The Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel met to discuss a strategy update from Visit Greenwich, focusing on the organisation's performance, priorities, and strategic direction. Barry Kelly, Chief Executive of Visit Greenwich, presented the update, which covered topics such as tourism's economic impact, destination management, marketing campaigns, and challenges related to funding and infrastructure. The panel also discussed future reports and work items.

Visit Greenwich Update

Barry Kelly, Chief Executive of Visit Greenwich, provided a strategic update on the organisation's activities, performance, and future plans. He emphasised the importance of tourism to the borough, highlighting that it brings £2 billion into Greenwich and supports around 16,000 jobs.

Mr Kelly outlined Visit Greenwich's core functions, which include destination marketing, visitor services, place shaping, business support, intelligence gathering, and skills brokerage. He also detailed the six strategic programmes of the Destination Management Plan 2023-2028, which are designed to manage and enhance the visitor experience at every touchpoint of their journey.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for Visit Greenwich include visitor spending, job creation, and visitor numbers. Mr Kelly reported that Greenwich had seen a strong recovery from the impact of Covid-19, with the visitor economy now up to £2 billion and supporting around 16,000 jobs. He noted that visitor satisfaction in Greenwich is high, with the borough ranking second in London for visitor satisfaction scores.

Marketing Campaigns

Mr Kelly showcased several marketing campaigns, including Welcome to GreenWitch , a collaboration with Universal Pictures to promote the film Wicked, which involved renaming Greenwich to GreenWitch . The campaign reached an estimated one billion people and was considered a major success.

Another campaign highlighted was An Unmissable Time , which focuses on film and TV locations in Greenwich, particularly around the Old Royal Naval College. The campaign includes a partnership with the Set Jetters app, which allows visitors to explore filming locations and view clips from movies and TV shows.

Destination Woolwich and Enjoy Eltham

Visit Greenwich is also working to promote specific areas within the borough, including Woolwich and Eltham. The organisation has developed branding for Destination Woolwich, aiming to bring together local venues and businesses to collectively promote the area. A similar project, Enjoy Eltham , is underway, with plans to create a marketing toolkit for businesses in Eltham to promote themselves.

Greenwich Waterfront

A key long-term project for Visit Greenwich is the Greenwich Waterfront initiative, which aims to better connect and integrate the various assets along the eight-mile waterfront from Greenwich to Peabody in the east. The goal is to create a more cohesive and appealing waterfront experience for both tourists and residents.

Challenges and Opportunities

Mr Kelly addressed several challenges facing Visit Greenwich, including funding constraints and the need to balance commercial revenue generation with strategic destination management. He noted that Royal Borough of Greenwich funding now accounts for just 16% of Visit Greenwich's total revenue, with the organisation increasingly reliant on commercial income.

One specific challenge is the ongoing closure of the Cutty Sark DLR station, which is dampening demand for visits to Maritime Greenwich. Visit Greenwich has been working with Transport for London (TFL), the World Heritage Site Group, and the Royal Borough to mitigate the impact of the closure, including installing signage at the nearby Greenwich DLR station and providing volunteer support to guide visitors.

Panel Questions

During the discussion, Councillor Simon Peirce raised the issue of balancing the high street and heritage in Eltham, and asked how Visit Greenwich planned to address this. Mr Kelly responded that the Enjoy Eltham brand would create a microsite that would bring together information about everything happening in Eltham, including places to eat, stay and visit, as well as live events information.

Councillor Aidan Smith raised the issue of the conflict between tourists and residents in Greenwich Town Centre, particularly with regard to the night-time economy. Mr Kelly suggested that Greenwich should be for tourists in the summer and for local people in the winter, and that the World Heritage Site should be lit up every night and linked to some celebration to bring in local people.

Councillor Issy Cooke, Chair of the Inclusive Economy and Culture Scrutiny Panel, asked about the vulnerability of Visit Greenwich to fluctuations in commercial revenue. Mr Kelly responded that the organisation was in good shape commercially, but that the current model was stretched as far as it could go. He suggested that new funding models, such as bids and a tourism tax, could provide opportunities for Visit Greenwich to play a wider role and get more involved in place promotion.

Commissioning of Future Reports

The panel discussed the schedule of upcoming reports for future meetings, including reports on small parades management, and a review of markets and implementation of a market improvement plan.