§ 16. Mr. CarringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the chairman of the English Tourist Board to discuss the development of tourism; and if he will make a statement.
§ 83. Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made as to whether the tourist potential of Northumberland is being adequately marketed and co-ordinated.
§ Mr. LeeI understand that Northumberland tourist board is planning to produce by the end of this year a comprehensive tourism marketing and development strategy for Northumberland, Durham, and Cleveland. I look forward with interest to seeing it.
§ 133. Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the amount of funds from the European regional development fund invested to date in tourism projects in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LeeThe total assistance committed by the European regional development fund to projects in England which will benefit tourism, up to 7 October 1988, is £177.6 million. Data are not available on a compatible basis for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
§ 41. Mrs. GormanTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are employed in tourism in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeIt is estimated that in June 1988 there were 1.4 million employees in employment in tourism-related industries in Great Britain. There is no directly comparable estimate for the number of self-employed, but the latest available information from the labour force survey shows that in the spring of 1987 there were an estimated 0.2 million self-employed workers in the hotel and catering industry.
§ 47. Mr. ConwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many United States tourists visited the United Kingdom between April and September 1988; how much they spent; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeThe most up-to-date estimates available show that between April and July of 1988, residents of north America (which includes Canada as well as the United States) made 1,320,000 visits to the United Kingdom. An estimate of their spending is not yet available.
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§ 63. Mr. Jacques ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to meet the chairman of the British Tourist Authority to discuss promotion of British tourism; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the chairman and board of the British Tourist Authority on 12 July. He has no plans to meet them again in the immediate future.
§ 72. Mr. KirkhopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the number of section 4 tourist grants awarded to date by the English tourist board in 1988.
§ Mr. LeeBetween January and September 1988 the English Tourist Board offered section 4 assistance totalling £8.5 million to 359 projects.
§ 76. Mr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many tourism and leisure building developments are under construction; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LeeThe English Tourist Board's "Tourism Investment Monitor" identifies the following tourism and leisure developments valued at over £0.5 million, under construction during June 1988:
Number Hotels 58 Hotel Extensions 50 Hotel Refurbishments 45 Timeshare Developments 9 Self-Catering/Holiday Village Developments 7 Marinas 10 Themed Attractions 5 Leisure/Sport Facilities 35 Heritage/Museums 35 Visitor Facilities 8 Conference/Theatre 9 Major Mixed Developments 24 Total 295