Discover England Fund grant application for Cotswold Tourism...

Background:

The Discover England Fund is a £40million fund to be distributed over three years to support tourism projects that encourage inbound visitors. It was announced by Government in 2015, to help develop bookable product and ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing global tourism industry. Cotswold Tourism, the Destination Management Organisation for The Cotswolds region, sought funding to help increase bookable product in the region and uncover its hidden gems.

Objectives:

To secure Year 3 funding of £250,000 from the Discover England Fund to deliver all the aspects of the proposed project.

Actions:

Appointed by Cotswold Tourism and its partners, apt marketing & pr initially engaged with all the relevant stakeholders to understand the scope and potential scale of the project, how the grant funding will be used and how and why the project meets the criteria. From there, using the expertise and knowledge available in the region, apt drafted and submitted an application for £250,000 to the Discover England Fund.

Results:

Following intensive consultation, Cotswolds Tourism was awarded the full grant application of £250,000 from the Discover England Fund. “Uncover The Cotswolds” was one of 11 projects to receive funding in year 3. The fund has been put to fantastic use and is underway driving tourists to the area. This is the first grant application that Cotswold Tourism has ever won.

Project leader, Sally Graff, commented “I am delighted that we have secured this funding and I would like to thank everyone involved in our successful bid.  We will be marketing world-class, authentic local tourism experiences, and creating tours which can be booked in totality or in part, via tour operators, with different budget options available."

Image credit: Cotswolds.com