Tourism gets boost from industry body accreditation
Wiltshire now has Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEP) status, which gives it access to a range of resources to attract greater footfall.
At the moment, Wiltshire's tourism is worth around £1.5bn annually, with sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circle, Stourhead, Salisbury Cathedral and the Westbury White Horse among its attractions.
It's new LVEP means it will be included marketing activity and public relations opportunities set up by British tourism authority VisitBritain, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
More news stories for Wiltshire
Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire
VisitBritain will also provide VisitWiltshire, Wiltshire's tourism board, with support in applying for funding from the UK government.
Wiltshire's tourism industry supports 28,000 jobs and contributes nine per cent of Wiltshire's total GDP.
The application had to demonstrate funding support from the public sector, which was achieved via finances from Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Corsham, Devizes, Malmesbury, Pewsey and Trowbridge town councils.
It also had to give evidence of wider public sector support, which Wiltshire Council provided by confirming their strategic support for tourism growth and funding of a new countywide tourism strategy and destination plan.
More than 400 private tourism businesses also backed the application.
David Andrews, chief executive of VisitWiltshire said: "We are delighted that VisitWiltshire have secured national LVEP status.
"This is a major achievement with the potential to unlock new investment, grow tourism spend throughout the year, extend our reach in domestic and international markets, and better support our tourism and hospitality businesses."
Andrew Stokes, director at VisitEngland, said: "The Local Visitor Economy Partnerships programme is transforming the visitor economy in England, supporting its growth in a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable way and I am delighted to welcome VisitWiltshire as the accredited Wiltshire LVEP."
Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
More Wiltshire attractions are added to free app
Tourists urged not to 'overwhelm' popular village
Tourism app transports visitors to times gone by
VisitWiltshire
VisitBritain
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wells Fargo Raises Arm Holdings (ARM) Price Target on AI Growth Momentum
Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) ranks among the . On July 21, Wells Fargo maintained its Overweight rating on Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) and increased its price target from $145 to $175. With recent statistics indicating Arm-based server CPU shipments rose 104% year-over-year in the first calendar quarter of 2025, the firm attributed ongoing momentum in artificial intelligence data centers as a major factor in Arm's anticipated growth in royalty revenue in fiscal 2026. Despite not releasing an official fiscal 2026 forecast owing to tariff uncertainties, Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) had previously predicted that royalty revenue would increase by a percentage range of the high teens to low twenties year-over-year. Wells Fargo anticipates that Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) will continue to maintain an above-target annual contract value and licensing revenue growth at 20% year-over-year, owing to the growing demand for licenses related to AI computing requirements. Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) is British software design and semiconductor company. The company provides microprocessors, graphics processing units, systems intellectual property (IPs), and other associated services. While we acknowledge the potential of ARM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. Read More: and Disclosure: None.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UK top court to rule on multi-billion pound car loan scandal
Britain's highest court will Friday determine whether controversial car loans were unlawful, which could pave the way for millions of motorists to claim billions of pounds in compensation from banks. The loans, made available for 14 years from 2007, incentivised car dealers to offer higher interest rates in return for a bigger commission from banks. The Supreme Court will determine whether to uphold a judgment by the Court of Appeal last year that ruled it was unlawful for car dealers to receive a commission on loans without sufficiently informing borrowers. It is estimated that millions of drivers would be eligible for compensation should the Supreme Court side with borrowers, following its three-day hearing in April. One case involves Marcus Johnson -- who in 2017 bought a Suzuki Swift from a car dealer in Cardiff for £6,500 ($8,560 today) including loan costs -- unaware that interest paid on the loan amount would fund commission of more than £1,600. When the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Johnson, ordering South African lender FirstRand Bank to refund the commission plus interest, it sparked panic across the finance sector. British banks have set aside considerable sums in preparation for the ruling, including Lloyds, which has earmarked nearly £1.2 billion. The total estimated cost for banks varies, but HSBC bank analysts suggested before the trial that it could come to £44 billion. Since then, analysts have revised down the potential exposure of banks, British media reports suggesting a figure of around £11 billion. In the three cases being judged by the Supreme Court, consumers are also facing off against British bank Close Brothers. The Financial Conduct Authority, which banned undisclosed commissions in 2021, could mandate a collective automatic compensation programme should the court sides with borrowers. Analysts said that Britain's Labour government may be concerned about the impact on banks' willingness to provide credit amid economic uncertainty caused by US tariffs and geopolitical unrest. Finance minister Rachel Reeves is reportedly considering changes to the law to limit the banks' exposure. ode-ajb/bcp/jj Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What you need to know about the car finance scandal
A scandal over how consumers have been sold car loans has unfolded in recent months. A crucial Supreme Court ruling issued on Friday, however, overturned a court of appeal finding that hidden commissions paid to car dealers by lenders were unlawful. The ruling means that lenders have potentially avoided paying compensation to millions of drivers, although they will likely still have to pay some customers. Analysts previously said the scandal could cost lenders from £30bn to £44bn. The UK's chancellor Rachel Reeves had attempted to intervene in the Supreme Court case on the matter, though judges rejected this application. When issuing its full-year results in February, Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) said it had put a further £700m aside for potential motor finance commission remediation costs. Read more: The 'cheapest' stocks on FTSE 100 as UK blue-chip index trades at record high The saga has weighed heavily on the stocks of the most exposed players, which includes Lloyds and fellow British lender Close Brothers (CBG.L). Earlier this month, Lloyds unveiled a higher-than-expected profit for the first half of 2025, as it benefited from a jump in lending and savings balances. Now that the Supreme Court has given its verdict, it's unclear how much lenders are still on the hook for in terms of compensation. Here's more detail on what you need to know about the scandal. How did it come about? The City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), started looking into commissions in the motor finance industry in 2017. The FCA then launched a consultation on the use of discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) in 2019. DCAs were a type of commission model received by some car retailers and motor finance brokers, which was linked to the interest rate that customers pay. This meant that the broker could effectively set the interest rate and the FCA said this created an incentive to sell more expensive credit to some customers, acting against their interests. As a result, the FCA banned DCAs in 2021, a move which it said would save customers £165m a year. In January 2024, the FCA then launched a review of historical motor finance DCAs, to understand if there was any misconduct related to this type of commission before the 2021 ban. In addition, the review has also sought to understand if consumers have lost out and if so, what the best way would be to ensure they receive appropriate compensation. However, a Court of Appeal ruling in October broadened the scope of the issue to any car finance commissions. The court found it illegal for dealerships to receive commissions on car finance deals without securing 'fully informed consent' from buyers. It is feared that the landmark ruling has paved the way for a multi-billion-pound redress scheme. Read more: Europe's most expensive city revealed, as living costs near £3,500 per month Following the ruling, the FCA said in December that it was extending the time firms have to respond to complaints not involving DCAs, with a new deadline of 4 December 2025. The FCA's general counsel Stephen Braviner-Roman told MPs in a Treasury committee hearing in December that the regulator had previously said that "looking at DCAs alone we do not think it is at the scale of PPI." "That was when we were looking at DCAs alone, so it would be premature to say it is definitely not at the scale of PPI now," he said. In December, the Supreme Court granted Close Brothers (CBG.L) and South African financial services firm FirstRand ( permission to appeal the October ruling. The Financial Times reported in January that the Treasury had submitted an application to intervene in the case, saying in a letter that it had the "potential to cause considerable economic harm and could impact the availability and cost of motor finance for consumers." However, the Supreme Court said it had refused the Treasury's application to intervene. The appeals of cases involving Close Brothers (CBG.L) and FirstRand ( are listing for hearings on 1-3 April. The FCA plans to set out the next steps in its review into DCAs in May, as well as potentially providing an update on non-DCA complaints, but had already warned lenders to keep some money aside to potentially resolve complaints. Lenders set aside costs Providers that could be impacted by the launch of compensation scheme have already started to set funds aside. Close Brothers has said it was setting aside up to £165m in the first half of its financial year in relation to potential motor commissions costs. "There remains significant uncertainty as to the range of outcomes from the motor commissions appeals and the FCA's ongoing review of motor commissions and, therefore, the ultimate cost to the group could be materially higher or lower than the estimated provision," Close Brothers said. Read more: Did the Genius Act just kill the UK's crypto dreams? Defence companies post strong results as UK investors back the sector over AI The most affordable market towns for first-time buyersError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
