Great West Way creates new online itineraries to boost tourism in rural Wiltshire

Great West Way creates new online itineraries to boost tourism in rural Wiltshire

Promotion will encourage visitors to explore off the beaten track places in the county

Regional UK tourism initiative Great West Way has created new online itineraries thanks to funding from the government’s rural development LEADER project.

The itineraries focus on rural Wiltshire and include 11 trade and 15 consumer itineraries designed to increase visitors and spend in the region.

Wiltshire is the focus of the project because it is the most rural area of Great West Way, England’s multi-modal touring route between London and Bristol.

In a first phase of the project, Great West Way has launched three consumer online itineraries.

These include a Guide to Cycling Breaks from Bradford on Avon, Walking in the North Wessex Downs and a Guide to Canal Boating along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

To coincide with the launch of the itineraries, Great West Way has released a vox pop with Robert Dean, president of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, about the waterway and its place on Great West Way.

This is the first of many vox pops that Great West Way will be launching alongside the new 26 travel itineraries.

Fiona Errington, Head of Marketing at Great West Way, said: “Wiltshire makes up 25% of the Great West Way and is mostly rural.

“We were thrilled to have been chosen to receive funding through the LEADER project, and are very pleased with the end result.

“We worked with media agency Green Traveller, who specialise in sustainable travel and who assisted us in putting together the itineraries and online content.

“There has always been interest in trips to rural locations but never more so than now.

“The online itineraries that we’re launching provide an easy to follow route in areas that are not heavily signposted, giving people the confidence to travel off the beaten track.”

As part of the LEADER project of £138million was made available in England between 2015 and 2020 to local businesses, communities, farmers, foresters and land managers to create jobs and to help business growth.

Each project was chosen by Local Action Groups (LAGs), who also distributed the funding. Great West Way received funding from Plain Action/Vale Action Group.