Nearly £70.8m and 1,315 extra jobs were generated through a groundbreaking three-year marketing campaign by Destination Bristol – far more than its original targets – according to new figures.
The campaign, from March 2012 to March 2015, formed part of VisitEngland’s Growing Tourism Locally project, funded in part by the Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF).
It was aimed at inspiring UK residents to take more holidays at home and stimulate employment in England’s tourism sector.
The final figures for Bristol far exceed predicted total of 340 jobs and £13m for city. 
Destination Bristol chief executive John Hirst said: “The campaign has created almost four times as many jobs as it was tasked with and brought in more than five times the target amount of visitor spend.
“This is income and jobs that would not have been generated without the campaign. These results reflect three years of concentrated effort from our team to cement Bristol as one of the UK’s top city break locations and we’re thrilled it has been such a success.”
The final year of the Bristol marketing campaign included a press partnership with The Times and a social media campaign with VisitEngland. In previous years Destination Bristol collaborated with Lonely Planet Traveller magazine, Great Western Railways and Bristol graphic design agency Peloton, which created a fairytale-themed Christmas campaign and advertisements featuring notable Bristolians such as Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton, Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director Tom Morris and balloon pilot Jo Bailey, pictured.
VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “I am delighted with the success of the Growing Tourism Locally. The aim of the campaign was to inspire UK residents to take more holidays at home and stimulate employment in England’s tourism sector- which it has. The increase in both visitor spend and jobs in Bristol is a true achievement.”
Destination Bristol is continuing its efforts to appeal to domestic visitors with a series of themed campaigns throughout 2016. Major openings and events such as the new Underfall Yard visitor attraction launching in spring and the 250th anniversary celebrations for Bristol Old Vic – the UK’s oldest working theatre – are already expected to provide an extra incentive for visitors and locals alike to explore the city this year.
