Taking the waters (in Buxton)… to another level

Often cultural heritage tourism focuses on maximising the assets a place has – museums, castles, gardens, waterfront and so on. For some it is about rediscovering and reimagining past glory. Sometimes both. Enter Buxton. The jewel of the High Peak, it has stunning, historic buildings and gardens. It is one of only two thermal spas in the country (Bath is the other – another CTConsults client coincidentally), and is located pretty much only “an hour from everywhere” as locals put it.

As a town, it is benefiting from more heritage investment than most every other comparable place you can think of. The magnificent Crescent is the obvious centrepiece, and is undertaking a massive transformation, helping to reinvigorate the town as much as ’taking the waters’ will do for its patrons. We have just been asked by the town, with our partners Yellow Railroad, Creative Heritage and Sara Hilton Associates to develop a visitor economy strategy that fully integrates the potential of heritage into its planning, from asset management right through to campaigns. We will produce plans that identify and develop a series of transformational elements for Buxton – brand, culture, place, visitor experience, wraparound offer, leadership – which build on the organisational and asset base of the town and its partners.

View CtConsults’ case study – A visitor economy strategy to help us to ‘take the waters’ once more

Image: Buxton Opera House, courtesy Pure Buxton