The Marketing Collective Secure Visit Hampshire's Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8th October 2025

Tourism Marketing Specialists The Marketing Collective Step Forward to Secure Visit Hampshire's Future

Management contract ensures continuity for Hampshire's tourism sector while expanding the agency's destination marketing portfolio

While destination marketing organisations close across England, Hampshire has quietly demonstrated a working alternative that could offer a blueprint for the sector's future.

The Marketing Collective, a Hampshire-founded tourism and destination marketing agency, has officially announced the takeover of management of the Visit Hampshire brand and digital platform following the closure of the service in March 2025 as a result of Hampshire County Council's transition away from tourism marketing to focus on statutory functions.  

The Visit Hampshire website, which has 1.4 million users a year, serves as a crucial gateway for visitors planning trips to the county, supporting businesses ranging from major attractions to independent hospitality providers. The closure created an opportunity for private sector expertise to maintain and develop this vital tourism resource. 

The announcement comes as other DMOs and ‘Visit’ brands have ceased operations in recent months, symptomatic of a funding crisis affecting regional DMOs nationwide. Hampshire's transition to private sector management offers tangible evidence that destination marketing can survive and thrive beyond traditional council funding structures.

Proven Track Record in Collaborative Tourism Marketing

The Marketing Collective brings established credentials in destination marketing through its successful management of Hampshire's Top Attractions, a 73-strong consortium that has become a successful model for collaborative tourism marketing. The agency has since expanded this approach into Sussex and Dorset, demonstrating scalable expertise in regional visitor attraction and tourism development.

"Visit Hampshire is a trusted brand with genuine value to both visitors and businesses," said Jo Cooper, Founder and CEO of The Marketing Collective. "Our experience with Hampshire's Top Attractions has shown us how powerful collaborative destination marketing can be. Taking on this management contract allows us to preserve and enhance a platform that hundreds of Hampshire businesses depend on."

Retaining Tourism Marketing Talent

In October 2025, following her redundancy from Hampshire County Council, Laura Stanley-Adams joined The Marketing Collective as Digital Marketing Manager, bringing invaluable insider knowledge, seamless continuity and established relationships within Hampshire's tourism sector.

"Having Laura join our team is incredibly exciting for our growth," added Jo. "Her deep understanding of Visit Hampshire, combined with our collaborative consortium model, creates the perfect foundation for the brand's continued success and development."

Supporting Hampshire's Tourism Future

The transition has been welcomed by the local industry with positive support from visitor attractions and hospitality businesses who see Visit Hampshire’s website and content marketing as an important element of their marketing strategy.

“Under the leadership and guidance of The Marketing Collective, Hampshire Top Attractions has grown from just five founding members to more than 73 attractions, becoming one of the leading joint tourism marketing groups in the county. We are now thrilled that Visit Hampshire will continue to grow and thrive as part of The Marketing Collective’s expanding portfolio of destination marketing organisations. This will complement and work alongside the great work done by HTA, adding wider promotion of accommodation, landscapes and things to do across the county." says Rob Griffiths, Head of Marketing and Communications at Paultons Park.

“Visit Hampshire has been a fantastic partner over the years, consistently driving visitors to our holiday cottages in and around the New Forest. Their website continues to be one of our top referral sources. As the largest and oldest holiday accommodation provider in the New Forest, with over 170 cottages in our portfolio, we’re thrilled to see bookings are yet again up on last year. It’s no small achievement, given the challenging economic climate where many people are watching their spending, and our cottage owners couldn’t be happier. The Visit Hampshire team has always been incredibly supportive and proactive with creative ideas and opportunities to work together. We’re so happy that the same talented staff will continue their great work with The Marketing Collective, and we’re very much looking forward to building on our partnership in the years ahead.” comments Jayne Senior, Head of New Forest Cottages.

A Blueprint for Tourism's Future

With destination marketing organisations under pressure nationwide, Hampshire's successful transition offers a potential model for other regions facing similar challenges. The Marketing Collective's consortium approach - combining collaborative marketing power with commercial sustainability - demonstrates that private sector expertise can preserve and enhance the destination marketing resources that hundreds of local tourism businesses depend on.

It marks an exciting chapter, one where passionate tourism professionals take the reins to ensure Hampshire's story continues to be told with the energy and expertise it deserves.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• Hampshire County Council closed Visit Hampshire on 31st March 2025
• The Marketing Collective took over management of Visit Hampshire in June 2025, with the formal contract signed in September 2025
• Visit Hampshire serves 1.4 million users annually
• Hampshire's Top Attractions has grown from 5 founding members (2007) to 73 members under The Marketing Collective's leadership and management.
• The agency has expanded its consortium model to Sussex Top Attractions and Best of Dorset Attractions 
• Visit Cornwall, Visit Kent, and Visit Hertfordshire have all ceased operations in recent month

For media enquiries, interviews, or further information:

Jo Cooper, Founder & CEO, The Marketing Collective | 07591170720 or jo@themarketing-collective.com

Laura Stanley-Adams, Digital Marketing Manager, The Marketing Collective laura@themarketing-collective.com

About The Marketing Collective: The Marketing Collective is a Hampshire-founded tourism and destination marketing agency specialising in collaborative marketing solutions for visitor attractions, destinations, and hospitality businesses. The agency manages Hampshire's Top Attractions, Sussex's Top Attractions, Dorset's Top Attractions, and Visit Hampshire

www.themarketing-collective.com

COMPANY STATEMENT

The Marketing Collective Steps Forward to Secure Visit Hampshire's Future

As a marketing agency rooted in collaboration and destination expertise, we recognised an opportunity to ensure the Visit Hampshire brand continues to serve our vibrant tourism community. When Hampshire County Council made the difficult decision to step back from tourism marketing due to budget constraints, we knew we had to act.

Visit Hampshire represents more than just a website - it's an important destination brand that connects thousands of visitors with Hampshire's incredible attractions, experiences, and businesses. Having witnessed first hand through our Hampshire's Top Attractions consortium how vital this platform is to our 70+ member attractions, we couldn't allow this valuable resource to disappear.

Taking on the management of Visit Hampshire aligns perfectly with our mission to strengthen regional tourism through collaborative marketing. We're not just preserving what exists; we're expanding it. Our proven track record with Hampshire's Top Attractions and our growth into Sussex and Dorset demonstrate our commitment to building sustainable tourism ecosystems that benefit everyone involved.

We're thrilled to welcome Laura-Stanley Adams to our team as Digital Marketing Manager. Laura brings invaluable experience from her time with Visit Hampshire, ensuring continuity of expertise while adding a fresh perspective to our expanding portfolio of regional destination brands.

This marks an exciting chapter - one where passionate tourism professionals take the reins to ensure Hampshire's story continues to be told with the energy and expertise it deserves.