Northern Powerhouse Tourism Reception

On Tuesday 09 February, Politicians and Business Influencers attended a House of Commons reception celebrating the on-going success of the £20M Northern Tourism Growth Fund (NTGF). The event was hosted by VisitEngland Chair Lady Cobham CBE, on behalf of 38 Northern England Destinations and their business partners.

Invited guests heard from Minister for Tourism the Rt Hon. David Evennett MP, Paul Callaghan, chair of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, Sir Gary Verity, CEO of Welcome to Yorkshire and Paul Bayliss, chair of the Manchester Hotels Association, about the ambitious programme of capacity building, product development and trade engagement activities funded through the NTGF. These include securing a second year of the airline route linking Newcastle and New York Newark; a new online training module to help 45,000 overseas travel agents sell holidays to Northern England; China Welcome business training and consumer marketing in the US, Australia, China, Germany and Holland.

Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire said “The focus on business activities and partnerships made possible by the Northern Tourism Growth Fund has definitely raised the visibility of Northern England as a place to visit and this will have a positive impact on job growth and tourist expenditure.

“Working to our collective strengths, we have concentrated on the international growth markets of USA, Australia/NZ, China, Germany and Holland, with the active support of our Visit Lancashire partners and tourism colleagues across the county we have been able to maximise the Northern Tourism Growth fund special events and showcase Lancashire to a world audience.”

The Northern Tourism Growth Fund will deliver an additional 3,000 jobs and £177m incremental spend.  Marketing Lancashire is one of 38 destination management organisations delivering NTGF activity and represents the Northern Powerhouse in action. 

Picture attached shows: Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire with Paul Maynard MP for Blackpool North & Cleveleys and Philip Welsh Head of Visitor Economy at Blackpool Council

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For further enquiries please contact:

Marketing Lancashire on 01772 426450
    

Notes to Editors

1. Marketing Lancashire is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Lancashire, established (1st April 2012).   Our activities in marketing and communications, commercial membership and place marketing are all designed to grow the visitor economy and develop the profile of Lancashire as the first choice destination to visit, live, study, work and invest in.

Lancashire attracts over 63 million visitors who contribute £3.6 billion to the local economy and help support over 56 thousand jobs. 

2. About The Northern Tourism Growth Fund
• A £10m Northern Tourism Growth Fund for tourism investment was announced by Government on the 6th November 2014. The total programme expenditure will be £20m, consisting of the core £10m funding from Central Government and £10m estimated match funding from partners in the public and private sectors. Match funding will be both cash funding and in-kind.
• This fund is being managed by VisitEngland, working closely with international delivery partner VisitBritain and partner organisations from across the North of England, including 38 destinations.
• The aim is to deliver a significant step-change in collaborative working to profile and promote the North of England internationally – through new, targeted and impactful activity which will change perceptions, grow leisure and business visitors, put the assets of the North firmly on the international map and deliver both long term economic impact and the foundations for a lasting legacy for the visitor economy of the North. 
• The programme aims to deliver an additional 2m visitor nights to the North of England equating to £177m in international visitor expenditure and create 3,280 jobs.
• The North for this purpose is defined as the old Government Office regions of Yorkshire and Humberside, North West and North East.
• The target markets are: USA, Australia/New Zealand, Netherlands, Germany, China
• The Northern Tourism Growth Fund is part of the Government’s wider Northern Powerhouse activity #NorthernPowerhouse
About VisitEngland
• VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors.  Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights. You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics.
• England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £106 billion, and supports 2.6 million jobs.
• For further information and to access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics visit www.visitengland.com/biz  or www.visitengland.com  for consumer information.
About VisitBritain
• VisitBritain is the strategic body for inbound tourism, ensuring that international tourism continues to deliver economic growth and jobs across the nations and regions of Britain.
• Our strength is that we understand international customers and markets. Our international network of offices which covers 22 markets is a resource supporting the industry and destinations to grow the value of tourism exports. We are a founding partner of the GREAT campaign working alongside organisations such as the FCO, UKTI and The British Council.
• Locking in private sector funding: In the last three years we have raised £43 million from commercial partners – airlines, operators and global brands such as the English Premier League and Sony – to match-fund international tourism marketing.
• Customer Focused: Our strength is our understanding of international markets and customers. We know what motivates overseas customers to travel and how to inspire them to choose Britain.