West Midlands Railways and Visit Shropshire join forces to bring tourism to the historic county

West Midlands Railway (WMR) is thrilled to announce its latest partnership, with none other than Visit Shropshire. The rail operator and the official tourism website for Shropshire have joined forces to highlight all that lies amongst the historic county in the West Midlands – and how WMR’s network can be utilised to begin your adventure.

This exciting collaboration comes at a time where people are beginning to regain confidence and really get out and about again – enjoying all that their local areas and beyond have to offer. And, with large events such as the Commonwealth Games coming to the West Midlands this summer – there’s no better time to get out there and explore the West Midlands, promoting Shropshire as a leading UK destination.

WMR and Visit Shropshire will be working closely together to ensure those in the local area, as well as visitors, are able to get the most from the county. What’s more, the two organisations will be encouraging people to spend less time in the car, and to use the rail network to get to their destination – highlighting the importance this positive change can have on the environment – and their pocket too!

To kick off the collaboration, the rail operator and the tourism website will be launching a variety of exciting projects, such as an unmissable social competition. Followers will be given the chance to win a must-have activity bundle – so keep your eyes peeled on their respective Instagram’s to find out more.

Laura Donnelly, Head of Marketing, at West Midlands Railway, said: “Joining forces with Visit Shropshire is something we have wanted to do for a long time, and we’re so pleased this day has finally come. We absolutely recognise the value of tourism, and by working in partnership we hope to support the businesses of the county to recover, grow and thrive into the future.

“Shropshire is such a beautiful part of the West Midlands, and we want to help raise awareness of all it has to offer – from its rich and diverse heritage, arts festivals, and cultural activities, along with a vast amount of retail opportunities too. We also want to highlight that our network is always there to help people get there with ease, and for less.

“We have lots of exciting things in the pipeline and can’t wait to kick-start this partnership, and shout about what’s on offer.”

Mark Hooper, project lead, at Visit Shropshire, said: “We are extremely pleased to begin Visit Shropshire’s first ever strategic transport partnership with West Midlands Railway. 2021 saw Shropshire have the second highest increase in occupancy levels compared to 2019 in England with a 211% increase, with numbers expected to continue to rise during 2022.

“Visit Shropshire is a rapidly changing and expanding organisation with much more of a national and international remit than ever before. Supporting both town and rural locations of Shropshire with marketing campaigns, events, and many new partnership arrangements across many sectors – widening the organisation’s support and promotional agenda.

“We are keen to promote travelling to and around our county via other means of transport in contrast to the car. Shropshire has a well-connected rail network with a large proportion of our visitors arriving via West Midlands Railway trains. As well as Shropshire’s brilliant list of attractions, we will also be playing host to a number of large events this year including music festival ‘Bestival’ and the ever-popular Shrewsbury Food Festival. We can’t wait to promote using West Midlands Railway as a method of discovering our beautiful county!”

For more information on Visit Shropshire, please visit here. To find out more about West Midlands Railway, head over to the website here.