Kingston Upon Thames is fast becoming a “must-visit” destination for short-breaks and day-trips thanks to a national PR campaign by Kingstonfirst.

The town’s picturesque, riverside location, exciting array of cafes, bars and restaurants as well as its cultural attributes and historic charm have been celebrated in travel features published in The Sunday Mirror, The Sun, The Manchester Evening News, The Daily Star Sunday, The Plymouth Herald and more.

In addition, The Royal Afternoon Tea at Warren House was selected by ITV’s This Morning as one of the top Mother’s Day treats in the country.

The PR campaign has already produced more than £85,000 worth of coverage and the work is set to continue with a full PR programme of news and event announcements, competitions and press trips scheduled for 2013 and beyond.

Ros Morgan, Chief Executive of Kingstonfirst said: “Kingston commanded an international audience during the London Olympics as it featured in the cycle races and Kingstonfirst’s aim now, is to ensure that our town remains in the spotlight.

“We have such a lot to offer visitors to Kingston, whether they are looking for family fun, a romantic or cultural break, a pet-friendly weekend away or a group trip and our PR campaign is designed to showcase our attributes as a tourist destination. We have already hosted 11 travel journalists and editors from national and regional media, whose articles have and will inspire readers to consider Kingston for their next mini-break.

The businesses have really got behind the campaigns this year, most recently contributing gifts and treats to a hamper that enabled us to deliver a taste of Kingston direct to the desks of 30 of the UK’s most influential travel journalists and editors, and their support has been vital to our success.

We hope that they, in turn, have seen the benefits it can bring in terms of increasing visitors to the town and boosting the tourist spend during their stay.

“Our next visit is from the Associate Editor of Woman’s Own who we plan to wow with an action-packed itinerary that she can then recommend to her readers.

Following that we’ll be promoting our jam-packed calendar of summer events which included the International Youth Arts Festival and RideLondon.”

Kingstonfirst has also produced a wide range of materials to showcase the town’s tourism offering and to enable every visitor to make the most of their time here, including a new visitor guide, walking tour leaflets and a brand new mobile app for iPhone and android phones.