The DMO, fully operational from February 1, 2016 is an innovative business-led public/private sector partnership with the aim of increasing investment and support to the tourism industry, and will be self-funded within three years.
The organisation will work with its partners to showcase the best that Cambridge and its outlying areas have to offer, plus highlight the region’s diversity, creativity and range of visitor experiences.
One of the core strategic focuses of the new organisation will be to increase the value the city and surrounding area derives from tourism, encouraging visitors to extend their stay and travel beyond Cambridge itself.
A total of 5.3 million visitors to Cambridge annually bring around £583 million to the Cambridge economy, accounting for around 17% of local employment. However 86% of these visitors are only staying for the day. The broader Cambridgeshire economy receives more than 24 million visitors a year bringing £2 billion to the Cambridgeshire economy and accounting for 10% of local employment.
Since 2010 tourism has been the fastest growing sector in the UK in employment terms, however this is also a time when many tourism organisations and DMOs are witnessing budget cuts. The new Cambridge model of a business-led public/private partnership is distinct from many other DMOs nationally because it will rely almost entirely on earned income.
Visit Cambridge and Beyond will have an operational side to the organisation focusing on generating income and providing an excellent visitor experience as well as marketing the destination.
Emma Thornton, CEO for Visit Cambridge and Beyond, said: “This exciting venture is an evolution of the previous Cambridge City Council-led, Visit Cambridge and Beyond tourism service and will continue to operate under the same name. Whilst many other DMOs across the country are under significant pressure as public subsidies are increasingly under threat, our business model presents an opportunity over time to increase investment. I am confident this will result in improvements in the scale and quality of tourism provision, and support for the tourism industry, which otherwise could not be delivered, whilst reducing our reliance on public subsidy.”
Initially, the funding model for the DMO is based on a combination of commercial activity such as the Guided Walking tour service, ticket sales through the Visitor Information Centre, and a membership scheme for tourism partners. Additional sources of funding will be investigated and developed as the new DMO develops.
Visit Cambridge and Beyond currently employs 19 staff and has around 350 members across a broad range of sectors. The organisation plans to grow membership by continuing to review and develop the membership scheme to ensure that it adds real value to its members. A particular focus will be on growing membership in the greater Cambridge area. Strategic partners already include: Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridge University, Cambridge University Colleges, Fenland District Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council.
For more information go to www.visitcambridge.org
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Visit Cambridge and Beyond launches to boost Cambridge tourism
12 January 2016
A new Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Cambridge and the surrounding area is launching this week to showcase the very best of the Cambridge region and to encourage visitors to stay longer.