Key visitor economy grant scheme closes for registrations

Following significant interest from across the county’s tourism-focused businessesOxLEP has today announced that – as of 5pm this evening (30 August) – registrations for its Visitor Economy Grant Scheme closed.

Launched following a special webinar on 16 AugustOxLEP Business – who operate as the Growth Hub for Oxfordshire – say that £700000-worth of applications have now been received via its online registration processwith all eligible applicants due to be notified today with information on how to now submit a full application.

A deadline for the completion of full applications has been set for 14 September. Grants of between £10000 and £15000 are set to be made available to those organisations who are eventually successfulwhich is estimated to be between 16 and 25 Oxfordshire businesses.

An independent grant panel are anticipated to meet in early-October to assess grant applications with organisation due to be informed of funding decisions later in that month.

The grant scheme is part of OxLEP’s £1.64million Visitor Economy Renaissance Programme funding for which was secured by OxLEP via the government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund.

OxLEP are working in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council to facilitate the funding process of the programmewhich includes the Visitor Economy Grant Scheme.

As a sector that generated around £2.5billion each year to the Oxfordshire economy pre-pandemicthis OxLEP programme aims to ensure the county can both retain and build its visitor economy market share.

The grant scheme’s reintroduction follows OxLEP Business announcing in February that a first round of the fund saw over £600000 directed into Oxfordshire organisations who either operate in or support tourism and visitor experiences with companies from right across the county benefiting from the last round of investment – part of a concerted programme of activity supporting the visitor economy.

Speaking following the reintroduction of the Visitor Economy Grant SchemeNigel Tipple – Chief Executive of OxLEP – said: “We are delighted to be able to reintroduce this grant scheme to Oxfordshire businesses operating within our vital visitor economy. Pre-Covid 19our visitor economy was worth around 10% of Oxfordshire’s overall GVAwith the county attracting around 30 million visitors per year so it is particularly important that we are able to provide furtherpositive interventions to this critical sector.

“Our grant scheme has already supported numerous different areas within tourism in Oxfordshire with all areas of the county benefitting from investment. This reflects and recognises that we have multiple locations in the county that rely on a successful visitor economy.”

Find out more on the Visitor Economy Grant Scheme