Tourism in Northern Ireland is on a roll. The peace dividend has seen investment in its capital (not least the Titanic Belfast, just voted the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction), and Derry Londonderry City of Culture 2013. Game of Thrones is attracting new visitors in new ways. But what about the rich existing heritage, as strong as any other part of the UK? Heritage can play a much stronger role in the nation’s visitor economy. We’ve been appointed to seek out opportunities that can do just that.

Image: Titanic Belfast

Our northern cities are excelling! In case you hadn’t noticed, 2017 marks Hull’s year as the UK City of Culture. We’ve been commissioned by Visit Hull and East Yorkshire to look at creating a series of cultural itineraries along the Transpennine route starting in Hull and taking in Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool to test with international tour operators.

As well as Hull’s bumper cultural year. Manchester hosts the 6th Manchester International Festival, Liverpool celebrates the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album as part of the 50 Summers of Love cultural programme and Leeds celebrates 50 years of the West Indian Carnival, to name a few highlights. Focusing specifically on the Dutch and German markets, the cultural itineraries will encourage visitors to move from city to city along the Transpennine corridor.

View CTConsults case study – Northern cities assemble

We’re working with Manchester’s three orchestras and major music venues to recommend ways to raise the profile of this significant sector with stakeholders, media and audiences.

Manchester is an extraordinary place to be a music scholar, a musician or audience member – offering Chetham’s School of Music and its new Stoller Hall concert venue opening next year; the Royal Northern College of Music conservatoire and performance venue; The Bridgewater Hall, Hallé St Peters & St Michaels, plus other music venues across the city, and of course three outstanding orchestras performing at the top of their game: the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic – also regularly broadcasting on BBC Radio 3 – and Manchester Camerata. So why is this not more recognised and celebrated? It’s all about partnerships and collaboration and we’re recommending new ways of thinking and working together.

Image: Stoller Hall

There are many fantastic national initiatives, but how much do you know about The National Forest? If you don’t live in its 200+sqm in the Midlands, perhaps not too much. So we were invited to help to shape a new event to carry their environmental and regeneration messages to a wider audience.

That’s a big brief, made bigger by wanting to boost visitors, profile, revenues and partnerships. The National Forest Company is rightly ambitious – they’ve planted over 2m trees in the last 25 years after all. Our options appraisal explored how a potential new festival could celebrate the area’s landscape, culture and special qualities, while also supporting The National Forest’s thriving tourism, creative and woodland economy communities through promotion of and participation in its work.

Sleepy market town. It’s a well-worn stereotype – and it’s not always true. Take Cheltenham. It has some of the strongest cultural events to be found in the West – Cheltenham Festivals, and the Gold Cup spring to mind. Working with the inestimable consultant John Knell, we developed an outcomes-based tourism strategy that can take the town forward together.

Outcomes is an important word. A new partnership has been established – but with clear and shared goals. A new post has been created – working to a 3-year development route map that Creative Tourist developed with the key tourism partners. Cheltenham punches above its weight already, and our work is part of ensuring that their planning, investment and infrastructure can match their product and promotion.

View CTConsults’ case study – Setting the alarm for a sleepy festival town