New hotel partnership to boost focus on Barrow’s economy

The partnership comes at an important time for the area. Barrow is the focus of long-term investment, including the government’s £200 million Barrow Transformation Fund. Delivered over the next decade, this programme aims to support regeneration, improve infrastructure and create new opportunities for local communities and businesses. As this work progresses, the visitor economy and the town’s growing cultural offer have an increasingly important role to play in terms of supporting the wider ambitions for the area.

Although Barrow is well known for its nationally significant role in advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding and the nuclear sector, the area has a much broader story to tell. Its cultural activity, coastal landscapes, nature reserves and heritage assets such as Furness Abbey all contribute to a destination with growing potential. Attractions including The Dock Museum, the beaches of Walney and access to the wider Furness coast help create a distinctive offer for both leisure and business visitors.

Cumbria Tourism’s managing director Gill Haigh says the partnership is an important step in working together with partners to strengthen the area’s growing visitor offer: “Barrow and the Furness peninsula has a range of strengths that deserve greater visibility. Tourism, culture and hospitality can support the area’s wider ambitions by bringing more people into the town, helping businesses grow and contributing to long-term plans. This partnership helps us work more closely with others to further develop the offer and help enhance the area not only as a place to visit but also to live, work, study and invest.”

As a modern, multi award winning hotel in the heart of the town, Holiday Inn Express Barrow-in-Furness already plays a key role in welcoming both business travellers and leisure visitors exploring the South Lakes and the Furness coast.

General manager Craig Healey says the partnership is a natural step: “Holiday Inn Express Barrow-in-Furness & South Lakes are delighted to join Cumbria Tourism as a strategic partner.

“This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting the region’s visitor economy and helping promote Barrow and the Furness peninsula as a key destination within Cumbria. Our hotel welcomes a broad mix of business and leisure guests, and we’re looking forward to contributing more actively to regional activity that supports sustainable tourism and long-term economic growth.

“We’re excited to work with Cumbria Tourism and other partners to showcase the best of what our town and wider region already have to offer but also to support further investment and development.”

The partnership aligns with Cumbria Tourism’s role in supporting Barrow’s wider regeneration. This includes its work on the Cumbria Coastal Route project, supported by Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland Councils, which aims to develop new experiences and itineraries along the entire coastline, including the stretch through Barrow and the wider Furness peninsula.