Gloucester Visitor Economy Business Survey

As part of our ongoing work as the CotswoldsPlus Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP), we’re inviting all businesses across the Cotswolds’ visitor economy to take part in our brand-new CotswoldsPlus Business Survey, now live here:

This survey will be undertaken quarterly and its purpose is to help us — together with VisitEngland — build a consistent, evidence-driven picture of how the visitor economy is performing across the region. This new approach follows national guidance on research standardisation, ensuring that local insights can contribute directly to England-wide benchmarking and reporting.

Why is this important? Because robust, comparable data strengthens our ability to:

• Understand business performance, confidence levels, and emerging challenges
• Identify opportunities for growth and investment
• Shape the support, lobbying, and strategic planning we deliver on your behalf
• Feed into national analysis that influences government policy, funding, and industry priorities

The need for strong regional insight has never been more evident. According to the latest VisitBritain/VisitEngland report, tourism contributes £147 billion a year to the UK economy and supports 2.4 million jobs — more than 5% of all jobs nationwide. The report also highlights the critical role of destinations beyond major cities, reinforcing why local data from areas like the Cotswolds is essential to understanding — and strengthening — the national visitor economy.

Why your input matters

Quarterly insight will help regional partners to:

• Identify emerging pressures across hospitality, retail, attractions, events and related sectors
• Understand seasonal changes in trading conditions
• Strengthen lobbying, funding bids and forward planning
• Support the development of programmes that respond directly to business need
• Contribute to national data used by VisitEngland and government to shape tourism policy and investment

Who should take part?

Businesses of all sizes and types within the visitor economy, including:

• Accommodation providers
• Pubs, restaurants, cafés and caterers
• Visitor attractions and cultural organisations
• Retail and independent businesses
• Outdoor activity providers and experience operators
• Transport, tour companies and supporting services

Your feedback helps build a clearer understanding of how the Cotswolds’ visitor economy is performing and where support is most needed.

How long does it take?

Just a few minutes — and all responses are anonymous.

Thank you in advance for taking part — your input genuinely makes a difference.