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Wish You Were Here, at the De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill, on 20 March, will form part of Visit Britain’s English Tourism Week.

Aimed at hotels, B&Bs, attractions and venues, the event has been organised by the University’s Green Growth Platform which supports green businesses with grants, finance advice, innovation and skills development, events and connections.

The event is part of the University’s Responsible Futures agenda, which aims to ensure that the University’s work has a positive impact on the local economy and environment, and the European Regional Development Fund project Low Carbon Across the South East, which provides businesses in East Sussex with funding, business support and environmental advice.

De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Hastings fishing net lofts are a popular tourism attraction. Photo by Rich Lloyd Judd on Unsplash

Speakers at the event include representatives from Visit England, the national body responsible for developing the tourism economy, Green Tourism, which runs an accreditation scheme for tourism businesses across the UK, and local tourism success stories Rathfinny Wine Estate and De La Warr Pavillion.

Keri Portas of Visit England will be talking about the latest trends in English tourism and what experiences visitors are seeking. She will discuss how businesses can capitalise on the staycation phenomenon as well as green and local trends.

Stuart Park of Green Tourism will be speaking about how green credentials give businesses a competitive advantage, enhance the customer experience and are essential in attracting younger tourists. He'll also be speaking about how to access the free Green Check by Green Tourism.

Zoe Osmond, Director of the Green Growth Platform, said: “There are some fabulous tourism businesses across East Sussex and we’re excited to bring them together to see high profile speakers and help them attract more tourists to the county.”

Wish You Were Here is free to attend for tourism businesses in East Sussex. It runs from 11am to 3pm and includes a locally-sourced, sustainable lunch.