"There are great economic benefits to be gained by improving the visitor experience and encouraging visitors to stay long enough to explore the areas around the city itself but there are also huge challenges in the volume of visitors coming to this small city. We need to build working partnerships right across the region in order to work together to maximise the opportunities and tackle the challenges– because everyone will benefit when we get it right.”
That was the message from the incoming Chair of Visit Cambridge & Beyond (VCB), Natasha Woollard, as she took over the helm earlier this month.
Natasha is currently the Assistant Director Operations for the National Trust’s East of England region, leading over 20 properties in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex in their delivery of the Trust’s strategic objections.
“I am delighted and honoured to have been selected for this role, having been an active board member since the early 2017. . Cambridge is a world-renowned heritage city with a vibrant heart and an engaged community and VCB is unusual as it is probably the only independently-run, business-led Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) of its scale in the country which is almost entirely self-funding. This dynamic delivery model for tourism services in the Cambridge area enables us to be more fleet of foot in how we work with our partners and entrepreneurial in spirit .” said Natasha.
Prior to working for the National Trust Natasha worked for Historic Royal Palaces, most recently as Head of Kensington Palace and Kew Palace, the senior leader accountable for the operational management and business performance of five internationally significant buildings open to visitors at these two sites. Here she led the operational teams at both venues in evolving their customer service into a five-star visitor experience, transforming visitor numbers through a £12million capital project and strong stakeholder relationships, and evolving income generation from visitors and commercial activities.
A total of 7.6 million visitors to Cambridge annually contribute around £7834 million to the Cambridge economy, accounting for around 20% of local employment. VCB currently employs 19 staff (some seasonally) and has around 300 members across a broad range of sectors. Since 2016, the organisation has successfully bid – with a range of other DMOs partner across England– for £1.5million from VisitBritain’s Discover England Fund, to attract more staying visitors from US market.
Emma Thornton said: “I’m delighted Natasha has been appointed Chair of VCB. Her regional experience with the National Trust is a great asset for us, while her appointment underscores VCB’s commitment to a working model that shares the economic benefits of tourism across the region as a whole.
“The past two years have proved to be a busy and rewarding phase for us, as we successfully negotiated a period of transition after reorganisation in 2016 to keep pace with the constantly evolving tourism market. We look forward to growing our strategic partnerships across the area, for the benefit of all.”
About Visit Cambridge and Beyond
Visit Cambridge and Beyond is the official tourism service for Cambridge and the surrounding areas, responsible for marketing Cambridge to domestic UK and established European and other international markets and for showcasing the best that Cambridge has to offer.
For further information see www.visitcambridge.org