Destination Development Plan 2022 by Visit East of England

What’s Next

& PARTNERS

Destination Development Plan for the East of England 4

Foreword

6-9

The East of England – One destination

10-11

Our Visitor Economy

12-13

A shared ambition

14-15

Visit East of England: What we are, What we do

16-17

Connectivity

18-19

Visit East of England, Naturally

20-23 Screen tourism 24-33

Sustainability, through development

34-37

Skilling up with EAST: A new approach

38-65 What's next for Destinations

What’s Next for the East of England?

Tourism can only thrive with successful destinations. The region’s tourism sector is in every local authority and happens every single day. It is place-based. This East of England Destination Development Plan brings together the ambitions and objectives of a coalition of leadership bodies: destination organisations, local authorities, BIDs, and tourism-related businesses, who work collectively for economic growth that is resilient, sustainable, and inclusive. The plan takes into consideration that our towns, cities, rural and coastal areas have different needs, and is designed to complement local strategies. Nonetheless, the approach recognises that this plan can only be achieved collaboratively.

Wells-next-the-Sea

16 A149

Norfolk Coast AONB

17 7

Cromer

A148

Sandringham Estate

The North

14 15

Hunstanton

A140

King’s Lynn

A149

8 6

A47

Norwich Downham Market

The Fens

5 6 5

A10

Great Yarmouth

19 11

Thetford Forest Park

Ely

The Broads National Park

Lowestoft

A143

Thetford Diss

The Brecks

A40

A11

Southwold A12

The Midlands Newmarket

Bury St Edmunds

3 8 9

A14

8 13

Cambridge

Stowmarket

2 7

Aldeburgh

11 12

IWM Duxford

Ipswich

Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB

1 2 15

Sudbury

Dedham Vale AONB

Felixstowe

M11 London Stansted Airport

9 10 15

Harwich

Stena Line from Hook of Holland

Colchester

Experience Seekers London 1

Colchester Zoo

2 Cambridge punting 3 Wild Tracks, Newmarket

2 Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park 3 West Stow Country Park

4 Thetford Forest aerial adventure,

4 IMW Duxford 5 Norwich Castle

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Ipswich Waterfront

Aspirational Family Fun

4x4 off-road driving Norwich river canoeing, nightlife Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts Broads SUP and canoeing Bury St Edmunds local food scene Southwold Coastal Explorer Adnams Brewery tours Vineyard tasting country St George’s Distillery tours Grime’s Graves flint mine Seal boat trips Coastal Explorer & saltmarsh foraging North Norfolk Dark Sky Deep History Coast exploration Cromer Surf School Great Yarmouth Golden Mile

6 Watatunga Wildlife Reserve 7 North Norfolk Railway 8 ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure 9 Pensthorpe Natural Park 10 BeWILDerwood 11 Great Yarmouth Golden Mile 12 Pleasurewood Hills 13 ZSEA Africa Alive 14 ZSEA Banham Zoo 15 Southwold Pier

The East of England Cambridge. Famous for being one of the world’s leading universities, where the atom was first split, where the structure of DNA was discovered, where Darwin developed the theory of evolution, Newton developed his theory of gravity and Stephen Hawking lived and worked. Norwich. The best-preserved medieval city in the country with a fine Norman Cathedral and Castle, the largest permanent covered market in Europe, and the country’s oldest continuously running arts festival. The Broads. 125 miles of navigable, lockfree waterways and lakes that were created by man and climate change and attract 8 million visitors a year. The National Park with the most diverse wildlife and home of traditional family boating holidays. The Suffolk Coast. 40 miles of stunning, unspoilt seashore in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with estuaries, rivers, sandy beaches, seaside Southwold and Aldeburgh.

Newmarket. The birthplace and global centre for thoroughbred horseracing. Great Yarmouth. The largest seaside resort town on the Eastern seaboard, with more than 40,000 bed spaces and its Golden Mile of attractions, amusements, theatres and rides. Ipswich. The county town of Suffolk is one of England’s oldest and is home to a vibrant, stunning waterfront. The Norfolk Coast AONB. Stunning landscape of sandy beaches, birdwatching and seal nature reserves, plus seaside Cromer with the world’s last end-of-pier theatre and Hunstanton. Bury St Edmunds. Home of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and the ancient Abbey of St Edmund, the patron saint of England until 1350. Colchester. The capital of Roman Britain.

Country-Loving Traditionalists 1

Sandringham House

2 Houghton Hall 3 Holkham Hall 4 Felbrigg Hall 5 Oxburgh Hall 6 Anglesey Abbey 7 Wimpole Estate 8 Newmarket Racing 9 National Horse Racing Museum 10 Suffolk Wool Towns 11 Melford Hall 12 Kentwell Hall 13 Ickworth House 14 Stowmarket Food Museum 15 Gainsborough’s House 16 Framlingham Castle 17 Sutton Hoo 18 Snape Maltings

One destination The East of England is an easily marketable year-round tourism geography that will resonate with inbound visitors and also businesses. The area has three international gateways, four cities with youthful populations, a National Park, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is a mix of coast, rural and urban product. It covers all of Norfolk and Suffolk, comprising more than 9,200km2 of countryside, countless nature reserves and iconic country estates. The spatial context envelops east and south Cambridgeshire, and north Essex. It includes the internationally significant cities of Cambridge, the world’s most famous university, Norwich, England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, Ely and Colchester. It has Ipswich, England’s oldest continuously inhabited town and home to a vibrant waterfront, and Newmarket, the world centre of horse racing. There are picturesque market towns, chocolate box villages and traditional country pubs. 8

Its varied 150-mile coastline includes the resorts of Great Yarmouth, Cromer, Hunstanton and Lowestoft, and numerous seaside towns such as Southwold, Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, and Wells-next-the-Sea. Much of the region’s built attractions and accommodation are by or near the sea. The biodiverse coast also includes the estuarine Wash and Shotley Peninsula. The interlocking geographies are The Fens from west Norfolk to Cambridge, Stour Valley and Dedham Vale between Suffolk and Essex, known as Constable Country, and the Brecks and Thetford Forest Park on the intersection of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. There are more than 2000 miles of walking and cycle paths and trails. With the most hospitable climate in the country and gentle landscape, there is a huge variety of outdoor activities that can be enjoyed year-round. It has some of the most celebrated wildlife watching spots in the UK.

Visit East of England’s Spring 2021 Consumer Sentiment Survey (7589 responses) suggests visitors come predominantly for good beaches and coast (61%), because it is easy to get to (57%), for good food and drink (49%) and good accommodation (48%). The region is a microcosm of English history. This is the place where the earliest evidence of man has been found outside the Great Rift Valley of Africa, the cradle of civilisation – human footprints dating back almost a million years when this was the last land link to the Continent. The UK’s first ever tourists came to the East of England. This was a centre of Roman activity and Vikings raided through The Wash to Cambridge and Thetford and overland to Bury St Edmunds where they martyred the King of the East Angles. Sutton Hoo is home to an inspiring Anglo-Saxon royal burial site, featured recently in the Ralph Fiennes Netflix film The Dig. This is where ‘Angle-land’ began. The Normans left outstanding built capital, including the ‘Ship of The Fens’ Ely Cathedral and ‘Box on the Hill’ Norwich Castle. From medieval times, trading created the higgledy-piggledy, part-timbered heritage wool towns such as Lavenham; peatdigging for winter fuel created the Broads (yes, we have the only man-made National Park); Dutch ingenuity helped engineer The Fens and establish modern ports as well as aiding our Puritans’ mission towards the New World where a Norfolk man helped make the original Special Relationship by marrying Pocahontas; and King’s Lynn – close to the Royal family’s residence at Sandringham - forged north Atlantic trading with the Hanseatic League. This was the birthplace of the agricultural revolution but, crucially, a lack of fastrunning water left it ignored by the industrial revolution and so preserved its medieval heritage. It has the largest concentration of medieval and round tower churches in the world. A final invasion was friendly, when more than 350,000 US service people of the Eighth Air Force transitioned through this area: they became Masters of the Air, and their bravery and sacrifices paved the way for D-Day and the end of Nazi tyranny in Europe. As demonstrated, the East of England has excellent connections with Europe and North America, and we believe these are markets we can take advantage of through inbound tourism.

The Broads: the UK’s only human-made National Park. Britain’s largest protected wetland and the third largest inland waterway, the Broads is the only English National Park with a city in it and the only one jointly created by man and climate change. The 125 miles of navigable, lock-free waterways are home to a huge variety of wildlife, greater than any other British National Park, including a quarter of the country’s rarest species such as Britain’s largest butterfly, the Swallowtail, and the Norfolk hawker dragonfly. Up to eight million people visit every year, enjoying traditional boating holidays, as well as high end hotels and camping/ glamping. There is a wide range of yearround activities, including water sports, walking, cycling, and bird watching. 9

Our Visitor Economy The sector is the region’s largest industry and biggest employer with a diverse offering dominated by SMEs, many innovative, entrepreneurial, and adaptable. It has the potential to grow quickly. In 2019, the overall region’s visitor economy was worth more than £10bn, employing around 220,000 people. There were around 10m staying trips and more than 160m visitors. The pandemic has disproportionately impacted on the young in our coastal areas, towns and cities, and this collective Destination Development Plan will help stimulate recovery as well as growing the local visitor economy. Although we are classified economically as being in the South East, this region has pockets of severe deprivation, both urban and rural, so we would benefit from levelling up to ensure our residents have access to similar opportunities and investments as those in more affluent areas around London.

A key challenge for the sector is the relatively low productivity at £26,000 GVA per job (less than half the value for the ICT sector in comparison). However, Deloitte estimates the tourism GVA multiplier to be 2.8, meaning that for every £1,000 generated in direct tourism GVA, a further £1,800 is supported elsewhere in the economy through supply chain and consumer spending. Nonetheless, jobs in the visitor economy are a good place for non-graduates to start learning valuable life skills, and the sector can be an excellent route to social mobility. A priority for the sector is to invest in boosting productivity, encouraging innovation, and enhancing digital skills. This will require much stronger collaboration to build and promote a higher quality product if we are to attract higher-value visitors all year round.

More places to stay, more opportunity for conferences. Visitor accommodation The region has myriad accommodation options to suit all tastes and pockets, from the adventurous and quirky to the luxurious. A key sector is self-catering accommodation. In the resorts there is a propensity of quality holiday parks, including lodges, static caravans, and chalets. Hotels range from large brands to stylish boutique; likewise pubs and inns. There are many camping and caravanning sites, with a growing number of glamping sites. Bed space numbers range from 1,333 in the Ipswich area to more than 40,000 in Great Yarmouth, not forgetting the unique holiday option of a boating holiday in the Broads National Park. There is an ambition to create more bed spaces, from boutique hotels to pop-up camping.

Business events and conferences With leading clusters of ICT/digital technology, clean energy and agri-food, especially in Cambridge and Norwich, the region could capitalise on this infrastructure and investment to develop business tourism, conferences and events. Currently the region has the second lowest proportion of business meetings and conferences in the UK, at 8%. We do not have major conference facilities but our USP can be our heritage buildings and venues like IWM Duxford, Newmarket Racecourse, Norwich Castle, The Hold, Snape Maltings, Norwich City and Ipswich Town Football Clubs and Universities alongside numerous smaller venues spread across the region. In addition, the East of England could be developed as a wedding destination.

Events year-round. Spring Norfolk & Norwich Festival UK’s oldest continuous arts festival, Cambridge Literary Festival, Strawberry Fair Cambridge, Love Light Norwich, Crab & Lobster Festival Cromer, Aldeburgh Music Festival.

Festivals and shows pull in visitors year-round. There is a wealth of private sector family attractions, including theme parks and zoos, many of which have invested significantly in weather proofing facilities. Most of these venues are open yearround or close to year-round, and many organise seasonal shows and events, not least Thursford Christmas Spectacular, the largest festive event outside the West End, Aldeburgh Music Festival at Snape Maltings and Latitude at Henham Park which attract audiences from across the country. The culture and heritage sectors have an important role in helping extend the average visitor stay and growing the sector year-round.

Summer Latitude festival, First Light Lowestoft, Royal Norfolk Show, Cambridge Folk Festival, Suffolk Show, Newmarket Nights, King’s Lynn Festival, Cromer Pier Summer Show, Primadonna Festival Stowmarket, Folk East Little Glemham, Sandringham Flower Festival, Bury St Edmunds Food & Drink Festival. Autumn Food & Drink Festivals in Aldeburgh and Holkham, Out There Festival Great Yarmouth, Sheringham and Holt 1940s Weekend, PrimEvil, Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure, Scaresville Kentwell Hall, Hippodrome Halloween Great Yarmouth, Lavenham Literary Festival. Winter Thursford Christmas Spectacular, World Indoor Bowls Championship Hopton, Hippodrome Christmas Spectacular Great Yarmouth, Cromer Pier Christmas Show. 11

A shared ambition: What the East will look like in 2025 The region has an ambitious agenda that will help sustainably grow the year-round visitor economy, increasing employment and wealth, and contributing to government objectives. Working together The region’s tourism industry, local councils and New Anglia LEP work together as the Visitor Economy Group (VEG) and act as a coalition of progressive change. It represents an ambitious collaboration of public and private sectors with a shared set of goals and objectives.

Working with national tourism Working with the national tourism bodies, VEE and its partners are the sustainable resource to the sector, making it easier for owners to run and grow their businesses. The sector is hugely dominated by SMEs who need a strong regional tourism body to represent and help them. Tourism careers, all year round

The East as one region Our geography of Norfolk, Suffolk, east and south Cambridgeshire, including Cambridge, and north Essex is an easily marketable area that is now recognised internationally and attracts more inbound visitors. 12

We have progressed from a narrative of ‘seasonal, low-skilled, low-paid’ to ‘yearround, with well-paid, skilled careers’, particularly to support young people into tourism careers and to grow sector productivity. The tourism landscape encourages and supports entrepreneurship.

A culture-rich East The East of England has a nationally and internationally celebrated range of cultural, arts and heritage events and activities that help define our sense of place and well-being. A place for business events The East of England has a successful Convention Bureau and Business Visits and Events plan that is renowned for its unique venues and characterful hospitality. VEE has worked with Meet Cambridge to establish this. Accessible for all The East of England is recognised as being an inclusive and accessible destination. By 2025 a quarter of the tourism market will have accessibility needs. The ‘Purple Pound’ is worth £15.3bn a year in the UK.

Heaps of visitor data The sector embraces technology and innovation to manage customer and business needs, using a database that includes every visitor economy-related business, service, and venue plus details of 150k+ consumers. As well as communications and promotion, this is used to produce and deliver market intelligence and research for the industry. Everything directly bookable Our destination websites are all entirely bookable, diminishing the power of global Online Travel Agents (OTAs), and ensuring the value of all bookings is retained for the benefit of the local economy. £250m+ of inward investment The Visitor Economy Group and New Anglia LEP have encouraged £250m+ of inward investment on infrastructure and tourism product, including a 15% increase in bed spaces as well as new tourist attractions.

We are renowned for the green thread that runs through our tourism offering. The East of England is known as a leading environmentally friendly, sustainable travel destination in the UK and is actively working towards Net Zero 2030.

biggest investment since Victorian times – rail is now the principal transport for visitors from London and the wider capital area.

We promote our sustainable approach to our diverse landscape, comprising AONBs, nature reserves, a National Park, country estates and parks. This is critical to our visitor offer as well as engendering enormous pride amongst residents and playing a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of local inhabitants.

Stansted is growing passenger numbers to 43 million by 2032 and is committed to achieving this sustainably.

We are a leading proponent of reducing Food Miles and increasing Active Travel. Following Greater Anglia’s £1.5bn investment in new environmentally friendly rolling stock and rail infrastructure – the

Together, this has helped increase capacity, whilst minimising impacts on sensitive areas and spreading visitor benefits geographically and seasonally; helping the visitor economy and the jobs it supports to become more sustainable and help struggling parts of the region to level up.

Visit East of England: What we are, What we do Visit East of England (VEE) was established in Spring 2019 as the strategic, collective voice for the region’s visitor economy, bringing together destination organisations, local authorities, transport and education providers, and industry. VEE is a private-public sector, not-forprofit business with a board that includes representatives of hospitality and tourism businesses, London Stansted Airport, Greater Anglia, local authorities, New Anglia LEP, destination organisations, education establishments and DCMS. It was created as a response to VisitBritain’s observation that they ‘only hear white noise coming out of the East of England – lots of different voices all saying different things’. 14

VEE played a crucial role in the sector’s response to the Covid pandemic, disseminating Government and national tourism organisation updates, advice and help to its business database, lobbying MPs, and working with local authorities on tourism recovery. VEE receives no core funding and relies entirely on commercial activity to fulfil its activities, mostly by selling listings and adverts on Visit Norfolk and Visit Suffolk.

Marketing funds from local authorities in Norfolk and Suffolk helped facilitate a coalition of destination organisations, led by VEE, that develop campaigns to promote the region. This is the first time all the destination bodies and local authorities have worked together on a visitor economy initiative. The visitor economy is driven primarily by private sector investment. However, local

authority engagement and interaction, not least planning, as well as public sector investment in infrastructure, such as connectivity, are crucial to growing the industry. Local authorities also control key tourism assets, including car parks, public toilets, museums, trails, and parks. VEE leads on the Visitor Economy Group of local authorities chaired by New Anglia LEP.

We are what we do. Working with other destination bodies The region has a coalition of Destination Management Organisations who work as a collective with a common objective of promoting and growing the tourism economy.

Skills development Working with education providers to establish an East Academy of Skills in Tourism (EAST), helping solve the sector’s significant skills and staff shortages. Supporting government priorities

A shared back office VEE also manages Visit Norfolk and Visit Suffolk, making efficiencies of circa £1m for local authorities; raising private sector funds to cover core costs. Strategy and policy Sector advice; place shaping; dissemination of national programmes.

Working with local authorities and businesses on sustainability and accessibility initiatives. Data, insights and research Destination performance data; local insights to national bodies; market intelligence; consumer and business research, encouraging inward investment and new product development.

Advisory capacity To local authorities and organisations such as Transport East and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty on strategic direction, including development, sustainability, connectivity, and inclusivity.

Travel trade As a member of UK Inbound, develop and distribute bookable experiences to ensure value stays in the local economy. VEE hosts a UK Inbound Discovery Workshop in Spring 2023.

Business support Business networking; training and webinars such as Taking England To The World; promoting the VisitEngland Business Advice Hub; regular communication to its 7,500 business database.

Developing connectivity Working with London Stansted, the International Gateway to the East of England, and Stena Line to encourage inbound visitors. Promote Greater Anglia Rail’s sustainable travel.

Routes to market Local delivery of national campaigns and initiatives, such as Know Before You Go and We’re Good To Go; consumer databases. Net Zero Working with the sector and authorities in the development of a 2030 Net Zero green agenda.

Promoting the region Working with the area’s destination organisations, VEE is the vehicle to promote the region’s individual destinations as a single tourism offer domestically and internationally. During Covid it successfully bid for £425,000 of national marketing funds to boost recovery. VEE has also successfully bid to DEF and GREAT funds to manage inbound campaigns, utilising cash and in-kind private sector support. 15

Connectivity With three international gateways, the most modern and environmentally friendly rail service in the country, and good road connections, the East of England has excellent connectivity.

Air Stansted Airport The International Gateway to the East of England, Stansted has non-stop passenger flights scheduled from almost 200 destinations in 38 countries and new connections to Dubai Airport in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s third largest airport. Stansted are committed to route expansion to cities such as Boston, San Francisco and Singapore. Cambridge, the most popular day trip destination for North Americans staying in London, is our most internationally recognised brand and can be used to attract more international visitors to the region, in turn helping Stansted broaden its route network and level up the disproportionate 16

number of overseas tourists entering via Heathrow. 57% of international visitors arrive through Heathrow, go to London and gravitate west to The Cotswolds, Bath and Shakespeare’s Country. Stansted has plans to grow passenger numbers to 43 million by 2032 and is committed to achieving this sustainably: there will be no increase in flights or noise limits, Stansted is carbon neutral and will be zero carbon by 2038. Stansted also has the highest public transport mode share of any airport in the UK. Norwich International Airport Daily KLM flights from worldwide airport hub Schiphol means Norwich Airport is one of the best connected in the UK. It is only 2.5 miles from the city centre, and has good public transport provision.

Sea Stena Line Ferries Harwich International Port’s passenger and cruise terminal, now also part of Freeport East, has Stena Line ferries from the Hook of Holland with the potential of 1800 passengers a day on two boats, the Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica. Harwich is well serviced by rail and road connections. Cruise ports

Rail Greater Anglia Greater Anglia’s rail network includes the Intercity London Liverpool Street-Norwich line via Ipswich and Colchester, and Stansted Express, as well as significant branch lines to the furthest reaches of the region. From Liverpool Street there is easy access to St Pancras International and Eurostar connections.

Great Yarmouth, with its deep-water outer harbour, has an ambition to be a cruise port, supported by a new third river crossing, as does Lowestoft.

GA has invested £1.5bn in environmentally friendly rolling stock and new services, the biggest investment in rail in the region since Victorian times. The new rolling stock are wheelchair accessible.

Road

‘Norwich in 90’, for quicker rail transport to and from the capital, is being actively campaigned for across the timetable as well as other upgrades to the Liverpool StreetNorwich line.

There is proximity to London via the A12 and M11, the Midlands from the A14 and A11 and access from the North is via the A1 and A47. Funding is being sought for more dualling of the A47 in Norfolk, following the success of the A11 final dualling at Elveden. Work has begun on the Long Stratton bypass to shorten travel between Norwich and Ipswich. The Norwich Western Link will complete a fully-dualled city orbital. Improvements are planned for the A11 Fiveways roundabout near Mildenhall and A12/A14 Copdock junction as part of the Road Investment Strategy and additional improvements are being sought around Ipswich to improve journey times.

An ambition is to have faster and more frequent rail services between Cambridge and Norwich, building on the OxfordCambridge East-West Rail project with improvements also being campaigned for on the Cambridge to Ipswich line to deliver more frequent services.

Visit East of England, Naturally A new Placemaking strategy and brand for the region – ‘Naturally’ – is being developed that can be applied across all our coastal, countryside and urban destinations. ‘Naturally’ will be used to capitalise on our disparate assets, uniqueness and potential, with the intention of developing and promoting destinations where visitors – and natives - can experience happiness, well-being, and enjoyment in a sustainable, natural environment. ‘Naturally’ also answers the need for an overarching offer to domestic and international visitors, with strong, cohesive messages, values and a visual identity which weave together our distinctive world-class location as a collective. Local destinations will continue to market their strengths, but ‘Naturally’ will be a 18

long-term brand/solution that will chime with the strategic objectives, not least responsible, sustainable tourism and overcoming the main barrier to productivity – not having a constant level of demand year-round. ‘Naturally’ will be used to coordinate and amplify our region’s overall offer, not replace any existing brands or campaigns. However there is a consensus that the more ‘Naturally’ is used the stronger it will become. After a competitive tender, Norwichbased agency The Click were chosen to develop ‘Naturally’.

Placemaking: questions to be answered. How do we spread demand seasonally and geographically, to make the overall visitor economy more sustainable. We have a disparate but symbiotic destination landscape. It is a stronger proposition for being the sum of parts, but what is the collective offering? In our activity, we talk to the ‘same people’, invariably those who know us and do not need converting. How do we attract a new, younger audience who are interested in experiential, sustainable tourism?

Placemaking: we have big ambitions. For the East of England to be a more ‘top of mind’ destination. Overcome the main barrier to productivity – seasonal tourism. Develop a more balanced, year-round visitor economy by spreading demand seasonally and geographically, raising the overall tide of tourism towards the high-water mark of Summer. Build a proposition to attract overseas visitors. Develop travel trade opportunities, particularly with bookable product. This will support efforts to develop business conference events and work with UK Inbound, of which Visit East of England is a member. Collaborate to build engaging, bookable itineraries, potentially creating new product that will enable bids to national Challenge Funds such as Discover England. A drive for us to become a sustainable tourism destination. Encourage overnight stays and increased spend. Attract younger audiences unaware of the region. VEE’s Consumer Sentiment Survey has suggested that we have a captive audience in domestic older demographics but have less resonance with 18–40-yearolds. Pre-nesters and pre-school families are a focus; visitors who wish to enjoy experiential travel and ‘live like a local’.

For people looking for something different, why are we the solution? There is a lack of awareness of what is here that might be different from other destinations. Is there a perception of this area? ‘Windy, flat, cold, wet, boring’, ‘Nothing to do’, ‘Difficult to get to’? (Visit Norfolk SWOT Research). And yet we have the best overall climate in the UK. We have superb built and natural capital. Our connectivity is good.

The prequel to ‘Naturally’ The DMO coalition was created in Summer 2020 when the pandemic encouraged the destination organisations to combine the local authority-funded marketing pots of Visit Norfolk and Visit Suffolk to promote the East of England as ‘Unexplored England’. This was about highlighting our more than 9,200km2 of coast, countryside, National Park, AONBs and open space for outdoor activities and holidays. The straplines were ‘Find the paths and places less travelled’ and ‘Get off your quarantine couch and get your fresh air fix’. Working together, the DMO coalition was successful in drawing down £425,000 of funds from the Cabinet Office and VisitEngland to promote ‘Unexplored England’ allied with national messaging ‘Enjoy Summer Safely’ and ‘Escape the Everyday’.

Screen tourism Given the high levels of feature film and high-end television production in the UK, Screen Tourism is expected to increase in the UK in the coming years and can be developed in this region. Department of Culture, Media and Sport research in 15 countries suggests that two thirds of visitors to the UK have been motivated by film or TV locations. There has been recent regional success with films such as Netflix’s The Dig, Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield and the Danny Boyle / Richard Curtis movie Yesterday. Much of this success can be attributed to Screen Suffolk which has been contracted through Suffolk Public Sector Leaders funding for a further five years to deliver and develop film location services. Norfolk County Council commissioned Olsberg SPI to analyse the opportunity. They have previously done a study on Screen Tourism for Creative England and VisitEngland that provided clear evidence 20

that tourists will travel to sites specifically because they have been depicted in feature films and television drama. 36.1% of all international tourists and 11.6% of all domestic tourists surveyed on site at six locations studied for the project, including Holkham Hall, could be defined as core screen tourists ie a screen production was the primary motivator for their visit. The value of these visits is significant, with the best-performing sites attracting day spend value from international visitors of up to £1.6m annually. Combined with the day visit value of domestic core screen tourists, the best performing site saw £4.3m total screen tourism spend annually. Across England, a conservative estimate puts the value of international screen tourism between £100m-£140m.

Ely: from The King’s Speech to The Crown. Regarded by the sector as a ‘highly experienced, film friendly location’, Ely has welcomed several large-scale productions, including The Crown (2016), Maestro (2022), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and The King’s Speech (2010). Ely received an award as ‘Best Film Location’ for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Starring Cate Blanchett, the production saw a cast and crew of over 400 on site for seven weeks. Film makers are drawn to Ely Cathedral for the vast internal space, stone walls

and medieval floors which create a highly adaptable blank canvas, and the surrounding grounds and parklands which provide acres of accessible space to locate the unit base, crew parking, technical equipment, props, and areas for cast and crowd. In 2020, Ely Cathedral hosted its first film costume exhibition, Crowns & Gowns, which attracted more than 12,000 additional visitors, and offers a bookable guided tour, On Screen & In Film, which has proven popular with inbound visitors.

Opposite: The King’s Speech Ely. Below: The Crown Ely (© Alex Bailey); The Theory of Everything Cambridge; The Personal History of David Copperfield Bury St Edmunds (© Rebecca Austin).

Yesterday Halesworth High Street; The Dig Sutton Hoo; Yesterday Shingle Street, Suffolk.

Screen and TV made recently in the region. Yesterday (2019) Danny Boyle (d), Richard Curtis (w), Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran – Gorleston-on-Sea, Halesworth, Dunwich, Shingle Street, Cantley, Latitude Festival, Ramsholt Arms The Dig (2021) Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan – Sutton Hoo This Sceptred Isle (2022) Michael Winterbottom (d), Kenneth Branagh – Aylsham Spencer (2021) Kristen Stewart, Sally Hawkins - Hunstanton The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020) Armando Iannucci (d), Dev Patel, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton – Bury St Edmunds, King’s Lynn, Weybourne Annihilation (2018) Natalie Portman – Holkham Tulip Fever (2017) Judi Dench – Norwich Cathedral Spiderman: Homecoming (2017) Tom Holland - Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich

The Crown (2016) Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Jared Harris – Ely Cathedral 45 Years (2015) Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay – Norwich, Broads National Park Ant-Man (2015) Paul Rudd - Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Robert Downey Jnr – Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich The Theory of Everything (2014) Eddie Redmayne - The Backs, Cambridge Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) Steve Coogan – Norwich, Cromer Pier Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows (2010) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson Lavenham The King’s Speech (2010) Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush – Ely Cathedral The Duchess (2008) Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes – Holkham, Cley-next-the-Sea Atonement (2007) James McAvoy, Keira Knightley – Walpole St Peter

Top left: Scriptwriter John Orloff, original Masters of the Air book author Don Miller and Playtone executive Kirk Saduski researching at Thorpe Abbotts airbase.

Masters of the Air: The Friendly Invasion TV series will attract inbound visitors to the region. A significant opportunity to benefit from Screen Tourism will come in 2023 when Apple TV+ stream the $275m Masters of the Air, the final series in the second world war trilogy produced by Gary Goetzman and Tom Hanks’ Playtone and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin. Following Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Masters of the Air tells the story of the 350,000 servicemen of the US Eighth Air Force who transitioned through the East of England from 1942 to 1945. The D-Day Beaches were already a wellvisited destination, but when Band of Brothers aired Normandy Tourism reported a 40% uplift in North American visitors. The series is still being shown around the world, so Screen Tourism has a long tail. Home Box Office, which bankrolled the first two series, were hesitant about Masters of the Air. However, after Visit East of England brought the executive producer and screenwriter to the region in 2017 as part of the VisitBritain Discover England Funded ‘Friendly Invasion’ project, the production team were convinced of its merits and the project subsequently moved to Apple TV+.

The series was shot in Oxfordshire in late 2021, with post-production completed in California. However, the story is entirely owned by this region, where the air bases were and where the museums and memorials reside. A new project is now in co-production with Playtone on a Friendly Invasion film and cinema/conference attraction in Norfolk which would complement Masters of the Air and act as a hub for visitors exploring the story further. The Friendly Invasion film will focus on the cultural and social impacts felt by the native population. The US servicemen brought with them peanut butter, chewing gum, Swing and nylons. They took back with them tens of thousands of wives and girlfriends. Currently, North Americans interested in the wartime story go to The Second World War Museum in New Orleans and The Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah. Masters of the Air gives us the opportunity to attract them across the Atlantic to this region. A second Friendly Invasion would be of huge value to the visitor economy.

Sustainability, through development Environmental and economic sustainability are crucial to developing our year-round tourism offer and growing employment and wealth. However, that growth must go hand-in-hand with greater conservation of our natural landscapes and biodiversity, key reasons the region is such an attractive destination. Holkham Estate is leading the way on environmental sustainability in the east, and there are other venues where development, particularly in inclusivity and accessibility, will see them become nationally significant year-round attractions.

An infrastructure providing clean travel is key. Getting visitors to travel without using fossil fuels will not only improve the environment and reduce the carbon footprint but it will also improve health and wellbeing. In the VEE Spring 2021 Consumer Sentiment Survey 86% of respondents said they would travel to the region by private car, and 47% will walk when here but only 7% will cycle. If the region had more accessible, reliable and affordable public transport within and between rural areas, villages, towns and cities, visitors could be encouraged to use this as well as making their journey here by rail.

Holkham Estate Pioneering environmental sustainability in the region is the Holkham Estate, which attracts more than a million visitors each year, and encompasses agricultural land, a national nature reserve, saltmarshes, 25,000 acres of parkland as well as a beach and forest. There is a hotel inn, a holiday park and, of course, the 18th century Palladian Hall.

Other initiatives include:

The ambition through their WONDER conservation and sustainability strategy is to be the UK’s most pioneering and sustainable rural estate.

Installing recycling stations across Holkham Park, at the beach café and information centre, and the holiday park.

Holkham’s first commitment is to increase natural capital every year, sitting alongside an ambition that recognises that the estate is responsible for stunning landscapes, habitats, biodiversity and ecosystems which need to be treasured, enhanced and revitalised for the benefit of future generations. The estate will be carbon negative by 2040 and the strategy aims to reduce the amount of non-recycled waste the estate generates by 10% each year for the next ten years.

An electric bus service to Wells-next-theSea beach – the first of its kind in the UK. Cycle hire at Holkham itself and at the holiday park. Discounts offered for those who arrive on bike, bus or by foot.

Installing eco-friendly shower blocks at the holiday park with green roofs, and water saving taps. Prioritising using compostables with much of the food and drink offering being served in compostable packaging and cups. Developing natural capital at the holiday park, including a nature trail and allotment for guests. Solar panels installed throughout the estate. Installing EV chargers to guest accommodation. The estate’s journey can be viewed at the Stables courtyard where an exhibition tells the story of how Holkham manages the landscape and produces sustainable food. 25

ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure ROARR! is set to embark on the biggest development in its history, after being granted permission to create a new four-acre interactive play-themed area within the existing 85-acre Park. Gigantosaurus Land is a collaborative partnership between ROARR! and Cyber Group Studios, a leading producer and distributor of animated series for children and families worldwide. The immersive area will be themed around the internationally renowned animated TV series Gigantosaurus, currently streaming worldwide on Disney+ and Netflix. The development will be completed in three phases, with the first including a vertical volcano themed drop ride, spinning flower teacups, water play, a jumping pillow, a towering wooden play ‘n’ climb den and much more. Work is due to begin in January 2023 with the first phase set to open to the public in 2024. The final two phases will see additional Gigantosaurus themed concepts introduced to the Park, elevating the family day out at ROARR!.

The project continues the development of the award-winning park, which already has 25 different attractions. They were amongst the first to weather-proof with Dinomite indoor play area and invest year on year, including: 2018: Predator High Ropes & The Explorers Restaurant. 2019-21: Refreshed Dippy’s Snack Shack, Dippy’s Raceway, Dippy’s Theatre. 2022: Valley of the Dinosaurs as part of a £350k investment, which includes its own AR trail and magic mirror and Dippy’s Exploration Adventure. 2023-2024: Plans to expand ROARR! with a £3m hybrid planning application, initially to include two new rides and other themed play areas as well as water play and the creation of three new themed worlds. The latest development could see visitor numbers rise from 300,000 to 500,000 a year.

PrimEvil In diversifying its offer, ROARR! hosts the award-winning scare event PrimEvil, which takes place over 13 nights and attracts more than 22k visitors each year. It continues to grow as the UK’s best loved scare attraction. Visitors can experience five terrifying haunts. The haunts are upgraded each year to provide visitors with a new experience. PrimEvil also has local street food vendors, as well as local artists and businesses – circus skills and axe throwing and zombie archery. PrimEvil employees over 100 local scare actors including professional make-up artists.

ROARR! on CSR/sustainability 96 solar panels on EEP and Dinomite buildings (the largest buildings). 0% waste going to landfill, and garden waste composted. Menus based on food sourced within 50 miles of the park, and no single use plastic in any of food and beverage outlets. 3254kg of C02 balanced. ROARR! store focuses on recycled materials. Ground source heat pump for Dinomite indoor softplay area. Air source heat pump for Explorers restaurant. ROARR! on accessibility The accessibility journey has been a gradual and thoughtful process over the past few years. They take action based on a collaborative approach with professionals and guests once research has been made, to make the correct and valuable changes: Working with National Autistic Society in Norwich, the venue is a sensory park. Four accessibility days held, with reduced Park noise and static lights. Makaton signage at Secret Animal Garden, and in ‘ROARR! Welcome’ framework for crew. Offer of ear defenders and reduced noise to visiting groups.

An accessibility Christmas Grotto experience and a Father Christmas who can speak in sign language and trained in reduced communication with children with SEN requirements. Hearing loop in Guest Services area. Mobiloo hired for different events, giving those guests who need a changing place the option to visit the Park during an event. A Changing Place will be installed in the Park in 2022. Worked with Access for All to look at the Park as a whole and registered interest in becoming accessibility champion for Norfolk. An accessibility video for the website and an accessibility guide which is available through the national accessibility websites, which gives a rundown of the Park and each attraction. Introduced hidden disability wristbands and trained the crew to be more patient with guests who are wearing one and to change their style of giving instructions. Working closely with Twinkle SEN group to provide out of hours access to the Park, Dinomite, Splash Zone, Jubilee celebration and Christmas experience. Mobility scooters and wheelchairs available to hire. 27

Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn Royal Palace Reborn is a £15m project to transform Norwich Castle’s iconic Norman Keep, one of Europe’s most important early medieval castles. This ambitious undertaking will enable Norwich Castle to take its place as one of the UK’s premier heritage attractions. The National Lottery Heritage Fund are the principal funders, investing over £10m in this once-in-a-generation project. From Easter 2024, visitors will be able to explore the original layout of the palace of the Norman kings, with recreated spaces and the innovative use of projection and digital technology to bring the building to life with sound and colour. Working in partnership with The British Museum, a gallery of the medieval world will show beautiful and fascinating objects to explore the lives and stories of people from the period. The Keep will also feature a multi-sensory participation area dedicated to Early Years audiences. Thanks to the installation of a new lift, for the first time in 900 years visitors will be able to explore all five levels of the Keep.

The project will also create a new glass atrium and a new café with an internal glass bridge into the Keep will provide a spectacular new social space for the city. Upgraded toilets will include a Changing Places facility, helping to ensure Norwich Castle is a place for everyone. Norwich Castle – Gloucester: The most significant maritime find since the Mary Rose, the discovery of the wreck of the Gloucester made headlines worldwide. The ship sank off Norfolk in 1682 while carrying the future King James II and lay half-buried on the seabed until local divers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell found it after a four-year search. A major exhibition exploring the dramatic find opens at Norwich Castle in Spring 2023 featuring items from the wreck, but this is the first step on a process to create a permanent museum for the artefacts in Norfolk.

Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) Operating Banham Zoo in Norfolk and Africa Alive in Suffolk, ZSEA is already one of the leading visitor attractions in the region, working with 1400 schools across the region and raising awareness of the importance of connecting with nature and animals for mental health and recovery. Working in collaboration with DEFRA and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), and with sustainability and accessibility at its heart, ZSEA’s five-year vision is to reimagine what the modern zoo should stand for. At Banham Zoological Gardens the first project will be to create a conservation education centre of national significance, The Native Haven of the East, to support and restore endangered native species of the UK. This will be an ‘Eden Project’ style modern zoo where mixed species are housed in biodomes surrounded by their natural flora and fauna. This will be a centre where future generations are taught the importance of all aspects of conserving our planet and those that live within it, where digital technology and AI can extend understanding and connections within conservation. With accessibility at the heart of every step forward, Banham Conservation Education Centre & Zoological Gardens will be a destination attraction which will attract worldwide attention and be a centre of excellence for animal welfare and science research. ZSEA will also:

At Zoological Society of East Anglia’s Africa Alive Zoological Reserve create a new 400 acre attraction land dedicated to nature and reintroductions of endangered species and enable a dedicated native species nature reserve to incorporate a visitor centre, walks, cycle paths, wildlife conservation, bird hides and sustainable tourism to support the work at Banham Zoological Gardens. In partnership with the Tusk Trust, and using digital and AI technology, every visitor will become immersed in both the plight and beauty of Africa. There will also be live links into conservation programmes in Africa. The aim is to ensure the reserve can educate those who otherwise may not be able to travel to Africa and enable visitors to have an immersive experience of the global conservation challenges our generation face. Neighbouring Benacre Estate are supporting the project, which would provide a further 500 acres of land dedicated to nature and the reintroduction of endangered species. The projects will create conservationists and the future caretakers of our planet by providing world class facilities for diverse and disadvantaged communities, primary and secondary schoolchildren, through apprenticeships, further education partnerships, and through social prescribing community programmes, and inspire a life-long interest in young people and communities for preservation and conservation of the local environment and wider world.

Become a carbon neutral organisation and ensure sustainable consumption and production. Create a covered car park with 40,000 solar panels and install a ground source heat pump to provide sufficient energy for the entire site. Install EVR points and introduce shuttle links from local train stations using a Hydrogen Fuel cell bus with zero emissions.

The National Centre for Gainsborough Opening in Autumn 2022, the £9m redevelopment of Thomas Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury will attract visitors from across the UK and abroad to see a wide collection of the artist’s work in a single setting. Reviving an Artist’s Birthplace – a national centre for Gainsborough sees a new, landmark three-storey structure replace an empty local authority building located on a brown-field site adjacent to the Georgian house, Gainsborough’s childhood home. It provides spaces for exhibitions, displays and learning with four new galleries – a showcase Gainsborough gallery, a landscape studio with panoramic views over Sudbury, a community gallery and a temporary exhibition gallery/performance space. The best-known English artist of the 18th century, renowned for his outstanding innovations and techniques in both landscape and portraiture, the redevelopment will give more access to the entirety of Gainsborough’s work, including his highly original work as a printmaker.

Crucially, the new purpose-built art space will attract national and international exhibitions from around the world to be displayed in what is now Suffolk’s largest gallery. A new orangery-style café, overlooking the beautiful eighteenth-century garden, will enhance the visitor experience and boost venue hire, along with improved shopping facilities and a varied programme of talks and concerts. The project will highlight Gainsborough’s widespread influence on the next generation of landscape artists, particularly John Constable (1776–1837). With the long-term loan of the Constable family’s collection on display, the museum will provide the only gallery space to see the landscapes of Constable in the vicinity of ‘Constable Country’. The development doesn’t just secure the future of Gainsborough’s House – close to the railway station - but will also be the start of regeneration of an historic market town, the creation of a long-needed centre for visual art in Suffolk and a national centre for Thomas Gainsborough.

Stowmarket Food Museum The Museum of East Anglian Life at Stowmarket has rebranded as The Museum of Food to focus on food production and sustainability. With an ambition to become a national museum, the 75-acre town centre venue, close to the railway station, houses 17 historic buildings and around 40,000 objects. The museum’s focus is on the environmental impact of food production, using demonstrations, displays, living landscape,

tastings and hands-on experiences from cheese-making to brewing, as well as looking at themes connected by food – social, historical, technological, industrial and environment. Talks, tours and demonstrations change daily but foraging activities, animal feeding and hands-on farming take place every day. Buildings include community exhibition spaces, a blacksmith’s forge, farm barn, a watermill and chapel and there is a mile of river trails to explore.

Year-round Great Yarmouth Renowned as the East Coast’s top seasonal resort, Great Yarmouth is reinventing itself as a year-round destination, particularly through arts and heritage regeneration. Following a £2.7m refurbishment of the seafront Venetian Waterways and Boating Lake, £16m is being spent on the Grade II-listed Winter Gardens to make it a yearround attraction. It had been named as one of the top ten endangered buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian era.

Also on the seafront, The Empire, the town’s first purpose-built cinema in 1911, has been reimagined as a street food and music venue. The owners also run the nearby Hippodrome, the UK’s only surviving total circus building, which itself has increased its events from the traditional Summer Water Spectacular to a year-round programme. The Tourism BID and borough council collaborate on a year-round events calendar, including Fire and Water and Out There.

A sustainable visitor economy can make sustainable careers. To help grow the visitor economy sustainably we need to change the narrative that the sector is not one where people will find a career. The perception of the industry for many is that it is ‘seasonal, low skilled, low paid’ and ‘a holiday job for young people’. We need to develop a year-round visitor economy, spreading demand seasonally and geographically. This is our biggest barrier to productivity and will raise the overall tide of tourism towards the high-water mark of Summer. 32

If businesses are more successful, they will invest in skills, training and pay, create more full-time roles and provide career progression. The visitor economy is about people and there are a multitude of entry levels. It is the ‘ultimate meritocracy’: tourism rewards ambition, it has ease of career progression, it aids social mobility, it has careers for all ages, and provides transferable skills. Articulating this could help transform the region’s visitor economy.

Year-round boosts business Two of the region’s attractions have shown the way to developing a year-round business. Thursford Christmas Spectacular near Fakenham began in 1977 when, against a background of steam engines, mechanical organs and fairground rides, eight choral scholars from Kings College, Cambridge, sang a selection of John Rutter carols. Today, the Cushing family’s business has grown into the largest Christmas show in the country, with a cast of 130, many recruited from the West End. Almost six million people have attended. In November and December, tour groups arrive from around the country and stay in accommodation across north Norfolk as well as Great Yarmouth. Family-owned Potters Leisure Resort near Great Yarmouth pioneered indoor bowls in the UK – discovering a way to fill hotel rooms year-round.

It has hosted the World Indoor Bowls competition, the sport’s flagship televised event, for more than twenty years. Viewing audiences peak at one million over the seven days of finals from the 17-day competition each January. Many of the 20,000 spectators each year stay at Potters, but many also stay in other local accommodation giving a welcome boost to the Winter visitor economy. The success of indoor bowls has led to the Resort being full year-round, with more than 600 permanent staff who are offered career progression. The range of jobs include West End-style theatre technicians, sales and marketing and catering. The Resort serves around one million meals a year, with many opportunities for local suppliers. Consistent revenues have allowed management to develop infrastructure and recently the business invested £14m in the acquisition and refurbishment of the Five Lakes Resort in Essex.

Survey results highlight the need for a year-round visitor economy. The VEE Winter 2020 Business Survey (473 responses) suggested that the majority of trade (43%) is delivered during the summer months, followed by almost equal share of activity taking place in Spring (23%) and autumn (21%). Three in five (62%) believe that developing the year-round visitor economy would help their business in the future. Two thirds of respondents believe that not developing year-round business is the key barrier to business productivity.

‘Making the region more top of mind with potential visitors’ (21%) and ‘High-quality, year-round experiences that are good for visitors and host communities’ (20%) are two key measures that would help businesses develop the year-round visitor economy. Half (50%) of respondents believe training programmes would also help them extend their season. The survey suggested that other key challenges are the ‘gap between jobs available and worker qualifications’, the ‘cost of delivering vocational training’ and ‘insufficient ties with industry’.

Skilling up with EAST: A new approach VEE’s Visitor Economy Skills Group, led by West Suffolk College, has spearheaded a Visitor Economy Network Initiative (VENI), a first for the region and an important part of the skills offer. It was awarded £1.25m from the European Social Fund. The VENI partnership, comprising colleges and private and public sector stakeholders, has organised more than ten tourism career events in 2022, and is beginning to put the components in place for an East Academy for Skills in Tourism (EAST). A virtual establishment, EAST will reach out to all parts of the sector and communities and will be organised by a coalition of Further Education colleges.

12-point manifesto for the Skills Academy.

What will EAST look like?

Visit East of England sees this as an opportunity to set a new agenda for tourism, hospitality, and visitor economy skills - and a chance to encourage collaboration across colleges in the region.

A Skills Academy for all ages, not just young people.

2 Colleges will lead a campaign to demonstrate the breadth of careers available in the sector. 3 Develop a campaign to promote apprenticeships (‘a job with training’) within the sector for employers and people considering a career in the industry. Currently awareness of the opportunities and flexibility of apprenticeships is poor. 4 Create a Visitor Economy Umbrella Programme for college students on any course. A programme might include additional qualifications such as World Host, opportunities to engage with businesses, work experiences and job opportunities. 5 Work with schools to redouble efforts to inspire children about the sector and raise awareness among teachers about the breadth of jobs available. 6 Build on the VENI careers events with a complete programme that enables youngsters to engage with business. 7

Use ICANBEA to promote the sector and act as a catalyst for job opportunities.

8 Produce a brochure highlighting many of the different careers in the sector aimed at people of all ages. 9 Promote the latest industry data. 10 Use Center Parcs as a champion of collaborative working, encouraging other businesses to participate. 11 Explore funding opportunities to go beyond VENI and establish EAST. 12 Explore short term funding, possibly through Shared Prosperity Fund, to engage businesses and establish a skills and careers alliance for the sector.

Employers say they need problem solvers, communicators, and customer service ambassadors. The Skills Academy will reflect these traits - all students going through the Academy will gain experience in real workplaces and will encounter real customers in their learning journey. The manifesto provides a framework for the foundations of a Skills Academy. It focuses on all age groups, makes a commitment to reach out to all businesses across the visitor economy and recognises the importance of awareness raising across the region - inspiring young and old to consider careers in one of the many roles within the visitor economy. The Skills Academy is not a place. It is not a set curriculum either. Rather it is a visible collaboration between willing colleges in the region to work together to offer people in their catchment areas an opportunity to explore a career in the visitor economy. In practice this means a range of additional qualifications will be offered to anyone joining the academy. These will include World Host customer service, compliance qualifications such as food safety and first aid, as well as short courses to improve awareness and understanding of different sectors within the visitor economy, eg local foods appreciation, sustainability, digital marketing. There will be an opportunity to work in a business representing the visitor economy, and a commitment to research the sector and become an ambassador for the sector. Participating Colleges will be at the heart of the academy, but businesses need to provide leadership and guidance.

Skills Academy stakeholders will include teachers, entrepreneurs and people of all ages. Small businesses: providing access to a human resource facility which will take the complication out of recruitment and allow young people and returners to the labour market to experience work in, for instance, small restaurants and hotels across the region. These small businesses will be able to access specialist HR recruitment support to help them prosper and grow. Large businesses: providing them with labour throughout the year, upskilling existing staff and developing the next generation of managers from among new entrants to the industry. Colleges: providing them with a clear framework for engagement with the sector - offering work experience, career mapping, pathways to management and close relationships with local employers. Local authorities and destination organisations: providing a platform to invest in skills, support local businesses, and raise industry awareness. Older people: for those keen on a return to work, it will provide them with a structured opportunity to experience different roles across the sector and to gain skills and develop character strengths to help them progress in the sector of their choice. 36

Young people: for those studying any course at college, it will provide them with an academy framework to boost their careers and prepare them for work in many different sectors of the visitor economy. The Academy wants to establish a Passport scheme so young people can log their work experience and qualifications, create digital profiles and present themselves to the industry professionally. Children: for younger students unaware of what the visitor economy offers, it will provide a gateway to different sectors and raise awareness of the interesting jobs available. Teachers: especially those in Further Education, to help them develop professionally, learn about all parts of the visitor economy and widen their teaching opportunities and career development. Entrepreneurs: those people who have a passion for service and wish to innovate to succeed. The Academy will provide mentoring support, encourage sector networking, and seek out funding support to enable people to start and grow their business ideas.

A Skills Academy Day at Center Parcs for West Suffolk College students Center Parcs have made a commitment to be part of the Skills Academy and they will work closely with West Suffolk College to give students from all backgrounds and studying different courses the opportunity to experience the visitor economy at the sharp end. In September 2022, business students were put through their paces at a special Skills Academy Day. In this inaugural event, 30 students competed for places in a new Skills Academy Ambassador programme. Center Parcs staff were on hand to observe, challenge and judge students to see which ones showed the commitment and enthusiasm for a place in the scheme. Staff spoke about their own career journeys, many starting with entry level roles before progressing on to management with long term career prospects. Many businesses like Center Parcs provide a fast and flexible route into management.

How will EAST work? The Academy feeds into other courses. It provides work experience across the visitor economy. It builds up key skills over a year. A range of short courses need to be passed during the year. A case study will be produced for every student documenting their skills journey - and this career enhancing story will be promoted on the EAST website.

Next steps… in 2023. Throughout 2023 we will: Strengthen the partnership between colleges.

Local Flavours The Skills Academy relies on partners across the region to raise awareness of this creative sector and Local Flavours, with VENI funding, continues to be instrumental in bringing businesses into the arena, championing local food and drink, and inspiring people from across the region to see the value that the sector brings to the economy.

Create a new curriculum for the Visitor Economy. Build new relationships with schools. Continue to raise profile through events. Develop a cohesive offer under the Skills Academy brand.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR

Destinations A natural tourism region is reflected by the destination perception of visitors not by administrative borders. Multiple and different destinations can be packaged as a single tourism offering because they are symbiotic.

A naturally cohesive East of England offer. The area covers a disparate landscape that includes market towns, cities, coastal and rural destinations. Their issues and opportunities are not homogenous, and this plan identifies destinations’ specific needs. Nonetheless, our contiguous region has thematic and geographical synergies that are complementary as we look to drive the sector year-round. Our approach is pragmatic about the destination philosophy. Bringing together the whole of Norfolk and Suffolk and incorporating adjacent areas in Essex and Cambridgeshire has created a destination region which chimes with visitors. It includes the important city destination of Cambridge as well as attractive coastal and rural parts of Essex which are an intrinsic part of the Stour Valley, Dedham Vale and Constable Country alongside the villages on the Suffolk side of the border. This naturally feels a cohesive East of England offer. Local authority and Business Improvement District initiatives enabling and supporting business growth and product development are a key component of this plan, particularly where learnings and best practises can be shared. Included here are current and upcoming projects that will be delivered by 2025 and which will help the overall strategy of developing year-round tourism, product and place, skills, sustainability and levelling up.

NEXT FOR

Cambridge

A key place to spend quality time. To explore, to discover, to stay. Cambridge is a pivotal destination in the East of England’s visitor economy, a world-renowned university city that has an unrivalled creative, cultural and heritage offer. It is a key element of the city region brand. Visitors are drawn by the beautiful architecture of the majestic colleges, the museums and galleries, the river that winds thought its heart, the unique and relaxed shopping which includes many independent stores, a vibrant food scene, luxury hotels and a first-class leisure experience.

Cambridge is well established in attracting day visitors. The tourism sector in Cambridge embraces arts, museums, conferencing, retail, night-time economy, food and beverage, accommodation providers, attractions, leisure operators and the creative industries and education sector.

2019 Volume and Value figures showed tourism worth £867m, with 8.3m visitors, and employing 17,000 people, 22% of all employment. However only around 12% of these visitors are currently exploring beyond Cambridge.

These sectors are broadly represented by Visit Cambridge, a newly established DMO that has four key partners, Cambridge City Council (CCC), Cambridge Business Improvement District (Cambridge BID), Kings College Cambridge and Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises (FME).

With its international reputation for intellectual capital, business tourism is an important aspect of the local visitor economy. In 2017 Meet Cambridge, the conference venue finding service for Cambridge, received 2952 enquiries worth £23 million. Of these, 1307 booked in Cambridge worth £4 million.

CCC lead on collaborating with other local authorities including the Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), Cambridge County Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

It is estimated that the events industry is worth £35 million pa to the colleges alone; this figure does not include other city or regional venues. The economic and wider impact of these events is significantly higher.

Strategic investment and upgraded hotels will help Cambridge achieve its full visitor potential. Despite its international draw Cambridge is perceived as a day trip destination. 88% of the city’s annual visitors stay for a few hours and at best a day. This deeply engrained perception both domestically and internationally is reinforced by a fast and regular train service to London with eight trains an hour and the travel trade who, when organising coach trips, include Cambridge as a two hour stop en route to Oxford, Stratford and York. However, Cambridge is unable to support many enquiries due to a lack of core facilities needed to achieve its full potential, including large-scale (250+) conference facilities and adequate hotel/ bed provision. These opportunities are lost to other venues nationally and globally.

Strategic investments for Cambridge and the surrounding area include: New rail station to improve connectivity Network Rail are seeking planning permission for a new Cambridge South rail station. This £186m project is aimed to start in 2022 and complete in 2025. Redeveloped Market Square Cambridge City Council is in consultation about a £4.5m redevelopment of the Market Square, a significant piece of public realm in the heart of the city centre. Regeneration of historic city centre site Cambridge University and a number of college partners are investing more than £35m to redevelop the five-acre Old Press Mill Lane city centre site with close proximity to the river. When complete this project will include significant new public realm as well as retail and leisure attractions.

Over 2,000 new hotel rooms throughout the city are being developed so more visitors can stay. Multi-million-pound sums are being invested in new and refurbished hotels in the city with close to 1,000 rooms newly opened and close to 1,000 more in the pipeline which include: Locke Living Aparthotel - 180 rooms opened in September 2021. Hyatt Centric - 150 rooms opened late September 2021. Fellows House Hilton Curio Collection 163 rooms with pool and Spa opened in July 2021. Novotel North Cambridge - 217 rooms with pool and Spa opened in Summer 2021. Newly refurbished and opened in August the Graduate Hotel (formerly the Doubletree) with 140 rooms, new pool and Spa. New Hobson House Hotel in the City Centre opens winter 2022, converting a 1901 former prison to a 56-room boutique hotel.

Planning agreed for a new 229 room Wilde Aparthotel as part of Cambridge City Council’s multi-million rebuilding of Park Street car park that started in January 2022. Planning agreed for new 125 room hotel as part of a major redevelopment of the Lion Yard Shopping Centre with work due to start in late 2022. Planning agreed for a new 153 room hotel as part of a major redevelopment of the Grafton Centre Shopping Centre with work due to start in late 2022. Planning agreed for a new 141 room hotel as part of continuing major redevelopment of the CB1 area near Cambridge Railway Station to begin in early 2023. Plans submitted for a new 255 room hotel as part of a major redevelopment of the former County Council HQ Shire Hall in the city. A 168-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel is being built at Imperial War Museum Duxford in south Cambridgeshire to complement the site’s conference facilities. 43

NEXT FOR

Norwich

A modern, digital, inclusive, sustainable city. Norwich 2040 Vision sets out the priorities for the city, with Towns Fund Norwich Investment Plan identifying eight distinct funded projects which will deliver on city priorities, addressing challenges in the economy and maximising potential and opportunity. Through these projects, the partners will develop a modern, digital, inclusive, and sustainable city economy, building on the success of the tourism, tech cluster and knowledgebased sectors, creative ecosystem and strong networks, and addressing inequalities to enable more people to contribute to and benefit from these opportunities.

A number of projects have been funded by government’s Town Deal initiative. Digital hub A new city centre workspace with start-up and grow on space for digital businesses. Norwich Make Space at the Halls A state of the art digital making space for collaborative creative thinking and high value, cross-sector partnerships between culture, digital and tech. Digi-Tech Factory A new skills facility providing digital tech, engineering, and design courses. Clean construction centre The Advanced Construction and Engineering Centre will be a training facility applying tech, including Industry 4.0, and clean growth to construction, manufacturing, and engineering.

East Norwich urban quarter development East Norwich and Carrow House is an investment to accelerate the development of a new high-quality urban quarter in East Norwich through master planning and repurposing Carrow House for professional services and knowledge industry office space. Unlocked brownfield sites The Revolving Fund will unlock brownfield sites to deliver modern homes and workspaces for the growing economy. Enhanced public spaces Public Realm will invest in enhancing city centre public and urban spaces and improving connectivity and navigation. Branding Norwich as ‘the place’ to be Communicating what the city has to offer through a project to develop a commercial proposition for Norwich as ‘the place’ for business and a city to live, learn and invest in.

Many great city initiatives. Norwich Market has become the first ‘net zero waste’ market in the country.

Wensum Lodge is developing a new Creative Industries and Skills Hub.

New wayfinding scheme will be rolled out across the city centre, including directional heads-up mapping for easy navigation.

Norwich Film Festival is an international BAFTA and BIFA qualifying annual festival.

Norfolk and Norwich Festival celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2022.

Love Light Norwich is a new biennial festival for February, driving tourism in the off-season.

The National Centre for Writing celebrates its 10th anniversary as England’s first UNESCO City of Literature.

Norwich City of Ale is a city-wide festival serving the region’s finest beers matched with seasonal local produce. 45

NEXT FOR

Ipswich A Connected Town.

Within the Ipswich Vision’s overall aim of developing Ipswich into the UK’s first ‘Connected Town’ (a progression of the internationally recognised model known as the ’15-minute city’), there are a series of transformative projects that are funded as part of government’s Town Deal initiative for reviving UK High Streets.

The Town Deal funded projects are transforming Ipswich into a Connected Town. Digital Town Centre Developing a seamless digital ecosystem connecting booking, travel, venues, and shopping through a single platform and enabling AR/VR trails, accessibility information and on-street screens. Improving the visitor experience of the town by implementing digital initiatives that would look to connect with VisitBritain’s TXGB booking system. Potential to improve the High Street experience. Technology and Sustainability Academy New education centre offering a range of courses focused on digital and tech skills.

Waterfront Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge A new bridge connecting the waterfront and creating a circular route around the marina, enabling a Maritime Trail. Greener Ipswich A new green trail to link the waterfront to the town centre and help to encourage more walking and cycling whilst opening new, green spaces along the way; improving the town centre for residents and attracting visitors. Ipswich Town Centre Revival Fund Within this project is the aim to develop a new music venue in the town centre, strengthening the town’s cultural offer.

Ipswich is seeing many great town initiatives. Ipswich Museum Regeneration – £8m of Heritage Lottery Funding to redevelop Ipswich Museum. Development of New Wolsey Theatre and the building of a new youth and community theatre space. Suffolk Short Film Festival – a new international film festival from Ipswich Film Theatre. SPILL Festival 2021 and beyond – a bi-annual late Autumn (out of season) international performance art festival attracting new artists and audiences. Suffolk Archive’s The Hold is a new cutting-edge archival centre with exhibitions of national significance and community-based activity.

Power of Stories exhibition at Christchurch Mansion is a nationally – and potentially internationally – significant exhibition celebrating the stories of Black communities in Ipswich and Suffolk and from across the world; including costumes from the Marvel Black Panther film. Thomas Wolsey 550 – a significant, town-wide heritage project marking 550 years since the birth of Thomas Wolsey, who was born a baker’s son n Ipswich and went on to become Cardinal and the right-hand man of King Henry VIII. A series of events, workshops and community activity celebrating Wolsey’s life and enduring legacy.

NEXT FOR

Colchester

Modern city status, better connected and a better place for visitors. Awarded modern city status for the Jubilee in 2022, Colchester (Camulodunum) was the first city and original capital of Roman Britain. The council has strong commitment to tourism within the Better Colchester Strategic Plan 2020-23 and supports the sector through its wraparound Visit Colchester service which includes a TIC as well as print and digital promotion and campaigns. In 2019 44% of visitors to the TIC in Colchester were from overseas. In Colchester the B2C brand of the Colchester Business Improvement District promotes the city centre to a regional audience.

With a history stretching back more than 2000 years the destination attracts visitors to a strong heritage offer. This includes Colchester Castle Museum, Europe’s largest ‘Norman Great Keep’. Now a modern museum, it attracts circa 100k visitors each year with an internationally recognised permanent collection and a programme of high-profile temporary exhibitions. Colchester also has Britain’s oldest and longest city walls; a Roman Circus Visitor Centre interpreting the discovery of Britain’s only known chariot racing track; and evocative ruins of medieval St Botolph’s Priory. An equally strong cultural offer includes Firstsite, where visitors can experience the most exciting developments in contemporary art, and explore the rich artistic legacy cultivated by the East of England’s unique landscape and character. Housed in a landmark building by international architect Rafael Vinoly, Firstsite was awarded the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award in 2021. The Mercury Theatre, which reopened in 2021 following an £11m redevelopment is a major producing theatre and an artistic powerhouse in the region.

The overall offer to visitors includes a strong slate of family friendly attractions including Colchester Zoo in 60 acres of parkland, and the new £10m 76-acre Colchester Sports Park. Colchester is one of the fastest growing urban centres in the country, home to both the University of Essex main campus with 13K students and Colchester Garrison, the HQ of the British Army in the East. The wider City of Colchester local authority area includes Mersea Island, famous for Colchester Native Oysters, and the Dedham Vale AONB, both popular visitor destinations. Tourism is an important sector for the authority. Pre-pandemic it was worth £394 million to the local economy and supported over 7000 jobs. The conversion of day trip visits into overnight and short breaks is a key objective, supported by strategic planning interventions which in the last decade have helped attract multi-million-pound investments in the hotel sector, from boutique to budget chain developments. The visiting family and friends’ sector is also an important contributor to the visitor economy.

Big plans for a Better Colchester. Colchester has received £18.2 million from the Town Deal Fund and several of the projects within the delivery plan will support the visitor economy, including the accelerated introduction of 5G infrastructure to enable the delivery of VR tourism initiatives.

In August 2022 the Council submitted a £20m bid to the Levelling Up Fund to create a new public realm space and traffic-free ‘heritage route’ from Colchester Town Station to St Botolph’s Priory, Colchester Castle and Castle Park, connecting heritage and cultural assets on the eastern side of the city centre.

NEXT FOR

Great Yarmouth Releasing cultural, heritage and business tourism.

The Destination Management Plan has the following vision: ‘By 2025 Great Yarmouth will have strengthened its position as one of the UK’s most visited coastal destinations by lengthening its main season and releasing the full potential of its cultural, heritage and business tourism offer, creating more jobs for local people’. The two major schemes (FHSF and Town Deal) have secured nearly £34m of funding to provide around £91m of investment overall. 50

These recent projects are making Yarmouth great. Venetian Waterways Water gardens on the seafront. New Marina Centre A new £26m Marina Centre opened in August 2022. Third river crossing To link the A47 at Harfrey’s roundabout to the port and the enterprise zone via South Denes Road. Victorian Winter Gardens funding £10 million National Lottery Heritage Fund Heritage Horizon funding secured for the gardens, which will have a transformational impact, reimagining the building that sits on the seafront’s ‘Golden Mile’. University campus The provision of a learning centre and University Campus to maximise the visibility and accessibility of education and skills pathways to enhance employability for people of all ages.

Different Light art around town Different Light: An ambitious new post-Covid Winter programme, including Christmas in the Parks, illuminations on heritage and iconic buildings, water-based pyrotechnics, and an arts trail to support investment in infrastructure, lighting, and spaces to enable year-round events and activity. E-scooter pilot The town and seafront are piloting e-scooters, with 18,000 registered users. The trial is in place until May 2024. There is a local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plan. Empire re-vamped The 120-year-old seafront Empire has been relaunched as a music and street food venue. Support for sustainable tourism FACET is an environmental project, in collaboration with NV Economishe Impuls Zeeland (NL), to support tourism SMEs to make cost effective changes that are better for the environment.

Here’s a taste of some other planned projects. Arts, Culture and Heritage projects to restore and sustainably repurpose vacant historic buildings.

Great Yarmouth is the major seaside resort in the region, welcoming around seven million visitors to the area and supporting a £650m tourism economy. The core market is around family holidays and days out with a growing and developing all year-round cultural offer. It has an extensive series of regeneration plans underway as part of the Future High Street Fund and Town Deal Town Investment Plan vision and objectives. Transformation will occur across a suite of interventions that span the town centre and the seafront. These include activities within the areas of growth and regeneration, arts, culture and heritage, connectivity and skills.

Growth, regeneration, and business development includes unlocking key sites and improving infrastructure, including the development of an operations and maintenance campus and business incubator, and the regeneration of the historic North Quay riverside. Enhancing the physical and digital connectivity to and within the town, including schemes to provide green mobility and enhancement of seafront and improvements to the rail station. The Development of a town centre Heritage Centre. Plans to increase the number of cruise ships docking at the Outer Harbour. Skills pathway and taskforce work via a submission to the Community Renewal Fund for a project called OpportunityGY. 51

NEXT FOR

Ely

A showcase for culture and history. The city’s ambition and vision include a sustainable year-round programme that creates a cultural and economic legacy for the city, generates national and international impact, and is accessible, distinctive and experiential.

Tourism is very important to Ely, a city with growing ambitions. Ely is a small city, rich with culture and heritage that is well connected by train and road. It has free parking year-round. As part of the local authority, Oliver Cromwell’s House on St Mary’s Green is not only a tourism hub, but an attraction and an asset to the city together with Ely Cathedral, museums, art galleries, riverside attractions, and many independent businesses. Independent Visit Ely promotes the area and surrounding destinations with bookable tours, events, walks, trails, talks on local history coupled with a collaborative approach with other stakeholders. Ely Museum is fully open after a £2.2m refurbishment.

An Ely Cultural and Strategy Group has been formed to discuss achieving ‘City of Culture’ status, with the purpose of raising the city’s profile, embedding it in the national consciousness, showcasing the city’s rich history, heritage and culture and attracting more visitors. Visit Ely and Ely Cathedral organise several additional events to promote tourism such as the Apple and Harvest Fayre, Green Fair promoting eco-friendly products and sustainability, Christmas illuminations and Eel Festival, celebrated every May. 2023 will welcome the 1350th Anniversary of the Founding of the Monastery of St. Etheldreda.

Combined Authority funding was secured for a wayfaring project to better signpost attractions and keep visitors longer through digital signage points across the city.

NEXT FOR

West Norfolk King’s Lynn KING’S LYNN was awarded the maximum £25m Town Deal Fund for major regeneration projects for the town centre and refurbishment of St George’s Guildhall. Priorities include: New opportunities for skills and jobs for our young people and all those affected by Covid-19. Growing innovative businesses. A repurposed town centre with new experiences and enterprise. A high-quality residential and leisure offer in the historic town core and riverside. A sustainably connected town.

Wild Ken Hill Estate near Snettisham is hosting BBC’s Springwatch, with other ambitious developments helping make it a major new wildlife attraction/events/ accommodation venue. Watatunga Wildlife Reserve is pioneering a new approach to protecting the planet’s last populations of endangered deer and antelope. Situated in 170 acres of Norfolk wetland, the reserve is dedicated to the conservation of threatened ungulates and birds. The reserve strives to inspire a new generation with the challenges of conservation in the 21st century. Ashwicken Lake is developing plans to create an eco-resort centred on waterside living, water-based recreation, and wellness.

Hunstanton

Downham Market

From Spring 2021 HUNSTANTON was awarded funding for a new Hunstanton Dark Skies Observatory build from the EXPERIENCE Norfolk project.

DOWNHAM MARKET formed a strategy group to create a Neighbourhood Plan and vision for the market town in February 2021. This is a document that is created by the Town Council, working in partnership with its community and which will be used, together with the Borough’s Plan, in deciding planning applications. This is an ongoing opportunity with aims to create an environment which will make the market town a positive and vibrant place in which to live, work and play.

The Hunstanton Regeneration Masterplan sets out a vision of Hunstanton as an active town; a town that meets the needs of its residents and acts as a good local service centre; and a more attractive seaside destination where visitors return, stay longer and spend more. Priorities include the redevelopment of the Oasis leisure centre and bus station and library redevelopment.

NEXT FOR

North Norfolk Broadening this well established visitor destination. The coast and countryside of north Norfolk can facilitate the broadest itinerary for the nature lover, the connoisseur, the adventurer, the artist, the explorer, the pilgrim, the beachcomber, stargazer or those seeking a place of quiet contemplation. It is home to some of the most spectacular beaches in the country, six with Blue Flags. The area is also home to The Deep History Coast, featuring a unique 22-mile discovery trail, brought to life by Discovery Point installations and an app offering tours, games as well as a fossil identifier with virtual journal and augmented reality showing the West Runton Steppe mammoth in its environment. 56

A major pull for deep history lovers, coast lovers and nature lovers. North Norfolk is steeped in history and heritage. With a past of prosperous landowners and rich proceeds from trade with the continent in goods like wool, many fine buildings, stately homes, and churches were built in this time, and can still be explored today. With its 45 miles of coastline, north Norfolk has a rich maritime heritage which can be seen in the towns and museums. Walsingham has a long history of religious pilgrimage, dating back to the 11th century where today, visitors and pilgrims are welcomed from all religious denominations, or none. The destination hosts the most imaginative attractions, such as BeWILDerwood, an award-winning forest of family fun and outdoor adventure; Pensthorpe Nature Park, home to many rare birds and famed for hosting Springwatch; and North Norfolk Railway, a heritage steam railway.

This dynamic coastline tells the most significant story of the geological and biological evolution of Britain including 800,000-year-old human footprints, the earliest evidence of man found outside the Great Rift Valley in Africa, and the discovery of the almost complete fossilised skeleton of a 600,000-year-old mammoth. North Norfolk is popular with nature lovers. Blakeney is home to the largest seal colony in England with over 3,000 seal pups born each winter. Bird watchers flock to the area year-round but especially in Winter to witness the skeins of pink footed geese. With much of the coastline in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty there are two dark sky discovery sites, one of the few places in England where you can see the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. Both sites have the highest accolade of being designated ‘two star’ sites, where the seven stars of the Orion constellation and the Milky Way (the combined light from the millions of stars in our Galaxy) are visible to the naked eye.

Regeneration is underway for one of north Norfolk’s key towns. Work has recently started on North Walsham’s High Street Heritage Action Zone, a multi-million-pound regeneration project. It has three main strands to create a town where people are proud to live in and that others will want to come and visit:

Large capital works throughout the town: building and shop front improvement, improving accessibility and functionality. Arts and Culture Programme of activities and events celebrating the local character and heritage of the town.

Building Improvement Grants to refurbish and renovate historic buildings. 57

NEXT FOR

Mid Suffolk & Babergh Upscaling the cultural offer.

Known as the ‘Heart of Suffolk’, Mid Suffolk and Babergh is home to the medieval Wool Towns, quaint but bustling market towns, historic houses and gardens, innovative cultural venues, coast, countryside and river valleys. It has something for everyone, but as there is currently no central point which visitors gravitate to, the visitor economy is disparate and smaller in scale than its potential. Now things are changing. New attractions are being planned and major public and private investment is heralding significant opportunities for the economy of this rural centre of Suffolk. 58

Investment will unlock tourism potential of the Heart of Suffolk. Sudbury is regarded today as Britain’s most important centre for manufacture of woven silk fabrics, producing nearly 95% of the nation’s woven silk textiles in Sudbury’s mills. The first ever Silk Festival for the town was delivered in 2019, followed by the Sudbury Silk Stories film and Creative Young Weavers project. Silk Celebration events will continue with a year-round programme planned and the festival will return in 2023. The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts is expanding their venue, making use of an adjoining space, the former NatWest Bank. This will allow for a greater flexibility of hires, increased back-stage facilities, a larger catering offer and a more participatory programme of events. The River Stour Festival runs a year-round programme of events celebrating the river, its culture, surrounding landscape and people. It provides a gateway to arts, nature, health, environment, and businesses in the Stour Valley and beyond, and connects both local people and visitors with the rich landscape on their doorstep.

The multi-million-pound renovation of St Peter’s Church in Sudbury into a new arts venue including mezzanine gallery and exhibition space, café and bar will be completed in 2022. The Stowmarket Museum of Food houses seven historic buildings set in 75 acres of land with over 40,000 objects. It is on its journey to be revitalised as the National Museum of Food. The Primadonna Festival, the first literary festival in the UK to specifically give prominence to work by women, has made a home for itself at the Museum of Food. Now in its second year, it brings together writers, editors, readers, publishers, artists, thinkers, comedians, performers, musicians, and foodies to share experiences, ideas and events. The Regal Theatre and Cinema has undergone a £3.6m redevelopment project to create two new auditoriums, expanded bar and new café with flexibility for hosting small meetings and conferences.

284-acre staycation resort in mid-Suffolk. Valley Ridge, a 284-acre mid-Suffolk site, will be developed as a premium staycation resort, offering year-round Winter and water sports alongside bestin-class leisure and hotel facilities using sustainable, carbon-neutral infrastructure. This £500m development will include a snow dome, housing one of the largest indoor ski slopes in the UK, a water park, wellness centre, fitness studios, cinema, and retail. The proposals include a 350 key hotel and approximately 494 self-catered lodges. It will create approximately 1800 new jobs on site with another 2000 in the local supply chain and reflects a scale of ambition not often seen.

Gainsborough’s House (the National Centre for Gainsborough) opens in Sudbury late 2022. This £9m project includes a landmark three-storey structure and will be the largest gallery in Suffolk. It has spaces for exhibitions, displays and learning with four new galleries and new café overlooking the beautiful 18th century garden. The revival of Benton End, the 16th century former home and gardens of celebrated artist-plantsman, Sir Cedric Morris, has begun in partnership with the Garden Museum of London. 59

NEXT FOR

East Suffolk A transformed Felixstowe and Lowestoft.

East Suffolk District Council’s Economic Growth Plan 2018-2023 recognises the visitor economy as one of the district’s most important contributors to the growth of the local economy. Working with key stakeholders and partners, East Suffolk Council has developed a Visitor Economy Strategy 2022-2027. It signals ESC’s clear intent that it values the importance of this key sector in driving overall sustainable growth in the local economy. ESC is investing heavily in its major tourism resorts of Felixstowe and Lowestoft. The projects are designed to enhance the visitor experience by creating iconic and attractive visitor destinations that can be enjoyed year-round. 60

The proposition for visitors is built around five key strengths. Coastline – 49 miles of largely unspoilt coast. Distinctive towns and villages – seaside towns, historic hamlets and market towns. Stunning natural landscape – beauty spots such as Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB, RSPB Minsmere, Sutton Hoo and Rendlesham Forest. Carlton Marshes is a £5m newly-expanded 1,000 acre wildlife reserve supported by Sir David Attenborough. Events and festivals – vibrant programme including Latitude, Aldeburgh Festival, Folk East, First Light Festival and many food and drink events. History and cultural heritage – more than 20 museums, four castles, over 200 churches and assets such as Snape Maltings are indicative of a place steeped in historical interest.

The resort of Lowestoft has seen transformational change that will continue over the next four years. The 24 hour First Light Festival was the first step in this change by attracting new audiences through cultural regeneration. The resort has seen a £3m investment in 72 seafront beach huts. An accessible boardwalk has also been built. The town’s two Heritage Action Zones have restored historic buildings and provided a programme of cultural regeneration within the town. In June 2022, the East Point Pavilion on the seafront reopened after a £1.25m redevelopment to make it a modern food and drink venue offering a range of events throughout the year. The ambition for Lowestoft is detailed in the Lowestoft Town Investment Plan – the key focus of which is place making – which helped secure a £24.9m Towns Deal to bring forward new cultural and leisure developments that include: The redevelopment of the seafront along Royal Plain and Royal Green to improve the public realm and upgrade the popular Royal Plain fountains. Transforming the station building located in the heart of the town to a modern food and drink venue. A new cultural attraction at the former Lowestoft Post Office.

Felixstowe south seafront is benefiting from a new £1.5m iconic café/restaurant which was opened in spring 2022. Further investment has been made to support the Beach Village and Activity Park developments. Works have started on the south seafront with accessible beach pods, new beach huts, and a new facility offering outdoor sport. All will be fully open by Summer 2023.

The development of a Cultural Quarter in the heart of the town centre providing new leisure facilities and upgrading the Marina Theatre. The impact of this positive change has attracted further private sector investment with the redevelopment of the Claremont Pier and introduction of harbour tours from the town’s heritage quay.

Plans are underway to develop an iconic visitor destination at the Martello Napoleonic tower and to enhance the remaining south seafront gardens and promenade. 61

NEXT FOR

West Suffolk Supporting high streets and upgrading key visitor experiences. The Suffolk Inclusive Growth Investment Fund is helping High Streets by supporting new businesses and revitalising vacant units across West Suffolk to provide vibrant and attractive town centres for visitors. This includes the redevelopment of 17-18 Cornhill in Bury St Edmunds, the site of the former Post Office, a scheme to protect and keep the historic frontages, returning the site back into economic use and delivering homes and commercial frontages to the town centre plus a wider walkway to better connect the historic town centre with the arc.

Newmarket goes for inbound growth. In Newmarket all the major stakeholders associated with the town’s £240m a year horse racing industry are working together with Discover Newmarket to build a comprehensive range of bookable experiences, focussing on the International Travel Trade as well as high end, group packages for domestic visitors. A multi-million expansion and improvement plan for Newmarket’s much-loved July Racecourse begins this Autumn which will include better facilities for jockeys and a new and expanded Champagne bar for visitors. The scheme involves the redevelopment of the existing Head-On

In 2022 Bury St Edmunds celebrated 1,000 years since the founding of the Abbey of St Edmund by King Canute. The ten-year vision is to inspire visitors through conservation, learning and community engagement. West Suffolk Council are investing in electric vehicle charge points to serve residents, visitors, and businesses, by trialling lamppost mounted charge points in residential areas, and providing fast charge points in public car parks. A green infrastructure strategy is being prepared which will help inform the revision of the local plan and ensure that West Suffolk remains green and leafy.

Stand, and the adjoining Champagne bar and internal improvements to the existing weighing room to create improved facilities for jockeys and their valets needed to meet recent British Horseracing Authority guidelines. This is ahead of further plans to re-develop the Racecourse Side area of the town to include a new all-weather racecourse and training facilities. This forms part of a wider ongoing project to make longterm improvements in infrastructure and enhanced facilities which will have a significant impact on the town and the visitor economy.

One of the many alluring features of West Suffolk is the high number and quality of its parks and public green spaces. The district hosts the most ‘Green Flag’ accredited parks in the county. These sites are diverse in nature and include the ornate Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, the forested Brandon Country Park, the historically significant West Stow Country Park (containing West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village Museum) and East Town Park in Haverhill, which links to the railway walk and provides a green corridor into the heart of the town. 63

NEXT FOR

Breckland

Breckland has one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK and boasts its best overall climate with low rainfall and hot summers. This is the place for eco-adventure. The gateway to Breckland is the ancient town of Thetford, which is a perfect base from which to begin exploration of the area’s diversity, its outstanding wildlife, rich history, and outdoor activities. The Market Towns Initiative will implement place regeneration through public realm and key strategic projects in Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford, Watton and Attleborough. The 50-acre Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse estate, one of Norfolk’s leading museums and visitor attractions, is undergoing a £2m redevelopment as an innovative Environmental Hub and

Centre for Sustainable Tourism. Located in the heart of Norfolk, Gressenhall will see the addition of new environmental infrastructure, including a Community Tree Nursery and interactive learning spaces. New learning programmes will be launched for community groups and local schools who will be able to learn the skills needed to support the clean growth economy for Norfolk, including green energy and sustainable tourism. Visitors will be able to enjoy the unique environmental features Gressenhall has to offer, including wildflower meadows, riverside walks and traditional, working heritage farm, as well as learning about the latest digital technologies supporting Norfolk’s ambitious drive towards Net Zero by 2030.

NEXT FOR

Broadland & South Norfolk Rich in rural charm and packed with sites where history has been made, South Norfolk and Broadland has a way of life to be envied. It’s wholeheartedly rural and its market towns are a delight to explore. With its proximity to the Broads, to the Deep History coast, and Norwich, the historic City of Stories, it’s the perfect location for visitors and residents alike. Comprising 14 settlements across the area, South Norfolk and Broadland are currently in the process of finalising a Market Town Support Plan to include Aylsham, with its excellent food offering; Wymondham, the birthplace of the rebel Robert Kett; historic Diss where nature encroaches on the High Street at its magnificent six-acre Mere; waterside Loddon; and Harleston, which is undergoing a major public

realm improvement project which will see new wider pavement layouts, street furniture, and seating created. Sensitive to the heritage of the town the project will enhance an already vibrant town centre experience. Four new Changing Places locations are planned at Earsham Wetland Centre, Whitlingham Country Park, Roarr! Dinosaur Adventure and the historic Blickling Hall. Further projects include a Dark Skies viewing platform at Salhouse Broad seeing this ever-popular attraction included in the Broads Authority Discovery Hubs programme. Also underway is a major project exploring The Friendly Invasion story, the second world war period when the area welcomed tens of thousands of US servicemen.

Destination Development Development Plan Plan Destination Partners Partners

& PARTNERS

Destination Development Plan 2022

Articles inside

Skilling up with EAST: A new approach

Visit East of England, Naturally

Foreword

Connectivity

Screen tourism

Our Visitor Economy

Sustainability, through development

A shared ambition

Visit East of England: What we are, What we do