Cotswolds Plus is the new Local Visitor Economy Partnership for the region.

Chaired by Cotswolds National Landscape Board, the partners include Marketing Cheltenham, Visit Gloucester, Visit Dean Wye and Visit Gloucestershire with Cotswolds Tourism as the lead organisation. Cotswolds Plus is not a consumer facing brand but will work ‘behind the scenes’ to shape and deliver national strategy and activities, as well as to bring a coordinated approach on key issues such as sustainability, business support and research.

In other areas, such as marketing, the participating DMOs will continue to work independently to their own local priorities but the closer working arrangements arising from the LVEP should bring additional cross-over benefits here as well. Membership and working directly with your relevant local DMO will also continue as before.

The introduction of LVEPs is part of the government response to the Nick De Bois review of tourism: a new national structure for tourism is being introduced subject to a successful pilot project currently happening in the North East of England.  Nationally VisitEngland & DCMS are looking to accredit around 40 LVEPs across England. The first 15 were announced in March followed by seven more, including Cotswolds Plus, in July.

Nationally all VisitEngland expertise, training and grant funding programmes will all be channelled through the accredited LVEPs. Regionally Cotswolds Plus will facilitate closer working and collaboration with neighbouring LVEPs and locally will strengthen existing working arrangements within the partner DMOs, leading to better coordination and less duplication of effort.

If any business is keen to learn more about the new LVEP please contact cotswoldstourism@cotswold.gov.uk

---

Cotswolds Plus is the official Local Visitor Economy Partnership working at a strategic level across the wider Cotswolds region. Partners include Cotswolds National Landscape, all the local authorities & county council for Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire District Council. The partnership is led by Cotswolds Tourism and includes the DMOs for Cheltenham, DeanWye, Gloucester and Gloucestershire.  

Cotswolds Tourism is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the Cotswolds, which includes strategic partners of Cotswold District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, and Stroud District Council www.cotswolds.com    

Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism is the DMO for the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley www.visitdeanwye.co.uk

Marketing Cheltenham is the DMO for Cheltenham https://marketingcheltenham.co.uk

Visit Gloucester is the DMO for Gloucester www.visitgloucester.co.uk

Visit Gloucestershire is Gloucestershire’s strategic DMO https://visit-gloucestershire.uk/

Activity areas