Call to better promote Northumberland's heritage by MP

Tourism levels in Northumberland remain significantly lower compared to other UK regions. Visit Britain's latest figures show there are around 860,000 domestic and 49,000 international visits to Northumberland annually. Tourists also spend less money in the North East than any other region. 

In 2016 Visit Britain found 57 per cent of international visitors could not imagine what the country was outside of London. Visitors from Germany, France and the United States are the most likely to stay outside of London during their stay. 

Joe Morris, MP for the Hexham constituency, led a Westminster Hall debate on promoting Northumberland tourism on Tuesday, November 19. 

He praised tourist attractions including Vindolanda, Hexham Abbey and Prudhoe Castle – but said more could be done to attract bigger numbers in future.

Hexham Abbey, one of the county's iconic tourist destinations (Image: Nick Thornton Photography) He suggested increased funding for national tourism boards and a better collaborative relationship between Visit Britain and Visit Northumberland to expand the outreach and visibility of the region, as well as invest in roads and transport to improve the country's accessibility for tourists and ensure local infrastructure can handle additional visitors. 

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Mr Morris said: “Northumberland is home to breathtaking landscapes and historical treasures, yet our tourism sector lags behind the rest of the UK. From the Roman history of Hadrian’s Wall and Vindolanda to the mediaeval Hexham Old Gaol, England’s first purpose-built prison, our county’s rich heritage deserves wider recognition. 

“Crucially, however, tourism must be sustainable. It must preserve the local community and environment that makes Northumberland the region that it is. We need to ensure proper infrastructure is in place to support an expansion of tourism to the region.” 

Prudhoe Castle (Image: English Heritage) “Sustained investment is needed in this region to ensure that we are not left behind. Investment in our roads and public transport as well as the conservation of our heritage sites would not only enhance the visitor experience but also the lives of residents by creating job opportunities and boosting our local economy."

Deb Anderson, manager of Hexham Community Partnership, said: "We run Visit Hexham and, as such, we're working with organisations such as the Hadrian's Wall Partnership, Visit Northumberland and the North East Combined Authority to bring more revenue from tourism into this area.

"Hexham has so much to offer year-round thanks to venues such as our art deco cinema; the Queen's Hall with its theatre and exhibitions; Hexham Abbey's increasingly rich events programme; bowling and swimming at the Wentworth Leisure Centre; plus live gigs at The Vault, a medieval malting cellar, and our great pubs."

The development trust organises annual events including Hexham Hidden Gardens, free Heritage tours, Spook Night, Hexham Christmas Lights and the Hexham Christmas Market drawing thousands of people into Hexham.

Ms Anderson said: "Experiences such as the Hidden Horrors Walking Tours, ceramics workshops and painting at Obscuria and iPots, our Heritage Tours and the Project Escape Rooms are also really popular with visitors and encourage people into town to enjoy the town's shops, cafés and restaurants.

"Research shows that overnight stays generate far more income for the local economy than day trips. Hexham is well established as a good destination for a day out, but the aim now is to bring more people into the area to enjoy a weekend here or use this lovely town as their base for a week or two.

"The opening of Travelodge was a very positive step towards that and we have the boutique Beaumont Hotel, quality rooms above pubs such as The County and a wide range of self-catering on offer too. These are truly exciting times for the visitor economy in Hexham with a vast amount of potential for further growth."               

Vindolanda Trust CEO, Dr Andrew Birley, said a successful tourism economy benefits locals too.

“We are grateful to Joe Morris MP for raising this debate," he said. "Northumberland is a hidden gem within the UK tourism sector, but a gem that is hidden delivers far fewer wider benefits.

“A robust tourism economy is not just for tourists, it has profound benefits for local people and communities which include jobs, infrastructure and services. It is in all our interests in Northumberland to have further investment in this sector and a larger light shining on our region and the many great assets it holds.”

Lady Jane Gibson, chair of the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership Board, said: “We’re delighted to report that attractions and businesses across Hadrian’s Wall Country have continued to see strong visitor numbers, with many thousands of people coming to experience what the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site and the wider area has to offer.

“I agree with Mr Morris MP that sustained investment is needed. With a number of exciting infrastructure and product developments currently underway, we are confident that Hadrian’s Wall Country will continue to attract growing numbers of regional, national, and international visitors to enjoy our fantastic landscapes, cities and towns, all year round.”

Earlier this year Kim McGuinness, North East mayor, announced plans to double tourism in the North East over the next decade and create more than 25,000 local jobs. 

Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland, the accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership responsible for the sustainable management and marketing of Northumberland’s visitor economy, said: "Tourism is important to Northumberland supporting almost 15,000 jobs and recording the highest ever gross value contribution of £1.262 billion to predominantly small, rural businesses across the county.

"Growing domestic and international tourism sustainably by reducing seasonality and increasing the number of staying visitors is a priority. Our place-based and product-themed destination marketing raises the profile of the myriad of historic, cultural, family and endless experiences and we know that visitors love Northumberland and will visit again.

"While it is the case that the North East receives less domestic and international visitors than any other part of England, our focus is to double the value of our visitor economy via a ten-year strategy and position the region as a global leader in regenerative tourism and one of Europe’s most welcoming, accessible and inclusive destinations.

"We are working hand-in-hand with other regional destinations to profile and build these visitor economy ambitions through a pioneering and collaborative Destination North East focus, working alongside the new North East Combined Authority to achieve this.

"We welcome any efforts to support this and urge local, regional and national Government to continue to champion the work of Visit Northumberland to profile and manage the sustainable growth of the destination, its towns, natural landscapes and communities."