Visit Isle Of Wight Economy Conference Next Week To Look Into Future Of Tourism

Island businesses are set to get the low-down from the director of national tourism organisation VisitEngland in February.

Visit Isle of Wight’s Visitor Economy Conference on February 1 is aimed at local tourism-related businesses that pay the Wight BID or are Voluntary Contributors to the Island’s destination marketing organisation.

The conference at Medina Theatre will see the opening address from recently appointed Chairman of Visit Isle of Wight, David Curtis-Brignell MBE.

Guests can expect 5 sessions across the day from speakers who are experts in their field, followed by Q&A opportunities where the floor will open to comments and questions from attendees.

Andrew Stokes OBE, the Director of VisitEngland will deliver the key-note speech, highlighting the overall national tourism picture and reflecting on the Local Visitor Economy Partnership status recently awarded to Visit Isle of Wight and what it means to the Island.

Isle of Wight tourism businesses will be given the chance to learn more about the latest sustainable travel updates with Rebecca Armstrong, Sustainable Travel specialist at The Travel Foundation and Amy Summers, Sustainable Travel manager at Visit Isle of Wight.

The third session sees opportunities from accessible travel, a market valued at an estimated £15 billion in the UK, highlighted by Ross Calladine, Accessibility and Lead Inclusion at Visit England & the Government appointed Disability & Access Ambassador for Tourism, alongside Neil Chapman, Managing Director of Hovertravel.

After a lunch break, the afternoon sessions kick off with Rachel Randell from HTP Apprenticeship College, who will be addressing the lack of skilled staffing issue currently affecting many Island businesses.

This will be followed by the final session of the day, which sees Visit Isle of Wight MD Will Myles take to the stage with Martin Hull, director of leading UK travel branding agency Designate, to discuss how Visit Isle of Wight can increase the number of visitors to the Island, and what local businesses can do to help.

Confirmed exhibitors at the Visitor Economy Conference include cross Solent travel providers Hovertravel, Red Funnel and Wightlink, Isle of Wight Biosphere representatives and the Isle of Wight National Landscape (formerly AONB).

Will Myles, MD at Visit Isle of Wight, said:

"This is an amazing occasion for local businesses to come together and take advantage of opportunity to hear from these incredible speakers.

"To have the Director of VisitEngland, along with the Government’s Disability & Access Ambassador for Tourism and other leading national, regional and local experts in their field is fantastic and demonstrates how highly the Island is regarded with the tourism landscape of the UK.

"I do hope that Island businesses make the most of this opportunity and come along to the Visitor Economy on the first of February!"

Only open to Wight BID levy payers and Voluntary Contributors, those businesses wishing to attend, can book a place by following this link.