The status will support a collaboration of local authorities and organisations to promote and manage the growth of Devon’s local visitor economy. The new Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) will become part of the national programme managed by Visit England. This portfolio of nationally supported, strategic, and high-performing organisations will provide local leadership in tourism destinations all over the country. The bid for accreditation was led by Vince Flower, Chair of Visit Devon, plus partners from across the county, including Plymouth, Visit Devon and English Riviera BID Company with funding support from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership. Tourism and the wider visitor economy are worth £1.6 billion annually to the Devon economy supporting over 50,000 jobs (9% of employment). It is estimated that the new structure will enable additional growth in the sector of over £300 million annually going forwards. The LVEP application, which was submitted in February, was developed through extensive consultation with tourism businesses and local authority partners in the county, facilitated by Tomorrow’s Tourism Ltd, led by Richard Dickinson. The application was approved by a panel of experts at Visit England and visitor economy policymakers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
