Visit Exeter is set to celebrate its eighth Birthday this month, in a year which sees the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 come to the city and more visitors to Exeter.
Launched during English Tourism Week in 2017, Visit Exeter has since grown in those eight years, championing businesses in Exeter and beyond.
Funded through commercial income, with the support of Exeter City Council, the Visit Exeter membership scheme unites over 180 businesses, including hotels, attractions, shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Visit Exeter delivers impactful marketing campaigns, press and PR, email outreach, and social media initiatives, working in partnership with city stakeholders to drive growth in Exeter’s visitor economy.
As it prepares to celebrate eight successful years this English Tourism Week (14 – 23 March), Visit Exeter is gearing up for an extraordinary summer with the Women’s Rugby World Cup coming to the city.
The arrival of the Women’s Rugby World Cup to Exeter this August and September presents a huge opportunity for the visitor economy. Exeter will be seen by a global audience of millions, and thousands of tickets for the matches at Sandy Park have already been bought by fans across the country.
Plans are being put in place to make sure the tournament is a huge success for the city and will leave a lasting legacy.
Exeter is one of the top 12 ‘destination cities’ in the UK1. It receives in excess of 2 million annual visitors, worth an estimated £206 million to the local economy2 and supports 2,500 direct jobs. It consistently ranks in the top 1% of retail destinations nationally and regionally3, with the 4th highest retail spend per overnight visitor in the UK.
Visit Exeter’s website, www.visitexeter.com, has seen remarkable growth, with nearly half a million visitors in 2024 alone. Recent research highlights Exeter’s growing appeal, with visitors travelling from further afield than ever before. Visits from over an hour away have surged by 1.7 million, and the average drivetime has increased from 49 to 57 minutes3.
Councillor Bob Foale, Lead Councillor for Arts, Culture and Tourism, said: “Exeter has England’s third-largest visitor economy, and as its capital city, there is huge potential for Exeter to benefit further from additional year-round visitors. The visitor economy plays a key part in supporting other industries in the city, including retail and food & drink. It also brings social and environmental benefits, by strengthening cultural ties, boosting local pride and encouraging a culture of preservation.”
In 2024, Visit Exeter was proud to become part of the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Devon, officially recognised by VisitEngland. This partnership gives us Visit Exeter a platform
to share priorities, resources, and targets across the county. It also gives a clear pathway to central government, to allow the voices of Exeter and Devon businesses to be heard. The LVEP’s ambitious vision aims to boost Devon’s visitor economy by over £300 million annually by 2030.
Visit is also embracing digital innovation to fuel growth. Its collaboration with DataThistle, the UK’s leading live events data business, launched post-Covid, is driving people back into Exeter’s cultural venues. This integration showcases live events on Visit’s website, enhancing the visitor experience.
Plans for the future include a strategy to consider how Exeter’s culture can continue to support the visitor economy, ensuring the city’s cultural and heritage attractions, festivals and events can enhance the city’s reputation as a high quality, sustainable visitor destination. To find out more about the work of Visit Exeter, go to visitexeter.com/info-maps/advertise-with-us or contact Claire Toze, Tourism Manager: Claire.toze@exeter.gov.uk
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