Forest of Dean District Council are extending their partnership with Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism until 2025.

Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism work as the lead Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the area, helping to connect local and small businesses within the district with a much larger audience, through social media as well as local and national press.

Cllr Bernie O'Neill, cabinet member for economy, said: "It's fantastic to be able to further extend our working partnership with Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism.

"The visitor economy is of huge economic importance to the district and is vital in supporting our local communities and helping our high streets to thrive.

"Working with Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism enables us to reach a wider audience to show just what the Forest of Dean can provide to visitors.

"Though the difficulty of the past couple of years has subsided a little, businesses in the visitor economy remain under great pressure in a highly competitive market. At times like this, it is even more crucial that the district has a coordinated approach to compete with other areas, in order to reach out, and connect with potential visitors and I'm pleased that Cabinet have agreed to continue this working partnership until 2025."

The team at Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism have delivered several projects throughout the past year including the Find Your Freedom campaign, which has encouraged many visitors to towns across the forest, and they also organised and promoted the Women's Tour of Britain 2022.

The council will continue to work alongside Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism on campaigns that help to highlight the potential of the area, supporting the reopening of the high street after the pandemic and bringing the benefit of visitor spend to towns, particularly resulting from the demand for staycations.

Helen O'Kane, co-chair of Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism, said: "Tourism is a vital engine in the rural economy, supporting jobs, education and wellbeing. To extend our partnership with Forest of Dean District Council enables us to continue our work to raise the profile of our beautiful area nationally and internationally.

"Thanks to this investment in Visit Dean Wye, Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Tourism has played a major role in representing businesses through the pandemic and we're pleased to see our work has helped increase tourism to the areas. We now have the funding to continue to support hospitality and tourism businesses and deliver real benefits to the wider community."