Destination Coventry, the destination management organisation (DMO) for Coventry, and Shakespeare’s England, the DMO for south Warwickshire, have formed the ‘Coventry and Warwickshire Destination Partnership’.
The partnership is being created alongside local authority stakeholders Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, Stratford District Council, Warwick District Council, Rugby Borough Council, and Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council.
It has been formed under the new Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) framework, which was developed and administered by VisitEngland as a result of the government’s response to the independent de Bois Review of Destination Management Organisations in England, with the overarching aim of supporting and growing the visitor economy.
What the partnership means
The Coventry and Warwickshire Destination Partnership will see both organisations working together with local authority stakeholders to ensure that the region’s tourism community “has a voice at national level”, with both VisitEngland and the UK Government, when it comes to shaping future policies and for all visitor economy priorities.
It will also see both DMOs laying the foundations for potential future investment to develop the region’s offering, with LVEPs eligible for future grant funding, shared destination marketing opportunities, and access to data-rich research projects to help inform future decision making.
Alongside this work, both Destination Coventry and Shakespeare’s England will remain as separate brands and will continue to promote and support the area’s tourism businesses.
Paul Michael, chair, Destination Coventry, said: “We are laying the foundations for a thriving tourism economy in Coventry and Warwickshire with this partnership.
“Partnership has been the core value of Destination Coventry since it formed, and we know that through further collaboration even greater results can be achieved in the long term.”
Tara Robinson, chair, Shakespeare’s England, added: “This partnership has the potential to be a watershed moment for future-proofing Coventry and Warwickshire’s tourism scene.
“Our region has shown great resilience and continues to recover strongly from the pandemic, and mapping out a new long-term plan for growth, in conjunction with Destination Coventry and others, is the next logical step to capitalise on this.”
