Tourism leaders from across Coventry and Warwickshire have celebrated the official launch of the region's new destination management organisation (DMO).
Around 100 tourism leaders attended the Coventry Building Society Arena to help launch Destination Coventry, which will lead on marketing the city and the wider Warwickshire region as a national and international visitor destination.
It is a collaboration between Coventry City Council and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and includes two well-established consumer-facing brands 'Visit Coventry' and 'Conference Coventry and Warwickshire' which focus on leisure and business tourism respectively.
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During the launch event, councillor Jim O'Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, said: "This is such an exciting time for Coventry, with 海角视频 City of Culture and Commonwealth Games both arriving in our city.
"We have strong foundations and the new DMO presents a great opportunity to build on those foundations for the future."
The launch also highlighted the role that Destination Coventry is already playing in developing a flourishing tourism, leisure and hospitality sector, which generates around £600 million, supports 7,000 jobs and attracts more than 10 million visitors every year to Coventry alone.
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Paul Michael, chairman of the board for Destination Coventry, said: "Destination Coventry is being led by passionate people who want to make Coventry proud and are determined to put the city and the wider region on the map.
"This is an organisation built on collaboration that is committed to changing perceptions and making Coventry an even more attractive proposition as a visitor destination."
Destination Coventry managing director, Paul Jones, added: "This is a two-year proof of concept collaboration and we will be working closely with businesses and stakeholders across the sector to cultivate the successful and sustainable development of tourism, leisure and hospitality in Coventry and the wider region.
"The pandemic has had a real effect on our visitor economy, but we are perfectly positioned to support its recovery through the launch of this organisation.
"To achieve our goals, it is vital that we listen to, and work with, both the private and public sector.
"This is reflected in our oversight board, which is made up of stakeholders who all have the same goal - to promote Coventry and Warwickshire as a compelling destination and drive forward our visitor economy."