Your business could be involved in Leicester-Shire's world class sporting offer

Sports tourism (travel that involves watching or participating in a sporting event away from home) is a fast-growing sector of the travel industry. Major sporting clubs, venues and events can bring thousands of visitors into a destination which has significant benefits for the local economy. Those visitors, apart from undertaking sporting activity, will often be looking for places to stay, eat, drink, shop and entertain themselves. Leicester and Leicestershire has a world-class sporting offer and that is recognised as an important tourism asset that needs to be developed and capitalised upon.

A new Place Marketing Organisation called Marketing Leicester & Leicestershire, set up jointly by the city and county councils in 2017, has been designed to make the most of these opportunities to help build the visitor economy. They are keen to engage with sporting clubs, venues and event organisers across the sub-region to make sure the local sporting offer is visible to a wider audience through a strategic tourism plan, or Destination Management Plan, which is currently in development.

Many sports organisations, have already engaged with this work through online surveys and workshops. The final plan is due to be launched in October 2018.

Marketing Leicester & Leicestershire are also developing a Business Tourism Strategy and are interested to hear from sporting venues that have venue hire or can provide activities for team building or company employee incentive schemes. If you think you can help, please contact Sally Coleman, Strategic Tourism Manager sally.coleman2@leicester.gov.uk