21/03/2019 - Permalink

Shropshire Hills Tourism EXPO 2019

Related topics: Leisure, culture and heritage / Partner organisations

Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership and Shropshire Hills Tourism are jointly hosting their annual tourism conference and leaflet swap on Wednesday 3 April 2019 at Ludlow Racecourse.

The day’s programme starts with a morning leaflet swap and Expo. The morning will include talks about the proposed Tourism Ambassadors Scheme and new destination branding.  Gemma Davies, Head of Economic Development at Shropshire Council will talk about the importance of tourism in Shropshire.

An image of the beautiful Shropshire Hills on a sunny day

The Shropshire Hills Late Autumn by Jordan Mansfield, www.shropshireprints.co.uk

Over thirty attractions and other businesses from across the Shropshire Hills will be there promoting their services. Last year’s event attracted over 80 local tourism business owners to pick up leaflets and network.  This year, over 100 bookings have already been taken, with two weeks left until the event which is free to attend. For booking details visit the Eventbrite page.

An image of two cyclists on The Portway on the Long Mynd in the Shropshire Hills on a sunny day.

Cyclists on The Portway on The Long Mynd by Simon Whaley

The event will also launch The Great Shropshire Hills Cream Tea Trail and awards to encourage visitors to explore the area sampling its best cream teas. Visitors will vote for their favourite and the winner will be awarded at the Ludlow Food Festival. Bite-sized cream tea tasters will be served at the Expo by Ludlow Farmshop who are sponsoring the trail.

The afternoon conference will be opened by Cllr Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for culture and leisure.

The key note speaker will be Carol Ritchie, Chief Executive of the Europarc Federation, who will be congratulating the Shropshire Hills for their recent Sustainable Tourism Award. Carol will talk about the value of being a member of an international network of destinations, renowned for their outstanding landscapes and important heritage. Invited speakers also include Shane Harris from North Pennines AONB and Tish Dockerty from Local to Ludlow.

Cllr Lezley Picton said:

“This annual event gets bigger and better every year. It shows that the benefits of working together locally. It also celebrates how we are part of an international network of special places all working towards greener, more responsible tourism.

“I’m looking forward to the event and to exploring the Shropshire Hills in search of the finest cream teas!”

Paul Davis, Chair of Shropshire Hills Tourism, said:

“This is the biggest tourism event in the area, with people coming from Herefordshire, Powys and Worcestershire to join us. It’s an efficient way to make sure every business can pick up leaflets and find out what’s going on in tourism. It is also a great opportunity to develop partnerships and promote new things, like the Cream Tea Trail.”

Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership and Shropshire Hills Tourism are working together as part of the Shropshire Hills Destination Partnership to promote green tourism in the Shropshire Hills.

Notes to editors

For more information about the event and Cream Tea Trail contact Nigel McDonald, Sustainable Tourism Officer for Shropshire Hills AONB (nigel.mcdonald@shropshire.gov.uk  01743 254744).

For more information about the leaflet swap and Expo contact Paul Davis, Chair of Shropshire Hills Tourism (chair@visitshropshirehills.co.uk)