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Retail & Visitor Economy

Retail Sector

Helping retail, hospitality and leisure businesses thrive across Greater Lincolnshire

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Hayley Toyne Email Hayley Toyne

Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Adviser

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The retail, hospitality and visitor economy is one of the most dynamic and vital sectors in Greater Lincolnshire – supporting over 30,000 full-time equivalent jobs and contributing £2.39 billion to the local economy. From independent shops and restaurants to guesthouses, attractions and leisure providers, this diverse sector plays a key role in shaping our communities, creating jobs and attracting investment.

Whether you run a boutique in a market town, a pub on the coast, a family-run B&B, or a growing leisure business, Business Lincolnshire is here to help you succeed.

We’re here to help:

We offer dedicated support for retail, tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses at every stage of their journey, including:

  • Practical toolkits and guides to help you manage and grow your business
  • Staff training and skills development opportunities
  • Expert advice on digital marketing and online visibility
  • Resources to help you implement green tourism practices and improve sustainability
  • Support to enhance your customer experience and service delivery
  • Guidance to increase footfall, attract new audiences and encourage repeat visits
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Visit Lincolnshire Website

Dedicated support

Business.VisitLincolnshire

Business.Visit Lincolnshire offers dedicated support, guidance & industry insights for hospitality, leisure & tourism businesses in Lincolnshire.

You’ll find invaluable advice and guidance on everything that you need to know to run a tourism business, from start-up checklists and daily business practices to funding, marketing, and legislation. As in any business, there is no ‘one size fits all’, so we have created multiple formats for each topic. Some of you may like a factsheet, guide, or checklist to download, others may prefer to watch our master-class videos, and we’re adding new material each month, too.

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Greater Lincolnshire has a high-quality and varied visitor economy offering across our city, coast, and countryside. Its nature, aviation and heritage assets are underpinned by an increasingly vibrant and cultural offer, with sites such as the castle, cathedral, and Brayford Waterfront in Lincoln.

The area is home to 50 miles of coastline that stretches from the east of the county to the Wash. It includes the Lincolnshire Wolds (designated an area of outstanding natural beauty), a thriving food culture, a network of historic market towns and hundreds of visitor attractions, all of which contribute to a £2.39bn visitor economy sector which supports at least 30,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

There are more than 2,600 businesses in the visitor economy, which account for 6.7% of Greater Lincolnshire’s business base compared to 5.8% of the East Midlands business base and 6.0% of the UK’s. Skegness is the UK’s fourth most popular holiday resort. Tourism is growing year on year and is one of the most important growth sectors for our region.

Retail & Visitor Economy FAQs

We support all businesses in the retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors – from independent shops and cafés to B&Bs, cultural attractions and larger visitor venues.

No – support is available across Greater Lincolnshire, including market towns, rural areas and city centres. If you serve customers or visitors, you can benefit from our resources.

You can access training opportunities, digital marketing guidance, green tourism toolkits, customer service improvement advice, and connections to relevant funding programmes.

Yes – we offer guidance and resources on green tourism, energy efficiency, and sustainability practices tailored to retail and visitor-facing businesses.

Yes – we regularly host events, webinars and networking opportunities designed to help businesses in this sector grow, connect and stay informed.