SPOTLIGHT ON WILTSHIRE’ S TOURIST ECONOMY transport links, often acting as the go-to place for tourists to base themselves while they explore Wiltshire to the south and The Cotswolds to the north.
“ Although we don’ t currently contribute to VisitWiltshire financially, it is something we may consider in the future.
“ At the moment, we are focusing the limited resources we do have towards securing strong economic partnerships with our local authority neighbours in the east, while also attracting investors to support our Heart of Swindon vision to transform our town centre.”
Where does an LVEP fit nationally? The creation of LVEPs was part of the UK Government’ s response to the recommendations of the De Bois Review: an independent review of Destination Management Organisations( DMOs) to reshape destination management and marketing across England.
The aim is to have at least 40 covering major areas of the UK, and currently there are 41. These include Liverpool, South Yorkshire, Devon, Dorset, Tees Valley, Essex and Kent.
Andrew Stokes, England Director at VisitEngland, said,“ The LVEPs’ programme is transforming the visitor economy in England, supporting its growth in a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable way. VisitWiltshire have consistently been one of England’ s top-performing DMOs and we expect them to play an important role in the new national LVEP structure.”
This is what an LVEP offers a community:
• Additional tourism visits and spend for the visitor economy
• Destination inclusion in VisitEngland / VisitBritain marketing activity
• Access to expert advice and training programmes
• Support with product development, distribution, accessibility and sustainability
• Business support services
• Travel trade press and PR opportunities
• Support with funding bids and access to ring-fenced Government grant funding.
Want to join the board? A new Wiltshire LVEP Advisory Board is being established, made up of representatives from VisitWiltshire, Wiltshire Council, town partners, and tourism businesses. A first task will be to develop a new Wiltshire Tourism Strategy & Destination Plan. Anyone interested in joining should email: davidandrews @ visitwiltshire. co. uk.
For more info: www. visitwiltshire. co. uk
The amazing images used in this feature and on the front cover are courtesy of Barbara Leatham Photography – see her story on page 34.
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