About the job
The Visitor Economy drives growth and creates jobs, significantly boosting local economies. VisitBritain latest estimates indicate that 41.2 million inbound visitors contributed £31.5 billion to the economy in 2024, with many tourists citing our vibrant culture and heritage offer as one of their main motivators for visiting the UK. Global tourism is projected to grow by 5% year-on-year but the UK is operating in a highly competitive field to capture that demand. In the medium term, HMG has committed to increasing visitor numbers to 50 million per year by 2030.
We are a friendly and dynamic team based between London and Manchester. The team is based in the Visitor Economy, Heritage, Loans and Art Collection (VEHLAC) Directorate. The team sponsors VisitEngland and VisitBritain (the British Tourist Authority): VisitBritain works with the GREAT campaign to generate demand to visit the UK. VisitEngland works with businesses and local authorities in all areas of the country to support the regional development of the visitor economy, through destination partnerships that help communities to tell their stories to visitors. The recent regional restructuring of destination management in England has set up the sector to deliver jobs and growth across all regions.
We are also working at pace on introducing a registration scheme for short-term lets, crucial for high-quality stays across the country but also to flexibly meet increased demand for accommodation during events like the Commonwealth Games.
Job description
You will lead on investment policy within the wider team and will be joining at a crucial time as we look to publish our Visitor Economy Growth Strategy. Experience working with analysts, other government departments and external stakeholders will be vital to continue to push policy in this priority area forward, as well as the ability to work autonomously.
You will lead the team's engagement with the Visitor Economy Advisory Council (VEAC); providing the secretariat function for the VEAC and commissioning input from the VEAC that supports delivery of the Visitor Economy team's objectives.
You will act as the lead for ministerial engagement briefings, coordinating inputs across the team and ensuring ministers are fully supported and well-informed for meetings, visits, and events. You will also be involved in coordinating and drafting high-quality ministerial and treat official correspondence related to the visitor economy, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and alignment with departmental priorities.
Person specification
The ideal candidates would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates.
Essential requirements:
* Experience developing policy, using clear evidence to make informed recommendations.
* Ability to think strategically, identifying common goals or barriers to progress.
* Excellent communication, briefing and drafting, for audiences both internal and external.
* A proven ability to work with a range of stakeholders (ideally both inside and outside Government).
* Experience of secretariat provision.
Desirable skills:
* Previous experience and/or knowledge of visitor economy sectors.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Delivering at Pace
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