VisitEngland – Responding to a new environment

1. VisitEngland – Responding to a new environment James Berresford, CEO VisitEngland

2. The winds of change • Demise of regionalism in all its guises • The rise of localism and LEPs & DMOs • Government Tourism Policy

3. New GovernmentTourism Policy • VisitEngland leadership and DMO growth • Grading Review • Brown Signs • Business Tourism • Sub national funding (TBIDS etc.) • Skills • Bank Holiday consultation • Regulation Task Force • Transport infrastructure • Visas • Border Control • Domestic growth targets • International Olympic campaign

4. What does this mean for VisitEngland • Tourist body of last resort • Act as the national body for English destinations and tourist firms • Act as a source of good practice • Focus on domestic tourism • Review of VisitEngland’s role in delivery of quality schemes • Review of England Net and especially the National Product Database

5. A new direction for VisitBritain • ‘Researching, creating and delivering a series of marketing campaigns to attract even greater numbers of inbound travellers to the UK……. • Nearly all other responsibilities will be transferred to VisitEngland or simply abolished as unnecessary distractions from their core purpose’.

6. How has VisitEngland responded

7. VisitEngland’s Mission To lead and drive forward the quality, competiveness and sustainable growth of England’s Visitor Economy by providing strategic direction, intelligence and coordinated marketing for the sector. Through partnership and collaborative activities we will support our partners at national and local levels to deliver excellent visitor experiences, achieve economic growth and increase investment and employment.

8. What VisitEngland does • Inspire visitors to choose England • Facilitate the private sector to meet gaps in supply • Support local areas to achieve greater coordination • Be the official source of intelligence on tourism in England • Champion the sector and quality within it at all levels

9. How we are set up

10. Our leadership and engagement VisitEngland Destinations Forum Strategic Industry Advisory Group Visitor Economy Forum

11. The strategic framework seen as pivotal • One year on from Framework launch • Action plan consultation – very positive response to phase one • Phase two consultation – Quality, Transport and Skills – late summer • Action plans launched at Partners for England (last in current format) on June 16th

12. And of course the day job goes on • A “Time to be in England” • Cultural Olympiad event with LOCOG/BBC 14th July • Social media & comms • English tourism week • Regional Growth Fund II • Pilot visitor satisfaction survey tracker • New day visits survey

13. It won’t be easy: • Post RDA landscape of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) • National public sector cuts • Local public sector cuts

14. This is a collective responsibility

15. Destination management • New audiences who need to understand the value of destination management • We need to: • Have a collective understanding to ensure we communicate the same messages nationally and locally • Measure our impacts and share results to prove our case • Destination management action plan • TMI and members have an important role to play

16. Succeeding in a new landscape • Celebrating and sharing best practice & innovation • Securing connectivity between local and national • Making sure the focus is on the destination