US Visitors love ‘Britain brand’
LANCASHIRE WEDDINGS FOLLOW ROYAL LEAD
Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board (LBTB) has seen a marked increase in traffic to the Lancashire Wedding Venues pages on visitlancashire.com; with over 2,100 visits to pages featuring hotels and historic halls across the county, in the weeks prior to and following the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29.
The web pages highlight heritage venues such as Samlesbury Hall and Whalley Abbey, as well as a wide range of town and country hotels including Barton Grange Hotel, The Inn at Whitewell, Stanley House, The Mercure Dunkenhlagh and The Gibbon Bridge.
Christine Nelson of Whalley Abbey has seen a 15% increase in bookings so far this year and enquiries and bookings for next year are already flooding in. She believes couples are attracted by “the total exclusivity, stunning grounds and unique heritage that the Abbey has to offer.” Whalley Abbey boasts 4 star, en-suite B&B accommodation set in the ruins of this 14th Century Cistercian Abbey and provides champagne and chocolates, as well as bed and breakfast for the newly-weds as part of their wedding package.
Popular wedding venue Samlesbury Hall has also enjoyed additional interest since the Royal Wedding. Director Sharon Jones said “The hall took deposits on bookings just days after the Royal Wedding. Couples are now more determined to secure their dream venue and once they have seen the spaces and met our team, they’re more than happy to set the date and leave their big day in our experienced hands.”
Arranging a wedding in Lancashire also brings benefits to accommodation located close to the venue of choice, whether that’s self-catering, B&B, camping or ‘glamping’ there’s something to suit all tastes and all budgets, as well as quality restaurants and attractions to transform a family occasion into a short break.
“We’ve had couples from as far afield as Dubai” comments Louise Woodcock of Barton Grange Hotel “They were determined to have their special day close to family and friends in Preston. You just can’t get an off-the-peg wedding from us; we build the day around the couples’ ideas with the aim of creating the wedding they’ve always dreamed of.” Barton Grange has also seen a year on year increase of almost 7% in wedding business and hopes the Royal Wedding will be the inspiration for many more couples.
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Tony Openshaw, LBTB Director of Marketing commenting on this timely activity on visitlancashire.com said “We monitor traffic to our website and develop a weekly Top Ten which is a great barometer of consumer interest. Lancashire Wedding Venues entered our Top Ten the week after the Royal Wedding alongside regular, visitor favourites What’s On, Family Days Out and Lancashire Walking Routes. We release the Top Ten on our Facebook page and this is prompting much discussion and helping drive visitors through an ever-changing Lancashire landscape.”
For more information about Lancashire Wedding Venues go to visitlancashire.com
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Media enquiries: Anna Izza, Communications Executive, Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board on 01257 226614 or [email protected].