James Berresford

Chief Executive

VisitEngland

Since we last met

• Consultation has begun with leading trade associations

• Today is a key opportunity for destination input (main focus)

Strategic Partnership Update

Arts Council

• Working on programme evaluation – more to follow

Creative England

• Launched on Jan 20th

• Work programme being developed over the next few months

English Heritage

• Planning to hold local meetings between EH and DMOs

• These will take place in the summer (once Historic England established)

• Aim of helping better local collaboration

• On going work to influence the EU funding streams with some challenges

Any calls will come via LEPs Will not be uniform coverage across the country (dependent on LEP priority and their own ESIF strategies) DMOs may be able to gain funding for destination management planning There may be more generic opportunities that will benefit tourism, e.g. business start up funding

• First calls this month (in 5 LEP

areas) but more to follow in June/ July

Working with DEFRA…EU Funding

RGF: Themed Campaigns 2014/15

7 campaigns delivered this year:

Summer 2014

• Holidays through History

• Cycling

Autumn 2014

• A Taste of England

• Romance

Spring 2015

• Heritage in Spring

• Summer Holiday

• Be Part of History: Rugby

Growing Tourism Locally

• Progress to date

12256 indirect jobs (target 9,139)

• Programme ends this month but full evaluation begins. This will continue over the summer months.

• This will involve direct contact with all primaries and a number of those involved in themed campaigns.

Rugby World Cup comes to England in 2015

• 60” and 30” Domestic TVC airing in January and March 2015

• 30” International version used across partner channels and on YouTube

• Showcasing the breadth & depth of what England has to offer in an action-packed year!

Consumer PR Activity

• 800th Anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta

Anglo-American press trip visiting Lincoln and Salisbury

International Group press trip happening soon

• 50th Anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill

PR event hosted by major media (international and domestic

Team planning with Foreign Press Agency for international media trip

• English Heritage Cities trade

workshop in Greenwich.

In partnership with Ukinbound

held over 750 B2B meetings

• England Expert, VEs online

training programme for travel

agents, continues to grow

(+250 more this year)

• ETOA ‘s March Marketplace

sees first destination

workshop on working with

travel trade

Travel Trade

• Tourism Superstar going strong

• Engage your MPs for constituency day

ETW15

• 14 - 22 March 2015

• The Big TweetEnd (21-22 March 2015)

• Family Holiday Association – 40th Birthday

500 for 500 pledge

GREAT UK Challenge Fund • A new initiative, part of the overall GREAT

Britain Campaign

Details still to be confirmed

• VisitEngland is administering the Fund and acting as its Secretariat to the Programme Board (PB)

• PB will decide whether to fund projects addressing the themes of education, tourism, trade and investment.

• Project bids likely to be in the range of £50,000 to £200,000

• More details to follow (W/C 16th March)

Headlines from Triennial Review

• Separation from VB - great news for English tourism!

Puts England on level playing field with other home nations

• Challenge Fund for business and leisure tourism

• VB will focus on international marketing delivery of activity agreed with all Visits

• VB will also have new targets to grow tourism outside London

And more to come! • A busy year ahead when we will keep tourism top of Govt

agenda:

• May election

• Comprehensive Spending Review

• Continued championing of tourism with public affairs audiences:

One to one briefings with key decision makers and opinion formers

• Active engagement in Tourism Council – shaping the agenda to focus on England

Looking ahead

• We need to maintain the momentum and be consistent in our message about the visitor economy locally and nationally

National balance

International competition

Public sector support

Anticipate new landscape

Tourism’s ‘perception’