“There’s no such thing as bad publicity”. The old adage, attributed to 19th century American showman PT Barnum, certainly rings true for Salisbury right now. In news terms, the tragic fate of the novichok victims has been overtaken by a pantomime of implausibility played out in the international media, which has put Salisbury on the map more firmly than any tourism board advertising could do in years.

The encyclopaedic knowledge of 14th century English ecclesiastical architecture displayed by two young Russians on a short weekend break to Salisbury puts most visitors, who crave little more than a selfie in front of the cathedral, to shame. Thanks to these studious travellers’ passion for the town’s heritage, many people around the world are now not just aware of Salisbury as a good place to visit; they have also had their eyes opened to some remarkable facts about the place: the cathedral spire is 123metres tall, it has a 14th century working clock, and it is a mere stone’s throw from one of Britain’s most iconic sites, Stonehenge (even if a light dusting of snow occasionally makes the 19 mile journey on the A360 impassable to all but the hardiest of souls).

 So, what impact is this likely to have on tourism to Salisbury?

After a short downturn as a result of contamination fears, local hoteliers can expect to see a modest boost in the months to come, with restaurants fuller, shops busier, and car parking spaces harder to find. This is not so much a macabre interest in dark tourism as it is a result of increased awareness of Salisbury as a tourism destination – both amongst domestic visitors and with the prospect of inclusion on the itineraries of more international visitors’ to the UK. Memories of bad news and any associated risk are quickly dispelled after a place returns to normality; and what’s left is a degree of notoriety coupled with fascination. Add to this the worldwide media coverage of Salisbury as an attractive town and you have a recipe for increased visitation – for positive reasons.

What, if anything should tourism authorities do to take advantage of this awareness of Salisbury?

Should Salisbury translate its website into Russian in anticipation of hordes more Russian visitors beating a path to see the 123m cathedral spire and 14th century clock? Probably not. Should VisitBritain highlight Salisbury in its Russian promotional activity? Certainly not. But Salisbury should take advantage of the current, and inevitably fleeting, international interest in the town to pump out positive PR stories in key markets about the town’s other visitor appeals and its great location from which to visit many of England’s fabulous attractions (as long as it’s not snowing!). There may even be a case for working with other cathedral cities to develop, for instance, a cathedral cities trail. Whether the height of their spires should be highlighted as a unique selling point, however, remains a moot point.