Visits & Tourism
The Felix Hotel, Cambridge
Offering a world-class welcome to our visitors
Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors. Greater Cambridge is well established as an international visitor destination, with a wealth
of unique attractions and events that bring in thousands of visitors and significant revenues every year.
The leisure and business tourism sectors support around 20,000 jobs and contribute about £650m a year in spending, of which approximately half is from overseas visitors. The GCP therefore intends to ensure that Greater Cambridge keeps pace with changing trends in tourism and continues to develop and promote the many assets that the area has to offer as a compelling destination.
How can we boost the value of tourism?
Following a review of tourism services across the East of England, EEDA has identified a key opportunity for the GCP, along with the other sub-regional
economic partnerships, to take a more active role in the coordination of tourism activities at the sub-regional level. You can read more about the
principles underlying this in the business plan.
Download the East of England Tourism 2007-2008 business plan
To make the most of this opportunity, the GCP is working in conjunction with the local authorities and tourism industry to develop a sustainable tourism strategy that will strengthen the Greater Cambridge visitor economy and bring increased benefits to visitors, partners and businesses alike.
A group representing local authority tourism officers has a well-established role in the coordination and promotion of tourism across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As part of the review, the GCP is looking at ways to develop and expand this activity, for example, by enabling closer collaboration with private sector tourism interests.
Tourism Strategy and Action Plan
To bring these strands together into a cohesive programme, the GCP and the Peterborough Regional Economic Partnership commissioned the production
of a Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Fundamental to the approach is a focus on increasing the value and return from tourism over and above increases in volume tourism such as day visitors. This can be achieved through targeting higher value markets, including business and conference tourism, increasing length of stay and reducing seasonality of demand. The strategy also recognises the potential for the whole area to benefit from association with the strong international and domestic image of Cambridge and from action to spread tourism more widely.
The implementation of the plan will focus on creative product development, packaging and marketing around a set of themes which relate to the area’s particular distinctiveness. Specific actions include:
- Strengthening attractions and events based around the area's reputation as a centre of learning and science
- Linking the area’s stunning ecclesiastical heritage sites
- Developing a focus of interest and activity around the waterways
- Bringing the Fens to life through restoration, interpretation and rural development projects
- Maximising on the tourism potential of horse-racing at Newmarket
- Building on the profile of Duxford and links to other military sites
- Coordinating the strong and developing arts offer across the area
- Extracting tourism benefit from the area’s larger or more distinctive events
- Raising the profile of sports facilities in advance of the London 2012 Olympic Games
- Considering the potential of a major family attraction in the A1 corridor.
The strategy was launched at the GCP Annual Conference on 21 June 2007. Wide consultation was undertaken to inform the development of the strategy.
Download the Tourism Strategy and Action Plan
Who do I contact for more information on tourism strategy?
If you would like more information contact Guy Mills at guy.mills@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
