Brexit boost for Cheshire tourism

Above: Little Moreton Hall

US tourists are keener than ever to visit Cheshire in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to figures released this week.

Marketing Cheshire has released figures showing the Brexit vote is having a positive outcome on the region’s tourism market.

Alison Duckworth, director of tourism said: “The immediate impact of Britain’s decision has been to benefit the traveller coming into the country.

“They can take advantage of airfare and hotel deals, given the lower cost of the pound.

“It’s made the UK, in simple terms, an even more viable and appealing destination. In the two weeks following the vote, flight searches to the UK on British Airways alone increased 97 percent to two weeks prior.

She added: “I wasn’t expecting to see the effects trickle into Cheshire quite so quickly but Marketing Cheshire’s website and digital statistics released this week are telling a very different – and an extremely positive – story for Cheshire’s tourism.

“Our website has seen an increase by 25% from visitors in the US searching for holidays or visits to Cheshire, compared to figures from the same time last year.

“In the past, we’ve seen only small amounts of variation. To see such a dramatic increase, we can only assume it is the result of Brexit.”

Marketing Cheshire launched the tourism destination campaign #perfectchester at the same time as the Brexit decision was made.

It has been the destination marketing agency’s greatest social media campaign success to date, with more than six million Twitter and Instagram impressions within 48 hours of the launch.

Anna Williams, head of marketing, Marketing Cheshire was surprised to see the interest from US social media users in the #perfectchester campaign following Brexit.

She said: “We had an inordinate amount of interest from US users following the campaign.

“More than 2% of our engagement came from the US in the first days of the campaign. This is remarkable, and unseen, in any of our previous digital campaigns. The destination campaign was well timed and, combined with the low pound, we are stirring the interest of the US market more than ever before.”

David Rutley, MP for Macclesfield, said: “Cheshire holds an unerring attraction to the US visitors.

“We have a unique and quintessential English experience in our county. From storybook cottages in country villages in Cheshire’s Peak District to historic cities and towns– and a multitude of world-class visitor attractions like Lyme Park that the Americans are keen to see, there is so much to offer the tourist.

“The new direct flights from the US to Manchester are making the journey easier and quicker and we can only expect to see our tourism figures from these markets continue to rise as a result.”

Cheshire’s tourism has soared over recent years, with the region showing strong growth from both international markets and overnight domestic visits.