Cumbria Tourism
Cumbria Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation for Cumbria, UK, operating as a membership body representing 4,500+ tourism businesses through tiered subscriptions, licensed research reports, training courses, B2B marketing services, and destination campaigns under the Visit Lake District and MyCumbria brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersKendal, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cumbria Tourism does
Cumbria Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Cumbria, England, operating as a company limited by guarantee since its founding in 1974. It functions as an independent membership body representing more than 4,500 tourism-related businesses across accommodation, attractions, food and drink, retail, and transport. In 2024 it received accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status, consolidating its standing as the county's official tourist board and aligning it with public funding mechanisms.
The organisation runs a diversified product portfolio centred on tiered membership subscriptions (Level 1–3 Tourism Business, Supplier, Professional Services, Community, and Individual tiers priced £181–£1,107+VAT), paid training courses (Welcome Host, Welcome Host Gold, Welcome All at £795–£995+VAT), licensed research products (Cumbria Full STEAM Report £999+VAT, Cumbria Visitor Survey £695+VAT, occupancy reports £150+VAT), and B2B marketing services (banner ads, social posts, e-newsletter ads, sponsorship, trade stands). Its digital footprint comprises visitlakedistrict.com, cumbriatourism.org, mycumbriacard.co.uk, the Tourism Talent Hub portal, and a media library. Annual campaigns include Let's Go Spring/Summer, Let's Go Autumn/Winter, the award-winning Let's Go Car Free (in partnership with Avanti West Coast, Northern, Stagecoach and TransPennine Express), Dark Skies Cumbria, and the Cumbria Coastal Route, alongside the annual Cumbria Tourism Awards.
Commercially, Cumbria Tourism monetises through subscription recurring revenue (memberships, MyCumbria Card at £20/yr), one-time licensing (research reports, Holiday Guide), professional services (training courses, bespoke marketing/PR/videography), and advertising. It serves a hybrid audience: B2B members (tourism businesses of all sizes) as the primary segment, with secondary B2C exposure through Visit Lake District and MyCumbria Card. Leadership comprises Managing Director Gill Haigh, Chairman Mark Holroyd, President Jim Walker, and Vice Chair Jennifer Cormack. Forward priorities include Tour de France Grand Départ 2027 preparations and a £1m VisitEngland North West Coast campaign addressing an 11% decline in coastal visitors.
Cumbria Tourism firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cumbria Tourism
- Legal name
- Cumbria Tourism
- Website
- https://cumbriatourism.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cumbria Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation for Cumbria, UK, operating as a membership body representing 4,500+ tourism businesses through tiered subscriptions, licensed research reports, training courses, B2B marketing services, and destination campaigns under the Visit Lake District and MyCumbria brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cumbria Tourism industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Destination Management and Tourism Membership Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transportation & Access Services (Shuttles, Ferry Access, Scenic Drives Permits) (THAAAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL), Destination Weddings & Social Groups (Non-Corporate Groups) (THAHADAL)
Keywords
Where Cumbria Tourism is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kendal
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cumbria Tourism business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees ranging from £181 (Individual) to £1,107 (Level 3 tourism businesses), valid until 30th September 2027. Provides marketing, PR, research access, and member benefits.
- Training Courses: Welcome Host, Welcome Host Gold, and Welcome All training courses priced at £795-£995+VAT, focused on customer service excellence and accessibility for tourism/hospitality businesses.
- Research Reports: Sold reports including Cumbria Full STEAM Report 2024 (£999+VAT), Cumbria Visitor Survey 2025 (£695+VAT), Tourism in Cumbria 2024 Key Facts (£250+VAT), and occupancy reports (£150+VAT).
- B2B Marketing Services: Banner ads (£50+VAT/month), social media posts (£50+VAT), e-newsletter ads (£100-£250+VAT), trade stands (£120+VAT), and member meeting sponsorship (£1,000+VAT) for businesses.
- MyCumbria Card Scheme: £20 annual discount card for Cumbrian residents/workers offering discounts at participating businesses across food, drink, attractions, and retail.
- Holiday Guide and Publications: Free Holiday Guide with £2.50 postage charge for UK orders. Promotional tool for accommodation, attractions, and food/drink listings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Level 1 Tourism Business Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Level 2 Tourism Business Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Level 3 Tourism Business Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Supplier Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Services Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Community Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Welcome Host Training Course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cumbria Full STEAM Report 2024 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cumbria Visitor Survey 2025 |
| Subscription | Annual | MyCumbria Card Annual Membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | B2B Marketing Services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Cumbria Tourism product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cumbria Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) and Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Cumbria, operating as a membership organisation representing more than 4,500 tourism-related businesses. Its core commercial offerings include tiered business membership subscriptions, paid training courses (Welcome Host family), sold visitor-economy research reports, B2B marketing/advertising services, and consumer-facing loyalty products such as the MyCumbria Card.
Product overview
Cumbria Tourism is a membership organization representing over 4,500 tourism-related businesses and serves as the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Cumbria. The organization operates a multi-product portfolio structured around membership services, research products, training programmes, visitor marketing campaigns, and branded platforms. Core offerings include tiered membership programmes (Level 1-3, Supplier, Professional Services, Community, Individual) providing access to marketing, PR, lobbying, and business support services. Research products include the Cumbria Full STEAM Report, Cumbria Visitor Survey, and occupancy reports for serviced and self-catering accommodation. Training offerings comprise Welcome Host Course, Welcome Host Gold Course, and Welcome All Training Course. The organization operates visitor-facing brands including Visit Lake District (managing visitlakedistrict.com) and MyCumbria Card loyalty programme. Seasonal marketing campaigns include Let's Go Spring/Summer, Let's Go Autumn/Winter, and the award-winning Let's Go Car Free campaign. Additional offerings include the Cumbria Tourism Awards, The Cumbria Tourism Podcast, Tourism Talent Hub, Dark Skies Cumbria campaign, Cumbria Coastal Route, and the Holiday Guide publication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Visit Lake District: Consumer-facing tourism brand for the Lake District area, promoting visitor experiences, accommodation, and attractions.
- MyCumbria
- Tourism Talent Hub
- Cumbria Tourism Awards
Products and services
- Cumbria Tourism Membership Tiered annual membership organisation for tourism-related businesses (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Supplier, Professional Services, Community, Individual) providing marketing, PR, lobbying, research access, and business support services across 4,500+ member network.
- MyCumbria Card Annual discount card costing £20 including VAT for Cumbrian residents and workers (CA or LA postcodes), offering discounts on food, drink, things to do, and shopping across participating local businesses.
- Cumbria Visitor Survey 2025 County-wide visitor research report costing £695+VAT, covering visitor origins, demographics, motivations, and activities based on nearly 2,200 face-to-face interviews at 60+ locations.
- Cumbria Full STEAM Report 2024 Comprehensive visitor-economy dataset costing £999+VAT containing visitor days, visitor numbers, direct expenditure, economic impact, and employment data by visitor type and sector with trend data for 2023-2024.
- Cumbria Visitor Survey 2022 Face-to-face visitor research report covering 2,010 in-depth surveys at 60+ locations across Cumbria from May to October 2022, providing county-wide visitor insights.
- Serviced Accommodation Occupancy Report 2025 Annual occupancy analysis for B&Bs and serviced accommodation at £150+VAT, broken down by location, business type, size, and quality rating.
- Self Catering Occupancy Report 2025 Annual occupancy analysis for self-catering businesses at £150+VAT, broken down by location, business type, size, and quality rating.
- Welcome Host Course One-day practical customer service training at £795–£995+VAT (member/non-member rates) covering communication, service standards, problem-handling, and customer-oriented thinking for tourism/hospitality customer-facing staff.
- Welcome Host Gold Course One-day advanced customer service training course at £795–£995+VAT focusing on key skills for exceptional customer service, adaptable to destination- or business-specific content.
- Welcome All Training Course Accessibility and inclusion training at £795–£995+VAT covering disability understanding, legal obligations, and inclusive communication for tourism/hospitality businesses.
- B2B Marketing Services Business-to-business marketing services including banner ads (£50+VAT/month), social media posts (£50+VAT), e-newsletter ads (£100–£250+VAT), trade stands (£120+VAT), and members' meeting sponsorship (£1,000+VAT).
- Holiday Guide 2026 – The Lake District, Cumbria Comprehensive printed tourism brochure featuring accommodation, food, adventures, and events listings for the Lake District and Cumbria, available free with £2.50 UK postage.
- Tourism Talent Hub Online resource showcasing full-time, part-time, seasonal and 'live in' job opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry, providing access to training, apprenticeships, and adult training programmes in partnership with five education providers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tourism generates £4.6bn annually for Cumbria's visitor economy
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cumbria Tourism
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cumbria Tourism technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cumbria Tourism partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Avanti West CoastcorePartnership with Avanti West Coast, Northern, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, and TransPennine Express for the award-winning 'Let's Go Car Free' campaign to encourage sustainable visitor transport to Cumbria
- Northern (Train Operator)corePartnership with Avanti West Coast, Northern, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, and TransPennine Express for the award-winning 'Let's Go Car Free' campaign to encourage sustainable visitor transport to Cumbria
- Stagecoach Cumbria & North LancashirecorePartnership with Avanti West Coast, Northern, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, and TransPennine Express for the award-winning 'Let's Go Car Free' campaign to encourage sustainable visitor transport to Cumbria
- TransPennine ExpresscorePartnership with Avanti West Coast, Northern, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, and TransPennine Express for the award-winning 'Let's Go Car Free' campaign to encourage sustainable visitor transport to Cumbria
- WestmorlandcoreOfficial Strategic Partnership reinforcing shared commitment to championing Cumbria's visitor economy, local communities, and landscapes. Westmorland is owned by a Cumbrian farming family and is one of the largest businesses in the county
- VisitEnglandcore£1m VisitEngland marketing campaign 'All on England's North West Coast' working with regional partners to boost spring breaks to the North West coast, addressing 11% decline in coastal visitor numbers
- TripadvisorminorRegional partner in VisitEngland's £1m North West Coast marketing campaign, contributing to destination promotion and visitor engagement
- Marketing LancashireminorRegional partner in VisitEngland's £1m North West Coast marketing campaign, contributing to multi-destination promotion across the North West coast
- Liverpool City Region Destination PartnershipminorRegional partner in VisitEngland's £1m North West Coast marketing campaign, contributing to cross-regional tourism promotion
- Lakes CollegecoreEducation partner in the Tourism Talent Hub initiative, developed to showcase diverse career opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry and address recruitment challenges
- Carlisle CollegecoreEducation partner in the Tourism Talent Hub initiative, developed to showcase diverse career opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry and address recruitment challenges
- Kendal CollegecoreEducation partner in the Tourism Talent Hub initiative, developed to showcase diverse career opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry and address recruitment challenges
- Furness CollegecoreEducation partner in the Tourism Talent Hub initiative, developed to showcase diverse career opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry and address recruitment challenges
- University of CumbriacoreUniversity partner in the Tourism Talent Hub initiative, developed to showcase diverse career opportunities in Cumbria's tourism industry and address recruitment challenges
- Lloyd Motor GroupcoreLong-term automotive partnership providing plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles to Cumbria Tourism to promote eco-friendly transport in the county. Includes BMW 225e Active Tourer and Volvo XC60 T8 Recharge vehicles
- SP Electricity North WestcoreHeadline sponsor for Cumbria Tourism Awards 2026, supporting the annual celebration of tourism excellence in the county
- Lamont PridmorecoreAward-winning, family-run chartered accountants and business advisers with offices throughout Cumbria and Lancashire, serving as strategic partner and tourism/hospitality specialists
- Lake District National Park AuthoritycorePartner in visitor research and destination management, collaborating on Cumbria Visitor Survey and Destination Management Plan development
- Cumberland CouncilcoreLocal authority partner in visitor economy development, collaborating on research, marketing campaigns, and tourism strategy including attract and disperse initiatives
- Westmorland and Furness CouncilcoreLocal authority partner in visitor economy development, collaborating on research, marketing campaigns, and tourism strategy including the Westmorland & Furness Way walking route
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cumbria Tourism competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Lake District National Park Authority: Statutory authority managing England's largest national park, which overlaps the core area Cumbria Tourism markets. Comparable by shared destination focus, partnership on visitor research, and Destination Management Plan collaboration, though not a commercial DMO.
- Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority: National park authority for the Yorkshire Dales, covering a UK protected area destination of similar profile to the Lake District. Comparable as a destination steward collaborating with regional tourism bodies, but operating as a public authority rather than a membership DMO.
Broad incumbents
- VisitScotland: Scotland's national tourist board. Closest national-level peer to Cumbria Tourism by function — destination marketing, member services, research, and quality assurance — but serving an entire country rather than a single county.
- Visit Wales: Welsh Government tourism body operating as the national DMO for Wales. Comparable in function (destination promotion, member schemes, quality grading) and operates at a slightly larger geographic scale than Cumbria Tourism.
- VisitBritain: The national tourism agency for Great Britain, handling international inbound promotion. Comparable in mission (destination marketing/management) but operating at a national rather than county level.
- ABTA – The Travel Association: Largest UK travel trade association, offering member services, lobbying, and consumer protection. Comparable as a tourism-focused membership association, although its members are predominantly travel agents and tour operators rather than regional tourism businesses.
- VisitEngland: The national tourist board for England that co-funds regional marketing campaigns with Cumbria Tourism (e.g., the £1m 'All on England's North West Coast' campaign). Operates one tier above Cumbria Tourism in the UK DMO hierarchy and is a direct strategic partner.
Direct peers
- UKinbound: UK trade association representing the inbound tourism sector, with a comparable membership-and-advocacy business model. Although broader in scope, it parallels Cumbria Tourism's trade-body, lobbying, and B2B marketing functions within UK tourism.
- Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership: Regional destination partnership for the Liverpool City Region co-partnering with Cumbria Tourism on VisitEngland's NW Coast campaign. Directly comparable as a neighbouring UK regional DMO collaborating on cross-regional promotion.
- Marketing Lancashire: Regional DMO for Lancashire co-partnering with Cumbria Tourism on the VisitEngland North West Coast campaign. Directly comparable by business model, scale, and audience as a neighbouring UK county-level destination marketing organisation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cumbria Tourism social profiles
Digital presenceCumbria Tourism financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cumbria Tourism leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Cumbria Tourism funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cumbria Tourism 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 Cumbria Tourism
What does Cumbria Tourism do?
Cumbria Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) and Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Cumbria, operating as a membership organisation representing more than 4,500 tourism-related businesses. Its core commercial offerings include tiered business membership subscriptions, paid training courses (Welcome Host family), sold visitor-economy research reports, B2B marketing/advertising services, and consumer-facing loyalty products such as the MyCumbria Card.
Is Cumbria Tourism a public or private company?
Cumbria Tourism is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cumbria Tourism founded?
Cumbria Tourism was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cumbria Tourism based?
Cumbria Tourism is headquartered in Kendal, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cumbria Tourism make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are training Courses, research Reports, B2B Marketing Services, myCumbria Card Scheme and holiday Guide and Publications.
Who are Cumbria Tourism's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Lake District National Park Authority and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. Broad incumbents are VisitScotland, Visit Wales, VisitBritain, ABTA – The Travel Association and VisitEngland. Direct peers are UKinbound, Liverpool City Region Destination Partnership and Marketing Lancashire.
Does Cumbria Tourism have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cumbria Tourism.
What industry is Cumbria Tourism in?
Cumbria Tourism's product category is Destination Management and Tourism Membership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAGAC, Transportation & Access Services (Shuttles, Ferry Access, Scenic Drives Permits), with a secondary code of THAKAFAL, Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 56152 and its SIC code is 7900.