Cathedral plans to market its 'product' abroad

Kent’s top historic tourist traps should market themselves as exports, says a leading expert.

Chris Lowsley, an International Trade Adviser with UK Trade and Investment South East, said the centre of the Anglican world should be seen as a major force in the market for exports, along with the host of other Kent attractions.

He said: "It's not the normal way you think of exporting, but it actually makes sense.

“The South East has a wealth of famous, historical sites - Canterbury Cathedral, Hever Castle, Leeds Castle, to name but a few – and they function like small companies in that they want to attract, retain and generate income from foreign sources, yet they might not think of themselves in terms of a 'product' that they could export.

“They may struggle to target international markets and not focus on where their customers are coming from overseas."

His radical thinking has the backing from the cathedral.

Therese Hislop, head of visitor services attended a presentation Mr Lowsley gave for the tourist board Visit Kent.

She had already analysed where the cathedral's visitors were coming from, and identified that a large number were from the United States.

She said: “The tourist board organised a presentation about a market visit to the USA, and Chris was there looking to help companies that didn't have a traditional 'product' to sell.

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