Canadian media in tourism visit to Ironbridge Gorge
Tourism bosses promoting one of the county's most important historic sites have hosted a visit from high profile Canadian media.
Telford tourism leaders welcomed some of the biggest titles in Canadian lifestyle, travel and cultural press to the Ironbridge Gorge, the world famous UNESCO World Heritage site.
The tour was run by Visit Telford – the official tourism organisation for the area and part of Telford & Wrekin Council.
The visit was organised through the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games business and tourism growth programme, intended to showcase the best of Birmingham and the West Midlands region.
Canadian press representatives included well established media titles such as Vacaynetwork.co, Postmedia, Espaces, NUVO, Canada.com, Coup de Pouce, Clin d’Oeil and La Presse.
The group enjoyed a tailor made tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site starting with a visit to the great furnace, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, before heading to the iconic Iron Bridge where they explored the heritage of the River Severn and the attractions on tap at the waterway destination.
As a finale to the tour, the group visited Jackfield Tile Museum, with its collection of tiles, from William Morris to Salvador Dali, where they saw the world’s finest encaustic tile makers Craven Dunnill in action.
Cathy Stapells, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager Canada for VisitBritain based in Toronto, shared her joy at the visit and why she thinks that Telford and Ironbridge Gorge will have great appeal for Canadian audiences visiting the UK.
Cathy said: “The visit was a huge success. The media were so impressed with Telford and Ironbridge Gorge.
"Not only is it an integral part of the history of England’s Industrial Revolution but also an incredibly beautiful area to showcase to Canadian visitors.’
Telford & Wrekin Council recently launched a new ‘Visit Telford’ digital platform, which marks the start of a UK wide ‘Visit Telford’ campaign to encourage more tourists to come to the area.
Telford attracts more than six million visitors per year, spending £600million in the local economy.
Councillor Eileen Callear, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Visitor Economy, Employment and Skills, said: “This visit was a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our links with media contacts in Canada and to tap into opportunities which attract Canadians to Ironbridge and Telford as part of their UK grand tour.
“Canada is a very important inbound tourism market for us and the West Midlands and its triad of attractions, from its world class heritage and culture to its majestic outdoors, gives us major appeal to families, culture seekers and adventure makers.
“We look forward to working closer with friends at VisitBritain and West Midlands Tourism Board to attract international visitors, encouraging them to explore and enjoy our region which will hopefully lead to the creation of new employment opportunities.”
