Businesses from across Carlisle, the Western Lake District and coast have benefitted from an inspirational event at Lakes College to share a range of practical support and advice for their everyday operations. 


Called ‘Embracing Excellence in the Visitor Economy’, the free event was headlined by renowned customer service expert, Geoff Ramm, and aimed predominately at operators in tourism, hospitality and retail.

It was packed full of talks and workshops aimed specifically at HR and marketing professionals. 
The morning session included an overview of Cumberland Council projects being delivered by Cumbria Tourism through the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

That included the launch of 34 newly-created itineraries to help businesses target visitors, travel trade and media. 
The itineraries include a variety of themes and range from one day trips to longer, multi-day visits which encourage target audiences to explore hidden gems, dwell longer, stay overnight and visit at different times of year - helping to extend the traditional holiday season.
With accessibility and sustainable transport options in mind, they have been shaped using first-hand research from local businesses to help enhance people’s understanding of what’s available and create a better visitor experience.

The itineraries are now available at: www.inspiringitineraries.co.uk
The event also featured updates on other SPF projects such as the current ‘Food and Drink in Cumberland’ and ‘Adventure for Everyone’ campaigns and the new ‘Welcome to Work in the Visitor Economy’ initiative to help break down barriers to working in tourism and hospitality. 
In the afternoon, businesses had the chance to take part in a series of workshops.

Freelance travel journalist Sean Newsom - a regular contributor to The Times and Sunday Times - focused on how to work with national journalists.

Meanwhile, a representative from VisitBritain talked about working with the group travel trade to capture new markets and there were special workshops around social media influencers and promoting more inclusive and accessible travel experiences for people heading to Carlisle, the Western Lake District and coast. 
Sessions with People First, Growing Well and HMP Haverigg highlighted practical ways to retain existing staff and identify and support new workers into hospitality roles, including learning disability awareness and mental health awareness.
Meanwhile, Realise HR provided handy tips and advice about inclusive recruitment practices.  
Future tourism talent was a running theme, with catering and hospitality students from Lakes College providing lunch, including Cumberland pie, Cumberland Rum Nicky and Borrowdale Tea Bread.

‘Embracing Excellence in the Visitor Economy’ was supported through Cumberland Council and the UK government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.