Cambridgeshire and Peterborough hosted a busy and energetic first Visitor Economy Conference at Peterborough Cathedral, bringing together 200 key figures from the region’s heritage and tourism industry.
Wednesday's (Sep 30) event focused on the region’s new Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and its role in supporting tourism growth across the region.
Worth £2.4 billion and employing around 40,000 people, the sector in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is already vital to the local economy, has the potential to expand further.
LVEPs are part of a national framework led by VisitEngland to strengthen visitor economies across England. They give mayoral authorities direct engagement with government, helping to shape policy and the emerging national strategy for visitor economy growth. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough achieved LVEP status in June following a bid led by the Combined Authority and supported by eight regional partners. Work is already underway to transform the local visitor economy. A new five-year tourism strategy has been co-created with industry and a LVEP Board, chaired by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Paul Bristow is being set up to champion its delivery.
At the conference, partners from Discover Peterborough, Discover Huntingdonshire, Visit Cambridge, Meet Cambridge, Visit Ely, Visit South Cambs, Explore East Cambs and Cambridgeshire County Council joined Combined Authority representatives on stage for an in-depth discussion on how the region can help increase visitor numbers across the county.
LVEP panel at the Visitor Economy Conference. Picture: Combined Authority.
A core message from the day was the importance working together, so it is easier for visitors to explore more parts of the region, stay longer and spend more money and businesses were encouraged to get involved with the LVEP and through it support local communities in new opportunities.
The Mayor thanked attendees for engaging with the LVEP since the authority was awarded the status, and for using the event to collaborate, discuss the support needed to showcase the county’s potential, and explore solutions to shared challenges.
Another key part of the event was hearing from the Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport about how the authority can work with the Bedford Visitor Attraction Programme, ahead of the completion of the UK’s first Universal theme park, just over the border. It is predicted to be the UK’s biggest tourist attraction, creating 28,000 jobs and boosting the UK economy by £50 billion.
Peterborough City Council also shared its plans for the Station Quarter and explain how regeneration projects like this can strengthen the future of the visitor economy.
Mayor Paul Bristow said: “This is the first time we’ve come together to celebrate the Local Visitor Economy Partnership, and it was encouraging to see partners discuss the steps needed to strengthen our region as a tourism destination.
“The sector employs thousands of people and contributes £2.4 billion to our regional economy, and this event will be a springboard to building a thriving visitor economy together.”
Heritage and Tourism Project Manager, Charlotte Goy said: “The Conference was an opportunity to talking about the exciting progress being made across the Visitor Economy.
“Together, we have laid strong foundations for the future, including the establishment of the regional LVEP, a five-year visitor economy strategy, a unifying visitor brand, and an emerging public-private sector LVEP Board.
“The positive feedback from both businesses and VisitEngland was incredibly encouraging, and we are looking forward to building on this momentum to create lasting benefits for residents, businesses and visitors alike.”
