Amanda Bond at the Curious County launch

A MAJOR campaign to attract more tourists to Suffolk was launched yesterday – at the county’s newly-established “embassy’’ in central London.

The Curious County launch in London

Actually, the “embassy’’ was the Adnams Kitchen and Cellar Store in Bloomsbury, where the Curious County initiative was officially unveiled to the media, local authority representatives, and tourism businesses.

Curious County is a digital marketing campaign which uses platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the quirky aspects of Suffolk.

When it was first announced it created a storm of controversy. Some local MPs strongly criticised it, but later declared themselves happy after the full details had been explained to them.

Organised by Visit Suffolk, and backed by some of Suffolk’s biggest tourist attractions, Curious County challenges visitors to “explore the unusual, become immersed in the unconventional and be seduced by the quirky’’.

Some examples of “Curious Suffolk experiences’’ include: Playing the quirky arcade games on Southwold Pier; Enjoying the UFO Trail at Rendlesham Forest; Booking a break at the Balancing Barn; Enjoying a pint in the Nutshell, in Bury St Edmunds – Britain’s smallest pub; and visiting the Scallop on Aldeburgh beach.

The campaign aims to get Suffolk talked about on social media channels and to further boost the county’s growing tourism industry.

To get involved, you can follow the campaign on Twitter at @CuriousCounty, or like it at facebook.com/TheCuriousCounty or go to www.thecuriouscounty.com