Latest Visit Chester destination marketing campaign on the right track

Marketing Cheshire have worked with Avanti West Coast to encourage more visits to Chester by train and achieved more than a threefold return on investment.

Destination marketing is one of the most direct levers we have for attracting visitors and growing the local visitor economy, and Chester’s national destination marketing campaign with Avanti West Coast is a clear example of it working in practice. Delivered by Marketing Cheshire with support from Destination Chester through the One City Plan, the campaign is designed to do one job especially well: turn awareness into bookings, and bookings into trackable footfall.

The early results bear that out. Between the start of March and end of April, the city’s destination campaign started, as part of a 6-month-long always-on approach. Serving 1.2 million impressions within its first burst and converting to 245 confirmed bookings and £24,375 in tracked partner revenue - a return of £3.79 for every £1 invested, with bookings growing week on week. Encouragingly, almost half of all searches are happening 22+ days in advance, though the last-minute booking trend for attractions and experiences is continuing.

What sets this campaign apart is the partnership behind it. Storyhouse and Chester Racecourse anchored the launch, with Chester Zoo and Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet joining in the next phase, broadening the proposition for visitors arriving by rail and reinforcing the case that the most sustainable, lowest-carbon journey to Cheshire is also the easiest one to book. Every booking through Avanti is a car off the road and a measurable contribution to Chester's economy.