Picture This will take visitors to the borough off the beaten track

“Picture This” is a new rural Tourism Trail, featuring eight large frame installations at locations across the borough, The frames are located at Red Bay (Cushendall), Altarichard (Ballymoney), Portneal (Kilrea), Garvagh Forest, Camus Picnic Point (Coleraine), Tunnel Brae (Castlerock), Swann’s Bridge (Magilligan) and Burnfoot (Dungiven).

The purpose of the trail is to bring visitors ‘off the beaten track’, to showcase parts of the borough with a lower profile than some coastal locations and to encourage the visitors to engage with the local community and tourism providers.

A spokesman said: “The primary aim is to encourage overnights and increase tourism expenditure in rural locations.

“The trail will be launched in summer 2021 (subject to Covid restrictions) and the primary target market will be the domestic family market in the first instance, followed by couples in the autumn.

“The younger market who are motivated by outdoor life and opportunities for soft adventure will also be actively targeted. The marketing plan will include all forms of advertising and PR, including a targeted social media campaign.”

McCadden Design have been contracted to deliver the brand design and marketing plan. The brand design presentation is available to view ​and will form the basis of the marketing plan. All illustrations, text, weblinks are for illustrative purposes only. McCaddens are keen to get feedback from the trade on the brand design and future marketing and messaging and discuss ways the trade can get involved in promotional activities.

“We are calling on all tourism providers located within 10 miles of the rural/inland frames and five miles of the frames at Red Bay (Cushendall), Camus Picnic Area (Coleraine) and Tunnel Brae (Castlerock) to register their business to become partners and ambassadors for the trail. To have your details included in the marketing material we need the name of the business, the address and contact details, which frame you are closest to, a short description, a high res photograph and your website/facebook details for further information/booking.

“As well as collecting information on accommodation, activities and places to visit, we are also on the lookout for images, stories and little chunks of folklore/myth/cultural reference/history/humour relative to any one of the eight frame localities (or more than one). If you know of a storyteller, historian, community groups or special interest group in your area who could contribute to this please forward this to them.”

If you are interested in being part of this exciting new development for rural tourism in the Causeway Coast & Glens or wish to provide feedback on the branding proposition, please respond by email to [email protected] by 5pm on Friday, 16th April.

The project is funded by Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, Rural Development Programme, Leader, The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Causeway Coast & Glens Local Action Group and the Department for Agricultural Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

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