VisitNorwich Launches Top 10; 'Party On' and 'Gatecrash the Party' Guides to Norwich During Radio 1's Big Weekend and Bank Holiday Monday

VisitNorwich, the official destination management organisation for the Norwich area has put together two 'Top 10' guides for making the most of a trip to Norwich over the weekend of 22 – 25 May. 'Party On' gives inspiration on how to enjoy the weekend once the music is over and 'Gatecrash the Party' is for those celebrating in Norwich without festival tickets.

Whichever applies, you can have a great time in Norwich. From throwing your own private party to sailing the Broads, from lightly jogging around the Cathedral Cloisters Alan Partridge style, to taking a selfie at Avengers: Age of Ultron HQ and viewing contemporary art from the world's most expensive living artist at Norwich Castle. Norwich offers a wealth of diverse experiences over the weekend of 22-25 May and throughout the year – so don't miss out!

Inspirational content about what to do in Norwich and how to make the most of time spent in the city will be published onwww.visitnorwich.co.uk where visitors will also find practical advice and further information.

Abellio Greater Anglia runs trains between London and Norwich with trains running every 30 minutes between London Liverpool Street directly into Norwich Rail Station for those who want to be in the 'festival city' but cannot stay overnight. Advance fares can be purchased from £9 each way, journey times average 1hr 50 minutes. National Express run buses to Norwich also.

Norwich Tourist Information Centre (TIC) located in The Forum will be open to take phone calls and visits on Saturday 23rd between 9.30 am and 5.30 pm (01603 913999) and Monday 25th between 10.30 am and 3.30 pm . For social media butterflies, real time tourist information can be received using @MoreNorwich, a new initiative spearheaded by VisitEngland, England's official tourist board for English destination Tourist Information Centres.

Finally, Norwich City Hosts will be in the city centre to offer help and advice and the Discover Norwich App offers a wealth of 'on the go' information about shopping, eating and sightseeing in Norwich City Centre.

Nick Bond, Head of VisitNorwich says about the forthcoming Big Weekend celebrations, "This is a huge event for Norwich with many people travelling here who may not have visited before. Our guides and our website will assist visitors and those who already live here with further ideas of things to do as well as where to eat, drink, shop, stay and sightsee. We want everyone to have a really great time in Norwich and we want them to maximise their visit by offering information on all the other great stuff there is going on in the area."

Notes to Editors

For images, further information and to arrange interviews contact Melanie Cook, PR Manager, VisitNorwich or Sara Hardman, Marketing Executive, VisitNorwich.

Melanie Cook 01603 727939, melanie.cook@visitnorwich.co.uk
Sara Hardman 01603 727943, sara.hardman@visitnorwich.co.uk

1. VisitNorwich is the destination management organisation for the Norwich area. It is a private/public sector partnership and a not for profit organisation whose sole focus is to promote and develop the destination and support its membersthrough collaborative marketing, research, information and business advice.
2. For the benefit of the area as a whole, VisitNorwich strives to achieve: better profile and reputation locally, nationally and internationally; increased visitor spend; more investment; more jobs and better quality experiences for both visitors and residents.
3. Tourism is worth around £700 million per year to the Norwich area, supports over 9,000 jobs (Tourism South East, 2010).
4. In 2012 Norwich became England's first UNESCO City of Literature and the sixth in the world joining other great cities; Edinburgh, Dublin, Melbourne, Iowa City and Reykjavik. This accolade is a permanent status.
5. Norwich was a finalist in the Group Leisure Awards 2012, in the Best UK City category.
6. Norwich was placed 6th in volume of tourism day visits in England in 2011 (after London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool) and ahead of popular destinations like York, Brighton, Bristol, Sheffield and Chester. 17 million day visitors spent over £1/2 billion in 2011. Data from the 2011 Great Britain Day Visits Survey (GBDVS 2011).
7. Norwich was in the top 10 of UK places to shop (Venuescore 2011-12, The Javelin Group), having also been previously ranked 9th in the Experian Goad retail index and 8th on the CACI index. The outstanding quality and diversity of the city's retail offer presents a major draw for visitors to the Norwich area.
8. VisitNorwich Ltd is a company limited by guarantee, a private/public sector partnership and a membership organisation representing the interests of a broad range of businesses across the visitor economy. Its principal public sector stakeholders are Norwich City Council and South Norfolk Council.
9. VisitNorwich has been operational from 1st April 2005
10. For further information on Norwich and its surrounding area visitwww.visitnorwich.co.uk, www.cityofstories.co.uk

1. In 2014 Norwich was named as one of Britain's Top 10 cities in The Telegraph Travel Awards.
2. The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts was one of the six finalists for the prestigious Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year 2014.
3. The Millennium Library, based at The Forum in Norwich was named in 2014 (for the eighth year in a row) the busiest library in the UK. Figures collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA).
4. Annually the Writers' Centre Norwich and the University of East Anglia hold Literary Festivals which attract acclaimed authors from all over the world. The University of East Anglia's (UEA) first literary festival took place in 1991 and over the last twenty two years we has welcomed a host of award-winning authors, journalists, illustrators, scientists, economists, broadcasters and more.
5. In 2015 Norwich cultural venues will play host to two thrilling exhibitions which will attract international audiences; Bacon and the Masters a collaborative exhibition with Le Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and Jeff Koons in collaboration with the Norfolk & Norwich Festival at Norwich Castle.
6. In 2014 The Norwich Lanes was crowned Great British High Street of the Year in the city category.