§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, as reported in The Times of 6th July 1995, the London Tourist Board has drawn up plans for providing 10,000 more tourist bed spaces in London; what additional number of tourists will these beds cater for; whether these plans are based on any concept of "sustainable tourism"; whether London's transport system can sustainably carry the extra tourists intended to be catered for; and which London tourist attractions 64WA can sustainably cater for more tourists than they already do.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage (Lord Inglewood)The plan that the noble Lord is referring to is an initiative by the London Borough of Southwark, which is supported by the London Tourist Board, to cater for 10,000 more tourist bed spaces in the borough over a ten-year period. This is therefore a matter for the Leader of the Council at the London Borough of Southwark. However, the promotion of London is crucial to the success of Britain's tourism industry and I welcome any moves to increase capacity. I do believe that London has the appropriate infrastructure, and its continuing development will enable it to cater for increased visitor numbers.