Northern signs deal to help boost visitor economy of Peak District & Derbyshire

In this role, it will work with the destination management organisation and a new network of other influential businesses on a shared commitment to promoting tourism in the Peak District and Derbyshire.

The partnership seeks to increase the value of the area’s visitor economy and raise its profile as a world-class visitor destination.

As a strategic partner, Northern will champion and invest in activity to support the delivery of effective destination marketing for the area, whilst also helping to showcase the quality of life it offers to investors, residents and students.

In addition, it will assist Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire in achieving the key aims highlighted in its five-year Tourism Recovery Plan, which includes leading the way in sustainable tourism and boosting transport connectivity.

Jo Dilley, managing director of Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire, said: “We are delighted to launch our Strategic Partnership programme with Northern, an organisation that shares our commitment to raise the value of tourism and promote the Peak District and Derbyshire as a sustainable, world-class destination.

“As well as supporting the strategic aims highlighted in our five-year Tourism Recovery Plan, Northern is a key employer in the region and plays a vital role in making the destination such a great place to live, work and visit.

“There are enormous opportunities for tourism to play a crucial role in the area’s economic recovery and we look forward to working with Northern to harness their collective expertise and achieve our long-term goals.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “The Peak Distract sits at the heart of our network and we’re excited to enter a new partnership with Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire to maximise the tourism offer for visitors. Our connectivity across the region is without parallel and the more people we can convince to ‘ditch the car and take the train’ the better.”

Northern operates more than 2,000 services a day to more than 540 stations across the North of England.