Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mary Powell, Place and Investment Manager, which provides the Committee with an update on the Visitor Economy in Lincolnshire)

Consideration was given to a report from the Place and Investment Manager which provided an update on the performance of the Visitor Economy in Lincolnshire. The Growth Manager – Visitor Economy was also in attendance for this item.

The Committee was informed that nationally, the visitor economy had experienced several challenges this financial year due to factors such as bad weather. Additionally, inflation and price increases caused uneven economic effects on the tourism sector in Lincolnshire; for example, accommodation bookings had fared moderately well however there was less secondary spending in shops and restaurants as visitors were cautious to spend. To relieve these pressures, it was noted the Council provided one-to-one support to tourism businesses and had also invested via the Tourism Commission.

The Visit Lincolnshire (VL) website continued to improve and attract visitors and investment into the county; a 19.3% clicking-to-booking ratio was reported.

During consideration of the report, the following matters were noted:

·         Local government continued to maintain an integral role in facilitating private sector growth.

·         The Committee praised the VL website and the achievements of the visitor economy outlined in the report.

·         Members agreed that increased costs and inflation were negatively impacting Lincolnshire’s tourism industry, although welcomed mitigating provisions such as the £2 bus fare cap.

·         The Place and Investment Manager raised that the VL Team consistently utilised free publicity where possible and prioritised attracting journalists into Lincolnshire which had been considerably successful.

·         The VL Team was currently diversifying its approach by segmenting its audience by demographic; this enabled adverts to be more targeted in the way it promoted Lincolnshire to different audiences.

·         The Head of Environment agreed to contact the relevant Officer regarding the repair of the Lincoln to Boston Water Rail Way

·         The Committee was informed that many Lincolnshire residents utilised the VL website, however 30% of users were located in London.

·         The website was used to plan visits, and work was ongoing to encourage people to continue using the VL website whilst in Lincolnshire to find events and attractions during their visit.

·         It was clarified that the comments made by the Committee regarding the visitor economy would inform the Destination Management Plan currently being drafted by the Lincolnshire Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP). The Plan would be considered by the Committee once completed.

·         ‘Nature Tourism’ was an umbrella term used to refer to activities in nature, as well as environmental business approaches.

·         Members sought detail on the dynamic between Destination Lincolnshire, the County Council and District Councils. They were informed that all maintained a close working relationship particularly during and following the Covid-19 pandemic and relied on each other for information sharing. Assurance was provided that work was not duplicated.

·         The Council maintained control and ownership over the Visit Lincolnshire website for quality assurance purposes; attractions and businesses were able to be featured if they liaised with the Team. Additionally, the Growth Manager – Visitor Economy highlighted that a content schedule informed the VL website through social media data and vice versa.

·         Members requested that further statistics on clicking data, demographic information and analysis be included in future reports.

·         The Committee raised questions regarding the governance structure of the LVEP and were subsequently informed that the partnership adopted a cautious approach to mitigate potential financial risks. Additionally, it had established a task and finish group with political and business representation and was comprised of a representative from an upper tier authority (Rutland County Council) and three District Councils (North Kesteven, City of Lincoln and East Lindsey). The LVEP had now received accreditation and were formally establishing its governance model.

·         Previously, a joint ticket was available that granted access to both Lincoln Cathedral and Castle but had ceased due to difficulties regarding the handling of VAT due to the Castle being maintained by the Local Authority, and the Cathedral receiving charitable status. The Assistant Director – Communities informed that a Castle family pass was available, and the introduction of a ‘Lincolnshire Pass’ was currently being explored which would offer access to multiple locations in the county.

·         It was noted that the Council rented out Lincoln Castle for events regularly, although the Crown Court had limited accessibility as the building prioritised its administrative functions rather than tourism.

RESOLVED

1)      That the Committee endorses the achievements of the visitlincolnshire.com website

2)      That the Committee records its support for the Local Visitor Economy Partnership

3)      That the comments made by the Committee on how to encourage the local population to engage with the website, be shared with relevant Officers for their consideration and further action.