Opening the door to a new type of tourist
Torbay Culture, TDA and the English Riviera BID Company have set their sights on increasing the number of cultural tourists coming to the destination by developing new holiday itineraries, trails and guides to share the real, authentic story of the area.
Cultural tourism is a growing audience. These visitors come from domestic and international markets, keen to experience a real slice of local life, whether that’s tasting unforgettable regional delicacies, finding hidden makers, taking in a breath-taking view or unearthing remarkable stories. It’s about discovering something remarkable… that you want to shout about from the rooftops, but also keep to yourself.
Kate Farmery, Executive Director of Torbay Culture said: “With support from Arts Council England and the recent grant from the Great Place Scheme, we’re investing heavily to put our culture, heritage and creativity centre stage here. We’re delighted to have commissioned Torbay’s Wonder Associates in collaboration with Canny Marshall to design and deliver this programme. Wonder are already working with us on marketing and creative content, delivering insider’s guide - TheShorely.com - to over 80,000 people online every month and running a major audience research project too. Between them, Wonder and Canny Marshall are proven at delivering large scale tourism, festival, arts and heritage projects across the UK. They will be working with partners across the region to make this project happen over the coming year.”
Carolyn Custerson, Chief Executive of the English Riviera BID Company Ltd commented:
“This cultural tourist project will attract visitors who will stay longer and spend more in the local area. These new visitors are discerning and looking for authentic experiences, so we’ll be working with the business, culture and tourism industry to ensure that there are great places to stay and visit. This project and these new types of visitors will help us become an all-year-round destination, balancing out the high season with the quieter months. I look forward to Wonder and Canny Marshall bringing people together to deliver new products which motivate more cultural tourists to visit the English Riviera.”
Wonder Associates and Canny Marshall will start their work with a period of auditing, interviews and workshops with key stakeholders across business, culture and tourism in Autumn 2018. If you’d like to make a contribution to this review period, you can contact them by using the form here: www.theshorely.com/growing-cultural-tourism.
