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Bath Tourism Plus, the official marketing organisation for Bath and the surrounding area, today launched their new campaign " Love Bath".
Bath has returned to its roots as the most romantic city in the UK. In the Eighteenth Century it became a magnet for fashionable society and today is once again attracting romantics from all over the country. The city is a hot spot for proposals, anniversaries and for romantic getaways. Over half (54 per cent) of couples getting married in Bath and North East Somerset live elsewhere and some come from as far afield as the USA or Japan.
" Our visitors have always told us that they find Bath incredibly romantic. With the launch of Pride and Prejudice and the start of the Jane Austen Festival here in the city, the timing seemed perfect to remind people just why Bath is such a great place to rekindle romance" said Giles Ingram, Marketing and Operations Manager for Bath Tourism Plus.
Robin Bischert, Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus welcomed author Lauren Henderson, Author of " Jane Austen's Guide to Dating " who has nominated Bath as the most romantic city in the UK. "To me Bath epitomises romance. Much of the city is just how it would have been in Jane Austen's day and she chose to set two of her novels in Bath. It has an atmosphere of elegance and charm but makes today's visitors welcome with excellent hotels and retaurants and great shopping. Like Jane Austen's work, it is a city that endures," she said at the launch.
Lauren Henderson, whose thesis at Cambridge was on "Courtship rituals in Jane Austen", has ingeniously applied the author's wit and wisdom to modern day dating dilemmas. She has flown in from the States to launch her new book and Bath is the first city in a whistle stop tour of the UK.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bath has a winning combination of stunning Georgian architecture surrounded by beautiful countryside, museums and attractions including the world famous Roman Baths, a vibrant retail and restaurant scene and excellent hotels. The lovely scenery around Bath is packed with interesting places to visit, cosy inns, tea shops and fabulous country house hotels.
In Georgian times Bath became the place to visit, to see and be seen. Mothers would take their eligible daughters to Bath in the hope of marrying them off.
The grand gathering places like the Assembly Rooms and the Pump Room were ideal for people watching as they flirted and flaunted their fine fashions. These historic venues and even the world-famous Roman Baths, are among the 23 premises in Bath and North East Somerset that currently hold wedding licences. Almost half (44 per cent ) of couples marrying in Bath opt for a civil ceremony. Bath Tourism Plus offers a free wedding planning service to help people organize a wedding and reception venue.
With the launch of a major new production of Pride and Prejudice this month, all things Georgian and romantic will definitely be back in vogue. The latest version of this classic story of love and life in Regency times features an all star cast including Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen.
The film launch co-incides with the start of the fifth Jane Austen Festival.The city is very much the same as the Bath that she captured so eloquently in her novels. She describes the busy programme of bathing, promenading, balls and assemblies when Bath was the centre of fashion. Today's Bath is just as fashionable and fun to visit. Information about the year-round programme of festivals and about what to see and do in Bath can be found on www.visitbath.co.uk.
Bath attracts couples of all ages for special occasions. It is also a favourite place for marriage proposals and Bath Tourism Plus has compiled a list of ten top places to pop the question like the terrace of the American Museum overlooking the Limpley Stoke Valley, or the Palladian Bridge at Prior Park Gardens. An entry last month in the visitors book at the Roman Baths records " The Roman Baths are wonderful and will be very special to us as this is where Charles proposed to me tonight on the bench in the main bath".
Four-poster beds are a feature in three-quarters of the city's hotels. Spoilt for choice, visitors will be glad of a brand new "Matchmaker "service offered by the Tourist Information team. Using their knowledge of Bath and the surrounding area they will provide a very personalised service to help people plan a tailor-made romantic break. This is the perfect antidote to internet information overload. The website www.visitbath.co.uk is also geared up with a dedicated site on romantic Bath. Visitors can call for advice and bookings or book on-line.
For many, retail therapy is an essential ingredient of any weekend away and more than forty per cent of Bath retailers are independent so visitors can track down unique souvenirs of their special time together. Bath is a manageable and walkable city, ideal for couples to amble hand in hand through its secret alleyways. On every street corner there is a tempting treat with hand-made chocolates at Minerva, numerous delis and colourful flower stands. For dining there are top notch eateries like the Michelin-starred Bath Priory or more informal restaurants like the Beaujolais or Popjoys named after the infamous mistress of Beau Nash, the architect of fashionable society in Bath's Georgian period.
There are many fascinating museums and attractions in Bath. Number One Royal Crescent, authentically decorated and furnished, transports the visitor back to life in a grand town house the Eighteenth Century. The Royal Crescent, completed by John Wood the Younger, is the highlight of palladian architecture in Bath and one the finest examples of Eighteenth Century Architecture in the world.
The countryside all around Bath is waiting to be explored with welcoming country pubs and traditional afternoon tea rooms as well as fabulous country house hotels. At warm and welcoming Woolley Grange near to Bradford-upon-Avon the children are taken care of, making it possible to re-ignite passion that often has to be surpressed with all the demands of a young family. Now owned by the National Trust, the Bath Skyline creates a green mantle around the city, and the six mile walk by the same name is a great way to appreciate Bath and its surroundings.
Even arriving at Bath Spa station is romantic as you immediately get a sense of the Georgian architecture against a backdrop of beautiful countryside. The station, completed in 1840, was on the route that the pioneering engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel built from Paddington to Bristol in the great age of steam . Now First Great Western trains take only 90 minutes and leave Paddington every 30 minutes. The city is 30 minutes south of the M4 and the nearest airport is Bristol with connections to many European cities and daily flights to New York.
For press enquiries please contact Fiona Humphreys fiona_humphreys@bathtourism.co.uk or Tel 0044 (0) 1225 4772284 (0) 1225 477228
Copyright © 2008 Bath Tourism Plus
