Cumbria Tourism launches the latest phase of a £285,000 travel marketing campaign today, Monday 3 June, with a high-profile presence at Manchester Airport, London Euston and other key Northern cities including Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle.
It’s all being timed to coincide with Northern’s new extra 50% discount off selected online advance train tickets, enabling passengers to access hugely-reduced train fares to and from the county.*
For the next six weeks, big screen advertising promoting Cumbria can be seen at some of the country’s busiest commuter hubs. That includes Manchester Airport and the city’s Piccadilly Gardens, as well as a huge 12 metre wide ‘digi-bridge’ over one of the North West’s busiest commuter routes, the Mancunian Way.
An array of high-impact advertising is being used alongside large screens at public transport hubs in London Euston, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly. This is teamed with digital marketing targeting locations across Lancashire and Cumbria, as well as Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and London.
The campaign comes in the run-up to the school summer holidays and features new high-impact video and photography showcasing the county, which will also be shown on ITV On Demand, YouTube and a wide range of online social media and regional newspaper platforms.
As the county’s official Destination Management Organisation, Cumbria Tourism is aiming to rebuild visitor confidence in train services and positively inspire potential visitors to the Lake District, Cumbria.
Cumbria Tourism’s Head of Marketing and Sales, Rachel Tyson, says, “We are very excited to unveil this new high-profile campaign, which spans six major UK cities and a wide range of online and print channels. It’s all about dispelling misconceptions about travelling by train and giving visitors practical ideas and inspiration to encourage them to book breaks away in our amazing county.”
The £285,000 campaign follows robust and sustained lobbying at government level, with Cumbria Tourism working alongside Cumbria County Council and Transport for the North to secure funding through the rail industry amid disruption to train services over the past 12 months.
Chris Jackson, Regional Director at Northern says, “Cumbria is a fantastic place to visit with a wide range of activities on offer and a breath-taking natural backdrop. Of course, the best way to see this fabulous county is by train and we are making travel even better for our customers in the summer with an extra 50% off our Advance Purchase fares. And, we have recently introduced new services between Cumbria and Manchester Airport, so it is easier than ever to jump on a train and explore all the area has to offer.”
This latest marketing activity comes hot on the heels of the campaign’s first phase, which got underway earlier this Spring, reaching more than 15 million people in six weeks and generating 8,700 click-throughs from online activity.
For more information on getting around the Lake District, Cumbria, see: www.golakes.co.uk/visit
*Northern are offering an extra 50% discount on Advance Purchase train travel to and from selected stations in Cumbria and the Lakes. Offer is valid from 3 June to 14 July 2019 inclusive for travel until 29 September 2019. Offer is only available on purchases from the Northern website or via the Northern app with the code ‘NORTH50’. For more info and to claim the offer visit: www.northernrailway.co.uk/north50
