New tourism strategy aims to promote Kirklees as a great place to visit

Part of this work will be about developing a fuller understanding of the borough’s current offer and identifying how best to maximise the unique appeal of Kirklees’ places and communities within the wider regional and national context.

The strategy will also support businesses in Kirklees to move forward and grow as the district emerges from the pandemic.

The work will provide insight that retail, tourism and hospitality companies can use to assess their financial protection, market share and positioning in light of the challenges posed over the past two years by the pandemic.

Councillor Will Simpson, cabinet member for culture and Greener Kirklees, said: “The last two years have shown us not only the importance of socialising and tourism for our local economy, but also the impact that good quality leisure and cultural activities can have on the well-being of us all.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we want to do everything that we can to support our communities and local businesses, promote our places and maximise the potential and opportunities for our borough.

“This strategy is about the unique contribution all of our places make to building a truly unique borough and exploiting the opportunities this creates for us all to bring business, growth and opportunities to our towns and villages.”

Kirklees Council has appointed Skipton-based brand marketing agency the fabl to work with it on developing the strategy for the district.

fabl has experience and expertise in tourism and hospitality insight, combined with strategic consumer experience.

Liz Smailes, head of business development at fabl, said: “We are excited about this opportunity of working with Kirklees Council to create a localised tourism strategy because we know the sector benefits such a wide-ranging scope of businesses, presents opportunities for employment drawing on a multitude of skills and, when done well, enriches the lives of a wider community.”

The tourism strategy for Kirklees is due to be delivered in May, followed by a roll-out later in the year.