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Plans to build £1bn visitor economy across Hull and East Yorkshire in next four years

Ambitions to cultivate a £1bn visitor economy in Hull and East Yorkshire by 2029 have been launched by the region’s tourism partnership.

Visit Hull & East Yorkshire (VHEY) has set out a master plan that aims to drive more leisure and business visitors, and put an increased focus on sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity. The local visitor economic partnership (LVEP), which is funded by Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council, hopes to attract, host and deliver new events, support private sector investment projects and support carbon net zero efforts.

In addition to the £1bn goal, the plan carries three other strategic priorities including presenting and developing the region as a distinct destination; supporting productivity through a new business support package, and creating an LVEP which supports national visitor performance indicators.

As part of the efforts, training packages along with networking and collaboration opportunities will be offered to businesses in the sector. VHEY also says it wants to strengthen its relationship with Visit England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport by supporting national visitor growth plan targets.

The partnership has also acknowledged the challenges facing staff-intensive hospitality businesses brought about by Covid, the recent increases in the National Minimum Wage and employer National Insurance contributions, and changing rules on casual contracts.

Chris Blacksell, chair of VHEY, said: “Hull and East Yorkshire is a fabulous tourist destination. It has a wonderful city for leisure breaks and hosting conferences, amazing market towns, stunning coastline and countryside, and it’s an incredible producer of fresh food – it has everything you could want in one area. However, the biggest benefit it has is the people – it has such friendly people. I think it’s the most welcoming place in the country, and we need to capitalise on that.

“The economic climate at the moment is challenging, so it’s crucial we support businesses in the area to be as effective and successful as possible, whilst also drawing in more tourists. This new action plan will provide the platform for us to be able to do that.”

Coun Rob Pritchard, portfolio holder for culture and leisure at Hull City Council and Vice-Chair of VHEY, said: “We fully appreciate our responsibility to support businesses operating in the visitor economy during difficult times, and this new action plan clearly sets out how we aim to do this on the path to fulfilling our region’s vast potential. We need greater promotion, and we need to develop skills in the sector. This new plan addresses these issues, and VHEY is here to help and support businesses in any way it can.”

Coun Nick Coultish, portfolio holder for culture, leisure and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council and also Vice-Chair of VHEY, added: “We’re confident our wonderful region will be able to overcome the current economic challenges and establish itself as a destination of choice by working in partnership towards this shared goal. It’s important to have a framework to attract more visitors to this part of the world, and this action plan is an important step in helping us champion the region and creating the best possible environment for businesses to thrive.”

VHEY supports 1,700 businesses and more than 21,000 jobs across the region and was nationally accredited by Visit England, the national tourist board, as a Local Visitor Economic Partnership (LVEP) in 2023.

Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber

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