Tourism businesses and council representatives gathered to launch the 2019 tourism season and brochure at a special celebration held at St George’s Theatre on Tuesday, December 18.
Jointly hosted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and the Greater Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area Ltd, the event looked back over the successes of 2018 and forward to the exciting activities and opportunities in 2019 and beyond.
As Norfolk’s top coastal resort, with a flagship visitor economy now worth £625m annually and supporting an estimated 12,000 jobs, the council and the Tourism BID are continuing to work in close partnership to grow visitor numbers, spend and investment.
Over the coming months, the new vibrant tourism brochure will be going out to Tourist Information Centres across the UK, promoting everything the borough has to offer, including varied tourist attractions, family fun and entertainment, rich heritage, the beautiful beaches and Broads, eating out and shopping, and accommodation.
The brochure also confirms the dates in 2019 of the borough’s exciting calendar of festivals and cultural events, including:
- The GY Wheels Festival – getting Great Yarmouth seafront in a spin with scores of special vehicles on July 6 and 7, including 15,000 motorcyclists visiting on Saturday as part of On the Throttle’s Great Yarmouth Take Over 2019, plus Centre 81 Classic Car Rally on Sunday.
- The Maritime Festival – celebrating the borough’s maritime heritage at Historic South Quay, on September 7 and 8, with visiting ships, live shanty folk music, fun street theatre exhibitions and demonstrations.
- The Out There Festival – bringing a world-class line-up of circus and street arts to St George’s Park and various other locations, on September 21 and 22.
- Weekly fireworks – free displays wowing the crowds at both Great Yarmouth and Hemsby seafronts during the school summer holidays.
- Guided Heritage Walks – helping people to explore the borough’s rich cultural heritage at historic buildings and other places of interest, from April to October.
Cllr Graham Plant, the council leader, said: “The 2018 season has been another successful, eventful and special year, including some really special festivals, the Waterways restoration getting underway, Gorleston’s new splashpad opening, visits from two luxury cruise liners and filming for a new Danny Boyle movie. The council is committed to working with the Tourism BID to support the visitor economy, and there is a lot more to look forward to in 2019 and beyond.”
David Marsh, company secretary of the Tourism BID, said: “The season launch is always a fantastic showcase and reminder of what great things have been achieved through the public and private sectors working together. Combined with the brochure launch, this celebration also kick-starts the all-important promotion for the 2019 season, which promises to be another big year for our resort.”