As the accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership for Kent, Visit Kent has launched a new five-year Destination Management Plan (DMP) to grow and support the visitor economy.
A DMP helps stakeholders to agree on a set of priorities and actions to grow and benefit the local visitor economy. This plan sets out the current opportunities and challenges for Kent and Medway and sets out a shared vision for the destination over the next five years. It is a living document which has been designed to be flexible and position the county positively to capitalise on emerging opportunities.
This new plan follows significant work with key stakeholders over the past nine months, including an interactive workshop undertaking a full SWOT of Kent’s assets and challenges, consideration of key industry trends and external factors, in addition to a detailed evidence base of current performance, perceptions, audiences and product.
This Destination Management Plan is shaped around four overarching objectives to address these challenges and grow Kent’s visitor economy together; Place; Prosperity; Product; and People and Planet.
Under each of these objectives are a set of clear and measurable priority actions which will ensure that the sector is in a strong position to build on the unique destination strengths, capitalise on emerging travel trends and build resilience to future threats. Underpinning this is the responsibility to grow the visitor economy in a sustainable way, enabling Kent’s communities and natural environment to thrive.
As the accredited Local Visitor Economy partnership (LVEP) for Kent and Medway, Visit Kent is the lead organisation for the delivery and monitoring of the DMP but it requires the support of a wide range of partners who are responsible for different aspects of the visitor experience or promotion of the destination.
The plan is flexible and scalable helping us to steer collective resource and funding towards activity which will have the greatest impact over the next five years. It is closely aligned within wider local and national strategies to deliver greater impact and enables Visit Kent and partners to more effectively apply sector intelligence to decision making, resulting in a greater return for our efforts.
The work to create this plan has been coordinated and overseen by Visit Kent in collaboration with the tourism industry across the county. This plan represents the county, reflects its vibrancy and ambition to grow.
We would like to thank all those who have taken part and supported this process.
If you have any questions about this Destination Management Plan, please get in touch.
For all general enquiries, please contact the team via email Postal Address: 10 Best Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2JB