CTConsults
CTConsults is a Manchester-based cultural tourism and place-branding consultancy serving UK local authorities, DMOs and national tourism bodies, combining strategy, digital delivery and the CultureHosts listings platform with the consumer-facing CreativeTourist.com site.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CTConsults does
CTConsults is a Manchester-based cultural tourism, heritage, destination marketing and place-branding consultancy trading as Creative Tourist Limited, founded around 2010 and operating with a core team of 1-10 supplemented by trusted associates. The firm serves UK local authorities, combined authorities, destination management organisations (DMOs) and national tourism bodies including VisitBritain-aligned work for the Mayor of London, Tourism Northern Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. Its service model is structured in three parts: Strategy (research, place-brand positioning, stakeholder consultation, funding bids), Delivery (websites, digital optimisation, content management, digital marketing) and Support (ongoing platform and mentoring).
The firm's underlying technology is the CultureHosts platform, a B2B listings database built on Schema.org standards with bi-directional API connections (incoming from box-office systems such as Spektrix, outgoing to destination websites powered by Simple View). It powers the consumer-facing CreativeTourist.com site (100,000+ monthly users, 13% average CTR) and the neighbourhood-focused Loads to Do Manchester site. The proprietary 'Place Brand Filter' methodology codifies its place-narrative decision-making framework, used in marquee engagements such as City of York, Future Humber and Carrickfergus.
CTConsults generates revenue from project-based professional services fees, CultureHosts platform licensing to DMOs, and paid advertising on CreativeTourist.com. Go-to-market is sales-led, relying on case studies, thought leadership at conferences (IPBA, City Nation Place), academic partnerships and long-term relationships with public-sector clients. The firm shows no evidence of external institutional funding, M&A activity or AI/ML capability.
CTConsults firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CTConsults
- Legal name
- Creative Tourist Limited
- Website
- https://ctconsults.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CTConsults is a Manchester-based cultural tourism and place-branding consultancy serving UK local authorities, DMOs and national tourism bodies, combining strategy, digital delivery and the CultureHosts listings platform with the consumer-facing CreativeTourist.com site.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CTConsults industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Tourism & Place Branding Consultancy
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)
Keywords
Where CTConsults is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CTConsults business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Consultancy and Strategy Services: Fees for strategic consulting engagements including place branding, destination marketing strategy, cultural tourism development, and digital transformation programmes. Services are delivered to local authorities, DMOs, national tourism bodies, and cultural organizations.
- CultureHosts Platform Licensing: CultureHosts is offered as a platform solution for destinations and DMOs to manage and distribute cultural listings. Used by destinations across the UK including West Midlands, Wakefield, Greenwich, and Manchester.
- CreativeTourist.com Advertising: Consumer-facing cultural listings website covering Manchester and the North of England. Delivers paid campaigns with 'free listings and paid-for posts', generating revenue from cultural organizations, venues, and tourism businesses seeking visibility.
- Digital Marketing Services: Delivery of digital marketing campaigns, training programmes, and content management services for cultural and tourism clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
CTConsults product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CTConsults is a cultural tourism and place-branding consultancy that delivers strategy, delivery, and ongoing support services to public-sector and cultural-sector clients across the UK and Ireland. It develops and operates the CultureHosts B2B cultural-listings platform with API distribution, the consumer-facing CreativeTourist.com website, and the Place Brand Filter methodology, combining research, stakeholder engagement, digital platforms, and bookable experience development to help places articulate distinctive identities and attract investment and visitors.
Product overview
CTConsults is a cultural tourism, heritage, destination marketing and place branding consultancy structured in three parts: Strategy, Delivery, and Support. The Strategy arm provides research, strategic visions, and planning services. The Delivery arm handles hands-on implementation including website development and digital marketing. The Support arm provides ongoing platform and mentoring services. Key products include CultureHosts (a B2B listings platform with API capabilities), CreativeTourist.com (consumer-facing 'what's on' website), and Loads to Do (neighbourhood-specific listings). The company also offers proprietary methodologies such as the Place Brand Filter for decision-making.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CreativeTourist.com: Consumer-facing cultural listings website covering events, activities, and experiences across the North of England.
- CultureHosts
Products and services
- Strategy Services Strategy engagements covering cultural heritage tourism and place marketing strategies, stakeholder consultation and community engagement, funding bids and case-making, destination auditing and mapping, place-brand insight and positioning, research and analysis, partnership building, experience development planning, and action planning for destinations.
- Delivery Services Hands-on delivery of cultural heritage tourism initiatives for destinations, including website design and development, digital optimisation, content and channel management, digital marketing campaigns, monitoring and reporting, digital skills training and mentoring, and bookable product development and activation online.
- Support Services Ongoing active development and support of cultural tourism programmes, including the CultureHosts platform, CreativeTourist listings, mentoring, and cultural tourism healthchecks for destinations and partner organisations.
- CultureHosts A business-to-business listings platform that captures information about events, venues, attractions, and local businesses, converting it into structured Schema.org data stored in a national database and distributed to multiple publishers via API. Used by destination management organisations such as Visit Greenwich, Visit Manchester, and the West Midlands Growth Company.
- CreativeTourist.com Award-winning consumer-facing "what's on" listings website covering events, activities, food and drink, tours, and destination guides across Manchester and the North of England. Delivers integrated marketing campaigns through website, social media, and weekly e-newsletters with an average 13% click-through rate.
- Loads to Do Manchester A neighbourhood-specific "what's on" website for Manchester residents built on the CultureHosts platform, enabling local residents to discover cultural events and activities across the city's 32 wards.
- CultureHosts Toolkit for DMOs A refreshed practical toolkit for destination marketing organisations to connect people with place through website integrations, a marketplace for showcasing and selling experiences, and cross-promotion across partner networks.
Quantifiable outcome
- £34 million secured for Carrickfergus through Belfast Region City Deal
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use CTConsults
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CTConsults technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
CTConsults partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Creative Tourist LimitedcoreCreative Tourist Limited is the parent company of CTConsults and CreativeTourist.com. CTConsults operates as the consultancy division while CreativeTourist.com serves as the consumer-facing cultural listings brand.
- HemingwayDesignflagshipWorked with CTConsults on the City of York place brand project - described as their 'biggest place brand project to date'. HemingwayDesign contributed design expertise while CTConsults provided research and strategy.
- For the Love of PlaceflagshipPartnered with CTConsults on the City of York place brand project, contributing place brand expertise.
- Sara Hilton AssociatesminorWorked with CTConsults on Carrickfergus heritage tourism strategy to assess the town's heritage potential.
- Claire TurnerminorPartnered with CTConsults on Carrickfergus project to develop a new events proposition.
- TEAM Tourism ConsultingcoreLong-standing partnership on multiple international projects including Fáilte Ireland's National Online Distribution Strategy and Discover England Fund Northern Cities project.
- Yellow Railroad ConsultingminorPartnered with CTConsults on Isles of Scilly destination management plan and Buxton visitor economy strategy.
- The Audience AgencyminorPartnered with CTConsults on Manchester classical music audience research project, providing audience data analysis.
- John Knell, Intelligence ConsultingminorPartnered with CTConsults on Everyman & Playhouse Theatres Liverpool business plan, bringing strategic consulting expertise.
- Pace CommunicationscoreLocal agency partner working with CTConsults and HemingwayDesign on Humber place brand development for an economic zone.
- Marketing ManchestercoreLong-term partnership through Cultural Destinations programme managing Manchester's cultural tourism marketing. CTConsults developed CreativeTourist.com and CultureHosts in partnership with Marketing Manchester.
- Arts Council EnglandcoreFunded Cultural Destinations programmes across multiple UK regions including Manchester, Bristol & Bath, Calderdale, Stoke, Cumbria, and others. CTConsults supported successful funding bids and delivery of programmes.
- Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)minorUK supervisory authority for data protection. Users directed to ICO for complaints regarding data protection practices.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CTConsults competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TEAM Tourism Consulting: International tourism and destination consulting firm with overlapping UK, Ireland and European mandates. Listed as a long-standing CTConsults partner on projects such as Fáilte Ireland's National Online Distribution Strategy and the Discover England Fund Northern Cities project.
- Resonance Consultancy: Global place branding and destination marketing consultancy producing the World's Best Cities and Country Brand Index reports. Highly comparable to CTConsults' place brand, destination marketing, and advisory offer, though operating at larger global scale.
- The Audience Agency: UK specialist consultancy providing audience data, insight and strategy for arts, culture and heritage organisations. Directly comparable to CTConsults' cultural-tourism analytics work and already a delivery partner on the Manchester classical music audience research project.
- Yellow Railroad Consulting: Independent UK tourism, heritage and destination management consultancy. Delivered alongside CTConsults on Isles of Scilly and Buxton destination strategies; comparable scope of destination management planning and visitor economy advisory.
- The Tourism Company: UK-based tourism consultancy providing destination strategies, feasibility studies and market research to DMOs and government bodies. Overlapping client base (UK local authorities, tourism organisations) and similar project-based consulting delivery model.
Emerging players
- HemingwayDesign: Independent UK design studio with strong place-brand credentials, co-led by Wayne Hemingway. Delivery partner on CTConsults' flagship City of York and Humber place brand projects; comparable end-product (place narratives and identity systems) but with design-led rather than data-led positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Saffron Brand Consultants: Global independent brand consultancy with a dedicated place branding practice. Addresses overlapping client needs around place and destination identity but serves a broader portfolio of corporate clients beyond cultural tourism.
- Simple View: Leading website CMS and digital marketing platform provider for DMOs globally. Powers Visit Manchester (a CTConsults partner) and is integrated into CultureHosts via API; a broad incumbent whose platform choices shape the listings management competitive landscape.
- Interbrand: Global brand consultancy with experience in place and country branding (e.g., country brand work for national governments). Represents a broad incumbent alternative for place-brand mandates that CTConsults also competes for.
Others
- VisitBritain: UK national tourism agency. Operates the Tourism Exchange GB B2B distribution platform in which CTConsults participates; functions as a partner and ecosystem anchor rather than a direct competitor but influences funding and distribution standards.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CTConsults social profiles
Digital presenceCTConsults financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CTConsults leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CTConsults funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CTConsults M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CTConsults
What does CTConsults do?
CTConsults is a cultural tourism and place-branding consultancy that delivers strategy, delivery, and ongoing support services to public-sector and cultural-sector clients across the UK and Ireland. It develops and operates the CultureHosts B2B cultural-listings platform with API distribution, the consumer-facing CreativeTourist.com website, and the Place Brand Filter methodology, combining research, stakeholder engagement, digital platforms, and bookable experience development to help places articulate distinctive identities and attract investment and visitors.
Is CTConsults a public or private company?
CTConsults is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CTConsults founded?
CTConsults was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CTConsults based?
CTConsults is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CTConsults make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Consultancy and Strategy Services are the primary driver. The others are cultureHosts Platform Licensing, creativeTourist.com Advertising and digital Marketing Services.
Who are CTConsults's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TEAM Tourism Consulting, Resonance Consultancy, The Audience Agency, Yellow Railroad Consulting and The Tourism Company. HemingwayDesign is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Saffron Brand Consultants, Simple View and Interbrand. VisitBritain is listed as an others.
Does CTConsults have an API?
Yes. CultureHosts provides an API for distributing cultural content and event listings. The API allows listings to be shared with multiple publishers and applications. Data is stored in a structured database based on Schema.org standards, capturing information about venues, events, festivals, accommodation, food and drink, and retail. The platform supports both outgoing API connections (to push listings to destination websites) and incoming API connections (to receive listings from existing databases, websites, and box-office systems like Spektrix). API documentation is available at api-docs.culturehosts.co.uk. Developer documentation is at api-docs.culturehosts.co.uk.
What industry is CTConsults in?
CTConsults's product category is Cultural Tourism & Place Branding Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAKAJ, Local & City Guide Content Aggregators. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7311.