Matt Warman MP joined Tourism Minister Michael Ellis to shine a spotlight on the country’s tourism industry for English Tourism Week, which took place this year between 17th and 25th March.
In Parliament, Matt attended a drop-in session on Tuesday 20th March to celebrate English Tourism Week and meet with representatives of national tourist organisation VisitBritain/VisitEngland, to hear about the launch of its global tourism campaign ‘I Travel For…’ and how this will benefit the UK economy. Now in its seventh year, English Tourism Week raises the profile and showcases the benefits of the tourism industry to local communities and the economy.
Matt said,
“I am always very conscious of how important tourism is to my constituency, from the wonderful natural coastline at Gibraltar Point to the exciting attractions of Butlins and Fantasy Island, not to mention the unique historic and heritage importance of Boston. I’m delighted therefore to support English Tourism Week and welcome this new campaign to highlight the many local attractions on offer.
“Here in the constituency it was great to visit Skegness Water Leisure Park on Friday and see the new camping s-pods they’ve installed as part of a £250,000 investment into the site. The pods welcomed their first visitors on Saturday and are another way of extending the season in our beautiful seaside resort whilst creating additional year-round jobs.”
Tourism Minister, Michael Ellis said,
“From the beautiful Cornish Riviera to the iconic Hadrian’s Wall, England boasts a wealth of unique heritage, breath-taking views, and world-class culture. English Tourism Week is a great opportunity for us to showcase the very best of what our country has to offer. In 2017 more than 44 million Brits holidayed in the UK and this week gives us a chance to raise the profile of the destinations that are so important at creating jobs and supporting the local economy.”
Latest VisitEngland statistics show that from January to November 2017 Brits took more than 44 million domestic holidays in England, spending more than £10 billion, up five and six per cent respectively compared to the same period in 2016.
Overseas visits to the UK are forecast to break through the 40 million mark for the first time in 2018, reaching 41.7 million. Spending by overseas visitors to the UK is forecast to reach £26.9 billion this year.
In February 2018 VisitBritain launched a new global marketing campaign ‘I Travel For…’ to boost inbound tourism to Britain. The campaign uses short films and story-telling to highlight unexpected experiences and less explored destinations in Britain, as well as its globally renowned and iconic landmarks and attractions. The digital campaign kicked off internationally with a launch film on Facebook and Instagram and will be followed by a series of films and images promoting destinations across Britain.
VisitBritain’s ‘I Travel For… campaign is part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, which promotes the UK internationally as a place to visit, study, invest and do business.
Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy, creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.