The three-year project ‘Growing Tourism Locally’ will generate £365million in additional tourism spend in total and has been funded by £19.8m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) with contributions from VisitEngland and local public and private sector.
VisitEngland, the national tourist board, in partnership with destinations around England has generated an additional £98.2million in tourism spend and 1,861 additional jobs for the sector as a result of the first year of its three year campaign ‘Growing Tourism Locally’.
The three-year project will generate £365million in additional tourism spend in total and has been funded by £19.8m from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) with contributions from VisitEngland and local public and private sector. Aimed at boosting domestic tourism, the project aims to stimulate employment to grow jobs in the tourism sector by 9,100 over the three years.
The investment focuses on working directly with destinations and the private sector to create a number of dedicated marketing campaigns throughout the country that will focus on specific areas and themes. Destination campaigns were rolled out in 2012 throughout the whole of the country from Bath to Northumberland. These campaigns were complemented with a number of thematic initiatives which ran in early 2013 to stimulate Easter and Summer holiday bookings for this year. The themes focused on what England is most loved for including: Heritage, Coastal, Countryside, and Culture. Results for the thematic campaigns are due out in January.
Cumbria Tourism kick-started the programme in August 2012 with an advertising campaign called ‘Go Share Great Moments’ and ‘Go Take your Breath Away’ with adverts appearing in London’s key rail and underground stations. Nottingham launched a campaign called ‘In Notts We Love’ focusing on heritage, sporting and other local legends and the York campaign, entitled ‘York Wrapped Up’ promoted short break packages to the city.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said: “The Regional Growth Fund is making a real difference by supporting VisitEngland and its partners with £19.8 million. Over 1,861 jobs have been created from the first year alone which is really encouraging and shows the strength of the country’s heritage and contribution to the tourism industry.The Regional Growth Fund is helping to kick-start British business and is the Government’s commitment to encourage long-term employment, boost private sector growth and lead to a more balanced economy.”
Minister for Tourism Helen Grant said: “The tourism industry is a key part of the country’s economic growth strategy. It supports local jobs and businesses up and down the country. The Growing Tourism Locally campaign is giving a boost to the domestic market and in its first year it has seen just under £100 million additional tourism spend and nearly two thousand additional jobs created in England.”
James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive said: “The RGF funding has provided a huge boost for tourism in England. This project enables our public and private sector partners to work together to stimulate tourism and ultimately create new jobs throughout the country with particular emphasis on some local areas. The first year has proved incredibly successful with destinations throughout the country benefiting significantly from this investment, boosting local economies and creating important jobs.”
The total size of the investment will be £41m including £19.8 m from the Regional Growth Fund, £9m from VisitEngland, £12m leveraged from the national and local tourism sector.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
