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<p>The Church of England welcomes the Government’s new Tourism Sector Deal, which
encompasses all our churches and cathedrals and will give a significant boost to our
cultural heritage. Cathedrals in England attract over 10 million visitors a year,
the majority as tourists.</p><p>The Church supports the work of the Churches Visitor
and Tourism Association on several initiatives that help the public learn more about
their local churches:</p><ul><li>The<a href="https://www.explorechurches.org/" target="_blank">
Explore Churches</a> website run by the National Churches Trust provides a single
online gateway for anyone wanting to visit churches, whether as a tourist or a pilgrim.</li><li>The
<a href="https://facultyonline.churchofengland.org/churches" target="_blank">Church
Heritage Record</a> provides geo-located data on every Church of England church, including
information on the history of the building where it is available. Local congregations
are encouraged to add details of their church to this and to <a href="https://www.achurchnearyou.com/"
target="_blank">A Church Near You</a>, to help people planning visits.</li></ul><p>The
Church of England also supports the Cathedrals Marketing and Communications Network
to share best practice and coordinate national campaigns. Individual cathedrals encourage
visitors through hosting special exhibitions, such as Luke Jerram’s <em>Gaia</em>,
currently at Liverpool Cathedral, and Tim Peake’s space capsule, which was visited
by over 170,000 people when on display at Peterborough Cathedral as part of a national
tour.</p>
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