Tourism bosses hope successful marketing campaign will attract more visitors to Suffolk

Visit Suffolk's You.Unplugged campaign advert. Picture: VISIT SUFFOLK (Image: Archant)

Masterminds behind the Visit Suffolk initiative hope the success will see more people choosing to holiday in the county this year.

The project was launched last September and involved a television commercial that went out on platforms such as Sky TV, ITV Hub and social media.

This was paired with a fresh digital push that ensured Internet browsers kept Suffolk in mind when researching and booking holidays.

Overall the 'You. Unplugged' campaign, run in partnership with the county's destination management organisations (DMOs), exceeded targets by 76 per cent.

Amanda Bond, Visit Suffolk brand manager, said: 'We are delighted with the results, ensuring Suffolk is destination of choice for staying visitors looking for a holiday in the UK.

'The staycation market has flattened so we have to compete much harder for that all-important tourism spend.'

Ms Bond said driving overnight visits to Suffolk was a top priority for tourism chiefs in the county.

Doug Field, chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: 'To achieve and surpass targets for TV and digital audience is a very good result for Visit Suffolk. The challenge now is to translate that success into increased visitor numbers this year and in the future – a challenge we know all our local destination organisations are working hard to achieve.'

The tourism industry in Suffolk is worth £1.9billion to the local economy, generating 1.6m staying visits. It employs nearly 40,000 people which equates to nearly 13pc of all jobs in the county.

Colin Noble, leader of Suffolk County Council, said: 'Suffolk has a fantastic visitor offer and we want to have more people come to the county to experience that offer.

'Growing our economy is an important priority for the county council and the visitor economy is one of our key sectors.'