With English Tourism Week (14-23 March 2025) fast approaching, Cumbria Tourism, the county’s Local Visitor Economy Partnership is gearing up to shine a spotlight on the county’s incredible visitor economy, a sector that generates £4.7billion annually and supports more than 29% of Cumbria’s total employme
Cumbria Tourism has arranged a series of meetings on Friday 14 March for tourism and hospitality businesses to meet with their local MPs, ensuring that decision-makers fully understand the economic and social impact of the sector, as well as the challenges and opportunities.
Cumbria Tourism is encouraging businesses to use English Tourism Week as a platform to showcase their success stories, share their unique visitor experiences, and highlight the people behind the scenes who make the industry thrive.
Also, as part of English Tourism Week, Cumbria Tourism will be hosting its March Members’ Meeting on Thursday 20th March at Rheged, Penrith, focusing on this year’s English Tourism Week theme: “Supporting People & Places to Drive Growth.” The event will bring together industry professionals, tourism businesses, and key stakeholders to discuss latest research, campaigns, opportunities and challenges for the sector, alongside guest speakers from VisitEngland, Newcastle Gateshead Local Visitor Economy Partnership, Cumberland Council, and Westmorland & Furness Council.
Gill Haigh, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “English Tourism Week is an important moment to recognise the enormous contribution of Cumbria’s visitor economy and the businesses and people who make it thrive.
“We’re delighted to be facilitating meetings with MPs to ensure the voice of our tourism and hospitality sector is heard at the highest level. At the same time, we encourage businesses to use this national celebration as a platform to showcase what they do best, welcoming visitors, creating outstanding experiences, and driving economic growth in our communities.”
VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes added: “With spring upon us and the Easter break just ahead, it is timely to shine a spotlight on the outstanding tourism offer here on our doorstep, and on an industry which supports millions of jobs and local economies right across England.
“We also know that it has been a very mixed picture for many destinations across England, highlighting the challenges for tourism businesses. So, this is a rallying cry to really encourage everyone to explore England in springtime and throughout the summer as we celebrate our valuable industry, boosting its profile and acknowledging the hard-working people who go above and beyond for our visitors.”
A key part of this year’s celebrations is the VisitEngland Tourism Superstar Award, where Cumbria’s own Hannah Clapp of Muncaster Castle has been shortlisted as the only North West finalist. Voting is open for a limited time, and businesses are urged to get behind Hannah and help bring the title home to Cumbria.
For more information on how to get involved in English Tourism Week, download VisitEngland’s official toolkit.
