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County’s tourism body celebrates 10th anniversary
3rd December 2020
THE official tourism body for the county, Visit Essex, is to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a 10-day Christmas giveaway.
Formed in 2009, Visit Essex is the premier destination management organisation for the county’s tourism industry and brings private and public sectors together to promote and develop tourism across the county.
Since its formation, Visit Essex has helped grow the county’s tourism business, which pre-Covid-19, contributed over £3.5 billion to the region’s economy in 2019.
During the 10 years since Visit Essex’s creation, the total tourism value for the county has risen from £2.7 billion in 2009 to £3.5 billion in 2019 – a 29% rise of £789 million over the decade.
Within the same period, a number of businesses throughout the county have become established - such as many new vineyards, escape rooms, glamping sites, trampoline parks, wedding venues and tea rooms to name a few - which has contributed to a rise of people directly employed in the Essex tourism industry from 53,000 in 2009 to almost 70,000 in 2019.
During the same period the number of visitors to the county, which includes both day trips and overnight stays, has risen from 40.4 million in 2009 to 53.6 million in 2019.
To celebrate the milestone moment, Visit Essex is giving away 10 prizes in the 10 days running up to Christmas. To mark the occasion, prizes over the 10-day period include an Explore Essex visitor pass, tickets to RHS Garden Hyde Hall, an overnight stay for two people at the Holiday Inn, Southend-on-Sea, and a family ticket to Colchester Zoo as well as much more.
The 10-year anniversary follows the recent launch of the #ThisisEssex campaign which aims to challenge the stereotypes about the people and the county.
Backed by Essex Ambassadors - ranging from Michelin starred chefs, award-winning vintners, Paralympians and many more - the campaign is promoting Essex as a tourist destination of choice due to its leisure and retail facilities, its family attractions, its county-wide ancient history and heritage sites as well as its countryside, beaches and 350-miles of coastline.
Lisa Bone, Visit Essex Strategic Tourism manager, commented: “It really is a tremendous achievement and we are extremely pleased to be able to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Since our formation we have strived to challenge the stereotypes surrounding Essex and its people.
“There are so many different sides to Essex which is why we believe that it’s a great place to invest, live, work, study and of course visit.”
Sue Carter, RHS Garden Hyde Hall Marketing and PR manager, added: “The team at Visit Essex are passionate about putting Essex on the tourism map and over the last 10 years they have worked extremely hard to promote the county as a destination of choice for people of all ages.”
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Editors Notes:
Visit Essex is the official tourism organisation and the only body specifically marketing the whole of the county to the visitor market. Visit Essex works with visitor attractions, leisure and/or activity providers, accommodation establishments and other tourism related businesses (including the travel trade, media and wider partners), to ensure that the county remains a leading visitor destination. For more information please visit: http://www.visitessex.com/
