Virgin Trains supports Marketing Lancashire

12 February 2016

Virgin Trains supports Marketing Lancashire with their campaign to boost tourism in the county where life feels good.

Virgin Trains is supporting Marketing Lancashire’s ‘Lancashire is Great’ campaign in an effort to promote tourism in the county. 

Virgin Trains, who operates passenger services on both the East Coast and West Coast is offering an exclusive discount of 30% on Off Peak Advance fares to Preston and Lancaster to get more people to Lancashire.

The offer is part of a wider campaign to support VisitEngland’s ‘Love the North’ campaign, which aims to promote tourism in the North of England and demonstrate that the flood hit regions are #Openforbusiness following the damage caused by storms Desmond, Eva and Frank in December 2015.

Marketing Lancashire is working with local businesses to promote events and late availability offers across the county to encourage visitors to Lancashire for a ‘staycation’ with its ‘Lancashire is Great’ campaign.

Discounted fares can be purchased on direct Virgin Trains services until Tuesday 1 March. It is available for travel between 19 February and 13 May and is timed to coincide with the February half-term holiday and the Easter break in March.

Anna Doran, General Manager at Virgin Trains, said: “We are proud to be supporting VisitEngland’s Love the North campaign and help boost tourism in the regions hit by flooding. The storms had a devastating effect on the people of Lancashire but they will not be beaten and are determined to show they’re open for business. We care about the local communities we serve, so were keen to get right behind Marketing Lancashire’s ‘Lancashire is Great’ campaign to encourage people to visit this fantastic county. Our exclusive discount gives visitors the chance to experience the region and all it has to offer, for less. We look forward to welcoming visitors to Lancashire and hope they take advantage of the many deals available across the county.”

Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire, said: “Many tourism businesses across Lancashire were affected by the December storms, some experiencing serious loss of business as well as the awful experience of having to clean-up and refurbish their properties.

Our conversations with VisitEngland and the campaign to secure additional support to help with recovery began before Christmas. It was important to let visitors know as soon as possible, that Lancashire was open for business and the £1million #LovetheNorth campaign, targeting audiences in London and the South East, which began this week is a very positive and welcome response from government. The additional support of discounted advance rail tickets offered by Virgin Trains, combined with an array of special offers from attractions and hospitality providers, makes a short break in Lancashire a very compelling option for a half-term or Easter break using the West Coast rail links through the county.

Ruth Connor added: “Lancashire people are very resilient and the start to the year has been a real challenge for many but Marketing Lancashire, with the support of great partners like Virgin Trains, will do all we can to help tourism businesses with their recovery and get those visitors back to the county where life feels good.”

Details of Offer – Virgin Trains West Coast 
The 30% discount is available on off-peak Advance fares only and can be booked from Tuesday 9 February until Tuesday 1 March 2016.

The offer is available on direct services along the West Coast to Carlisle, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Preston, Warrington and Wigan from Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, Coventry, Milton Keynes, London Euston, Watford and Wolverhampton for travel between 10 February – 13 May 2016.  For more information about the offer on Virgin Trains West Coast, and to book tickets, visit:
www.virgintrains.co.uk/lovethenorth

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