Chairman’s Summary
The past year was one of great change and development for Tourism South
East. In the early period, independent consultants appointed by the South
East England Development Agency (SEEDA) gave an excellent assessment
of our overall performance.
not only was this welcome in itself as a recognition of the work of the
The year ahead is going to have its ups and downs as the recession
Board and staff in recent years, but it helped pave the way for SEEda
works its way through the domestic tourism industry. The South East
to renew its financial support for us for a further three year period.
has a better chance than most to “accentuate the positive and eliminate
This meant that Tourism South East could face the challenges of the
the negative”, in the words of the song. and Tourism South East is
economic downturn which emerged later in the year on a stable basis
well placed to play a key role. I wish the new team of chairman John
and with resources and a sound business plan to help tourism and our
Williams and chief Executive Mike Bedingfield every success. They are
members in the South East.
exceptionally well qualified to take Tourism South East forward.
after more than six years as your chairman, my term of office came
One of greatest rewards of working with Tourism South East was
to an end in March this year. I enjoyed these years immensely and will
the satisfaction of supporting such an enthusiastic and professional
miss the many friends and colleagues with whom I had the pleasure
team of people with whom I was proud to be associated. I take this
of working, as well as the opportunities my job afforded me to travel
opportunity to thank them for their dedication and to wish them,
widely throughout the region – truly one of the most beautiful and
Tourism South East’s members and the tourism industry in the South
richly diverse parts of Britain. I especially valued the enormous
East all success in the years ahead.
contribution made by my Board colleagues and by Managing director,
Bob collier, who left to take up a new challenge in Scotland around the
Nigel Walmsley
same time as my departure.
chairman
A Message from SEEDA
Tourism is one of the South East’s principal drivers of economic prosperity.
It is the lifeblood of many urban and rural economies, particularly coastal
towns, creating an energy and engagement in local communities that other
sectors simply cannot match. Indeed, the current economic climate is providing
a fantastic opportunity for the tourism sector to help lift our economy out of
recession. There is no better time to holiday at home, whilst overseas visitors
are increasingly attracted by favourable exchange rates.
SEEda’s partnership with Tourism South East, local authorities and
expertise and also benefited suppliers of local produce. The synergy
other agencies is directed at ensuring the tourism industry is fully
between improving skills and maximising the impact of the 2012
equipped to fulfil this potential. The annual report and Financial
Olympic and Paralympic Games was ably demonstrated by the launch
Statements clearly demonstrate the added value Tourism South East
of the ‘hosting the World’ training programme in Eton dorney. I look
brings to the table. It has been particularly effective in meeting short
forward to its rollout across the rest of the region in the lead up to 2012.
term needs, including the ‘Winning in recession’ campaign that
provided urgent marketing and business support to help the industry
Tourism South East’s effectiveness was also recognised in an
through the early downturn. In addition, Tourism South East continued
independent SEEda sponsored evaluation of its impact and performance.
its investment in longer term programmes to ensure an even stronger
It confirmed that Tourism South East is generating good value for money
emergence from the recession.
and delivering well relative to other regions. SEEda remains committed
to its partnership with Tourism South East and the part it will play in
It has also been successful in driving up skills with some impressive
supporting tourism’s role in the economic recovery.
outputs from the Welcome to Excellence programme again this
year. The Fresh Skills for chefs initiative raised the bar with culinary
James Brathwaite CBE
chairman
www.visitsoutheastengland.com
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