the collection attract a new type of visitor and look forward to welcoming more visitors from further afield who can enjoy the delights of our local area.