Kent, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- This week, Kent is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, the world-famous author who was born in the town.
Thanks to the author, Kent expects a £4m boost to tourism. Kent will become a magnet for literary travelers due to the anniversary, according to Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive of Visit Kent. Ashley Blackman, managing director of Kent-based sales and marketing company Gateway Kent, commented on the expected influx of tourism, saying, “Dickens’ worldwide fame has always encouraged tourism to the town, but this year will be particularly good, owing to the landmark anniversary.”
Dickens lived in various places around the country, before eventually being attracted back to Gad’s Hill Place in Higham, where he wrote such classics as Great Expectations and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Ms Matthews-Marsh said, “He wrote so evocatively about places in the county, so throughout all the books you've got these wonderful passages about Canterbury and Broadstairs, Rochester, Chatham - just almost every place he went to in the county.”
“It’s not just at this time of year, or specifically just Dickens,” said Mr Blackman from Gateway Kent, “Kent is a town with a fantastic literary heritage, and always attracts tourism based on that. Dickens is a huge part of that.”
It’s not just this week either. Throughout the year, many more events are planned, to mark the anniversary and attract more visitors to Kent. These include a free exhibition this week at Eastgate House in Rochester, and a reading by Gerald Dickens - the author's great-great-grandson on May 16.
“Audiences are now seeing the great adaptations that are made for film and TV, and that’s bringing a whole new generation to Dickens’ work,” said Ms Matthews-Marsh, “There’s a new blockbuster due out in the summer, with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter in Great Expectations.” Mr Blackman from Gateway Kent added, “The tourism is not just UK based. Increasingly people are travelling to Kent from all over the world to experience the literary heritage of Kent.”
10% of users of Visit Kent’s website are interested in Dickens, which, claims Ms Matthews-Marsh, could translate to up to 400,000 extra visitors to Kent because of the anniversary.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/february/4/dickens_anniversary.aspx