Shopping festival bags more visitors
Apr 11 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal
A SHOPPING festival is to be trialled in the region in a bid to boost tourism in the North East. It is hoped The Big Shop will add to the estimated £230m a year spend by visitors shopping across the region.
The event, which will take place from May 24 to June 8, will focus on five main retail areas in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, County Durham and North Tyneside.
It will also include live music from bands and art installations as part of a programme of events, and a chance to win shopping sprees.
Andrew Dixon, executive director for Tourism Tyne and Wear, said: “It’s very important that we play to our strengths. There are good strengths in places of nightlife and of culture but there are also huge strengths as a place to shop.
“This is a pilot festival and the first one of its kind we have done in the region. We have got a growing reputation as a city for shopping and we thought we should find a way of collating that and promoting not only Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland but the rest of Tyneside as a place to shop.
“It’s also making local people aware of the range of retailers in the area, such as Tynemouth Station Market and some of the independent shopping in the area.
“It’s also about attracting people from places like Carlisle and further afield .
“We have known that the Norwegians and the Irish and many of our visitors spend a lot of time here shopping and we are hoping to use the festival to promote the area as a major shopping destination.”
The festival will also see more than 2,000 limited shopping bags specially designed by the winner of a children’s competition, who will win £200 in vouchers.
Retail outlets in Dalton Park in Murton, County Durham and Royal Quays in North Shields, North Tyneside, will take part in the events as well as The Bridges in Sunderland, Eldon Square in Newcastle and the Gateshead MetroCentre.
