Lincoln proud to be featured in England Originals Travel Trade Guide
Main image photo credit: Tony Pleavin
Local attractions in Lincoln expressed their pride at being included in the new England Originals Travel Trade Guide.
The Guide produced by England's Historic Cities (EHC) was launched this autumn. EHC is a consortium of 13 Historic Cities in England, including Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Carlisle, Chester, Durham, Greenwich, Lancaster, Lincoln, Oxford, Salisbury, Stratford-upon-Avon and York.
The Guide is designed to support tour operators/wholesalers and travel agents who are developing fixed or tailor made suggested multi-city England itineraries. As well as including a selection of attractions and experiences, there is also information on tour guiding companies and accommodation providers for each city.
It highlights trade information for approximately 120 tourism businesses, including percentage discounted trade rates, minimum/maximum group sizes, car/coach parking and key trade contacts. It also aims to raise the profile of England’s heritage product and facilitate joint activity to maximise the potential of cities’ visitor economies.
There are 2000 years of history to explore in Lincoln, as well as many fascinating attractions.
Doddington Hall & Gardens, International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), Lincoln Castle, Lincoln Cathedral, Medieval Bishop's Palace, Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Lincoln Museum, Castle Hotel, The Lincoln Hotel, and White Hart Hotel all feature in the guide.
This new edition of the guide has been expanded with useful trade focused product information and two new multi city suggested itineraries – ‘Northern Cities by Rail’ and ‘Southern Cities by Rail or Car’. Lincoln features in two itineraries: Northern Cities by Rail and Treasure Trove.
Destination Lincolnshire’s PR & Marketing Executive Arianne Davey said: "It’s fantastic to have worked with England’s Heritage Cities on the brand-new Travel Trade Guide, which helps to enable and promote Lincoln as a destination for travel trade.
“Working with local businesses and partners to pull together the travel trade information for the city, means that we can take the brilliant visitor attractions, focused on Lincoln’s history and heritage, to the travel trade market and in-turn take Lincoln to the wider visitor economy - hopefully getting more people to explore the city and wider county.
“For Lincoln, there are a variety of businesses included in the guide, including visitor attractions, heritage sites and hoteliers, particularly pulling on Lincolnshire’s aviation heritage and drawing on the range of experiences available to visitors.
The brand-new itineraries ‘Northern Cities by Rail’ and ‘Treasure Trove’ draw on Lincoln’s unique gems, including the Lincoln Imp and staggering gothic architecture."
“It makes a big difference”
Michelle Andrews, Marketing and Communications Manager at Lincoln Cathedral, said: “It’s brilliant to start putting the whole of the historic city in front of as many people as we can.
“There is a lot to offer here, and people are still surprised when they come here for the first time.
“For the Cathedral, it’s great to be in a city that has broad appeal and the whole Bailgate area is a really atmospheric place to visit and the investment in the wider city and travel links make it a great place to enjoy a break.
“It makes a big difference to the Cathedral being included as Lincoln has everything in the guide and more and once people come here and see the Cathedral and the city they love it.”
Kimberley Vickers, Culture Services Manager at Lincoln Castle, said: “We’re thrilled to see our sites feature in the England's Historic Cities Travel Guide. Being included in this prestigious guide is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the unique stories and experiences our sites offer.
“It not only shines a spotlight on Lincoln Castle, the Museum of Lincolnshire Life and Lincoln Museum as key cultural destinations but also supports our broader mission to attract visitors to Lincolnshire, showcasing the rich heritage and vibrant cultural experiences the region has to offer.
“We’re excited about the potential this brings to connect with new audiences and further solidify Lincoln and Lincolnshire’s position on the national and international tourism map.”
The International Bomber Command Centre also features in the guide and its CEO Nicky van der Drift said: “The IBCC is delighted to feature within this programme. To be listed amongst the icons of British historic attractions is exciting and humbling and will enable us to showcase the history of WW2 to a wider national and international audience.
“Our city has so much to offer, encouraging visitors to explore all the array will encourage not only new visits but with so much to see, will undoubtedly bring them back on multiple occasions."
‘Excited to launch new resource’
As well as the wonders of Lincoln, Bath, Canterbury, Cambridge, Chester, Carlisle, Durham Greenwich, Lancaster, Oxford, Salisbury, Stratford Upon-Avon and York also feature in the Guide.
This Travel Trade Guide supports wholesalers, tour operators, travel agents etc and is designed to help them develop and distribute new England’s Heritage Cities trade itineraries. It continues to be expanded with useful trade focused product information, in response to feedback from the industry.
VisitWiltshire leads on the travel trade engagement strategy working collaboratively with key trade partners to promote England’s Heritage Cities worldwide.
Florence Wallace, who is leading on Travel Trade engagement strategy for England’s Historic Cities, said: “We’re excited to be able to launch this new resource to the trade to promote new tourism experiences and assist the industries product development helping generate more tourism footfall and visitor spend.
“Our Travel Trade Partnerships and network continue to grow, with intermediaries who are committed to developing and distributing multi-city bookable programmes worldwide, but with a particular focus on North American visitors.”
Melanie Sensicle, EHC chairperson, said: “This new guide is a key tool in our travel trade engagement strategy and a great way to showcase our thirteen wonderful cities to travel trade partners across the world.
“England Originals has been our leading trade facing brand for almost five years and the result of over a decade of collaboration between destinations that share common interests and products. It is great to see it continuing to gain traction in the domestic and international marketplace.”