Annual Tourism Conference

Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Conference

The annual Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Conference, organised by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, is an unmissable event offering updates, presentations, inspiration and networking for local tourism and hospitality businesses.

The event provides a great opportunity to learn more about our work to support and grow the visitor economy, with plenty of opportunity for networking with industry colleagues and the chance to listen to inspiring and insightful talks from speakers and tourism experts.

The conference was the first major business-to-business event hosted by Visit Peak District & Derbyshire in collaboration with Visit Derby as the region’s official Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).

The event brought together over 120 industry leaders to discuss tourism insights, emerging trends and new opportunities for growth and collaboration. It also highlighted the importance of accessibility and sustainability in strengthening the area’s tourism offer and attracting new visitors to the destination.

Visit Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby’s status as an LVEP – a new national portfolio of accredited tourism organisations, administered by VisitEngland – was a key focus of the conference and delegates heard how the organisation will drive tourism strategy for the region, working in partnership with local, regional and national stakeholders to deliver visitor economy priorities.

As an LVEP, Visit Peak District, Derbyshire & Derby will be eligible to bid for Government funding streams to support the growth of the visitor economy, and the organisation will also be able to access additional support from VisitEngland including dedicated toolkits and training.

An inspiring line-up of speakers covered topics including investment, regeneration, green tourism and the latest support and funding available for local businesses.

Diane Beresford, East Midlands Chamber, provided an overview of the Derbyshire Accelerator project which aims to help local businesses to start, sustain, grow and innovate; Cllr Paul Moss, Derbyshire County Council discussed the new East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority that will drive investment to the region; and Steve Capes, Derbyshire Dales District Council, showcased the exciting plans to transform Ashbourne town centre through the ‘Ashbourne Reborn’ project.

The importance of online visibility was highlighted by Will Wright of digital solutions experts DestinationCore, whilst the role of rail travel in supporting sustainable tourism in the destination was showcased by Gill Smith of Northern, England’s largest train operator outside of London.

Rob Gorton, Chair of Derby Destination Development Board and Senior Manager, Toyota Manufacturing UK, presented the inspiring vision to make Derby a vibrant

place to live, work and visit; and Jamie Quince-Starkey, Founder of Down To Earth Derby CIC, discussed his ‘dream’ to make the city the eco-tourism focal point of the country through nature-based regeneration.

Download speaker presentations