The South West Coast Path Association is leading the way in marketing the region as a top tourism destination to overseas visitors, thanks to funding for a project to make it easier to book a walking holiday.
Discover England’s South West Coast Path, is one of a number of projects across the country to benefit from VisitEngland’s £40 million Discover England Fund. Its aim is to encourage all year round visits, outside the peak holiday season and is specifically targeting Dutch and German visitors.
A range of suggested itineraries for 3, 5 or 7 day walking holidays in Dutch and German have been developed and are available in print as fold out leaflets, and as mix and match day walks on translated versions of the South West Coast Path’s website at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/nl and www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/de
VisitBritain/VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said:
“I am delighted to see these itineraries promoting the magical landscape of the South West coast in new and innovative ways, inspiring more visitors to come and experience its myriad of attractions and destinations and driving growth from tourism across the region.”
Visitors can book through one of the listed walking holiday companies that can provide a complete service (booking, luggage transfers etc) for those that require it, or tailor-make their own itinerary and book direct with recommended places to eat, sleep, drink and do listed alongside each of the walks.
The promotional campaign in Germany and the Netherlands includes media relations and advertising, attendance at travel and trade shows and a series of press and familiarisation visits for media and tour operators. Itineraries will be available as PDF downloads and videos to complement each of the five areas can be viewed alongside the itineraries on the website.
Discover England’s South West Coast Path project is being delivered alongside a number of partners; Visit Cornwall, South West Tourism Alliance, Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, Visit Devon, Visit Dorset, English Riviera Tourist Company and Exmoor National Park.
The itineraries have been produced under the following themes:
The Wilderness Coast – Exmoor, Minehead to Coombe Martin
The Coast of Legends – North Devon and Cornwall, Clovelly to Tintagel
The Wild West Coast: Tin mining industry and story of Poldark – Mounts Bay to St Ives
The Nautical Coast – South Devon, Plymouth to Dartmouth
The Timeless Coast – Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site – Charmouth to Seaton
The holidays feature active, historical and cultural walking breaks, including those at locations of the World Heritage sites in Dorset and East Devon and West Cornwall.
Information about the project is available on the Association’s website at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/DEF
