Newcastle Castle

Newcastle Castle is a fortress in the heart of the city, offering visitors a taste of local history and commanding views across the River Tyne.

Prior to the pandemic, more than half of its customers came from abroad, with many travelling via ferry into the Port of Tyne.

But the onset of covid meant that walk-ins were no longer viable and a more sophisticated online booking system was required.

Via a TXGB connection, the Newcastle Castle team were able to connect their Fareharbor booking system, enabling increased reservations, which could be managed more efficiently.

And thanks to these improvements, the attraction’s online visibility was enhanced significantly without any extra admin resource requirements.

“One of the benefits of being connected to TXGB is the ability to take online bookings through numerous destination management organisations and via the VisitBritain Shop.

And it also enables us to take part in national campaigns like the National Lottery Days Out alongside regional opportunities via our local destination, including Escape the Everyday and New Adventures website.

Ultimately, all the booking and availability information is filtered through from our own system to all of our chosen sales channels.

TXGB makes this pretty seamless and helps Newcastle Castle drive more bookings.“

Ben Smith
CEO

Creating connections

Since connecting to TXGB, Newcastle Castle has been able to take part in several successful campaigns and attract sales from new key channels, including:

• New Adventures
• VisitEngland’s ‘Escape the Everyday’ with NGI
• Rugby League World Cup 2021
• National Lottery Days Out campaigns 2022 and 2023
• VisitBritain Shop
• Google Things to Do

As part of the Newcastle Gateshead Heritage Partnership, the Castle team can collaborate closely with other tourism business operators in the region.

Restaurants, hotels, visitor attractions and more can come together to offer tourists additional things to experience alongside Newcastle Castle.

By enabling these connections, TXGB is helping the local visitor economy rebound and retain repeat visitors.