The boom of Chester's tourism industry is eclipsed by the crowning of Liverpool as European Capital of Culture 2008. Far from lurking in the shadows of Liverpool's limelight, a leading figure behind the bid appointed to supervise Cheshire's tourism industry believes Chester should gatecrash the party. BARRY ELLAMS talks to Cheshire's new tourism troubleshooter Chris Brown.

BRAD Pitt and Jennifer Aniston peering dreamily into the Roman amphitheatre as archeologists excavate the ruin, Wayne Rooney and Coleen McCoughlan strolling along The Rows, a beaming Gordon Ramsey sipping a glass of red wine in the Arkle are all photographic opportunities high on Chester's tourism wish list... and The Chronicle's for that matter.

Hollywood couple Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) are also welcome.

When the glamorous duo were spotted getting to grips with canal boat life between Llangollen and Shropshire two things happened - the paparazzi went into overdrive and the respective Shropshire and Wales tourist boards pressed their hands together and said a little 'thank you' to the god of PR.

While many British men now want to play Indiana Jones on a canal boat for two weeks with a beautiful woman looking on, many neighbouring tourist operators have to scratch their heads and think of how to make the best use of what is on offer.

Chester is the sleeping giant in tourism terms, with so many destinations and high-quality visitor experiences.

Senior figures in the industry might greet the old Chester watchwords of 'heritage' 'good restaurants', 'bars', 'hotels and interesting' sightseeing experiences with a protracted yawn.

Local operators know they have been sitting on a cobble-lined gold-mine for decades - what is making many sit up and think is that the market has evolved dramatically during the last few years.

Only last month Grosvenor hotel manager Jonathon Slater announced American tourists were returning in droves following the 9/11 disaster and that 'long-haul' tourists, in particular from the Far East, were opting for Heritage venues.

Last week Chester City Tourism head Colin Potts told The Chronicle that low-cost airlines operating from Liverpool were bringing hordes of European visitors into Chester.

He said: 'It is something that we have noticed this year - we are receiving many visitors taking the low-cost flights from Manchester and Liverpool airport, mostly from Liverpool, and they are visiting Chester and staying here.'

European visitors and UK day trippers are flocking to Chester to the point that the feel-good factor is positively purring - the upbeat mantra is that Chester's tourism industry can have its cake and eat it; the whinge is that Chester is complacent and is suffering from a skills shortage.

While not quite the splash that Harrison Ford made when he shunned A-list resorts and decided to mess about in the waterways, a significant event also happened in Chester - destined to make its own ripples.

Three weeks ago the Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board (CWTB) was formed as the result of a major shake-up of tourism services designed to boost the area's tourism through greater public funding, improved co-ordination and a business-like approach.

As a result, Chester and Cheshire has a new tourism manager primed with the task of putting Chester on top of the UK tourism destination pile.

A former award-winning hotelier, Chris Brown took up his post as chief executive officer on July 5, leaving his post as director of operations with The Mersey Partnership.

It was in this capacity that he played an influential role in helping Sir Bob Scott and Liverpool council leader Mike Storey campaign to win the Liverpool 2008 European Capital of Culture bid.

Tourism chiefs are hoping some of Mr Brown's Midas touch will rub off on to Chester, and the Glaswegian football fanatic is calling on employers to raise the bar, develop its untapped potential of the area's tourism assets, raise aspirations and increase employment in the sector.

Mr Brown said: 'Capital of Culture was a very exciting time. The one great strength about the Liverpool bid was the great team effort that went into it, when it came down to the judging process it was the integrated approach taken by the people involved that won it.

'There was a hunger, a desire and a passion, it was taken as an opportunity by people in Liverpool that the city really wanted to reinvent itself - that was the message that we successfully got across.'

But Mr Brown argues that Chester is well-placed to cash in on Liverpool's good fortune.

He said: 'We have to reflect on the success of Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid and see how we can complement and be integrated into the offer that 2008 will bring into the region. The quality of our welcome has to be exceptional.

'We have to be become more aggressive about promoting the city, improving quality and setting ourselves a higher agenda.'

Liverpool is to become the new Barcelona, according to the authors of an authoritative property market report published today.

Global analyst Knight Frank has predicted Liverpool's 2008 Culture title, combined with the new World Heritage status, will produce a 'Barcelona boom', similar to that experienced in the Spanish city after the 1992 Olympics.

Liverpool is expected to pull in £2 billion in investment and 17,000 jobs in the next four years.

For Mr Brown, the recurrent theme is aggressive marketing.

He said: 'We need a thematic approach to sell Chester to tourists, for example there is a huge amount of value in the family market and we need to develop Chester as a family destination.'

The hotel industry is booming in Chester and more planning applications are expected from leading chains to increase growth.

Mr Brown explained the health of the hotel industry in any city is a good 'temperature check' for tourism.

He added: 'The message is don't become too complacent - there is a danger that we can react negatively to new investment. We have to welcome investment that brings additional things to the city.'

Mr Brown is a big fan of business tourism and is pleased with the Cheshire and Chester Conference Desk, which has helped to transform Chester into a corporate hotspot. He says Chester needs to get savvy with this phenomena very quickly and develop a proper conference centre.

'If the quality of the experience is excellent - the hotel, the food, the welcome - the business tourist will return as a leisure visitor,' he said. 'There is a huge amount of potential in business tourism in Cheshire.'