Hundreds of pubs on and near Britain’s great national trails stand to benefit from a new tourism promotion. Seven ‘Great Walks of England’ will be showcased in a new campaign worth more than £1.2 million targeting key overseas markets.
The campaign is being funded thanks to a successful bid for £1 million from Visit England’s £40 million Discover England Fund – matched by £200,000 from the private sector – by tourist board Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire. The British Beer & Pub Association and Stay in a Pub/Cask Marque are working in partnership with Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire to help support the scheme.
Challenging, yet comfortable experiences combining the best of the country’s coastal and rural landscapes with cosy pubs, locally-brewed beers, fine local food and quality accommodation are to be developed for walkers in Germany, The Netherlands, France and the USA.
BBPA Chief Executive Brigid Simmonds comments:
“We are delighted to be working with this initiative, and it is great to see it recognising the vital role pubs play in rural tourism in Britain. There are hundreds of great pubs on Britain’s walking trails with many now also offering fantastic accommodation. This campaign will really bring this to the attention of overseas tourist markets.
Paul Nunny, Stay in a Pub, comments:
“According to Visit England one of the top three ‘must dos’ listed by inbound tourists is to visit an English Pub. Using this funding from Visit England to promote pubs and pub accommodation is an open invitation they are likely to accept.
“On the new website promoting the Great National Walks we will link to the Stay In A Pub website so tourists can book accommodation online. Already 15 per cent of enquiries on the website are from abroad. Cask Marque will also create ale trails on each walk, building on the success of the World’s Biggest Ale Trail which now has 30,000 followers. This campaign will be a big win for the industry.”