§ 49. Sir I. Fraserasked the President of the Board of Trade what methods his Department use to make the attractions of the Lake District and other British beauty spots and resorts better known among American and Canadian wage-earners, in the interests of the British tourist industry.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftMy Department makes a substantial grant-in-aid to the British Travel and Holidays Association, which is the Government's chosen instrument for tourist publicity overseas. The Association publicises the attractions of British beauty spots and resorts, including the Lake District. The major part of the Association's resources is devoted to attracting visitors from America and Canada, particularly those from the middle-income groups.
§ Sir I. FraserCan my right hon. Friend say whether it is not the fact that the tourist industry as a whole is the largest single dollar-earner in the country? Does his Department accordingly do as much for this industry as it does for manufacturing and other industries?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThis industry certainly makes a very substantial contribution to our dollar earnings, and, in the ways that I have described, we are doing all we can to support it.
Mr. VaneIs my right hon. Friend aware that, apart from the American and Canadian wage-earners visiting the Lake District, it is extremely difficult for wage-earners or others in London and other parts of southern England to visit it, since there is no air service and the present main-line service is a great deal worse than the East Coast service? It is slow, dirty and infrequent.
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThat is more a matter for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation.