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Retro railway posters give boost to Colchester’s tourism businesses
Mersea Island: Famous for its oysters and often cut off from the mainland at high tide - Credit: Archant
Wivenhoe, Mersea Island, Colne Valley and Dedham Vale feature in new Beautiful Borough campaign.
The Dedham Vale: Essex's only Designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and inspiration for artists including John Constable, Britain's greatest landscape painter. - Credit: Archant
Tourism businesses in north Essex have been given a boost with the launch of a new series of striking retro-style railway posters promoting destinations within the Colchester area.
The colourful posters are part of Colchester Borough Council’s new Beautiful Borough campaign, designed to show visitors coming to Colchester that there are a range of places to see beyond the town’s limits.
Locations featured include Wivenhoe, Mersea Island, Colne Valley and Dedham Vale. Also in the series are the Roman River area, Tiptree as well as Colchester itself.
Councillor Tim Young who is portfolio holder for business and culture at the council said: “People may know about the history and attractions in Colchester but we wanted to show people how much more Colchester Borough takes in - from the river community of Wivenhoe to the beach and oysters in Mersea, and Dedham Vale where Constable painted.”
Colchester Borough councillor Tim Young - Credit: Archant
He added: “The 1930s-style posters were designed by the council’s in-house marketing team which means they were produced at little cost and I think they have done a wonderful job. We are doing well with tourism and we hope this will help to give a further boost to the local economy.”
The latest figures show in 2017 there were 6,475,000 day trips to the Colchester area, up 6.5% on the previous year, with tourism calculated to be worth more than £366m per annum to the borough.
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The council has partnered with Greater Anglia, which has placed the posters in some of its stations including Marks Tey, Manningtree and Wivenhoe.
People can download the posters for screen wallpapers and phone backgrounds while postcard versions are due to go on sale at Colchester’s Visitor Information Centre soon.
Tiptree: Famous for Wilkin and Sons Jam and the Little Scarlet Strawberries that inspired them. - Credit: Archant
Visit www.visitcolchester.com
Wivenhoe: A vibrant town, with a strong artistic community based on the River Colne. - Credit: Archant
The Colne Valley: Home of the East Anglian Railway Museum and the nearby Chappel viaduct - Credit: Archant
The Borough of Colchester stretches well beyond the town centre, in total covering 135 square miles of coast and countryside - Credit: Archant
The Roman River Valley: Perfect for nature lovers, with two significant Essex Wildlife Trust reserves and Colchester's famous zoo nearby. - Credit: Archant
