French tourists are being targeted as part of a regional Visit Britain marketing campaign.
The £400k investment aims to capitalise on air travel into Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Paris.
The decision follows STEAM economic impact report data, which revealed the region’s visitor economy was worth £4.32bn in 2024, matching the 2019 pre-pandemic figure.
The data also revealed that in the space of a year 59.3m visitors headed to Cheshire and Warrington.
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The cash comes through VisitBritain’s GREAT Gateway Innovation Fund – which sees destinations and the tourism industry working in partnership to drive visits and visitor spending through regional gateways.
As part of the initiative, the organisation will work with Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership and partners including Marketing Cheshire.
“It is great to be working with Visit Britain and city-region partners to shine a light on the truly world class, unique and diverse tourism offering in Cheshire and Warrington,” Jamie Christon, CEO of Chester Zoo and Chair of Marketing Cheshire.
“Funds like this help ensure North West gateways like Liverpool John Lennon Airport are utilised to signpost even more visitors to our wonderful region.”
Office for National Statistics data shows 3.6m visits were made to the UK in 2024 by French residents. France was the second largest inbound market for visits to the UK – only behind US in the rankings.
“From the rhythm of Liverpool’s waterfront to the tranquillity of the Lakes and the Roman foundations of Chester to the rugged charm of North Wales, the aim is to position the Northwest as a single, unforgettable journey that is accessible, diverse and authentically British,” added Natalie Wyatt, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership Managing Director.
