Case study

Agency partnership leads to successful re-launch of popular tourism website

Magnifica partnered with CNS Media to accelerate the launch of railtrail.co.uk

Services we provided

When CNS Media, a full-service creative agency based in Chesterfield, needed specialist technical support to complete and launch the new Railtrail Tours website they turned to Magnifica to deliver the custom functionality and WordPress development expertise required.

The collaboration resulted in a modern, high-performance website with seamless booking system integration just in time for the Railtrail Tours relaunch.

The Client

CNS Media is a leading marketing and media agency, known for their work across branding, video production, digital marketing, and web design. For this project, they were working with Railtrail Tours, a UK-based operator offering offering escorted and independent holidays by rail.

The Challenge

CNS Media needed additional technical firepower to complete the build and integrate the site with the external booking platform Railtrail Tours use to manage their back-office operations. The brief required:

  • Finalising the WordPress theme and layout
  • Ensuring content templates were flexible and easy for editors to update
  • Developing a custom API integration with the Railtrail Tours third-party booking system
  • Ensuring a smooth, on-brand user experience from holiday browsing to booking

Our Role

Magnifica partnered with CNS Media as a specialist technical consultant and developer. We brought:

  • Advanced WordPress Development: Finalising templates, implementing reusable Gutenberg blocks, and optimising page speed and responsiveness
  • Custom API Integration: Building a tailored connector between the WordPress front end and the Railtrail Tours booking engine, allowing customers to view real-time availability and seamlessly transition to the booking system
  • Testing & Deployment: Conducting quality assurance across browsers and devices, and supporting CNS Media in the final go-live process

The Outcome

Together, CNS Media and Magnifica successfully launched a refreshed, modern railtrail.co.uk website that blends beautiful design with robust functionality. The result is a site that’s easier for Railtrail Tours to manage and more intuitive for customers to explore and book their next holiday.

Key Results

  • Fully responsive, content-rich WordPress website
  • Custom booking API integration for a seamless user experience
  • On-time launch in coordination with the Railtrail Tours marketing campaigns

A collaborative working relationship has been established and all parties are now planning a series of phase 2 developments as the Railtrail Tours team begin to expand their offering now that they have a solid and modern website platform in place.

CNS Media

Working with Magnifica was a real asset to this project. Rob brought a level of technical expertise that allowed us to overcome integration challenges quickly and with confidence.

His ability to understand the requirements, solve problems efficiently, and deliver high-quality code at speed was exactly what we needed to get the Railtrail Tours site over the finish line.

The turnaround was fast, communication was clear, and the end result exceeded both ours and the client’s expectations.

Tom Charlesworth – Head of Client Strategy at CNS Media