Cumbria Tourism, the county’s official destination organisation, is welcoming the imminent re-opening of the vital A591 through the central Lake District.
Previously celebrated as ‘Britain’s Best Drive’, this important route between Grasmere and Keswick has been closed since December following damage caused by Storm Desmond.
The re-opening of the A591 planned for this Friday 13 May will come as a massive relief to those tourism businesses which have suffered a downturn in trade in recent months due to a reduction in traffic and passing trade.
Cumbria Tourism with be working with more than 2,400 member businesses and a range of government bodies to help raise awareness that the A591 and the communities it serves are eager to welcome visitors back. Coach tour and group travel operators will also be targeted to drum home this important message.
Ian Stephens, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, says, “Recent months have been very challenging for many tourism businesses, particularly in the Grasmere, Ambleside and Keswick areas. However, the re-opening of the A591 is a major boost for tourism businesses and signals the fact that this important arterial route linking the north and south Lakes is now operating normally as we go forward into the busy summer season”.
He adds, “Although businesses will understandably still feel cautious, we are now looking forward to the summer with a sense of renewed optimism. A series of new and established local events such as the Keswick Mountain Festival are planned for the coming weeks, and the record number of high quality of entries for the upcoming Cumbria Tourism Awards also underlines the continued resilience and determination of tourism businesses to promote what they do with passion and enthusiasm.”
Official bodies including Cumbria County Council, Highways England, United Utilities and the Lake District National Park have all played an important part in getting the road back into action for motorists.
