Who are Visit West?

Visit West has gone through many iterations over the past few decades. Here’s a brief timeline of key events in the history of the organisation: 

• 1999 - Bristol Tourism and Conference Bureau was incorporated and launched as a joint-venture partnership between Bristol City Council and Bristol Chamber of Commerce, with 50 private sector businesses beginning the commercial membership programme. 

• 2000 - The Bureau founds the South West Tourism Skills Network, delivering workforce development programmes across the region, which is then contracted to the South West RDA and Learning and Skills Council to manage hospitality training throughout the region. 

• 2003 – Bath Tourism Plus is established as a public/private partnership with Bath and North East Somerset. 

• 2004 - The Bureau is renamed Destination Bristol and adopts a new constitution. In 2006, a regional tourism strategy was launched and Destination Bristol was formally designated as the DMO for Bristol and South Gloucestershire. 

• 2005 - The Broadmead BID is established.  

• 2008 - The integration of the Broadmead Board and the Broadmead BID into Destination Bristol begins and a business development roadmap is agreed by partners, paving the way to a merger to trade as Destination Bristol from August 2008. A new board of directors is appointed and a management structure is agreed.

• 2010 - The Tourism Skills Network is wound down as the RDA begins to contract.  

• 2017 – Destination Bristol’s second BID, Bristol City Centre BID, begins after a successful vote.  

• 2018 – Bath Tourism Plus becomes Visit Bath. The Broadmead BID is successfully voted in for a fourth term. 

• 2021 – Destination Bristol launches Redcliffe and Temple BID. Visit West is formed, bringing together Visit Bath’s DMO operation with Destination Bristol’s to create a regional DMO for the West of England. 

• 2023 - Visit West becomes one of the first accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEP) by VisitEngland. 

• 2025 - Bristol City Centre, Broadmead, and Redcliffe & Temple BIDs combine to form Bristol BID. 

Learn more about the team working behind the scenes to make the west of England a destination worth visiting, investing in, and talking about.

Bristol BID operates under the governance of Visit West and builds on the mission: “Your business, our priority, Bristol’s future”. The BID delivers and supports events and experiences in the city, as well as projects to increase safety, improve knowledge, promote wellbeing and support growth. 

Other key priorities include connecting our community with accessible green initiatives, delivering additional cleansing and improving the city’s welcome. 

Get to know the people who guide our strategy, champion the region, and help us make the right decisions for the visitor economy.

We work with a number of strategic organisations who enhance our knowledge, access to markets and provide vital networks, including Visit Britain, Visit England and UKInbound.