Visit Herts has been awarded the new, enhanced status of ‘Local Visitor Economy Partnership’ by VisitEngland – the Government’s official tourism agency for England.

A total of 15 destination management organisations (DMO) across the country have been awarded the new status. The creation of these new partnerships is part of the Government’s strategy to better support and grow the visitor economy in England by reducing fragmentation and improving collaboration particularly at a local level.

The new partnerships will also be better placed to help local and national government deliver their priorities and targets on issues such as climate change, accessibility and inclusion.  

Tim Burton, Business Support Services Manager, said: “This accreditation from Government rubberstamps Visit Herts’ position as one of the top performing destination management organisations in the country, reflecting the strength of the partnerships currently in place.

“Our goal has always been for Visit Herts to support the development of Hertfordshire’s visitor economy in a holistic way – not simply to attract new visitors, but to identify and create growth opportunities for local businesses and ultimately support the delivery of Hertfordshire LEP’s Economic Growth Strategy. Working closely with local and national partners, Visit Herts has set the sector on a strong growth trajectory, with the value of Hertfordshire’s visitor economy topping £2.4bn for the first time in 2019, pre-pandemic.

“With the knowledge and insight that will be provided by national tourism bodies under this scheme, we look forward to honing the Visit Herts service further, unlocking new growth avenues, and continuing to set the gold standard for DMOs across the country.”

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Deirdre Wells OBE, CEO of Visit Herts said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded this new status particularly as Visit Herts was only launched in 2015. I believe that this is a testament to the strong support and partnerships we have in place for the visitor economy across the county. 

"It is our hope that this new scheme will make the management of the visitor economy in Hertfordshire and across the rest of England even more efficient, collaborative and cost effective and ultimately deliver a better service across the board for domestic and international visitors and the private sector businesses that work so hard to deliver fantastic and memorable experiences. 

 “Nick de Bois CBE did an excellent job in conducting a very comprehensive review of tourist boards across the country and we congratulate the team at VisitEngland for taking his recommendations on board and rolling out the new scheme – we are excited to get started.”

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “VisitEngland is delighted to welcome onto the programme these new LVEPs, who will play a central role in transforming the visitor economy in England in an inclusive, accessible and sustainable way. Ensuring we have the right national and local infrastructure in place to grow our visitor economy will ensure England continues to be a compelling destination, for both domestic and international visitors, for years to come.

“We look forward to working in collaboration with the LVEPs, providing ongoing support including a team of dedicated VisitEngland regional development leads. LVEPs will also have access to resources and guidance from VisitBritain/VisitEngland in areas including product distribution, business support, bidding for funding and marketing.”

 VisitEngland will work closely with LVEPs during the set-up process and beyond. As well as a nationally recognised official status, LVEPs will also be able to access expert advice, dedicated toolkits and training programmes, targeting their needs, from VisitBritain/VisitEngland in areas ranging from distribution, accessibility and sustainability to business support and marketing.

An important strand of support will be highlighting available Government funding streams, as well as developing and providing a ‘toolkit’ to help LVEPs with bids to those streams.

View the full list of new LVEPs.

Learn more about the LVEP scheme.

About Visit Herts

Visit Herts is the official visitor and business tourism service for Hertfordshire. It works with attractions, accommodation and destinations across the county to promote Hertfordshire to local, national and international visitors.

Visit Herts is part of destination management specialists Go To Places Ltd., and works in partnership with Hertfordshire LEP and Hertfordshire County Council, as well as the county’s district councils, transport providers and tourism businesses.