The original Cumbria Tourist Board was created in April 1974 – so in 2024, Cumbria Tourism is marking 50 years supporting the county’s vibrant visitor economy.  


Cumbria Tourism has come a long way since then. Here’s a snapshot of some key milestones over the past five decades:
1974: The creation of Cumbria Tourist Board in April 1974 marked a new era of cooperation and coordination between a variety of tourism stakeholders across the county.
1976: Cumbria Tourist Board launched the ‘Britain’s Best Kept Secret’ campaign to promote Cumbria as a ‘hidden gem’. Widely praised at the time for its use of print, TV and radio, it is credited with significantly increasing Cumbria’s profile.
1979: Cumbria’s visitor economy continued to grow rapidly, providing 20,000-plus jobs and being worth £75million to the county by the end of the 1970s.
1987: Hadrian’s Wall was officially recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, putting it alongside the likes of the Taj Mahal as one of the world’s most iconic sites.
1995: Like-minded tourism businesses formed the Japan Forum, kick-starting an important stage in the growth of the county’s international tourism markets.
2003: The ‘Lakes Plus’ marketing campaign was launched by Cumbria Tourist Board to help the industry recover from foot and mouth disease. Independent consultants said it encouraged visitors to spend an extra £17million a year.
2006: The newly-renamed Cumbria Tourism moved from its original Bowness offices to a purpose-built building in Staveley, opened by TV personality Ben Fogle.
2008: Queen Elizabeth II visited West Cumbria to see the newly refurbished Beacon Museum and mark the 100th anniversary of Whitehaven harbour.
2010: Cumbria Tourism’s celebrity postcard campaign ‘Wish You Were Here’ was unveiled to help the county recover from the impact of the 2009 floods. Cumbria Tourism also underwent an internal restructuring following the loss of funding from the Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
2015: The high-profile #theplacetobe campaign was launched following Storm Desmond.
2017: The English Lake District was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
2020: Cumbria Tourism was at the forefront of a post-pandemic marketing recovery campaign, encouraging visitors to ‘attract and disperse’ across the county and reaching 21 million people.
2023: Cumbria Tourism was one of the first destination management organisations nationally to be awarded the new ‘Local Visitor Economy Partnership’ (LVEP) status by VisitEngland.
2024: Cumbria Tourism marks 50 years at the heart of the county’s £4.1 billion visitor economy. It is the largest membership organisation in Cumbria, representing 4,500 businesses.