Through its Hospitality Forum, Visit Herts is creating a stronger voice for Hertfordshire's visitor economy, connecting businesses with support, and helping them prepare for opportunities ahead.
At Visit Herts’ latest Hospitality Forum, hotel operators, attractions, venues, and other visitor economy businesses convened at Sopwell House (St Albans) to discuss workforce development, skills, and sector priorities.
The forum is part of Visit Herts' commitment to helping businesses respond to current challenges and ensuring they are well placed to maximise growth opportunities on the horizon. This includes the rising popularity of screen tourism, increasing demand for domestic short breaks, the expansion of London Luton Airport, and the development of the Universal United Kingdom Resort in Bedfordshire.
The theme, Building Skills: Strengthening Hospitality, was chosen in response to issues raised by businesses during the first forum which took place earlier this year. Skills, recruitment, and workforce development emerged as some of the sector's most pressing concerns, affecting overheads, productivity, and growth potential.
As the UK’s third-largest employment sector, hospitality plays a vital role in creating jobs, developing skills, and supporting social mobility. It is one of the largest employers of young people, accounting for around 40% of first jobs and providing more apprenticeships than any other sector. With 80% of managers not holding a degree, it also offers significant opportunities for inclusive career progression and talent development.
Despite this, many businesses continue to face challenges recruiting and retaining staff, particularly in a competitive labour market. This is exacerbated by rising employment costs, skills shortages, and the need to develop future talent pipelines.
The forum helped address these concerns by connecting businesses with practical support available through Hertfordshire Futures’ family of services, which Visit Herts is part of, to help employers attract, develop, and retain talent. This includes:
- Hertfordshire Opportunities, which supports employers through apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, the Connect to Work and Youth Guarantee programmes, and the HOP portal where businesses can promote vacancies and connect with local talent.
- Step2Skills, which supports businesses to adopt inclusive hiring practices and reap the benefits of a diverse workforce.
- Hertfordshire Careers Hub, which supports employers to build future talent pipelines through its Modern-Day Work Experience programme.
- Invest Hertfordshire, which supports businesses looking to expand and relocate to Hertfordshire, and monitors growth opportunities across the county’s priority sectors.
Daria Godding, Visitor Economy Manager at Visit Herts, said: "The Hospitality Forum is about more than bringing businesses into a room. It's about addressing the challenges they face, strengthening local partnerships, and helping them prepare for the opportunities ahead. Hospitality plays a vital role in Hertfordshire's economy. By working together and building a stronger voice for the sector, we can ensure a more skilled, resilient, and competitive visitor economy."
As the Hospitality Forum continues to grow, Visit Herts is strengthening its role as the voice of Hertfordshire's visitor economy – connecting businesses, championing the sector, and supporting its growth trajectory.
Upcoming Hospitality Forum dates:
October 2026
January 2027
Hertfordshire-based businesses of all sizes that operate within hospitality, tourism, and the visitor economy are encouraged to get involved.
The Hospitality Forum is about more than bringing businesses into a room. It's about addressing the challenges they face, strengthening local partnerships, and helping them prepare for the opportunities ahead.
The Hospitality Forum is about more than bringing businesses into a room. It's about addressing the challenges they face, strengthening local partnerships, and helping them prepare for the opportunities ahead.