Insights
/
A New Era for Shropshire Tourism
May 7, 2025
Reech is not just a marketing agency – it’s a force for change. And now, as Visit Shropshire’s official marketing partner, we’re about to set a new standard in how tourism is marketed. From bespoke websites and media strategies to bold campaigns, we’ve been part of Shropshire’s journey from the start. And this latest venture marks a bold step forward in promoting the county’s tourism and business potential on both a local and national scale.
Since 2017, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside Mark Hooper and the Visit Shropshire team. Together, we’ve navigated the marketing sphere and seen the transformation of Shropshire’s tourism efforts, and now, we’re excited to take that evolution to the next level.
From Struggling DMO to a Thriving Brand
When we first began working with Shropshire Tourism, the county’s destination marketing organisation (DMO), it was facing significant challenges. With dwindling interest, little attention, and even less funding, the efforts to promote Shropshire to tourists were going nowhere fast. The organisation was neglected and, by all accounts, struggling to grow or make any real impact.
But in 2017, everything changed. Shropshire Tourism rebranded as Visit Shropshire – a move we were proud to support. We migrated their entire operation to a new, bespoke website that would allow them to make their mark in the digital world. The results were almost immediate, and resulted in a huge rise in website traffic.
Visit Shropshire very quickly became a hub for not just visitors, but also local businesses and residents, presenting the county as a great place to live, work, and stay.
Upon reviewing and analysing data, Visit Shropshire realised that the majority of visitors attended the region just for the day. So we supported with a multichannel campaign to promote staycations and educate non-residents about the wide range of activities and landmarks that Shropshire has to offer. Through a strategic combination of paid search, paid social, email marketing, Channel 4 Ad Pause, landing page development, bespoke video content, and designed creative assets, the messaging reached 700,000 individuals across the UK and increased website visits by 55%.
Update & Upgrade
Fast forward to 2024, and Visit Shropshire once again turned to Reech to elevate its presence even further. We were tasked with updating the existing website and adding a new, industry-focused platform, Tourism in Shropshire, for local businesses to connect, collaborate, and promote themselves.
In February 2025, these updated websites were launched, and the partnership between Reech and Visit Shropshire reached new heights. But it didn’t stop there…
As part of the agreement, Reech was invited to become the official marketing partner for Visit Shropshire. This two-year partnership cements our role as the trusted provider for all future marketing projects and ensures that we’ll continue to deliver measurable results for the region.
Official Marketing Partner
Named as the official marketing partner is more than just an accolade. It’s testament to the trust Visit Shropshire has in Reech’s ability to deliver real, measurable results - for itself and its members too.
Being at the helm of this agency, this is a particularly poignant moment for me too - having been recognised for our long-term commitment to this sector and relied upon to support local businesses to seize the season and totally thrive. It generates exciting new opportunities, introducing us to even more companies within the tourism and leisure sector locally.
To kickstart this partnership, we hosted two marketing masterclasses for Visit Shropshire members – one at Shrewsbury Town Football Club, and the other at Love2Stay - gifting them the tools they need to market their businesses effectively for the new financial year and beyond.
We’re ready for the next phase of this journey. Together, with Visit Shropshire, we’ll continue to push boundaries, innovate, and shine a light on one of the UK’s most beautiful and vibrant counties. With our bold, brave, and brilliant approach to marketing, there’s no limit to what we can achieve for Shropshire’s tourism sector – and we can’t wait to see where this collaboration takes us next.