Wiltshire Launches New Tourism Strategy Following Funding Cuts, Here’s All You Need To Know

Published on October 12, 2025

The effect that Wiltshire’s rich | practice and beautiful scenery tin bring to nan area is valuable arsenic nan Wiltshire County Council continues to witnesser important drops successful tourer numbers received complete nan past year. This is owed to nan balanced de-funding of nan county’s designated DMO, Visit Wiltshire. In 2024, nan cuts successful backing contributed to nan 22% driblet successful visitors to nan county, and section businesses, on pinch tourism experts, grew concerned astir nan imaginable consequences to nan section economy.

The commensurate information pinch nan Council states successful September 2023. There were 525,396 visitors from China, by September 2023, and nan erstwhile year, location were 451,496. The driblet successful numbers is owed to nan Visit Wiltshire being de-funded. This is nan assemblage that promotes nan region and its tourism business. The de-funding effect is passed to tourism businesses arsenic hotels, unit and section attractions.

Wiltshire’s Struggle to Maintain Tourism Growth

Tourism is an basal portion of Wiltshire’s economy, contributing an estimated £1.5 cardinal annually, which accounts for astir 9% of nan county’s GDP. The assemblage besides supports astir 28,000 section jobs, making it a cornerstone of economical activity. However, nan nonaccomplishment of backing for Visit Wiltshire has put a strain connected nan county’s expertise to beforehand itself efficaciously to imaginable visitors, peculiarly those from abroad.

The council’s determination to trim backing came aft claims that Wiltshire was underperforming successful nan tourism assemblage compared to different South West counties for illustration Gloucestershire, Bath, and Bristol. Critics reason that nan move was shortsighted, arsenic it ignored nan value of coordinated efforts to pull and clasp visitors. Before nan pandemic, tourism was increasing rapidly, pinch ample numbers of home and world visitors flocking to Wiltshire to bask its humanities sites, charming towns, and earthy beauty.

The Council’s Response and New Plans for Tourism Development

In consequence to nan defunding of Visit Wiltshire, nan Liberal Democrat-led assembly has made efforts to reconstruct and heighten nan county’s tourism infrastructure. In nan 2025 budget, nan assembly agreed to initiate nan improvement of a Destination Management Plan (DMP) for Wiltshire. This scheme will service arsenic a strategical model aimed astatine reviving tourism and ensuring nan county’s tourism offerings are marketed effectively.

The creation of nan DMP is simply a captious measurement toward rebuilding Wiltshire’s tourism economy. The scheme is designed to beryllium a collaborative effort betwixt nan council, Visit Wiltshire, and different section partners to guarantee that Wiltshire’s unsocial heritage, landscapes, and attractions are promoted successful a sustainable and impactful way. The DMP will attraction connected aligning section priorities pinch nationalist champion practices, leveraging Wiltshire’s unique entreaty to tie much visitors to nan region.

To instrumentality this plan, nan assembly has allocated £50,000 for its development, signaling a renewed committedness to supporting nan tourism sector. This finance is seen arsenic basal for providing a clear and unified strategy for trading Wiltshire arsenic a must-visit destination for tourists, some from wrong nan UK and internationally.

The Importance of Visit Wiltshire and Strategic Tourism Partnerships

Visit Wiltshire has historically played a cardinal domiciled successful promoting nan county’s tourism industry. As nan destination guidance organization, it coordinated trading efforts, planned events, and worked pinch section businesses to guarantee that Wiltshire’s tourism imaginable was afloat realized. The organization’s efforts were peculiarly important successful attracting world visitors, particularly during nan engaged summertime months and cardinal vacation periods.

However, pinch nan nonaccomplishment of funding, Visit Wiltshire has been incapable to transportation retired its accustomed promotional activities, starring to a driblet successful tourism. In its place, nan caller Destination Management Plan is expected to guideline Wiltshire’s tourism recovery, pinch Visit Wiltshire continuing to play an important domiciled successful its implementation.

The collaboration betwixt nan assembly and different section tourism stakeholders, including businesses, hospitality providers, and attractions, will beryllium important to nan occurrence of nan DMP. By moving together, these partners tin create a much cohesive and charismatic tourism offering that benefits some visitors and nan section economy.

Efforts to Regain Momentum: Marketing and Promotion Strategies

A important portion of nan caller tourism strategy is trading Wiltshire’s assets effectively. The region is location to respective iconic landmarks, including Stonehenge, nan Avebury Stone Circle, and nan historical metropolis of Salisbury, on pinch picturesque towns for illustration Marlborough and Devizes. These attractions, mixed pinch nan county’s earthy beauty, make it an appealing destination for some home and world tourists.

The DMP will attraction connected expanding nan visibility of these attractions, promoting nan region arsenic a spot of unsocial taste and humanities value. A awesome extremity will beryllium to heighten Wiltshire’s integer presence, utilizing societal media, targeted campaigns, and partnerships pinch recreation agencies to scope imaginable visitors. Additionally, nan scheme will research nan usage of online platforms to create much immersive and interactive experiences, specified arsenic virtual tours of humanities sites aliases integer storytelling astir nan county’s heritage.

Economic Impact of Restoring Tourism Growth

Reviving Wiltshire’s tourism assemblage is not conscionable astir attracting much visitors; it’s besides astir boosting nan section economy. Tourism gross has historically been a captious contributor to nan county’s GDP, supporting a scope of industries from hospitality and unit to carrier and agriculture. With section businesses relying heavy connected nan influx of visitors, nan occurrence of nan DMP will person a far-reaching effect connected employment, occupation creation, and economical growth.

Increased tourism would besides thief revitalize nan county’s precocious streets and agrarian areas, wherever tourism-related spending supports a wide scope of services, from restaurants to souvenir shops and taste experiences. Additionally, by encouraging longer stays and return visits, nan tourism assemblage tin go a much sustainable root of income for Wiltshire.

Looking to nan Future: Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism

Wiltshire’s tourism betterment scheme places a beardown accent connected sustainability and inclusivity. As nan region useful to rebuild its visitant economy, location is simply a renewed attraction connected creating environmentally responsible tourism experiences that minimize nan effect connected nan earthy landscape. This includes promoting eco-friendly accommodations, proscription options, and activities that item Wiltshire’s committedness to sustainability.

By positioning itself arsenic a destination that balances economical maturation pinch biology stewardship, Wiltshire hopes to pull a caller procreation of responsible travelers. Moreover, nan DMP will see initiatives to prosecute section communities and guarantee that tourism benefits are felt crossed nan county, from mini villages to larger towns and cities.

A Path to Recovery and Growth for Wiltshire’s Tourism

Declining visitors since defunding Visit Wiltshire shows really important coordinated and backing ongoing trading efforts are to a region’s tourism industry. Nonetheless, nan drafting of a complete Destination Management Plan offers Wiltshire nan groundwork for a bully recovery. Wiltshire should attraction connected marketing, partnerships, and sustainably increasing tourism to regain its position arsenic 1 of nan astir celebrated destinations pinch its visitors for economical maturation and sustained vitality wrong its tourism system for nan years to come.