The drive to attract tourists to Swanage for the 2023 season has officially begun as English Tourism Week launched with a series of posters showing the best of what the town has to offer.
Swanage Pier, Durlston Country Park and Swanage Railway are among the tourist attractions featuring in advertising which will be promoted on social media feeds during the week from Friday 17th to Sunday 26th March 2023.
No visit to Swanage is complete without a stroll along the pier
Celebrate amazing experiences
The theme of English Tourism Week for 2023 is ‘celebrating amazing experiences and amazing people’.
In Swanage, efforts are focussed on continuing to attract tourists who discovered Swanage during the years of staycations – even though international travel has now returned.
And attention will also be given to local residents, to encourage them to spend more time exploring the wonderful attractions on their doorsteps.
Swanage Carnival drew thousands to the town in 2022
In the quieter months, visitors can have the beach almost to themselves
Making everyone feel welcome
Councillor Chris Tomes, Swanage Council’s chair of the tourism and local economy committee, said:
“For us, tourism is the backbone of Swanage’s local economy and we look forward to building on last year and the influx of visitors once again after the Covid years.
“As a council, we are looking for ways to extend the season with different events and marketing, and how we can make Swanage a year-round destination and not just one for the summer months.
“As 2023 is also the Year of the Coast, we are hoping that a lot of events will latch onto that – Swanage Carnival has already decided that Under the Sea will be its theme for this summer.
“The six weeks of summer predominantly take care of themselves, we are interested in how to improve tourism in the shoulder months. We are blessed with beautiful countryside and wonderful walks and there is a lot of potential to tap into there.
“We have to pay attention to making tourism for the locals as well as for the visitors, to make everyone feel welcome and to promote wider Purbeck as much as Swanage itself.”
We do love to be beside the seaside, especially as the weather warms up
Posters show the top local attractions
During English Tourism Week, the Visit Dorset team which promotes tourism across the county, is encouraging everyone to make the most of what the area has to offer.
The team will be highlighting Dorset’s unique experiences and a host of special offers on its Facebook and Instagram channels and on its Visit Dorset website.
Swanage is specifically being promoted with posters showcasing some of the top local attractions, which will be appearing on social media pages throughout the week.
It’s estimated that Swanage Railway injects £15 million into the local economy each year
Taking the train
Chair of Swanage Railway Company, Trevor Parsons welcomed the campaign:
“Swanage and the railway are coupled together when it comes to bringing visitors to the town, so it’s good to see Swanage Railway featuring in the posters promoting the town.
“There’s no doubt that our steam locomotives are a big attraction and there’s plenty of fascinating history at the railway to discover too.”
Durlston Country Park is a perfect place for a springtime ramble
Some great coastal and countryside footpaths
The idea is not only to start visitors thinking about a break to Swanage in summer, but also to inspire residents and visitors to get out and about, discover somewhere new and support local businesses.
In particular the team at Swanage Information Centre is hoping to encourage more people this year to explore Swanage and the surrounding area by foot.
Swanage Town Council visitor services manager Culvin Milmer said:
“I’m looking forward to a great spring, summer, autumn and even winter with many Christmas events already being planned for 2023.
“One of our new initiatives this year is to encourage more people to see the sights by walking along some of our fantastic coastal and countryside footpaths.
“Just pop into the information centre in Shore Road to find out more about some of the best walks in the area. A number of great walking routes will also be available on the Swanage pages of the Visit Dorset website soon.”
Swanage – still worth a return visit despite the lure of holidaying abroad
A place to come to for the feelgood factor
Councillor Chris Tomes added:
“The town has an exceptional events programme, which started in early March with a very successful blues festival, and with jazz, folk, fish and pirate festivals coming up, we can really put Swanage on the map as a place to come for the feelgood factor.
“It can be hard to judge, but we were probably above pre-Covid tourist figures in 2022. The challenge this year will be that international travel is back to normal levels, so we have to somehow keep the people who discovered Swanage when staycation was the norm.
“The exceptional summer last year certainly helped to seal Swanage as a destination and I hope we can persuade people who discovered us then that they can still holiday here for a weekend or a few days while still taking their overseas trip.”
Further information
- Look for more day out ideas and special offers at the Visit Dorset website
