Shrewsbury 'must do more to attract tourists'

The visitor experience in Shrewsbury is 'weak', with the town needing to find a greater sense of identity to attract more tourists, a new report, commissioned by Shropshire Council, has claimed.

The report from tourism experts Britton McGrath Associates said that tourists find it difficult to find their way to attractions such as The Dingle, The Square and Shrewsbury Castle when they come to the town.

The study found Shrewsbury attracts 2.6 million visitors a year, compared to 41.9 million in Chester and 17.5 million in Durham.

It also criticised the online marketing campaign for Shrewsbury run by Destination Shrewsbury.

"The challenge here is a lack of identity and focus on unique selling points that Shrewsbury has to offer. At the moment, the visitor experience on the ground is weak. There is a lack of welcome or sense of arrival," it said.

"Throughout the town, it is a challenge for a visitor to find the 'best bits'.

"Across the town, the visitor signage is hard to see or recessive.

Tangible

"Other cities, arguably with a lot less tangible historic 'product' to offer than Shrewsbury, have successfully marketed their assets significantly better."

Nobody from Shropshire Council was available for comment.

But, reacting to findings, Simon Airey, president of the Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said the town had the potential to attract more tourists if it was marketed in the right way.

"Perhaps Chester is still viewed as a nicer town to visit. But I think Shrewsbury has overtaken Chester from a retail point of view and a cultural view.

"Perhaps we haven't marketed Shrewsbury as well as we can," he said.

"I'm hoping Destination Shrewsbury will make a good job of that. Things like the street theatre festival, the folk festival and the flower show all have a massive part to play.

"We have everything, we just need to shout about it. We have got fantastic restaurants, great businesses, we have got the history and the pubs, we just need to embrace it.

"We need to make a concerted effort between the council, Shop in the Loop and Destination Shrewsbury to make sure that message is put across."

The study said tourism spend in the town stands at £137 million, supporting about 3,600 jobs in Shrewsbury.