North Northumberland Tourism Association Serving Tourism in Northumberland and the Borders
Press Release
No embargo Exciting opportunity for Northumberland’s tourism industry
An exciting event for Northumberland’s tourism businesses is happening in Berwick on the 6th of March. The event will be an opportunity to learn from experts about how to gain competitive advantage by being more sustainable, and to share and develop these ideas with others involved in tourism.
The event is being organised by the North Northumberland Tourism Association, with support from the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership and the Northumberland National Park Authority.
Manda Brookman, director of the Cornwall Sustainable Tourism Network (CoaST), will explain the ethos behind the successful Cornwall network and chair a series of presentations from experts on topics that affect tourism businesses. Topics will include reducing waste, reducing energy bills, walking and cycling, local food and seasonal produce, landscape, communication and marketing, finance and much more.
The event will be an opportunity to share and learn from these ideas with others who work in tourism. Lunch will be provided, as a way of showcasing and enjoying some of Northumberland’s wonderful local produce.
Jeff Sutheran, chair of the North Northumberland Tourism Association said “I’ve recently been to Cornwall to look at their sustainable tourism network and meet some of their ambassador businesses, and I came back to Northumberland really enthused! There are so many similarities between Cornwall and Northumberland and there is so much that the tourism industry in Northumberland could learn from them. Establishing a network of sustainable tourism businesses in Northumberland like the CoaST network is a priority, and this event will kick-start our network.”
“This is a two-day event. The first day is an introduction to the issues of sustainable tourism and why they are important. We’ll also be looking at what we could achieve here in our own region. It’s open to anyone involved with tourism in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. On the second day, those individuals and businesses who are prepared to get their sleeves rolled up and become an ambassador for sustainable tourism in Northumberland will meet, to make a Northumberland sustainable tourism network happen.”
“This conference/seminar is not just for tourist attractions or accommodation businesses, we want to encourage people from the retail, food and drink, transport and travel and activities sectors to come along too”
President: Lord Joicey Treasurer: E Gilliland, The Visitor Centre, Heatherslaw, Cornhill on Tweed TD12 4TJ Web site: www.nnta.org Email: [email protected] North Northumberland Tourism Association Serving Tourism in Northumberland and the Borders
The seminar/conference will be on 6th and 7th March at Berwick Guild Hall, and run from 10.30am until 3.30pm. It costs £10 per person to attend.
To book a place, send an email to [email protected] or call Iain Robson at the Northumberland Coast AONB Office on 01665 511206.
To see what is happening in Cornwall, have a look at the CoaST project website at www.coastproject.co.uk
Ends
Notes to editors North Northumberland Tourism Association (NNTA) is one of the country’s oldest associations of tourism businesses. It was founded in 1985, to help tourism businesses in north Northumberland and the Borders support each other - and to inform and encourage visitors to the area.
Tourism makes up 11.8% of Northumberland’s economy - 2.7% higher than the national average - and contributes £665 million to the economy.
Northumberland is now in the very top tier of ‘most loved destinations’ in England, according to VisitEngland’s 2011 Visitor Satisfaction Survey.
Over 10,700 full time jobs are supported by direct tourism expenditure in Northumberland and a further 2,200 full time jobs are supported by indirect revenue from tourism.
NNTA is administered by an Executive Committee of Members, who work voluntarily.
NNTA currently has about 140 member businesses, drawn from all sectors of the tourism industry.
The NNTA website can be found at www.nnta.org
Further information, about NNTA or this particular initiative, is available from Jeff Sutheran 01665 720456 or Iain Robson 01665 511206
President: Lord Joicey Treasurer: E Gilliland, The Visitor Centre, Heatherslaw, Cornhill on Tweed TD12 4TJ Web site: www.nnta.org Email: [email protected]