Tourism conference shines light on new opportunities

Businesses at Lincolnshire’s fully-booked visitor economy conference this week heard how film tourism, nature tourism and the new coastal path could boost the county’s economy.

Hosted by Lincolnshire County Council’s economic development team, the event also demonstrated the success of the Visit Lincolnshire website in showcasing everything the county has to offer.

Speakers included Heather Greenwood from Location Lincs and BBC Springwatch’s Lucy Hodson, known affectionately as ‘Lucy Lapwing’.

Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy at the county council said: “This was a great event to bring businesses together so they can network and share ideas and challenges. It’s a flagship event for tourism and is a good example of how we support businesses and help them navigate the challenges in the sector – of which there are many right now.

“Tourism is an incredibly important part of our economy and as a council we have invested in the sector, including the Visit Lincolnshire website, and provided grants to those struggling during after the Covid pandemic.

“There was a great line up of speakers at this event and I hope everyone who attended came away inspired by the future opportunities that our visitor economy businesses can benefit from.”  

Tourism takeaways

• Tourism in Greater Lincolnshire had an economic impact of £2.9bn in 2023, and directly accounted for 23,327 jobs.
• www.visitlincolnshire.com had 1,672,683 page views in 2024 – a 33% increase in traffic compared to the previous year. The conversion rate of clicks to get more information and book with a provider was 16.3% (travel and tourism websites achieve an average conversion rate of 4.7%).
• Nearly 30% of travellers now say that TV shows and movies influence their travel plans (according to Expedia). Be inspired by film locations in Lincolnshire.
• Lincolnshire’s birdwatching offer is among the best in the UK.
• When it is completed, the King Charles III England Coast Path will be the longest managed coastal walking route in the world. The total stretch in Greater Lincolnshire will be 200km/124 miles. It will run from the Humber Bridge in the north to Cross Keys Bridge in the south.

Couldn’t attend the conference? Head to the Visit Lincolnshire for businesses pages at https://business.visitlincolnshire.com/