Keswick Tourism Association (KTA) welcomed members to its Annual General Meeting on Monday (10th) afternoon along with the Mayor, Cllr David Burn and Ken Royall of the Lakes Currency Project.
Anne Cornthwaite, Chair of the Keswick Tourism Association Board welcomed everyone and went on to present the highlights of what has been a very busy year. She reported that membership remains stable but that there are still many businesses in the town who are not members.
A recruitment drive is planned for the New Year and the hope is to increase income which can then be spend on additional marketing activities. Visits to the website, visitkeswick.com, are up as is social media engagement.
The new KTA webcam has proven very popular and this will increase website traffic further. She told members that KTA had attended multiple events throughout the year both locally and nationally to promote the town as a visitor destination with focus on the shoulder periods of the tourism year.
Members were also treated to the latest video produced for KTA which highlights the various festivals that the town hosts.
Following the meeting Anne commented, “It is amazing to look back over the year and see just how much we (KTA) have achieved for the benefit of the town and our members. We are entirely member funded so it is vital that we work on growing membership, so we can broaden our marketing activities without having to increase membership subscriptions.”
Despite an increase in online marketing, the Keswick Guide, produced by Keswick Tourism Association, continues to prove popular with visitors to the area and with KTA members who advertise in it. Mayor, David Burn who was invited to launch the Guide commented, “The 2019 Visit Keswick Guide is a brilliant, well put together advert for the town and it is wonderful that Keswick Tourism Association continue to produce it. It showcases Keswick so well and I am delighted to be here today to launch the 2019 Guide.”
At the election of Board members, Debbie Beament (Newlands Adventure Centre) who had been co-opted onto the Board earlier in the year had her position confirmed and Patrick Taylor-Bird (George Fisher) was elected to join the Board. Vanessa Metcalfe, Tourism Manager said “All of the Board work very hard for KTA and its members, offering a wide range of skills and expertise. We still have one vacancy and I would encourage any member who would like to become more involved to consider joining the Board.”
David Burn, Town Mayor then gave an interesting and informative overview of the Town Councils activities over the past year and what is coming up. This was followed by an update on the Lake District Pound from Ken Royall and a sneak peek at the soon to be launched 2019 notes.
Any business interested in finding out more about becoming a member of Keswick Tourism Association should contact Vanessa Metcalfe, Tourism Manager ([email protected]).
