Case study - Market research for The National Trust

‘I was very pleased with the secondary market research that Marketing and Business Planning carried out for me. They produced a report which was clear, readable and useful, and which has been not only used by my team but also circulated within the National Trust North West Region. They helped us compile a research brief, coordinated inputs from a wide range of internal and external sources, and delivered an excellent report to a tight budget and deadline.’

Kathy Gresty, Supporter and Commercial Services Manager, The National Trust, North West Region

The National Trust is a conservation charity with over 3.4 million members. An important part of its role is to protect historic properties and open them to the public and over 12 million people visit its pay for entry attractions every year.

This secondary research project focused on the pay for entry attractions in the North West of England, including Cumbria and the Lake District, Lancashire and Blackpool, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The aims of the project were to evaluate past performance and forecasts for growth in tourism and leisure in the UK, and to highlight key leisure, social and demographic trends that might have an impact on the North West pay for entry attractions. A secondary research objective was to look at visitor attractions in the UK, including performance to date, forecasts for growth, top performing attractions and key trends.

The National Trust were very pleased with the research report and have expressed their intention to come back to Marketing and Business Planning for an update once new national tourism data becomes available. The findings of the research have been used by the Trust's Commercial Services team in the North West to set targets and identify development priorities and by the National Trust’s Regional Policy Manager for external communications material.