A new initiative to provide Devon and Somerset with an innovative tool to support tourism has taken another step forward.

Following the successful outcome of the Feasibility Study earlier this year, the next phase of the Tourism Data Hub project will see the development and build of a cloud-based Data Hub solution to gather and analyse data from a variety of sources.

This will include information from accommodation providers and attractions, transport networks, parking providers, the Meteorological Office plus third-party data to help analyse occupancy, revenue, footfall, and sentiment.

The Tourism Data Hub will allow businesses to identify future trends and to react accordingly or to monitor data from previous weeks or months.

Richard Stevens, Chair of Destination Plymouth and LEP Board Director commented,

“The development of the Tourism Data Hub will bring enormous benefits to the whole region, allowing our businesses to use real-time data to make better business decisions and grow as a result. It’s great to see Devon and Somerset leading the way in how we use data as a sector.”

Destination Plymouth is undertaking the procurement for the Tourism Data Hub for the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise area of Devon and Somerset. The project is funded by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) with Destination Plymouth acting as lead body, working with a number of key partners.

David Ralph, CEO of the Heart of the South West LEP, said:

“The procurement of the South West Tourism Data Hub is a significant step towards enhancing our region's vital tourism and hospitality sectors. We are delighted to be supporting this initiative, which will not only drive recovery from the challenges of Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis but also foster innovation and growth.”

The Tourism Data Hub project will build a sustainable comprehensive data and research programme to support tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses to help drive productivity across the Heart of the South West LEP region of Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay.

The Tourism Data Hub will provide tourism businesses, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) and the wider business community with consistent, robust, and valuable data insights into consumer and business behaviours to enable more efficient market targeting and product development to drive recovery post-Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.