Plymouth has drawn up an ambitious plan to encourage an additional 800,000 visitors to the city each year, boosting the economy by 拢100milion annually and creating 1,000 jobs.
The Plymouth Visitor Plan 2020 to 2030, produced by , sets out a 鈥渧ision鈥 and targets for , which includes business and conference attendees alongside leisure tourists and turn the city into the 鈥#1 must do destination in Devon and Cornwall鈥.
It particularly wants to target visitors from the USA, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and China, from young 鈥渁ctive explorers鈥 and 鈥渃ultural adventurers鈥 to 鈥渙utdoor enthusiasts鈥, 鈥渕ature experience seekers鈥 and 鈥渃onservative retirees鈥.
The aim is to focus on 鈥渉igh-value markets鈥 and create 鈥渜uality, year-round jobs鈥 in Plymouth, creating 1,000 new roles in the next decade, and sustain the 8,000 employees already in the sector.
The plan said the target is to hike the amount spent by visitors by 30% from 拢347million to 拢450million a year by 2030. It wants to do this by increasing the number of visitors to Britain鈥檚 Ocean City by 15% from 5.4million to 6.2million annually, by the end of the decade.
And much of this will come from the growth in international tourism worth 拢60million a year in spend in the city. That鈥檚 a 65% growth by 2030.
It also plans to grow 海角视频 visitors staying overnight by 25% to achieve 拢15 million in spend, focusing on turning the city into a short-break leisure destination with an ambition that 鈥淧lymouth will be known nationally as a 海角视频 top ten city break鈥.
There is also an aim to use Plymouth鈥檚 industrial strength to grow the number of business meetings and conferences by 55% so it brings 拢25million into the city each year and sees the city become 鈥渢he destination of choice for meetings, events and conferences in Devon and Cornwall鈥.
The plan says the ambition is to use many of the city鈥檚 major assets as magnets for tourists and visitors, including the National Marine Park, in Plymouth Sound, which will be 鈥済lobally recognised for amazing experiences, by, on, in and under the ocean鈥.
It is also envisioned that Plymouth will be one of the 海角视频鈥檚 first carbon neutral destinations by 2030, and the city of the Look II and Messenger statues will be 鈥渒nown internationally for jaw-dropping art, authentic cultural and heritage experiences and our urban spirit鈥.
The plan also predicts a transport infrastructure with 鈥渟eamless connectivity to international arrival hubs鈥 and known for its water transport services, and recognised nationally as 鈥渂est in class鈥 for a digital, creative and cultural approach.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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In the plan 鈥 supported by organisations including the city council, University of Plymouth, City Centre and Waterfront BIDS, Plymouth Culture and Theatre Royal, and the Royal Navy - Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth City Council and director of Heart of the South West LEP, said that in the next five years the city council plans to further invest in key projects which will see the re-development of the railway station into Brunel Plaza and the Civic Centre 鈥渞e-imagined鈥 into a conference and education campus.
He said Plymouth aims to become a globally significant National Marine Park and one of the first carbon neutral destinations in the country and added: 鈥淧lymouth Sound is one of the world鈥檚 most important and visually stunning natural harbours.鈥
He said Plymouth is home to the largest naval base in Western Europe, commercial ports, a substantial national fishing fleet, international fish market, commercial diver training, a global hub for marine leisure industries and an internationally important marine research cluster.
鈥淣owhere could be more deserving of special recognition at a local or national level,鈥 he said.
And Adrian Vinken, chair of Destination Plymouth and chief executive of Theatre Royal Plymouth, said: 鈥淟ooking forward, there are exciting developments planned in our creative industries and cultural sectors alongside Plymouth鈥檚 growing marine credentials such as Oceansgate, Smart Sound and opportunities for more leisure access to the water. The city has the ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030 and to eliminate, as far as possible, single use plastics.鈥
