EXPERIENCE was a brand new project that provided support in Kent to help develop the experiential off-season economy in the future. The project was a four-year scheme that ran from 1st September 2019 to 30th August 2023, and was worth €23 million across 10 partners in France and England. Led by Norfolk County Council, both Visit Kent and the Kent Downs AONB were core partners with distinctive roles underpinned by budgets of €1.6 and €3.1 million respectively.
Experience aimed to capitalise on the emerging global trend for personalised and local tourism experiences which increasingly provide the all-important reasons to visit. In particular, from Autumn 2020, Visit Kent, working with its local authority partners, engaged both tourism and non-traditional tourism actors across Kent in an innovative Product Development Programme. Its objective was to engender a bottom-up approach that engaged and gave SMEs a sense of ownership that will deliver lasting change, create a legacy of experiential tourism and encourage the experience-led business collaboration that is expected by our visitors.
Find out more about Interreg Experience below.
The funding was part of the Interreg Channel Programme, which aims to deliver sustainable economic development in the south of the UK and north of France through funding innovative projects which have a sustainable cross-border benefit.
Match funding partner Districts of EXPERIENCE:
- Ashford Borough Council
- Canterbury City Council
- Dover District Council
- Folkestone & Hythe District Council
- Gravesham Borough Council
- Medway Council
- Thanet District Council
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
For all general enquiries, please contact the team via email Postal Address: 10 Best Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2JB