News, Resources, toolkits & insights

Visit Britain – Accessibility and Inclusion guides and support  

Sign up for your AccessAble detailed access guide.  

To support tourism businesses across England to provide robust Detailed Access Guides, VisitEngland has joined forces with AccessAble, a leader in quality accessibility information provision. Tourism businesses can now use the new AccessAble Your Accessibility Guide portal to book and pay for either a Guided Assessment or On-Site Assessment of their venue, where a professional access surveyor will create a quality-assured Detailed Access Guide. Discounts are currently available and the  smallest businesses can get a Detailed Access Guide for just £1 + VAT – but hurry this discount is available on a first come first serve basis.  

If you are looking to make more accessible improvements for your business, you might also want to check out Visit England’s toolkit which contains a suite of sector specific resources and tools.  

Visit England’s Social Value of Tourism Report

This report explores the wide-ranging social, cultural, and community value of tourism, particularly through the lens of local communities, whose lives it directly impacts. Drawing on polling data, case studies, and statistical analysis, it reveals how tourism contributes to community pride, well-being, and regeneration, while also highlighting the importance of sustainable and inclusive practices.

This research was conducted by Public First for VisitEngland and was published in May 2025. Read it here : The Social Value of Tourism | VisitBritain.org

Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 framework update – have your say, deadline June 30th

Working in partnership with other businesses to create a visitor experience itinerary in one bundle has to-date been a challenge because of the regulations around package travel. Now some of the proposed amendments will make this easier for smaller operators where there are no travel arrangements included. The Government press release states that the new regs will make staycations cheaper. You can have your say in the final consultation review at the link below and you are encouraged to respond once again. The deadline is June 30th 2025. Alongside the consultation they are also publishing the response to the previous call for evidence and the external consumer research which you can read Package travel – updating the framework 2025 - GOV.UK 

Visitor Ready Scheme – Have you signed up?

This new digital scheme is free and open to all types of hospitality and tourism businesses across the three key consumer activities of eat, stay and visit. 

It enables businesses in the UK hospitality, leisure, and tourism sectors to seamlessly showcase their commitment to operating safely within current industry standards and legislation. It has been created to make compliance accessible for all. The baseline accreditation will help businesses know the key safety and cleanliness requirements that today’s visitor expects. 

Find out MORE Visitor Ready | VisitEngland 

Regional research - Sussex 

Visitor Markets Insights and data (2023) – The Value of Visitor Economy to Sussex.

• East and West Sussex receives around 50 million visits each year, generating around £4 billion for the economy
• 11.4% of all visitors stay overnight and account for 47% of visitor spend
• 1.6% of visitors come from overseas and account for 10% of visitor spend 
• The economic value of each overseas visitor is the equivalent of 1.7 domestic visitors  
• The spend of each overnight trip is the equivalent of 7 day trips.
• The visitor economy accounted for around 13% of all employment. (Recent industry reports show the national level is around 10%). Total employment in the sector is 76,634 and 57,340.FTEs  

[Data is for 2023 and covers the administrative counties of East and West Sussex, this does not include Brighton and Hove City Council area.]

Visitor Economy Strategy for Growth 2024-2034

The East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex Local Visitor Economy Partnership is excited to launch the 10-year Visitor Economy Strategy for Growth. This ambitious plan aims to enhance Sussex’s reputation as a thriving and regenerative destination, enhancing its economic, social, and environmental value. 

Developed with input from key strategic partners and endorsed by the interim LVEP Advisory Board and VisitEngland, the strategy sets out a bold vision for the region’s future to ensure it is well positioned to succeed in a competitive and dynamic tourism landscape.   

Sustainability

This is a hub of resources on a wide range of sustainability practices and improvements from the basics of getting started to food waste and net zero commitment. Also included are the Better Business case studies - an inspirational curation of businesses across England whose examples provide inspiration for transformation.

Visitor Markets Insights and data

VBVE conducts regular sentiment trackers for domestic markets, visitor segmentation and analysis of the inbound markets by region or country. Check for a range of useful data, including:

• Domestic Sentiment Tracker (updated every month)
• International Passenger Survey (IPS) quarterly data updates
• Annual attractions survey (2023)
• Screen Tourism Insights (2024)
• England Hotel Occupancy rates (May-August 2024)
• Lighthouse – short term rentals (August 24)
• Screen Tourism insights – influence of Film & TV on travel to UK 2024

International Visitors – Markets and trends

For detailed analysis of the different behaviours and preferences of overseas visitors. 

Accessibility and Inclusion

A suite of resources including the value of the Purple Pound, MIDAS research, an Accessible & Inclusive Features Research report and a comprehensive toolkit with practical hits and tips to give you reassurance and confidence to develop inclusively. 

Visitor Ready Scheme

What is Visitor Ready? 

This new digital scheme is free and open to all types of hospitality and tourism businesses across the three key consumer activities of eat, stay and visit. 

It enables businesses in the UK hospitality, leisure, and tourism sectors to seamlessly showcase their commitment to operating safely within current industry standards and legislation. It has been created to make compliance accessible for all. The baseline accreditation will help businesses know the key safety and cleanliness requirements that today’s visitor expects. 

Find out MORE Visitor Ready | VisitEngland 

The Pink Book

A comprehensive guidance manual for attractions and accommodation providers– detailing law and regulations, responsibilities, licenses, consents and more. 

Hospitality Hiring Toolkit 

Industry leaders launch new hospitality sector hiring toolkit 

Safeguarding industry experts have collaborated to launch an industry best practice 'Better Hiring Toolkit' for the hospitality sector. The Disclosure and Barring Service has collaborated with The Better Hiring Institute (BHI), along with other safeguarding industry experts, to launch a free to use industry best practice ‘Better Hiring Toolkit’ for the hospitality sector. 

The resource provides best practice advice and guidance on how to hire quickly, fairly, and safely, and to tackle modern slavery in the sector. 

The new toolkit provides practical, simplified guidance to support hospitality businesses with hiring new employees by utilising UK best practice. It covers vetting, verifying qualifications and important information for employers on their obligations when it comes to issues like modern slavery. You can download the toolkit  here. and find out more Industry leaders launch new hospitality sector hiring toolkit - GOV.UK