Twenty senior figures with an interest in the Greater Lincolnshire visitor economy have come together to form a new LEP board.

Butlins, Doddington Hall, the National Trust, Lincoln Cathedral, Visit Lincoln and the Lincolnshire Showground are amongst the organisations represented on our new Visitor Economy Board which met for the first time in May.

The group will report in to the main board of the LEP and its role will be to support the sector and shape and influence the future of the visitor economy in Greater Lincolnshire.

The visitor economy is made up of the businesses and services which support people who come to the area for a variety of reasons: for holidays and day trips, on business or to visit relatives and friends. 

The LEP already has boards which focus on food, investment, employment and skills, and water management.

“Our visitor economy is currently buoyant, but we want to go further and maximise the potential of the sector,” said Chris Baron, Resort Director at Butlins in Ingoldmells and Chair of the Visitor Economy Board.

“The role of the new board will be to boost the growth of the visitor economy and to shape and influence future visitor economy products to meet the needs of visitors and businesses in Greater Lincolnshire.”

Lydia Rusling, head of Visit Lincoln, said: “The board will be an important step in the right direction for collaboration and encouraging enthusiasm and pride in Lincolnshire. It is focused not only on increasing the number of visitors to the area, but also on building knowledge and confidence in the visitor economy sector.”

Among the initial tasks the board has set itself are:

  • produce a comprehensive body of information about visitors to Greater Lincolnshire
  • produce a place marketing toolkit for visitor economy businesses
  • maximise the opportunities offered by Mayflower 400 (a celebration planned in 2020)
  • identify the skills shortages in the sector and work with businesses to address these

Board members are: Claire Birch (Doddington Hall), Dave Skepper (Stagecoach East Midlands), Jackie Croft (Lincoln Cathedral), Jayne Southall (Lincolnshire Agricultural Society), Lydia Rusling (Visit Lincoln), Mary Powell (Lincolnshire County Council), Matt Corrigan (Lincoln BIG), Richard Beason (Bishop Grosseteste University), Sukhy Johal (University of Lincoln), Paul Learoyd (Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust), Sara Blair-Manning (National Trust), Bob Callison (Adelaide Hotel), David Norton (Springfields Horticultural Society), Flora Bennett (Wilkin Chapman LLP), Liz Parry (Abbys Group), Mark Hollingworth (Giant Store Lincoln), Nicky Barr (International Bomber Command Centre), Simon Beardsley (Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce) and Stuart Hardy (Hardys Farm).