Tourism Update
Posted by Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth, at 18:04, Wed 2 February 2011:
The Tourism Minister, John Penrose, has confirmed that the government is on target to raise £100 million for tourism marketing over the next four years. This money is vital in encouraging overseas visitors to explore other parts of the country and not just stay in London and the Home Counties. I am still worried that the bulk of this money will be spent on promoting the normal tourism traps. We will see how Visit Britain plans to avoid this, when I receive a reply to my recent letter to their Chief Executive.
Written Questions – Tuesday 25th January
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent assessment is of the progress of the £100 million tourism-marketing fund launched in August 2010 in reaching its financial target.
John Penrose (Tourism Minister): Last summer, we challenged British businesses to come together with the Government to create the best ever overseas tourism marketing campaign for Britain, and take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and other major events such as the royal wedding and Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee.
Subsequently, on 5 January the Prime Minister held a reception for tourism industry leaders at Downing Street to thank some of those already involved. Companies including British Airways, DFDS, lastminute.com, P&O and Radisson Edwardian have already pledged their support to help match the £50 million of public money we have committed through VisitBritain and we are well advanced towards meeting the £100 million target.
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Posted by Brandon Lewis, 18:26, Wed 2 February 2011: (Is this post abusive?) #
This week I have been emphasising to people that we need to tell the world Great Yarmouth and Norfolk is the place to visit in 2012. With the Olympics on the horizon we need to ensure we don’t miss out on a share of a massive £100 million tourism-marketing fund set up by Prime Minister, David Cameron, to promote Britain as a top holiday destination over the next four years. I have called on tourism bosses to promote all that the area has to offer and hope that the backing from leading tourism companies such as British Airways and Lastminute.com will help.
Norfolk has so much to offer visitors, from the natural splendour of the Broads to our rich history, from our royal connections to the perfect example of a traditional seaside town in Great Yarmouth. With direct rail links to Norwich from London and the Olympic site, we are the perfect destination for visitors deciding to stay and explore after the games have finished. We have to tell the world what we have to offer.
Visit Britain who is administering the marketing fund has not yet revealed how the money will be spent. I don’t want Great Yarmouth to miss out on this and will do all I can in order to ensure it is not diverted to honey pot destinations in the South or to destinations like Edinburgh or York that already receive worldwide recognition. This would be a disaster; we would feel little real benefit from the games as visitors head off on chocolate-box tours of the normal photo hotspots. Let it be an opportunity to show-off a region that many overseas visitors haven’t already heard about.