£1m tourism boost to Lancaster-USA links

A £1m government grant has been given to England’s Historic Cities consortium. which includes Lancaster.

The money will fund a project called The Collection, described as “bringing history to life through story-telling enhanced by augmented reality”. Delivered through an app, it will feature itineraries that link the cities by rail, making it easy to plan and book a multi-destination trip.

The Collection is one of a number of successful projects to receive funding from the £40m Discover England Fund.

Counc Darren Clifford, cabinet member for leisure, culture and tourism at Lancaster City Council, said “Heritage is a huge draw for US visitors to England.

“The Collection will enable Lancaster to share our amazing stories through cutting edge technology, and bring the city wider exposure to this important international market”. The project is being managed by a board chaired by consortium member Ruth Connor, CEO of Marketing Lancashire. The other 12 members of England’s Historic Cities are Bath, Canterbury, Cambridge, Chester, Carlisle, Durham, Greenwich, Lincoln, Oxford, Salisbury, Stratford and York. They will be joined for this project by Truro, Worcester and the City of London.