A NEW ‘destination brand’ which aims to promote Morecambe Bay as an area to visit and invest has been unveiled.

Developed and funded in partnership with local councils, organisations and businesses, it identifies Morecambe Bay as 'one of England’s emerging destinations, incomparable to anything in the UK' and having 'an inspiring coastal area' with rich cultural heritage, outstanding nature and wildlife and diverse and authentic places to explore.

The launch of the branding for Morecambe Bay took place at a formal evening event hosted by Lancaster City Council at Leighton Hall, near Carnforth, and was attended by key stakeholders from around the bay.

Cllr Ron Sands, cabinet member with responsibility for tourism, said: “The future growth of our economy relies heavily on the perception of the area in the eyes of potential investors and visitors.

“Previous research has shown that the reputation and image do not reflect the true quality of the area and the offer available.

“Development of the Morecambe Bay brand has been a vitally important exercise in developing a strong, individual identity that will enable it to compete nationally and internationally as an outstanding visitor destination.

“All of the brand materials are free and easy to access and we hope that local businesses will use the brand widely to help to attract many more visitors to the area at the same time as taking full advantage of the benefits of being part of Morecambe Bay as it becomes an increasingly well-known visitor destination.”

Richard Greenwood, Cumbria Tourism’s operations manager, said: “Morecambe Bay has a great opportunity to rebuild its reputation as a visitor destination. This is thanks to Heritage Lottery and Coastal Communities funding, real desire from the tourism industry and of public sector partners to co-operate and put the area firmly back in the public eye.

"This renewed impetus provides an ideal platform to launch some fresh new branding for the area. The partners now need to make sure that it becomes widely used within the tourism sector and becomes as much loved as both the Lake District and Blackpool brands.”

The new brand for Morecambe Bay is available to download from the online brand toolkit, including logos, fonts, copy and images at www.marketinglancashire.com/morecambebaybrand.