Visit Shropshire, a destination management organisation, said the value of tourism in Shropshire shows visitors spend over £539 million on goods and services, and the number of visits to the county reached more than 11.9 million. It’s brief for the new site is to build on that success by boosting awareness of the area’s extensive tourism offer and increasing visitor numbers and spending.
The site, www.visitshropshire.co.uk, will aim to inspire the visitor to see more and stay longer by showcasing the region’s portfolio of tourism members using promotional imagery, combined with an improved visitor journey.
Featuring the organisation’s new branding, the site emphasises Shropshire’s credentials as a destination, where visitors can explore the picturesque towns and villages, breath-taking walks in the countryside, UNESCO World Heritage site in Ironbridge escape to a woodland cabin in Shropshire Hills or enjoy fantastic family attraction or event.
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Larger imagery, accommodation booking via a built in booking portal for individual businesses all help to increase Shropshire’s providers’ exposure and stimulate bookings.
They have also included a news and articles section, which Visit Shropshire believes will deliver a great resource for visitors and helps to boost search engine rankings.
Recent insight from VisitEngland highlights how tourists are increasingly doing more research and planning before travelling, have an interest in creating itineraries and are looking for genuine authenticity in destinations, all of which have informed the look, feel and design of the website, bosses say.
Mark Hooper, project lead at Visit Shropshire said: “Our new visitor website is light years ahead of its predecessor and will be a virtual window for all that Shropshire has to offer the tourist. Combined with our fresh new brand we want the first-time and returning visitors to be intrigued and excited about coming to explore the region.”
The brand-new website comes in conjunction with Visit Shropshire’s offer of free membership to help businesses through the current Covid-19 crisis affecting the tourism industry. To find out more visit www.visitshropshire.co.uk. For further information contact Mark Hooper or Sarah Crighton 01743 261919
