Prince Charles to switch on Keswick Christmas lights
November 27th, 2009His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales will visit Keswick today (Friday 27th November) in a Regal show of support for victims of the flooding in Cumbria.
The Prince will mark his visit by joining BBC personality, Julia Bradbury in switching on the town’s Christmas lights in a special ceremony to get the message out to visitors that Cumbria is open for business again.
He will meet residents, community organisations, and view an area affected by the flood in the small Lake District market town to see how affected businesses are rapidly getting back on their feet and re-opening after the unprecedented weather of November 19.
Cumbria Tourism, the lead organisation for tourism in the county, is keen for visitors to understand that many areas are largely unaffected by the floods and that it is safe to visit.
The countdown to Christmas and the New Year is a peak time in the tourism calendar in Cumbria and worldwide coverage of the worst hit area has triggered a series of ‘knee-jerk cancellations’ countywide with some concerned visitors aborting planned holidays as far ahead as spring 2010.
Special phonelines have been set up to reassure visitors on 01539 825070 and there are regular updates for anyone planning a visit on www.golakes.co.uk.
One in every five jobs in Cumbria relies on tourism and the industry brings in £1.1 billion a year to the largely rural economy which relies on over 15.3 million visitors a year. Many other non-tourism businesses like shops, cinemas, garages, trade services and petrol stations in the area rely on the tourism pound.
Cumbria has over 14,000 rooms to stay in across the county so a very small proportion of the overall stock was actually affected.