Tourism in Cheshire – an upbeat message

The guest speaker at Friday's Tattenhall Business Club lunch was Katrina Michel, Chief Executive of Marketing Cheshire.

Katrina told members that visitor numbers to Chester and Cheshire West were on the up; 23% ahead since 2009 and up 7% in 2014 alone which had contributed to a 9.6% increase in economic impact.

On the plus side she said that Cheshire had good rail links with London and that Manchester Airport is a vital component but that more needed to be done to build a cohesive offer which would attract visitors from outside the region to come and to stay for longer.

Whilst Cheshire may not have a beautiful coastline or a National Park, more could be done to promote the attractions such as the Sandstone Ridge and that there is funding available, particularly for projects in rural Cheshire. She said that particular positives in our area included the Ice Cream Farm, Bolesworth Classic, Carfest 2016 and Chester's new theatre which is due to open in twelve months time.

In summary her message was upbeat yet with challenges which needed to be addressed with a stronger joined-up strategy.