Destination Lincolnshire has arrived

A new era for tourism in Lincolnshire has officially started, with the launch of Destination Lincolnshire. The timing coincides with a new accreditation scheme announced by Government [on Wednesday 20 July 2022], which will see a radical restructure of tourism boards, known as Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) in England.

The government wants a simpler structure for tourism, and accredited DMOs will be supported to become the one-stop shop for visitors to find all they need to know about a local area.

Destination Lincolnshire will help Lincolnshire deliver this national agenda. Evolving from the success of Visit Lincoln, the award-winning destination team have ambitious targets which will generate countywide growth, increase visitor spend, promote longer stays and create a more sustainable economy for all.

Businesses and partners who already work with the Visit Lincoln team will see the new ‘Destination Lincolnshire’ branding being used from today across all business-to-business communication including social media, on the new website and by the team.

They will also be invited to join in a series of new events, tourism awards, master classes and webinars all being offered to those within the new Destination Lincolnshire business community.

“Destination Lincolnshire is the only place where people working in the visitor economy can come together and see Lincolnshire as their customers do – as one destination”, said Charlotte Goy, Chief Executive of Destination Lincolnshire

“It’s been an exciting journey growing our business model and there is still much to be done, but our focus remains the same and that’s to build an engaged and resilient visitor economy across Greater Lincolnshire that supports jobs and delights visitors all year round.

“Our growth is supported by businesses and operators who want to see a joined-up approach, and together we are championing new packages, digital innovation and collaborations that have, to-date, not been possible.

“I also want Destination Lincolnshire to deliver against the Government’s key visitor economy priorities which include sustainability, skills, inclusive tourism, and the levelling up agenda, which is initially happening in Lincolnshire through six Town Deals in important tourism spots like Lincoln, Boston, Skegness, and Mablethorpe.

“Today marks an exciting milestone for us, but we are still at the beginning of this journey. We will continue to ask people and businesses to help shape Destination Lincolnshire into an organisation, from sole traders right the way through to the local enterprise partnership.”

Embracing the Greater Lincolnshire footprint, with no geographical boundaries, is the new Destination Management Organisation (DMO) team who are primed to play an important role in supporting the county's continued recovery post-Covid.

The evolution of Destination Lincolnshire has been shaped by our partners and business leaders. It’s also backed by the City of Lincoln Council, Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council, West Lindsey District Council and North Kesteven District Council, with an invitation for other local authorities to join in with activities and initiatives at a pace to suit their own tourism development agendas.

Underpinning the rebrand, the DMO has also developed a new partnership with the University of Lincoln’s Tourism Research Observatory which will champion research and a data-led approach for the sector.

Charlotte Goy added: “From the get-go Destination Lincolnshire will champion a joined-up approach across the entire visitor economy. We want to continue to build a genuine level of trust and buy in from the beginning among the visitor economy business community. Through upcoming workshops and events, we want to identify emerging place leaders from across Greater Lincolnshire, who can play a key role in shaping the future of Lincolnshire.”