A new collection of more than 70 bookable visitor experiences alongside over 80 accommodation providers has been launched across nine of England’s National Parks including Northumberland National Park.
The collection has been supported by VisitEngland’s Discover England Fund and is a united response from England’s National Parks to address the issue that less than a third of all trips to England made by overseas visitors currently involve a stay outside of London. It has been curated to persuade more Australian and German visitors, who are known to love our countryside, to venture beyond London and discover and spend time in our beautiful National Parks. It is estimated that the value of tourism to the visitor economy of England’s National Parks is estimated to be around £4 billion a year.
When people travel they no longer want to just ‘see’ a place; they want to live it, breathe it, touch it and become part of it. The English National Park Experience Collection offers the most outstanding visitor experiences in the most exceptional landscapes – each carefully selected, developed and curated to tell the stories of England’s stunning National Parks, and their people.
Sarah Fowler, Sustainable Tourism Lead for the nine English National Parks and Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “This brand new collection of experiences has been designed to harness the growing demand for experiential tourism; alongside quality accommodation, they will be easy to book options for the overseas travel trade.
“From travel agents, tour operators, wholesales or guides, there is something in the mix for most buyers’ upcoming schedules or brochures, helping to support hundreds of businesses across our National Parks.”
There are nine English National Parks in the Experience Collection (Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, North York Moors, Northumberland, Peak District, South Downs and Yorkshire Dales) with each National Park offering a selection of experiences from history, food and drink to adventure.
Duncan Wise, Northumberland National Park Visitor Development and Marketing Manager, said: “Being part of The English National Park Experience Collection has provided us with a fabulous opportunity to tell the world what is so special about Northumberland National Park.
“It has been a privilege to work with all local experience and accommodation providers, who have shared their passion for the area, told their distinctive stories, and developed them into unique visitor experiences, which we hope will leave visitors with wonderful memories to take home with them.”
Highlights from the Northumberland National Park Collection include dining and stargazing at the Battlesteads Hotel in Wark, foraging and wild cooking with Northern Wilds, exploring the bloody borders with Northumberland 300, living like a Roman with Ancient Britain, flying Birds of Prey with Falconry Days, joining a Ranger patrol of Hadrian’s Wall on Ebike and discovering your artistic nature with Footsteps Northumberland.
Partner accommodation providers include Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant at Wark, Carraw B&B in Humshaugh, Hesleyside Hall B&B and the Hollybush Inn at Greenhaugh.
The full collection of experiences will be available on the new English National Park Experience Collection website from early February.
