Campaign to attract winter tourists to Northumberland

Nov 3 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

TOURISM chiefs have launched a new campaign aimed at attracting more visitors and their spending power to Northumberland during the winter months.

Under the slogan Lights, Camera, Action, the latest drive is designed to further raise the profile of Englands most northerly county as a tourist haven both regionally and nationally.

The campaign seeks to promote Northumberlands natural beauty and diverse attractions as winter as well as peak summer magnets for visitors. Run by Northumberland Tourism the agency which promotes the countys vital visitor industry Lights, Camera Action has been launched to boost visitor numbers to Englands finest outdoor playground between November and March.

It coincides with the start of the third annual Northumberland Lights winter festival, a stunning visual programme which involves the illumination of some of the countys outstanding architecture and natural environment.

The Northumberland Lights shows incorporate illumination, pyrotechnics, performance, film and sound.

The campaign also draws on the winter pulling power of the countys ancient castles, the rugged 398sqm National Park and a stunning stretch of coastline from Berwick to Blyth.

It aims to attract more walking enthusiasts to enjoy the moorland, beaches, woodland and rivers which have made the county a summer haven for thousands of ramblers. Climbers are also being targeted to come to areas such as the Cheviot and Simonside Hills, while other more active tourists are being tempted by the lure of winter sea kayaking and canoeing along the coastline.

The campaign also highlights Northumberlands wide range of top quality hotels, restaurants and pubs, with their accent on locally produced food, and the spa facilities available at hotels such as Matfen Hall and Linden Hall.

For the more spiritually-minded, it also promotes the largest Zen-based Buddhist group in the UK at Throssel Hole near Hexham, which offers retreats and courses open to the public. Alternatively the Aruna Ratanagiri Monastery near Belsay offers training to become a monk, as well as a lay retreat and open days, courses and weekly meditation sessions.