Winner: Cumbria Tourism

Sponsored by University of Cumbria

When it comes to supporting the county’s hard working tourism sector, it is hard to think of an organisation which plays a bigger part than Cumbria Tourism.
This makes the organisation a more than deserving winner of this year’s award for Flying the Flag for Cumbria.
As a not-for-profit organisation, Cumbria Tourism is 95 per cent commercially funded and income made by the company is used to market the destination to visitors, benefiting both its members and Cumbria’s wider visitor economy.
Its activities include increasing Cumbria’s appeal as a year-round destination through targeted marketing and PR campaigns promoting the county, while seasonal marketing is key to ensuring sustainable tourism businesses and job security.
Never was its work more valuable than during the pandemic.
In 2019 Cumbria received 48 million visitors, who spent over £3 billion. In 2020, 24 million visited bringing in £1.6 billion, with tourism jobs falling by 45 per cent.
Through intensive campaigning and marketing, by 2022 Cumbria’s visitor’s economy had recovered to the level where the county received 41 million visitors, who collectively brought in £4.12 billion to the region's economy and provided employment for 43,562 full-time equivalent posts.
Cumbria Tourism is also involved in efforts to promote Cumbria internationally, as well as championing it as an accessible destination and planning for the future by increasing the county’s appeal to younger and family markets.
Cumbria Tourism communications manager Heather Sewell said that this year the organisation has become a Local Visitor Economy Partnership, recognising it as one of the leading tourism bodies in the country accredited by the government.
“It is a big deal because it recognises we are leading the way for Cumbria,” she said.
“2024 is Cumbria Tourism’s 50th anniversary so we’ve got quite a lot of big plans throughout the year in terms of events we are putting on for businesses showing the importance of tourism, where it’s been, where it is now and where it’s going to.
“I’ve worked here for over 11 years now and so Cumbria has become an important part of my life. I think for the whole team having an award like this is a really positive thing.”

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