The South West Visitor Economy Hub is celebrating its first anniversary on World Tourism Day (27 September), after a landmark year in which it surveyed more than 21,000 visitors, recorded over 14,000 data enquiries, and supported 500+ businesses across Devon and Somerset.
Since launching in 2024, the Hub has become an essential tool for the region’s tourism and hospitality sector, providing real-time insights that allow businesses to benchmark performance, track visitor behaviour, and plan with confidence.
Managed and run by Destination Plymouth and partners T-Stats Solutions, the Hub brings together multiple data sources, including visitor surveys, accommodation performance, spending data and footfall tracking. The Hub is one of a number of key projects which the Devon and Partners Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) and Exmoor and Somerset LVEP have been heavily involved with and driving forwards as part of their growth plans.
It enables businesses and organisations to compare themselves against local competitors and to understand wider market trends at the click of a button.
Key highlights
- Over 14,000 data enquiries have been made through the Hub in its first year.
- 21,000 visitors surveyed, uncovering insights such as 1 in 4 trips include a dog, and public transport use peaks in November.
- 500+ businesses engaged through one-to-ones, webinars and networking events.
- The Hub website has seen over 14,500 page views, providing practical insights for business users.
- Seven businesses have won hampers through regular Hub prize draws, rewarding those who contribute data.
- More than 500 views of How To videos, supporting businesses to make the most of the platform.
- Supported by a sustainable funding model of 18 partners, including DMOs, local authorities, tourism associations and BIDs.
Driving insights for businesses
The Hub has provided unprecedented insight into the South West’s visitor economy. For example, while older visitors are more likely to stay longer, those travelling as a couple now make up the largest proportion of visitors to Devon and Somerset.
Insights like these allow businesses to tailor their offer, target marketing effectively and adapt to changes in visitor behaviour.
Amanda Lumley, Chair of the South West Visitor Economy Hub Steering Group and CEO of Destination Plymouth, said: “We are incredibly pleased with how the Hub has developed over the past twelve months as a collaboration between tourism partners and organisations across the region.
“The Hub provides data and insights into activity within the wider visitor economy that we have never had previously. We can now see almost immediately the impact – for example – of events, and the return on investment which we are getting from promotions and marketing across the county.
“We encourage businesses large and small to register for the Hub to see what is impacting their businesses and how they can respond to market conditions to become more profitable. We are all excited to see how the Hub goes from strength to strength in year two.”
Kevin Millington, Director at T-Stats Solutions, said: “Developing the Hub has moved forward the understanding of visitor economy data in the South West and the UK. We’ve appreciated the collaborative energy and experience of the Steering Group in working alongside us to make the Hub such a huge success!”
The Hub remains free to access for all tourism and hospitality businesses in Devon and Somerset, in return for uploading a small amount of confidential data each month.
Over the past year, the Hub has moved from a project grant funded by the former Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership to a partner-led sustainable funding model, now supported by 18 organisations across Devon and Somerset, many of whom are using UK Shared Prosperity Funds to help with the contribution. These include Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), local authorities, tourism associations and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).
This collaborative model ensures the Hub continues to deliver high-quality data and insights for the region, while demonstrating a strong shared commitment to supporting the growth and resilience of the South West’s tourism and hospitality sector.
To sign up and find out more, visit www.swvehub.co.uk
