A Google search ‘fenland council tourism’ draws a familiar blank – ‘404 page not found’. And a website set up just over a decade in a fanfare of civic pomp seems to have suffered a similar fate.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
“Tourism is the key to the countryside, Adam Henson told industry representatives as they watched him press the button to launch the new Cambridgeshire Fens website,” it was reported at the time.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
“The general public are more engaged with food and farming as they have been for many years, and for Fenland District Council to support tourism by using a multi-media platform is wonderful, it is the way forward,” he said.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
The website offered an “online destination to discover all that’s great about this fantastic part of England, to find accommodation for your stay and to discover more about the area.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
“You will find a wealth of information about things to do and places to go, to gain inspiration about how to spend your time here”.
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‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
Wisbech once even boasted its own standalone tourism office, and popular it was too.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
Visitors might still come, in decreasing numbers, but the council seems ambivalent about their fate and destiny when they do arrive.
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‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
Ironically, the website was truthful about this statement:
The four vibrant market towns – Whittlesey, Chatteris, March and Wisbech, the ‘capital of the fens’ – are rich in history and well worth a visit in their own right. With a wide choice of accommodation, pubs, and restaurants, why not stop off, explore the hidden backs streets, and sample the fresh local produce at one of the many restaurants and pubs?
But it’s often more by luck than a well planned tourism strategy that visitors find out about the Fens.
Horsefair car park. Town Centre, Wisbech Tuesday 23 July 2024. Picture by Terry Harris
CambsNews asked photographer Terry Harris – whilst on a separate assignment – to remind us of how fascinating Wisbech remains.
His portfolio of images reflect a town steeped in history but lacking in promotion.
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
‘Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens, is the perfect place for a day out or a break to get away from it all,” says the now mothballed Fens tourism website. PHOTO: Terry Harris
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