THE businesses and tourist attractions of Richmond certainly can’t be accused of sitting on their laurels, as this week Spectator has heard of two separate campaigns to drive tourism and celebrate all that is good about the town.

It is the third year the biggest tourism outlets have clubbed together to create the ‘Town Ticket’, a discount card which gives entry to Richmond Castle, Georgian Theatre Royal, the Richmondshire and Green Howards museums with up to 20 per cent off.

This year, several of the town’s cafes and restaurants have also got involved, meaning visitors can have a full day out and be re-fuelled along the way.

It is a clever way to market the top attractions and encourage visitors to make the most of their stay, but now another group has gone a step further to attempt to pull all the towns businesses, attractions and retail outlets together to a single website.

Magical Richmond is holding a launch event on April 6, and the idea is to promote everything the town has to offer on one website, and hopefully keep tourism rolling throughout the quieter winter months.

Philip Knowles is behind the scheme, and has recently been to speak to Richmond Town Council about ways it can help the town improve its marketing. In a series of workshops, Mr Knowles hopes to inform others how to make it easier for people planning a visit to Richmond to see everything they can do – including all the shops, eateries, attractions and services.

There is already Richmond Online, a website with a wealth of information, but this group of enthusiastic individuals should be applauded for doing their best to boost the local economy.