This in from David Thorton at the Isle of Wight DMO – Ed
Council leaders, local celebrities, key members of the Island’s tourism industry and national tourism chiefs will converge on Osborne House on Thursday, November 15th for the operational launch of the new Isle of Wight Destination Management Organisation (DMO).
The launch event will mark the start of a new journey to develop the Island’s tourism economy and re-affirm the Isle of Wight as one of Europe’s iconic holiday destinations.
Visit Isle of Wight
Set to take the lead role in proceedings, Visit Isle of Wight’s (VIOW) recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, David Thornton, notes:
“We will announce a list of immediate actions to ensure that the Isle of Wight stands out as a must-see place to visit in 2013 and beyond. It’s been a very busy first four weeks of the organisation, and now it’s time to share what we’ve learnt and expect to achieve.”
Speaking of the forthcoming operational launch, George Brown, IW Council cabinet member with responsibility for tourism said:
“The council believes that the tourism industry is best placed to shape its own future and direction which is why we moved to create a private sector-led destination management organisation. I am greatly impressed with what Visit Isle of Wight has been able to achieve in only a few weeks and am confident that it will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Council committing ‘substantial funds’
“The Isle of Wight Council has committed substantial funds to the organisation which I consider to be money well spent in terms of supporting efforts to maintain the Isle of Wight as a first class and year-round visitor destination.”
Amongst the guest of honours will be James Berresford the Chief Executive Officer for the national tourist board, Visit England (VE).
He says: “The launch of Visit Isle of Wight is an exciting occasion, and we at Visit England will do all we can to support this new organisation. We have worked with David in his previous role, and look forward to working with him to develop a destination of distinction that can bring economic benefit to everyone who lives and works on the Island.”
Invite-only guest list
The invite-only guest list for the day also includes John Giddings of the Isle of Wight Festival, Rob Da Bank of Bestival, Michelin starred chef Robert Thompson, representatives of the Isle of Wight Council, local media channels, Chamber of Commerce, Tourism South East, the Tourism Advisory Board, and other tourism network representatives.
Visit Isle of Wight also recently announced that it will run a week-long programme of drop-in tourism briefings for tourism providers across the Island, starting on Monday, November 19th at the Quay Arts Centre in Newport.
Image: davidshort under a CC BY 2.0 license
