Exeter Airport is looking forward to welcoming thousands of German and Austrian tourists to the South West this summer who wish to visit the sites and landmarks made famous by the books of Rosamund Pilcher.
Rosamund Pilcher, who was born in Cornwall, has sold 60 million books and her adapted romances which are shown on German and Austrian television draw an average 6 million viewers every week.
A new series of summer charter flights operated by a German tour company are now planned so that visitors can see the areas of Devon and Cornwall, including Exeter Airport, which have become the backdrop to the popular European TV programmes in recent years.
Jamie Christon, Managing Director at Exeter Airport said: “We have been working with German and Austrian operators for a number of months to secure these inbound services into Exeter. The introduction of these services is a fantastic step in developing inbound tourism into the South West through Exeter Airport. We will look to further develop the series of flights in the future.”
Nicola Poultney, Chief Executive of Visit Devon commented on the new services: “This is a great opportunity for tourism businesses in Devon to benefit from the German and Austrian markets. With the interest created by the Rosamund Pilcher series and the additional influence of the strong Euro it is a very good time for European visitors to come to the UK. We are keen to continue to work closely with Exeter International Airport in order to grow inbound tourism to Devon.”
Julian Wilkinson, Chairman of the Exeter and Heart of Devon Hoteliers Association said: “Tourism is vital for the growth and prosperity of the hotels and restaurants in and around Exeter and Devon and we very much welcome this announcement”.
