Shrewsbury's status as the birthplace and home of Charles Darwin has spread far and wide with press coverage appearing across the globe.
The year-long Darwin's Shrewsbury campaign, underway to promote the town's Darwin connections in this the anniversary year, has already been enormously successful receiving local, regional and national press coverage including TV and radio.
The campaign, commissioned by Destination Shrewsbury and undertaken jointly with Shropshire Tourism, has so far seen £1.6 million worth of press coverage generated. Worldwide, articles have appeared in the US press including CNN news, the Malaysia Star, Indian Express and even as far afield as the Sydney Sunday Herald!
Requests for information on Shrewsbury have also proved popular with the town's Visitor Information Centre so far receiving 5,213 enquiries as a result of national advertising.
David Griffiths of Destination Shrewsbury commented, "The aim of the campaign was to raise the profile of Shrewsbury and the town's connections with Charles Darwin. The level of media interest has been fantastic with a high level of press coverage, which we hope will continue throughout the remainder of the year. We expect this coverage to result in a higher level of visitors and spend."
The Darwin celebrations will continue throughout 2009 with a series of events and festivals in Shrewsbury. For further information visit the website www.discoverdarwin.co.uk.
