City has more to offer than retail

Retail? Why do we have to go on flogging this tired old horse when Canterbury has so much more to offer [Gazette, June 18]?

1. Our cathedral is one of the world’s finest buildings, and is at its most magical and atmospheric during performances by the Canterbury Choral Society under the direction of brilliant conductor Richard Cooke. Considering the talent, time and effort that must be required to create music at this level of excellence, why is there only one performance of each work? Why not 10 or 20 performances, advertised vigorously in London, Lille, Brussels, and even Paris and the Rhineland? Canterbury is accessible from all of these by fast train.

2. The Marlowe is a wonderful theatre, and its clever design means that seats in each row are staggered, so that everyone has a good view of the stage. Unlike most other theatres, there is a beautiful garden round the back. It even has a view of the cathedral across the river. Why not give performances (including those at the nearby Curzon cinema) a touch of Glyndebourne class with a buffet supper in the garden before a performance, and drinks there in the interval?

We have the Canterbury Shakespeare players, so why not use their talent with a summerlong Shakespeare festival? “Over-tourism” is an annoyance in some cities, but even in Bruges a recent survey showed that 70% of residents supported tourism, preferably for stays of several days rather than daytrippers. The income is worth the annoyance.

With a bit of imagination, our council could put away the begging bowl and forget about that increase in council tax [Gazette, June 11].

Rosemary Sealey Black Griffin Lane, Canterbury

■ Heritage in Canterbury is the goose that lays the golden egg and attracts visitors from all around the world.

When UNESCO announced in 1988 that Canterbury was to become a World Heritage City, it provided important high profile logos, websites and perpetual international tourism prestige. It placed the city on an exclusive list alongside Florence and Venice.

By 2002 a management plan was in place but it was not resourced or a coordinator appointed. This great project flatlined. There is now a new plan about to be bid for and some guarantees of monies to go towards appointing a project coordinator. The success of UNESCO here really matters to our commerce and tourism sectors , but it also can underpin our heritage. UNESCO’S focus on culture can also facilitate more and more on the links between our many cultural venues making this project relevant and beneficial to local people. Thus in the marketing mix is our World Heritage City – it needs better signage and a better welcome strategy and it also needs embedding (via Visit Canterbury, Visit Kent etc) into London’s tourism market where many of these potential visitors are to be found.

Mike Butler Old Dover Road, Canterbury

Shoppers queueing at Whitefriars last Monday