Chester at Christmas is the star of the city’s first ever TV advert.

The 30-second commercial is now live on Sky TV.

Commissioned and created by Marketing Cheshire, the tourist board for the county, the advert poses Chester as “the small city with the big Christmas welcome”, enticing viewers to visit and stay during the festive season.

The four-week campaign will be broadcast to homes within a 90-mile radius of Chester.

The attractive narrated animation reveals a variety of top Christmas attractions in the city, including the Christmas Market, which was launched by Marketing Cheshire in 2013 and celebrates its sixth anniversary this year.

Carols in the cathedral, a Christmas show at the new arts centre, Storyhouse, bracing cruises on the River Dee, and the city’s shops, hotels, restaurants and bars also feature.

The commercial was the inspiration of Katrina Michel, Marketing Cheshire’s chief executive officer, who will leave the role this month after overseeing five years of continuous growth.

It was created by Jake Johnston, digital manager of Marketing Cheshire, and Nick Thompson, director of Chester-based Lemondrop Creative.

Katrina said: “Christmas is such a special time in Chester that we decided this was the perfect moment in the year to highlight the city as a desirable destination for both day trips and short breaks. We chose the flexible and targeted option of Sky Adsmart to ensure that our festive commercial campaign is broadcast straight into the homes of potential local and regional visitors.”

Carl Critchlow, BID manager of CH1ChesterBID, the Business Improvement District for Chester city centre, which supported the initiative, added: “Chester city centre has so much to offer consumers at Christmas; the unique shopping experience on The Rows, a mixture of quirky independent shops, along with well-known high-street stores, makes it a destination where you can find the perfect gift for loved ones.

“We feel that there’s no better place to be at Christmas than Chester city centre and we’re proud to be working with Marketing Cheshire to bring this advert into the homes of potential new visitors and give them a little taste of what Chester has to offer.”

For further information, visit www.visitcheshire.com/christmas/christmas-in-chester.