A major new marketing campaign has been launched to boost tourism across the East Midlands, with a clear message: this is a region built for easy, rewarding short breaks.
Branded “Centre of it All”, the push is backed by Visit Derby, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire and Visit Nottinghamshire, and is designed to bring more visitors in from London, the South-East and across the United Kingdom.
Selling the region as the “easy escape”
At its heart, the campaign positions the East Midlands as an easily accessible short-break destination – one that can turn a quick weekend into an overnight stay, and an overnight stay into a deeper exploration.
The focus is broad but deliberate: culture and heritage, world-class sport, standout landscapes, and the kind of hospitality that doesn’t need a hard sell – just a nudge to get people to look beyond their usual map of the United Kingdom.
A mayoral message: pride, partnership, and place
Claire Ward framed the campaign as a collaborative effort to “proudly showcase” what makes the region special – linking vibrant cities and wide-open landscapes with sport, culture and warm hospitality.
It’s an important signal: this isn’t one area trying to shout louder than another, but a region attempting to market itself with one voice, while still letting each destination keep its own character.
Derby steps forward, with culture doing the heavy lifting
If the campaign is a regional invitation, Derby’s role in it reads like a confident subplot becoming a headline.
The Visitor Economy Development Manager at Visit Derby, said the campaign will raise awareness of the city’s “fabulous businesses” that power a rich and diverse visitor experience – before adding a line that’s both proud and telling: Derby is a city that has been “quietly, yet consistently, changing the world for hundreds of years.”
The pitch is clear: come for the stories, stay for everything built around them – museums, venues, food, and the wider region on the doorstep.
The Time Out moment Derby plans to build on
That growing confidence has been given an extra lift by national attention.
Derby was recently named one of the best places to visit in the UK in 2026 by Time Out, appearing in its “14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026” list – compiled by its writers and editors as a guide to “the greatest cities, towns and streets to explore in Britain this year.”
Derby takes centre stage, moving from National Gallery to Derby
Derby’s Time Out write-up spotlights a cultural anchor with real pull: Wright of Derby: From the Shadows.
The exhibition – focused on Wright’s candlelight paintings – is being staged at London’s National Gallery before travelling to Derby in June, as part of the city’s wider “Year of Wright” programme.
Derby Museums has confirmed the exhibition’s London run (7 November 2025 to 10 May 2026) and its Derby dates at Derby Museum and Art Gallery (from mid-June into autumn 2026).
“Year of Wright” and the economic case for culture
The campaign’s Derby narrative is not just about arts for arts’ sake; it’s also about what culture does to footfall, spend, and confidence.
Derby’s “Year of Wright” is also the cover story of Marketing Derby’s Innovate magazine, and the importance of culture to the local economy featured in a keynote delivered by the Executive Director at Derby Museums, at the city’s Annual Business Event.
The visitor economy numbers behind the story
Behind the headlines, the scale is significant. More than eight million visitors come to Derby every year, contributing £365 million to the city’s economy.
Alongside that, a £2 billion regeneration development is under way, with new office, retail and leisure schemes intended to strengthen the city’s appeal further – giving future visitors more reasons to stay longer, do more, and come back.
The Peak District: big impact already, bigger potential still
The campaign isn’t pretending the Peak District needs an introduction – but it is arguing it can perform even better with the right spotlight.
Tourism already contributes £2.9 billion to the local economy and supports almost 30,000 jobs, yet partners behind the campaign say significant untapped potential remains.
The goal is not simply more visitors, but more overnight stays and more local spend – growth that supports tourism businesses while keeping the experience worth travelling for.
A collaborative step forward
The Managing Director of Visit Peak District & Derbyshire described the launch as “a major step forward” for Derbyshire and the wider East Midlands visitor economy – calling tourism a powerful driver of growth and pointing to the impact of partners working together to raise the region’s profile.
It’s a reminder that, in tourism, brand perception matters: what people think they know about a place often decides whether they ever bother to look deeper.
Conclusion: one campaign, many reasons to stay longer
Taken together, “Centre of it All” is a confident attempt to turn geography into an advantage and collaboration into a competitive edge.
With the East Midlands positioned as a straightforward short-break choice for London and beyond, the campaign ties city energy to countryside calm – Nottinghamshire culture and sport alongside Derby’s museums and a headline-grabbing “Year of Wright”, and the Peak District’s proven visitor economy with fresh ambitions for longer stays.
If the campaign lands as intended, it won’t just attract day-trippers passing through – it will convert them into overnight visitors who explore more deeply, spend more locally, and leave with a clearer sense of what the East Midlands is really offering.
