Five enterprising students from University Campus Suffolk (UCS) plan to mark English Tourism Week in March with an event focusing on the contribution of the “staycation” phenomenon to the success of the county’s visitor economy.

“Suffolk Inside Out”, to be held at Trinity Park, Ipswich, on Friday, March 11, it the latest in a series of annual events to organised by students on the Event, Business and Tourism Management degree course at UCS, and aims to build on the success of the Suffolk Unlocked conference held in March last year with the support of partners including VisitSuffolk.

Laura Locke, senior lecturer and course leader of the programme at UCS, said: “The growing tourism economy within Suffolk along with the growth in ‘staycation’ holidays nationally, provide a wealth of small to medium enterprises in the county, leading to many business opportunities.

“These businesses include accommodation providers, event venues, leisure and hospitality businesses, cultural arts and heritage organisations alongside many agricultural businesses that have diversified to provide visitor attractions and food tourism.”

Supporters of this year’s event include Trinity Park Events and White Space Design, alongside Affinity PR and Ipswich Town & Waterfront.

Laura added: “Live projects such as this and others that are developed in partnership with Suffolk businesses mean that our students gain very valuable experience to support their high quality employability skills. Collaborative learning experiences contribute to the success of the course which achieved 100% satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2014-15.”

Kesha Allen, one of the students involved in the Suffolk Inside Out project, said: “Being a part of the student team providing a platform for Suffolk’s tourism business’s to network is a real privilege.

“Suffolk Inside Out will bring tourism businesses together to showcase sustainable growth opportunities within the sector and how trends such as ‘staycations’ influence continuity and impact the tourism market.”

For opportunities to become involved in the event, email suffolkinsideout@ucs.ac.uk .