Potter castle hires Disney boss

Alnwick Castle doubled as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The owners of a Northumberland castle, which featured in two Harry Potter films, have turned to a former Disney boss to boost visitor numbers.

Former Disneyland Paris vice president Christian Perdrier is to take over as chief executive of Alnwick Castle.

Owners, the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, want to increase the venue's 800,000 a year visitors.

Warner Brothers used the castle as the location for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Mr Perdrier, whose objectives include overhauling customer service levels, said: "Alnwick has huge potential.

"The benefits to the Northumberland community and the North East as a whole could be huge.

"We have always been conscious of how our visitor numbers can positively affect the local economy."

'Further growth'

As well as the almost 1,000-year-old medieval castle, the estate also features sprawling gardens and a 6,000 sq ft tree house complex which cost £3.3m to build.

The Duchess of Northumberland said: "Christian can do for visitors to Alnwick what Walt Disney has done for children and families all over the world.

"Disney is synonymous with excellent customer service, superb staff training and unparalleled visitor experiences.

"As with any growing business, we needed to bring in the appropriate expertise to ensure further growth and improve our professionalism.

"Christian is the perfect person to ensure Alnwick becomes a worldwide visitor destination."