June 2021

WARWICKSHIRE MEANS BUSINESS

Two new visitor websites launched in Warwickshire towns

"Warwickshire has so much to offer beyond its more famous attractions. It’s fantastic to see local communities use these free county council supported online assets"

Two new visitor websites have been launched to help attract visitors back to Warwickshire as the county's tourist sector starts to recover from the devastating impact of COVID.

The new websites celebrate all that’s best about Atherstone and Kenilworth and are a direct result of Warwickshire County Council’s ‘Visit Local’ project which aims to help some of the county’s smaller towns to realise their untapped visitor potential.

These days, everyone has have the ability to use hashtags on social media like #staycation and #discoveryourdoorstep and these new local visitor websites give residents and visitors a way to find out what gems are hidden in our local market towns. Over the last year, an updated online toolkit and web template have been made available to help communities create their own websites and get themselves on the tourism map.

Cllr Kam Kaur Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Economy and Place said: "Warwickshire has so much to offer beyond its more famous attractions. It’s fantastic to see local communities use these free county council supported online assets. The Visit Local project and the resulting destination template has provided the tools for our communities across the County to create their own bespoke online portal for residents and visitors and use that local intelligence to best promote their unique visitor offers.

"Tourism has previously been such an integral part of the county’s economy, prior to the pandemic. With the domestic ‘staycation’ market looking to take advantage of people taking breaks in this country, it’s good to see that Warwickshire is getting its message out there to attract visitors to all corners of the county.”

KenilworthIn Kenilworth, a partnership of local businesses, community members and local organisations has worked together to engage, promote and improve the local area. Using the WCC template, with financial support from the HS2 Business and Local Economy Fund, they have created an informative, attractive new destination website for the town: https://visit.kenilworthweb.co.uk/

The partnership has also just launched three new nature and heritage trails in print and online. The website also offers a themed business and services directory so visitors can search for the things that inspire them, or that they just want to explore.

“We have our historic castle in England, with links to King Henry V and Queen Elizabeth 1st, and site of the longest siege in English history -  and there is much more to explore,” said Cllr James Kennedy, Leader of the Kenilworth Town Council. “There so many beautiful green spaces from the huge Abbey Fields park in the centre to ancient woodlands and wildflower meadows, and you can trace the history of the town from mediaeval times to the Second World War. Then sample the great variety of excellent cafes, restaurants and pubs.”

AtherstoneIt’s a similar story in Atherstone where https://visitatherstone.com/ presents new ways for visitors to explore all that’s best about this picturesque town. It aims to raise awareness not just among visitors but also local people of what they have on their doorstep.

The site is still in development and local businesses are urged to contact atherstonepartnership@gmail.com to secure their free business listing.

Stuart Jones, secretary for Atherstone Partnership, said: “Famous for hat making and also for contributing to several historic battles, namely The Roman Battle of Watling Street and The Battle of Bosworth, Atherstone is well known for its popular community events such as the Annual Ball Game, Dickens Day, Charity Beer Festival, Atherstone in Bloom. All of these events happen by engaging with the many independent retail shops around the town.

"The town has its own YouTube Video channel called ‘The Stone Channel’ https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC4-hQJUYU382oxGsj4hXh6A, where we post local information and a weekly 90 second update.

The Atherstone Partnership is very grateful for the help and support Warwickshire County Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council has given us in developing the project. “

These new sites follow hard on the heels of www.visitpolesworth.co.uk which launched last year, again using the WCC template and best practice guide.

Further local town visitor sites are in the pipeline so if you want to know more about how your town or village can get involved then explore the template and guide at https://www.destinationtemplate.co.uk/ or please contact tourism@warwickshire.gov.uk.

Comments

Have your say...

Comments are closed for this article