Tourism manager role to boost Colchester visitor numbers

A wealthy Roman woman's jewellery collection has been found during excavations at the Williams & Griffin department store in Colchester High Street. This remarkable find is thought to be one of the finest of its kind ever discovered in Britain. (Image: Archant)

The number of tourists visiting Colchester has risen to more than six million in 2014, compared to just 2.8m in 1993, and the number of jobs supported by the industry has grown by 127% over the same period.

A new destination marketing campaign, beginning with the return of the Fenwick hoard found beneath Williams and Griffin in August 2014 to permanent display at Colchester Castle, will begin next month.

The part-time role of 22 hours per week, attracting a salary between £21,512-£27,446 pro rata, will be responsible for leading the campaign for Colchester Borough Council.

Tim Young, borough councillor for culture, said: “We’re delighted tourism in Colchester and the surrounding area has really taken off.

“However this is not by accident. It is the result of having a long-term plan and much hard work by all concerned that has gone into the projects and initiatives.

“The appointment of a tourism marketing officer is designed to leverage this and maintain the momentum we’ve already built.”

Council leader Paul Smith added: “We are very proud of our local heritage and have a strong tourism message.

“This investment strategy has been pursued not only to improve the borough’s competitiveness for the ‘tourist pound’, but also in response to the changing holiday patterns of UK residents, especially the ‘holiday at home’ trend.

“Figures from Visit England show those taking their holidays in England has increased by 18% year-on-year in 2015 compared to 2014. Expenditure in total also showed an 18% increase to almost £5billion compared to 2014.

“This is a significant amount and definitely worth competing for.”