Value of tourism in Lincolnshire reaches £971 million – 14% of the overall economy

Newly published research shows the value of tourism within Lincolnshire’s visitor economy last year was worth £971 million – an increase of £13 million (1.3%) compared with 2008- and contributes 14% to the county’s overall economy, second only to the food industry.

The total number of seaside and attraction related tourist visits to Lincolnshire increased by 200,000 to 17.2 million creating 349 new jobs.Visit Lincolnshire, who has released these results in partnership with East Midlands Tourism, is the organisation that champions tourism and the wider visitor economy across the county with support from local authorities, tourism businesses and other stakeholders.

Marc Etches, Interim Chief Executive of Visit Lincolnshire said “This is good news. Our marketing campaigns promoting Lincolnshire as a place to visit have delivered excellent results earning £44 for every pound spent. More than 17,000 jobs depend on holiday and attraction related tourism across Lincolnshire and it is vital that we all recognise the economic value of this industry sector.”

Last year Lincolnshire Tourism rebranded itself as Visit Lincolnshire and relaunched the website VisitLincolnshire.com. In addition, the organisation improved the quality of the county’s flagship visitor guides; launched online booking opportunities for businesses; generated extensive national and regional PR and launched Visit Lincolnshire’s social media activity.

The research shows that Lincolnshire’s most significant visitor spend is on shopping (22%) (grown to £210 million from £202 million) and food and drink (18%) (grown to £173 million in 2009 from £165 million in 2008).

The largest increase in visitor spend is in recreational activities an increase of 9% from the previous year.

“The growth in visitor spend on shopping, food and drink and other recreational activities outline the importance of recognising that traditional tourism is one element of the wider visitor economy which includes business and education related tourism as well as events, sports, cultural and other leisure activity,” continued Marc Etches.

“Local knowledge is a vital ingredient to future success not least because 34% of overnight stays in Lincolnshire were in the homes of friends or relatives.”

“Despite this success we must not be complacent; there is still a need to keep Lincolnshire fresh and competitive against other destinations. Since 2009 we’ve upped our game and we’re looking forward to exceeding these figures next year by continuing to work closely with our members and partners.”

Cllr Eddy Poll, Executive Councilor for Cultural Services at Lincolnshire County Council said: 'The County Council has always placed great importance on the value of tourism to Lincolnshire, and this news is very encouraging. Our commitment to tourism and our drive to get the best out of our attractions has obviously succeeded and we hope that even more people will visit in the future to enjoy our beautiful county.'

Notes to Editors: For more information please contact Charlotte Goy, Media Executive for Visit Lincolnshire on 01522 561670 or charlotte@visitlincolnshire.com

Visit Lincolnshire is the organisation set up to market Lincolnshire as a visitor destination. It was formally known as Lincolnshire Tourism.

Visit Lincolnshire works in partnership with VisitBritain, East Midlands Tourism, Lincolnshire County Council, all local district authorities, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire Councils, plus all tourism businesses.

The latest estimate of people working in Lincolnshire in 2009 is 316,400 people, this relates to 73% of the working age population, 5.4% of which are tourism jobs. (Lincolnshire Research Observatory)

Research published by Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) reports that the Lincolnshire Coast has 8,900 year-round jobs directly supported by seaside tourism – the eighth highest for any county in England.

The research which was commissioned by East Midlands Tourism, East Midlands Development Agency’s tourism arm, also shows the estimated number of tourist visits to the region, including both day and overnight visits, rose by 320,000 to 141.7 million in 2009.

The research was conducted by Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) and in the sixth major consecutive study into the economic impact of tourism at a regional and county level and is based on 2009 data.

Key findings

• 2.02 million overnight-staying tourists visited Lincolnshire in 2009, spending 9.53 million nights in commercial tourist accommodation, both serviced and non-serviced.


• 1.06 million visitors stayed some 2.51 million nights with friends and relative (SFR) in Lincolnshire.


• Overnight visitors spent £562.03 million in Lincolnshire with day visitors spending a further £409.61 million.


• The temporary 2.5% reduction in the standard VAT rate had an impact on the total amount of VAT paid by visitors on tourism-related goods and services. The amount of VAT generated by tourism activity declined by 11% to £94.5 million.


• Approximately 13,905 jobs (full time equivalents) were directly supported by tourist expenditure in Lincolnshire and a further 3,270 jobs were supported by indirect revenue from tourism.


• Average expenditures per day per tourist category are as follows: serviced (i.e. hotels and B&Bs): £92.44; non-serviced (i.e. self-catering): £41.51; SFR: £38.11; and, day visitors: £28.87.


• Day visitors coming to Lincolnshire account for 42 % of the total tourism revenue. Seasonality also influenced the number of day visitors that Lincolnshire received, rising from a low of 567,200 visitors in December to a peak of 2.65 million in August.


• Although the number of sleeping spaces in serviced accommodation remained at 13,451 throughout the calendar year, there was a significant variance though in the number of maximum non-serviced sleeping spaces available from a low of 27,288 in January to a peak of 61,103 in July and August.

Photography competition rally’s local support for the Visit Lincolnshire guide 2011

Visit Lincolnshire is delighted with the local support it has received to pick a new cover images for the Visit Lincolnshire Guide 2011.

Encouraging local residents and visitors to take part in the production of the 2011 guide has helped promote the work VL does for the wider visitor economy and the role of the flagship guide has in promoting the county as a tourist destination.

The competition was launched in May through the local media and Visit Lincolnshire’s social media channels.

More local press coverage will be drip fed at significant stages of the competition when the cover shot is chosen, designed into the front cover and eventually printed.

In July the bar was raised for quality competition entries when the current 2010 guide’s cover scooped a prestigious national industry award for Brochure Cover of the Year from the British Resorts and Destinations Association (BRADA) annual conference.

Commenting on the entries for the competition Emma Tatlow Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing said “We were thrilled to receive 128 entries for the competition. There was a fantastic array of different shots from all over the county. Choosing a winner, and taking into consideration the public vote is certainly going to be tough.

“By promoting the shortlisted images through our facebook social media channel we are encourage more people to join as VL’s Facebook friends. In the short term this will allow people to post comments about the photos in this competition – and in the future we’ll have grown our list of Visit Lincolnshire friends who will be kept up to date with the latest county news.”

The winning photo for the guide will be printed on 70,000 visitor guides and distributed all over the UK.

The guide attracts visitors to Lincolnshire for short breaks boosting the value of Lincolnshire’s Visitor Economy, currently £958 million.

Latest campaign evaluation showed that 95% of visitors said previous guides had influenced their decision to visit – making the selection of a front cover essential to its success.

The 20 shortlisted images for the cover have been whittled down to four. Out of these four the winner will be announced in the next few weeks.

Lincolnshire stands out in the Guardian’s special seaside travel supplement

We’re delighted with the lastest stand out national coverage we have secured for the Lincolnshire Coast in the Guardain travel section (Saturday 7 August 2010).

The article was generated by a press trip secured and deliverd by Visit Lincolnshire aiming to highlight the Lincolnshire coast to a national audience.

Working with Martin Hoenle, owner and designer of the chic coastal chalet Twenty-Six at Anderby Creek, as well as other Visit Lincolnshire members we devised a weekend itinerary that guided the journalist around the coast and Lincolnshire Wolds.

The article clearly directs readers to useful website and telephone numbers encouraging them to make bookings following the excellent independant endorsements of the jouranlist Patrick Barkham.

This press trip is the latest media coverage for the coastal campaign. In the coming weeks we will continue to promote the Lincolnshire Coast with the Bathing Beauties Festival in Mablethorpe (featured on national BBC Breakfast news last week) and North East Lincolnshire’s Cultural Festival with Lit.com and the art exhibition at Abbey Walk Gallery entitled ‘Out of the Dark’.

Read the Guardians full article and let us know what you think by posting a message on this blog.

We’d like to thank all the businesses who help Visit Lincolnshire deliver this press trip.

VL champions coastal tourism

A local press title has published a good news article, generated by Visit Lincolnshire, about the positive impact coastal tourism is having on the wider visitor economy of the county.

The story originated from a national tourism report issued by Sheffield Hallam University in July and focused on the growth potential of coastal tourism throughout the UK.

Visit Lincolnshire worked with East Lindsey District Council to ensure this national data could be used at a local level to demonstrate the strength and growth potential of the county’s visitor economy in the wake of the national recession.

Read the full article here….

"This article not only embraces the visitor economy concept, it also highlights Visit Lincolnshire’s role in uniting stakeholders, members and tourism businesses to grow the economy in the future, ’’ said Emma Tatlow, Deputy Cheif Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire.

Local and international PR success for Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire

Visit Lincolnshire’s newly hosted Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire (AHL) team has reported one of its most successful months to date after organising three high profile internally attended tributes and two open presentations about Lincolnshire’s contribution to Fighter Command during WWII.


In late June and early July, three events were planned by AHL at RAF bases and heritage sites round the county.

Local press coverage was generated by AHL and VL around these events. This included a three night special series on BBC Look North and further coverage on ITV Calendar news, Radio Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire Echo and online BBC News.

The series of events has also sparked future interest in potential visits to the county from overseas. One strand of this is an opportunity to include the former RAF base at Hemswell and the base at Kirton in Lindsey as part of an American heritage trail in the north of the county.


Contacts have also been established between AHL and the RAF Museum’s American Foundation.In addition, following publicity of the events over in Canada, a Canadian veteran and former pilot has made enquiries about organising a group tour to Lincolnshire by former member of the Canadian Air Force in 2011.Building these relationships is key to developing the work of AHL.

New guide is launched for VL’s City Breaks campaign

A brand new ‘Welcome to Lincoln’ glossy lifestyle magazine has been launched to bring more visitors into Lincoln, and inspire local residents to enjoy their city this summer.

30,000 copies of the publication which has been produced by Visit Lincolnshire in partnership with Lincoln Business Improvement Group are being distributed to accommodation providers, shops and eateries around the city.

Its aim is to fill a gap in the market by providing the latest information about summer events and activities in an easy to read and inspiring format, to bring summer in the city of Lincoln to life for its readers.

Emma Tatlow, Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire said “Feedback on the new ‘Welcome to Lincoln’ guide has been very positive; it is a practical guide to the city that readers will want to keep throughout the summer months – and beyond.

“The guide is one element of our city breaks campaign which is raising the profile of Lincoln as a visitor destination – aiming to grow Lincoln’s visitor economy and encourage residents of the city and the wider county to explore what is on their doorstep. The guide is supported by an award winning website Visitlincolnshire.com as well as social media, PR and national press adverts.”

Matt Corrigan from Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG) added,

“We are delighted with the support we have received from local businesses for this guide, and the guide compliments the new visitor map Lincoln BIG published last year. Overall we are starting to build the portfolio of information that Lincoln needs to be a serious tourism destination.”

The guide is the first of a series planned to promote the city through the seasons. It will be followed by the Lincoln at Christmas brochure in November.

A competition to win a luxury cheese hamper from the Cheese Society in Lincoln has been included in the guide.

VL’s ‘Working Together for the Games’ conference attracts 75 businesses

Our latest business event on Wednesday 14 July was almost at maximum capacity thanks to businesses, and sport organisations signing up to learn how they can take advantage of Olympic opportunities surrounding the 2012 games.

The event was delivered in partnership between Visit Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership, with support from East Lindsey District Council, North Kesteven District Council, Boston Borough Council, East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and Lincolnshire County Council.

We’re delighted to announce the event has received the prestigious ‘Inspire Mark’; the official badge of approval from the London 2012 Inspire Programme – making it the only business event in the East Midlands to be granted its use.

The event, called ‘Working Together for the Games’, at Market Rasen Race Course, is one of a series being planned by Visit Lincolnshire in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games.

The London 2012 Inspire Mark, which has been given to this event, recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

‘Working Together for the Games’ is focused on maximising the opportunities sporting events can bring to a range of businesses across Lincolnshire and how they can contribute towards the county’s Visitor Economy.

“We want to inform and help businesses understand the wider opportunities sporting events can bring to them and a destination like Lincolnshire,” said Emma Tatlow, Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire.

“Sports Tourism is an important element of the Lincolnshire’s Visitor Economy and we’re urging local businesses to embrace it and benefit from the forthcoming opportunities”

“Over the next 10 years the UK will host a number of global sporting events including the 2010 Ryder Cup and the 2012 Olympic Games, through to the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The Leader of East Lindsey District Council, Councillor Doreen Stephenson, said: "I would like to congratulate Visit Lincolnshire on achieving an Inspire Mark from the Olympic Committee in recognition of Working Together for the Games. It is important that the work in our county is recognised nationally as best practice and this is another great example of how we're leading the way. We must continue to focus our efforts on developing tourism to support our economy and create jobs all year round for local people. Visit Lincolnshire is instrumental in helping us to drive forward this vision and I'm delighted they've received national recognition for their work."

“This decade of sport and the associated training and interest in participation presents an opportunity for accommodation providers and host venues to accommodate the teams involved in the sporting events, not to mention the spectators who may be looking to combine it with a short break in the UK."

Seb Coe, Chair for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: “Working together for the Games’ is encouraging Lincolnshire’s businesses to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as Visit Lincolnshire and the Lincolnshire Sport Partnership we are delivering on our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in Lincolnshire.”

More information on the Inspire programme:

The Inspire programme is run by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is an opportunity for everyone to be a part of the London 2012 Games – a broad participation programme spanning sport participation, education, sustainability, volunteering, and business opportunities & skills.

New opportunities are being created to inspire young people and encourage the whole of the UK to join in.About London 2012: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are delivered by two key organisations – the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

LOCOG is responsible for staging a memorable Games in 2012. They will deliver the best possible Olympic and Paralympic Games experience for everyone involved, enabling a lasting legacy and inspiring people to join in.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is the public body responsible for developing and building the new venues and infrastructure for the Games and converting the Olympic Park for long-term use after the Games.

In the summer of 2012, the UK will come alive with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The four-year Cultural Olympiad will reach a climax with the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on 27 July. This event marks the start of the 60-day festival of sport and culture across the UK that is the Olympic and Paralympic Games.Find out the latest from the London 2012 HQ blog –london2012.com/blog

Regional Tourism Oscars

Visit Lincolnshire has helped six tourism businesses reach the regional finals of the East Midlands Tourism awards 2010.

Being nominated for such a prestigious industry award is a huge accolade for the businesses; and contributes towards Lincolnshire’s Visitor Economy – by raising the county’s profile to visitors, and creating sense of pride among local residents and business leaders.

Emma Tatlow, Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire said

“It’s fantastic to see so many Lincolnshire businesses shortlisted for the 2010 awards; we’ve spoken to each business personally to congratulate them.

“Being shortlisted distinguishes those businesses that are willing to go the extra mile for their customers.”

All six have been shortlisted for the final of the annual East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards and will go head to head with other finalists from Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland for the title of the ‘region’s finest’ at a ceremony on the 7th October.

Some regional award winners will then go on to compete for the national title in the Enjoy England Excellence Awards finals, staged in 2011.

Visit Lincolnshire has been a consistent support throughout the process and will be working with each business up to the awards and beyond.

The shortlisted businesses are:

• Gainsborough Grayingham Lodge B&B, Northorpe – B&B / Guest Accommodation

• Martin, near Horncastle and SleafordThe Manor House Stables, Martin - Self Catering & Sustainable Tourism

• Marston, near Grantham The Olde Barn Hotel, Health Club and Spa, Marston - Business Tourism

• Brackenborough, near Louth Brackenborough Hall Coach House Holidays, Louth - Sustainable Tourism

• Hogsthorpe, near Skegness and Alford Helsey House Cottages, Helsey, Nr Hogsthorpe - Think Family

• Old Leake, near Boston Long Acres Caravan Park, Old Leake - Caravan Holiday Park

Secretary of State Speech on Tourism – 8 June 2010

The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt MP has just given his first address on tourism.

He highlighted the vital importance of tourism to this country, not only as Britain’s fifth largest industry worth £115 billion and supporting 1.5 million people in jobs that cannot be outsourced or offshored, but also as an industry with huge potential for growth.
The Secretary of State ran through his two key, immediate priorities for tourism:

• First, making sure we have a lasting tourism legacy from hosting the 2012 OIympic and Paralympic Games for the whole of the country
• And secondly, boosting domestic tourism by rediscovering and reinvigorating what UK destinations have to offer.

He specifically called for industry officials to help draw up a plan to reinvigorate domestic tourism to boost the tourism spend of UK residents on domestic holidays from 36% to 50%. VisitEngland have been in discussions with him. And John Penrose, the Minister of Tourism, will be travelling around the country to seek industry views.

Marc Etches has since written to John Penrose MP inviting him to include Lincolnshire on his intended tour of England.

A copy of the letter can be viewed ….

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire reaches for the skies

Visit Lincolnshire has been supporting the Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire (AHL) partnership launch their new campaign to local residents and visitors.

A recent press trip in April produced outstanding national coverage in the Telegraph plus the Sunday Express and Press Association titles.

The latest activity, to pay tribute to Fighter Command based in Lincolnshire during WW2, has been covered by local and regional press with a three night special feature on BBC Look North (Tuesday 29 June - Thursday 1 July 2010), as well as coverage on ITV Calendar News and Radio Lincolnshire.

A number of high profile events have taken place with dignitaries attending from across the world. The events included ‘A Tribute to the Nation’, ‘Canada Day’ and ‘Tribute to the American Eagle Squadrons’ from WW2.

Championing Lincolnshire’s ‘Visitor Economy'

The Visitor Economy concept embraces culture, heritage, retail, food and drink; as well as traditional tourism.

Together they enhance the reputation of Lincolnshire as places to live, visit, work and invest.

In recent weeks Marc Etches, Interim Chief Executive at VL has given two interviews to the local media about Lincolnshire’s evolving visitor economy.

These have included Peter Levey lunch time BBC Radio Lincolnshire show, and BBC Look North.

Visitlincolnshire.com named top website by TravelMole

Visitlincolnshire.com has been named as one of the best ‘Tourist Board Websites’ in the country by TravelMole – the leading online community for the travel and tourism industry.

Lincolnshire went head to head with two rival destination websites - Yorkshire.com and visitblackpool.com, both of whom were nominated in the same public vote for ‘websites that break through the ordinary to impress their clients and visitors’ in TravelMole’s 7th annual web awards.

Visitlincolnshire.com was piped to the post by Yorkshire.com at an awards ceremony on Thursday 17 June in London.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have been nominated,” said Emma Tatlow Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire. “Over the past year we’ve been working hard to deliver a website that acts as a 24/7 shop window into the county – showing visitors and residents alike exactly what’s on offer.

“We’ve had fantastic feedback - not only for the way the website looks, but for its easy navigation and search facilities which are essential for helping people find what they looking for. Being nominated for such a prestigious industry award is the icing on the cake and recognition from TravelMole could mean an increase in business for Lincolnshire’s visitor economy.”

• Visit Lincolnshire receives up to 30,000 unique visitors per month.
• In spring 2010 Visitlincolnshire.com migrated to a new platform to improve performance and functionality.

Lincolnshire’s Visitor Guides are the best in the country

Two visitor guides created by Visit Lincolnshire have scooped prestigious industry awards at the annual British Resorts and Destinations Association (BRADA) conference held at Butlins, Skegness in June.

‘Skegness & Mablethorpe 2010’ and ‘Visit Lincolnshire 2010’ received second and third prize respectively in the Brochure Cover of the Year category, piped to the post by The Isle of Scilly who snatched first prize.

The BRADA awards are hosted by the leading experts in the travel and tourism industry, and the 2010 ceremony saw the county guides secure prizes for the most striking and effective front cover within the brochure category.

“We are absolutely delighted the guides have won national acclaim for the second year running,” said Emma Tatlow Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Marketing at Visit Lincolnshire.

“We produce the guides in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council and all the local authorities and they form a vital introduction to what Lincolnshire can offer visitors and local residents all year round.

“Selecting the correct cover image for a visitor guide is critical because it has to work very hard to gain people’s attention in a competitive market place – and fantastic pictures of the county can inspire future visits.

“It’s incredible to think Lincolnshire took the majority of the awards, scooping two of the three awards in the national category. The competition was really tough when you consider how many other destinations in the UK produce visitor guides.”

The 2010 Skegness and Mablethorpe Guide was produced by Visit Lincolnshire on behalf of East Lindsey District Council.

Report demolishes myths about demise of British seaside tourist industry

A major new report released by Sheffield Hallam University has found that the seaside tourist industry in England and Wales remains a substantial and growing employer.

The research exploded the popular myth that the increase in the numbers of foreign holidays has destroyed the economy of Britain’s own seaside towns.

It also indicates the annual GVA directly attributed to the seaside tourist industry in Skegness in £54m; Cleethorpes £36m; Ingoldmells a further £33m and Mablethorpe £13m.

VisitEngland commented on the research on BBC Look North TV following a brief from VL. Read the press release here or the full report.

Press Release - Sheffield Hallam University

Report demolishes myths about demise of British seaside tourist industry

• Seaside tourism directly supports more than 20,000 jobs in the region
• The industry adds £300m a year to the regional economy

A major new report released today finds that the seaside tourist industry in England and Wales remains a substantial and growing employer.

The Seaside Tourist Industry in England and Wales, by a team at Sheffield Hallam University, explodes the popular myth that the increase in the numbers of foreign holidays has destroyed the economy of Britain’s own seaside towns. In fact, the British seaside tourist industry continues to employ as many people as the whole of the telecommunications sector, and more than the motor industry, the aerospace industry, pharmaceuticals or steel.

The report uses novel methods to disentangle jobs supported by tourism - in shops, hotels, bars and restaurants - from those supported by local consumer spending.

It finds that:
• The seaside tourist industry in England and Wales directly supports some 210,000 jobs spread across more than 100 resorts. Large numbers of additional jobs are also supported indirectly through the supply chain.
• The Blackpool area has the largest single concentration of seaside tourist jobs – more than 19,000
• No fewer than 58 individual towns each have at least 1,000 jobs in seaside tourism
• Since the late 1990s employment in the seaside tourist industry has actually increased by about one per cent a year – an overall growth of 20,000 jobs
• The estimated value to the economy of the jobs in seaside tourism is around £3,600 million.

The report provides local figures on seaside tourism employment for 121 individual resorts around the coast.Professor Steve Fothergill, from Sheffield Hallam's Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), who led the team, said: “That a large seaside tourist industry has survived and adapted is good news, not just for seaside towns but for the British economy as a whole.

"Leisure and tourism is a growing market. What our figures show is that even in the face of stiff competition from holidays abroad, Britain’s seaside towns have been able to retain and even expand much of their core business. The British seaside tourist industry remains a major employer. The new government should make every effort to ensure that the industry delivers its full potential in the coming years.”

Peter Hampson, Director of the British Resorts and Destinations Association, said: "People who follow the fortunes of the British seaside tourist industry have always known it is a myth that the industry is in terminal decline, but we have not had the comprehensive and convincing evidence to prove otherwise until now.

"Britain’s seaside resorts face challenges in responding to changing economic circumstances and consumer tastes, but what the Sheffield Hallam report tells us is that in many places around the coast the seaside tourist industry is still alive and well – and growing.

"The seaside tourist industry has been written off too often. This report highlights its resilience.”

Notes for editors:
1. The report can be obtained on the CRESR website at www.shu.ac.uk/cresr

2. The Seaside Tourist Industry in England and Wales: Employment, economic output, location and trends is by Christina Beatty, Steve Fothergill, Tony Gore and Ian Wilson from Sheffield Hallam University.

It was co-financed by the British Resorts and Destinations Association, North West Development Agency, South East of England Development Agency and Visit Wales (Welsh Assembly Government).

Visit Lincolnshire's 'Success Through Quality' Conference

There's a big tidy up afoot today - and no, we're not doing an early office spring clean...(yet)

Sharon Stone, Executive Assistant to the CEO organised a fantastic day for over 100 delegates set within the sprawling and luxurious facilities of the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. Our annual 'Success Through Quality' Conference is always a chance for Lincolnshire's tourism businesses, valuable stakeholders and partners to enjoy a day of inspiring presentations, workshops and speeches celebrating Lincolnshire as a visitor destination.

Highlights included an enlightening keynote speech from Phillippa Forrester, of 'Tomorrow's World' fame and more recently a champion for environment and sustainability. We were amazed how Phillippa had travelled the world and seen so many fascinating creatures and sights...all with 3 small children in tow, and in some pretty remote locations.

We were then given a great insight into the lives of Paul and Flora Bennett from Brackenborough Hall Coach House Holidays. The couple have won awards for their committment to family holidays, making their 5* converted coach house accommodation (sleeps up to 24, in case you're interested in making a visit)  into a haven for families. Everyone was delighted with Flora's idea to assemble a dressing up box and put it in the cottage for kids (and adults, so we heard!) to act out merry pirate and cowboy adventures.

After a spot of Lincoln Red Beef & all the trimmings for lunch, followed by yummy Plum Bread Pudding (I feel full just thinking about it again) we dived off into a selection of workshops to learn something for the afternoon. I ran the social media/online arm of the Top Marketing Tips - altogether a very useful session, if not a little like speed-dating for our delegates, who had to swap rooms every 20 minutes.

So we're all having a bit of a sort out here...(Sharon particularly - she's certainly clocking up the recommended 10,000 steps)...clearing up the aftermath of display banners, goodie bags and feedback forms...

If you'd like to view some of the documents and presentations from the day, we're happily loading them onto our SlideShare account http://www.slideshare.net/VisitLincolnshire


Useful links:

•  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Forrester

•  http://www.brackenboroughhall.com/