Spearheaded by the 14th century St Mary’s Guildhall, the programme enables visitors to explore major flashpoints in British history from the Tudors to World War Two, as well the largest collection of publicly-owned British vehicles on the planet and groundbreaking artistic exhibitions and national collections.
The oldest tapestry still in its original place in Britain, the world-famous Cathedral Ruins, and Dippy, the life-size diplodocus replica on loan from the Natural History Museum are among the major draws on show in the well-connected West Midlands city – all within a few minutes’ walk of each other.
Travel trade specialist Georgina Forsythe met with buyers from around the world at the InterContinental London to talk about the Coventry’s unique offer to visitors unveiled at the European Tourism Association (ETOA) Britain and Ireland Marketplace earlier this year.
The launch comes after an initial trial partnership between St Mary’s Guildhall, which is operated by No Ordinary Hospitality Management (NOHM), and Coventry Cathedral.
Jayne Pyatt, Marketing Manager at St Mary’s Guildhall, which reopened in 2022 following a £6m renovation, said: “We are thrilled to be working alongside our fantastic neighbours to encourage people to discover everything the city has to offer.
“Each attraction has its own unique qualities contributing to a very special and memorable experience. When combined, we have an extremely strong offer to visitors to the cathedral quarter, and we can’t wait to start welcoming even more visitors to Coventry and working together to raise the city’s profile.”
Carla Crawley, Head of Tourism and Engagement at Coventry Cathedral, said: “We are thrilled to be working so closely with some of our city partners to encourage more visitors into Coventry. Our venues showcase just some of the city’s rich history and it’s wonderful to be able to share that with a new audience.”
Marguerite Nugent, Cultural Director at CV Life, said: “‘Coventry has a huge amount of arts, heritage and history to explore, and it’s brilliant to be working alongside our fantastic neighbours in the Cathedral Quarter to provide a high-quality cultural offer for visitors of all ages.
“We are working with national partners to bring touring exhibits and displays to The Herbert, including Dippy the diplodocus, and we have the world’s largest publicly-owned collection of British vehicles around the corner at Coventry Transport Museum. There has never been a better time to visit the city.”
Councillor Jim O’Boyle cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said: “It’s great to see some of our great visitor attractions working together to promote the city to a wide tourist audience.
“Many of our most historic buildings have recently benefited from investment to ensure they can go on welcoming local people and visitors for years to come and they are an important part of our tourism offer.”
