The Discover England Fund (DEF) is a £40million project, announced by Government in 2015, to ensure that world-class English tourism products were offered to the right customers at the right time. The project was funded for five years from 2016-2021. Several projects have continued in as a collaboration between the destinations involved.
The DEF projects were to specifically support inbound tourism, one of England’s most successful export industries. You can read more about the Discover England Fund on the Visit Britain website:
Visit Bristol and Visit Bath are involved in a number of DEF projects:
Led by VisitWiltshire, this project aims to transform tourism along a 125-mile route between London and Bristol. The Great West Way makes it easier for international visitors to book personalised trips that take in more of the region, boosting tourism along the way. The Great West Way is now an established brand. Visit Bristol and Visit Bath were both involved in this project right from the start. Many of our members are also ‘Great West Way Ambassadors’.
Find out more about becoming a Great West Way Ambassador
Led by Destination Plymouth and bringing together many DMOs (including what was Destination Bristol) this DEF project produced a series of English-themed visitor experiences specifically for the North American market, encouraging visitors to explore England beyond London. Based on market testing and insights, themes include United Allies, Origins of Faith, Ancestry, Mayflower 400 and Old Stories of the New World.
Find out more about US Connections.
Visit West (representing Bath) is part of the England’s Historic Cities group, a group of DMOs who worked together on the England Originals DEF project. The aim was to bring together the stories of 15 historic English cities and present them as one product for US visitors with a focus on people and events to bring their stories to life.
Visit the England Originals website
In this test-and-learn project, Destination Bristol trialled an urban ‘food and drink hub’ concept to help promote the city’s growing reputation as a destination for food and foodies. As part of this Bristol was named the world’s Best Food Destination at the 2019 Food Trekking Awards.
Find out about the Business Improvement Districts that are part of Visit West.
Looking for information about Visit West membership? You can find out more about membership, apply to become a member, and make the most of your membership in this section.
